Dad3353

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1498934993' post='3328136'] That sounds bloody awful! [/quote] Part and parcel of experimentation is the possibility of failure..! Or, to paraphrase Longfellow: 'When it was good, it was very, very good, and when is was bad, it was horrid.' It's a concept, and as such will be explored. I must admit to not being enthralled by [i]all [/i]the sounds emitted by the topic's subject, either.

Zzzzzz... Zzzzzzz... Zzzzz... Harrumph... Yaaaaaawwwwn... What what what..? A new Challenge..? I'm on it, folks; don't panic. Now then, where's my glasses...

[quote name='lurksalot' timestamp='1498865527' post='3327715'] Bloody DOH , you sneaked in there Douglas , even 'toute suiter' than I thought [/quote] Bloody panic, mate; I had just finished the washing-up and suddenly realised the time..! Oh, heck..! Why is software so slow to load up when you're in a rush, but darned quick when you've just deleted everything..? Anyway, t'would only be fitting to make lowdown sweat it out a bit, what with his entry being late 'n all..! Where's the next picture, though, eh..? That's what we're all wanting, now..! ([i]Sounds of tired, slow but insistent foot tapping and old arthritic fingers drumming painfully on the skai armrest. Calls for another glass of milk, and maybe a Digestive , despite the sugar content, but nods off[/i]...)

[left][size=4][color="#222222"][font="Arial, sans-serif"][size=4]And the winner is... Lowdown..! [sharedmedia=core:attachments:167486] Here, then, is your Winner's Certificate (download and save as pdf file, then proudly print and frame...) ...[/size][/font][/color] [attachment=248172:BC_Chal_Cert_2017_06.pdf] [color="#222222"][font="Arial, sans-serif"][size=4]... which looks like this (but bigger, of course..!)… [/size][/font][/color][/size][/left]

Many years (no, decades..! ) ago, I attended an Atari show in Paris (I was freelance programming at that time...), and stumbled across a stand on which a lone trombone player was improvising, in many different styles, using a MIDI connection to an Atari. I can't remember exactly the name of the software ('Tangerine' comes vaguely to mind, or something close..?); this software was obeying his MIDI signals and playing a fully-orchestrated accompaniment, entirely in keeping with the genre he was playing, and very nicely harmonised. He would finish his piece, then play a couple of specific 'command' notes to switch styles, and carry on. Ragtime, Big Band, Orchestral Classical, Hot Rock... He had, it seemed, full control over the system with only his Trombone as both instrument and command. In the light of what I saw that day (I remained quite absorbed for quite some time watching the bloke...), seeing a fellow with a bass doubling up on 'guitar' looks quite modest, to me. I'm maybe missing something (and I'm a drummer, after all...), but I have yet to see what the big deal is, musically speaking. Still, it obviously appeals to some, so why not..? Edit: 'Tango', not Tangerine' (well, I was close..!), that was it. I'm looking it up now to understand further... Edit 2: 'Tango' still lives, apparently..! Here's the bloke, using it for a short video (warning: may contain some Jazz content...) ... http://youtu.be/KQgo3Fbmsf8

[quote name='bassbiscuits' timestamp='1498729302' post='3326573'] I'm not sure where this idea has come from that a week before a gig is too late to change strings? Have i missed something? I've regularly changed mine the day before a gig - as long as you keep giving them a good stretch and play them a good bit before the gig they will have settled down and will stay in tune no problem. I did exactly that last weekend. Quite whether the change in sound was appreciated by the punters is a different matter tho! I should have asked them both... [/quote] I don't think anyone is saying 'it's too late', exactly; just that, if they're not causing any problem, there's no need to change 'em, especially for a very first gig, where there are many more important details to be concentrating on. For more experienced players, changing strings (if necessary...) on the night causes no issues [i]per se[/i], but that's changing for a coherent reason, and in full knowledge of what effect it'll have, plus the tranquillity of knowing that the set will go well, whatever. Our OP here is trying his best to get it right for that all-important First Gig, and the present strings are fine, so leave 'em on. Experiment after the gig, certainly, but now is not the time for that, I'd say.

[quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1498668758' post='3326256'] Congratulations guys. Is this a first on Basschat. 2 BC'ers getting married. ? Dave [/quote] The first we've been told about; there may well be other pairings that are simply being coy. I have my doubts about Discreet and Leonard Smalls, for instance.

