Bilbo

I think there is a erroneous assumption that what we are as musicians is a homogenous thing. There is art as entertainment and there is art that exists for other reasons. Someone who writes soundtracks for movies can be 'better' at that than someone else who may be 'better' at working an audience. Until we define what element of being a musician we are referring to, we cannot say who is 'better' anymore than we can say who is 'worse'. Paul Chambers could swing like no-one else on earth but his Latin playing was pretty lame. Jeff Berlin is all over the bass technically but anyone with half an ear will prefer John Lennon's 'Imagine' to Berlin's. A great reggae player may not be able to play funk and vice versa. Any discussion regarding 'best' cannot continue without clarification as to which aspect of being a musician we are referring to. Although, of course, all Jazz bass players are better than anyone else

Place was rammed at £150 a head. Recession my a***

[quote] name='tonyf' timestamp='1356970512' post='1915831'] There ya go Bilbo..... [url="http://www.karaoke-version.com/custombackingtrack/van-morrison/moondance.html"]http://www.karaoke-v.../moondance.html[/url] [/quote] Oh, look. Hell has frozen over! I can open that file now. (karaoke AND Moondancr! I must have died and gone to heaven)

I just turn up at the gig read the dots or watch the guitar players hands

[quote name='lurksalot' timestamp='1356714354' post='1912874'] . 6 hrs today , and f*** all to show for it , mostly fannying with midi drums and not even getting as far as a simple drum pattern of any worth . [/quote] You have passed the test and may enter, brother.

Fugly

I am at The Talbooth, a place just of the A12 in Essex, with Ipswich function band Kayona. How's that 'Good Times' riff go again? Who else will see the new year with their boots on?

Came This was recommended to me and I love it. Muhal Richard Abrahms Orchestra - 'Blu, Blu, Blu'. It is on Spotify so give it a listen when you have a quiet hour or so.

I got a German bow at first bubt then got one of these ..... [url="http://www.stringemporium.com/carbon-fiber-upright-bass-bows.htm"]http://www.stringemporium.com/carbon-fiber-upright-bass-bows.htm[/url]

One bass, my Wal Custom fretless 'stock, off the shelf' that I have had since '86. I also have one double bass but they don't do the same gigs anymore so I think that still means one bass per se.

I play a 4 but if anyone said that to me when I pulled out a 5-string I would put it back in the case and walk out, letting them know that they need to think about the things they say before they say them otherwise they may advertently put themselves at severe risk of looking like a bunch of morons.

Can't seem to download it, mate. I cans ee it on screen but it is too small to be of any use so I woudl like to copy it but it won't let me. Can you email me a pdf?

I knew a guy who was a great bass player who got his 1st tv work backing up Madonna on Wogan. He was miming a keyboard bass which he couldn't play. All that practising paid off then.... I also know a drummer who auditioned for a gig backing someone on tv and was filmed, and not listened to at all, to see if he 'looked the part'. Puts it in perspective, doesn't it.

Get this!! It has been selected as one of the 'Books of the Year' in the December issue of the 'New York City Jazz Record'. It ain't the Booker Prize but, hell, I'll take it .... [url="http://www.nycjazzrecord.com/"]http://www.nycjazzrecord.com/[/url]

The main riff on Sir Duke is all pentatonics and is a lot easier than it sounds. Learn it by ear and the playing it is not that hard.

Just heard my copies are on their way and will be with me this week!

I am told that the thing is now being touted around various places and I have had an enquiry about an interview from a Miami radio station and a piece appeared in The New York City Jazz Record putting the book forward as part of their 'Holiday Gift Guide'!! [font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Seems its happening at last![/font]

I regularly look at mine because I want a Wal 5 or 6 string but I can' t let it go, I love it too much.

Interesting perspectives but I had to vote for the one I would buy.

French bows are supposed to be more flexible/versatile and German bows louder. It is easier to find a French bow teacher in the UK than a German one if that makes any difference. Paul Chambers's teacher, Gaston Brohand, had to be ordered to teach arco with a French bow because he was anti-French arco techniuque and, until this point, had refused. Fortunately, PC played German but other players like Dan Pliskow in Detroit had to fight to get lessons and then had to put up with Brohan looking like he'd stepped in s*** for their whole lesson. Really motivational.

I'm working on a double chin. Is that any good?

This kind of messing about scares me, I am afraid (). I wouldn't know where to start. Get a man in, I say

PS - Burglary is against the law but is the reason we do not burgle our neighbours fear of and adherence to the Law or simply our willingness to accept that that kind of behaviour is unacceptable/wrong? Laws are there simply to articulate the generally held views of a society and to draw a line for the minority who would offend against that society. That line moves over time because society's values change but, in general, people don't think about the Law; they just behave in a civilised way because that generally works. Take away everyone's food and watch the rules change.

'Civilised society' is not determined by its Laws and the adherence to them. The world is a lot more complicated than that and always has been. Law breaking in the last couple of hundred years has included vast swathes of the trade union movement, suffragettes, Nelson Mandela and the fall of Apartheid, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and the US Civil Rights movement, Ghandi's passive resistance and so on. Hitler's approach to society would suggest that Laws can and are used to abuse people as much as to keep them safe. That and to protect vested interests. Civilised people are not those who simply obey the Law but also question it and, when the Law is unjust, challenge it by any means necessary. See what I did there?

[quote name='4ropebottom' timestamp='1355599809' post='1900521'] Hello group. I'm new. Gotta a few questions: 1. What style of music do you play most often on double bass? Jazz, only jazz. 2. Given that, what string height do you use for each string? I have no idea. It's just easier than it used to be. 3. What brand/model of strings do you like? Evah Pirazzi Weichs (works with both arco and pizz but otherwise, my 'choice' is determined by the fact that I can't afford to experiment and, at this stage, can't tell the difference anyway!!) 4. What double bass pickup? K&K Sound Double Big Twin Upright Bass Pickup 5. What amplification? Eden Metro (it was what I had for electric before I bought the double bass - does the trick) Thanks! [/quote]