Bass with your feet (Jimmy Smith style)

[SammieWammie]

Well there's some Jimmy Smith. Notice at 3 mins in how he's playing bass with his feet. Very impressive. My question, is there a similar instrument that allows somebody to play bass with their feet without having to sit down at a hammond organ. A giant foot bass keyboard thing. Imagine the possibilities for us guitarists, being able to give ourselves a proper walking bassline to accompany ourselves.

[docbop]

There have been don't know about these days. Moog and other made synth bass pedals. I worked a Yes tour and Chris Squire had a set of bass pedals inside those stage prop's. These days I think more people are using small midi keyboards for bass than pedals.

[Helgo]

Hi Sammie.

Roland PK-6

Moog Taurus Bass Pedal


I do think, however, that for the most part (jazz) organ players play the bassline with their left hand, only further accompanied by the bass pedals.

I thought about this, too, a while back but never went through with the idea. I have a hard time playing "only" guitar LOL

If you ever try it out, let us know how it goes.

Cheers,
H.

[SammieWammie]

I do think, however, that for the most part (jazz) organ players play the bassline with their left hand, only further accompanied by the bass pedals.

How does that work? I'm no organist, I don't know this stuff too well.

[Helgo]

Well, basically you play the walking bass line or bassgroove in the left hand.
A lot of organ players do that and don´t use pedals at all.

If they use pedals, most of the time the pedal will only provide a "subpedal" or something, i.e. a note even lower, to provide a sort of, well, pedal tone.

check this out, for instance:



At least, that´s the way I make sense of what I see at gigs with organ players and all those yt-videos I am watching (the organ trio format has been my favourite line-up for years now.

[Helgo]

ps: The thing is: I guess every player has their own style. Some will not play pedals at all, others will use them more.

The point I wanted to make is this: When it comes to jazz organ playing, a lot of people seem to have the idea that jazz organ playing alsways and foremost means that the bass is played by the feet completely.
IMHO, this is a misconception.

I have rarely ever seen excessive use of the bass pedals at all but have seen organ players playing the basse with their left hand for the most part a lot.

Check this out, too:


(watch and listen closely at 1.59, where he switches to footbase for a few measures)

[SammieWammie]

Hmm. However it would be possible to just walk on a bass pedal synth with just your feet... but difficult... will have to try this.

[Helgo]

Hi Sammie.

Yeah, sure, it will be possible!
And if it works, it would be a cool thing to do.

Much success and let us know how it turns out!

Cheers,
H.

[cosmic gumbo]

Of course, there's always Charlie Hunter's approach for guitar and bass...

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[ohlcv]

Is this what you had in mind?

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[Larry Feldman]

I tried it back in the 80's for classic rock. Always frustrated with one octave range. Also the groove sucked (nice way of saying I sucked). A friend of mine plays Hammond in church with the pedals and says there is a certain technique to it, and you need to be seated.

[Pat Clare]

There was a model in the 60's that was called a Guitarogan, basicly an es 175 with organ foot pedals that are connected to the eclectronics. A drummer who i play withs father used one back in the 60's in Milwakee.

[oldane]

Classical organists playing church organs do it all the time when they play Bach fugues. Three contrapunctual voices sounding at the the same time, the one in the feet. It takes an immense mental effort and brian-muscle coordination. It must take many years of training.

[Tom Hueston]

I Play jazz guitar and bass pedals, Use use fatar bass pedals and a yam m70 modal

[Eddie Lang]

And there is this approach: