Who is the more skilled bassist?

mrgd wrote: May I respectfully suggest to those bass players [and I am one] who say that slapping and 'popping '[popping I believe is recognised as beginning with Robert 'Pops' Popwell] in the style of VW is not that difficult to do, either suffer from a lack of technique to do it properly ,are not being honest with themselves about their own abilities [or lack thereof] or simply do not have the capacity to undestand the extent of VW's prowess. Clearly he is capable of all styles and has demonstrated this both on recordings and live. The Flecktones are one of the most improvisational bands around so I just don't understand where half these comments are coming from. I simply couldn't imagine that people who visit this site are being dishonest ,or at best, would let their blind admiration of a player/composer, a band and an era get in the way of objective opinion. Never let it be said! Some of them profess to be musicians furtermore altho. I certainly do understand the difference between playing bass and being a musician who plays bass and therein lies the key to all this IMO.

Tell me about it... someone once said it was easier to play with your fingers than with a pick
      

mrgd wrote: May I respectfully suggest to those bass players [and I am one] who say that slapping and 'popping '[popping I believe is recognised as beginning with Robert 'Pops' Popwell] in the style of VW is not that difficult to do, either suffer from a lack of technique to do it properly ,are not being honest with themselves about their own abilities [or lack thereof] or simply do not have the capacity to undestand the extent of VW's prowess. Clearly he is capable of all styles and has demonstrated this both on recordings and live. The Flecktones are one of the most improvisational bands around so I just don't understand where half these comments are coming from. I simply couldn't imagine that people who visit this site are being dishonest ,or at best, would let their blind admiration of a player/composer, a band and an era get in the way of objective opinion. Never let it be said! Some of them profess to be musicians furtermore altho. I certainly do understand the difference between playing bass and being a musician who plays bass and therein lies the key to all this IMO.

Well said.  many people say they play an instrument just because they sit down and play Smoke on the Water and Iron Man every once in a while.  Just because you own an instrument and play sometimes (or even often!) it doesn't necessarily mean you have any clue what you're doing or how you're instrument works.

http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=29086 I have a track on the CD referenced in the link above where I play all of the parts (I used a drum machine only because no drums were readily available at the time)....

Philéas wrote: Take it easy, this doesn't appear to be aimed at you!  After all, you did say Wooten is more skilled, didn't you? So they have no reason to argue against you, since they essentially agree with you.

Edited by yarstruly - December 12 2006 at 11:54

yarstruly wrote: Philéas wrote: Take it easy, this doesn't appear to be aimed at you!  After all, you did say Wooten is more skilled, didn't you? So they have no reason to argue against you, since they essentially agree with you.   Oh...I'm OK ...but the POINT of my posts seems to be getting overlooked....thet there is a difference between SKILL & TALENT.....   Also, I don't like the fact that someone put up an opinion poll then agues with people who disagree with his point of view basically calling them ignorant (at best)....

It's hardly an opinion poll.  You can have different opinions, but in this case if you're opinion is that Chris Squire is better, then you're wrong (assuming you understand the question).  There is simply no debate.  You said it yourself:  Skill is different than talent, and it is undeniable that Wooten possesses more skill.  You can go on and say that all opinions are sacred, but in some cases certain opinions hold more water than others.

SASQUAMO specifically asks everyone to base their responses on technical skill.

To YARSTRULY:
I agree entirely with your original post where you raise the issue of 'musicality' as compared to pure technical skill. Progressive music allows many of these great players in the prog. arena to shine through. Squire is undoubtedly one of these special players and composers.

But we have to remember VW is essentially a fusion influenced player and I think it's because it provides the best vehicle to demonstrate his incredible skills that he chooses to play largely in this area [but not exclusively]. I don't believe that this choice means he can't handle other styles of playing. I believe his talent would allow him to play just about any style. Personally,I could not say the same of Squire.

Many people dislike fusion because 'musicality' and often melody, gets lost in techno. fireworks. The enregy spent produces technical sterility without much heart and soul.

However, undoubtedly your technical abilities as a guitarist/bassist of many years experience helps you to arrive at your opinion that VW is in fact more skilled. Your opinions about talent/musicality raise another question altogether,imo.

I'm sensing that some of our posters here are being a tad provocative and stubborn just for the hell of it. I hope I'm wrong, but if I'm not ,I and many others will have to agree to disagree with them for whatever reasons.

Man, this poll is one of the most stupid polls ever. Polls about who is more skilled should be deleted immediately.

If some claim that skill is not a thing that can be put under debate, why create a poll? It is the same to create a poll:

Poll Question: 1 + 1 =?
Vote	Poll Choice	Votes	Poll Statistics
< name="voteChoice" value="34636" id="P34636" ="">	3	X	[40%]
< name="voteChoice" value="34637" id="P34637" ="">	2	Y	[60%]

And them people start to bash themselves because people who know the right answer is 2 will call those who answered 3 as ignorants and people who answered 3 will try to explain their point of view just to be bashed for people who answered 2.

The poll about skill is worse since it can't be proven. What proves that a musician is most skilled than the other? There is a definition of skill in musicianship? No, there isn't. So stop this ridiculous polls.

I think the reason people answered 3 is because they didn't want to admit the answer was 2, not because they didn't know.  That's why this is an interesting poll.

Sure it's an opinion, but I think it's pretty safe to assume Victor Wooten could play bass in any style you asked him to.

Having the ability to play all styles is one thing, but playing all styles with virtuosity is another.