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Reader Submission – Give em’ the Finger! By Tim Risser
After hearing of the recent loss of Deftones bassist Chi Cheng, I combed the internet to find something positive to remember him by. I came across the article he wrote in early 2000 about his love for the instrument and a mutual analogy of sex, as he both admitted a love for the two; while accepting that he wasn’t a master of either. It was a great read and put a smile on my face.
I have had a similar tryst with both of those interests myself, and concluded that my bass playing will never reach the upper echelon of the talent pool, nor will I magically wake up tomorrow with a quarter pound of salami in my pants. It’s the love we have for the “art” and the execution that makes it real. Conviction and effort will always have purpose.
So two years ago, after twenty plus years of playing, I decided to go “back to school” so to speak. I had hit that majestic and completely transparent wall that people invent. So I decided to seek out a bass teacher who could also play the guitar like he invented it! I mean, this guy could shred and make it look effortless. He was very gracious, which is also extremely important in a teacher. Yeah, he was ten years younger than me, but ego is something for lead vocalists, right?
We began with some intermediate stuff and some sight-reading and scales/modes, but I hastily approached him with more practical but complex ideas. The stuff we we’re into seemed so basic.
Before I got any further though, he questioned what was going on with my right hand technique? Well, I thought at first, he must be talking about how nimble and seamless my index and middle finger flow over the strings! No, that wasn’t it. Second thought was that he couldn’t believe how well my thumb was anchored and in great position to drop triplet patterns while everybody’s jaw dropped in disbelief! Not so much on that either. So what he said was nothing close to what I wanted to hear: “Your fingers are mess, you lead with the pointer and (selectively) use your middle finger and your thumb has you so locked in tight and stiff, that it honestly looks uncomfortable!” Wow. If I had any bravado left, it was stifled and sent back to the days of woodshedding in my parents’ basement. The days when I was convinced I could play Anthrax or Iron Maiden, mainly because my friends didn’t have the heart to tell me I blew. It was a humbling moment.
I think I needed to hear it and he introduced me to some concepts that may have escaped me over the years. This was the reason I came to a gifted guitarist and bassist, and someone who did not have bass as his primary instrument. We tackled the rotation of pointer and middle with finger alternations; string crossing and floating the hand and not “thumbing” the E string or pick-up (Watch me play “Wrathchild” now!). It was how I originally learned, and it reinvigorated my playing and allowed for smoother transitions and consistent plucking. I have modified what he gave me to a hybrid of floating for speedier runs and anchoring the thumb for harder strikes when there is a need for accents. And I use a pick from time to time as well, because versatility is a must! I’m happy he opened up my eyes. We’re never too old to learn.
A lot of my favorite bassists look different to me now and there are so many greats out there. I have a few personal favorites and sometimes I notice that the pointer finger is carrying much of the load. Check it out for yourself next time you see a band live or on TV. The middle finger isn’t there just to tell off other drivers! You’re a musician and bass player! Don’t be afraid to give em’ the finger!
Visit Tim Risser online at unheraldedbassists.blogspot.com
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Photo: Self-portrait by Melissa Auf Der Maur
Melissa Auf Der Maur is a Canadian bassist who played with Tinker, Hole, and The Smashing Pumpkins. She released her own work and is a photographer with photos published in Nylon, Bust, and National Geographic. She released her ‘90s Rock Memoir “Even The Good Girls Will Cry” on 17 March 2026.
KB: Did you always want to be a singer-musician growing up?
I’ve played music my whole life. In school, I played trumpet and sang in a children’s choir, so music was always within me. My mother was the first female disc jockey on the Montreal airwaves; her record collection played a huge role in my inspiration and love of music.
KB: When did you start playing bass, and why this instrument?
When I was 19, the early 90s music explosion began to percolate in tiny clubs around the world. I was lucky to be a ticket girl at Montreal’s underground music club. In one year, I saw Hole, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, White Zombie, and The Breeders – all had female bass players. That’s when the seed was planted. By the age of 22, I was the bass player of Hole.
KB: Which brands of basses have you used in your career, and which one are you using now?
The first bass that I learned on was a vintage Squier Precision. Hole was sponsored by Fender guitars, so I upgraded to Fender Custom Shop Precisions. That is all I play, but I have a cool vintage 8-string Greco that I use on recordings to thicken up guitar parts.
KB: What equipment do you use or have you used with your basses?
Ampeg SVT amps and cabinets, a couple of Sans-Amp pedals, and that is it.
KB: How did you become a member of Hole, and what is your fondest memory of that time?
Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins was helping scout a replacement for (RIP) Kristen Pfaff, Hole’s bass player. My band, Tinker, opened for them on the Siamese Dream tour, so Billy had seen me play and could vouch for me. Courtney trusted her talented friend, and that was it. I initially said “no thank you” due to my commitment to my photographic studies and the drama and chaos surrounding the band during the “Live Through This” album release. Courtney took it as a good sign that I said no, so convinced me to reconsider, and soon after, I accepted their invitation, in the name of helping put females in the male-dominated landscape of rock music. My fondest memory is every show we played as a mostly female band, symbolizing what a woman could do in a rock band. Every show had a purpose: get more women to play music.
KB: You are a photographer as well. What makes a great picture? Do you shoot in color or b/w?
I started shooting photographs at age 15. Initially only shot black & white and worked in the art school darkroom. In university, I took a color photography course, and shifted mostly and forever to that, because it was easier to process film on the road when I joined a rock band. I experimented with many cameras, point and shoots, manual, polaroids, medium format, and vintage finds. The trick to a good photograph is to shoot many and all the time – the magic is in the edit and selection process.
KB: Are there artists you would love to collaborate with or wish you had?
??I’ve been lucky to collaborate with some of my favorite musicians in my career. I would still love to collaborate with a new generation heavy electronic artist on an analog bass, heavy electronic drums, and synths collaboration project. Take me out of my usual zone, merging the past and future: my love of 80s dark new wave and new artists exploring that genre. It was very futuristic back then, and we are now, after all, living in the future. I am in the mood to play bass to heavy beats I want to dance to.
KB: What are your 7 favorite bass lines in music across all genres? And why these 7?
“Mountain Song” – Jane’s Addiction (love a rambling, rolling bass line – feels like the ocean waves)
“Black Top – Helmet” (was the first bass line I taught myself)
“Gold Dust Woman” – Hole from “The Crow 2” Soundtrack (it was my first bass line contribution to the band)
“Get Ready” – The Temptations (Motown just feels so good, because of the bass)
“Lucretia My Reflection” – Sisters of Mercy (makes me want to hit the dance floor and play bass simultaneously)
“Be My Druidess” – Type O Negative (full chord bass playing at its best by iconic, demonic, Peter Steele, RIP)
“Romantic Rights” – Death from Above (1979 – unique distorted overdriven tone, combined dance rhythm and melodic intelligence, all in one shot – also! Shout out to a bass & drum only band, which is awesome, and we should have more of, but the bass player needs to be a killer to fill that role.
KB: What are you currently up to?
Releasing my ‘90s Rock Memoir “EVEN THE GOOD GIRLS WILL CRY”. Visceral healing process, it was to get it out of me and write it, but I suspect the real magic will begin by putting it into the world and reflecting with others on what the magic of the ‘90s was all about. Powerful music decade that carried us into what is now a brave new world of digital corporate weirdness – may the past shed a light on our future. That’s my hope for this book release and tour.
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