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The other lads must be disappointed? They probably... can't stand losing you?

Brilliant! This thread is like having ring side seats at a boxing match!! My twopennies worth; it's not how you get there or how quick you are at learning, but the end result that counts... how good does it sound, and not just the bass player. The audience doesn't care whether or not you learnt it quickly so long as it's good. I also wouldn't be condescending to any other musician just because they aren't as good as I think I am.

I'll explain what my problem is. I don't like what you're saying and I don't like the way you're saying it. It's coming across to me at least as condescending, dictatorial and superior and it's getting right up my nose. That's what my problem is. I don't expect you to do anything with this information.

Just once?

Hi Guys and dolls, I'm an old subscriber to Bass Chat but this is the 1st time I've ever written anything and I really hope I don't bore the pants off you. I don't actually know where to put this message so here it is here... I'm almost an OAP and have been a muso since the age of 8 years, starting on brass valved instruments and at 14, I began to play the bass trombone which I adore! You can make seriously loud noises on it without any lugging of amplification At 15 years, I began to play the bass and during my entire playing career have spent an utter fortune on various assortment of basses and gear. Nowadays, my collection is pretty sexy and totally over the top:- 1) Roscoe Century Custom 5 with top of the range Bartolinis (Barts' are my all-time favourite electronics). This Roscoe is laminated across its thickness with 5 woods, a mahogany body, maple, wenge, maple, and a really thick burl amboyna top which is carved by Keith B Roscoe himself. This is worth a fortune! 2) 2 more Roscoes, a 4 and a 5, both of which, filled with Barts... 3) A Tune Hatsun TWB53 5 string Canadian bass made for the 2019 NAMM show. 4) A Yamaha TR1004RB 4 string. 5) An Mike Tobias design Kingston fretless with Barts' 6) A fake Rickenbacker with Seymour Duncans fitted. (I've had 4 previous real Rickys but I didn't like their playability. I thought a cheapo one wouldn't be such an expense. 7) A SIRE V7 just like the look of Marcus's Fender Jazzes prior to his Fender Custom. 😎 On the way from Thomann is a SIRE P7 PJ bass with the same preamp as the V7 Jazz. It's the only one I could find with an ebony fingerboard. (I'm a tad worried about any potential HMRC payment I'll have to pay!) Amp wise, I have a Bergantino B|AMP with Berg cabs, a CN112 and a CN210, all of which I think are the ultimate amplification on the planet. Also, l have an EBS Magni 250 watt 1x15" combo which satisfies my rehearsal and smaller gig usage...EBS gear is so loud! Last but not least, my bass trombone is a Yamaha YBL 830 G Xeno Custom, 2 rotary valve system. Oh, and I've got a load of various pedals on a pedaltrain board. I love all my various instruments and I haven't mentioned all my 6 string guitars because that would make this even more boring and I'm extremely rubbish! Apologies for wasting your time if you've bothered to read it. Take care, and keep safe, and well. Kind regards. Den Finch.

😬 I remember going to a proper studio for the first time, to do a demo. I spotted the sound engineer, and said: My good man, I would like to sound like a cross between JJ Burnel and the chap out of the Chilli Peppers. He replied: Well you better play like that then! Which was fair.

NBD. 😎

In fairness, even I managed to nail the verse on first listen. Took a bit longer for the chorus, but the verse? Easy

What I want to know is, with this revelation that it should only take one listen to learn a song, is the "what song are you learning" thread now defunct? It will be the "what song are you lear.......ah, it was on in the background, forget that, what's next?" thread

Unfortunately for me i never listen to the radio at all. Even in the car i listen to songs on a USB stick. Bass playing is and always has been just a hobby for me so i dont class myself in same league as others like @TimR that obviously have far more experience than i do. I've been playing for over 40 yrs and i rate myself as reasonably competent and can play most things with a little practice except Slap bass cause i'm not a huge fan of it. Some songs i can pick up very quickly and other more complex ones like @Reggaebass Hit Me take a good bit longer. I'm ok with that. If others can pick up songs really quickly i'm jealous of that but they have probably put more effort and work into their playing over the years than i have and i dont want to crticise someone for that. Dave

My dream bass is a lefty, has to be. If it's a righty it barely counts as an instrument and is little more than an expensive ornament.

