thisnameistaken

I had one of the old bent-steel Q-Trons, haven't tried the newer XO model. The old 24v one is a really good filter, although I could never get the down-sweep to sound very good. I haven't tried a Mutron III but I doubt any filter can hold a candle to it for that authentic funk quack, simply because it's THE filter that was used on all those records.

Fifty quid? I wouldn't pay fifty quid to read about a [i]real[/i] band.

Yeah I think it's possible, why wouldn't it be? I think there would be a lot of frustrating times in between though.

I once found out I didn't get a gig because they'd given it to a bloke called Hamlet Luton. Fair play, I would've given it to him too.

I'm starting to worry that it might've been a moonlighting guitarist. Probably wasn't me. I can't remember where I was on Saturday night but I doubt it was in Oxfordshire.

I prefer Harry and Paul.

IME rooting your thumb somewhere is still fine for playing fivers (although I have a slightly odd right-hand technique so maybe that's why it works for me but not others) but definitely once you get to six strings you need to move your hand when playing the treble strings. It's too much of a stretch.

[quote name='Jam' post='578757' date='Aug 24 2009, 08:08 AM']Is it Club Tropicana with the fantastic slap line?[/quote] Young Guns? Although the fantastic thing about Young Guns is the video, really.

[quote name='NancyJohnson' post='578756' date='Aug 24 2009, 08:05 AM']I just wanted a couple of direct answers about set-up and things; I don't want to see pictures of people's Bongos.[/quote] Yeah good call dude, I don't want to look at Bongos either.

I really liked Norwood Fisher's sound on Reality of My Surroundings - a classic purry Warwick sound. Also Ernie McKone's sound on Galliano's Joyful Noise album, and Plot Thickens actually. Lots of bottom but always nice and tight.

[quote name='Oscar South' post='578309' date='Aug 23 2009, 04:38 PM']... reharmonisations on the fly ...[/quote] That's definitely the sort of situation where I'd take a deep breath, shut my eyes and hope to miraculously avoid the bum notes. Funnily enough I can do it when singing - I have to do it sometimes because our drummer will forget his part and start singing my harmony so I have to quickly move to another one.

[quote name='silddx' post='577755' date='Aug 22 2009, 06:37 PM']Agreed, a very clever, simple, elegant solution to an existing problem.[/quote] I take it you're not using 'elegant' in the sartorial sense there? Good idea though.

I only played fretless through my two busiest times as a bassist. Didn't do much slap, I was playing mostly funk (sort-of acid-jazz influenced stuff) and baggy indie stuff, miles away from "smooth jazz" or '80s music but it worked well enough. There were a couple of tunes where I thought I ought to be playing a fretted bass but only a couple, so I never bought one. If you play it a lot good intonation will become second nature, so I wouldn't let that influence your decision.

[quote name='mrcrow' post='578296' date='Aug 23 2009, 04:13 PM']that sounds like good solid grounding get to know chord progressions and shapes...then songs seem to fall into certain types you already know the chords for i think we all start like that and then become wannabee's[/quote] Yeah but I've been playing for 20 years... Bit embarrassing.

I'm usually just paying attention to what chords are going by and not really paying attention to scales too much. I'd played for a long time before I learnt much about music so I mostly rely on knowing what the intervals sound like. Way too often I don't even know what note I'm playing, only how it relates to the chord or the next chord. I'm not proud of it though.

I am crap at reading, currrently trying to improve because I think it will help me learn loads of other interesting stuff, but it's entirely out of personal curiosity. Although maybe if I could read I'd be more confident about doing different kinds of gigs, but that's not a goal.

Does anybody know what gear Doug was playing on the old Sugarhill Records stuff? That's the sound I'd want, if I was a big Doug Wimbish fan, and I can't imagine it was all that sophisticated.

