Bilbo

I think you are making a mountain out of a molehill. The finger is resting on the fourth string. The fact that it is pushing down is of no consequence.

My first ever gig (age 17) was less than one tune long. Despite it being a legitimate booking, the venue was empty and, half way through the first tune, the barman said ' turn it down'. The guitarist and bandleader, a cantankerous bloke at the best of time, just said 'F*ck this' and closed the gig down. I was heartbroken as you can imagine but we only had about three days to wait for the next one which was a success. Your day will come.

It is an interesting debate but it rests in the subjective perspective of the individual. Any musician or punter can probably recognise the difference between the technical abilities of, say, Peter Hook and Jeff Berlin. I think it would take a lot more insight to recognise the difference between, say, Malmsteen and Vai or John McLaughlin and Al Di Meola. When you get into the major talents of people who are absolute virtuosos on their instruments, you don't get better you only get different (say, Keith Jarrett vs Brad Mehldau or Dave Holland vs. Christian McBride etc). But there are many artists who reach a technical level beyond thst of mere mortals without getting the 'musicality' thing sorted. Examples may (subjectively) include Michel Camilo, Al Di Meola, Tuck Andress, Gary Willis, Michaal Manring, Jeff Berlin or whoever who seem to get cleverer and cleverer and faster and faster and more and more athletic without actually getting any deeper into the music. To recognise such differences takes a lot more than it does to recognise the Hook/Berlin difference referred to above. If you only look for 'speed' you will not recognise the value of 'depth'. Malmsteen may be faster but, say, B.B. King is deeper. I think it depends on your relationship with the music. For some, it is more superficial than others and the things that impress are whizzy rather than profound. Itzhak Perlman playing Schindler's List would look less remarkable to a speedfreak than Malmsteen playing some Bach but the depth of Perlman's performance is that much greater. I guess it comes down to recogising why we, as individuals, listen to or play music.

I like Blues Traveler - check out Straight On Til Morning.

Rumblestiltskin

I loved this band right up to and including Drama. They lost me at 90125 but I did see them last April in Oxford playing The Yes Album, Close To The Edge and Going For The One. Superb composers and arrangers, particularly in the early days.

I occasionally introduce local musicians with something along the lines of 'one of Suffolk's..... pianists', 'one of Suffolk's cheapest drummers' etc.

Just a point for consideration for all those who are learning to read. The skill begins with understanding the notes and note values so learning where C is on a bass clef, adding in the accidentals and then learning the difference between a crotchet and a quaver etc. Next comes reading rhythms. Remember to learn to read where notes END was well as where they start as this can make the difference between nearly and not quite. But the REAL skill, after you have the nuts and bolts down, is learning to CONCENTRATE!! When you nail a chart once, it gives you a real buzz. You put it down, jump around the room a bit, go get a coffee and a fag or whatever and then you come back and try again and it falls apartat bar fice and you get all despondant. My advice is don't beat your self up!! Learning to read is an incremental thing and it takes time to learn to get 'into the zone' so you can focus your energy on reading whilst listening to other musicians around you, finding your place when you have got lost, reading the geography of the chart etc etc. It's all about concentration and focus which takes as much time to develop as learning the difference between a C and an E does. Hope that's helpful.

[quote name='jakenewmanbass' timestamp='1412617912' post='2570465'] Me too Rob.. also worth pointing out that it's the prevalent scale sound in minor II V I sequences with the major third in the V chord being the major 7th of the (harmonic) minor scale derivative, most people tend to think the b9 is the alteration whereas that does in fact belong. maybe it's a Welsh thing [/quote] Tidy!!

Sounds like one of those 'nostalgia' bands. Swing bands are often a poor bet financially because they need to have large horn sections so have to charge higher fees so don't get bookings so fall apart when everyone starts getting paid work and can't find deps. They are often a great outlet for musicians who want to get involved in that kind of thing for aesthetic reasons rather than musicians who want to make a living out of it!! DO it, though. It will be fun and the bass chair is usually fairly easy to dep out as its all pretty straight forward.

Yes, melodic minor is massively common in contemporary Jazz composing. Harmonic minor is used less so but, ironically, it appears in a lot of my writing!! I just hear it that way.

At least!

