lowdowner

This is the source of all the frustration - and motivation - of my music making... I can *hear* what I want... well, not so much 'hear' as feel I guess, but I then have to translate that to the real world and it's a real challenge. when you are as new to an instrument as me... this is a killer. I have to have faith that it will happen with plenty of practice

I have one word for you... Bergantino

just look at that wood ^^^^ ! It is absolutely stunning I'd like to stroke it (O-oh, sounding pervy again, move on.. move on....)

[quote name='Rumple' timestamp='1348254356' post='1811578'] Ordered a strap one afternoon it arrived the next morning, Mark has ordered me custom Nordstrand pick-ups in the past - no hassle. Oooh and he sells those lovely Vanderkley cabs that I've taken a shine to [/quote] Vanderkley, vanderkley, bloody vanderkley... it's all I hear these days... my bass teacher has them (though he doesn't go on about them), and loads of online journos have them and rave and rave... *surely* they can't be that good??

Mind you - he said that when i'd got bored of my warwick thumb, i should go back and talk about his 'real' basses, so his judgement isn't *always* completely reliable

Yes, agreed - fast, efficient, and friendly. Top bloke/shop all round. Both my amps/stacks came from him and i've noodled on some basses too without pressure. Recommended.

[quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1348230029' post='1811139'] Fenders are well known to have a dead spot on the G string around the notes C-D (5th to 7th fret),so a dead C# isn't surprising. As others have said,you can put a clamp on the headstock (or something that looks a bit cooler like a Fat Finger) but you aren't actually eliminating the dead spot this way.By adding mass to the headstock,it will move the dead spot lower down the neck but it won't get rid of it,only shift it. [/quote] that buggers any attempt at the 'usual' fingering for 'I feel good - James Brown' then does't it! I mean, don't these people *think* of the instruments used to play their music?

[quote name='Jack Cahalane' timestamp='1348087969' post='1809234'] Yeah but when you're repeating the last 20 seconds of 'Rain' by the Beatles over and over while thinking about what to have for dinner, it's probably time to stop [/quote] sounds like a typical gig - i find the audience doesn't notice either way

[quote name='Jack Cahalane' timestamp='1348084908' post='1809164'] When I start repeating little patterns then I know it's time to stop. [/quote] For me, this is a sign of going into a zen-like trance, just repeating them over and over and over and over I like it

[quote name='Themrperson' timestamp='1348084153' post='1809146'] I play mine at least once a day when I can and when I play it can differ about how long I play for as sometimes it could be a few minutes to like an hour of playing random stuff but I like to start my day by playing a bit of bass before I go to school in the morning but its only like a minute nothing much really. [/quote] they say this is the best way to do it - little and often, and play it every day even if *only* for a few minutes... I find that once I start it stretches into an hour or more, but the principle's the same. Wish I found out about bass playing when I was going to school - but I was never the cool kid!

[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1348083829' post='1809137'] at the moment i rarely play any of mine, as I play guitar in the band I'm currently in. It's nice just having them here though, sort of like a comfort thing. [/quote] awww, go on, show them some TLC and give them a pluck

Suddenly realised that i've not played my bass today - for the first time in weeks, if not months (a packed day of other 'stuff' - none of it more important than bass playing alas ) I just wondered how often other people play their bass - either practice, gigging or just noodling? Do you play it every day, or just now and then when you need to or feel like it?

Funny one this... My first bass was my Warwick thumb (a year on now and I have no intention of changing). Compared with playing something like a violin, a cello, or any other type of 'classical' instrument (even a piano for goodness sakes) the cost of a Thumb is way lower even though it's a 'fancy' bass for some folk. I *did* feel a bit of a fraud for a short while as I plucked away (badly) on my roots and fifths, but then I've worked bloody hard to be able to afford one,always wanted one, always thought they looked and sounded the dogs bollox, and i love the way they are made and feel when I play it. So a year on I'm happy I bought it, still loving it, and I couldn't give a flying f' what anyone else thinks about it - to me it's what a bass is all about So *ner*

Streamliner 900 and Bergantino (2 x 12) here - fantastico! Just been playing James Brown through it and it's a relief to know that the nearest neighbours are some way away! Congrats and enjoy

made my eyes water - but cool right up until the point it quote Joseph Goebbels!

