peteb

Isn't this line-up just a power trio really - one lead instrument, one bass instrument and drums?? Does it really matter if it is a lead guitar or a saxophone playing (mainly) single note solos? There is still that space to be filled out, the freedom to play more without encroaching on the other players and the need to get bigger tones than you would get away with if there were more instruments? A different genre of music but basically the same thing as Cream of Van Halen playing instrumental passages!!

[quote name='Dad3353' post='1226897' date='May 10 2011, 11:03 PM']Good evening, Pete... Something to try..? Divide the 32 into 4 8-bar sections. Go easy (simple and solid...) for the first section, add a bit more for the second, and so on. The last couple of bars can be 'firework' time; anyway, aim to end on a climax. If you're following the 'hot' key player, you could try something really jarring to bring attention to your spot. A nice hefty silence, or a low 'pedal' note', should go down well (and allows for applause to die down...), then start building up the pressure. A solo spot is much better when constructed, rather than totally improvised, and relies more on form than virtuosity in order to be efficient. The 'hot licks' are extra (and fun...),but the form makes it all work. Please excuse my butting in; just my tuppence worth, hope this helps...[/quote] Thanks for that – feel free to butt in all you like! I did originally try to construct a solo much in line with what both you & Scott have suggested, but unfortunately it didn’t really work when I tried to play it live (sounded fine at home though), hence t5he reason for the original post! Even though I have been playing a long time and am very comfortable on stage, I have never really had to play a solo as part of a song as such and don’t really feel as at ease as I do playing a song or runs in endings, etc. I think that I will go back to your idea and break it down into sections but start it off relatively low key and build it up to allow me to get the feel right. It doesn’t help that this is a very simple song at the end of the night to allow for all sorts of tomfoolery and general interaction with the audience and therefore can go off in all sorts of different directions and is never the same twice! Any other suggestions welcome of course…………..

[quote name='Doddy' post='1228550' date='May 12 2011, 11:00 AM']I know,but for me it just doesn't 'feel' right. It's one of those tunes that I never think works when played by a guitar band.It sounds so much better with keys.[/quote] My own recollections of playing this tune with guitar bands is that audiences want to like the song but get bored of it quickly, so you get a good reaction to the initial riff but you need to do something with the arrangement (or seague into another tune) after the second chorus as they start to get restless! Of course with keys you have a lot more options to take the song somewhere else.....

[quote name='Doddy' post='1228326' date='May 12 2011, 01:31 AM']...And in the wrong key. Loads of people (read:Guitarists) play it in E minor,but for me,it just feels so much better in Eb minor.[/quote] Unfortunately that makes it impossible to play on a guitar / 4 string bass in standard tuning Get the feel right and E sounds just fine!

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='1224806' date='May 9 2011, 09:38 AM']That's great.... I'll have a look later on. Yeh - I realised it was actually a synth part but I've certainly seen it done on the bass...... at the tricky end of the covers band scene [/quote] Actually, it's really not that hard to pull off once you get the feel right! As WoT says above, just make sure that you don't try to play it too fast.....

[quote name='devinebass' post='1226748' date='May 10 2011, 09:26 PM']Wow, a groove in E... the worlds your oyster lol!!! Not sure where you are as a player but maybe start with a minor pentatonic/blues scale type thing... you'll have heard a lot of these types of melodies before so it should be easier for you to come up with some solo lines through familiarity to that sound. If you can't 'hear it' you'll struggle to play it. Maybe try singing some lines over an E vamp, then work out on the bass what you've been singing. And... don't feel ashamed of working something out to play. After you've done it at a few gigs you can start to alter it 'on the fly' and after a while you'll be improvising!! Good luck man, Scott. [url="http://www.scottsbasslessons.com"]http://www.scottsbasslessons.com[/url] [url="http://www.scottdevinemusic.com"]http://www.scottdevinemusic.com[/url][/quote] All dead simple stuff and I have no ambition to be a soloist and quite adverse to jazz - suppose that I just want to work out something that will get a cheer when I get introduced to the audience, which tends to be following keys player who's an extremeley hard act to follow...! I have been trying to work up ideas based round simple pentatonic/blues scale things but tend to find myself playing a succession of fast pentatonic runs until I run out of ideas! Will have to go back to the drawing board and try trawling thru youtube for some inspiration - I imagine that the secret lies more in working out some ideas in the phrasing of the notes! Thanks for the response my friend Cheers - Pete PS. if you're interested here's a clip of the band: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJJ60x5o1Lc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJJ60x5o1Lc[/url] (first gig with the new line up and probably the most simple thing we do but you get the idea)

Hey Scott Talking about soloing more generally – after 30 years of gigging I now find myself for the first time obliged to take a solo in the last song of the night! Bearing in mind that this is in a blues rock band and all I have to do is play something with a bit of impact that can grab people’s attention for 32 bars or so over a simple mid tempo groove in ‘E’ I have no problems at all playing runs or constructing lines, etc and have occasionally played ‘musical interlude’ type solos in the past, but I’m just not used to playing solos as part of a song – it doesn’t help that there two very strong soloists (guitar & keys) in the band! Any hints on how to get started?? Cheers – Pete

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1206202' date='Apr 20 2011, 06:14 PM']You lot have been busy , I have never seen so many pages in a day! Who won in the end then? [/quote] SteveK

[quote name='Wil' post='1205942' date='Apr 20 2011, 03:20 PM']Hell, I can sight read for cello and piano, to an extent, but not for bass or guitar. I've just never seen the need to even learn the notes on the board besides the common chord roots.[/quote] Sorry, but that is a bit daft! To be any good you need to know your way around the instrument and understand a bit about the mechanics of how music works But you don't need to be able to read music...!

