ZMech

[quote name='dlloyd' post='215931' date='Jun 10 2008, 09:38 AM']The one I would take is this: [url="http://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Theory-Book-Mark-Levine/dp/1883217040"]http://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Theory-Book-Mar...e/dp/1883217040[/url] Don't let the word 'jazz' scare you... I'd also print out a bunch of stuff from Marc Sabatella's website, particularly this bit: [url="http://www.outsideshore.com/primer/primer/ms-primer-4.html"]http://www.outsideshore.com/primer/primer/ms-primer-4.html[/url][/quote] Cheers for the link, I think I'll go with the stuff from the website since I don't feel like spending over £30 on a book. [quote name='stingrayfan' post='225036' date='Jun 23 2008, 02:10 PM']I know of some exercises you can do with free hands and a laptop but it'll only build up strength in one arm... Edit: joking apart - can't you just buy a cheap bass and take it onboard with you?[/quote] Well I AM a teenager, and that's what we do best unfortunately though, a bass is just too big to take on a boat, since they always make good use of the somewhat limited space.

[url="http://youtube.com/watch?v=rkOX346oLIo"]This[/url] must be the worst cover ever done by a 'proper' group. I especially like how they shorten it by two minutes so that it can fit into the minimal attention span of the idiots they hope might buy it.

wow, I didn't expect such a great response. this really is a brilliant forum [quote name='jakesbass' post='215021' date='Jun 8 2008, 06:27 PM']Take tons of music and learn to sight sing. When you return you will be amazed at how much your reading will have improved.[/quote] there's a slight problem there due to my complete lack of singing ability. think i'll have to stick to reading it.. [quote name='dlloyd' post='215245' date='Jun 9 2008, 09:38 AM']How's your theory? Work out scales, triads, extended chords, modes of the major scale and melodic minor etc. Work out fingerings for all of these. Learn how simple triads and tetrads can be superimposed to produce more complicated extensions (eg. play an Fmaj7 chord over a D and you have a Dm9). All this can be done on paper.[/quote] sounds like a great idea, are there any books from which I could learn this?

Cheers for all that. I've not aquired some music books from my mate to help with my reading. That finger tapping thing sounds like a really great idea, I can definitely see myself sitting there doing that.

sweet. yeah I'd definitely be up for that, so long as it's not on august bank holiday (reading festival), so the proposed dates of 30/31st sounds good to me.

Basically, I'm going away for six weeks, and spending most of my time on boats, but I'll have many hours of time with little to do. So obviuosly I won't have my bass with me for quite a long time, and was wondering if there was anything to further my bass abilities I could do. I'll have my laptop with me, so I've downloaded an ear training programme since at the moment my interval indentification ability is appauling. anything else you can think of to do? other than attaching some strings to a plank.

what would happen if I were to just get a lead with a guitar jack on one end and a headphone one on the other, and stick it straight from the headphone socket of my amp to the mike input of the computer? would that sound very bad or just slightly bad?

Good videos you have there. In all honesty I watched them presuming I'd sit there thinking 'yeah yeah i know this', but I'm now gonna start concentrating on relaxing that mischeivous pinky. Definitely brilliant stuff, especially for beginners.

Think I might pop over to your gig at the Inn On The Green since I'm all of about 5 minutes away. That and/or the Underworld gig, since judging from your myspace you sound good. Would they both be pay on the door? I've yet to go to either venue

well I bought the B15 which I still have for i think £75. I'm not sure what you find so bad, its certainly loud enough to practice with, and is just about audible over drums, although not without the limiter intervening.

Where abouts in london are you? I'm up in Barnet. Would be happy to, although I'm off to uni in september, but would be happy to give it a go until then. Edit: I hope it's not an issue but I don't yet have a proper amp, just my little practice amp

perhaps you should add in london to the title glad to know it's still a possibility.

so is there any chance of this happening (in london)?

Throw away your telivision - Chili's Are you gonna be my girl -Jet thought i'd add a couple that're less than 10 years old! although they're in the midority since I think almost every silly indie-by-numbers bassist just plays picked root note basslines on a fender

always!! I was made to use it by my teacher as soon as I started playing, with the reassurance that it would pay off. Also, if I ever see youngerbassists at school (I think there's about a dozen), playing with their pinky tucked under, I take it upon myself to correct them

Cheers for the warm welcome guys, is it just me or are bassists generally friendly people? [quote name='Crazykiwi' post='170946' date='Apr 6 2008, 08:38 PM']hey Zach, loads of members from here in Bristol too! Hope you can hook up with some of them. Welcome aboard [/quote] well hopefully i'll get the AAB required for the to get into Bristol, THEN I can hook up with some of them.

[quote name='queenofthedepths' post='170880' date='Apr 6 2008, 07:29 PM']I think the answer to the OP's question is "Yes, but with bass guitars as well and in Bristol!"[/quote] If you have one in Bristol can you pretty please have it in october so that i can come

just do NOT play I'm a little teapot. Anyone in your presence will never look at a bassist the same way again.

Sounds like a brilliant idea, if only I had more than an ODB-3 to offer. It could be worth dropping a line to the bass gallery, I'd be suprised if they didn't want a whole load of people trying out their stuff. Oh yeah, and I can bring the spector in my photo

[quote name='Astronomer' post='160112' date='Mar 19 2008, 10:51 AM']Is there a "proper" way to mute the strings that aren't being played? I play fretted 4 and 5-strings, and there's always just that little bit of background ringing. It's only slightly - but noticably - worse on the 5. Thanks for any advice! [/quote] I switched to the floating thumb method after watching [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPVMBPmrblU"]this[/url] video about it by Todd Johnson. As well as working as a mute, i've found it really improved my string switching ability. Well worth watching i reckon. [quote name='cheddatom' post='169902' date='Apr 4 2008, 04:56 PM']This all seems a bit weird to me, I always mute everything with my left hand, thumb over the top for the lower strings. Is this weird and/or innefective?[/quote] surely that limits the amount of reach you can get with your left hand? I find that with my thumb on the back of the neck instead I can stretch further and more comfortably. Perhaps you just have bigger hands

Interesting topic, I've been thinking about this myself recently. I'm off to Bristol, and the hall i'm applying to says it has a music practice room, but all I know is that it contains a drum-kit. I do want to join/start a band when I get up there, but all I have at the moment is a 15W. Could anyone give me some advice on whether to get something bigger and better now, or if I should wait to see what the situation is like with PA's at venues and stuff?

It seems I've been pretty lucky by the sounds of it! I agree about the Bass Cellar, I bought my starter bass (warwick rockbass) in there, but the few times i've been in since they've never allowed me to play a thing! My favourite for just trying out things for the sake of it has to be the Bass Gallery. Some nice guys, happilly left me playing on an alembic for 15 minutes, then came back to ask if there was anything else i wanted to play! I feel slightly guilty in that I've never bought more than a pair of strings in there though... It's just saddening to hear there are so many shops with appauling service. nowadays I think you might get better treatment if you just buy stuff off of eBay.

Just found out about this forum by accident on talkbass!! so being the brit I am I thought I'd check it out. bits about me; currently playing a spector rebop that I nabbed off eBay about a month ago. Playing it through a hiwatt practise amp, but am saving up for something with a tad more oomph. I still have my Warwick Rockbass, which I'm considering selling to contribute to the cost of a new amp. Not yet in a band, but I hope to join one when I go up to uni (Bristol) in september, so until then I'm still just trying to make my hands more magical. Also, I guess I might as well add that i've been playing for almost two years.