[quote name='The Funk' post='576212' date='Aug 20 2009, 11:24 PM']That's my approach but then I'm a firm believer in different 'live' and 'studio' arrangements (and 'acoustic' arrangements too!). I do understand that for a lot of musicians (and fans) a live show is about perfectly recreating the record. I don't see that approach as not being valid, musically, ethically or otherwise. It's just not for me. Having said that, when I see a live arrangement of a tune that misses out the good bits of the studio arrangement, I get annoyed. I think the most important principle (and maybe the only principle) to go by is that you can't please everyone - so just try to please whoever you're doing it for.[/quote] Well anything I do I try to make entertaining, but I think it's foolish to pursue studio perfection on a live stage. I'd rather hear a band fit whatever they're doing into the instrumentation they've got (although we're quite lucky because we've got three useful vocalists on drums, bass and guitar who sound good together, and two horn players who also play keys). I suppose with a top 40 band maybe the expectations are different, the audience expects you to sound like the record, but then I would never do a band like that. You'll always end up playing to audiences who don't really like music, they just want to hear tunes they know. Those people all need to die in a strangely targeted, coincidental and worldwide catastrophe.

[quote name='lowdown' post='575782' date='Aug 20 2009, 04:53 PM']Yes they can, But thats down to programming the Midi info and not sticking to the grid. Thats the Art [ if you can call it that ]. Plenty of serious dude's around these days who have got that down. When not done properly, yep does sound awful.[/quote] Like I said, the band I was doing did sound good, it was just a bit dull for all involved. And no matter how little of the track is sequenced it still feels like you're playing along to a recording, sometimes it even feels like you *are* recording, the computer or the DAT or whatever is always running the show.

[quote name='teej' post='575743' date='Aug 20 2009, 04:25 PM']As a regular street performer with a small band we can build a big crowd, hold them and get their money,[/quote] I must confess I am quite jealous of you, it sounds like a right bark.

[quote name='silddx' post='575720' date='Aug 20 2009, 04:15 PM']Nonsense. The straight jacket is not being allowed that extra sonic flexibility because of "artistic integrity".[/quote] FWIW I wasn't talking about any high-minded art bollocks, I just think using sequencers tends to make songs a bit stiff. I've no issue with using samples if you've got a flexible way of incorporating them, or (preferably) a turntablist to do it. One of my bands is experimenting with using a "producer" live to tweak effects and the mix on-the-fly because they have a more electronic sound and it seems like the most practical way to get some studio-like trickery on stage without resorting to pre-recorded tracks or clock-bound automation.

[quote name='teej' post='575672' date='Aug 20 2009, 03:34 PM']I think this lack of spontaneity and flexibility is what bugs me the most.[/quote] And, I think despite the audiences being none the wiser, I'm sure they would've enjoyed the shows more if we hadn't used a sequencer. There was enough talent there to carry it off and the material would've stood up without the studio parts. I just think live should mean live, it's a unique performance especially for whoever's within earshot, done right there and then, warts and all. I think trying to sound like a record takes some of the spirit of it away and it's always a lesser show as a result, even if you can pull it off. I think I was doubly disappointed because I'd just come from a 10-piece band that had really gelled well, and could do ridiculous things with the songs at the drop of a hat. We were so comfortable with it we ended up playing practical (and musical) jokes on eachother during gigs, our stage show got really unpredictable, and people just love that stuff.

My 2p: I've played in a band that used sequenced tracks before (despite having five instrumentalists, two vocalists and a DJ on stage). While it always sounded good live, it was a fairly boring experience for the band. No real room to mess with dynamics, no space to improvise or play the crowd, every song was basically the same every night. So yeah it did "work" and I don't think the audience even noticed they were using sequenced tracks but I think everybody involved would have preferred it if they'd approached their live stuff in a different way. Luckily we never had any technical problems on stage but we did in rehearsals and suffice to say when a computer goes down it's a lot worse than a musician fluffing a part!

[quote name='MB1' post='575470' date='Aug 20 2009, 01:15 PM']+Twelvety![/quote] That's Numberwang.

[quote name='BarnacleBob' post='575275' date='Aug 20 2009, 11:00 AM']NB a Stick man now?[/quote] I saw him playing stick in the early '90s. Please don't ask me what band they were opening for.