WalMan

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1363645630' post='2015367'] The whole culture around tabs reminds me of this old French & Saunders sketch. "But it hasn't got those little dots, for your fingers".... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FroICbwvJII[/media] [/quote]Ah thanks!! I love that sketch. One that always makes me chuckle As for tab & requests for same I am afraid I come from the era of the record/cassette player and going over and over a track again to work it out. I also find tab difficul to read and would much prefer finding the dots. I have had occasion to learn a load of songs in a short space of time recently and thought I'd give the tab sites a go. Either they didn't have the tab, or they did & it was largely crap and of little help, Most recently ended up writing a mix of rough chord charts with some or all of the dots (or at least a reasonable approximation) for feel.

I've always found that with the twist method it is obvious which way the gentle twist should be. Try in the other direction and you can feel that it is fighting to twist the other way. Years ago I occasionally helped a mate out with his mobile disco and was the only helper allowed to coil leads as I could do it properly and not get them into a rats nest. Had it drummed into me at that early age and it stuck with me. Now in conjunction with a decent hard case & velcro ties on everything gear goes away & comes out again the next time easily - and it does annoy me when someone [i]helpfully[/i] coils up one of my leads & I have to unwind it and start again. Thankfully normally it's a mains 4way and the old "wind the cable in tight loops round the board

As the video shows loop the cable with a twist then invest in some of [url="http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_168196_langId_-1_categoryId_255230"]THESE[/url]. Cheap as chips and no sticky residue from gaffa or masking tape

I love them & have used them for years. I have tried a couple of set of EB Cobalts recently, but while they are OK I am going back to the Elixirs. Have a set on the Wal which still sounded good at the last proggy gig I did, even though with hindsight I think that they really need changing. Whilst Mrs W still insists on telling everyone that I play in four bands, that is not actually true - rehearse with up to 4 bands might be closer to the truth - and I have not been playing much recently but still the Elixirs last for ages so as Thunderthumbs says going for a cheaper set that you have to change more frequently is just a false economy, unless you really don't like the more expensive set. I did try another brands coated set a while and really did not get on with them at all. Changed them for a new set of Elixirs very quickly, which IMO sounded so much better. I use a pick and you do get a bit of dandruff from the coating, but I have not found that affects the sound or longevity.

[quote name='Commando Jack' timestamp='1362419143' post='1999429'] This is standard practise in classical music, where a transposing instrument such as a saxophone or trumpet will say they are playing a C, but really it's Bb. It's up to the composer to make sure everyone's playing in the right key when he writes the parts out. The only issue is that this method requires the bass to be tuned in 4ths to make any sense, and the OP is not tuning in 4ths. [/quote]Fair enough & what I was doing when playing the trumpet, which might have been a better example. So RTFQ then

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' timestamp='1362342636' post='1998726'] Yes they are Proel UK formerly the UK's sole distributors of Mark Bass amplification, well Proel last year had a fall out with Mark Bass and are no longer their distributors, Mark Bass gear is imported by another UK company. Proel still exist very prominently in the amplification and PA field and they still represent a number of large manufacturers, and as you have rightly said their new project which is still secretly under wraps, (the only reason I know is that after my dealings with Proel UK I have remained very friendly with them as they are all from my same country, Italy so we keep in touch a lot) Well the Matamp project will soon go into production, they are planning to produce good quality bass amplification which will be badged probably with the Matamp name or whatever else they will come up with. In the meantime Proel continues to distribute Cort basses and guitars as well as many brands that do professional PA products. You can see a list of their brands on this link: [url="http://www.proelint.co.uk/"]http://www.proelint.co.uk/[/url] [/quote]Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, now it becomes clear!! Thought I recognised the chappie on the Cort stand as who had been on MarkBass for the last couple.

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1362415836' post='1999323'] No. There are certain sounds and playing styles that altered tunings are best for. [/quote]For example Porcupine Tree - Blackest Eyes is best played (and so far as I am aware) was played DADG. The minute you do that it becomes infinitely easier to play - at least for a berk like me. My covers band play detuned a semitone to Eb because it makes the backing vox easier & better fits the lead vox range. I tend to leave the basses tuned that way - though with other projects tuned concert they do change back and forth a bit more nowadays. When practising detuned and at r/h we talk through songs as if we were tuned concert, not detuned. So I don't say Ab when playing fifth fret fourth string, I say A. Or perhaps I've misunderstood the question

New Spocks beard album "Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep" to be followed by Andy Irvine's album picked up at LBGS13

The prog covers band I play with is at The Holbrook Club in Horsham this coming Friday for anyone in the area and interested in a selection of prog rock tunes. Some classics - Yes, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Marillion Some possibly less well known - Porcupine Tree, Spocks Beard, UK More details [url="https://www.facebook.com/events/435692663156760"]HERE[/url]

