Dad3353

Nor the same as paradiddles on a snare drum (I'm a drummer...); what has that to do with the price of fish..? Some folk play 'fast' on whatever they're playing 'fast' on. Most folks never pay 'fast', ever. There's just no benchmark, nor science, behind any of this. The World has its flaws and foibles; live with it and celebrate the diversity. There are much more important and deeper proble... Ooo look, a bee..!

No expertise here, just some reflections on necks of differing girth. Violins..? Banjos..?, Guitars, even..? Mandolin..? Double bass..? Cello..?, Electric bass..? All of these and more are to be played in approximately similar fashion by the Human Hand. I doubt that any one could lay claim to being the 'magic bullet' for optimal playing, at whatever speed, in whatever genre. I suspect (with no figures to back it up; just a hunch...) that each of these types of instrument have each a range of 'optimum', depending on fashion, luthier's preference, Buyer's preference, price point and other criteria. If there was just 'one way', all would have the same profile; t'is not so. Where is the 'right' and where is the 'wrong' (as defined by whom..?)..? I would advance that there is no 'absolute' answer. It's a debating point, certainly, but with what possible outcome or conclusion..? The dogs bark; the caravan passes.

For @taunton-hobbit ...

It stems from the expression 'like a hot knife through butter', signifying 'with ease, without resistance or difficulty'. Some of the expression seems to have melted away over Time.

When I was younger, I went to concerts, shows, festivals, clubs etc and saw/heard a lot of original, sometimes ground-breaking musicians playing all sorts of genres, many (or most...) of which had yet to have names. Back in those heady days, if I'd come across folk playing as in those videos above, I'd have thought them to be just noisy trash players, whatever skills they may or may not have possessed. Rubbish then is rubbish now. If anyone enjoys any of that, good luck to 'em, but it scores very low marks in my book, as it would have done 'back in the day'.

Sorry; my typo. This fellow... Dynamic Range versus Ambient Noise.pdf

He wasn't that well-known audiophile George Izard, of Erering by any chance..?

In that case I'll see if I can train the simians to aim a bit better. If it's low notes that are required, we had an experiment in a very high barn, laying huge polystyrene panels across the beams, with a long length of piano wire fixed to the centre. By adjusting the suspended weight attached, 'notes' could be 'tuned'. We could hear the tones, but it was extremely difficult to record them; too low pitched for the semi-pro gear available to us at the time. Inexpensive fun, though, and a learning project. Long tubes were made, too (think Alpine horns...), but enormous volumes of air were needed to get 'em to sound. I have a compressor now, though, soooooo... Hmm... Time to break out the pvc cement again, maybe...

If 'shock' and 'novelty' are the criteria these days, it's high time I put together my 'anima-jazz' troop, with a few goats and macaques, maybe a cockatoo or two. I'm not sure what 'bass' roar I could coax from a water buffalo, but I will promise 'polyrhythms' galore, and an atonal soundscape. I'm hesitating to provide any form of percussion for the apes, as I fear the smaller ones could be used as projectiles, but what's a free jazz concert without a modicum of risk, eh..? Tickets available shortly from your local animal welfare outlet. Bring your own peanuts.

That'll be the day - Buddy Holly and The Crickets

I would refute that statement and vision of things.

Some of us play without any heed for these considerations. OK, maybe atypical, but it's not always about competition. Just sayin'.

I couldn't hear any significant difference which couldn't be explained by simply playing very slightly differently. I don't know how much either cost. Both sounded just fine, in all the sequences. I certainly couldn't tell '60s from '70s p/u position. They might as well have been the same bass, for me.

One often overlooks the distinct advantage of using kitchen foil aluminium, in that it keeps sharks at bay. I offer as proof having a roll of the stuff in our kitchen, and we have no sharks there.

Does that mean that you don't hear your slugs humming any more..?

All very well, and it's The Truth, but it's not necessarily The Whole Truth. There are many aspects of Music, as with Life in general, that escape from the clutches of Competition. Whether that's a Good Thing or not is for individuals to appreciate; for my part, it's those elements that are the best bits. The sheer joy when it all comes together, either playing solo or in any ensemble, there are moments (often no more than moments..!) where one is uplifted, charmed, untouchable, and far above tawdry concerns of competition. OK, if there must be aspects of competition to be taken into account, at least on occasion, it would be a shame, and a waste, to only see the competitive side of things. Some are fine with this, of course, and maybe, for them, vying for the Top Spot is a goal in itself. It's not so for many; Humility can be a virtue, too (or does that compete with Ambition..?).

Here is my contribution to the February 2023 Basschat Composition Challenge, illustrated with a picture chosen by Wolfram. There are those that praise highly the musicality of the Ferrari exhaust notes; there are even specialists whose sole task is to tune the beggars. I'll let you judge as to the success of their labours... A collection of sound samples, carefully crafted into a short symphony, with some pertinent tyre squeals for good measure. Standard Cockos NY bus on the Master channel, a spot of Cockos Compression and EQ, and that's all. No rubber was burned in the making of this epic. Thanks for listening, if you already have; if you're about to, enjoy.

You're not a copper, then..?

Nor I a Jazz bass, but one can never be too careful. Well, I say 'Never', but that's one heck of a long time, so, maybe...)

It doesn't help against slugs, though.

Yes, of course, but it's worth it for the Earl Grey alone, with biscuits the cherry on the cake (just an expression of course; I don't have cake on hand...). Still, given 15 hours notice, I could bake one. Hmm, where's my egg whisk and flour..?

The tape recommended above is specifically for emf (electrical...) shielding, with conductive adhesive. As a bonus, it will repel slugs, if the bass has such a problem, as slugs don't like copper. No, it's not the same tape as the copper tape sold in garden centres.

Bring it to us (we're just up the road from you...) and Our Luthier Eldest will do it for you, and show you how it's done. No..? OK, do as the Good Lady S'manth said, using the stuff she recommended (we use the same...). The glue that sticks it together is conductive, enough for shielding purposes. If you can firstly remove the pots, it makes things easier and tidier, and when they're put back in, they'll make the metal shielding contact required to the ground point. The easy way to do it is to firstly empty the cavity, cut the tape to the shape of the sides, top and bottom, making slits for the p/wires and stuff. Once it's all glued down, pop the electrics back in. If in doubt, give us a ring and we'll do it together, here, with a pot of tea and some biscuits. ... or look here (turn the sound down, though...)...