norvegicusbass

[quote name='Panamonte' timestamp='1341766088' post='1723777'] If only - that would be the legend that is Norman Watt-Roy. [/quote] Never heard of him

[quote name='Panamonte' timestamp='1341752857' post='1723547'] [/quote] Are you the said funny looking little fella?

...when playing? Simple question really how many of you still have to look at where your fingers go on the neck or can you play anything looking cool as f*** while looking at the the prettiest girl in the crowd? I can play without looking at the neck as long as all the notes are open strings and as for checking out the prettiest girl well I am married and would never do such a thing.

Wow how many top bassist have JJ in their names!!? Seems well above average going to change my name in the vain hope I get anywhere near as good.

[quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1341315785' post='1716770'] Nobody can do this off the cuff. Time and patience is what it needs. [/quote] Isnt this what jazz players do though when they improvise?

Seems like I have watched quite a few bassists especially those playing jazz that kind of sing the basslines as they play them. I watched Carol Kaye doing this and she seemed to know what she played on the fretboard would be the notes she sang even though she was doing it off the cuff. I cant in a million years do that sort of thing though I think I could sing quite an original off the cuff bassline.

I don't know what a note will sound like until I actually play it. Or more correctly I don't have a good understanding of intervals. I think this is holding me back from inventing my own bass lines as I can come up with quite decent lines in my head whilst listening to familiar songs ( different from the original of course ) but cant find those notes on my fretboard in real time as I try to play along. Do the top players and jazz players in particular already have a strong idea of what note will ring out wherever they are on the fretboard? I think this is a tremendous advantage in improvisation. Will it be something that will come in time and loads of practice?

I tell everyone I contribute to a bass guitar forum without telling them I am a sh*t bassist who asks sh*t questions

I must admit that I far prefer the early FM to the latter. I listen to Peter Greens Fleetwood Mac all the time for the love of their music. I rarely listen to the Buckingham/Nicks Fleetwood Mac and the only reason I do is to hear a bassline. For instance I am going to listen to the track that Hobbayne mentioned in his post so I can check out that line.

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1341007734' post='1712910'] I think a lot of the simplicity in the early days of the Buckingham\Nicks lineup was partly due to a 'bottle for breakfast' habit. Despite that, it always works. [/quote] Wow I might have to try that

John Mcvie. Not a shadow of doubt in my mind that this bloke could throw out chops with the best of them yet his playing is always subservient to the song. Throughout his long career he has always played with a lot of restraint and self control. I don't know of many others who were content to remain in the shadows as such an unsung hero . Just listened to Gypsy, awful song but a lovely simple bass line a little reminiscent of James Jamerson on The Temptations Just My Imagination insofar as its a really easy to listen to line from a bass player playing well within themselves

Susan Boyle

Why does this [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPJpeHeOIGs"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPJpeHeOIGs[/url] inspire me less than this [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5zFsy9VIdM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5zFsy9VIdM[/url] ? I mean I really admire the skill involved in the first video and wish I had a tenth of that guys talent but for some reason at a gut level it was the kind of bass playing exemplified by the latter video that made me want to pick up the bass. Like I say I am not knocking the lad in the first video and I am sure he could really lay down a low end groove but however versatile an instrument the bass is I like it to sound bassy and not like a lead guitar

[quote name='pietruszka' timestamp='1340545745' post='1705894'] My dad told me this! "Play it next time round, people will think its part of the song!". I make stacks of mistakes, it doesn't matter, it's how you mask them, that's the trick. When I was 18 my dad put me in a session band for a friends birthday do, and these were working London players who were annoyed that they had to turn up for a rehearsal the morning of the gig. The guitarist spoke to me afterwards as he new it was my first real world gig, I told him I made a couple of mistakes and he said a wonderful thing, "It doesn't matter if you make a mistake, it's only your own grave your digging". People make mistakes, it's part of being human! Dan [/quote] I reckon if I tried to make a mistake twice I would make a mistake in the attempt and maybe play it correct.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1340545342' post='1705881'] I have this problem all the time! Still, we must do what we can, and struggle on regardless in a world of ugly bastards. [/quote] Maybe we should take up a six string instead

