dmccombe7

i use Jeff Berlin as an example mainly because i like his style and most bass players will have heard of him, usually thru BC. I understand the feel thing as i struggle with Reggae music as i just don't have the feel and Hit Me was more about the feel for me too. That's what took me longest. I've played mostly rock / prog covers over the years with occasional stints at originals Prog but i found the originals bands i was involved with simply didn't have the drive or push to get out and gig with the songs. Recent yrs all they wanted to do was record loads of songs. I don't see the point of just recording, its just not me. I'm happy to record songs and then get them out to a live audience. Its more fun for me that way. Now i mostly enjoy doing covers or tribute band material. Think it took me all these years to realise its where i'm happiest. I would still like to get a Prog covers band on the go but doubt that's gonna happen now at my age but i still dream of it a lot. Dave

I did that for about 15yrs and got back into it when i turned 50 (now 60) I decided that being in a band was a form of stress relief for me and it was going to take priority over work for a change. Having been picked up for stress at my work medical i was put on a stress consultant therapist type thing. Worked a treat until you fall back into same old trap after about a year. My work couldn't argue with me now tho as i just told my bosses it was my way of dealing with stress of the job and it was important to me to ignore calls. Happy days long gone now since retiring LOL

You stretched yourself for Hit Me so you can stretch a bit further and go for a Jeff Berlin type song. Now get your finger out and get some practising done. You know you can, no excuses now. To be honest if you managed Hit Me then there's nowt wrong with your ability so i can't see you really having a limit as such. For me the limiting factor is whether i want to spend the time and effort on a song i will never play live. I generally only do these things for my own benefit just to push myself. The Rock bands and cover bands i play in generally don't need an exceptional bassist, they just want a good, solid, reliable bass player to hold the band together. Sometimes you simply don't have the time to learn exceptionally fast songs just for the fun of it, but i do try. Dave

I like a nice high mid sound to give me that little cut thru a mix in rock bands. The flats are great but they bass always sounds as tho its just "there" and it holds the songs together really well but i struggle to get that bit of edge with them. Dave

I might actually go down that route myself. I like the fact the flats i have on my Sandberg VM4 last for ages but sometimes i would like a bit of zing on the top end. The Cobalt flats also sound interesting. Dave

Thanks for being so honest and open. Its something that i never really thought about. I've always just made the assumption based on myself that its down to not practising hard or long enough. Weird that i think that way as i have come across guitarists that are limited in ability and i just know they literally couldn't practise more to improve. Its was just their limit. Cheers Dave

Obviously i don't know you, so don't take this personally because i haven't seen or heard you play. I don't know what your limiting factor is so I'm just throwing in my own thoughts. I struggle with Jeff Berlin fast lines and probably my limit at the moment is a step down from him. I can take some of his songs and work on them and eventually i will get most of it but i need to put in a lot of work to get there. Its not an overnight thing because i need to strengthen my fingers to maintain the stamina to keep it going. I also needed to change my technique to follow his hand positioning. That all takes time. (Talkng months for me.) On the other hand take someone like Steve Harris from Iron Maiden. Not technically brilliant bass lines but the stamina required to keep that pace for song after song is incredible. There is his 3 finger plucking technique to contend with. I'm curious what the limiting factor is for you. Is it a physical thing, commitment to learning fast songs, or willingness to spend months learning new techniques and building stamina. My limiting factor is I struggle with spending months trying to get faster and increase stamina.I get bored quickly too As i said don't take it personally its just me being curious. 👍 Dave

Oddly enough i've heard early recordings from my early 20's (1980 ish) and i played a lot more ad-lib fills in songs than i would do now but my speed and technique has improved and i can still do those early bass lines at a push. I still get blisters with roundwound strings so that's never changed. I def don't have the ability to ad-lib on the spot these days maybe because i now have a strict rule to play a cover song as near the original as possible and if the band permits i may add some additional fills. Dave

I've been married 435 times now.

I usually start off by listening to the song a few times and playing along with it to get the right feel of the song. Then i take a section at a time and just work away on it. Sometimes i have to play it slower and gradually speed things up till i get it just riight. Neil and Jack Bruce were probably my biggest influences in bass in my early days. I find Neil's bass lines come reasonably natural to me but FFYL has always been the stand out bass line for me. Its all the little fills he added that take it away from being a run of the mill line. The man is a genius in my book. The perfect rock bassist. Dave

No probs @Bilbo i'm just looking forward to having a copy again. 👍 Dave

Yep that makes a lot of sense. Few other things have been added by others that also need to be looked at so lot to think about. Out of curiosity are both guitarists into the same music as rest of the the band. ? Dave

First guy was able to get a good sound from studio amp tells me he will be more adaptable and able to cope with disasters better whereas someone who brings their own amp might have a bit of an ego and simply gives up when things go wrong and isn't able to use whatever is available on the night. The nerve thing can go either way. I'm usually a bit nervous before gigs too, but not to the point of shaking. Maybe once he finds the "right band" his nerves will fade. Mine have. The fact he was aware you had someone else to come in after him shows he is thinking of the bigger picture and not just himself. Knowing the band you're in i understand the visual aspect side of it too and No1 brings a visual aspect that No2 doesn't. That's a shame for No2 but that's life in the tribute scene. Assuming both competent guitarists then i'm for the first guy. Guitarists faffing about between songs at rehearsals is my biggest gripe. Drives me up the bloody wall. All the best with the decision and let us know how you all decide. I don't want to come to one of your gigs and find someone looking and sounding completely out of place Dave

Compared to some of the songs on your website @Bilbo i don't think you'll have too many probs with this one. I have every confidence. Dave

Would need to be the original version from the Ready and Willing album. 👍 Dave

No expert in this by any means but i've played songs in different keys from original and something just doesn't work. The song loses something. I've never quite understood why that happens. Dave

Played that in Hot Love 70's tribute band few yrs back. I'd never heard it before then. Dave

Perhaps @Bilbo could do this one for us all Dave

brilliant

Here's the link to original post with few comments from Neil himself. Makes for an interesting read again

Think Neil commented on BC before about it and don't quote me but i'm sure he said he tried to maintain the original album version but he ad-libbed a lot of the fills. Dave

If the audience enjoy it and your having fun playing it then its the right version. Dave

That was the style back then and they were just keeping up with the fashion of the day. Maybe because i'm a Rush fan i'm separating older fashion and styles from just silly looking VID clips from over the years. I just remember when they came out and really liking them Some of the clips of other bands posted on the thread have been quite laughable. Dave