Bilbo

Its arbitrary. The note is 'first' because the key is routinely taught first because it has no sharps or flats i.e. the major scale is made up of the white notes on a piano. Its the easiest to read if you are learning to read music as it has no key signature (as does its relative minor, A). Otherwise its cyclical; there is no 'first'. I suspect that, historically, it all 'starts' with A minor rather than C? Lefty may know - its all Greek to him....

Its getting easier slowly. That low F is still a toughie but even that is coming along as I get more evenly balanced in the left hand fingering. The buzz is not in the results you hear per se but in the fact that I can do all that without any tears! So far, so good!

I had my first double bass lesson with Jakesbass last Saturday, the same day I got the bass. I got the instrument home and left it alone for a day due to other pressures. On Monday night, 7th Dec, I spent an hour working on the material Jake provided me with and made some immediate progress. For me, as I have said before on here, one of the barriers to my playing the upright related to difficulties I was having with pain in my hands which prevented me playing for more than a few minutes at a time. With Jake's help, even after one day, I was able to do things that I couldn't do before and was able to see improvements from when I last tried 8 years ago (ish). After three days practicinf, (in reality, three hours in total) I was able to play a rudimentary solo bass piece (mostly on the D and G strings, to be fair but not entirely) for over 4 minutes without any difficulties and with no residual pain in my left hand (or my right). I recorded some short improvisations on day one and day three which, despite their obvious shortcomings (weak intonation, clumsy phrasing, lots of extraneous noise etc), are startling, when compared to where I was last time I tried. And all with no pain or strain. I have a long, long way to go and have to remain focussed on the little details for some time yet but I wanted to share my new found enthusiasm and excitement at starting this journey. The message? Never underestimate the benefits of a good teacher! Hoever good you think you are, some small direction from an experienced colleague can make a massive difference.

Use the whole neck as and when it is required - otherwise its like saying 'only use A to H when you write' or 'only words of one syllable' when you speak. Stay at the deep end if your instincts tell you its the musical thing to do but not because the other end is scary or complicated - that's just advocating ignorance.

I think it all depends on the circumstances. As a jazzer, I am not actually 'in' most of the bands I play with so, if I am booked alongside a musician who I don't 'like' personally, I only have to behave for one evening. In truth, there are very few people who I can't get along with on a civilised level but, then again, in these circles you are generally playing with intelligent people who are interested in the music and are sufficiently humble to know that we all have a lot to learn and a long way to go before we can start badmouthing/looking down on other players. I know I am generalising but, in jazz, you don't get the arrogance that you sometimes see in some popular music genres. We could all use a little humility (I have more than most....)

Its less complicated than that, Jake. You listened to what I had to say and responded to the issues of concern that I raised. Instead of coming at it from a sterile 'this is what you have to learn' angle, you came at it from a 'this is what Bilbo needs to do to solve his problems' perspective. Communication is always a two way street but you listen as much as, if not more than, you speak - unlike me A lesson with Jake is bespoke, folks, not off the peg/one size fits all. I certainly heard no rambling from your side of the room and, trust me, I know rambling when I hear it !

I used to work with a variation of this when I was a practising fool in the 1980s. I just started on G on the 12th fret (G Ab A Bb), then worked my way down (11th fret (Gb G Ab A), 10th (F Gb G Ab) and so on back to the 1st fret (Ab A Bb . Then repeat on the D, A and E strings. That way, it starts easy and gets harder as you move down the neck. And do it with a metronome, just to hack JB off .

More plaudits!! I have just had my first DB lesson with Jake also. Marked by his patience, understanding and attention to detail, he has given me the chance to lay some ghosts to rest and to move over to an instrument I have longed to play for decades. I have just pm'd him to say that I feel like I have been reborn, playing wise, and have been given a whole new entusiasm for practising, a new focus and sense of purpose. It would be indiscreet of me to go into too much detail but I can never thank Jake enough for his generosity and encouragement at what is a crucial point in my musical career. Whatever else happens now, Jake will always have played a crucial part in it. The man is an absolute diamond.

