Doddy

[quote name='kevvo66' timestamp='1412963423' post='2573749'] ,problem is I need a more varied sound because my band play from 50s upto modern pop [/quote] I'm sorry, I know I've said this before, but I can't understand how you think the cabs can't produce a varied sound. I've used them on gigs playing ballroom/modern sequence dancing, Big band, Jazz, Rock, Pop(50s to present), Country, Funk, Soul,and Latin. It doesn't matter if I play electric bass (with or without effects), Upright or Synth, the cabs have no problem handling anything I put through them.

I'm not offended at all, but I'm still going to disagree with you. Who cares how much they cost? It doesn't matter, they are great little cabs.If they weren't, I'd still be using my Bergantino. Like I also said earlier, they are far from a 'one trip pony'.If they were they wouldn't have been able to handle the 400+ gigs I've done over the last 18 months...and funnily enough, I don't sound anything like JJ Burnell. It's fine that you want something different, but the remarks regarding limitations are just completely untrue (I'd like to say bullshit, but I don't want to offend).

D'addario.

I use the mi12 cabs, and couldn't disagree more with the idea that they are limited,sound wise. I've used them on every gig for the last few years playing loads of different styles, and they've handled everything I've thrown at them-it doesn't matter whether I use the 4, 5 or 6 string, Upright,Synth or whatever, the rig always perfoms. In fact this weekend I used just one cab with the PiBass head (with my Warwick Streamer 5), and it sounded great. Put it this way- my two mi12 cabs replaced my Bergantino HS410.

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1412181685' post='2566565'] Steve is a terrific player, I am very surprised that such a top, top UK player gets very little mention on a UK Bass players site. [/quote] It's because he's not in band. It's the same with guys like Paul Westwood and Trevor Barry or any of the other great players who are constantly working.

About 20, maybe a couple more.

Steve Pearce is a top player and a top bloke.

Try the Boss LS2. You'll be able to send both pickups in to it and balance the volume of both channels before sending it to your amp. I've got a couple.They are a really handy pedal.

I don't have a problem with Hartke stuff-I used a HA3500 or HA4000 with 4x10 and 2x10 cabs for a long time. I only stopped using them initially because they were heavier than I wanted. I only recently sold most of it because it had been sitting unused for about 5 years.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1411999975' post='2564704'] I think someone summed it up well upthread. One member of the band is tasked with keeping time. Usually the drummer thinks it's him, often it's the bass player. In reality there's lots of interplay thy happens. Somewere within the bar, there has to be a beat. Could be the hihat, bass drum, ride or maybe the bass player whacking out 8ths. So long as the song doesn't unintentionally speed up or slow down then it remains in time. [/quote] I'm going to disagree with some of this. First of all, every member of the band is responsible for keeping time.One person might be given the task of setting the tempo, but everyone should be keeping time. I think there is also some blurring of time and tempo. It's possible for the tempo to shift slightly while the band still remain in time. Take the Herbie Hancock tune 'Chameleon'-the tempo increases as it progresses but the players are still in time with each other. It's a common occurrence in live performance without a click for the tempo to shift slightly.

For me, using effects is all about having options. I might be playing something that has an electronic vibe, so I'll use something like the OC2 or the EHX Micro Synth (especially if I'm not doubling on synth bass). I can get a more Dubstep like sound with a low pass filter and a tremolo. I can add grit for a more rock sound....it's all choices. I also like using effects for just a few notes to make something jump out-usually some kind of distortion or envelope filter. I like a hint of delay when I'm soloing too. I've got a load of pedals but there are only a few that I use regularly, the rest are there if I need them depending on the gig. In fairness, I could probably do most of the stuff on my Line 6 M5 if I wanted to-if I could be bothered to sit down and edit a load of patches.

Jimmy Haslip is probably the highest profile player to play like that. Keith Horne and Stan Sergeant play that way too.

Just a quick count of what's in view at the moment, works out to around 20 dvds and about 60 books. I've got more books in another room and a load of VHS too, not to mention loads of magazines. Its quite a lot but its maybe a quarter of the amount of drum books/videos/magazines that my dad has.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1411500733' post='2560184'] And I guess terms like enjoying music vs into music are up in the air. The phrase, [i]"I'm into listening to and enjoying music while I'm driving my car" [/i]makes sense. But do they understand or care about what it's like to stand on your feet and play and sing for 4 hours into the early am? I would say very few do and why should they. [/quote] Is it also possible for someone to say that they are in to music because they gig for 4 hours, but it be argued that they aren't that in to music because they don't sit and study advanced harmony and things for 6 hours a day?

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1411495788' post='2560096'] Or it could be they grew up in culturaly and or musically deprived environment and have never had any real connection to the arts. I grew up financially deprived, but I don't patronize the wealthy, rich or the well off. For me, music started and hit me at a young age (4 or 5 years old). I distinctly remember being in my high chair (baby chair) in the kitchen where my Mom would have the Black radio station on and we were all grooving to Ray Charles in the late 50s. My point,I just needed to vent about any of us being patronized. Blue [/quote] It's got nothing to do with being culturally or musically deprived.It has everything to do with people liking different things. Just because someone likes listening to mainstream radio and not more obscure bands doesn't mean that they don't enjoy music.That's like saying that Man Utd fans aren't really in to football because they don't check out the lower leagues. I also don't think it matters how old you are when you get turned on to music. It might happen when you are young, or it might happen when you are a bit older, but if it happens...great.Just because you maybe didn't listen to much when you were young doesn't mean you're culturally deprived. Some people enjoy music, others like football more-it's just the way it is. I don't feel like people are patronising when they ask me about my job.I think it's more patronising to assume that they are.

