seashell

Nothing Else Matters by Metallica. Nice n slow. Mark you if you 're already tackling 'Money' I'd say your doing OK! :-) Re:Seven Nation Army - our band do this as a cover. I love it cos it features Wonderful Me and it sounds quite impressive - but it's really easy.! :-) lol

I'm over 50 but haven't had problems so far. But that's no doubt because I've been playing less than 2 years. It's probably not so much to do with how old you are per se, but how much you have punished your body through bass playing (or just life in general!) I'm really keen to avoid developing problems in future so I always warm up my hands and shoulders before practising and rehearsing. I just do a few warms ups and stretches that I learned from dancing and at the gym. I don't know if that's helping but I haven't had any hand problems so far. I've also been taking cod liver oil and glucosamine although I'm a bit sceptical as to whether it works or not. I also have a wide padded strap. I do stand up at rehearsals though, but that is because being new to all this I need to practice standing up as well as sitting down. I'll practice something sitting down and then when I stand up it all feels different, so I need to make sure I can do it in both positions! I had to rehearse sitting down last week though because I forgot my strap

Welcome :-) I reckon we've got enough Dutch members now to organise a Netherlands Bass Bash! I'd be up for that...it would make a nice little holiday! :-)

Welcome. And never regret your trousers. :-)

Haven't got any suggestions...but let us know as and when you're doing any gigs in Brum! :-) edited to 'you're' before the gramma police get at me!!/

Yesterday I played the bare bones of my new song to the Ex and showed him the rough draft of the lyrics. To my amazement he thought it was quite good, and he had a go at putting some guitar chords to it. Also gave me a few ideas about doing it in various time signatures (he's a drummer). So the next step is, we're going to flesh it out a bit and do a little demo type recording I can play to the rest of the band. I figured that would be the best way of showing them how it went because if I just played the melody and sang it to them with my extra feeble voice I don't think they would quite get the idea. It would sound a bit pathetic. Whereas if I can play them a recording with the Ex playing guitar and singing it would sound stronger. We'll see.

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1352206682' post='1860033'] I,m still waiting to see if I have a gig on Saturday night. So will probably end up paying full price nearer the time. I dont really want to go on Sunday as I have a 24 hour flight that evening! [/quote] Love your new avatar!

Thank you for that extra weirdness. Always welcome on a greay Monday afternoon

[quote name='RalphDWilson' timestamp='1352057826' post='1858287'] 1. Sing. 2. Sing in tune. 3. Read an advert 4. Make rehearsals (personal record is having 4 potential singers who said they would turn up for an audition on a specified night - none turned up) 5. and so on . . .. end of rant! [/quote] Add to that 'learn the words'!!! Our singer still has the words on a bit of paper which he gets out of his pocket and looks at in not so subtle manner! :-0

I have written a song! Provoked by Mr Guitar at last week's rehearsal I have sat down and created something. Although I 'll probably realise tomorrow it is actually some already existing song that I have half remembered.!

[quote name='lurksalot' timestamp='1351902475' post='1856879'] No disrespect , but if you had said "NO", would it , on balance ,have been a better answer [/quote] Je ne regrette rien! :-)

Oh if only I was a better bass player, I would love to do this! I would call myself Candy Fraser, lol

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1351788687' post='1855450'] It's mainly in the eyes. We have normal ones. Not the cold dead eyes of a frontman. Not the maniacal gleam of the guitarist or the empty 1000 yard stare of the drummer. We just look like the normal person in a band. [/quote] Ha ha, brilliant post

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1351783089' post='1855348'] I'm not the bass player in this pic i'm the singer in red. Our band goes thru bass players like spinal tap goes thru drummers. That is our second bass player Bobby the Slag! [/quote] I'd love to play in a band where I could get to dress up in something fun! The most flambouyant our band gets is when the singer takes his tie off

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1351769893' post='1855096'] Here's me [attachment=122480:LordSausage.jpg] [attachment=122482:lord3.jpg] [attachment=122481:lord2.jpg] [attachment=122483:lord4.jpg] [/quote] Loving you outfit, your Lordship!

Happy anniversary Bluejay! I can pretty much second everything you have written above. BC has helped to give me a massive confidence boost. I've learned loads and it has been great to meet some of you in the flesh. Especially you, my sister! Hope we can meet up again soon. Shell x

Great news! Look forward to hearing more about it

Great news, hope it all goes well

Since I'm still learning I pretty well have to practice everyday or I'd start going backwards. I do pick up the bass every night that I'm at home. Trouble is there are some weeks when I have to go out straight from work about 3 or 4 times in a week. I work quite a long day, and work is located near the city centre whereas home is out in the suburbs. So I tend to go to comedy gigs and rehearsals from work. Then when I get in gone 11, I just want to go straight to bed. The comedy scene is really taking off at the moment and I'm in 2 improv groups. I think I will really have to drop one of them in the New Year because it's all getting a bit much. I do need more time at home to practice the bass now .. I'm starting to forget songs I've already learned! I will have to seriously think about how I can reduce some of my other comitments if I want to continue to improve as a bass player. Which I seriously do.

Weird rehearsal last night. Guitar asked me if I ever wrote any of my own stuff, and when I said 'No', he kept going on about it. Up to now we have been doing covers and some of their originals, all of which I have learned dilligently. I told him if [b]he[/b] wanted to write a new song I would come up with a bass line for it, but that didn't seem to satisfy him. He kept saying 'Seriously? You don't write any of your own stuff?' in the end I said 'Look, you asked me if I wrote any songs and I said No, and you can keep on asking all night and the answer will still be no!' He is a bit odd at times. Thing is, when he writes a so called song, all it is is a succession of chords with no melody as such. I actually tried to put a bit of a melody to a thing we were working on last week, but I can't play a melody and a bass line at the same time! So I was either playing one or the other and Vox couldn't seem to learn the melody in order to free me up for the bass line. Anyway, all this could have a positive result because I'm feeling a bit riled now. So I think I'll go and bloody well write a song over the weekend and come in to rehearsal next week saying 'OK mate, learn this!'. I don't suppose I can come up with anything clever or original but at least it will be something to get him off my case. I hope.

My day as a bassist is about to begin! As usual for a Monday I have a rehearsal that I go to straight after work. So the Ibanez is sitting in the office waiting for me to have a little practice before I set off. I'll call up a couple of tunes on Youtube and play along unplugged. Looking forward to the rehearsal, but hope Vox and Guitar don't start bickering as usual.

From an inexperienced players perspective, I usually try to stick as closely as poss to the original as it is bound to be better than anything I could think up. However, if it's too difficult for me (e.g too fast!) I'd rather miss out some bits and play it with conviction than try to furiously copy the original and fumble it. So sometimes it's a a simplified version of the original at the moment.

[quote name='Mr Fretbuzz' timestamp='1351515945' post='1851985'] Dunno... I guess when I get out of the bedroom and pay ok in a Band [/quote] Which will be very soon we hope...

Voted. Difficult choice though.

Definitely go for it. I can't tell you how much confidence it will give you. I even found rehearsals a bit scary at first, but now I am actually able to relax and put in a few of my own ideas. Why don't you start a new thread and let us know how you get on?