Bilbo

I have never taken a DI to a studio or gig in 30+ years of recording/playing. NOw my Metro has a DI out so its not a problem anyway but I would expect a studio to have its own DI boxes.

SAm was a great time/groove player, absolutely. Not sure underrated is the right word but certainly under-reported! Not enough solos or double thumbing, I guess. Spent a couple of hours on the weekend with a copy of Jazztimes and Spotify listening to new things. Time well spent!!

I'm a jazz musician. What's applause?

Good luck to those who are working. Commisserations to those who are not. Spent a lot of time composing for my sax/bass/drums trio so the time is not wasted but my drummer of choice hasknackered his back (really badly) and can't play so I am in limbo a bit with it (can't book it out or rehearse). Done some recording etc as well but still want to be playing as that is what keeps your chops up to scratch. Maybe 2012 will be better?

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1320353653' post='1425850'] No double bass and no beard, are you trying to pass that off as yourself?[/quote] Beard went nearly a year ago and the double bass only appeared after 28 years of electric playing!! Keep up!!

I have had a dreadful year. 2008 was a great year and I had 120 gigs in 12 months. In 2009 I had 50, 2010 saw 40. 2011 has seen me playing 30 gigs. I have two more (making the 30) this month and NOTHING in December. I walked away from a regular gig I had in 2008 so expected some reduction but this is terrible!! Anyone doing well this year? PS anyone in a tribute band need not reply

That's how it works, Pete. Like reading English. You start reading words like D + O + G = Du Uh OG = Dog! And then, one day, before you even know you are doing it, you just 'see' DOG! First its a phrase, then a bar, then two bars and then, gradually, the reading passages get onger and longer and longer. Its a great feeling as it develops.

A couple of old Latin things I found, the first is fun and I love the feel of the the second track, despite the shaky bass solo, has a lovely feel! http://soundcloud.com/robert-palmer-1/que-vale-la-pena http://soundcloud.com/robert-palmer-1/algun-dia-me-olividaste

A September wedding gig....

It is important to recognise the difference between weakness in your hands and the absence of effective hand positioning. In truth, you had the strength required to play the bass in your hands at the age of about 3. At the moment, you are just not used to holding the string down with your pinky so it isn't working efficiently and fatigue sets in really quickly (I had this recently when I took up the double bass). If you practice your technique gently and systematically, you will see an improvement very quickly, in a matter of weeks rather than months. Be patient. Almost every thing that you need to learn to be a good player comes incrementally and not in epiphanies.

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1320081626' post='1422076']That U2 bassline. You know, the one that goes "dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum..." it's brilliant! [/quote] That's just dum.

The options are infinite and limited at the same time. Chord tones are a reliable default but, depending on the sequence, straight roots can work e.g a descending chord sequence can sound great with just root notes or chromatics or semi tones above or below the target note etc (F B Bb D Eb A Ab etc. Like all such things, if you us it once, the chances are that using it again will sound predictable and stilted. This is stuff that takes a lifetime to master and your appraoch will be different to mine and to Jakes. That's the art of it. Keep experimenting and keep listening to the greats.

Duets featured several vocal/bass set ups, some with guitars etc other without. i loved Cheryl Bentyne's Angel Eyes.

Just remembered Rob Wasseman's Duets CD. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDsLmVPVisc&feature=related

[quote name='Mr Bassman' timestamp='1319801551' post='1418728']Zoe Gilby & Andy Champion [url="http://youtu.be/KiPVKUTZxy8"]Here[/url] Sorry. don't know how to embed and haven't got time to figure right now, maybe someone could do it for me.[/quote] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiPVKUTZxy8&feature=youtu.be

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1317310805' post='1389357'] And there is a Kurt Elling video on Youtube where he duets with a bass (its absolutely stunning but I can't recall the title of the track or the player).[/quote] Found it. Its called The Waking. Stunning http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEhIEbheMqo

It's witht the publisher now (edited/redrated etc). Website says July 2012 but its their call now. I have done all I can.

I did it all in one day, realised what the process involved and moved onto the more interesting stuff at the back

I think Ron Carter tuned it as a cello as the cello was his first instrument (when he was at school with Paul Chambers, the two had little to do with each other as RC was interested in classical cello and didn't take up the bass until later, when he realised he could not work as a cellist because of the racist employment practices of most US orchestras at that time. His piccolo bass was not a cello. PS he told me this himself when I interviewed him about PC

The major/happy, minor/sad 'tool' is for children. As with most teaching, in order to explain concepts, teachers of young people give a simplified/digestable version of the concept in order to get it across. If you explain a major scale as happy to a 9 year old and then throw in a truckload of caveats as to why this is not always the case, you confuse rather than educate. Its like when you explain to a 5 year old that their kid brother is growing 'inside Mummy's tummy'. It helps the kid digest the concept in a way that makes sense. In music, throwing all the exceptions in when trying to explain the concept of differences in sound between major, minor, Dominant, Augmented etc is too much information at one time. I have to say, the happy/sad thing never made a shred of sense to me anyway

And there's the rub. When you have learned all of the theory, you can ignore it and just play. But to think you can just ignore it and play without learning it is the difference between intelligent performance and just plain luck. Mick Karn was a greaet exampl of someone whose knowledge was limited but his playing unique. Trouble is, once he had stopped discovering innovative ideas, he had nowehere to go.

Faithless is right. Chromatics tend to work because you are on the way somewhere and lingering too long on one note that is not a chord/scale tone will mosty sound wrong. Beautifully wrong if that is what you want but mostly just wrong.

I DID IT!!!! I did a trio gig last night (sax/bass/drums) on double bass and got through the whole gig on the big fella, 3 x 45 minute sets. The Wal waited patiently for the blisters to appear but they didn't arrive! Feels good to break that barrier!

Its easy to do after you hear it, its getting to the point where you get it right BEFORE you hit the notes that is hard!!

'One's All' is actually more accessible than Holland's earlier solo DB cd 'Emerald Tears' which is freer. The Dave Holland/Barre Phillips duo cd is a tough nut to crack but I like hearing these things just to see whare this instrument can go on its own. Fascinating stuff.