ambient

I know if you use Paypal, you can put in how much the recipient needs to receive.

The NI Contact does look good. I used to have a Focusrite Scarlet i2i, which was basic but nice. I now use their Forte, which is even nicer.

I'd just keep your bass as it is. It'd save getting confused whilst playing. That's what I've tend to to the few times I've played with guitarists who down tune anyway. Do you play guitar too ? If you do, don't look at them.

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1453381741' post='2958928'] Here's the electronic whiteboard. If you want to read more about it, the guy's called Iannis Xenakis, and the machine's called UPIC. Which reminds me of a kinda cool story: I want to become his pupil, and are allowed to visit him in his apartment. We sit down at the piano, and after a lot of talking and playing, he finally says: - "I accept you as my pupil..." My head is bubbling with excitement of course. Exactly at that point the door opens, and a young man enters. Xenakis undisturbedly continues: "...ah, there he is... ...and [b]this[/b] will be your teacher!" Not what I was envisioning! (Incidentally, I didn't get a grant, and, out of money, had to return home after less than two months - without having received any serious teaching.) [url="http://s1170.photobucket.com/user/basstractor1/media/Xenakis%20-%20UPIC%20%20-%20%20500_zpsz3dx3jre.jpg.html"][/url] [/quote] Great ! I know of Xenakis, what an amazing story, thanks for sharing.

Have you heard Mozart has gone too, terrible news !

Why not just suggest that the son gives the money for said bass to his dad ?

This guy was one of my tutors at uni. A really great guy,and great musician. He has a blog on his website. I thought this was quite interesting, especially considering my experiences at music college. [url="http://www.jaystapley.co.uk/musings-of-a-muso/authenticity-im-playing-loud-can/"]http://www.jaystapley.co.uk/musings-of-a-muso/authenticity-im-playing-loud-can/[/url]

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1453382466' post='2958947'] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/277260-die-another-day/page__view__findpost__p__2958847"]http://basschat.co.u...ost__p__2958847[/url] Already posted. [/quote] He was cool !

Very sad at this, one of my childhood heroes. [url="http://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2016/01/20/rock-legend-animal-dies-aged-66/"]http://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2016/01/20/rock-legend-animal-dies-aged-66/[/url]

If you use Twitter and Facebook, shamelessly use them and provide links to Soundcloud, YouTube and Bandcamp. Also as someone said above, have a read of Steve's blog.

I had one built by John Letts of Letts basses. He charged me £20 I think. To be honest any luthier should be able to make one. You just need to be able to accurately provide the measurements. They do make a difference to your playing.

[quote name='Hutton' timestamp='1453310174' post='2958348'] You've never sent a bass from Aberdeen to London have you? UPS/Interparcel works for me. [/quote] I once collected a bass from a guy who lived just north of Edinburgh. It cost me £30 return on the train, the guy very kindly travelled down to Edinburgh to meet me. It's just me. I have no doubt that each of the couriers successfully manages to deliver hundreds of instruments every day of the week, it's the ones that they don't manage to deliver safely though that concerns me with shipping. Which is why when I do sell something that's fragile, I insist on collection, or me meeting them somewhere convenient. I sold a Modulus bass before Christmas, the guy travelled up from Exeter to collect it. He's maybe as paranoid as me.

Personally I wouldn't risk anyone of them shipping an instrument. I'd use national rail enquiries and book a cheap advance train ticket, or national express and go by coach. You get a day out too !

Read the small print, especially regarding any insurance. Most don't insure instruments, even though they'll take the money off you.

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1453305704' post='2958289'] Ha! Memories of old days! Back in the Pleistocene I had several teachers who did stuff like that. I tried to upload pics, but PhotoBucket failed me. May try later. Anyway, we'd find ourselves on the floor studying scores that were several yards wide as well as deep, so you'd have to sit on them to read the top of the score the right way. One of my teachers found sort of a solution in drawing the score directly on an electronic whiteboard, and then the computer rather than a player would translate it into music. Not live though I think. IMS we had to make two drawings on the whiteboard, and after each drawing, the computer would have to analyse and store, before combining the data into one composition. Good times! . . ...that I don't want back. [/quote] I'd love to see photos please, if you can.

[quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1453293525' post='2958118'] Reminds me of the graphic scores of Cornelius Cardew [url="http://cdn.lrb.co.uk/assets/edillus/gott01_3105_02.gif"]http://cdn.lrb.co.uk...t01_3105_02.gif[/url] [/quote] We looked at Cardew's last week. These were from last week too - [attachment=210215:12400458_459438644264402_5260268599431189040_n.jpg]

My motto is, if I can't pick it up in person then I won't bother. It's just a shame more aren't like me.

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1453290560' post='2958074'] Now I'll admit to being slightly out of my depth here, but isn't that how Terry Riley's In C works? I'm pretty sure I saw something along those lines on a Culture Show a couple of years back. [/quote] Kind of, but in C, it's the performer that decides when to move on to the next part, and how many times to play it before again moving on. Here the conductor makes the decisions. This has actual sections, kind of like A and B etc in a jazz score. It was done for the Lonfon Jazz Composers orchestra. http://youtu.be/HVtg2lQ5OQo

Tracy Chapman's Happy album was pretty good. Gabriel's last solo studio album was really good, that was 10 years ago now though. I also really liked his orchestral reworking album. The live arrangement of Sigmal to noise was fantastic. http://youtu.be/ZXFVOWIX_gE

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1453276917' post='2957947'] That's not what I was expecting - I was thinking they would be traditional scores that created a very graphic look from the patterns of the notes. They really are something else! Are they fairly easy to understand and follow for a competent reader? [/quote] They're meant to be used with a conductor. He would hold up a placard with a letter on so you'd play that section. Some parts have hand signals printed next to them too. The idea is that it's up to the conductor to decide which part you play next. He may just have one part of the ensemble play one section, while another plays a different section.

We were looking at these incredible graphic scores today in a lecture. They're compositions by a jazz double bassist called Barry Guy. These are mostly in black and white, but the one we actually saw in class was in colour, and poster size. [attachment=210198:pod38_guy3.jpg][attachment=210199:pod38_guy4.jpg]

Martin at the Gallery.

I started on violin as a child, so I learned then, having weekly lessons at school. I then started playing classical guitar, and continued reading. When I started playing bass, I didn't realise that you could play without reading music. It sounds odd now, but I expected to be given stuff to read.

[quote name='mrtcat' timestamp='1453241502' post='2957838'] From the other side of the fence, if you are a band and you are auditioning players you are usually grateful if: 1. Auditionee is on time. 2. Auditionee is prepared. 3. Auditionee has described themselves and their ability honestly in their advert. 4. Auditionee doesn't smell bad and generally is pleasant. Beyond that it's great when you find the right person but you certainly don't begrudge anyone who doesn't fit as long as they have adhered to points 1-4 so there's actually very little to be afraid of. [/quote] Add to that list sober and has his or her own bass .