lowdowner

I like both these tracks - they're crying out for a soft bassline weaving its way through them

I'm finding that I'm doing more and more vocals as well as bass, and it's got me thinking about what exactly a 'vocalist' is? For bass, or any other physical instrument, it seems like a straight-forward question, but what defines what a vocalist is? What makes a vocalist different from just someone who is good at Karaoke...? What kind of training or skills are required? Any vocalists out there who can give an opinion on what makes them specifically a vocalist?

where, where - are you just teasing us??

[quote name='themoo' timestamp='1350151010' post='1835258'] A little bit of porn... My new bass!! It's a 1982 Series 1 Arpege #006 Absolute stunner! Very happy boy. [/quote] This is one of the most stunning basses I've ever seen. The finish is awesome...

[quote name='thodrik' timestamp='1360936660' post='1978624'] I love that flame maple finish. [/quote] Funny thing is when I first had it I thought it was ace - now I'm completely in love with it - stunning Could spend the whole day stroking it (too much information?)

Why not check out some classical guitar pieces? You might have to transpose or re-arrange the fingerings, but some of Terraga might be interesting (pretty dramatic) or Ferrer... Otherwise, check out some Cello music (right kind of pitch and speed). Elgar or Bach (cello concerto No.3 for example) might be pretty cool?

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1361134449' post='1981711'] Meh. [i]Stercus accidit.[/i] [/quote] oh god, that's just reminded me of a scene from Withnail and I with the peeving old man and Mr Grant leching over the other... *brrr*

[quote name='thumbo' timestamp='1361090131' post='1980749'] Not that high up? If it was any higher he'd be playing a violin. [/quote] that's where I have *my* bass - what are you saying??

[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1361133116' post='1981674'] If you want to call it F, you'll have to play it in Eb minor instead. Given the above, you can understand the modern fashion which is to write everything in the 'home' key of C and label each and every accidental. [/quote] No point in 'calling it F' it *isn't F - you can't just swap D# minor for Eb minor, they aint the same thing... the 'C and label each and every accidental' is just a hopeless modern monstrosity - Beethoven wrote The Eroica in Eb maj because he knew the orchestra would play it with the 'feel' of Eb maj - it's an important thing to give a 'feel' and not leave the musicians in a modern 'do what you think is right' musically moral vacuum. p.s. I've had a glass or two of falling down juice, I'm not usually this uptight about keys!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1361131967' post='1981651'] The whole crux of my feeble 'joke' in post #3. [/quote] Oh yes, just re-read it... very droll! (seriously though, that was quite clever! )

Trumpets shouldn't be so bad surely? Just bend the note with less 'blow'? On a flute it's possible to bend a note by up to a quarter tone with mouth (embouchure) and breath support alone. Is trumpet the same? Mind you, Miles Davis seemed gloriously flat most of the time anyway, so who would know...

Look up 'even tempered scale' to see why E# *isn't* an F. On unfretted instrument, E# is *sharper* than an F in the same way that Fb is slightly flatter than an E (though not by much). Quite how you express this with frets is a whole world of zen-madness

You see... I 'get' all this comment about good bassists 'supporting the music' and 'not imposing their own style at the expense of the music' that's obvious, but it kinda suggests that bassists should be supporting the music and not making or defining it. Listening to Victor Wooten the other day on a long flight I was completely blown away by how his bass lines *were* the music - there was *no* music to be overpowered by his style... only the music he was making. Wooten seems to be the epitome of the bass *being* the music, and pretty much *all* the music. Brave new bass seems to be about being what the music is about, not just being supportive in some way. Wooten's tracks are fantastic tour de forces of bass-centric music where all other instruments seem to support the bass. A different view perhaps?

i'm sure i have this on DVD though... brilliant

Excellent - can't wait.. when's it coming over to cheltenham?

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1360952775' post='1979000'] A difference of opinion is a healthy thing.. just remember if we were all right, all the time, we'd all be me Please note that this is punctuated correctly and grammatically correct.. BTW have you seen my new bass?? [/quote] wasn't this picture on the 5 string 'woes' thread yesterday? someone's a proud dad!

*fewer* notes PLEASE, not *less* notes... Grrrr,... this really upsets my grammar OCD

[quote name='Descendent' timestamp='1360850682' post='1977359'] I took my Warwick Thumb BO5 to a store a few months ago with the intention of part-exing for a Dingwall ABZ. I was a bit infatuated with Dingwalls for a while and this particular one was the first I'd had the chance to play. Hated it! Wasn't anything to do with the fanned frets, it was so light (especially compared to the Thumb) and sounded really flat & lacked punch. Just seemed like half the bass the Warwick was. I was going to walk back out with my Thumb but I tried out an Overwater Perception instead and was blown away by it. I'd never heard of Overwater before and now I hardly put it down! (My first forum post btw!) [/quote] Yeah, I've been looking at Overwaters too - i've heard some youtube vids and other tracks with them and like the sound (and the look)... any pics?

no neck dive on mine... all a myth!

3 to 4 weeks in and I'm loving it - to be able to play my patterns more compactly is great, the sound of the low B is earth moving, and it feels 'grown up'. I've played my 4-er only once since, and it reminded me how great the 5 stringer is... stick with it - you'll be playing like victor wooten in no time

I can feel a 'bass off' coming up - and I like it Fenders at dawn?

maybe think about an electric violin as well as a 'traditional' one - i suspect kids may find that cooler and anything that encourages him to keep playing is good *and* you can get him to practice with earphones on which will help him (he won't feel so self conscious) and for you (you won't want to smash his violin to smithereens when you finally lose all patience with the noise despite all your best intentions!

I've had a bad few months - took up drumming.... Now I'm back with a passion. I'll keep up the drumming, but the bass is calling more and more and I'm enjoying more than I ever did. I think that after some time you stop appreciating why you first took up the instrument and it takes a break to refresh your memory of why you enjoyed it. Thoroughly recommend drumming though - totally different, complete break...

I'm having this problem with Hendrix - his tuning is generally as flakey as his drug-addled head... If in doubt, play the 'lower' of the two keys - people react better to slightly flat than slight sharp (something to do with flats being quietly comfortable and sharps being 'jaggy' and difficult)

At least it hasn't (yet) descended into comparisons with Hitler or the Nazis - that's the fate of most controversial internet threads that outlive their natural length