Bilbo

Addictive behaviours are, for me, defined primarily by the investment that the individual has in them. A drug addict, in the conventional sense, has a physiological and psychological addiction in that the withdrawal of the substance, say heroin, will have effects that are both physical and psychological, the latter often being the harder to break. Cannabis is supposedly non-addictive physically but, in my experience as a Probation Officer, the psychological addiction is very real in that the user has to learn to 'cope' without it. Music is not physically addictive but, psychologically, it can have a profound effect in that the listener or performer invests massively in it. This may be cultural (membership of a social group like mods or rockers etc) or may be status orientated (celebrity or perception of self as artist etc) but the question is always; can the 'user' cope without their 'durg of choice' and what are the consequences of the removal of the behaviour in which the user invests so much. Personally, there have been periods in my life when I have felt that denial of the opportunity to practice has created anxiety in me but I put this down to the belief that, if I wasn't practicing, I would be losing the skills I have developed. As I got older, I began to value the motor skills aspect of performing less and the creative aspects more which has created its own pressures but, in short, (too late!!) denial of the opportunity to work on 'my music' remains stressful for me. Like Sklar, I have never drunk or done drugs (stone cold sober for 49 years so far) so comparisons with conventional substance misuse are difficult for me to make but I do believe that I have an investment in this behaviour (musiking) that can be considered to be unhealthy by those who do not share it.

I have two basses (electric and double) and 3 guitars. I bought all but one either on-line of by mail order, including both basses, a Gibson ES175 and a Takamine CD132SC nylon acoustic. I have had no problems with any of them. I also bought my soprano saxophone on-line (Thomann) and the feedback from my sax player is 'astonishing value for money'. It is important to do your research in advance but I don't think it is as dangerous as some seem to think. The thing is, I don't subscribe to the idea that there is a perfect bass/guitar out there but work on the premise that I have to learn to play it rather than it needing to fit me. I am not convinced that you can 'buy' a good sound or great technique (i.e. a great nexk) but need to learn to play the thing you have in front of you.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuOntJp6Inw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuOntJp6Inw[/url] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yHEWFlp2Lk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yHEWFlp2Lk[/url]

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aslM8-7JaPA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aslM8-7JaPA[/url] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI9ZGTO9eVc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI9ZGTO9eVc[/url]

They use unicorn horns for truss rods and mermaid scales for inlay.... I thought everyone knew that....

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1356345915' post='1909296'] ... no genre is innately superior to any other. [/quote] Jazz is - you're just in denial.

Billy Sheehan - 'Ladies Night In Buffalo' off Dave Lee Roth's 'Eat 'Em and Smile' Chris Squire - 'Gates Of Delirium' off Yes' 'Relayer' John Patitucci - 'Cool Weasel Boogie' off Chick Corea's 'Elektric Band' album Marc Johnson - 'Bass Desires' off his ECM album 'Bass Desires'

I don't think of what JG plays as Jazz but I do like sprouts as well.

Eric Revis - Tales of the Stuttering Mind

He's [i]rad[/i] I'm getting old. Great idea, tho. I downloaded one of his a few years ago from CD Baby but lost it when I changed computers. I don't feel guilty gettting another copy for free!

It sometimes frightens me that I can drive 50 miles without thinking about driving! One accident in 30 years which was when I was parking

My gig last night was pants. Played like a knob.

It is important to note that the mode to use over a chord is determined not only by the chord you are playing but by the one that precedes it and, most importantly, the one that follows it. So a minor chord can be aeolian, phrygian or dorian (probably the most common as it is the mode that stabilises the II in a II, V, I sequence. The modes of a major scale are important of course but, increasingly, jazz tunes contain modes of the melodic minor (Major scale with a flattened third) and this single npte change causes beautiful chaos. You also need to understand the role of slash chords, augmented etc. Al lot of the decisions about the note choices in walking lines are about the intentions of the composer so a sus4 chord in a head may be less important when soloing that when playing the head but that's a aesthetic decison. But you perspectives are generally there, iconic. Keep working at it and it will alll start to make sense.

I never see other bassists. I just realised that I have not seen another bass player playing since I saw Jasper Holby (sorry about the lack of proper grammatical inflection, Jasper) playing with Phronesis (and he sounded remarkably like Jasper to me). Before that, I have no idea but it was probably the bass player with Osian ROberts and Steve Fishwick a year earlier. S***, I need to go see more live music.

To read music... To compose..... To improvise.... To groove.... To write.... It never ends.... How to win friends and influence people.... To wave...

As a writer myself (oooer! did I say that out loud?), I can sympathise with the difficulties that journalists face in trying to tell the same stories again and again (try writing 440 pages on one musician without repeating yourself......(you can't )). Learned bass off my dad/brother/sister/friend.... First bass was .... Main influences are .... Favourite bass/amp/pedal.... Latest recording is... what it is like playing for *insert name of megastar in here.... ...where else can anyone go? I stopped buying music magazines a long time ago and gave my old back issues away to someone on here (I think he was called Jake?). I found that I was just reading the same things over and over and over again. Maybe everyone just uses them at a certain point in their development and then moves on.

Coudl be an Internet Explorer thing.... will try the link tonight (can't do audio in work)

Can't think of anywhere I would rather be, Chris

Not getting any sound, Mike. Have you got a Soundcloud page?

