Coilte

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1432818803' post='2785275'] There is no track 'Kind Of Blue'. Do you mean 'All Blues' or 'Blue In Green'? [/quote] You are of course correct. What I should have said was "So What". Duly corrected in my original post. I think the oul' memory is fading !!! Thanks for pointing that out.

One of the first albums that made a big impression on me (around 1969) was a compilation called "Gut Bucket". It featured names like Duane Allman (with his then band the "Hour Glass" and the song was called "Down in Texas"), Captain Beefheart, ("Gimmie That Harp Boy") and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band ("Dismal Swamp"). As a young teenager, this was all very new and exiting music. Other songs/albums that have always stayed with me are : Steely Dan - "Brooklyn Owes The Charmer Under Me" Miles Davis - "So What". Both the track and the album "Kind of Blue" was my introduction to jazz, an enjoyable journey that still exists to this day. "Forever Autumn" - Justin Hayward

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1432454845' post='2781510'] There is still no reason for a 21 year old that doesn't know what an electric guitar is to get up in my face and make a mock of me while I'm trying to make a living. blue [/quote] I agree. There is no reason, but it goes (rightly or wrongly...the latter IMO) with the territory. A lot of people experience "unfavourable" behavior from others during the course of a working day. Does not make it right, but if you cant stand the heat......

[quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1431518824' post='2772121'] I gave it a bash when practicing last night[/quote] The above quote is only five days old. You did say earlier that you realised it could take two to three months to become comfortable with the FT. Dont be too hung up on speed. It is more important to take things slowly and get them right. Stick with it.

[quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1431518824' post='2772121'] I gave it a bash when practicing last night, and yes, it really does do the trick for muting the open strings. It will take me some time to get it correct, especially in terms of getting my plucking fingers up to speed from the slightly different position, and when transitioning from the low E, where my thumb still automatically comes back to rest on top of the pickup (this has very much become second nature. I would agree with your assessment of 2-3 months to get it going smoothly, I can see it taking that kind of time to adjust and reconfigure my plucking hand. It's the blink of an eye in the grand scheme of the 'journey' and even if it takes longer, it's worth it to play correctly. Thanks for sharing this info. :-) [/quote] Glad you find the FT helpful. Well worth the time and effort to persevere with it.

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1431432002' post='2771218'] And another thing! Why do singers seem to think that it is their band???? [/quote] I suppose it is because generally it is the singer that the audience pays most attention to. This is why a lot of singers have big egos. The rest of us are supposed to be there to support him/her. No such thing as team work. This is frustrating enough if they can actually sing, but is unforgivable if they can not. Again I come back to a point I made earlier, i.e. bands themselves have to take some responsibility for putting up with both the inflated ego and the inferior singing.

[quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1431420448' post='2770997'] He told me I was giving myself extra work and that I should instead anchor my thumb on the top of the pickup and simply reach a little farther with my index and middle fingers to pluck the D and G strings.[/quote] IMO resting the thumb on the pick up causes the hand to do more work. As explained in the Todd video the hand has to constantly change position, depending on which string is being played. With the FT, the hand remains more or less in the same position. Also, as I mentioned earlier, playing with a bent wrist is a definite recipe for the likes of tendinitis. It may take a little time to get comfortable with the FT. By this I am talking about a possible two to three months. Best of luck with it.

The "Floating Thumb" technique is great in two ways. 1). It mutes unwanted string sounds 2). As the wrist is straight using this technique, the risk of physical problems later on are reduced. Here it is demonstrated : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPVMBPmrblU

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1431371865' post='2770670'] That's the other thing - singers that won't learn how to sing inevitably can't be bothered to learn lyrics, either - I hate it when singers don't know the words and then either bluff it through by mumbling, or make up words as they go along. The worst one I've seen is a singer blatantly reading lyrics from a phone at a gig, which looks so bloody bad you can hardly believe it! Lazy, lazy, feckless bastards!! [/quote] I have seen singers making up or fumbling their way through the lyrics...[i]and [/i]singing flat !!! In a way, you cant blame the singer entirely. The rest of the band share a responsibility for taking him/her into the band in the first place. My point in this thread is that they are (...or supposed to be..) musicians too. So why is it that generally they either dont seem to care, or notice that their contribution to the band is not what it should be ? While there are no hard and fast rules, IME singers seem to be the worst offenders when it comes to being on top of their game.

[quote name='ColinB' timestamp='1431350965' post='2770270'] We're blessed with an absolutely fabulous singer.... and she still has lessons because she wants to be even better. She records all our rehearsals so she can listen back to herself to pick up any points for improvement. [/quote] A rare find indeed.

