thumperbob 2002

[quote name='Skybone' timestamp='1327496749' post='1512257'] Dat wus our Sonia dat like. Straight outta Anfield. [/quote] Thats the one!! Quite lovely in a bit of a rough way.

Talking about the Adelphi- this is me playing the bass in 1987 there. What a dancer!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjJ_j2NNy28 Them were the days.

I am in a 7 piece soul band- doing all the standards etc- currently working on breaking down the walls of heartbreak- the bandwagon version. Brilliant song with a fantastic feel- the bass is quite busy- with some chromatic runs and the timing of the bass lines is a little odd. To get the real feel of the song I think that working out and playing the exact bass line is the way to go. With something like this song where the bass is not that clear this can be challenging so obviously will take some time. I think the audience, whilst they wont really understand if the bass in correct or not, will get the feel of the song by staying to the original as much as poss.

Played with loads of celebs- normally on the same bill. Freddy Starr was quite odd and the Chuckle brothers a bit creepy- I do remember a red haired girl in Liverpool dancing madly only to realize it was that scott aitken and waterman chick with the massive cheeks-( cant remember her name but she was very nice ) Met the queen and had a lovely chat ( another story )

Welcome pal- I am from Hessle- born and bred on Hessle Road!! Play in a band called Soul Patrol- we have two residencies- Fusion Bar on Wednesday Market in Beverley on the last friday of the month and Fusion Bar Cottingham Road on the first Friday of the month. I used to play fretless many moons ago- there is a dedicated double bass forum on this site pal- loads of info there.

One year I had three summer seasons- 31 gigs each venue- Sunday Skegness, Tuesday Ayr in Scotland, Thursday Bognor Regis, all driven there and back from Hull- never stayed over, unless we had a gig nearby. All for one 45 min spot at each venue.

[quote name='leftyhook' timestamp='1327055335' post='1505643'] Tis True, Youtube is full to the brim with bass lesson. i.e. Marlow DK is a top guy (sure he will have been mentioned) No need to sit in front of someone to learn to slap. We are so fortunate in these modern times! I am sure the more 'experienced (time!) can tell you that once upon a time, there was nothing but your vinyl albums and cassette recorders to learn from. I recall my ' bedroom days' when my amplifier was a wardrobe that was scratched to bits from my bass headstock pushed up against it, using it for its natural vibrational enhancements, Those were the days.....................not! [/quote] Yep- how times have changes- so so so much easier to find out exactly how to do things nowadays- for more or less everything. Cant be improving peoples ear training though.

My last post was a little negative- Slap is another skill on the bass that is worthwhile learning I think. Get the groove workshop DVD by Victor Wooten- worth it for the price of a couple of lessons.

Theres a million youtube vids on how to play slap- should`nt cost you a penny. I only took lessons for revisiting my reading skills so didnt need a bass specialist teacher. Slap is mainly just practice and other than impressing musos in the audience is not really that useful.

This place -and the Duke of Cumberland is literally 2 mins from my house- got two wedding booked to do this year. Thanks pal for the heads up.

Play lots of places in hull- which hotel was it? Would like to be prepared!!

True, friends are more important than music- but surely he will see that the band is important too and if he really wants to play he will either improve or quit. Been in lots of bands - some with pretty ropey drummers and for a bass player there is nothing worse. Seems like this fitness lark is more important to him......go figure!!

The housemartins and beatiful south all had equal royalties ( may be not credited but all share the same £% ) I believe which I think is very generous of Rotheray / Heaton. That was one band not bothered at all about money and quite refreshing to hear.

[quote name='Jigster' timestamp='1326471513' post='1497725'] always curious about how much extraneous string noise/scratching cuts through in all this - like super new rounds for example... [/quote] not much-if any at all depending upon your cab / amp / pa.Guitar, cymbals, keys all in those frequencies.

When soundchecking in an empty room I always try to make the overall sound a bit trebly as when the punters come in they will soak up the higher frequencies letting the bass breathe. Amazing how it changes ( for our benefit though )!! However I really dont change my individual tone too much, just the level. Using a gramma pad helps too, especially on wooden stages. Previous post is correct- that great overall scooped tone doesnt work in a band environment- its all about low mids- think frowny EQ- not smiley!

