stewblack

They say you can judge a man by the company he keeps. If that's true then I must be amazing, because I have just received a pedal from Dave despite not having even paid for it yet. What a man! Trusting and therefore, in my book trustworthy. Thanks Dave, the cheque's in the post.

Ha ha! Excellent

Not entirely mate - one of my favourite DM songs.

One of the things that draws me to Basschat is the endless Compressor Wars where people attempt to fight about a nebulous concept using only written words, when it's actually difficult to get a handle even with sound. So much is in the feel of the player, who, conscious of their natural playing dynamics, is instantly aware when compression is doing something, but the listener cannot share that tactile experience. So we watch A/B videos and wonder if the £200 box the guy just stomped on does anything other than ignite an LED. Well, against that backdrop I'm going to get brave and share my experience with the conflict ridden concept that is compression. I moved all my utility type stuff to the @rse end of my signal chain. HPF, Compressor, Noise reduction, the lot. And it made a fantastic difference. Especially when using filters (wise old bassists nod and stroke their beards). I actually believe the bassist's compressor comes into its own in a band scenario - when backline is not going to the desk, i.e most gigs, which is why it's tough to notice much difference in your bedroom. Also it's not strictly speaking an effect. Assuming you use the word effect to mean manipulates and dramatically changes the sound. But moving it to the end made a big noticeable difference to me. The effects which can be a tad quiet or loud when engaged seemed to sit better in the overall volume. The crazy Fwonk stomps were a little more tamed without being put on a lead. Imagine a hungry tiger in a corridor rather than loose in an open plan office. He's still pretty scary but within manageable confines. Oh and while I'm in this can of wworm, ccanI put in a vote for the humble Zoom multi effects collection and their 160Comp? I haven't used 1000s of compressors yet so I'm not comparing it with that many, but I've used a few and this is one of the best to my way of thinking. The controls seem to do exactly what I expect, and it's possible to 'dial in' (as I've heard the trendy kids ssa) way too much ccompression.sThis way I can actually hear what it's doing, and then ease it back to a suitable level. By far the best way for me to approach things. Because I'm an addict I have zero concept of the word 'enough' and so gradually turning something up until it's right and then stopping doesn't compute. I always want to see what 'more' will achieve. I'm much better backing off to a good level and staying there. So there you have it. My rambling inconsequential offering for today. Shove all that controlling gubbins to then end instead of the start, set it up to extremes and back it off until stuff sounds good, and don't spend a fortune when a cheap multi effect might well be all you need.

I have just sold a pedal to Jason and enjoyed pleasant and speedy communication and immediate payment, followed by a message letting me know it had arrived safely. Excellent Basschatter, happy to recommend him to you all.

Thank you!

What a fantastic set up. Congratulations!

I was chatting with @Reggaebass on another thread about jamming to prerecorded bass free tracks. Most are a bit, well, a bit poo but this is a great jam.

I stepped joyfully away from all the present giving/receiving mularky 3 years ago, and I've seldom enjoyed October to Januaryas much. Not only am I saved from the stress and headscratching of buying stuff for peoplewho already have stuff, but I get a warm fuzzy feeling from knowing I'm saving my loved ones from wasting money and time on me. But if anyone else wants to circulate the video among anyone who knows me that'd be great.

St Patrick's Day, Shepherds Bush, The Pogues. The singer was, I assume, somewhere getting ratted, instead of being on stage in front of fk who had paid highly to see him. So not a short set because it ended too soon. Rather it was a short set because it started too late, the singer was incoherent and rambling to the point where we just left.

Thank you. In my ignorance I thought I knew more than I did. What's it they say? A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I really appreciate the help and guidance I receive here.

I'll find it. The guy recommended by @nige1968 kind of answered my question in this video right near the end. He explained how modes and scales and chord tones offer many, many varied possibiliteis (he's talking about squeaky little toy instrument soloing - but it all applies to real instruments too) and IF YOU HAVE TIME (my emphasis) you can explore as many as you want, if the chords are thrown at you however, you have to think on your feet. In other words, no one can glance at a complex chord sequence and instantly know all the modes and scales and their application, but take your time, work stuff out, and you'll start recognising patterns. I was asking for a quick fix to something for which there is no quick fix. @Reggaebass here's an example of the kind of video I mean (can't find the specific one I referred to - I'll keep looking)

Found a great video which has opened the door a crack, so I have a way in! Thank you

Hi guys. I know what the modes are, I also understand why they're what they are. What I'm asking is when confronted with a chord chart, if I want to noodle over it, how do I know which mode/s is appropriate. As I said there is a simple shortcut someone kindly created, but short of writing down the notes from every chord then seeing which modes these notes fit into, I wondered if there was another way. For example. One jam I used has 3 chord progressions, with suggestions for which mode fits each progression. Even though the first chord of the first two progressions is actually the same, different modes applied. I played along using the suggested modes and they fitted beautifully. I want to be able to do that without being told which modes to use. It must be possible or the guy who made the video couldn't have put them up!

Thank you

Peerless genius. The Slow Train works as a poem in its own right.

When jamming to backing tracks on YouTube, some videos tell you the chord progression. Others also suggest which mode you might use. I would like to learn how to know the appropriate mode by analysing the chords rather that being told. Can someone point me to a resource which might help me to learn how to do this? I have found an online tool (enter the chords, it tells me the mode) but that does it for me, and I'd like to learn to do it myself.

Next to the bass the most interesting part of any song is, for me, the words. So what couplet or 3 or 4 lines do you treasure? Not whole songs, just the little gems of wordsmithery that leap out at you. I'll start with Elvis. Honestly the King Of The Couplet the Vizier of the Verse, for me - I could easily just quote him all day. So to get the ball rolling, from The Loved Ones : "Don't get smart or sarcastic he snaps back just like elastic, Spare us the theatrics and the verbal gymnastics we break wise guys just like matchsticks"

Ha! Good point. I just find my life becomes less stressful the less I try to inflict me and my ideas onto others. Catch myself doing it still sometimes though..

Only the sudden unexpected demise of my car has prevented me from trying some of the new HB stuff. That and I'm already committed to buying a couple of things. But one day I'll probably be back telling everyone how great they are, and folk will shake their heads , smile indulgently and go on buying expensive labels instead. Which is absolutely their perogative and fine by me. Not that my opinion matters. Carry on.