222 replies to this topic

[gafbass02]

My names Gaf, i'm 31 years old been playing and indeed gigging for 17, mainly on four string jazz basses stingrays and warwicks, always modded someway or another!
As a child of grunge my favourite players were Flea, Bill Gould and Cass Lewis, and i do get compared to the first two, but then i have also been compared to Boosty too? (its prob the wah pedal! ) Im also a huge Neds fan! so love high melodic bass lines.

Although I am primarily a fingerstyle player who likes to be the centre of attention with showy technique i will use a pick if the song needs one and sometimes a thumb if it dosnt! :blush:
Im guilty of being a bit of a show-off and know i should stop!

My quest for new gear and 'the tone' is painfully never ending and as i get older im slowing down, getting groovier and the bass is getting higher!, im also starting to wish id just bought a p bass and an ampeg! and am going off active electronics!

Edited by gafbass02, 18 March 2008 - 01:48 PM.

[Adrenochrome]

I've been playing for almost 10 years, although it seems longer as my first experience was to join a band and start gigging shortly after, so I've played plenty of gigs in many bands. I play 4-string electric bass 99% of the time. I play fretless on 1 or 2 songs at most of my gigs. My 5-string is gathering dust in my attic - just don't need it for my covers band.
I've never had a lesson on bass or guitar and I suspect my technique is poor.
I started just playing fingerstyle but now happily play 50:50 pickstyle to generally match the recordings of the songs that we're covering.
My band hasn't rehearsed properly since autumn and we're playing a motorbike rally on Sunday to a crowd of up to 2000 people
[we're trying to get something sorted during this week...]

[bigjohn]

alexclaber, on Aug 20 2007, 10:22 PM, said:

LOUD.

Alex

Good man.

I'm a Rocker. (I'm roller too honey!)

[Funkmaster]

Dr.Dave, on Aug 26 2007, 11:08 AM, said:

I've been playing bass in local bands since I was 17. I'm now 45. Although I've tried 5 strings and fretless I'm essentially at home on a fretted 4. I sing too so playing being second nature is important and it never happens with a 5.
These days I play fingerstyle almost 100%. In earlier rock band years I used a pick. I've done a little slapping on demos and home recordings but it just doesn't excite me. I have huge admiration for those who took the trouble to become competent slappers but I didn't.

I'm in 2 bands , featuring the same 3 people. A blues band that tries not to be just another pub blues band , and a ZZ Top trib band. I'm a huge fan of the music we play - or I wouldn't be involved - but my musical taste is usually more towards intelligent , adult pop.

My technique isn't brilliant - I'm right hand heavy and my left hand isn't open enough (I play right handed). I've been around a long time though and , like anyone who's done anything for a long time , I'm pretty good at what I do. I do not have a 'gift' for it. I worked and practised hard esp in the early years and if I have a lay off of a few weeks my playing suffers.

I'm an advocate of first and foremost supporting the song I'm playing. I left being flash behind in my toy box years ago but I'm glad I learned enough to be flash - I still show off an odd trick when my mates are in though!

if I have a problem it's with concentration. I tend to get carried away being an entertainer and often drop a howler because of it.
I've never been one to stand still at the back of the stage and never will be.

My influences tend to be musicians , entertainers and songwriters - it's that that got me interested in playing myself - so I'm not one for bass playing heros. I did however learn much from watching and listening to Jim Lea of Slade , Geddy Lee and certainly not least steady old John McVie.

The fact that other musicians that I admire rate my playing enough to want to make music with me has been one of the best ongoing experiences in my life , and the fact that my hobby/interest/life choice , whatever you want to call it , has made me money over the years is a wonderful bonus for which I consider myself blessed. It feels like a tangible reward for the efforts I've made and a 'thankyou' from the people I've entertained.

My advice to young players would be - if you're being paid (even is it's just a tenner and a free pint) , that makes you a professional ..so act like one.

And , if you stay fit and well . don't stop. Ever.

+ 1 for everything Dave says. (Hello Dave!)

Dave once called me the 2nd best bass player in Wakefield and it's a good call.

I'm perhaps a bit more of a 'back row' player than Dave but agree absolutely on the 'supporting the song ethic'.

I'm in three bands regularly and take anything else that comes along. I'm busy enough - I've got 20 gigs this month.

I'm a 4 stringer - fretted or fretless. I do have a 5 string but haven't really had the time or inclination to get with it yet. They are all Warwick Thumbs and I've got a Warwick Triumph DB too.

I played for 25 years with a pick - due to a need for a quick start to my playing ability - I did a gig on the first day I got a bass (I was 15 and stupid - I'm 50 not and probably still nearly as stupid.)

Didn't really get stuck into technique until I'd been playing about 25 years when a college course tempted me. Now 100% finger style. Still can't keep the blisters away though on my plucking hand.

