Coilte

Mark from "Talkingbass.net" is a great teacher who offers Skype lessons. https://www.talkingbass.net/skype/

Nah...I couldn't.... The "best" is what YOU think it is.

For me, it would be one of Miles Davis' last concerts in London in 1991. Miles was not known to ever look back musically, and always played material from his current albums at gigs. On this gig, he must have known that the end was near, because his band comprised of past members, and the music was retrospect. Nonetheless, it was an amazing concert...the ticket to which I still have...and treasure. The great man passed away soon afterwards.

Yes, after their first five or six albums they did become more "poppy". Here is the very first track from their very first album...."Chicago Transit Authority". As far away as it's possible to get, from songs like "If you leave me now"

Nice to see a few more jazz albums being mentioned, as ...." favourite rock album of all time..." polls are ten a penny.

Love the "CHICAGO" version.

Plus one. AFAIK they are the lowest tension strings on the market.

Yes, it is indeed an interesting thread. As far as jazz is concerned I think it is fairly well known (at least among jazz fans) that Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" album, (which has been mentioned a few times) is an iconic one, albeit that I voted for his "Tribute to Jack Johnson" album.

Miles Davis - A Tribute to Jack Johnson. Chicago Transit Authority ("Chicago's" 1st album). Revolutionary Blues Band (Tom Scott).

Personally I don't think there is any excuse for a guitarist not to have at least one spare set of strings. Likewise for a bassist but at least his chances of breaking one is a lot less.

Steely Dan...or early "Chicago".

To some...they might be...

It certainly appears to to be such.

Fair enough. Some people ( yours truly pleads guilty ) misread your post. However, even IF the.. "jazz is for older people.." concept is correct that should not influence whether someone wants to listen to it or not.

Sorry if I misinterpreted your post. There was nothing to indicate that your statement was meant to be light hearted. Yes indeed, some people often think of jazz as being for older people, but that's not always the case. I myself have been a jazz fan since the age of fifteen...almost fifty years ago !!! Lots of jazz gigs that I attend, have a varied age group with a fair smattering of twenty to thirty year olds. So IMO, the old adage that "jazz is for the elders" is no longer valid. You seem to give the impression that your musical taste(s) should follow a certain criteria. Like ...when I get to X age I should be listening to Y music. In some cases this naturally happens, but as I said...you like what you like. Simple as that !!

In my opinion your criteria of .... " try and 'mature' my music tastes by learning to appreciate classical and jazz..." is not a strong one. Music of any type must have a certain (albeit probably limited) initial appeal. This limited appeal generally makes you want to explore the music further. Simply trying to make yourself like a certain type of music, and .... "making myself sit through some turgid Mahler symphony ..." is always going to end in the way it has for you. BTW...where did you get the notion that jazz and classical music were "mature" musical tastes. ? Music is music. Some appeals to you, some does not. Simple as that.

I think it has a lot to do with the music you were exposed to when growing up. Granted, your musical tastes are always evolving, but IMO what we listen to as children and later as young teenagers will always be there in the background.

[quote name='chrisanthony1211' timestamp='1507790139' post='3387904'] I will see what the surgeon has to say, the advice seems to be to use it as much as is comfortable, [/quote] All well and good..BUT....but let's say that half way through the first set and your hand becomes UNcomfortable.....?????? Anyway...it's your gig...and your hand(s) !! Hope things go well for you.

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1507711023' post='3387336'] I'd take the advice of the medical professional! [/quote] +1. OP...granted it is not pleasant to have to cancel a gig, ( you could always get a stand in) but at least there will be others. If you don't take the advice of the medical people, you may do permanent harm...and then there WONT be others.

Wearing quality ear plugs when playing in a band is a worthwhile investment.

All good advice given so far. Here is my 2c worth. IMO spending a little time on two things would help to shake you out of the rut you find your self in. 1). Chord inversions. Practicing these will help you to see/hear the same chord in a different way. https://www.talkingbass.net/music-theory-bass-guitar-slash-chords-inversions/ 2). Walking bass lines. These have the same benefits as 1 above. Even if you are not really into jazz, learning walking bass can help with bass lines for other genres. Here is a set of lessons in chronological order from Dave Marks. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dave+marks+walking++bass+lesson

How about using the plastic ring at the top of a Grolsch beer bottle ? https://molloys.ie/beer/grolsch-swing-top-450ml

[quote name='Bloc Riff Nut' timestamp='1504704155' post='3366740'] Whenever I place sponge under my strings, at the bridge, it throws the intonation out. I've tried varying compositions of sponge and it always alters the intonation. [/quote] Try cutting a small groove in the sponge for each string. That way, the muting comes from the sponge being [i]around[/i] rather than [i]under[/i] the strings.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1504951505' post='3368484'] Hey. . . . why can't we be bothered to have a discussion about musicians who changed the sound and style of music forever? Instead of just slagging them off? [/quote] I agree. Both Kaye and Jamerson are considered icons of the bass, and Kaye is one of the most recorded bassists. So...millions around the world , including top class artists who used them, would beg to differ with the "ploddy" tag.