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UNFRETFUL (or STRUTS – NO FRETS) |
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I thought that in this, my ‘second instalment’, I’d share with you the views and ambitions of a very close friend of mine, Kai Ruder. KR is also a bass player, but several things make him different. He shares my passion for fretless (or fretless-sounding) instruments, but he plays neither fretless bass guitar nor upright bass. (In fact, he’s probably my most scathing critic, as far as my intonation is concerned.) He plays ‘slide bass’, ie he uses a slide on his pinkie to simulate the ‘fretless’ effect on an ordinary fretted bass guitar. He has experimented with glass, brass and steel slides, claiming no particular preference. Although he has experimented with different tunings, he prefers standard tuning on both his 4- and 5-string basses, as well as standard action. The second things that arguably sets him apart is his relative lack of enthusiasm for other bass players. He says he doesn’t listen to bassists, neither for enjoyment nor for inspiration. Instead, he is passionate (and this should come as no surprise) about slide and bottle-neck guitarists, dobro players and even lap steel and pedal steel players. He listens to rural blues, Hawaiian (slack-key) guitar playing, Indian chitra vina music and Arabian oud masters, and is especially drawn to cross-cultural collaborations and explorations. Whenever I quiz him about the reasons for his preferences, he’ll answer that the dodgy intonation of fretless bassists drives him nuts. He claims that with a fretted bass played with a slide one has fairly good control – by playing right on the frets. We’ve been talking about doing a joint project sometime soon, a cover album featuring not only our favourite tunes from the 50s and 60s, but also some of our favourite singers and musicians. No prizes for guessing who’ll be playing lead on ‘Sleepwalk’! Kai Horsthemke/ September 2002 |