Obviously, I am a klutz

[quote name='chris_b' post='674032' date='Dec 4 2009, 11:27 AM']That's not true.[/quote] You've never had a bass for 24 years, have you? Despite being careful, mine has fallen off stands, been knocked of the tops of amps, fallen over when leaning against a car/wall etc. Mine was even left lying on the floor in a car park for 40 minutes whilst I drove a twenty mile round trip obliviously before realising I had left it there (it was still there when I got back - I lost a year off my life that day). I have hit the headstock against singers, ceilings, walls, windows, light fittings etc. I am not sure but I even think the dog has p***ed on it before now. These are not museum pieces, they are tools. Yes, I look after it as best as I can but all the care in the world doesn't prevent the occasional knock. For the record, the bass sounds better today than it ever has - not because of the knocks but in spite of them. And, do you want to know the funny thing. I have never broken a string, it has never not worked, the knobs are still on it, the electrics are silent, the neck is straight as a die, it stays in tune from gig to gig, never mind for a whole set. And its worth more that £3.5K to me

Where are you, BP? Someone here will have a Wal near you.

[quote name='BigRedX' post='674013' date='Dec 4 2009, 11:03 AM']... there is a good chance that you'll actually sound less like Mr Chancellor with a Wal then you do at the moment.[/quote] How marvellous! There's a quote from Steve Swallow where he says that, in order to make progress as an individual player, you have to 'eat your father' i.e. get rid of your influences. Blind pilot needs to work hard at NOT sounding like Justin Chancellor - ironically, using the same bass may be a start!!

Such battlescars are inevitable. Learn to love them. Its the sound that matters, not the colour (and, if its buckle rash, its out of sight anyway). I never get buckle rash because my belt buckle is tucked neatly away under 46 years of gluttony!

[quote name='BigRedX' post='673993' date='Dec 4 2009, 10:44 AM']Even if you were lucky enough to be able to use Justin Chancellor's bass, effects and amps, doesn't guarantee that you'll be able to sound like him.[/quote] There is a lovely story of Ted Nugent being impressed by his support band's guitarist's sound and asking to try his gear. The fledgling musician in question was Eddie Van Halen. When he picked up Fast Eddie's guitar, without changing the amp settings etc, Nugent sounded like.......... Ted Nugent The bass is only part of the sound. With a Wal, you can find yourself so easily.

Yes - because they are the dbs. I have had one since 1986 and have never played a bass I prefer since - I have owned three other bassses at the same time as the Wal and might as well not have bothered as they stay on the wall. I play jazz, funk, rock, pop and Latin and it delivers everything I need in each genre. There is no 'Wal sound' because they are so versatile that Percy Jones, Mick Karn, Geddy Lee and me can all play one and sound nothing whatsoever like each other. They don't have endorsees and everyone you ever see being played is bought and paid for by the owner. Compared to many other designer basses they are competitively priced. Try one and you'll never go back (unlike some of the tarts on here who clearly don't know the meaning of the word 'commitment' and , consequently have condemned themselves to a life of GAS )

[quote name='JTUK' post='673232' date='Dec 3 2009, 02:35 PM']FWIW, I thought Jaco really raised the bar in his time.... His work might not rate now..but that happens in all walks of life..[/quote] I think a lot of people knock Jaco because he is otherwise held in universal high regard - a kind of 'anti' statement. IMHO, no-one has improved on what he did at the heights of his career as a player and musician. There are those that have taken the bass elsewhere and done other wonderful things but Jaco's thing was, at its best, timeless and unsurpassed.

