2wheeler

For me this is an easy one. It's listening to music that makes me want to play. I find the same thing works on other people: I start playing my daughter's violin pieces on my bass and, magically, she suddenly has the urge to practice on her violin BTW, she's only a beginner, I can't play "Flight of the Bumblebee" on the bass or anything crazy like that :|

I think there's a lot of valuable material in Janek's BGM contributions. When you see his playing, it's amazing he got that technical facility with ONLY 10 hours practice a day. Also I would say he can do both musical, supportive bass playing and dextrous pyrotechnics. I wish I had that choice... Ultimately I have no idea how many notes he can play or how long he plays them. I know how fast I can play and Janek's tips (among other things) are helping me to get faster. I know how long I practice and Janek's column helps inspire me to play a bit longer. What more can you ask for?

[quote name='johnnylager' post='151576' date='Mar 5 2008, 10:39 AM']And glare at your work colleague from time to time to keep him on his toes.[/quote] Interestingly this gentleman is a campanologist. I wonder if he ever has a bell come down and wipe out a few members of the team? Thanks for all the rest of the comments. I will search for a good noggin and if I can't find one close enough to where I need the bracket, I will get some good quality plasterboard fixings...

Aaargh. My Hercules (wood base) wall-mounted hanger fell out of the wall this morning and my best bass is now cosmetically impaired, not to mention the table that broke its fall. I was a bit concerned about the cheap and cheerful mounting screws and wall plugs that came with the Hercules kit when I put it up but one of my work colleagues said "oh, plaster board is a lot stronger than you think". Easy for him to say. 1. The bass plays perfectly well. Do you think it's worth trying to tart it up again or is the damage just part of the "vintage process", to be proudly kept as battle-scars? 2. I am off to B&Q later to see what better fixings I can get. Does anyone know what I should be using? 3. Should I use the existing holes or fill them and mount the hanger somewhere else on the wall? Many thanks, Nick

Yes I read it. BGM just gets better and better.

There is a Ford advertising campaign for the Focus running at the moment, where they have an orchestra full of musical instruments apparently made from Focus car body parts. In one magazine advert, they highlight the "Side Fender Bass", an upright bass apparently made from the front side panel. All great fun but... Does anyone know if this is a fake or if they made a bass that actually plays? And if they made a real bass, did it really come from a Focus body panel or has it just been made to look like one? Did anyone here do the playing (faked or real )? PS you can look at the TV ad here [url="http://www.visit4info.com/advert/Ford-Focus-Orchestra-Ford-Focus-Range/55796"]http://www.visit4info.com/advert/Ford-Focu...cus-Range/55796[/url]

[quote name='Bass_In_Yer_Face' post='138644' date='Feb 12 2008, 07:56 AM']the bass line of 'Runaway' ...it is one of my favourites.[/quote] +1

Thanks Huw! I should have googled harder. [quote name='Huw' post='130745' date='Jan 30 2008, 03:55 PM']... The, "secrets," are really just soundfiles of basslines and the tab and music. His big secret is to learn one of them a day...[/quote] So that would be what I am doing already with Paul Westwood's excellent Bass Bible?

Has anyone tried [url="http://www.bassguitarsecrets.com/"]Bass Guitar Tips[/url] method for learning bass? I had a look in reviews and didn't find anything... The web-site screams GIMMICK but it did get me curious. The download-only version is about the cost of one person-to-person lesson.

I think this has pretty much already been said but it's important to realise that there are two parts to this: 1. Get your wrist better. 2. Look at prevention in the future. Don't try to "strengthen the wrist up" until it is properly recovered. I'm with all the people that say go for a professional diagnosis.

I couldn't get child care in the end. Shame as I was looking forward to hanging out at the front, gazing at your equipment How did it go?

I see. He kisses ar5* when he's sober and has a go at you with a bit of Dutch courage inside him. Stay well clear. This guy's going to get a banjo necklace sooner or later.

Don't tell them but I liked your myspace tracks better than the other bands'

Always remember to play the whole of the chorus, rather than just half of it before steaming back into the verse...

Last time I was short of a "kettle" type lead (actually they are not kettle leads at all, they are [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEC_connector"]IEC connector[/url] mains leeds, kettle leads are rated for higher power and have a notch) I used the local freecycle listings to ask if anyone had a spare one and I was offered about 10 within a day. Maybe next time you could ask for another picture or two - the one picture on the listing wasn't very helpful because of the poor image quality. I think you have every right to feel aggrieved with the [i]way[/i] it was sold but ultimately I think you have a useful amp at a good price.

The audience have paid and showed up and want to have a good time. But just because they make the most of it and dance along doesn't mean they don't notice the sound quality, even if they can't exactly say what is bad/good about the sound. A friend had a (more or less Jam tribute) band at her birthday party and I bopped along with everyone else but I would never choose to go and see them again because the sound was horrible. I think other people felt the same way.

From what I have experienced in education, talent comes burning through whatever you do. So does individuality and creativity. An effect that I do see is that education does tend to make competent, somewhat uniform, professionals out of less talented individuals. I think that's entirely useful and worthwhile: the world needs competent professionals. But don't make the mistake of thinking that this uniform standard for the 90% is capping the performance of the outstanding 10% (or less) of individuals, which it never does, IMHO. As for dull practice tracks - I know what you mean! But it's really hard to get away from (you can't have Keith Moon drop in every time you feel inspired - for so many reasons) and those tracks do a useful job.

I went to see [url="http://www.hugepartyband.co.uk/"]Huge[/url] last night (New Year's Eve). They are all teachers (I think) and now have a good few children between them. They are very good indeed. It's not hard to see where their following comes from: It seems that most people living in York either know them personally, or have children taught by them, or have children at the same schools as their children, etc.

I got myself Tinman's Ibanez BTB555. Lovely! Santa brought me the "Funkifying the Clave" book. Excellent!

+1 = 240 (clauster: your shame is shared and therefore half)

Oops - sorry. Too fast, too loose.

I haven't got suggestions but I want to see what comes up here because I have just lost my teacher too. He (geoffbassist here in cyber-basschat) has gone full-time with his performing work.

This is a pretty good article on slipping pegs: [url="http://theorbo.com/Theorbo/Pegs.htm"]http://theorbo.com/Theorbo/Pegs.htm[/url] I put one turn winding the "wrong" way, then double back on the winding so that the final string tension tends to pull the peg IN to the hole, as suggested in this article.