Dad3353

Proud, huh..? Try dressing like Bootsy Collins, then..? Or Flea..? Maybe just keep on rubbing those aching shoulders..? Nah, try it. There are some more than excellent folk bassists, too..!

Thank you muchly, kind Sir; I'm flattered. (You're almost certainly wrong , but I'm flattered, just the same ... )

Only up to a point. My 'listening' to music was, and still is, a mostly private, internal experience. My playing an instrument (drums, guitar, bass, whatever...) was, and still is, a more sociable activity, especially in early youth, playing with buddies or siblings. Nowadays, composition is of much more interest to me (I have ever-decreasing physical attributes for playing...), and I'd rather listen to what's in my head, and try to get it down, than try (and fail...) to re-create the sometimes naive pleasure of yesteryear. I've not enough time left to sort out dross from gems; I'll admit that, with this attitude, I'm missing out on some pure gold. I'm also avoiding a whole lot of 'carp'. I've enough stored up in my contracting memories to last a few more years yet, I hope, and don't feel the same need now as I did in my teens. We're all different, of course, but in the time I have left I'll get more pleasure from re-playing Joni Mitchell than having Radio 1 on. I'm in a different place now.

May I repeat... Respect, buddy; please don't take any of this as a personal slight either towards yourself or the video (which has worthy content, and is worth one's time, in my humble view...). Some of what was discussed would be best appreciated over a period of reflection, rather than any immediate 'knee-jerk' reaction, as there's food for thought in there. Your first post here was a mere ten hours ago; give those of us in less frvolous mood time to digest and respond in some more meaningful way. Meanwhile, let the Court Jesters (I'm one, I'll avow...) do as is always done on this Forum: take it where it will go. Some topics here have brought about several pages of 'fish' puns; so far, this has not happened here (but is not to be thought possible to exclude...), yet the fundamentals of the Topic remain (eventually...). Patience, Grasshopper; all will come right in the end, you'll see..! (And 'Yes, I agree with much of his (VW's...) stance on 'natural' learning, as it echoes much of my own experience. There are others, maybe, who could shed other, contrasting, lights on the subject'...)

I've quoted this, not for its intrinsic philosophical qualities, but as an illustration for the question I'm asking myself. I assume that English is not your First Language; am I correct..? May I respectfully suggest that, at least on this Forum, you take the posts just that little bit less 'literally'..? I'm not certain that the light-hearted, casual nature of much of the posts here are striking the true resonance intended by their Poster. Your 'guesses' are coming across in a more antipathetic manner than perhaps they were intended by you. It's a pity, as the Original Subject will be overshadowed by this (perceived...) attitude. Am I wrong..?

This is what I meant ... A double strap will cure neck-dive, too, and share the weight better ... Don't use both solutions at the same time, though.

Slightly late, but ...

Or not, as the case may be. But I digress; give the video a spin, maybe whilst reading through the rest of these posts; far more educational...

The strap doesn't have to be attached to the bass 'horn' button. It can be tied to the head-stock, beyond the nut. Not much risk of neck-dive there. It costs little to try it out...

We have different acquaintances, it would seem, but, no matter. The video is worth the time spent playing it, that's the important bit. Our World Views are of less interest.

Hmm... Facebook, Facebook... The name rings a faint, distant bell, I think. Facebook..? I'll have Jeeves search the West Wing Library next time my Earl Grey gets served; we must have a copy somewhere... Hmm; maybe I lent it out and it's not been returned..?

Lend your camera/phone-thingy/whatever to a trusted 'someone' in the audience, or another band member..? Or ask 'em to take pics/films/whatever on their stuff and send 'em to you..? These days, apparently, one doesn't even have to wait for the film to be sent away and developed/printed/whatever..! Modern times, eh..? The World is waiting...

In fact, there' nothing, really, to watch, here. I'm listening to it as I type this (it's nearly an hour long, which, at my age, I can't spare ...), so it's playing as I get through my Mod stuff on the Forum. No need to watch, then, but still worth a listen. I'd be a little less generous than the OP ('truly great human being'..? Come on; that's everyone on the planet, not just this bloke ..!), but it's definitely interesting, and has a few gems of wisdom just the same. A great little moment when, in the context of what he's relating, he says '... for a while I went black ...'..! I nearly laughed out loud. I wouldn't pay extra for disparate socks; mine get that way naturally over time.

A Good Chat, worth watching (and listening to...), certainly, but disappointed that, the way the video is shot, we can't see his socks. Are they mis-matched..? We should be told. ...

What..? Oh, I'm sorry; I must have dozed off..! Now then, where was I..? Ah yes... And the winner is... Xgsjx..! Here, then, is your Winner's Certificate (download and save as pdf file, then proudly print and frame...) ... BC_Chal_Cert_2020_07.pdf ... which looks like this (but bigger, of course..!)…

My first bass line was played on my Hofner President guitar; an ambitious and delicate rendering of the Jefferson Airplane version of Donovan's 'Fat Angel', which we (The Martin Spicer Band....) performed at a pub opposite Hounslow Central tube station. We were too young to buy drinks. 'Only two notes..!' I hear you say, to which I reply 'Yes, but what two notes..!' Heady daze.

Good evening, ToLo , and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

What..? People are still falling for that old trick..?

Sorry; I'll just crawl back under my rock, then and leave the serious, intelligent posts to thicker-skinned persons than my humble self. Where's my sackcloth and fistful of nettles..?

I'm not sure that Sibelius, Mozart et al immersed themselves in listening to music all the time. I think a lot of it was in their heads, between their ears, and they wrote some of it down. That's more like my take on being a musician, with its obvious spectrum of definitions. Hearing music does not a musician make, nor yet listening to music (although it's a Good Thing...). Being a bass player does not imply any necessity to listen to, nor hear, any genre at all, although most folks would not be completely cut off. I can understand folks wanting to listen to bass being played, for any number of reasons, but I can equally understand not wanting to, again, for many reasons. To me, they're not connected by any hard link, no more than an F1 follower being even of age to drive. S'not the same thing, being a racing driver and having an interest in driving fast all the time. Still, we each have our different perspective on things. Mine are just, apparently, that much more 'useless' than others.

I wonder how many followers of football actually play..? Or F1 enthusiasts race their cars..? Playing an instrument (or even being a musician...) doesn't mean one listens to any music, just some music. How many here, whilst listening to so much music, actually put Schubert, or Mozart, into their sound systems..? These things are not related; I'm not at all surprised.

We play for free anyway, so no change for us.

I wonder what glue is used on various basses..? Presumably no more fish or hide glue. Aliphatic resin..? Epoxy..? Casein..? The list could be long. Surely this would have some effect on tone, no..?

That'll take you a fair while; they have all of that and more..! (Although Mozart's classical repertoire is more extensive still ...)

It just so happens that the Grateful Dead cover a very wide spectrum indeed of musical styles..!