wow - thanks for all the comments - will try one out

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1347799518' post='1805075'] Also I've found that if you worry about making mistakes and things going wrong then you will make more mistakes. You have to relax into the performance, knowing that mistakes will happen. What the other band members do is beyond your control, but how you react to them is completely up to you. Generally unless the song grinds to a halt half way through most people in the audience won't have noticed anything was amiss. On the other hand hopefully the band will be a stage closer to learning how to cope when things don't go according to plan. [/quote] This was an interesting comment (Well, it was all interesting so thanks for making the effort to post it). I think we're not relaxed enough to play well and this is probably affecting us the most. Knowing a song inside out will help, and more gigging experience. I'm looking forward to the next one and we'll see how it goes.

I think that the band is not improving at the moment because it's not taking it as seriously as I'd like. I don't want to be a miserable sod, but I'd like to spend rehearsals actually thinking about what we're doing wrong and improving, and not just playing through the songs concentrating on whether the chords are in the right sequence. I'm going to suggest we start videoing the rehearsals and looking back at them critically - i think that will be a start. Everyone in the band was tired before this gig, there wasn't enough practice (I think) and it's not healthy... Dunno - maybe I'm taking too seriously but - personally - I think it's worth making the effort because the joy when it goes right is pretty much unmatchable...

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1347791185' post='1804914'] Wrap your cable around one of your speaker handles before plugging it into your amp. [/quote] like it I've so much to learn!

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1347790377' post='1804899'] I had one (AKG I think) when the band I was in consisted of very clumsy people, who wouldn`t notice that they`d trapped leads around themselves, and wouldn`t even notice when amps toppled over as a result. So I insisted we all got them. No noticeable detraction in sound quality at all. It`s great to have a stage uncluttered by wires. [/quote] None of my other band members move an inch on stage funnily enough... so I don't get this (and they're completely anal about stepping on leads) - the clumsiness is all me I'm afraid!

I seem to walk around on stage a lot, and it's not uncommon for me to catch myself about to yank my amp off the stack in my enthusiasm so I was wondering about wireless replacements for leads... Anyone on here got much experience with them and any comments? Do they affect the sound in any way? (I'd hate to sacrifice quality just so I can ponce about on stage pretending to be a rock god - as if!)

My painful memories include chopping two beats off the end of every few bars in snow patrol's 'chasing cars' (I was doing the vocals as well so there really *was* no excuse!), cutting the last vocal line off Elton John's 'your song' (though the back vocals continued unfazed!) and very possibly playing in completely the wrong key for some of 'shut up and drive' (though that track was such a mash up of random timings and notes it could have been anything to be honest!) OK, after a night of reflection everything is back in perspective and I'll just going to try much harder to get it right next time. We live and learn. Oh, and someone recorded it on video so I *know* it wasn't just my perception!

thanks for your comments guys - it's gutting because I was really grooving to the band on before us (they had a bass player who was relaxed, very much in the groove, and great vocals) and we then came on and murdered it Oh well, I guess I just need to learn and move on... Still feel gutted though

Ouch... <wince just thinking about it> Just had an outdoors gig at a small local charity festival and our band pretty much ruined our set... we couldn't hear ourselves because of a problem with the monitors, but having said that the band before appeared to do a sterling job with the same set up so perhaps it's not an excuse. We all sang off key, our timing was atrocious and there was no 'locking together'. To be honest we could all have been singing different songs at the same time and it wouldn't have been worse. All that rehearsal and time spent stressing over the gig and I'm wondering what's the point? I've not done many gigs - perhaps under a dozen - as I'm new to it, but they seem to be getting worse, not better *sobs*

[quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1347064808' post='1796732'] Assuming that you're being serious-although the smiley suggests otherwise)-a I,V,IV in Bb will simply be Bb,F,Eb. (Just in case anyone does actually think that you cant play that progression in Bb) [/quote] quite - keys are 'symmetrical' in that any progression will 'work' in any key, it just needs transposition. That's why your fretboard doesn't have 'gaps' or strange lengthen frets here and there - the bass doesn't care what key you're working in (appreciate the smilieys though)