I have no idea. I can't remember the 'I want to play bass moment'. I remember wanting to buy one when I was 17 (it was ordered when I got my first pay packet) but have absolutely no recollection of what, or who, drew me to it. I remember an old Bell's Music catalogue that had guitars and basses in and I remember looking longingly at the basses rather than the guitars but why? I haven't a scooby....

I have never cared about this stuff. Whatever benefits there are of a nut made of unicorn horn will be completely eliminated if the drummer leaves his snare on (which he invariably does) or anyone in the venue speaks (which they invariably do).

My title was about the point of 'theory and technique' not the point of playing. I can see why everyone thought I was going somewhere else with it

Someone sent me this off the 'Jazz At The Fleece' website blog. Warms the cockles.... [i]What an exciting evening! The African based sound of Robin Jones Latin Underground is quite amazing and addictive, but the excitement started well before gig time. The bassist Jonny Gee had a car failure, and there was no way he could get to the gig on time. So our Michael phoned a friend. ShakAttack Roger Odell tried one bassist, not answering, then a second. Rob Palmer was available and lives in Felixtowe. He arrived at 6.15 with upright and electric basses and monster amp, and they set up and started to rehearse with the electric. Now Robin's music has changes of key, tempi and time signatures in some songs. Also, the African beat is not like Brazilian, which any bassist would know. It is half rather than on the beat. Really difficult stuff. He was terrific. Rehearsal snuck in to opening time a bit, so we ran late. Just to see the smiles on the rest of the bank when Rob hit the road running. He soloed beautifully on several numbers. What about the rest of the band? Steve Waterman was the other dep, but he played on the last two CDs of the band. He is such an exciting player, always fun to watch. He watches too, as if he was learning from the others. Nice. Chris Kibble on piano has such an innate feel for the music. He has an amazing left hand, and some of the runs he made had Rob shaking his his head ("how did he think of that?"). Nick Walker is musical director, plays powerful baritone, soprano, and lyrical flute. Marc Cecil is coming to us with his own band in the next programme, and from his performance on the drum kit and timbales last night, it should be memorable. And Robin. He is simply one of the best conga players about. How he gets such a range of tonal colour from those things is quite beyond me. His knowledge of the field is huge, and he shares with us. His friend Eric Young came with him, also a drummer and congo player, and played the latter on one song, also very good. It was a terrific evening. Gerry did the sound, and got roundly complimented for it from the stage by Robin. Thanks again to the crew of staff, punters and committee who cleaned up after a late night.[/i]

I have studied music theory, learned to read and developed a credible technique. 20 years ago I bought 'Funkyfying the Clave' by Lincoln Goines. I joined a Latin band called Albino Cubana and played some Latin rhythms and generally had a good time but, as these things do, that band collpased and people moved on. Last night, I got in from work at around 5.45 pm and was chatting to my wife when the phone rang. It was the guy who runs The Fleece, a Suffolk based Jazz 'venue' (that isn't at The Fleece anymore). They had a band on that night and their bass player was stuck in London. Roger O'Dell (drummer in Shakatak) had recommended me; could I make the gig? 'When do you want me'? I asked. 'Now'. ok, double bass or electric. Double bass. So, after downing a cup of coffee, I set off for Stoke By Nayland with both basses in my car. Remember, I have no idea who I am playing with and have never played the Fleece because local guys never get to play The Fleece!! On arrival, I am greeted by the little Cuban guy who walks over to me and says 'I think you are my Guardian Angel'. I shake his hand and we talk for a moment and then he calls the sound guys over and asks them to help me load in. He says 'electric' so the double bass stays in its case. I move my car and when I get back my gear is on stage. I still have no idea what the music is going to sound like but there is a full drum kit and 5 congas so I am thinking maybe this is going to be Latin based I m handed a pad by a fifty-something sax player who introduces himself as Nick Walker and also introdues me to Steve, the trumpet player. That'll be Steve Waterman. I am now starting to brick it. 'Let's look at a couple of charts' says the conguerro, Robin Jones. We look at a couple of charts during the soundcheck and it sounds ok but then the doors are opening and we retire to the bandroom. So I am about to go on stage, with no rehearsal, with the best Cuban conguerro and trumpeter I have ever met and some other guys who I have not got a handle on yet but are clearly very good. What follows is an absolute dream....these guys. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIAOaKlx1Ow[/media] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjhD70Hn9_c[/media] Anyway, I nailed the gig and, despite a few small gaffes, hit the mark most of the night. Reading the dots, knowing the idiom reasonably well, lots of eye contact, supportive players etc etc. 32 years of practise, playing, experience and knowledge all came together in two 50 minute sets. Lots of smiles from the band (who had had a really stressful day trying to get a dep for their regular bass player (johnny Gee, I think) - I think I as the 6th they had called). Massive buzz for me. A really good night for me and the audience were really positive etc. Makes you realise that all the work is worth it in the end. The leader wanted my card at the end of the night so he could call me if they ever needed a dep again. for this band or their 12-piece larger group. If I never hear from him again, I will have had this night of great music with great players . And it all came exactly when I needed it, when there are fewer and fewer gigs and you start to ask what is the point of it all!! Well, that answers that!. Oh - and I got paid!!

Can I play?