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1340533205' post='1705623'] It's one thing to practice on your own at home to .mp3s or whatever, or with a band in a rehearsal room in a safe and familiar environment, but quite another thing when you get 'out there'. If you're not in a regularly-gigging band this can be disconcerting to say the least. What I used to in the first instance was practice in different rooms, in different situations, with loud music on in the next room or the TV news blasting out, or get my mates to listen to a few numbers - to deliberately distract myself. It's also useful to practice with your .mp3s way too loud so you can't hear what you're playing - and/or way too soft so you can't hear the kick drum - situations that are likely to happen in the field. Anything, just so you're not always practising in the same situation. When you're at an unfamiliar venue, maybe stressed out from the journey, you've just had an argument with the missus, the landlord is an asshole, the place is filling up with shouty drunks taking the piss, the PA sounds sh*t, the stage is too small, there's not enough power points and the drummer is still 'on his way', everything you learnt will go straight out the window! Be prepared! YMMV, IMHO, etc. [/quote] All great suggestions but to be honest I will only ever be a player who never ventures up onto stage. I have been told by many bands who were advertising for bassist that I am far too good looking to be a gigging bassist. I look like Danny Devitos shorter fatter brother so they are either being kind in their rejection of me due to my poor playing not being of gigging standard or bassists in general are the ugliest people on the planet. John Taylor was a pug bastard come to think.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1340531713' post='1705596'] ^^ This is all you need to know.^^ Practice and more practice. I forget who said it, but 'amateurs practice until they get it right - professionals practice until they can't get it wrong.' [/quote] I have been looking and looking to who said that and cant find it. It wasnt you was it and wanting to remain discreet?

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1340529347' post='1705555'] Here's my take. YMMV. From the look of it, my first guess would be that your brain needs to be reprogrammed again. Larger parts of the brain than available now need to be programmed for this job. Only concentrated practice will do that. As always, do not practise at full speed, or practise for speed. Practise for correctness. Thus you press the brain to set apart more cells for this, and the brain processes thus get stronger and quicker. Sadly, there's an age aspect here, but happily even old brains can still learn. Of course you know that getting inhibitied or similar is not helping, so you'll need to find ways to do away with it. You know yourself best, but an example might be to keep telling yourself that making mistakes is both OK and temporary. Maybe not related to your case, but I feel there's a devil in practising too early at full speed, as is often done when one plays along the CD track. Each error gets programmed, each negative feeling about errors gets programmed. It's simply not the way to do it, and very inefficient. Since I'm on a rant at any rate, here's an alternative approach that some might benefit from. It can be trained, and I would advise doing it on one song only, to start with. How about just reading the part without playing it, again and again, thinking through what the part needs to convey and how it should be played technically (which finger when where how), making notes in the score/tabs, and producing stronger and stronger mental images of you playing the song. Again: [b]slowly[/b]. For every concert I needed to prepare back when I was a musician, I would have one piece that was trained like that whilst I was commuting by train. I'd need three to six months to build a concert program, but that one piece would only be physically played during the last week or so, just to check and iron out stuff. My fingers (the brain really) were already programmed before that last week. I hope this can be of help to you or someone else. Good luck! [/quote] Excellent post though this bit " Sadly, there's an age aspect here " made me cry a little.

[quote name='jaydentaku' timestamp='1340489654' post='1705309'] Gland [/quote] Wow you guys sure dont use the normal methods of typing.

Zep as always and Sandy Denny just for the love of a beautiful voice

[quote name='jaydentaku' timestamp='1340489167' post='1705299'] holy testicle tuesday! [/quote] Did your sister daughter type that?

Yeah thats what I thought happened, wow this special brew is strong hic

Makes sense to me but then I am pissed at the moment watching the footie. When I sober up I will be like everyone else on here and have no clue I suspect. Hic

[quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1340473980' post='1705063'] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muB957FxcA8[/media] Littered with mistakes - I really am not comfortable playing this song but even Mr Wootten couldn't escape the final note!!! [/quote] Sounded great to me

[quote name='Dom in Somerset' timestamp='1340473256' post='1705046'] A potter once told me that the ancient Chinese believed that only the gods could create perfect things so Chinese potters deliberately build imperfections into their work to avoid offending them. My playing has never offended the gods. [/quote] LOL My playing wouldnt offend the potters