Coilte

Before you buy from that site, you might like to try : [url="http://www.lordofthestrings.com/lots/RAPRD/Thomastik-JF344-Jazz-Flat/11001621.html"]http://www.lordofthe...t/11001621.html[/url] AFAIK, postage is free, on items over 30 euros.

[quote name='leschirons' timestamp='1354454922' post='1886075'] Seen David Sanborn a couple of times with MM now and it's always been a great gig. I think he gets pushed into the Kenny G bracket by the uninitiated. He's a seriously cool player. Seem to remember it's him on James Taylor's How sweet it is. Great solo but I stand to be corrected if I'm wrong. [/quote] He also played in the Paul Butterfield blues band for a while. Here is a lovely track from that band. Sanborn's sublime solo starts at the 03.17 mark, though the whole song is worth a listen. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTUv0g-ArUw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTUv0g-ArUw[/url]

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1354435388' post='1885846'] Sanborn seems to get a terrible panning in this country [/quote] Those who dismiss Sanborn as being merely a smooth jazz player would do well to listen to his playing on Tim Bern's tribute album to Julius Hemphill. The album is called "Diminutive Mysteries". Sanborn is no slouch !! [url="http://www.amazon.com/Diminutive-Mysteries-Tim-Berne/dp/B0000046M9"]http://www.amazon.com/Diminutive-Mysteries-Tim-Berne/dp/B0000046M9[/url]

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1354359862' post='1885124'] If you need convincing then maybe it's not what you really want to do. [/quote] +1. If your heart is not in it, then no amount of convincing will suffice. Find another hobby that you really want to do.

[quote name='shizznit' timestamp='1354285645' post='1884465'] . If I can find one with a jazz neck then I might go for it. [/quote] [url="http://www.glguitars.com/instruments/TributeSeries/basses/SB-2/index.asp"]http://www.glguitars.com/instruments/TributeSeries/basses/SB-2/index.asp[/url]

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1354017991' post='1880795'] -2 [/quote] Still counting, I see... !!

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1354010884' post='1880666'] Mistakes may not be able to cloud your past concentration, but they can certainly affect your present and future concentration while you're worrying about that mistake that's now firmly established in the past. [/quote] +1.

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1354009865' post='1880642'] And we are all allowed to have a memory. [/quote] Yes, but putting it to negative use like counting mistakes, cant be very helpful.

If you are counting your mistakes at a gig then you are not concentrating on the music, or listening to the others in the band.

TI (Thomastik/Infeld) jazz flats are fairly bright as flats go. They have very low tension, which does not suit everyone. Here is their site if you wish to check them out. [url="http://www.thomastik-infeld.com/guitars/index.html"]http://www.thomastik-infeld.com/guitars/index.html[/url]

I bought this book when I was starting out. IMO it is worth the money. However, I think you'd get as much benefit by checking out some on line sites, or better still, use the money to go towards a few lessons from a teacher. He/she can look at your technique, see the weak spots and teach/advise accordingly. Do you have any specific parts of your technique that you want to work on ? Let us know, then we can possibly be of more help. Do a search for "Scott's Bass Lessons". Great site.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1352743440' post='1866895'] And that's probably why. You were most likely buying music on labels that cared about the quality of their delivery medium and could afford it. If your tastes ran to the less mainstream rock acts and bands who scraped together all their savings to get 500 copies of their single self-pressed you'd be less likely to defend vinyl once you've seen the sort of quality that was deemed acceptable (or in a lot of cases all they could afford). [/quote] Perhaps you are correct, but I am only giving what has been my experience of vinyl. Also, judging from the responces here so far, the majority dont seem to have had much problems with their vinyl. Surely they are all not jazz/blues fans ???

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1352740273' post='1866825'] So which artists were you buying? My experience was that from the mid 70s the quality of pressings for pop/rock acts went seriously down hill, and if you were buying small label records from the early 80s you could guarantee there would be some unwanted mechanical artefact on at least half of them. [/quote] The majority of my vinyl is jazz and blues, with a small portion being rock.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1352734884' post='1866703'] It's not at all about where I was buying my vinyl but more when I was buying my vinyl. From the mid 70s to the end of the 80s for the most part vinyl was crap. Unless you were buying classical music or big name album bands you could guarantee that at least half the records you bought had audible flaws in them before they'd ever been played. [/quote] Again, this has not been my experience and I was buying vinyl from the late 60's till around the late 80's. Perhaps I was just lucky.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1352726798' post='1866542'] I certainly don't miss the hiss, crackle and other inconvenient aural artefacts that littered vinyl releases. Records pressed on vinyl so thin that it only just didn't qualify as a flex-disc. Records with pops and scratches in them before you'd even played them once. Hunting through a box of new LPs in a record shop trying to find a copy that had the hole somewhere close to the centre. Give me good digital any day! [/quote] Not sure where you went to do your vinyl shopping, but this has not been my experience. I have close on three hundred vinyl albums...not a scratch on any. Any hiss is probably due to me playing them to death. Granted they need a bit more care when being handled and played, but the effort is well rewarded. OP, I agree on all points.

