thepurpleblob

You could just phone and ask. You know... "I really enjoyed myself and I'm dead keen to know how I got on......"

[quote name='farmer61' post='515121' date='Jun 16 2009, 11:23 AM']IMO Yes it is enough, because I wouldn't look at the fee we're getting for this one gig, I'd take a much longer term view in terms of fees. Just because you don't charge the same amount doesn't mean that your not as professional. I could cite many top bands who bale out of playing gigs beacause of the smallest reasons and cheapo bands like mine who will do almost anything to make the gig.[/quote] I think you may have misread me. I was coming from the point of view that you would be professional. I agree that the amount you charge has nothing to do with your attitude and level of professionalism. You don't just get that in music

[quote name='HeavyJay' post='515090' date='Jun 16 2009, 10:46 AM']+1 for us too! I'm beginning to think we are criminally undercharging people! I was about to quote for a wedding gig next may £350 because I thought £400 was a bit steep for them! Might have a good thorough read of this and the [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=5436"]pinned wedding gigs thread[/url] before I email them back.[/quote] Here's my view. If your drummer (say) dies in a horrible road accident two days before what are you going to do? Is £350 enough to get you out of the hole without (worst case) suffering a big loss? That's why you charge plenty for weddings - it's insurance. If someone can't do it you have to hire someone in. If your amp breaks you have to go and get a new one. The show must go on, as they say...

[quote name='crez5150' post='515052' date='Jun 16 2009, 10:09 AM']That's why you need pre-event meetings and a contract.[/quote] Yes but that's where agents often manage to "forget" certain important details.

...been caught with that one... "did nobody tell you the party doesn't finish until 3am. No you can't move your gear until then". Response is, "no problem, that's another £300 for the extra three hours". Either way you're onto a looser. After all you're "just" the band.

[quote name='Rayman' post='513894' date='Jun 15 2009, 10:08 AM']Brilliant, good luck with it mate. Cobblers to work, get your mind on more important matters. The main thing is to try and enjoy it, and more to the point, [i]LOOK[/i] like you're enjoying it, because if the band [i]like[/i] you and your vibe, they're more likely to take you on over some miserable git who is technically brillant. HAVE FUN !![/quote] I've always taken the view that you should *actually* enjoy it. If you get the gig then you'll probably see more of these people than the wife/girlfriend and the dog. If it feels strained and awkward... walk.

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='513887' date='Jun 15 2009, 09:55 AM']Sorry but i just dont agree with that. Maybe thats your experience but not mine or most people i know doing this. If you want to get on the Social club/holiday camp circuit (as i said, IF) you have to use agents 99%. And if you think you can start out turning weddings/corporates down that are paying less than £1500 then you will loose a lot of money that bands like mine will snap up. I know of two bands gigging full time for the past few years, both working for agents and getting paid well but with things the way they are at the moment bookings are going down in favour of bands that charge less. Agents take money for doing nothing as we all know but some do a lot less than others. The Agents will get you as much work as they can, after all the agents make money if you do but if the gigs aren't there they cant get them. Yes, you can do it all on your own but thats not to say you should not use agents. One agency we work for are very good. They even supply floor plans, get in plans, how many steps if there are any etc if they can. They try and make the bands experience as smooth as possible. Not all(or many) do that. All im my experience of course.[/quote] Yeh - I've got nothing really that bad to say about agents. You have to be a bit cautious - there's a tendency for them to put bands into places that are, shall we say, not entirely suitable. It's a good idea to do a quick sanity check. Certainly around these parts they have all the high paying club circuit completely sewn up, so if that's what you want to do you have zero choice. The best bit of advice I can give about weddings is either do them or don't! It's a completely different mindset and you can't do a wedding just to "give it a try and see what happens" or because it "sounds like a laugh" or somesuch. The whole band have to be on side and appreciate the level of professionalism that will be required. You cannot arse up a wedding if you want to live

I wish I could give some useful advice but there isn't much. It's like job interviews - sometimes you walk in the door, it all clicks, everybody gets on and you get the gig. Sometimes you make a prat of yourself and you don't. It's all karma or something. Go and buy a bottle of Kalms and good luck!!