Completely on point and a great response. The OP asked a perfectly valid question - a covers band with a mix of songs, some of which they like, others they don't. Is there value in learning the songs they don't like? People join bands for all sorts of reasons: Money, experience, they like playing with other musicians, it's an opportunity to learn etc. etc. You pick the reasons that apply and make a decision on that basis. Learning any new song of any sort will add to your experience and will further you musically - even if just a very small amount. The discussion in this thread should have been about this. However, it's mostly consisted of a discussion about the fact that the "most" or "vast majority" of songs can be learned (whatever that means) with one listen through. The implication is that it doesn't matter too much because you should be able to pick up this "most" or "vast majority" of songs with little effort. Nobody on this forum knows the intricate history of any other members playing. We don't know how each of us think musically, where we are stronger or weaker. I've played with musicians of all sorts of different abilities, and some can nail a song on their chosen instrument after one play through, and others can't. I've played with musicians who can pick up songs quickly but are just not good at playing in a band setting. Others who have to work hard to learn songs but are rock solid and reliable in a band. The end result is indeed everything - it is different for each of us. There is no one easy answer. Why are people upset on here? This is a forum for Bass Players to discuss Bass Playing. Simple as that. And by discussion, it involves actually being able to get your head around the fact that each member will be in a different place both technically, in terms of talent, in their experience, and in their approach. If every thread on ability, practise, or anything had experienced players simply saying "gït gud" then the discussion would be worthless. To the OP - weigh up the pros and cons and yes, practising songs you don't like will make you a better musician one way or another. How much time that takes and how many run throughs you have to do to get there is irrelevant at best, and condescending at worst.

Three thing I have learned in life so far: No 1. The more I think I know about something, the more I realise I actually know very little. No 2. There is no universal truth. A theory stands until it is disproven. Ethics, Morality, Culture and values are subjective and forever changing. No 3. History makes a fool of us all.

Personally I think that if you're ordering a custom instrument, the best thing to do is find a builder who makes what you want and let them do their thing without being too picky. When I ordered my F Bass I knew that they made the instrument that I wanted, so all I had to do was spec my wood combination, string spacing, and finish. I could no doubt have gone in to more detail, but I just wanted them to do what they do. If I wanted something different, I would have gone to a different luthier.

And a very loaded one, which unless you're severely autistic, is something you knew perfectly well when you posted it. The fact that you attracted such a big pile-on last night should tell you something.

I don't need your approval nor to meet any criteria you set in order to play in a covers band. "I'd question any musician..." - what are you, the music police? Just look after where your own fingers are on the fingerboard.

If you haven't seen it, go see "Amazing Grace" film.

Watched Del Amitri last night in Southampton. When Justin Currie switched from bass to acoustic for the sensitive stuff, the guitarists thought they could take over. With disastrous results! Iain Harvie’s fingerstyle was horrible and distorted, while Kris Dollimore’s noodling decimated Nothing Ever Happens. What the sound mixer thought he was doing (or not doing) in not dialling them back I don’t know, but I do think six-stringers should have to take a proficiency test before strapping on a bass…

I've decided to stop doing the Sting / Police tribute Nearly 15 years and one or two monsterous gigs, many great ones but the monsterous ones like Matala Beach festival in Crete, were truly incredible Expect one or two basses coming up for sale (not the Bravewood replic though lol)

Also, one reason to join a band where you don't like the songs they play; the love you get from the audience when they're really into what you are playing.

It was only a matter of time till Tarantino was mentioned. I’m a massive fan. I’ve seen him interviewed and he essentially storyboards his movies with music really early in the process - I think even before the script. speaking of Tarantino, he features in this brilliant scene - he didn’t direct this one though.

If you use the points system in Players Path with D'Addario they are running a 'any strings for 999 points' deal to the end of the month, that worked out a whopping 88% off a set of black nylon strings, hopefully they actually have some and they are not affected by the steel shortage. I have been impressed with the loyalty scheme before, as you get almost enough points on registering a set of bass strings to get a free set of guitar strings delivered to your door.

I've owned probably upwards of 150 basses over the past 32 years and I would say that you can pretty much play any genre on any bass. I've done rock and wedding gigs on 12 string bass which is possibly as extreme as it gets. I've also gigged 4, 5, 6 & 8 strings, fretted, fretless, acoustic, semi-acoustic which were all chosen purely on what I fancied playing at the time

WOW!!! TRB 5IIf arrived this morning. Beautiful and amazing to play. Came set up with the lowest action on any bass I've ever played and fitted with flat wounds. No wear on the fretboard whatsoever. Though I only had 10mins playing it I was very impressed with the tonal quality...such gorgeous tones. I've experimented with fretless several times but this is inspirational. What do you think??

I played a CS Pino Precision once. It was an exceptionally nice bass to play. Custom made basses aren't for me. I wouldn't know what options to order and by the time the bass turned up I would have probably changed my mind.

I think that this thread was derailed when it was suggested that it isn’t such a big thing if you don’t like the songs that you are being asked to play, because you don’t have to invest too much time in learning many pop songs. This has led to many people’s insecurities being exposed because they don’t have the skillset to actually learn stuff that quickly. I think that Tim has a rather singular way of viewing the world due to his rather unique personal experience of life, but in this case I actually agree with much of what he has said. Others are reading far too much into his comments and taking it personally. To get back on thread, I remember reading an article in some bass magazine many years where was an article by a guy you may have heard of, but isn’t well known enough for me to remember his name. He was saying that there are three criteria that he considers when he is deciding whether to do a project or not: the music, the money and the people involved. If two out of the three works for him then he will pursue the project. I think that is still pretty good advice…

Not to mention trolling and purposely trying to wind people up. But nothing new there.