It is hard to offer specific advice without seeing a clip of you playing. Generally, economy of motion comes from having both hands relaxed. It also involves keeping the fretting fingers as close to the fretboard as possible, at all times. For this, try putting a finger on each fret( above the fifth fret, to avoid over stretching). Now lift the index finger off just enough to get a clear sound. Replace the finger, lift the next one, repeat, and do the same with the others. Do this regularly as part of your warm up. After a while your fingers should "get the message" as to what is required of them. Playing with a light touch and letting the amp do the work can also help. While this clip is aimed at beginners, you might find it useful. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeRoQuXlj9w"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeRoQuXlj9w[/url]

[quote name='muttley' timestamp='1352448894' post='1863077'] Also learn some scales! I know they're boring but they'll help you with fretboard navigation and improvisation as you'll get to learn useful "patterns". Start with a Major scale and learn it's pattern. You can then pick a note at random and play the scale in that key, perhaps even calling out the notes as you play them to learn those positions on the fretboard. Progress to (for example) Dorian, the various minors and pentatonic etc and learn their sounds. Ditto arpeggios. [/quote] + 100 to the above. OP, all the song suggestions so far are great. It is also great to train your ear by playing along to songs you like. However, this is only one aspect of the learning process. Just to reinforce some of what was said above : Learn the notes on the fretboard, so when someone says "this song is in the key of A", you will not be lost. Learn your scales and chord tones. The latter are very important in coming up with your own bass lines. Below is a great site. In the link, it talks about the importance of chord tones. Dont neglect technique. Good technique will not only have you playing at your full potential, but you'll avoid possible physical problem at a later time also. Be patient with yourself. Take things in small steps and you wont become frustrated. I know you did not ask for any of this information, but IMO it is very important. Best of luck. [url="http://www.studybass.com/lessons/bass-chord-patterns/chord-tones-are-primary/"]http://www.studybass.com/lessons/bass-chord-patterns/chord-tones-are-primary/[/url]

[quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1352215444' post='1860225'] Alternatively,you could try the Damian Erskine Duo Strap,which distributes the weight over both shoulders. [/quote] +1. [url="http://www.gruvgear.com/duostrap-signature"]http://www.gruvgear.com/duostrap-signature[/url]

[quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1352145288' post='1859402'] I always thought I was wimping out by using index and little. I can stretch to use my ring finger, but it's not particularly comfortable and doesn't always sound good tbh. [/quote] It is not a case of "macho versus wimp". You are playing music, so play in way that is both comfortable and is not going to cause injury.

[quote name='RambleOn' timestamp='1352074685' post='1858548'] How does the HotWire Flats tension compare to the TI Flats and Chromes? Thanks [/quote] AFAIK TI's are [b]the [/b]lowest tension flats out there.

[quote name='alstocko' timestamp='1351993921' post='1857725'] TIs were too hard to get hold of. [/quote] I have no problems getting mine here : [url="http://www.lordofthestrings.com/lots/RALBD/Thomastik/1570.html#1010"]http://www.lordofthestrings.com/lots/RALBD/Thomastik/1570.html#1010[/url] One of the cheapest I've come across too.

Welcome to the low end and best of luck with the new band.

I like both flats and rounds. For the former I use Thomastik/infeld jazz flats. They have a unique tone quite unlike other flats. They are on the bright side for flats. The rounds I like are DR Sunbeams. Though I like rounds, I dont like too much zing. The DR's deliver just enough zing for my taste while always sounding warm. Also, as rounds go, they feel fairly smooth.

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1351597217' post='1853003'] Baby oil is white mineral oil I think. Wonder what its like on strings and fretboards. [/quote] IMO it is better to err on the side of caution and buy a product that is desigined for the job. It only costs a few bob and due to the fact that it should only be used very sparingly, will last for years.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1351591771' post='1852897'] Everyday is full of dilemmas. Do I practice electric bass or double bass? Do I practice bass or guitar? Do I practise reading or improvising? Scales or songs? Do I work on playing or composing? Or composing or recording? Do I play music or do I do some more writing/research for my next book? [/quote] Decisions !! decisions !!.......but nice ones.