How did you get to DB ? me ? The genius that is Lars Danielsson,

[funkgod]

Strange how we have a vision and try hard to get to where we want to get too, but the side roads on the way always seems so seductive,
I am coming from a soul, acid jazz , funkjazz, groove back ground, i always wanted to be bootsy, mark king or ron carter.
Always looking for the new, i got into nils landgren through a friend, a trombone player who wanted to do more than half a sets worth of his tunes in a funkjazz band we were in, this was about the time when nils had his funk unit together, an so niles stayed with me, ended up with all the cd's and thanks to that a whole wealth of info.
which leads me to Lars danielsson, he was the guy as well as ron carter that made me want to get a double bass,
and the more i listen to his music the more he drives me into thinking thats where i want to get too even though my bones are shouting funk, stick with the electric funk, at heart im a funk guy, but dam his playing is so captivating,
Electric Funk is my comfort zone, but the older i get im starting to feel the pull

so im going to pick a few tracks to try and show that bridge and jump between the funk and the jazz side
first is lars with nils and maceo an then a cover of stings fragile. there is another nils and lars version of frigile with pat metheny which is just killer also worth a look.
and if interested there is a great live cd called live in stockholm with the first two tracks here on, well worth a look.

impressions
[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLaw36tvRaQ"]https://www.youtube....h?v=jLaw36tvRaQ[/url]

simple life
[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KiOfEkZ4R8&list=PL06A9753DDDA4157C"]https://www.youtube....6A9753DDDA4157C[/url]

frigile
[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RH4bFJscTE"]https://www.youtube....h?v=9RH4bFJscTE[/url]


so what was your jump from electric, if you did ???

Edited December 29, 2016 by funkgod

[Burns-bass]

Good question!

I started playing electric at 15, got reasonably good at it. Achieved Grade 8 standard, toured Europe and taught at a local music college. Sitting there once transcribing a track (I think it was 'Maybe it'll rub off') I realised I was bored with my sub-Jack noodling crap, so I sold all my gear apart from one bass and didn't play properly for the best part of a decade.

I'd always loved the idea of upright, but never the reality. Then, when my wife became pregnant I decided to treat myself and spend the nights indoors with the new family as an opportunity to learn something new.

The next best thing to happen was enjoying a free jazz concert (cost not music) in Bristol (where I live) and seeing Some amazing players I realised the complexity and beauty of the instrument.

I also realised it's sheer size and physical presence meant that the sort of widdling virtuoso bollocks (sorry) I was prone to on the electric - and that bores me stiff - was impossible on upright. Its apparent simplicity is it's complexity, even though within one four bar phrase you have millions of potential options writhing the first few positions.

I realised I couldn't do it alone so I plucked up the courage to get some lessons and create what I always told for my students: a structured practice plan.

I'm now relearning theory and practical bass playing in a completely new context which is incredibly rewarding and exciting. I'm also now open to huge amounts of new music (some of which is very old!).

I can also play through changes too, which is pretty cool.

Favourite players? Hard one - I'd probably say the thing that kicked me into getting a DB was listening to Thompson play with John Martyn after rediscovering Solid Air.

This is live which loses some of the enchanting quality of the album track, but gains some of its own allure:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg_Utj4Aljc

Interested to hear from others.

[Maude]

I'd always liked the instrument but cost, storage, travel, etc meant I'd never seriously considered getting one.
I was into, among other things, rockabilly/psychobilly, The Meteors, The Cramps, Stray Cats, Rev. Horton Heat, etc even if lots didn't use a doublebass.
I was between bands and decided to get an EUB to learn how to slap.
Bumped into an old mate who asked if I still played bass, joined his band and it turned out the guitarist and the bassist I replaced had a little acoustic thing going with another singer and the bassist back on guitar where he belonged
Our guitarist heard about my EUB and said it's exactly what the acoustic band could do with, our drummer also joined using a cajon.
The natural progression from EUB to doublebass happened within months of joining and I haven't looked back since.

Edited December 29, 2016 by Maude

[Happy Jack]

Had a quick go on one at the SouthEast Bassbash and liked it. Then an old jamming mate invited me to join his steampunk folk band so long as I played DB rather than fretless electric.

Bought a no-name £300 Chinese starter bass, got an hour's intro from Jakesbass, and I was up & running ...

[Owen]

My cello teacher booted me out for not practising (which was entirely fair). My next teacher suggested that I was probably a DB player. She was correct.

[kodiakblair]

Like Maude it was The Meteors for me.

[stingrayPete1977]

Broke my arm and needed to play something held vertical.

[URL=http://s997.photobucket.com/user/stingraypete/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2013-01/20130128_154857_zpsegkslokt.jpg.html][IMG]http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af100/stingraypete/Mobile%20Uploads/2013-01/20130128_154857_zpsegkslokt.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Edited December 29, 2016 by stingrayPete1977

[Maude]

Don't want to worry you Pete but someone's left a miniature ice scraper in your arm

[stingrayPete1977]

Ha, you never know when someone might need a bottle opening though

[TheRev]

I was in an acoustic duo in which I mostly played fretless bass. I was saving up for a custom fretless (a Shuker I think) when the other guy lost interest/disappeared up his own arse, so I was left with about about £600 for a fretless bass and no band to play it in. I was listening to a lot of Danny Thompson (Pentangle/John Martyn) and Ali Friend (Red Snapper/Beth Orton/Clayhill) so I thought, 'bugger it, I'll buy a double bass'. There was an Aria SWB EUB on the Basschat (or might have been Bassworld back then) for sale forum - it was £600 and it was less than an hour away, so I bought it.
Within two months, I was in two new, regularly gigging bands and I've never looked back.


[quote name='Burns-bass' timestamp='1483001366' post='3203957']
Favourite players? Hard one - I'd probably say the thing that kicked me into getting a DB was listening to Thompson play with John Martyn after rediscovering Solid Air.

This is live which loses some of the enchanting quality of the album track, but gains some of its own allure:

[url="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg_Utj4Aljc"]https://m.youtube.co...h?v=Kg_Utj4Aljc[/url]

Interested to hear from others.
[/quote]

Try this version:
[url="https://youtu.be/ohmSPv-rtSQ"]https://youtu.be/ohmSPv-rtSQ[/url]
This is what got me hooked....

[Burns-bass]

I met Ali Friend once at Trinity (friend of mine was tour manager for Red Snapper before Basement Jaxx) and he was a lovely chap. I'm sure he has no recollection, but was very supportive and engaging.

Send me a PM Rev - be good to see you out and about playing DB. Cant see from your site but if you're on the Rockabilly scene we may know some of the same people.

[Ferretwrangler]

I got into double bass when, at school, the music teacher brought one into the classroom. At 4' 6'' in height at the time, my hand went up straightaway. Then when the bass teacher looked at my hands and dismissed me as 'hopeless', my hackles went up and I spent the next *** years proving her wrong.