Bilbo

You are moving into the area of being a complete musician and not just a bass players, Steve. Writing (and reading) music brings massive insights into the bigger picture and makes you a better player. Glad to see it's working for you.

Double bass everytime. If you go for an EUB, you will still want a double bass. If you get a double bass, you won't want an EUB.

An L?

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1348586218' post='1815588'] I have this vision of Bottom E coming on stage and unplugging Rush on their next tour because they have gone beyond his guidelines of acceptable levels of samples and pre-recorded triggered bits [/quote] The difference is that, unless they have changed since I last looked, it is all played/triggered in real time and not a button pressed at the start of the track and then played along to verbatum until it finishes. In reality, this kind of stuff has no presence in my listening/viewing as I find it a complete turn off. I would much rather listen to a guy/girl with a guitar/piano etc and no BTs. But I don't got to bars in Lanzarote so why would anyone care what I think.

Been 98% a fretless player for 26 years. I have played fretted in that time but not much (very occasional gig) and not in the last 5 years (I sold my last fretted bass on here a couple of years ago and it had been hanging on the wall for a long time before that). In that 26 years, I have played duos to big bands, rock, blues, funk, pop, latin and jazz. I think it is important to recognise that there are genres that do benefit from a fretted instrument (slapping and tapping, to me, sound unpleasant on fretless, for instance, but, as I do neither, it is not a problem). I think that the idea that all fretless playing is mwah and extreme slides is unfounded. Have a listen to my soundcloud page; everything electric on there is the same fretless bass.

It has crossed my mind but I have limited time and resources (I don't get paid to do this and have to give it my time when I am inclined to and have no other things calling on my time) and, to be blunt, don't 'care' enough about JJ's story to want to tell it. That may change if someone offers me £35K to write it but, if I am doing it for nothing, I'll stick to researching the music I love.

[quote name='jakenewmanbass' timestamp='1348580531' post='1815466'] Be f***ing awesome with root and fifth before you decide to move on... [/quote] He's right. (He's alway f***in' right )

[quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1348577833' post='1815409'] What does your biker brother think of jazz Bilbo? [/quote] He would never listen to it by choice but he would probably not walk out. He does go to a pub that has regular Jazz nights but that is because his wife works behind the bar. From what he says he seems to enjoy it in a kind of borderline ambivalent way.

I guess its also about the environment. Lanzarote is probably going to attract a certain type of customer base that may be generally less discerning where live music is concerned. My biker brother and his mates, for instance, would hate a BT band and would probably throw things but, as they would never go on holiday to Lanzarote, the risk of injury to Ricky Coo Coo and Germaine is small!!

I am struggling to find the words for this but will try. When you are listening to music that is more than basic first position chords on the first beat of every bar, you have to listen more widely than the actual chord and focus on its relationship to the one before it and the notes that are contained in the presenting sound; is it a fourth higher or a whole tone lower etc? You tend to hear how it sounds in a wider sense than in the way that you would with simpler forms. You can, over time, develop the ability to hear specific voicings but I guess what I am saying is that you hear shape of the chords through the scales and intervals being played rather than as a block chord. Bit like a Rolf Harris painting...'can you see what it is yet'?

Any note from a G major scale (and some from outside it) will work but some will work better than others. Random note placement is not the idea as the rhythm impacts on the effectiveness of the note i.e. if it is on a weak beat or on a strong one, an on-beat or off-beat. The idea is for the line to have some sort of internal logic that works in the context in which you are playing it. That is where the magic lies and that is much harder to develop than a basic knowledge of theory.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1348567381' post='1815186'] But to extend the language metaphor further, it's only useful if everyone you work with speaks the same language. Otherwise it's as much use as being able to speak Japanese when you are surrounded by Frenchmen. [/quote] Music theory is not another language (and the French, Japanese and Cameroonian all speak it too), it just offers a deeper understanding of the language you already speak, offering new words and, consequently, new insights.

What gets me is that, if you make the observation that the food at, say, a Hungry Horse pub is nowhere near the standard of the stuff you get at a good restaraunt, no-one struggles with the idea but, where music is concerned, people will swallow any old s*** and be grateful I guess its a case of give them the cheapest muck you can get away with. For those who recognise when they are being fed yesterdays leftovers, its a real bummer.

No its not. Its exactly the same but indoors.

Yes you could because the harmony is always there, even when it is obfuscated to within an inch of its life. People do think 'I am going to play an 11th now' but they also think 'I am going to make this pretty noise that makes me feel good' as well but they learned that pretty note and how it is best used by studying the scales and modes not because they happened upon it one day by accident. The trouble is, 'ear' players tend not to move very far from basic diatonic harmony and it tends to be those who study who find the more advanced concepts. Needn't be that way in theory (!) but, IME, that's just how it is.

Agreed. I bought the Tarlton book early on and, short though it is, it gave me a solid grounding in position playing and intonation. Now I sound like DAve Holland (he's a plumber from Cardiff, by the way).

Think of it as language. The more you know, the more you can express yourself. It doesn't mean that you can't say a lot with what you have but it will mean that your ability to express yourself is impaired. For me, and this is a personal view, everytime I hear a piece of really intense melodic improvising over interesting changes, I want to know what is happening. I can hear the changes in most pop/rock/funk songs without needing to see a chart (I do gigs regularly with people who have no charts and who play songs cold without rehearsal - they expect you to play the song by hearing it Mostly it works but there are occasional train wrecks) but, for me, the more interesting stuff has got things happening that you would probably not 'happen upon' without some element of applied study. To extend the language metaphor, without some form of study, you may be able to order Chinese food but you may not be able to explain how to prepare some or to explain why it tastes so good. It's up to the individual how far they want to take it.

I do gigs regularly with a couple of guys that use the ipad real books. Seems a great idea to me (all bar the expense of an ipad)!

And you develop that listening, experience and taste comprehensively by practising the scales, modes, arpeggios etc thoroughly.

Learn major scales, minor scales, melodic minor, diminished, augmented and blues scales in all keys in thirds, fourths, fifths, sixths, sevenths and then learn all the modes and arpegiated chords of all of those scales and modes. If you learn them well and are able to recognise the sounds, you will be able find anything you need. Should take you about two years. Anything else is a short cut i.e. the long way round

Paul Motian is (was ) my number one and a lot of my favourites are Motian influenced; Bill Stewart, Billy Higgins, Joey Baron, Adam Nussbaum etc. Loved Erskine (the motion poet) with Marc Johnson's Bass Desires and the John Abercrombie Trio but not heard anything by him recently. Lately I am interested in Antonio Sanchez and we can't forget Jeff 'Tain' Watts. Drummers get a bad rap sometimes but, for me, the whole thing hinges on them.

Relax. You are the bass player. Provided you don't catch fire, noone will notice you anyway.

I've driven 34 miles to find I had left my bass at home and also left it lying on the floor in the car park outside my flat - it was still there when I got back an hour later. Did my first double bass gig where I didn't take my electric 'just in case'. ONly trouble is, my leads are all in the case with the electric bass. Numptyism is a universal issue.

Hurrah!

I just think people who visit a bar where there is a singer with backing tapes should leave but, before doing so, tell the staff that that is why you are going. The deal will then be, do more people stay to watch or do more people go to find something better? Persoanlly, I woudl never watch anyone singing to backing tapes. I am better than that, even if they aren't. {ducks for cover]