After this months run of gigs is finished I will have pretty bomb proof fingers - but as soon as I get a few days off the fingers will be soft again - and the blisters will be back!

Still I've been playing with a harp player over the last week - (concert harp rather than harmonica!) and her hands are covered in blisters all the time! Made me feel much better!

Cheers

Dave

[elom]

I play 4 string fretted, almost exclusively finger-style. Played from the age of 15 to 20 then left the fellowship until picking it up again 18 months ago after a mere 17 year absence.

I love being in a band, the live performance and the buzz when an audience gets into what you're doing. I'm not a natural musician but I make sure that I know our songs inside out. I'm not good enough to be flash or overplay but I think that I deliver a solid performance that fits in with the overall band. Recently we've been learning some new songs that call for some slap and fancy finger work (damn you Mr Flea!) and I've surprised myself (and my bandmates) by being able to manage it, albeit with tons and tons of practice.

I like to enjoy myself when I play live so I'm more likely to be jumping around like a moron than stood at the back staring at my fingers. We play the kind of music that I like to listen to (rock and indie), to a generally appreciative audience, plus we get paid too. So what kind of bassist am I? A happy one!

[Kiwi]

I'm a complete groove addict. Soul, funk and disco - thats what I enjoy, thats what I play.

Usually opt for a 5 string but sometimes only a 4 will do because I get the biggest buzz out of replicating the sounds on the records and recreating the same kind of vibe.

I'm a closet 6 string player too and I dabble in MIDI/recording and stuff when I'm motivated enough.

[WalMan]

Me - playing bass for for 2/3rd of my years now (and with the same drummer for most of those).

Have covered a few styles in that time - punk, Policey type reggae, Nik Kershawy pop rock, Big Country/U2 type blend, blues (sort of) & ending up with rock covers

For a lot of those I've been in a band of guitar, bass, drums & vocalist so have developed a style that tries to keep solid, but also fill in gaps - though that had to be revisited when we acquired a keyboard player a few years back now in the latest incarnation to stop fighting for sonic space.

Have had 6 basses in all my years (two of which were acquired in the last 6 months and were my first foray into 5's).

Generally use a pick, but did go through a fingers stage until arthritis struck & they started getting tangled up in themselves. Never could get slapping to any great degree - it would happen then I would think "hey that was good" & it would all turn to cr@p

Having been with the same drummer for so long we have developed into a fairly tight unit, which is very important IMO. That and enjoying yourself & looking like you are. I lose track of the number of times people come up and say "you looked like you were really enjoying yourself tonight" to which my reply is generally "isn't that what we're all here for?"

Have a tendency to leap around on occasion, as well as the bad habit of getting too comfortable with a line & going off on an experiment

Get involved in backing vocals & should probably do better warm ups on both bass & vox as I always feel the latter need a gig to settle back in after a layoff.

Can't live without gigging & making a noise generally. Had a horrible sinking feeling last year when I wasn't actually feeling that during the holiday layoff - then I got a new bass & changed my amp & now I am sitting here getting very tetchy after a month away from gigs

[Hot Tub]

Oh dear, here goes....

Male, 43, been "playing" since I was 16. Originally inspired by John McCoy who, when I was 16, I thought had the most amazing, thumping, roadworks sound. He was 20-stone of sheer entertainment! I started playing with a pick, but quickly moved to fingerstyle as I found I could play a helluva lot quicker that way. Never been able to do the slap/pop thing.
Currently got a 4-string and a 5-string and love 'em both. Never gigged or even jammed. I just play along with tracks - anything from Pink Floyd, Rush, Queensryche, to AC/DC, Deep Purple, Bryan Adams, blues, and loads in between. Used to just play along with vinyl records with the bass on the stereo turned down. Now I use Adobe Audition to filter out the bass part leaving everything else mostly untouched. I plop the modified tracks into a cheapo MP3 player and that goes through a little mixing desk with my bass so I can play along. I try to improvise a bit too (in the case of Rush I improvise quite a lot - usually improvising root notes!). Currently teaching myself to read notation; it's a slow painful process, but I'm getting there!

Edited by Astronomer, 19 March 2008 - 09:15 AM.

[Rayman]

Too many decent basses for his talentless hands to cope with.

Average player, can keep time while throwing in the odd fill, but generally sticks to his roots.

Clueless when it comes to theory.

Thinks he can slap a bit, but really only has one slap riff to "show off" with when people are watching.

Constantly suffers from Gear Aquisition Syndrome, never 100% happy with what he's got, although he doesn't deserve any of the nice basses he already has, because he's such a bone idle bum, who thinks the grass is always greener on the other side.

That's me.