OK. But I'm only doing it once.

Stand By Me is a 1 verse listen, so is Werewolves of London and A Girl Like You. There is a long list of busk-able hit songs. Agree or disagree. . . . ffs why is this thread getting so aggressive and pedantic. Some songs you can busk some you can't. Depends on the song and the bass player. . . . move on!!!

God Sting bores me. I couldn't even make it down the list of song titles. 😂

If the "go-er" bit relates to her ability to listen to any piece of music on any instrument and instantly play a fully arranged piano rendition of said music, then yeah - she was a steam train. It was actually bloody annoying. "I wrote this cool riff for our next song" *plinks out vague tune on [random instrument] slowly, and a bit haphazardly* "Oh, you mean this?" *Plays fully accompanied version of said tune with every embellishment known to humankind* "Yeah. That." *watches manhood wither in front of own eyes*

We have been having fun tonight commenting on the fact that "we should all be able to play most songs on one hearing" and although on first glance this appears to give credence to that opinion in fact twice during the video he cites occasions where that may not be so true. " the Beatles had 27 number 1's but only used the "common chord progression on one of them ... The guy that's wrote all the hit songs lately( never heard of him and can't be bothered to watch it again) wrote 22 number 1's and only one of them used the famous chords.... That's 47 very popular songs that don't follow a standard pattern! He also tells us to look out for the chord progression in the choruses of many songs ...what about the verses? I believe it's possible to play a semblance of a lot of pop songs on one hearing, but that's a long way from having "learned to play them," and I think it's disingenuous to dismiss people on here as not right for a covers band if they can't play it after one hearing. (Although I quoted your post Skank, my latter statement here is in fact aimed at Tim who espoused the opinion referred to).

I see Mark is using his Series 1 again on the current Level 42 tour (pics taken at the Glasgow gig on Monday 18th October)

I'm cursed with this thing where I'm watching the telly and a bit of music catches my ear and I think 'Ooh, that's nice' and I start trying to work out the chords and the melody. Then I lose track of what's happening in the show and I have to wind it back a minute or two which annoys the missus something rotten.

Baboonska - Kate Bush

Welcome Den.... Expect your extensive list of gear to increase - I only had three basses when I joined - I have "one or two" more now.

I thought you generally went for the double tap.

I’ve never really gone for signature instruments although I did dally with the idea of a Marcus Miller Fender Jazz at one time - to the extent of trying them out UNTIL ……. this wonderful beauty appeared. It’s currently my number 1 player Yes - it’s a Tim Commerford signature Stingray Special - passive, long scale. (Offensive wallpaper courtesy Messrs Greene King 😂). Absolutely great bass and sufficiently different from a standard spec Stingray Special to justify the name (and price IMHO).

Youtube has definitely gotten me out of a jam or two but most of what you'll need to build this skill is experience. It's only after 35 years of setting up instruments that I've gotten as comfortable with the process as I am. While it doesn't offer the immediate satisfaction of Youtube videos, I strongly recommend Hideo Kamimoto's book Electric Guitar Setups as a good place to start. He wrote that book at a time when no other resource like it existed and I think it still holds up well. I've learned a lot since I last read it, but everything I've learned was built upon the foundation it provided.

Why. Most cover versions should be on people's radar from hearing them on the radio. Loads of them, apparently, are played by practically every other band. Sitting down and actively listening to a song with your bass in your hand should be all it takes for the majority of songs you'll be asked to play. Most songs follow a simple format and chord progression. The bass lines consist of notes within the scale and chord. Which leaves a chunk of material you may have to listen to several times to pick out. No one said you should be able to learn all cover songs from hearing them once on the radio. The key word here is listen.

Question; should I join a covers band when I don't like all the songs they do. Basschat answer; I can learn a song in one listening. I should imagine bubinga5 is not so much wondering whether to join a covers band so much as whether to take the strings off his bass and hang himself. Quite psychologically interesting to read the replies though!

A Motor Torpedo Boat? You'll have to tell us that story one day.

Grandmaster eh? How very flash 😂

Grandparent duties done and it's back to the other little beauty I got a lovely piece of ebony from Luthierwood.com. We are going for a 'standard' 12" radius at 24 3/4" scale. First out was the excellent radius router jig from G&W: It makes quick and accurate work of getting the basic radius, ready for a final 20 mins or so sanding with a block to remove the router-bit step lines. Good time to top up my stash of ebony dust too : Next, the equally excellent G&W mitre-block to cut the fret slots: All done - actually 24 done although it will probably be cut off after the 22nd to make sure the neck pickup is in the right place. I will leave the fretboard double-sided-taped on the template to keep it flat until I've done the swift inlays at the 12th. All being well, the treble-side top (just placed on top here) will be able to be glued, trimmed and carved later this week: