peteb

This is not something that I have ever had a problem with – I get what a sound that I’m happy with that seems to work well both on stage and out front. However I usually play in what are essentially three pieces, so there are generally pretty sparse arrangements with big guitar sounds. Does this give me more leeway as far as choosing a bass sound / how I EQ the amp than if I was playing in a bigger ensemble?? It’s hard for me to say because but I would imagine that if I was playing (for example) in a 7 piece band with brass or whatever then I may have to use a flatter less aggressive bass sound? I am interested to find out if people here think that is correct?

[quote name='SteveK' timestamp='1435745296' post='2811972'] Sorry if you feel my post was "demeaning" and "patronising" - certainly not intended. Maybe I should have added IMO, I figured that was a given. [/quote] I didn't think that you were being demeaning or patronising, just expressing an opinion based on experience of having played in other parts of the world

[quote name='paul j h' timestamp='1435649314' post='2810875'] I think Nick Beggs would be perfect for this gig and might inject some vitality back into the band. Just my opinion though. [/quote] And a pretty good one! I think that Bilbo was right when he said that the various members may still want to play and continue to make a living. Going out as Yes means a guaranteed crowd and makes it a lot easier. To me it wouldn't be Yes without Chris Squire and/or Anderson and I very much doubt that I would buy a big price ticket, but I can't blame the remaining members for wanting to go out and play...

These days we try not to play bad gigs, but if you have a run of a few shows away from home you don’t want a dead night and any gig that's going (even if it’s one that you wouldn’t normally play) might pay for your hotel / diesel and be the difference between making a few quid or losing money. If it is obviously not going to be a great night you just try and make the best of it and have a laugh with (or occasionally at) the audience. I remember playing a grim little pub in Burnley (god knows how we got booked there) and at the beginning of the second set the guitar player announced that he would like to buy everyone in the audience a drink – he still had change from a tenner…! And as for playing dives and the rougher establishments – I find that years later when people are sitting round talking about old gigs and places, they are the ones that you tend to remember and have the best stories attached…

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1434996601' post='2804563'] Yes, I understand the conundrum, but it's not really a question of 'attitude'. My drums are, to me, as your bass is to you. If the house bass was a Hofner 500/1, would you be happy doing the gig playing that (no disrespect to 500/1 owners, of course...)..? If you were handed a 'lefty', how would the gig go..? I've got used to the feel of my hi-hat pedal over the decades, my cymbals are placed exactly where I know they'll be. There's not much time to 'think' where the splash is, mid-song. It's either in it's place or it's not. I'm not saying that I could do nothing with a house kit, but I could certainly not do our set as it stands, correctly, so wouldn't want to perform at all. Retired, now, and playing out rarely just for fun with my band of buddies; we all have the same outlook; if it's going to be any kind of hassle, we'll play at home and enjoy it more. I recognise the problem, and, as stated, commiserate, but yes, we'd much rather lose the gig than not be in the condition we're happy with. Luxury, I'll admit, that others may not have. [/quote] I’m really not having a go at you for wanting to use your optimum set up at gigs where you have that level of control, but others may have to consider that if they want to play the bigger gigs available then they may have to compromise. It is one thing to insist on your own gear at your own shows in pubs, clubs, etc or even on small scale multi band gigs in clubs; but when you are playing halfway down the bill on many of the bigger festivals around (that are otherwise great to play) you don’t always have that luxury. Generally you will get a half decent amp and probably a 4x10 (with a DI before the amp), which to be fair is usually ok. The drummer will use a house kit and bring his own snare, cymbals, pedals and drum stool, etc. As ever, the guitarist will usually be given the option to use their own amp! Of course, the headliners get the choice to use their own gear but funnily enough they often opt to use the house kit / bass rig, especially if they are not on tour and don’t have to bring their full backline when they have had to travel across the country for just one big gig…

IME playing down the bill on main stages at blues festivals - you don't get a choice, you are obliged to use the house bass rig and drum kit! Hopefully (usually) the rig provided will be half decent and you can always have a preamp of some sort on your board (I used to have one but don't bother anymore) but I'm afraid that compromise is the name of the game. I would prefer to use my rig if possible but you often don't get the option. Unfortunately if you pull the attitude the Dad has above you will lose the gig! Simple as...

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1434584182' post='2801033'] It's a well known and debated controversy, which is a strange juxtaposition with the popularity of the song, which is undeniably a classic and catchy piece of music. The extract from an article below gives a flavour of the controversy:- 'Music historians point out that the choice of Birmingham in connection with the governor (rather than the capital Montgomery) is significant for the controversy as "In 1963, the city was the site of massive civil rights activism, as thousands of demonstrators led by Martin Luther King, Jr. sought to desegregate downtown businesses...[and] was the scene of some of the most violent moments of the Civil Rights Movement. Segregationist police chief Bull Connor unleashed attack dogs and high-pressure water cannons against peaceful marchers, including women and children; just weeks later, Ku Klux Klansmen bombed a black church, killing four little girls."[4]' Sorry to OP re thread drift - this is about Sweet Home Alabama. Brown Sugar's a great song to play but I don't totally buy an argument that it's anything but about sex (which the Stones, like any other young guys, seemed to be obsessed with). [/quote] I seem to remember an interview with Ronnie Van Zant where he said that the point of the song was to defend Alabama and say that you could not blame all southerners for the Guvenor of Birmingham any more than you could blame Yankees for Nixon!