[allighatt0r]

Name: Bryan
Age: 18 and a half
Location: East Anglia
Took up bass: Christmas 2004
Wears the bass: Strings about flies level.
Wants: More money for more basses. (I would never pay more than £400 for a bass, even if i had the money to spare.)
Plays: Fretted 4 strings exclusively.

I'm a rock loving, tall & lanky, 90% plectrum bassist. (I don't like being called a bass player, or a bass guitarist, but thats mainly personal preference)

I have an old metal British Airways cigarette case, and it's got my pick collection in it, i change picks depending on the song, and i love to take the opportunity to dig in.

I joined my first band this Christmas gone, it's a covers band, and I've noticed through it that i have some sort of magical sub-conscious way of keeping time, I never count, and I never focus on part of the drum kit for more than about half a song.
I know I need to let myself go and et into the music more, because the guitarist i always stand next to gets so into it, he's one of the talking points of the band, and i wanna build up to his level of excellence.

I'm completely self-taught, only rarely using books, and using A LOT of tabs, although I'm fairly decent at working out a bass-line from listening to the track a few times. Although, because I'm self-taught (and because i have odd fingers and thumbs, double jointed and fairly long... I think they're called hitchhikers thumbs? ) My technique is very flawed, i hold a pick badly, and don't grip the neck properly either. I know i need to learn some theory, and i could do it, I just have never sat down and concentrated.

When I'm playing I like to be heard, I don't want to fade into the background, but i don't play a lot of melodically flash stuff, i just love it when a fill really fits, even if it's very simple.


Sorry for the long post, maybe i should release an auto-biography.

Edited by allighatt0r, 19 March 2008 - 01:00 PM.

[E_MaN]

19 year-old Male who started Bass solely because of Jason Newsted. Now am more influenced by Anthony Jackson, Michel Camilo, Stevie Wonder, Mastodon and Bach.

I always try and make my bass interesting, whether that means using root notes in different rythms to the guitars/piano/drums or to include strange little fills or slides or just having a cool little line but have to always keep and add to the song.

Prodominently finger style (while using lots of dead notes, they are fun), slapping on a four string (I'm crap on six with it, needs practice) and taps alot for personal enjoyment.

I beleive that if you think you've heard it all you havn't heard enough. You can always learn from other musicians, instruments and styles. Even if you don't like the music, 'cause sometimes we don't.

[tauzero]

allighatt0r, on Mar 19 2008, 12:57 PM, said:

Wants: More money for more basses. (I would never pay more than £400 for a bass, even if i had the money to spare.)

I used to think that (only the sum of money involved was about £150). Then I played a £950 bass that I simply had to have, chopped in all my basses for half the money and raised a loan for the other half. It was the right decision.

[tauzero]

50, male, and a bass player since I was 18. Also an electric upright bass player since I was 48 (my personal version of a mid-life crisis).

I play four and five strings in roughly equal quantities, and fretted and fretless ditto, almost entirely with fingers, make occasional use of slap, and even more occasional use of a plectrum. I can see a role for a seven-string in a potential future band.

I like to experiment with passing notes and fills, while maintaining a solid groove. Quite a lot of the time I'm playing with no drummer, so the groove (if you can call the bassline for diddly diddly music a groove) is important, especially when there's a barn dance going on.

Have played just about everything over the years (although the jazz was as a rhythm guitarist, not as a bassist). Heavy, light, AOR, prog, boogie, folk, reggae, traditional (diddly diddly, not trad jazz), pop, funk, soul, disco, punk. Favourite genre is medium/acoustic rock. Write my own stuff and play other people's.

[David Nimrod]

I'm 46, and I've been playing bass (my only instrument really) for 3 years...

I'd give pretty much anything to have started at 16 and carried on (regrets).

If I had I might even be pretty good at it But you have to just do it now.

I play 4 string (can't get to like the feel of a 'B' string) and I'm in an originals band.

We rehearse once a week, every week, and have done a few small gigs.

I've never done covers, and I write my bass lines, so how can I get 'em wrong?

I've always played fingerstyle, & as to slap, I can't do it at all well, but I do try...

Most of my lines are fairly simple, and I only know one scale (Pentatonic minor).

So most of my lines come from that scale. I guess I play rock.

But the most important thing is that I love playing bass, and do it nearly every day.

~ I love bass ~

Edited by David Nimrod, 19 March 2008 - 04:14 PM.

[hatori]

OK Im 55 and Ive been playing bass for 43 years....flip me its been that long and I feel like Ive only scratched the surface!
It was Mr Jamerson who was to blame shortly followed by Mr Bruce. Ive lost count of the bands Ive been part of and have many fond memories of basses owned, my first was an Egmond lucky seven purchased for 13 guineas (remember them?
Im a fingerstyle player and a dabbler in slap and tapping but no means an expert.
I still play semi pro and Im in 3 bands, mainly rock and progressive blues.
My dream gig would be with Jeff Beck (yeh I know Tal is prettier) .
I listen to Tony Levin, Doug Wimbish and Billy Sheehan because I love their unconventional approach to bass playing.
My aim for some years now has been to find my own style and signature sound and push the boundaries.
Im small beer compared to some of the enormous talent I have seen and I think so many years at this game has brought me to a place where I just simply love being up on stage with good musicians communicating with the audience.
I play four stringers now having delved into five and six string territory (carpal tunnel put paid to that) and Im seriously considering going totally fretless.
Ive got my Fender Jazz unlined frankenbass and a Fender precision special with a fretted maple neck (thats a MIM) with a Badass 11 (I think it will have to go to fund another..nicer fretless). Im gassing for a Zon but Im short of sponds having just bought a new amp.
So there you go...thats me the baldy old billy goat!

[woodster]

38 yr old pro, side-man, session bod and general gun for hire. Been playing since I was 12, took over from Dave Bronze in Essex-based jazz funk band when I was 15 and never looked back. Tour the world with both known and unknown artists, get my kicks from jazz, funk and soul but also competent in all other styles. Will play whatever's needed and pride myself on being reliable and dependable.

Currently with 80's pop diva Yazz and 70's disco legends Odyssey as well as bands playing fusion, pop and ska!!

I have the best job in the world but would love to play with Lily Allen, Sophie Ellis Bextor or Joss Stone.

[Lfalex v1.1]

Rejected Drummer (!)

Quote (Dad, 15 years ago;) "You are NOT having a Drum Kit, son !"

Hmmmm.

Guitar= Fidly. Don't like Fidly.
Do they do a "Duplo" version?

Yep! Bass. Bigger and less Fidly than guitar. Still cool. (Ticks Boxes...)
Sounds like a Human Voice.
What happens if you play it like you're singing harmony down low?
Ahhh.
That.
15 years later... Still going. Still Frightening people.

Edit- Woodster- Forget the rest. Odyssey is where it's at!!!!!!

Edited by Lfalex v1.1, 20 March 2008 - 11:08 AM.

[ead]

Hmm...

45 but feeling 28. I've been playing for 3 years now and own a 4 string Spector. I have just bought a Yamaha RBX270 fretless just to see if I can! As a former violin player I am unphased by this.

Into prog rock and am probably of "intermediate" standard - although pretty tight rythmically (I hope)!

Just love playing with the band I'm in!

Alain

[Bilbo]

44 year old jazzer.

Took up bass in 1980, went fretless in '86 and not really played fretted basses since. I have a fretted 6-string status I don't really use (except when I gig with Bridget Metcalfe - her MD insists on the low D).

Started in a Metal band in '81. Then a bit of prog rock & pop before the jazz kicked in. Played in a band with Grant Nicholas from Feeder in 1986-88 (ish) but my jazz interests got teh better of me and I was on teh Cardiff jazz scene from 88 - 94 before moving ot SUrrey. Surrey was a jazz only part of my life but a move to East Anglia in 2001 mean that I have to try some alternative options or not play. So did som eheavy duty funk and some Latin whilst waiting for the jazz to kick in. Problem is I play jazz on and electric bass and most bandleaders want an upright.

I have played with some great people over the years: Jim Mullen, Iain Ballamy, Stan Sultzman, Janusz Carmello, Roy Williams, Nick Page, Osian Roberts, Nigel Price (James Taylor guitarist) but usually only once each!!! I love to play creatively and love that real time organic blowing that jazz allows you to engage in. The jazz playing is opening up here in Suffolk and I am now playing mostly jazz again (some Latin still in there).

I kind of don't know what I am like to listen to as I lack the ability to be that objective. I hate my playing mostly although I can usually nail most things I am asked to play. I do, however, like my sound as it sounds like me and noone else, a fact that is important for a jazzer. I only play my fretless Wal 4-string finger style (although I can slap at a rudimentary level - I just don't really like the music that slapping is involved in so I rarely use it). I crave a great creative jazz gig and have only every had that once when I played in the Julian Martin Trio in Cardiff in the late 80s early 90s - we really had something genuinely interesting. Cardiff based Ian Williams on drums; mad as a fish but a real original.

That's me.

[astar]

First actual post, I think.

I'm a 31'er, playing bass for 15 years now. Nearly quit two times, same reasons: I can't work with arrogant f@#kers.
I've been playing a heap load of styles, Rock/Grunge, Hip hop, funk, Jazz, but preferably all mixed and crossedover
Oh before I forget, I'm from Holland so please forgive the spelling and grammar every now and then.

Mainly I'm a fingerstyle player that loves to dig in deep, yes I give my baby a hard time. The baby is a Warwick SSII 5-er '91 and will never leave my site