[quote name='skelf' timestamp='1362295565' post='1997965'] Round two at the London Bass Guitar Show. A good day yesterday the noise issue was much better than last year in our part of the hall so that made for a far less tiring day. Also made talking to potential customers much easier and more productive. Show special offer on the Graft Recurve 5 left hander. Down to £600.00 for the day. This offer applies on line as well so feel free to message me or drop me a mail. [/quote]You're just taunting Bluejay aren't you

[quote name='visog' timestamp='1362247504' post='1997568'] I didn't fancy it this year because the turns seemed dull - was I wrong?[/quote] - Yes I think you probably were [quote name='visog' timestamp='1362247504' post='1997568'] Any good new gear?[/quote] Interesting looking prototype Mesa head, apparently one of only 2 in the world (the man said). All valve. 250W with a half power switch & some other interesting things. Meant to take a pic to see how it [i]actually[/i] looks like if it makes it into the real world Otherwise, as elsewhere did a couple of turns of the gear hall & it was a general thunder (low very occasionally). Difficult to try anything out properly, but had a brief sesh at the GoTo Guitar / G&L stand that was good at a low level - the guy with the airhorn wasn't pulling the plug on me & there were plenty all around giving it plenty of welly. That said as I spent most of the day flitting between the masterclass room & the theatre the noise in the gear room didn't really bother me. Stopped by the BC corner a couple of times & said hi to a few new & old faces. Bought supplies before we arrived knowing that food would be silly show prices, so apart from a couple of coffees that were about standard Costa/Nero prices only spent money on necessities like strings. Managed to dodge the bullet of anything more expensive this year, though I should have liked to bring one of the G&L M series basses home. I suspect I shall go again next year. The shows & masterclasses, even the ones I thought I might not necessarily be interested in, were worth it for me

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1362262206' post='1997810'] Another top tip from the BC corner - an 'informed' person tells me that the number of entries on the BassGear 'win an Aphex Exciter pedal hasn't been that high compared to last year. Obviously this increases chances of winning one These are cracking pedals which got a very good review in Bass Guitar Mag the other month & they retail at £155! [/quote]C0CK" Missed that compo entry. Funny postscript to the day - bass players [i]can[/i] teach guitarists things! I was up at the show today with my guitarist son. Now he is pretty good (even if it is dad saying so) but he has been working his way up in speed on some bonkers bit of metal that actually runs at 240 BPM, but had been sort of stuck at 180. We did pretty much all of the master classes & shows and Andy Irvine went through a load of his techniques, which got #2 thinking. Came home tried the piece bearing certain things AI had said in mind and was chuffed to annouce shortly after that he had got to target speed. GO BASSPLAYERS

Just back fom a fun day. Said hi to a few. Saw a few more across the room. Did a couple of "tours" of the room and managed to restrict myself to a couple of sets of Elixirs, a strap & a couple of stands. Tried out the G&L M series basses and a Carvin. The M series are very nice & been added to the list of "things I must get at some point" Again spent most of the day flipping between Masterclass & Theatre and an interesting selection of shows. Threatened to take on the baton but didn't in the end

Started GASsing for a P about a year ago after getting the ClassicJ & having had active basses since '96. The ClassicJ sounded nice on its first outing so I decided to go for a P & ended up with a Squier as a stepping stone. Last dep i did I had the P & an L2500 and ended up back on the 5. The GAS for a decent US P has slightly waned now and I shall probably keep the Squier & Tanglewater now, but you never know what tomorrow & LBGS13 will bring Hopefully NOT another bass as last year (OOPS)

Better print a copy for the show tomorrow with the following highlighted [quote]And he 
did play faster and faster until the notes rippled like a breeze 
through the heavens. 

And God heard this sound which sounded something like the wind, which 
had created earlier. It also sounded something like the movement 
of furniture, which He hadn't even created yet, and He was not so 
pleased. [b]

And He spoke to the man, saying [size=8]"[i]Don't do that![/i]"[/size][/b][/quote]

[quote name='Jimryan' timestamp='1362154796' post='1996557'] So the Baton will be at the London Bass Guitar Show tomorrow. Who fancies stepping up to the plate and taking the bass home with them? [/quote]Could bring it back to Sussex for Friday's gig, but then I disappear for a week or so, so unless its taken on the night that might be a problem as gigwise I then have sweet FA

[quote name='Rumple' timestamp='1362143118' post='1996351'] A recent bad cold has left me semi deaf in one ear, the one advantage is it means I might not need [u][i][b]ear plugs[/b][/i][/u] tomorrow or just one [/quote]Ooo yes. Something else for the packing list!!