Yep, I used to live just down around the corner 30 years ago and that is exactly how I remember it! I have been told that the area has since been gentrified quite a bit...

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1433509815' post='2791704'] Jazz bass without Jaco wouldn't look much different whilst pop without Jamerson would be unrecognisable. [/quote] I suppose that goes back to a previous thread and who decides what constitutes jazz (or any other genre) and does it encompass fusion or not, etc. It is undeniable (although somebody will be along in a minute to do just that) that electric bass playing would be completely different without Jaco...

I think that it is perfectly legitimate to reinterpret classics as you see fit, so if you hear a middle 8 in there you should try it out and see if the new arrangement works!

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1433542576' post='2792101'] I`d gig as much as possible as well Blue - just wouldn`t want to do it too often at the same venues, unless the band concerned had a big repertoire, so could avoid becoming stale. [/quote] Even with a massive repertoire I wouldn't want to overplay the same venue / area. You want a gig to be a bit of an event so that punters make an effort to see you, which they won't do if they know you will be playing locally in a couple of weeks time...

[quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1432898657' post='2786002'] I think you have a very important point, and a noble ambition. As Mykesbass's blog post suggested a few weeks ago, I often see evidence of a similar risk with Blues as a genre. The risk manifests itself differently, of course - I've also been infuriated by the number of cynical sheisters who think they can pass off anything with a slight swing to it as "Jazz" (maybe Duke's classic should be updated to "It Is A Necessary But Not Sufficient Condition For It To Have That Swing") - but I'm sure we've all seen the "blues band" who are clearly just a vehicle for a guitarist to musically masturbate over. I am somewhat relieved to say that at least in London, for every unimaginative cutout "blues" band, I've seen a couple who put some thought into their set and did more than just flog a dead horse over a 12 bars turnaround. In any case, I fully sympathise! [/quote] I was going to make the opposite arguement about blues in this country. The is a hardy bunch of a few dozen individuals who turn up at blues festivals up and down the country, who have very definite views on what should be considered 'Blues'. They also run websites and are very active on social media and therefore become quite influential in what is a relatively small scene. The problem is that many of the general potential audience who need to buy tickets to make festivals viable have tastes that run more towards SRV And Rory Gallagher. If someone like Larry Miller is headlining a festival there is a very good chance of selling a fair amount of tickets and the event being a financial success (ie. breaking even). However, some promoters are wary of booking acts like him because it is likely to upset the purists...!

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1432863578' post='2785753'] Yes Pete I did experience the glory years. I was 10 years old that magical year of 1964. The year everything changed for many of us. And I was up and and gigging within 2 years 1966. It will be great next month going to see The Stones probably for the last time. Yup all us grey hairs will be there talking to each other talking about the way it used to be and [i]"I went to this concert and that concert "[/i]and [i]"we did this and we did that".[/i] Apparently there was some Pink Floyd concert in Milwaukee back in the 70s that they haven't gotten over yet.lol Yeah, it was great and we were young. Blue [/quote] The thing is that for me the glory years were 15 / 20 years later seeing Thin Lizzy, Rory Gallagher & then Van Halen. For many the glory years were the early nineties with Pearl Jam / Soundgarden and then later on for some it was Oasis / Stone Roses. There were different golden eras for different people dependant on age / tastes. The problem is that the recent years are less likely to have provided younger people with a 'golden era of rock and roll' in the same way. Their youthfull obsessions that they will take through life are more likely to take the form of RAP, R&B, computer games or gang violence or whatever...

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1432757919' post='2784749'] My initial post was worded poorly. This was not meant to be a dealing with drunks in pubs thread. It was meant to be a punters in pubs telling us "you guys playing in live rock bands in pubs & bars are history and no longer relevent" thread. Blue [/quote] I think that the problem is more down to the type of venue! If you play pubs / clubs that punters specifically go to see live music then you will be treated with respect (if you are any good)! There is still a decent audience who frequent those sort of places, but crowds are not as big as they were, say ten years ago, due to people having more options on how to spend their leisure time these days not to mention the them having less money to spend on going out due to the recession, etc. However, if you play town centre venues that are trying to provide entertainment for a passing crowd (i.e. to get them to stay for one extra drink because there is a band on) then you are pretty much bound to get a less knowledgeable audience who do not hold music and musicians in the same high esteem as those who patronise the more specialist music venues. The trouble is that the town centre venues tend to pay more…! In my recent experience, there are certainly younger people who do appreciate live rock music. However, there are definitely a lot less of them around than there used to be. Remember, people like you are fortunate to have lived thru the glory years of rock music where it was undeniably the most relevant form of popular entertainment. Rock music is just not as important to many younger people…

If you fancy an active jazz, you might want to try out an Xotic. Bass Direct generally have them in stock. You can find loads of clips of them online. They are really well put together, very solid and sound great - my favourite of the 'super jazz' basses on the market...

