Ok, so I am a bass player and gig with my Taurus pedals pretty regularly. We've incorporated them into our arrangements and now that I've found myself committed to using them I'd really like to work on my foot technique and improve it. I consistently run into issues with balance, switching left/right foot, etc. Nothing major but would really like to polish that up.
Also the holy grail would be able to play without looking down at my feet.
Feel free to chime in!
Playing technique
Re: Playing technique
Hi factorplayer,
I know where you are coming from here.. I have two setups im using the Taurus pedals in at the moment:
As a controller for my Euro Modular Rig (so my hands are free for twiddling)
As a bass instrument while im triggering drums and loops from my Gibraltar/PD8 Drum Setup
Im always feeling like im trying to do one thing too many.. but if I can improve my technique so its more intuitive, this will help a great deal.
Im not really a big fan of Arpeggiators, so I don't want to automate the whole thing..
I think I should get a decent stool but never feel comfortable in the ones ive used, and there is less energy in my performance.. But it is suprising how much of a strain it is to balance on one leg while trying to coordinate everything over a whole track/live take.
I know where you are coming from here.. I have two setups im using the Taurus pedals in at the moment:
As a controller for my Euro Modular Rig (so my hands are free for twiddling)
As a bass instrument while im triggering drums and loops from my Gibraltar/PD8 Drum Setup
Im always feeling like im trying to do one thing too many.. but if I can improve my technique so its more intuitive, this will help a great deal.
Im not really a big fan of Arpeggiators, so I don't want to automate the whole thing..
I think I should get a decent stool but never feel comfortable in the ones ive used, and there is less energy in my performance.. But it is suprising how much of a strain it is to balance on one leg while trying to coordinate everything over a whole track/live take.
[url]https://soundcloud.com/subliminalsandwich/sets/codex-provocateur[/url]
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hieronymous
- Posts: 482
- Joined: Sun Jun 13, 2004 8:09 am
- Location: northern CA
- Contact:
Re: Playing technique
Another bassist/T3 player here - I don't really have much to offer except "practice practice practice" (which I haven't been doing!) - and also this older thread on footwear...
I still haven't been able to find Beatle Boots either!
I still haven't been able to find Beatle Boots either!
Re: Playing technique
These are the best shoes I've found for T3 work:
http://zuriick.myshopify.com/products/kettle-papyrus
Real skinny and thin enough soles you can feel where you're at.
http://zuriick.myshopify.com/products/kettle-papyrus
Real skinny and thin enough soles you can feel where you're at.
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factorplayer
- Posts: 62
- Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2010 3:11 pm
Re: Playing technique
Dude are those dutch or something? I dig 'em 
Re: Playing technique
I'm not sure what their promotional video and pictures have to do with shoes but after looking at them, I want to buy several pairs! (cheap beer, box nova, tattoos and models, not necessarily in that order)
'76 Minimoog, Taurus 3, Oberheim FVS + Son of 2-voice; Sequential ProOne; Juno 106; Moog Model 15; Kurzweil 250; Hammond M3; and a handful of Fender Basses Flickr!
Re: Playing technique
The shoes are by a start-up in Salt Lake. They gave me a pair because I'm in a "cool" band and I got hooked. but they don't last very long and the company maybe caught on that I'm not actually cool because they've never given me anything else for free.
To get back to the original question though, the best thing for playing T3 accurately is to play seated. I tend to use the pedals to accompany myself fingerpicking and singing and find that having the exact same posture and position in relation to the T3 every time I play is key. I bought a nice sturdy drum throne and have it set the same distance from the pedals each time I rehearse or perform. In rehearsal I try to use a mic stand even if i dont need vocal amplification, since in performance the boom usually lies athwart my field of vision and is extremely distracting unless prepared for.
The other thing that's helped the most with club performances and accuracy has been taping the ends of the pedals with white gaff, this makes variable or bad lighting onstage a non-issue.
To get back to the original question though, the best thing for playing T3 accurately is to play seated. I tend to use the pedals to accompany myself fingerpicking and singing and find that having the exact same posture and position in relation to the T3 every time I play is key. I bought a nice sturdy drum throne and have it set the same distance from the pedals each time I rehearse or perform. In rehearsal I try to use a mic stand even if i dont need vocal amplification, since in performance the boom usually lies athwart my field of vision and is extremely distracting unless prepared for.
The other thing that's helped the most with club performances and accuracy has been taping the ends of the pedals with white gaff, this makes variable or bad lighting onstage a non-issue.
Re: Playing technique
This is what ive found.. Exact same position and stance and things come a little more naturally.. ive been looking at a drum throne.. but would take a while to get used to, as I find I have more energy (im triggering stuff/drumming from PD8s/twiddling euro modular) when im standing.. definitely something to look into though.. appreciate the tips marty.marty wrote: I tend to use the pedals to accompany myself fingerpicking and singing and find that having the exact same posture and position in relation to the T3 every time I play is key. I bought a nice sturdy drum throne and have it set the same distance from the pedals each time I rehearse or perform. In rehearsal I try to use a mic stand even if i dont need vocal amplification, since in performance the boom usually lies athwart my field of vision and is extremely distracting unless prepared for.
The other thing that's helped the most with club performances and accuracy has been taping the ends of the pedals with white gaff, this makes variable or bad lighting onstage a non-issue.
[url]https://soundcloud.com/subliminalsandwich/sets/codex-provocateur[/url]
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Scott Rolf
- Posts: 151
- Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 4:56 pm
- Location: So. Cal.
Re: Playing technique
I'm using a padded keyboard bench by ProLine. Works great.
Rael Imperial Aerosol Kid
Re: Playing technique
That's my biggest challenge: switching from one foot to the other and dexterity during fast passages.
I find using a referenced position, IE: sliding the non-playing foot against a stationary object, I can consistently find the right pedals with my triggering foot, but reaching from one end of the synth to the other quickly can be awkward, or even put me off balance.
I'm really looking forward to gigging with T3, it's been a dream of mine since about 1980, but I want to feel as confident about playing the pedals as playing bass (which I've been doing since 1979).
I know there's no substitute for practice, but hopefully it won't take as long as 30 odd years to catch up!
I find using a referenced position, IE: sliding the non-playing foot against a stationary object, I can consistently find the right pedals with my triggering foot, but reaching from one end of the synth to the other quickly can be awkward, or even put me off balance.
I'm really looking forward to gigging with T3, it's been a dream of mine since about 1980, but I want to feel as confident about playing the pedals as playing bass (which I've been doing since 1979).
I know there's no substitute for practice, but hopefully it won't take as long as 30 odd years to catch up!