Malc62

[quote name='phil.mcglassup' post='1054029' date='Dec 10 2010, 01:57 PM']I must be unfortunate in that apart from the lead vocalist I am the only one who can do backing vocals. The rest of the band are tone deaf! Why does it take half an hour or so to learn a bassline and three weeks (or more) to learn the harmony? It's like the harmony has to be engraved onto my brain so that I can switch it on at the right time. Anyway, the good thing is that when we do gigs in cramped venues, I have to stand at the front next to our lead vocalist near the monitor as I wear ER20 earplugs (new HF17's coming next week, yeh!). This does tend to upset the lead and rhythm g*****ists!! Mind you, I'm the only one who plays their parts correctly and it is particularly annoying trying to sing harmonies when bum notes and chords are being played loud in my earholes!!!! I have total respect for those who play and sing harmony BVs, practice does make perfect and maybe it's a skill that once learned becomes easier.[/quote] Aye to that. I'm the main harmony vocalist in two different bands, and I'm shocked at how many musicians can't sing - or, in some cases, recognise - a harmony.

I was the co-lead vocalist and bassist in my function band for about twelve years (I'm now the keyboard player - long story) and the one song where I couldn't easily do both lead vocal and bass line was McFadden & Whitehead's "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now". Outside that I was fine.

I got serious about them at roughly the same time. I got a cheap electric at 14, but knew the tuning of a bass although I didn't get one until I was 17. As a teenage Stranglers fan I got into the techniques of both Hugh Cornwell and JJ Burnel at the same time; when I got my bass, someone lent me a Chic LP and I got the tchniques of Nile & Nard pretty much at the same rate of learning. I've always kept up both - I'm quite happy to be a jack-of-all-trades and master of none.

J J Burnel Bernard Edwards Mark King ...with a big shout out to Doug Wimbish.

For technique, I would say that MK wins hands down, but for tone and phrasing and generally sounding like a [u]bass[/u] player, then Flea gets my vote.

I used to entertain the idea of being a session bassist, but a certain American bass player implied that I'd have to be able to sight-read jazz fusion inside out and ar*e backwards. As I don't get on with most forms of jazz and my keen ear got me out of having to read much as a youngster, that was me stuffed.

At one stage I was playing bass in my function band, guitar and sax in a mate's function band (they were lap-top users so the line-up was flexible) and keys in a rock covers band - and that was on top of going out as a soloist (which now takes priority)! That taught me how to run a diary and prioritise dates. The big drawback for me was getting moaned at by the leaders of all three bands about not being able to do this date or that date - I pretty much developed a phobia about my phone ringing. Nowadays, with the apparent downturn in function work, I concentrate on solo gigs and the three or four gigs a year that my function band pulls in. Much less fuss for me. That said, I'm looking to pick up some bass dep work...

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='804128' date='Apr 12 2010, 08:46 PM']I have to admit they did that song justice. Absolute classic![/quote] I hadn't realised it was a cover at the time... D'OH! Still damn good, though. As regards "Rio After Dark", that's a great live album, and still sounds fresh to me

Oh, boy... First bass was a Hondo II Precision Copy (for about £122) from the long-gone Croydon Music Studios, but the first amp I ever bought for it was a Trucker 40 watt guitar combo. And I'll tell you for why... the guy at the shop (Rockbottom, Croydon) had sold the bass combo I was meant to purchase, so he steered me in the direction of this Trucker, saying that it took both guitar and bass fairly well. Forget what I paid... (That taught me the meaning of the word "bullsh*tt*r", but payback time came several years later when he sold me a Schecter strat for just £200).

Go with the Squier Vintage Modified Fretless - the "new" price is a little over your budget, but either scare up a few extra quid or scout around for a used one, like I did. I was happy with mine, as was the chap I sold it to (I needed the space). I've no experience of Vintage (the brand) instruments so I can't comment there.

[quote name='Bilbo' post='770365' date='Mar 10 2010, 01:42 PM']Don't play 'Mustang Sally' [/quote] And think twice about "Angels". If you're on the wedding circuit, make sure you have either a dress suit or an outlandish band uniform so that you don't look as if you've just walked in off the street.

My bass rig (Peavey MegaBass head and MegaBox cab) apparently used to belong to Cass Lewis, ex-Terence Trent D'Arby and Skunk Anansie. That's about it (apart from Shakatak's drummer Roger playing percussion for my function band once).

(Cough cough) I might have had a go once or twice. At least I tried to vary it some by tuning the bottom E down to D. If I try a bass in a shop these days, I actually turn it off or unplug it before seeing how well it slaps.