[quote name='51m0n' post='513865' date='Jun 15 2009, 09:35 AM']For those bothering to try this this is another really great exercise for slappers:- [font="Lucida Console"]Exercise for all strings 3 (Triplet feel X = muted thump, h = hammer on) ------------------5-7-X-5-7-X------------------ ------------5-7-X-------------5-7-X------------ ------5-7-X-------------------------5-7-X------ 5-7-X-------------------------------------5-7-X T-h-T-T-h-T-T-h-T-T-h-T-T-h-T-T-h-T-T-h-T-T-h-T[/font][/quote] Oh no... not the dreaded 'X'. I've never had the subtlety to do that. I'm either pressing the string through the board or my fingers are at 90 degrees to the strings - nothing in between

[quote name='ash_sak' post='513039' date='Jun 13 2009, 11:23 PM']I'm awful at theory, i did a bit when i played the cornet but when it comes to jamming i just do what 'feels' right. People often say 'what key are you playing in' and i have absolutly no idea.[/quote] Blunt alert..... I hear this a lot and it's complete bollox. It'll take you half an hour to learn what the basic scales are, what basic chords and arpeggios are and another half an hour to learn to play them. This is pretty much 95% of the theory you will ever need, it's dead easy and will stop you looking like an idiot when playing with other people.

I don't think it's a sensible question. There's so many aspects to music - some of which will be relevant to you, so of which won't - that coming up with a sensible "score" is impossible. Speaking for myself, I've actually lost track of how long I have been playing but it's less than 10 years and I am in my forties. I try to practice every day - somewhere between 10 minutes and an hour typically. I have a vague notion of getting better in the aspects that I practice. Of course, I'm no better in the areas that I don't. In the last five years I've very rarely not been in a band that pays me to play. So I'm "good enough" for something. On the other hand I've know bass players who practice 10 hours a day for the last 15 years and the depth and breadth of their skill leaves me in the dust. I will never have that level of skill because I don't want to spend the time. So what I am I saying? The more you practice and the more stuff you practice the better you'll be. But it's a journey between zero and infinity and you're always much nearer to zero than you want to be

[quote name='51m0n' post='512136' date='Jun 12 2009, 02:09 PM']Relax.... No really, you have to have a very relaxed body to do this stuff, if you are finding a lot of tension in your shoulders its because you are tensing those muscles, which will wreck your posture, playing and give you a neck/back ache as well in the end. Not good! This stuff just takes a while to pin down. Go very very very slowly to begin with. Speed will come with time and hours of practice (lots of hours) But actually getting a decent thump sound (note singular, just one thump) should be there with reasonble regularity by now I would hope....[/quote] Yeh - I'm sh*t hot on an open E Just the rest to conquer. I'm better than I was so I'm not complaining. I'm still squirming around like I have some neurological problem trying to get everything in the right place. The only way that's comfortable seems to have my forearm resting on the strings which doesn't work funnily enough.

Had a quick listen on YouTube. For all reasonably purposes it's a very ploddy 8th note on the root line. There's the odd slide/run between phrases but nothing that matters. Just watch out for the stops. Plenty of sites have the chords - you should get away with that in an emergency.

Hmmm.... I've always found Warwick necks to be on the difficult side of a stretchy and I like stuff like Precision's, Yammie TRBs and such. Are you sure you need a small neck? While a Jazz of some sort is blindingly obvious don't forget stuff like Ibanez (classic skinny necks) and the Yamaha RBX range (old ones with a big number on the end!)

Update... After a few days trying it's starting to come together - a bit. I'm still very hit and miss. Mostly miss. The big problem now is that I can only practice for about 10 minutes before my shoulder gives out. I had tendonitis in my shoulder a few years ago and it wasn't funny, so I don't want to push my luck. Basically, it's just really difficult. Oh well!