I caught about 5 minutes of this as I was on the move. I think one of the realities of life in any successful band is that you inevitably get a distorted perspective on a, how important your band is and b, how important indivduals are as a part of that band. Musicians who leave bands and do solo projects are always taking a risk. With Genesis, Gabriel, Collins and Rutherford had solo careers which were very successful. Banks and Hackett had other highs and lows but were not anywhere near the same league as the others. The fact is that Gabriel and Collins were singers, frontmen who were immediately recognisable and who both have larger than life personalities and commercial product. Rutherford's side projects were also commercial but he didn't front them because he knew he was not a frontman. Hackett's and Bank's side shows less commercial. Hackett's solo career was in instrumental Prog, a niche market, whilst Banks has one pseudo Genesis album (A Curious Feeling - which I love, by the way) then some odd soundtracks and classical pieces etc. More to the point, Hackett and Banks particularly have no real 'presence' as human beings. Any sour grapes they have should be put in the context that, were they seeking massive commercial success a la Collins, their choices for side projects were flawed. An obvious parallel would be Yes. Frontman Jon Anderson's solo work with Vangelis results in chart success. Rick Wakeman; flamboyant, use of popular vehicles like narrated literary works relative success. Steve Howe instrumental albums, less successful. Bruford goes down the Jazz route and plays to much smaller audiences although still has some success as part of underground Prog Gods King Crimson. Alan White does a relatively weak funk LP with some old mates and it disappears without a trace. No surprises really. As for Banks being the 'musical' one; he may be technically the most sophisticated and trained musician in the Genesis camp but when has THAT mattered a jot? Some of the greatest players and composers in the world have operated in relative obscurity and with only limited financial success. If it was all about how 'good' we are as musicians, Jazzers would be playing stadia!! There is arguably also a class thing going on here; expectations met or not. Phil Collins, the undeserving poor!!!

I can't wait for some 12 yeare old kid in Baltimore to use this technique to sing Giant Steps inc bassline. Whilst betaboxing.

2 - one electric, one double bass

I got something working this evening but I think it needs something else to take it up a notch and make it more than a sketch. We shall have to see where it goes.

Remember this kid? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_uLEIphzFA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3jyt0QPnkE

Dad's was done by 2.03pm

Can I sit down? With a music stand in front of me? And a saaaaandwich?

'But jealous souls will not be answered so; they are not jealous for the cause but jealous for they're jealous' - Nobby Fishcake - 'The Scented Wallpaper'. I think it's the same old story with these guys; they hit and hit big, everyone loves them and then everyone else has to hate them because everyone else loves them. They gain adulation and vitriol in equal measure until, after and while, they become an ordinary band that people are allowed to like or dislike as they see fit. I like what they do, it is a new take on things, a fresh approach which has limitations like all approaches. I won't be buying anything by them as my interests lie elsewhere but I will keep listening as they go along and applaud their efforts.

I have had a few of these. I recently did a performance of Karl Jenkins' Peacemakers with a small orchestra and one of the tunes was a VERY difficult piece to play AND read (it is called One Song - it is on Spotify - 16th notes in 3/4 with a change of clef half way through, chords, weird arpeggios; your average nightmare). I had the charts for about 6 weeks before the gig and spent a lot of time with this tune (the rest is relatively easy) but, on the night, through a mixture of nerves and a lack of experience working with a 'classical' conductor, the piece fell apart (not entirely my fault and not a total trainwreck but definately a low point). I emailed Laurence Cottle, the bass player on the recording, and asked him how much rehearsal time they had. He had done it cold. I always liked his playing but he went up a dozen notches in my estimation. In the early days of my computer experiences, I emailed California based guitarist Wayne Johnson and told him I had been a fan for years. I asked him if he had any charts from the tunes on one of his early LPs and he said no, they evolved in the playing etc. I told him I was a fan of his bass player Jimmy Johnson and he gave me JJ's email address!! I emailed Flim and got a response, although I cannot remember what he said - I lost the email and address long ago in a computer crash but it was nice to say hi. In my research for my Paul Chambers book, I also contacted Christian McBride, Ben Wolfe, John Goldsby, Tootie Heath, Jimmy Cobb, Rufus Reid - the list goes on and they all responded but the best was Ron Carter. I emailed him a couple of questions and he emailed me back with two words - 'Call me' and his telephone number . He was an absolute gentleman, very easy to talk to and really generous with his time and experiences. It is lovely to know that so many of 'the cats' are so approachable.

Judas!

Rufus Reid's The Evolving Bassist is a good starter.

AND HE'S COMING UP ON THE INSIDE!!!!!