For the majority of bass players I dont think knowing music theory well is at all important. Many pro bass players dont read and get by with their ears. However if you want to do different things with your bass- such as play with other bands- travel etc then it is pretty obvious that having a good knowledge of theory and reading skills is really useful, if not to avoid feeling daft when the drummer points out you are doing something wrong!! Jaco could really play before he started learning theory. I played professionally before I could read- and I still dont think I can read well but I can get by I suppose. Horses for courses this one. For me though there are many similar posts I have seen on here and for lots it is though learning theory is like going back to school learning algebra. It is not at all- music should be enjoyable and the theory side of it should also be enjoyable- you can learn this as you go and it is not too time consuming as this can be done at any time- not just while you are playing the bass. Learning something new is always worthwhile, and no-one can argue that you will not use this knowledge at some point, but probably sooner than you think.

Last year I have had almost every room in my house done in the same way- builder said 5 weeks- they started in June 2011 and left the house 20th December. Great job though. Were able to have one room at least available for my use so kept musical stuff in there. As long as you are doing something musical I dont think there would be a problem-brush up on your reading skills- you dont need a bass for that. Phase two for us this year when the back of the house that has the kitchen in etc is knocked down and an extension built. House has 7 bedrooms so why the hell we need any more room is more down to the mrs than me.

I love playing a four string at gigs- though have to use an octave pedal really for songs that normally need a low Eb. However my 5er does the job so tend to use that mostly, just play the 4 to keep me keen and interested. Dead easy to move from a 4 to a 5, you just have to have a few seconds thinking of hand positions etc - either at the end of the previous song or when the singers talking, you know what I mean.

[quote name='casapete' timestamp='1325899829' post='1489748'] Hey Bob, am good thanks mate. Have to catch your band again soon - let me know where you're playing? Cheers,Pete. [/quote] Fusion Beverley - last friday of month- fusion Cott Road- first Friday of month. No doubt you will be out with the ELO lads fri-sat though.

I am sure most bass players can see a good player in Wooten- if not a brilliant one. I remember one clinic he did ( online ) when he was talking about showing off and said if you did this backing Beyonce you basically would be sacked! He knows what people want at his clinics- if you see him in a band setting-other than the solo spots where he has to twiddle like his life depended upon it- he has forgotten more about grooving than most of us on this forum know. You can blame the audience- I`m sure if they were giving great feedback at his more musical excursions we would see less of the super speed muted slap funkery he is (in) famous for.

[quote name='casapete' timestamp='1325784302' post='1487677'] Also means I don't have to put up with some jumped up tossers in a day job, but for how long I'm not sure! [/quote] To be honest Pete my bandmates have to deal with a jumped up tosser in their own band ( me )- How are you doing?- couple of your old brass section did a dep for us a few months ago where the level of musicianship went up 100%- know what I mean?

Schroeder 2X12- very light- quite transparent with a bit of a mid bump ( which I EQ out to be a little more natural sounding- then EQ back in for a gig. cannot imagine how anyone would need anything louder- you would destroy your hearing first. If you are walking just use one of those potable trolleys from B and Q.

I have two 5 string basses- a low End Jazz which is 19mm and a Warwick Thumb which is 17 methinks. Much prefer the Low End as double thumbing etc is much much easier than the Thumb, though for fingerstyle the Thumb is very very good. Bs on both would murder any Fender 5. I also just bought a Fender Jazz 4 string which I love and I can easily go back to a four string but have to think on my feet in a band setting. Think it is better using a five than an octave pedal, sounds more natural- especially in a soul band with brass- everthing seems to be in Eb where that low note is really important. I hate de-tuning on the fly. I would go for it- changing your bass in any way makes playing overall more interesting- you can always go back. I do think that playing a four string- especially a classic bass like a Fender does look way way cooler than a 5 which sometimes seems like cheating.