[quote name='Beedster' post='509987' date='Jun 10 2009, 10:49 AM']Some good stuff above. Probably obvious but your bass, the strings and the setup DO make a big difference. I can play slap stuff - albeit somewhat badly - on my current fretted bass that I simply can't play on other basses (I think the previous owner's set-up was probably done with slap in mind). On the basis that my slap tone now sounds OK we've decided to do a pretty tricky Chili's number. Having nailed it on my new bass, I sat down to play it on another bass last night and simply couldn't. Strings were slightly heavier, action slightly higher, neck a different radius (I find flatter necks easier to slap on). I guess what I'm saying is don't flog a dead horse, make sure your bass is up to it![/quote] Interestingly... I picked up my G&L 5 string and found it much easier to get the sound but *much* harder to hit the right string. On my Stingray it's just a nightmare. Odd that. I'll try some new strings on it I think.

[quote name='4000' post='509677' date='Jun 9 2009, 10:41 PM']So do this mean mine's not a singlecut and I've been misled all along????? [/quote] Woah dude... that's awful.... they didn't finish the woodwork, it's only half painted AND it's got some old Fender pickups they found on the floor that don't even match. I'd *definitely* complain...

[quote name='BarnacleBob' post='509744' date='Jun 9 2009, 11:33 PM']That is a total bummer of a story and soory to hear you had such a hassle! I have never (touch wood) had any bother with eBay/Paypal but am reluctant to use it now as I feel my time is due - luckily i use a little independent music shop in Glasgow to sell any gear for me on commission - I just tell them what I'd be happy making out of it and let them get on with it. I find buying and selling on eBay can be quite stressful even if things are going ok - it only takes one prick to ruin your day. Hope it all turns ok BB[/quote] I've always taken the view - and advised anybody else that asks - never spend more on Ebay than you could put up with losing. I've never been burned but I've come close a couple of times.

It tells you something about Evil-Bay that he only has one negative feedback and even that has had the comment "removed by Ebay". Caveat emptor, as they say in Italy.

[quote name='Paul Cooke' post='508399' date='Jun 8 2009, 06:08 PM']that's a good example of how not to wind strings onto the machine heads... there's not enough turns on the posts for a start and it just ruins the look of an expensive bass having bits of wire going off in all directions... rather like guitarists who don't cut their strings properly and have little coils up there getting in the way... meh...[/quote] Perhaps the bass was so ugly they just wanted to get the strings on as fast as possible so they didn't have to look at the fiendish carbuncle any more.

[quote name='hubrad' post='508485' date='Jun 8 2009, 07:52 PM']It caught my eye as well, as they have it in their Ebay listings. I'm quite sure it'll be a corker, as we had one of these in the shop a couple of years back. Not the same one.. one great thing about spalted beech if you like that sort of thing, which I do(!), is that each one is unique! The intonation set looks a bit iffy.. pretty sure it's this bass [url="http://www.overwaterbasses.com/evolution-series-gallery.htm"]http://www.overwaterbasses.com/evolution-series-gallery.htm[/url] but Overwater set it up properly .... see if they'll take an offer? [/quote] Yes, I noticed that too

[quote name='overwater' post='508333' date='Jun 8 2009, 05:01 PM']Hello, The Evolution in 'recently sold' was originally very much a custom build; with a narrow string spacing and 33" scale - built several years ago and would have been well over £2k at the time, but yes with a narrow re-sale market; hence the price... The one with the dealer looks in pretty good condition - though a few years old, as it looks as if it has the old style bridge saddles and will also have the earlier circuit. Chris[/quote] Aha... I'm assuming here that you are THE Chris who knows about these things In which case, cheers for the info.

Thanks for everybody's advice. I get the message. Keep at it until it comes right I'll start by trying to get one slap right, then two....... that always worked for everything else!

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' post='507978' date='Jun 8 2009, 09:50 AM']Mac OS X is [i]clearly[/i] superior to Windows. S.P.[/quote] Well at least now *someone* is talking sense

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='507927' date='Jun 8 2009, 07:31 AM']Does this mean I have an excuse to slap up a pic of my Bolin again? [/quote] It gets worse. They cut the wood out of the headstock instead of the upper bout. I'd take it back and complain if I were you