Just my fourpenn'th on the 'Is Kind Of Blue really modal'? debate. My feeling is that the label of 'modal' wasn't put there by Davis or any of the musicians (unless Evans suggests it in his sleevenotes). The fact remains that jazz musicians use diatonic harmony as a starting point but use notes outside of the conventional harmony to create tensions, interest etc. It would follow, therefore, that they would use modal playing as skeleton to bounce off and throw all sorts of extra-curricular activity in there. So, if you are improvising in a Prygian mode in C, you would not just be playing the notes EFGABCD but using that as a 'point of reference' and immediately compromising it with implied substitutions etc. Is that fair? I guess that labelling a piece of art 'after the fact' is always going to present difficulties and inconcsistencies. I guess the label doesn't really matter. Its the noises they are making that count!

Start flat and turn the bass eq all the way down, listen, then turn it all the way up, listen again. Then put it back to the centre. Do this for mids and highs and you will have already learned something. There is no magic here. Just use you ears and figure it out by trial and error.

In general, and, theoretically at every gig, start with everything straight up and work from there, adding or removing frequencies to taste. Takes a while at first but gets quicker as you practice. Never forget the realtionshipo between eq and volume, however. A great sound played quietly is not necessarily a great sound when you turn the volume up.

Your avatar just reminded me of a gig story. I was booked to do a funtion at an Army barracks in Colchester. It was a fancy dress do and there were all sorts there: Saddam, Spiderman, the usual nurses and policemen, cowboys and vicars but one guy caught my attention. Dressed in an orange jumpsuit and a hockey mask, he had obviously come as Hannibal Lecter. After the usual introductions and a few congratulartory compliments regarding his originality and flair, the aforementioned Hannibal went to the bar and ordered. He picked up two drinks and handed one to his friend and then paused, looking at his beer for a long moment. He then turned to the barman and asked 'have you got a straw, mate'?

[quote name='Major-Minor' post='669844' date='Nov 30 2009, 10:57 AM']Got it now - thanks Bilbo. One small point: Bar 26 last 4 quavers and Bar 27 first crotchet triplet should be 8va. The Major[/quote] I should send these to you for proof reading. I sometimes find that some of these details are a result of a slip of the mouse when fiddling with Sibelius things. I will have a look at it when I can (not at home right now).

[quote name='Major-Minor' post='667096' date='Nov 27 2009, 09:33 AM']Bilbo - thanks for this. I don't know this album (I'm ashamed to say) and I can't seem to find it on Spotify or iTunes. Can you tell me the tempo its played at ? The Major[/quote] It is on there listed as My Romance (take 1) - The Best Of Bill Evans

[quote name='MacDaddy' post='668341' date='Nov 28 2009, 03:06 PM']Monsters of Rock 1988 Helloween Megadeth Guns n Roses David Lee Roth Kiss Iron Maiden still have the tee shirt.[/quote] I was there. I didn't see you? Mine was Gillan in Cardiff Top Rank - must have been 1980? Support were Quartz and White Spirit, Janick Gers band years before he joined Iron Maiden.

I did this transcription to highlight an aspect of Dave Holland's playing that I have found to be remarkable and useful in helping to recognise some if his playing concepts. The tune is 'Dream of the Elders' from the CD of the same name. If you listen to the opening three bars, they form a motif that repeats throughout the piece. If you follow the transcription as it develops, you will quickly see that Holland uses this motif as a skeleton idea but places subtle variations on the motif throughout. It shows how relatively easy it is to build a creative line using this idea of theme and variation. The transcription is of the bass part for the whole tune (there is no bass solo). I hope you find it useful. For those who don't have the cd, the tune is on Spotify.

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='669705' date='Nov 30 2009, 02:22 AM']Its not so esay tehn...[/quote] Pinot teakn I have some knowledge of the complexities of the issues and wanted to mention Erlin's syndrome, which I understand from knowledgable colleagues, is more common than one would expect. I understand that it can be helped by a simple coloured overlay which makes it easier to read. Different people are helped by different coloured overlays but it can help the words stop moving. As a result of this, my employers changed their default printing paper from white to cream as this is the most common 'helpful' colour for sufferers. I know many people with dyslexia and most of them have degrees - as you say, it was harder for them. But there are tools that can help. But, as you say, assumptions of stupidity in the absence of accurate spelling are, well, stupid!