martin8708

As a resident of the Isle of Wight ( where every second person walking down the street is a bass player ) - I think it’s called the Mark King Effect , I could be replaced at the drop of a hat. However 2 band members don’t drive , and a LWB Landy carries all PA and band members to gigs . Half our gigs are with no drummer , and I’m the only one who can provide suitable back up drum machine tracks for these gigs , as well as backing vocals for the singist ( no one else does BV ) As previously said , no one is irreplaceable, but I bring a lot to the table .

From my rather limited experience of Songwriting and playing in originals bands , I think many musicians seriously underestimate the talent /skill required to write a good song . I used to write lyrics for our original band and the craft of creating a story or a message that hangs well with the music is not as easy as it seems . I have seen fellow musicians throw some words over a well worn chord progression, no wonder it sounds formulaic / stereotypical/ predictable, you can almost guess what’s coming in the next verse. Songwriting is a skill on its own , just because we can play guitars and sing does not make us songsmiths .

If I play the first few songs of the set note perfect , I start to get really nervous . Once I have fluffed a note ( or two ) I can relax and get into the gig , I suppose it’s just the expectation that I’m I’m going to make a mistake at some time or another . Only one major episode of total brain freeze ( David Bowies Space Oddity) , great song , but never played it since . Were all human , it’s how you recover from mistakes that matters .

I must be easily pleased , there are 100’s of beautiful bass lines out there . When the venue is heaving , the drummer sober and on time , the guitarist is playing beautifully and the singer is belting out the tunes , I will give each bass line 110 % in effort , timing and punctuation. That’s when I close my eyes , tilt my head back , and get sucked into that beautiful whirlpool of becoming part of the song / band . The more effort / emotion you put into even a simple bass line , the more it will reward you .

It’s quite common to bring in “high flyers “ from totally different industries in the belief they will invigorate sales / performance. In my 40 years experience, it never works , they just come up with ridiculous sales ideas to justify their obscene salaries .

Finding a band is very much like finding a job , it seems so much easier when you are currently in a band ( or in a job ) Most of my successful band joining have been from getting to know other musicians, I also approached a solo singer /acoustic guitarist in a pub and offered some fretless bass and backing vocals , which resulted in quite a few gigs . I would rather stick an advert up in our local music shop ( if you still have one ) than try the social media type thing . I think you are doing everything you can , sometimes we just go through a “ drought “ period . I am not too fussy or judgmental, I will initially play with just about anyone. I have joined some pretty ropey bands , but it gets me out rehearsing and sometimes you really click with one member who can introduce you to better opportunities.

Posted in incorrect topic , apologies .

20 years ago I discovered Fender Precision Bass , always was a Yamaha BB1200 bass player ( bloody good bass’s they are ) Enjoyed the first P bass , thought I’d better get a back up , I’m now up to number 7 ( or 8 ? ) The fender Jazz is unused ( we all need a Jazz Bass ? ) Dont get me started on amp / Cabs .

Just bought a Mono Sleeve gig bag from Thorsten , great price , in its original packaging , as new condition. Thorsten constantly updated me on booking courier , tracking numbers ,etc . ( I wish some shops were this good ) 100% recommended seller .

I have read George Martins book (Beatles ) and Stings autobiography, both books recommend in reading the “classics “ in literature and poetry. Sting was an English teacher before he made it big , so there must be something in it . Lyric writing is a massively underestimated skill , Elton needed Bernie . If the song can tell a good story , that people can relate to , that’s a good lyric . In pre internet times , ancient African / Aboriginal/ Red Indian history and folklore was passed down from generation to generation in song / music form , so good story telling in music is essential. The Beatles understood this .

You are truly blessed if you can find 3-4 fellow musicians with same commitment/ drive /ambition and musical taste as you have . I have done over 10 years of duo work with great acoustic guitarist / singer , no drummer / no keys / no second guitarist . We go in , set up , gig , break down and we’re home like a well oiled machine . From previous experience, being in a band can be like being in 3 dysfunctional marriages, so many issues of health / family issues / commitments/ learning the bloody songs / the list goes on .

Back in the late 80’s , I moved to the States for 6 months , I could not work , so I thought I would really concentrate on improving my bass playing . I bought lots of books , VHS vids ( Billy Sheehan ) and CD ‘s . I still own 2 of them, Stuart Hamm and Michael Manring I don’t think I ever made it past the 3rd track on either of those CD’s , despite forcing myself to listen to them ( I’m a bass player right?) Theses guys are incredibly talented and I would love to have skills , but I struggle to listen to them in isolation.

A small selection from my brood . JV Strat for electric duties ( best Strat so far , I’ve sold on my FCS Strats ) Balladeer - been a good friend for 42 yrs Ovation Classical with stereo output .

Bought some TI flats from Graeme , very prompt delivery and accurately described . Many thanks for a smooth transaction. Cheers Martin.

Offer ends 15th July , just managed to squeeze my order in for 2-4-1 . Looking forward to getting my 4” straps .

Gear that is collectively owned by the “band “ is always a headache when someone leaves or the band splits . I think your quite fortunate in getting your share of the gear paid back to you , my experience has been very much the opposite . I now leave all PA purchases to the vocalist , If I buy any peripheral purchases , they come home with me .

I prefer to call them Drifters , they join the band with great gusto and fanfare , but either don’t turn up / cause arguments / don’t learn material or try and change set list to suit themselves . They leave , join another band and repeat the same procedure . If the music community is quite close knit , they get a reputation quite quickly.

My well gigged AVRI 57 P bass , this is my #1.

Your strengths are that you are prepared to put in the hard work to learn the songs and be a reliable bass player . This alone stands you in good stead for any future bands . Its not always the flash players that get the gigs .

Hi George . If 1974 is your date of birth , your 10 years younger than me . From my experience, music / bands have always pulled me thought bad times . I still have my Ovation guitar I bought when I was a student at 18 yrs old , played it in many squats / bedsits / shared houses when life was pretty grim and lonely . My current band are not only fellow musicians, but friends as well , with a common love of music and humour and banter . When life is tough , you need support from all avenues of life

I had a 5 string for a while , trouble with turning up at a gig / open mic / jam night with a 5 string is there is the automatic assumption that you are some kind of sh*t hot bass god , rather than a weekend warrior with an extra string . Sold it , happy with 4 .

Hi Al , we are just using the BB for rehearsal at the moment , it seems to have fallen down to me to set all the drum patterns and tempos of the beat buddy .and clicking the pedals for fills and second part variations of the pattern.I read on here some time ago one of the main challenges with drum boxes is making them audible and sitting well in the mix , I’m running mine through a Yamaha powered monitor with pretty good results . We did have two small gigs lined up at the end of last year which I suggested we do with the BB to see if we could gig successfully with just the pedal . A stand in drummer was found at the last minute for one , we never played with him before , and we struggled through with different timings /patturns . We had lost all the tightness and fluency with the songs . The other gig was cancelled due to flooding . So we are still beat buddy virgins . We have no sound clips of what we sound like , but for quite a few of the songs I’m starting to think , hey that sounds pretty good. Drum machines are quite unforgiving, so my playing has tightened up a lot . I’m also surprised how by changing the tempo by 2-3 bpm can really change a song from a dirge to more upbeat .So we experiment a lot with different tempos . It would be really good to not have to scratch around for a drummer , of course , nothing beats a real drummer , but I think we could carry off a gig with just the pedal .