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1431334942' post='2770005'] We got talking about the concept of a musicans 'fantasy life' versus their 'real life'. I have spent decades playing music and, thoughout that time, have invested a lot of time and effort in developing my technique. I listen to the best players and try to emulate the best qualities of each. Whilst I generally fail in the absolute sense, this is more a case of 'if you reach for the moon, you may get to the stars' (or whatever the saying is) and that, whilst I cannot quite cut Jaco, I can play most of the more difficult stuff within reason and, with proper rehearsal, can usually nail the rest. The problem is that I never will. In 'real life', I live in an East Anglian seaside town with a population of a few thousand. The quality of local Jazz is defined pretty much by me in that I put the main gigs on around here and no-on else is doing anything in which I am likely to be (or even want to be) involved. There are a couple of guys working locally who are cool players but they are certainly no better than I am. The other (non-bass playing) musicians are just doing their thing and mostly use double bass players like me; no better and no worse. All of them require functional bass players and never write/arrange anything that requires Neils Henning Orsted Pederson quality playing, just the usual quarter notes with the occasional written part in arranged sections. We came to the concusion that, as we live in the sticks, we are never going to get called to dep on a Weather Report gig or the replace Matt Garrison with Herbie Hancock, nor are we likely to get Miguel Zenon turning up with a set of charts that massively catch us out. These 'fantasy gigs' are for London players, New York players, people whose lives have taken them to the large population centres where these tough gigs are born. For the kinds of gigs I do, I probably had the requisite technique when I was about 20. Knowledge of music, knowing what works in making good music, is much more important than chops. (For the record, last night's gig was a real pleasure). [/quote] Or is it that the guys who get the ‘fantasy gigs’ are those who made the commitment and relocated to the big music cities, then had to up their game to keep up with the competition, got the chance to study with the right people and eventually got lucky to land the big gig that made their career and established them at the top table?? Obviously you have to have the potential to be that good and I would imagine you have to have a fair share of luck to get the breaks and make it big in such a competitive field. But you have infinitely more chance of getting lucky if you live in New York or LA than if you live in a small coastal town in SE England…

Has anybody got any recommendations for sweat proof 'behind the ear' type in ear earphones for going to the gym?? About the same price range.

The MXR bass pedal videos are not too bad and give you a good idea of what the pedal sounds like.

[quote name='toneknob' timestamp='1431263298' post='2769350'] +1 for Procell - recently rebranded as Duracell Industrial. Get them from Babz Media on eBay for best price and fastest delivery. Here's the 10 for £8 pack, [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-DURACELL-INDUSTRIAL-9V-ALKALINE-BATTERIES-MN1604-PP3-MN1604-REPLACES-PROCELL-/150518690146"]http://www.ebay.co.u...L-/150518690146[/url] [/quote] Same for me - I always have one pack in my gig bag (for emergencies) and another pack at home

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1430480364' post='2761813'] To much choice is a bad thing, as I found out when I was in the duty free trying to decide between very large bottles of Gin or Tequila and almost missed my flight. If you discount pedals, the many tones of JJ Burnel, James Jamerson, Pino, John McVie or any other top bass player makes a very short list. My take on basses is get the best sounding one you can afford and be happy that you sound good. The people who matter [u]will[/u] notice. PS If you sound good and you play well, everyone will be happy you sound like you. [/quote] Word...! Pick one decent bass sound that works with the type of stuff you do and concentrate on your playing...

Wife's birthday coming up in a couple of weeks - tee-shirt duly purchased...!

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1430357680' post='2760660'] if you pick someone that is in another band it will cause and there will be scheduling conflicts. And scheduling conflicts means one of the bands is going to lose $$$. All bands do not have the resources to bring in a sub. Also, when auditioning or getting an offer to join I would want to know if any other members were in other working bands. If there were, that would probably be a deal breaker for me. [/quote] It's just a situation that you have to manage if you want to attract the right players. I am currently in 3 bands (2 of which don't gig that regularly). There has not been any major problems with this until the coming weekend when I was double booked and can't do a blues gig at a festival in Scotland. We had a dep sorted out and unfortunately he managed to injure his hand and can't do the gig, hence a load of scrabbling around until they could find a guy playing at the same festival who is happy to put in a double shift! The guitarist in that band (who is a top player and makes the band) is also in 3 bands and likewise they book gigs around his diary and when he can get reps for his other bands. Generally there are no insurmountable problems, but occasionally something out of the blue can happen. Let's face it, if I was doing the gig and got injured I would have to pull out at the last moment, just like the dep.

The rock covers band is playing the Farmyard Party in Helmsley - a big bikers bash playing to maybe 1,500 to 2,000 people on the main stage. I played there with other bands (when the main stage was actually bigger) and it's always great fun. The originals blues band is playing a handful of blues festivals, including a main stage at Maryport. Bottom of the bill, but still...