Bilbo

Practice reading.

I have a seven string I tune BEADGBE. Think a guitar with a low B.

It's one of the things I love about Jazz. The age thing means zilch. I have played with 75 years olds (Peter King, Art Themen etc) who SO kicked my butt it's unreal.

My head is elsewhere this month but here is something to show willing!! https://soundcloud.com/robert-palmer-1/hurricane

I loved this band when I was a teenager but, frankly, they haven't travelled well!!

Systematic approaches work best in the long run. The more chaotic approaches often end up being the long way around.

I struggle with transitions. I get a great riff or chord sequence, add layers of melody and counterpoint and then fail to find any form of middle eight, interlude or sequence. It all ends up feeling samey. My thoughts are, maybe if I think about it a little longer....

Your descriptions mirror my own experiences, Pop. I have hundreds of Curate files, Sibelius charts or good ol' fashioned manuscript paper stuffed into drawers, guitar cases and box files, just waiting for the next flicker of inspiration.

John Paul Jones Charles Minus John Patitucci

I don't cry at music but am moved by so much; too many to list.

I try so hard to get something going compositionally and get frustrated a lot at what I don't achieve. I have done a lot of reading (and thinking) on the issue and it is apparent that many, many composers, at the highest possible levels (Maria Sshneider, Steve Swallow etc), spend days, weeks and months (even years) looking at a piece they are working on to try to squeeze something beautiful out of an idea. I know that one of the issues that non-professional musicians are aware of is how much time the pros spend practising (the 'ten hours a day' that Janek Gwizdala talks about etc). It is apparent that the same can be said for composing. I sit in my studio and stare at the computer/guitar/bass/whatever for a few minutes or hours and think 'nothing is happening' because I don't walk away from a finished composition. Why would I? If Maria Schneider agonises over two bars for weeks, why would I expect to nail everything in one sitting? I know there are always stories about songs that were written in half an hour or whatever but those aren't the kinds of things I want to write. I guess I just need to be more patient and let ideas flourish at their own speed. No-one ever hears the damn things anyway

[quote name='Norm' timestamp='1458250371' post='3006084'] me too! My nearest big venue as a teen. UFO, motorhead, rush, msg, ac/dc with bon etc. We must have been at a lot of the same gigs! [/quote] Saxon, Jon Anderson (Song of Seven tour), Trust, Gillan.. it seemed like there was a great gig every week. These were the days when tours were 30 or 40 dates long.

Uli Jon Roth, The Railway, Ipswich. It actually hurt so I watched the gig from the side of the stage kind of behind the PA.

I used to watch all the touring bands there when I was a teenager. Iron Maiden with Paul Dianno, Trust. Diamond Head, April Wine.. I can't remember many of them it was so long ago but I always loved the venue.

It's an interesting question. I would like to know if any bands have broken up, the parties STUDIED music and then, when they reformed, were better. I suspect not. Jazz acts rarely reform as the idea is mostly to keep moving forward but there have been a few reunions 'for old times sake'. My favourite is the trio of Sam Rivers, Dave Holland and Barry Altschul. Their 'Reunion' album is superb.

City Boy - 5705

The trouble with Jazz Festivals is that they often need to employ every pa company and sounding in the region and so many of them have never had to mike up a jazz band before, let alone a double bass. Sound is often of a questionable standard.

The Monkees?

There are two solo double bass albums by Dave Holland. So that's half a market

I spent a lot of time with Al DiMeola' s picking technique book and my pick technique is now better than most guitarist!

There is wisdom in there, EB. Wisdom.

Would that it were that simple, Pops. I am thinking of it series of solo double bass recordings so I don't have to worry about anyone else!!

It's frustrating, innit? I am better now than I ever have been but the better I get more frustrated I get at the music I get to play. When you listen to the greats all day and then get to gig what is mostly a load of old b******s, you have to ask yourself, why bother? I am sure it is OK for people who live in the big metropolitan areas but out is the sticks, you just can't find the player who are a, able to play this sh*t and b, who WANT to play this sh*t Good enough doesn't seem good enough at the moment!

I always practice reading Jazz solos or Bach Cello Suites which are invariably difficult to read through flawlessly. The up-side of that is that actual bass parts are quite easy!!

I did a great pencil drawing of Steve Howe years ago (like 30). Don't know what happened to it.