lownote

Many thanks... were you lined or unlined fl ?

Over the last two years I have learned myself to play unlined fretless and jolly pleased with it I am too. So are my band mates. Normally no need or desire to return to the tin ladder. However, I'm now doing jazz melody, chords and soloing in Scott's jazz course. Diddly diddly of that sort is ... well, I haven't yet given up but it's very difficult from 'fret' 9 up. What's other people's experience? Do you avoid diddly diddly bits, have you mastered the technique (if so, how?) or did you buy into a fretted or lined fretless for this kind of work? .

Week 3. The workload is building, now into melodic embellishment which I'm not sure I knew was a thing. And chords, which would be great only I'm an unlined fretless player. I suspect someone with perfect pitch would disagree violently, but I'm quite surprised how close to being 'in' I am. I am genuinely impressed with the course and the improvement in my playing so far and I'm not his mum 😉 .

+1 to this. When I first took up bass my local bass experts pointed me towards strainless rounds. Knowing no better I bought into their profit margin and almost gave up bass before I started. YMMVO but I myself me couldn't bear the feel or sound. Fortunately I discovered nickels and my career took off. My current string of choice, the flatwound is a different beast altogether.

We get a steady stream of pub work at between 2 and 3 hundred a throw. It's a well run band with good sales technique and have been doing it since the 60s. I'm very much the wide eyed noob at all this commercialisation. But I've never been able to work out how it pays the pub. We don't bring in that much extra footfall.

Week 2. Two things emerging. One: this course goes right back to the basics of bass playing, so you may need patience if you're more advanced. Two: the subject matter can be accessed for free from Scott's archive of free lessons from years ago, or by taking out a free trial subscription to SBL and accessing his jazz course there. But arguably the accelerator is more thorough and also much more structured using Scott's new technique of topic threading, taking a 360 in depth look at various standards to reinforce core techniques learned.

The nicest rounds I've ever played seem to get little mention, found deep within Bass Direct's catalogue: La Bella’s RX nickel series

Early on you said you bought a cheap set of Gear4Music strings. Like most bits of a bass I find a good or bad string can make a big difference. Rather than buy cheap new I go for decent strings second hand via here. As others have said its not a bad bass (£600 ish new doesn't equal cheap starter instrument in my book) so issues must be in the setup not the manufacture I'd have thought. Nothing in the setup routine should scare you even truss rods if you're careful and follow instructions. Mainly it's be certain you know which way to turn the nut for tighty/loosy, then turn only 1/8-1/4 turn at a time, have patience to let the neck adjust and measure the relief FREQUENTLY. Unless it knack'd it's not going to go twang on you, and if it is knacked well, then, time to go anyway. If as you say you don't mind the cost of upgrading you can't really go wrong with a Sire.

... and we're off. Well, the first week is about developing a bass(ic) line to a Bossa Nova based on roots and fifths and a third if you're feeling brave. Well structured course with good resources so far, delivered in an accessible way for newbs and more experienced folk, although whether you'd need the course if you were really much more than a newb is a moot point. Yeah, it recapitulated most of his jazz lessons from way back when but then it does, so if I said that I'd keep saying it and that would be boring. 10 days to go before we get technical.

This

Ah glasshoppa, a very interesting topic. First if your dots are not precisely on the note life will be much harder unnecessarily. It may be worth paying a good luthier to check and if necessary move the dots. Bass Gallery in London did this for me for a not unreasonable sum. Second you talk of the visuals, but what you're working with is sound. Playing unlined forces you to think of the sound you're making, so learn to orient yourself with your ears, less with the eyes. This doesn't mean sitting in a dark room. Try to visualise 'virtual' lines from the side dots and in the spaces between. Work with these and slowly you'll find the muscle memory does set in and you'll look less and less at your fingerboard. Sometimes you'll be out, but more and more often you'll be in. And remember if your rhythm is spot on, being slightly out of tune occasionally may well not be obvious. For me the massive virtue of unlined and a minimum of markers is that you're encouraged to create sound. I mean like really create it, whether its a subtle slide or a bog standard root A or C. Frets were only introduced by Leo Fender to make it possible for any muppet to pick up his bass and play - frets and even lined fretless are the sound equivalent of paint by numbers. IMHO of course - but I am right 🤠. [Sits back and waits for yet another firestorm of rage].

I cannot believe the BC sanitiser changes the word that sgnifies a girly dog to beach....

Just starting a thread for us cool cats to cuddle, huddle, beach and see where we go

I've just signed up for his jazz accelerator course, which starts Wednesday. Curiously, I think this is first time out for this course, yet his blurb is smothered with 'quotes' from delighted students. Maybe he trialled it on a focus group.

IMO there is a substnatial difference in the sound of amps and really the only person who can say if you like that head through your cabs is....

Well taken 10 weeks of face 2 face lessons, hundreds of hours of online lessons and been practicing several hours a day for three years. Suppose I could ratchet it up a bit...

Could be, only he did say I sounded loud out front (although as you suggest it was said accusingly rather than admiringly).

Haha. Cheers, that's a relief, but only partial because actually you could have been describing me. But that's what happens when you are a/terrifeid and b/ can't hear yourself - I don't mean muffled, but at all. I'm determined to crack it but it's not fun.

Erm, you weren't in Norwich on Wednesday by any chance? 😚

This is a sax question but I lack a sax hive mind to consult and I think the issue may be non instrument specific. I am a beginnery tenor player and am trying to get practice playing at a local blues jam. Thing is I’m crap, both because I’m crap but also because I can’t hear myself at all most of the time, except the very loudest shrieks. This is despite having a monitor pointing up at me. The sound guy insists I should be getting myself via a tilt down mic but I’m not. And every time I point this out he gets crosser. Does anyone with experience of sax in their band have any advice or suggestions as to solutions I may be missing? And no I’m not deaf.

Hey I'm a former BBC journalist - you want accurate reporting😮? 🤣. Below is the exact message content I had from Sire, which I argue reads as 'hadn't considered it, but now will'. Now go email 'em 😀 "Dear John, Greetings from SIRE! Thank you for reaching out to us. We do not have plans to release an unlined neck, but we will consider it after reading your email. If you have any other suggestions, feel free to let us know. Thank you very much. Sincerely, Wendell Young International Marketing Manager, Sire Revolution HQ www.sire-usa.com"