[quote name='Bradwell' timestamp='1431350600' post='2770260'] There's plenty of that attitude with guitarists too, especially when they play by ear and have little interest in learning theory. Personally I think that's a load of **** and many musicians use it as an excuse for their own lazy attitude. If you need to confront people about where they're singing is flat, out of time etc. then it may be worth recording the audition so you can point things out and suggest tuition in those areas - what they hear whilst singing will be different to what you or the audience hears. Keep it even handed though and praise them on positive aspects of their singing, it should be constructive. Keep looking and I'm sure someone decent will turn up. [/quote] Thanks for your input. Actually we do record a few songs from each rehearsal just to get an idea of how we might sound to potential punters. We recorded the three auditions and only after listening back to the recordings, did we come to our decision.

The band I am with have recently been on the look out for a new vocalist. So far we have tried out three without success. Generally the reasons why we turned them down was for singing flat along with phrasing and timing. I regard the human voice as being like a musical instrument that requires instruction on how to be "played". The above IMO are basic flaws that could easily be rectified with the help of a few lessons. I am sure that most of us on here have taken some kind of lessons or instruction, be it from a teacher, a book or the Internet etc. both for our own enjoyment as well as to keep on improving. However, in my experience (quite apart from this current band) singers seem to rely on being "a natural". Generally this turns out not to be the case. We are not looking for a Tom Jones or Janis Joplin, just someone who can at least hold their own. Have I just been unlucky, or have others had a similar experience ?

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1431263758' post='2769360'] You would think, but apparently - back then, anyway - all he cared about was a good vocal take. [/quote] He seems to have gone the other way in recent times. During a concert a couple of years ago, I remember him giving the drummer grief in front of thousands of people. The mics picked up everything. I certainly could not figure out the reason. I really felt sorry for that drummer.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1431260555' post='2769305'] The version that ended up on the record was the first take, 'cos it had Van's favourite vocal on it. That might explain why the track itself is a bit shabby. [/quote] Wouldn't you think that Van, being the (cranky !!!) perfectionist that he is, would have copped how shabby is it/was and then made the appropriate changes ?

[quote name='Hector' timestamp='1431259283' post='2769292'] It's just the difference between using an F# (A dorian) or an F natural (A aeolian). Both options on a minor chord like that. Don't think the melody has an F or an F# in it, so up to you and depends what the chordal instruments are doing. If the chordal instrument is throwing in Bm7, then a F# is actually a better choice (it's the 5th of Bm7), and it allows a bit of harmonic movement when you switch to the Dm7 Am7 section - you can use D dorian (C major starting from D), which has an F natural in, so a bit of a change. [/quote] Thanks for explaining.

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1431245886' post='2769059'] [attachment=191702:Hercules.jpg] Hercules. I've used them for years. You lower your bass into the spring-loaded clip and it closes around the neck. [/quote] You just beat me to it !!! I have also used one for years.

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1430913893' post='2765838'] Just because someone makes their living playing bass does not neccasarily mean they know everything about music. A bass player could be "professional" purely because his guitarist mate can write great songs and they got lucky and got a deal . [/quote] What constitutes a "pro" and what thy do and dont know, is a subject for another thread. The point in [u]this[/u] thread is that you are castigating others (regardless of their career status) for discussing something that [u]you[/u] have not yet grasped.

OP, I can understand you "not getting" playing ahead/behind the beat, but dismissing it out of hand and calling others pretentious for discussing it, would appear to be because YOU dont grasp it, then there is nothing to "get".

It is lunatics like that guy that make the roads dangerous for the rest of us...regardless of the brand of bass he is playing.

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1430739676' post='2764125'] The last (only) time I washed my hands before a gig, it softened all my callouses and they wore away in minutes. Even after breaking out the superglue my picking fingers still blistered agonisingly. So, never done it since. [/quote] I suppose everyone is different. I always wash my hands before playing, whether it is a practice session at home, in the rehearsal room, or before a gig. I have never had blisters. Perhaps you "dig in " too much, which would be more a cause of blisters than washing your hands ?

[quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1430243908' post='2759465'] The Foderas will no doubt be pricey, similar to DRs? I didn't even know Fodera made strings. [/quote] Yeah, they'd be in and around the same price as the DR's. Worth doing some research on them. Seemingly they are hand made by just three people in a small factory in Brooklyn. http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_odkw=fodera+nickels&_from=R40&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xfodera+nickels+45-105.TRS0&_nkw=fodera+nickels+45-105&_sacat=0

[quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1430243181' post='2759449'] So I'm about to take the plunge and shell out for DR Sunbeams. [/quote] I love the Sunbeams.Great tone and feel. I have read good things about Fodera nickels too. Supposed to be similar to Sunbeams with perhaps a little more tension. Might try them next.

Rust should not be a problem after six months, although it could be due to the acid in your sweat. Perhaps you should consider putting a sachet of silica gel in your guitar case. The only other thing you can do, besides wiping down the strings after each practice, is to wash your hands before playing.

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1430137584' post='2758248'] I've just sold a bass to a fellow BC-er, and am now walking around with an empty gig bag over my shoulder. [/quote] To avoid this, you should have included the gig bag in the sale.

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1430116634' post='2757988'] And just as importantly, the G stands for George [/quote] Very true...though most people would not be familiar with him.