ambient

How high or low is your bass? Stand in front of a mirror with your bass on, look for tension in your wrist or shoulders etc,

There are literally thousands of songs from all genres available in standard notation. There's a whole thread pinned in the theory section,

I used a similar rig a few years ago, the cab had a tweeter, in a very loud Free tribute band. So loud that I left them, but the rig handled it perfectly.

The TH350 only puts out 175 watts with an 8 ohm cab, so you should be fine.

Can we expect there to be a lot of Status 6 string basses for sale in a year or so time then? Where people have bought them because of Mark King, then realised they have no need for one.

What I find so bizarre with all this, is why people are constantly trying to find short cuts to learning to play an instrument. An instrument that once learned will give years, and years of pleasure. So why not do it properly in the first place? It needn't cost loads of money, or even take loads of time, in fact most seem to spend more time trying to find short cuts. If you were learning to play violin like I did at school, or trumpet or practically any other brass instrument, then you'd learn enough theory to get you going, you'd almost certainly too learn to read music. So why not with bass? If you're happy to blindly regurgitate a learned part, then fine, but learning to actually play, learning some background to what you're doing, Having enough knowledge so that you're able to improvise a part, I mean improvise too, not just play notes at random hoping you're going to play a correct one is surely better? One of my students was 80 last weekend. His previous tutor was basically just teaching him to play bass lines from TAB, he didn't learn anything about what he was playing, or why. It's been a year since I started teaching him, he loves Frank Sinatra and that kind of thing. His dad was a professional bassist back in the 30s, 40s and 50s. He can now just turn to a page in his real book, and improvise a bass line over the chords from it. He absolutely loves his playing, and his lessons. All this about TAB, which in my opinion is a waste of time. Most of the TAB I've seen has usually been wrong, it also doesn't convey any information regarding rhythm. A little bit of basic knowledge would enable people to pick out a bass line quite easily, bearing in mind that most bass lines are pretty diatonic, listen to the line and look at the chords, most lines start on the root note. But no, we'd rather sit and spend ages looking for the TAB, and then more time working out what the TAB should actually say.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1502756923' post='3353349'] No, you're not wrong at all; that's exactly right. It is, however, equally possible to turn the telescope the other way around, play bass lines (one's own or other folk's creations...) and derive scales and chords and melodies from them. It's also perfectly possible to play along to a disk and never know what the notes are called, or their relations to each other. Not that this is the 'best' way, nor the quickest, but it's the way very many folks start out, and often enough turn later on to the more formal, or technical side (so much the better...). Starting out in one's bedroom, or a garage with one's buddies, and jamming away, making a racket, getting blisters, maybe even breaking a string or two... This is a perfectly legitimate activity for a budding musician. Some study alongside is good; some 'letting one's hair down' and enjoying the simplest of riffs for twenty minutes solid is good, too. Look at scales, certainly, but don't imagine that one [i]has [/i]to remember any of that to play the bass (or any other instrument, of course...) Just sayin'. [/quote] I really can't be bothered arguing tbh.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1502754732' post='3353344'] Maybe a rather pedantic point, but I'd suggest that it's the opposite: scales came about because of music folks were playing. It's perfectly legitimate, for some, to completely forego all formal knowledge of these mechanical constructions and still become virtuoso performers and skilled musicians. I wouldn't suggest for a moment that scales etc should [i]not [/i]be looked at and/or studied, but I consider it a blinkered view to say that they're the crux of the matter. Different folks have differing perspectives; one size does not fit all. [/quote] What I meant was that most bass lines are formed using notes from chord tones, which are derived from scales, as are guitar solos, melody lines etc........I may be wrong of course.

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1502744174' post='3353282'] Lessons are good to get you started but don't bother with scales and stuff. [/quote] This kind of thing is poor advice to someone starting out. Scales are where it all comes from. There's no reason at all why learning them should be boring. I teach scales using bass lines that the student knows to demonstrate how lines are created.