Not too bothered really. I can't immediately think of anything that I would out right refuse. There are songs that have been suggested that I didn't really think would go, but once they bed in they work fine. There are also songs in the set that have been there for years that I still enjoy, even if others in the band moan at the thought of them. Of course the way the others in the band work to a song suggestion they don't like seems to be to no give it their all, so it never gels and drops out of the set (or never even makes it in) Ultimately you are surely there to entertain the audience, not just yourself. If you are able to do that picking songs you enjoy and dodge the Mustang Sally bullet others seem to fear then all well & good

Been working my way though the plethora of other tracks in the thread liking a lot of what I hear. Nige I don't think I have properly listened to the Kit tracks before. I had sort of listened & thought OK, not sure about the vocal stylings ( ) but I really liked the track you posted, the lines you used (staccatto & legato) and the arrangement / song generally. See it only took me a little time Liking Risingsons Everest, Steve's Breathing Underwater, & Obbm's submission. Owen's tracks. Very restful, I wish I could manage not to play so many notes sometimes! I was learning up some songs for a country dep and had to spend some considerable amount of time dropping unnecessary notes! Snicks, well I didn't get to the end of those Funny Beggers, but I like that fretless sound & again a soothing sound - well generally, & as far as I got FunkShui I really like that track & the light & shade between the verse & chorus. It really lifts into the chorus. For a lot of tracks the bass is a bit low for me, but then as you can tell from my actual bass tracks (as opposed to the soft synths that is) I can get a bit over enthusiastic and tend to go for the upfront, smack in the face bass sound. I suspect that comes from playing in bands with guitar, bass, drums & a vocalist and going to fill in space in lead breaks etc., for so many years of my playing "carreer". Sadly all the tracks I have posted date back a while as I have been playing covers for a lot of years now so not coming up with anything of my own I still have a load of sub windows open to listen to yet!

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1362086925' post='1995696'] I'll make sure to come say hi to all of you! I'm also hoping to be able to keep tweeting on my netbook (haven't got a smartphone) from the venue. (They should have some sort of wireless service on offer, I hope.) In any case, if you mention us on Twitter, please use the hashtag [b]#BCatLBGS[/b]. I'm soo looking forward to this weekend! \m/ \m/ [/quote]I'm pretty sure there was free WiFi there last year, mind getting the Blackberry to behave was another matter!

So then, variously: [url="https://soundcloud.com/a-kind-of-fury/monday-morning-hangover-studio"]Monday Morning Hangover[/url]. Demo recorded in Denmark Street for the vocalist who had been the vox in a previous version of the band and was to become again in some different versions that followed (and follow). IIRC it was an Aria SB100 (I think) on a straight DI to the desk. We drove up in the morning. He la la'd through the idea of the song to me and the drummer - who has also been in pretty much all the bands I've been in - in the studio, then we recorded it, so the bass line was written to some la la's & sung parts and recorded along with the drums & a guide vocal. The piano & horms were added after It was quite a few years ago now, but how that worked beats me now, still work it sort of did. [url="https://soundcloud.com/aka_walman/big-wheel?in=aka_walman/sets/all-thats-fiction"]Big Wheel[/url] - All That's Fiction. This followed on from the reformation after the above demo & to do a showcase & some personnel changes. I know I have posted it elsewhere but I like it so This would have been the Wal in it's original passive mode & probably DI'd into the desk, possibly through a Laney 4x10 combo; and finally (well for now) [url="https://soundcloud.com/a-kind-of-fury/the-scoundrel"]The Scoundrel[/url] - A Kind Of Fury. Again with the same vocalist, drummer, and also now guitarist from the ATF track above, but in the reincarnation of a band that at the time was sort of Big Country/U2 I suppose. Again the Wal and still passive. Amp wise, not sure. It could be a GK MB150, or more likely either a Laney or Trace 4x10 combo. Recorded live in the r/h studio we went to and wrote in every Monday evening without fail. Recording was most probably a pair of SM58's into a reel to reel machine the vocalist had. EDIT 2 - Now then I suppose I quite like Thing3 on this old neglected [url="http://www.myspace.com/scatterometer"]MySpace a/c[/url]. Both are cheats bass wise, indeed for all the instruments except the kit & vocal samples on Thing & Soundtrack as they are all Sampletank soft synth/samples played with a keyboard.

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1361884129' post='1992357'] Yes, will do. And we will actually speak to each other this year, lol [/quote]Yup will do I shall search out the BC desk

Well there's LOADS I haven't listened to yet - mind a lot of that's by choice - but I'd definitely miss releases by favourite artists as well as finding new stuff with my eMusic sub. I keep thinking I ought to cancel it then something new catches my ear.

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1361805420' post='1991130'] A few more additions: [b]Saturday[/b] Walman Not long now, peeps! [/quote] Make that Walman & guitarist son unless he changes his mind again & bales on me. Must sort out the train tickets