A Technical Maestro: Geddy Lee on the bassist whose solos are “insane”
Although it may not seem like it at times, Geddy Lee is not the only maestro of the bass guitar. He might have altered perceptions of great bassists by showing up with a certain charisma that proved the instrument could be much more than a musical tool, but believe it or not—there are many exceptional players who arrived before, during, and after his successful reign.
That said, Lee did extraordinarily well to give the bass a newfound importance and its inclusion in the broader musical machine. Before Rush, many spaces still viewed the instrument as part of a whole, but Lee’s finger-picking intricacy and general musical intuition forced it from a sidelined accompaniment to an entity worthy of occupying the spotlight.
One aspect of the secret ingredient to Lee’s master playing is the fact he never pretended to be anything he wasn’t. Most musicians stand on the shoulders of those who come before while operating under the pretence that all they have is originality—not Lee. Instead, Lee embodied his favourites while offering up something completely new, epitomising the sought-after notion of new meets old.
This is why Lee has nurtured a lifelong adoration of other reputable players like John Paul Jones, Paul McCartney, and Jaco Pastorius, mainly because he appreciates the monumental work they each did, not just within pivotal moments of music history but in terms of the innovation they yielded to make such culture-altering music so profound and important.
Not only were they experts, but their fearlessness and bravery guided music into places it otherwise wouldn’t have ventured, breaking aspects like the bass wide open to endless development and opportunity. Another figure who embodied this unrelenting strive for greatness was the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ low-pitch pariah Flea. Flea didn’t gain the guitar hero moniker for nothing, but what makes his case so unique is how he clutched minimalism in a way that made it seem technical and dynamic.
Most pin this proficiency down to his interest in various genres and a natural converge of unconventional worlds, but in Lee’s mind, Flea’s excellence stems from a handful of drivers—from his studious efforts down to his pure adoration of the instrument itself. “His solos are insane from a technical point of view,” Lee told MusicRadar. “Like Les [Claypool], he has this rhythmic thing that is from a different generation to mine, but he combines it with all these other things.”
Lee also enjoys observing how Flea “loves to play”, which makes all the difference not just in musicians but in bass players—if the enjoyment is there, it radiates from them like a force of energy and forges a strong connection between the player and the observer. His extreme enjoyment also makes him prolific, which is something Lee also appreciates in a fellow performer—the drive never to let the magic go.
As he concluded: “He never takes for granted the opportunity to get out there and wind it up. Any bass player that’s allowed to play too much has the best gig in the world.”