Define being in to music....going to the pub every weekend to watch the bands? Owning obscure Coltrane/Phish/Nirvana/(insert favourite band) bootlegs? Knowing who played what instrument on what album? Being able to deconstruct a piece of music and accurately transcribe and analyse it? Buying the new 'Now'album and watching 'Later....'? I'd say that music has played a major part of my life-I've earned a living as a musician since I left school, and my Dad earned a living as a musician for 40 years-but it's not the only thing in life, and I'm not going to get pissed off if conversations don't turn to how many rare albums you've got or what drums Vinnie is playing now.If I did, I'd have very few conversations with anyone because people actually have other interests. I really like F1, but I'm going to get lost if you started talking about the intricacies of the engines or the lower placed drivers of the '80s. Same thing. I also don't find it patronising if someone says that they would like to hear you play.Maybe they are just being polite or maybe, in that moment, they are being genuine.We've all done it, I'm sure.

[quote name='JamesBass' timestamp='1411400812' post='2559145'] Also even at an advanced level, if you find yourself struggling with anything, going back and doing scales to your metronome can really improve you as a player and improve your confidence and feel! [/quote] I wouldn't agree with this point. Running scales with a metronome is ok if you just want to keep your fingers limber and maybe increase your speed and technique, but other than that I see very little value in it. Step away from the instrument and learn them that way.Actually learn the notes in the scale. Afterwards pick up the bass and play them all over the instrument.Play it over one, two,three and four strings.Play it over two octaves in different positions.Extend it so you are playing every available note of the scale in various positions. Break them up and play them in different intervals-3rds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths, 7ths-again all over the instrument. Isolate the chord tones and do the same. Add extensions to the chord tones so you are playing 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13-that way you are still using the scale but in a more chordal fashion.Start the scale on the 2nd note, then the 3rd note and so on in different positions up and down the board.Now you're getting into the modes. Play the scale in 10ths using double stops-now you're playing with basic diatonic harmony. That's a lot of stuff to practice and study but it will open up so much.....and that's just from one scale. Move on to the next one and do the same.

Scales are the foundation. Let's take a C major scale....dead easy. Do you want to know the chord tones of a C chord? Take the 1, 3, 5 of the scale(CEG). Want to know about basic diatonic harmony? Look at the scale.Start with C..the third is E=C maj. Start on D..third is F=D minor. Modes? Start on the C you have an Ionian mode. Start on D and you have a dorian mode and so on. Key signatures? You see 2 # at the start of a piece-D major, because the scale contains an F# and C#. Minor scales? Relative minor scales are based off the 6th of the major scale. Too many people say that they know their scales when all they know is a fingering pattern. Move beyond that and actually learn the scales and you will gain so much more and have a solid grounding.

It sounds like a pretty typical first band experience to me. Everyone goes through it, the only differenc is you are doing it at 55 rather than 16. You've having a new experience of playing with new people and are finding your feet in the situation. You've rehearsed with twice and have not been in a band before...why would you be thinking about leaving? Because you've recognised a couple of things that you've read about on bass forums? I can understand you questioning things if you had previous experience of playing in bands, but you don't. Sorry if sounds a bit harsh...it's not meant to. Stick with it, learn from it and enjoy playing in your first band.

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1411298013' post='2558182'] Who knows. Just what my bass tutors tell me to try [/quote] Don't try to forcefully stretch your fingers. I'd recommend playing one finger per fret when you get up to around the fifth fret, but even then there is no problem playing over three frets if that is more comfortable. In the lower positions there is no reason to stretch that far.Play over a three fret range and use your thumb to pivot your hand. Also, if you are playing something like a major scale there is no need to stretch because you can play a lot of them using open strings. Only changebto a four fret stretch when it is comfortable for your hand.

I've been doing some stuff on synth for a few years now. I've got a bunch of synth pedals too which do a good enough job, but there is a sound and feel that I think you can only get playing a synth.Plus,I tend to approach it differently than I would if I was playing electric bass.

Here's a thought...How does the charity benefit from the band playing for free? Is the promoter going to give your usual fee to the intended charity instead? Doubtful isn't it. Most pub gigs pay out of the bar takings (or occasionally from a brewery subsidy), so they could still do this without taking money from the charity collection.If the band members then choose to give their money, or just a portion of it, to the charity that is there choice. The band get paid, the charity receive extra donations and the landlord has only payed out his regular budget and has probably taken more than usual over the bar because of the charity draw. Everyone wins.

You can easily put a laptop in the iGig pockets. I don't know if they are officially waterproof, but mines been out in the rain and nothing got damaged.Easily the best case I've ever used-if I'm doing a gig where I don't need much I can put my amp,leads, tablet and a couple of pedals in the iGig.It gets a bit weighty, but it's convenient.

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1410784456' post='2553038'] Sounds like one or more of the pedals don't have true bypass and might be impacting your clean tone. [/quote] Even true bypass pedals affect the clean tone because you are effectively increasing the cable length,so a buffered pedal or two won't hurt.

[quote name='Pukie' timestamp='1410783873' post='2553027'] OK, at the risk of getting shot down (.. and not trying to divert the thread either ) I have to sort of agree. Once upon a time you either had lessons or you didnt. ...these days however why would anyone bother with a local tutor who (probably) failed to make it in the music business, when there are the afore mentioned excellent Scotts Bass lessons online. [/quote] As good as some online lessons are one problem is that there is are a lot of bad 'lessons' out there.There is no sh*t filter. The other problem is that there is no personal comeback.It's good to have someone there to be able to correct your mistakes and tell you what you are doing wrong.You don't get that when you go it alone, and consequently I find that you can progress faster and more thoroughly when you have good lessons. With regard to tutors having (probably) failed in the business, that is utter bullshit. There are many great players who teach while maintaining a very good career as a working musician. Try telling me that the guys that I've studied with have failed in the buisness.