Funk fingers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Funk Fingers are a kind of drumsticks that are attached to the fingers of a bass player for producing extra-funky sounds on a bass guitar. They were created by Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson et al.) and his guitar tech, Andy Moore. The aim was to recreate the effect of drumming on the strings of one’s bass as done by drummer Jerry Marotta for Peter Gabriel’s song “Big Time” when recording the album “So”.
The original Funk Fingers were strapped to the fingers, but after some experimentation with cutouts and elastic loops for fingers, Levin decided the most comfortable design has a rubber cap at the end of the fingers. The current version of Funk Fingers comes with two different lengths for his index and middle finger.
[edit] Examples
Albums and tracks where Funk Fingers can be heard in action:
- Tony Levin: From The Caves Of The Iron Mountain, World Diary, Resonator
- Peter Gabriel: "Steam," "Secret World"
- King Crimson: "People" and "One Time" (album: THRAK); "Sleepless" (album: Three of a Perfect Pair)
- Yes: Union
- Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe: ABWH
- Bruford Levin Upper Extremities: Cerulean Sea
- Liquid Tension Experiment