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1502750375' post='3353329'] Just read through the content and looked at the photos, nice bit of PR 'puff' for Gizmodrome and Status Basses. Not sure what the picture of him 'gurning' and clenching his fist is about: and there's just lots of other spurious photos too with very little written content over 8 full pages and 7 photos, all obviously taken in a local hotel room. Still it could have been worse, like an old interview with Sir Paul? [/quote] I didn't know what Gizmodrome was, so I looked. Adrian Belew and Mark King?

Hello.......wherever

Apparently, today's the day .

Isn't it from the same show? So it's kind of a reprise.

My friend is a cellist. She was my composition tutor at uni, and bought her cello in to a lecture the one day. She played it and I can't tell you the sound it produced, it was so beautiful. It dates back to 18 oh something. I remember her saying it has survived Napoleon and two world wars.

Get some dates and ask, if they're not available go back to the venue and get alternative dates. Isn't that usually what happens?

Following my solo set at the Sonic Imperfections event in London two days ago, my next gig is this coming Sunday evening, 13th August. At The Surrey Vaults, 8-9 Surrey Street, Bristol.

[quote name='handman' timestamp='1502304570' post='3350598'] Do you work there [/quote] Me? No, my outlook on the world is maybe a little different to most others though. It really wouldn't worry me if the silk wrappings on my strings were different colours and clashed with the tuners for instance. I've been playing professionally for years, but I don't own a bass shop or any other kind of music shop. so if I go there and want to buy X, and Mark says, well maybe try Y instead, then I'd listen to him and respect his knowledge, it's his job, he has experience of a vast amount of different instruments and equipment. I wouldn't come on here and make comments about him because he'd suggested something different and probably better suited than what I thought I'd originally wanted. If Marcus puts a smiley at the end of an email, then I smile, it's not a reason to be annoyed.

[quote name='Spike Vincent' timestamp='1502131587' post='3349515'] I have one.A proper one with the black painted finish, none of yer carpet nonsense. Can't say it gets out of the house much because there is a Ford Granada hiding inside it, at least that would explain the weight. [attachment=250867:trace.jpg] [/quote] A Ford Granada loaded complete with a family of four, their dog, and luggage for a fortnight .

Whilst I agree that good service is important, I think we need to recognise that Mark and Marcus are only human, as such there will be the odd mistake made. It's how they deal with those that's important, and on the whole I think reading these posts, they seem to deal with them extremely well. I can't help thinking reading through this, that there are some extremely fussy people about though.

[quote name='GisserD' timestamp='1502277742' post='3350387'] i visited a few months ago. When i arrived it was just Marcus and I was playing a fretless MTD that i fully intended to buy. Mark turned up to the shop 15 minutes later and asked everybody in the shop whos the car was parked outside. when i told him it was mine, he asked me to move it as there were no more spaces close-by. i think he had something heavy to bring into the store. seriously, do you really ask a customer to leave the store so you can park your car? i told him that i would be leaving in 5 minutes if he could wait that long? i sat stewing on it feeling uncomfortable, and left in plenty of time. not only did he loose a sale, but probably my custom for good. [/quote] So he asked you to move your car?

[quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1502195688' post='3349903'] Don't pigeonhole your bass choices for what you 'think' a genre demands, especially if you're basing that decision on looks. Country in particular is massive in the US and consequently attracts some top class players with top class gear, so even something boutique will fit the bill if it performs adequately. [/quote] I think this is quite true.

Just be careful with it. I guess the biggest hazard would be having it stolen, and then trying to find it afterwards? I gig my Overwater custom 7, which would cost in excess of £5k to replace, that's what it's for. It's kept in it's gig bag at gigs, which I keep next to me, or in sight at all times. Though my bass would probably be a little harder to sell, and easier to spot. My friend is a cellist, her cello would cost tens of thousands to replace.

[quote name='Spike Vincent' timestamp='1502132880' post='3349525'] Or the alternative title, How Good are Your Speakers. [/quote] I was listening on my MacBook.