[quote name='lurksalot' timestamp='1498587496' post='3325732']...I have the craic and publish [/quote] To the benefit of us all..!

Any more late entries coming down the pipeline..? No, just sayin', as with the passing of time, my already modest share of the votes is shrinking..! At this rate, I'll be owing votes from [i]last [/i]month..! Yes, I know; if my contributions could be of a higher quality I'd keep a few more votes; don't rub it in, chaps. I'm painfully aware, but the standard of the other entries mounts from month to month, and I just can't keep up (but I'm trying; very trying... ).

A few years ago we had Maceo Parker on the bill of our local summer festival, Les 3 Elephants. His bassist, Rodney (Skeet...) Curtis asked if we could find him a bass; his Lakland had a fault. We lent him our Cort fiver (the least expensive in the range at the time...), he strung it up with his own strings and did the sound check. That evening, he played the show with it, and, guess what..? It sounded like 'Skeet' Curtis behind Maceo Parker..! He handed it back after the show with a smile, and even kindly signed the back of it (it's since worn off, though...). A very nice fellow, and a great player. The moral of the story..? It's true; it's all in the fingers..!

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1498554661' post='3325405']...if Basschat has been entirely responsible for any other marriage in the past... [/quote] Dunno on that one, but I suspect that It may well have been the principal cause of some divorces..!

Ah, I almost forgot...

Well done, you two. Long life, health and happiness.

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1498506711' post='3325139'] NO!... [/quote] ...

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1498501985' post='3325078'] The FREE concerts, Rock Festivals in Hyde Park 1968 & 69... [/quote] Ah yes, I remember you from there. Can I have my bandana back, please..? ...

[quote name='jonunders' timestamp='1498490882' post='3324974'] Hi. I have been trying to purchase a book... [/quote] You could try creating another, new, email address, and re-register..? Just a thought.

Godshill, '68... [quote]...Ford Farm near Godshill was the site of the first ever Isle of Wight Festival in 1968. It attracted 10,000 people to see acts such as Jefferson Airplane and the mystical Arthur Brown....[/quote] Here's the flyer...; note the price: 25 shillings (£1.25p for the youngsters...). Happy daze.

[quote name='the boy' timestamp='1498473549' post='3324776'] He's a one man Beatles. [/quote] So were The Beatles..!

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1498460762' post='3324683'] My (late) entry didn't get put up... [/quote] Darned shame, as it's excellent; highly evocative, and a fine fit for the theme. Have a 'virtual vote' from me, as small recompense, and be a bit more prompt next time, eh..?

[quote name='ProfJames' timestamp='1498435337' post='3324640'] Would rather put my head up an elephant than listen to that talentless twat [/quote] Move over; I'll be joining you.

[quote name='ProfJames' timestamp='1498434952' post='3324638'] I have been disappointed with the whole thing! Radiohead have disappeared up their own arses, I don't get the Ed Sheeran thing, never liked Foo Fighters. [/quote] Welcome to old age, maybe..? You've left Royal Blood off your list, and Thundercat; there's probably a whole slew more, too. I would tend to agree, but, then again, I'm old, and am now far from the target audience of all of these folks, brilliant as they may be. It's not only generational, though; I never did 'get' Disco Chic, either, despite their evident prowess. ([i]Nods off in his armchair, bless 'im, and starts snoring gently but tunelessly again[/i]...)

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1498434776' post='3324637'] I'm older not old. I'll never be old... [/quote] Many of your broad generalisations bely this vain illusion, old friend..!

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1498433362' post='3324631'] I definitely see a lack of improvisational skills with the younger generation. I've seen it where they only know songs and if they get lost in a song they can't even find their way back. For me, all those endless hours of rock and blues jams ( not open mics ) back in the 60s paid off. Blue [/quote] Yeah, sure, but you're [i]old [/i]now, innit..? I don't think even [i]you [/i]had those skills when you were just starting out (ie: young...), so give the kiddies a break and allow 'em a bit of time to hone those skills, maybe..? For many, t'will come, sure 'nuff ('n Yes I do... ). There are many that can improvise with the best of 'em, at all ages, I'd say. Why, I even know of some [i]old [/i]folks that can't improvise for toffee..!

Duly listened to (more than once for several...), and tough choice made, so voted. All with a high very standard of execution and production; just one or two that I couldn't really get on with (I'm definitively not a lover of the 'big beat'..! ), so a difficult decision, as usual. However, the Deed is Done. Well done to all, and thanks for the fine picture to work from.