This old chestnut again! I have been playing in bands and gigged for more than 30 years and have played with many musicians who are generally considered to be very good, including quite a few who have been ‘pros’ at one time or another, some who read music and some who don’t….. The new keys player in a band I’m playing in now has been in the touring bands of a couple of household names, played world tours, Wembley Stadium, etc. I assume that he can probably read music but I couldn’t say for certain because in over 30 years of playing I have never had anyone try to put a chart in front of me or suggested that I needed to read music…!

[quote name='Doddy' post='1200180' date='Apr 15 2011, 01:41 AM']Check out this really cool interview with Beller by Janek Gwizdala............. [url="http://members.videobasslessons.tv/interviews/bryan-beller-interview/"]http://members.videobasslessons.tv/intervi...ller-interview/[/url][/quote] Great clip.... thanks for posting that! It's even made me think about putting together a pedalboard, which is something I've never bothered with before Just shows that you can be a great player and still be a decent bloke and not a sociopath...!

[quote name='TomKent' post='1200179' date='Apr 15 2011, 01:34 AM']They get given them probably. [/quote] And that's the reason why....!

[quote name='Musicman20' post='1200133' date='Apr 14 2011, 11:52 PM']There does tend to be a lot of pros using the combos.[/quote] To be fair, a lot of pros use Ashdown!

I know that there are a few folk on here who are fans of Scott Thunes – well here is an account by Bryan Beller, the guy who replaced Thunes in Z, (Dweezil Zappa's band) of how he got the gig (and why Thunes was sacked), working with the Zappa family, FZ’s death, playing with Mike Keneally, etc: [url="http://www.bryanbeller.com/music/zrap.html"]http://www.bryanbeller.com/music/zrap.html[/url] Interesting stuff (as is the rest of Beller’s website)….!

Guy Pratt’s take on the main riff (and a few other disco classics): [url="http://www.youtube.com/user/DavidSinRocks#p/a/f/1/T_3Jc54k1Es"]http://www.youtube.com/user/DavidSinRocks#...f/1/T_3Jc54k1Es[/url]

[quote name='birdy' post='1197600' date='Apr 12 2011, 11:17 PM']I suspect this is the sticking point - the fact that the bass is now in Bulgaria (I could be wrong). If I were Mark I would want absolute proof that the bass and pictures were the one I had sold. Playing devils advocate at what point does Mark cease to be responsible for the bass. Lets imagine that the guy in Bulgaria did not spot it was a dud and sold it to someone in Norway a year later - should Mark still refund? Where does the guy who Mark bought the bass stand on this morally? This is a lot more complex than meets the eye in many ways and I expect Marks stance is based on ensuring he is not ripped off. I am in no way saying that anyone is trying to rip anyone off but I would want to know all the facts before I passed judgement either way. Its a shame that this could not have been resolved privately but none of us know the facts of who said what to whom or what has been said prior to this.[/quote] +1 - exactly

[quote name='Beedster' post='1197569' date='Apr 12 2011, 11:05 PM']Explain?[/quote] As I understand it, the guy has bought a bass that he believes not to be genuine but has since traded it on to someone across the other side of Europe

[quote name='Bassman Sam' post='1197490' date='Apr 12 2011, 10:31 PM']I feel that this will, without doubt, damage Mark's reputation whatever the outcome. This should have been settled before becoming public. I hope we all get to see this sorted out quickly.[/quote] +1 There is a lot of interest in this on here as a lot of people have dealt with Mark and he is well liked and respected. I’ve never met the OP but I have dealt with Mark and have no doubt that he wouldn’t try to con anyone. As I see it he checked the serial number to date the bass and had got some confirmation from someone who has some knowledge of Fender. This is pretty much what I would have done given that it’s an 83 p-bass that sold for £700 and not a pre CBS worth £5k. As I understand it, Mark then sells the bass in good faith to someone who says that he has taken the neck off and found that it is apparently a newer body with an older neck (why would someone bother to do that? It’s not like it’s a 60s or even a 70s Fender) and would like his money back but the bass is apparently now in Eastern Europe! I take the point that the shop is responsible for the identity of what it sells but if I was Mark I might be a bit pi***d off that this is being debated in public among many of his potential customers when a) he will feel like he acted in a reasonable manner, and there is clearly more to this than meets the eye…… I’m glad that I have no interest in vintage basses as buying them is obviously a complete minefield…!

I just fitted an EMG to my Stingray - problem solved...!

To be honest, I was pretty underwhelmed the first time I played thru Markbass gear but I'm definitely a convert now! First of all, I think that the amps are far better than the cabs (I am not the only one with this opinion) and there are certainly muddy sounds in there and you do need to be careful with the VLE/VLP controls. But I really like the amps now, warm and articulate and seem to sit in the mix really well - in fact I am seriously considering getting a LM3 at the moment...

Will hopefully get there if it isn't too late a night on Saturday Will bring a Mayones Jazz with J East curcuit

[quote name='silddx' post='1171931' date='Mar 22 2011, 11:35 AM']Talk to this man. [url="http://www.andybaxterbass.com/guitars.php"]http://www.andybaxterbass.com/[/url][/quote] Cheers, an interesting site! I was a little surprised at how expensive some of the 70s stuff was but equally, some of the older fenders were actually a bit less than I would have imagined…..