peteb

Yes, I could. It wouldn't sound as good or be as easy to play as my Xotic jazz, but I've no doubt that I could gig it if I had to. If I lived in an african township playing the tourist bars uptown for a few dollars, then a Squier would be a dream bass and a nearly unbelievable luxury. But that doesn't mean that it is as good as a more expensive, far superior bass...

And with a bladder to match...!

I was at that show as well - great gig! I always thought that the Go For What You Know Pat Travers lineup was one of the best rock and roll bands ever, playing / performance wise!

You're certainly meeting different women to those I used to come across...!

Just found out that my personal bass hero, the great Mars Cowling passed away a couple of days ago at the age of 72. What a great player…

Dunno about that - to the best of my knowledge Steven Tyler wasn't born and raised in Bogner Regis...! As far as I'm concerned, I'm really just a song and dance man! You have to be able to be a capable enough musician to play what you need to, but you should also develop some stagecraft along the way. It doesn’t have to be all pyros and gold lame suits, but you definitely need to learn how to entertain your audience. There is nothing worse than seeing a band that can’t or won’t engage with the people watching them!

Just been checking out his YT channel - all good stuff...

I don't understand what the poll is trying to get at. Surely if someone in the audience (who isn't a sound engineer) notices that you're using a compressor then you have got it set up wrong??

I assume from your apparent surprise that you have not read Guy's book, where he does touch upon aspects of his childhood (including the loss of his dad at a relatively young age). Well worth a read - very funny book...

You can use a pick but you don't have to. Pick or fingers? As long as your tone is good and you can play the songs well then neither is better or worse. I would agree, but... Unfortunately some band leaders do specifically want you to play with a pick (and of course others will want a finger style player). In the 80s I switched to playing with a pick because that as want the bands I wanted to join wanted. However, I was always a better fingerstyle player and switched back after a few years and a couple of bands (which were, of course, the biggest bands I ever played with). I agree that neither style is necessarily better than the other for any given genre. Personally I think it is all a matter of fashion and now I play fingerstyle exclusively , but it is an advantage to be equally adept with both styles.

That's where we're different - as soon as work and family commitments allow, me & the missus will be moving to somewhere with a far warmer climate (UK's suicidal politics permitting)!

Er yes. Britain is an island in the North Atlantic and has a 'maritime climate'. This means that it rains - alot...! I think that your description of music festivals, freedom, fun in the sun and 'free spirited' females is part of the american dream. Unfortunately this dream also has a negative side to it, which we regrettably have seen way too much of in recent months. But then again, I don't think that you have ever denied that, although too many of your compatriots do seem to be in denial.

Quite recently I got a 91 Stingray in a trade - natural, m/n, original bridge with dampers but no skunk stripe. His notional value for the Ray was £900 and the trade ended up being for a 90s USA jazz plus £100. When I was looking I saw Stingrays go s/h for anything between £650 (for a modern day one with a fair few dings) to £950 for an older one. I would guess that the latter figure (or maybe a fraction more) would probably be about right in the current market.

Rudy Sarzo was the first guy I saw using that finger as a pick technique. I've tried to work on it on a few occasions but never really got it down. I used to play a version of Hot For Teacher in a band 30 years ago. We used to play original material but did HFT as an encore. We had to drop it in the end, as we were billed at a gig in Birmingham as 'the band that plays a great version of Hot For Teacher'! You need a hell of a drummer to do it justice! I have just listened to the clip above and the bassline is pretty much how I remember it. Probably easier than you might think at first, the little runs every second line of the verse are just a partial blues scale (starting on the 4th). You just need to work out what he plays under the solo. The solo'd bass track will help a lot.

Fair point.

You seem to be assuming that Bruno is a frustrated artist desperately looking to redefine the genre, just he can't until he has paid the mortgage off. There is also an assumption that he is capable of doing this. Of course, he may be perfectly happy following in the footsteps of his heroes whilst making shedloads of cash doing so!

First gig depping with a R&B this afternoon, whilst their regular bass player recovers from some serious medical treatment. It went pretty well - obviously no rehearsal (first time I met the guys was at the soundcheck) but we got through everything, with one slight issue that they play Black Magic Woman in a different key to what I was expecting. Good drummer, all great guys and overall really good fun. Roll on the next gig in a week's time.

Time will tell if he will be regarded as having reached quite those dizzy heights. However, you can't dispute that that he is a top commercial act with genuine talent, who is very successful.

I can't see what the issue is? Bruno Mars is very obviously a commercial artist - does everyone who makes a record have to be a Miles Davis or a Joni Mitchell type of artist??

I imagine that he would have done for this particular song - it's basically just two riffs! There is a hack for playing the chorus of the Immigrant Song if you can't get the speed to play it cleanly. You just play the major pentatonic rather than a full scale. I've seen Michael Anthony doing this on a live clip (tbf - he was also singing lead vocals at the time)...

The dude is 84 and claims to have ten movies, six albums, four Broadway shows and a number of other projects on the horizon! Hardly someone who’s no longer relevant and has it ‘all behind him’. The thing is that he has had a pop at a few sacred cows (Macca, Jackson, Prince et al), which has upset a few people when their heroes are being dissed by someone of his undoubted pedigree.

He's hardly a has been - at nearly 85 he is still as busy and successful as ever. Its hard to believe everything he says, but then again some of his rather outlandish claims seem to check out and it is difficult to argue about musical worth with someone of his pedigree. I think he has a big mouth and just doesn't care what people think! Not always an admirable quality but entertaining nether the less.

I know that his comments on the Beatles and Michael Jackson are going to upset some fans, but he has his point of view. You have to admit that both this and the GQ interviews were pretty badass and that he is possibley the most indiscreet man on the planet. I found the 'Ghetto Gump' (his words) stuff fascinating and some of the more outlandish claims might seem unbelievable, but are have already been collaborated (by Richard Pryor's widow etc).