ambient

I think they're in Greece, so it'll probably take a while to arrive.

I don't c[quote name='wal4string' timestamp='1358813806' post='1945669'] Your slap sound must be really naff then. [/quote] [quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1358816225' post='1945692'] Not at all. Why must it be 'really naff' just because I don't change anything? [/quote] I don't change anything either, in fact my amp (Markbass LM2) is usually set flat. It's a technique thing, I know people at college who slap P basses strung with flats, and they still sound fine.

[quote name='yepmop' timestamp='1358467310' post='1939979'] I've just started on the Bass guitar theory course [url="http://www.instituteofbass.com/courses/music_theory_for_bass/"]http://www.institute...heory_for_bass/[/url] 12 week course for £16. I have been doing it for 2 weeks, a lot of work but interesting a chunk has gone over my head a bit but I think/hope I get it in the end. The guy running it says give it 30 mins to 1 hour a day if you want to succeed at it and stick at it, like everything else it's practice, practice.... I'm the worlds worse learner but I WILL do it! [/quote] That's a lot to do in just 12 weeks ! I did the ICMP Higher diploma course last year and covered most of that, but that was in a year and with a tutor so we could ask questions and get them to explain bits we didn't understand.

Books are ok as long as you understand what's being said in them, and like you say some can be a bit on the tedious side. Best is to find someone and have private lessons, as and when you can, and when you can afford them. Just my opinion, no doubt many will disagree,

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1358427092' post='1938889'] In what way ? Just curious..... Garry [/quote] Probably just me, but it's more logical and user friendly. I did a course a few years ago to get to understand Cubase, and still couldn't after 3 months. Logic and Garageband I picked up with no tuition, though I do use at Logic Pro at music college now. Garagband is basically a much stripped down version of Logic, but it does share some of the same instruments and plugins. Also if you decided that you wanted to get into recording and production more, then you're able to easily transfer ideas from Garageband on your Ipad into Logic on a laptop or iMac. Just me I guess, but it just makes more sense.

Garageband is waaaaaay better than Cubase and I think you get that on an iPad anyway, and get an Apogee Jam, they're 50 quid or something and are designed to work with Macs.

Anyone tried these ? [url="http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/p/916931/jim-dunlop-lok-straplok-ergo-lok-strap-pair/"]http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/p/916931/jim-dunlop-lok-straplok-ergo-lok-strap-pair/[/url] I don't personally like either the Schaller or normal Dunlop strap locks, so these [i]look[/i] like a good alternative. I've got Schallers fitted to my basses at the moment, would these work with the Schaller strap pin ?

Strings, my SR5 has plenty of zing !

[quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1358113681' post='1933452'] I'm guessing you've modified your Marcus bass,because as standard it has a 3 Bolt neck (not 6),Badass II bridge (no through body stringing) and Fender '70's reverse machine heads (not Hipshot). I've got a bunch of Fenders and there are some inconsistencies,but nothing that I'd kick off about. I've seen some late '70's Fenders that have had really large gaps in the neck pocket,which kind of put me off a little, otherwise I don't think a small gap is too much of a problem. [/quote] It's the 5 string USA version.

There's no gap on the pockets of either of my Fenders. Both necks are perfect and don't move, I believe they have graphite rods in them for stability. The Marcus Miller bass is a dream to play, and has 6 bolts attaching it to the body via a plate making for a really sturdy fit. The frets are all perfectly seated, and the bridge is perfectly positioned, and allows for either through the body stringing or through the bridge on both basses. I like the hipshot machines on the Marcus Miller bass too. You can't actually see the neck pocket on the bass in the photo, it's not that close so making comments on it seem a bit odd.

I own two USA Fender's, a Marcus Miller and a USA jazz bass. Both are great basses, and like I've said before, people know (MD's, producers, artists etc) what they're getting. They've both been set up to play how I want them to, and they respond and sound how I want them to. There's also the fact that you drop some cash on a used USA Fender bass, you'll almost certainly get it back should you sell it, you can't say the same with a custom bass by someone no one's ever heard of.

I own 2 Fender basses, both USA basses and I think they're excellent instruments. What bass would have great playability after being shipped halfway across the world, spending probably weeks inside a container onboard a ship, without a decent setup and maybe new strings ? I know what producers, engineers, MD's and bandleaders like to see, and it's not some strange shaped, pointy thing looking like a conservationists nightmare. Any bass can be setup to play and sound good, I've played Squire basses that sound and play amazing, with stock hardware and electronics, (that's another thing, people spending a fortune on replacement pickups....why, can they hear the difference when playing live ?) I only joined here a couple of days ago, but I can't believe how obsessed with gear everyone is. It's the player, not the bass. One of my tutors at ICMP told us a story a while back, something about Jaco and a fan who was raving about the sound of Jaco's beat up fretless '62 jazz bass. Jaco took off his bass, leant it against his amp and said something like "does it still sound amazing now ?".

Just play what you'd usually play over a Dominant 7 chord.

Dominant 7 chord with some or all of the following upper extensions - flat 9 (G), sharp 9 (A), sharp 11 (C) and flat 13 (D). Altered scale is the 7th mode from melodic minor scale and contains all the above alterations.

I'd say you were a bass player, that's not necessarily the same thing as being a musician though. I can 'play' keyboards, but I don't class myself as being a keyboard player, I simply don't have the necessary technical ability for that, same with guitar. I don't think that learning a bass part from whatever source, be it TAB or a how to play video on youtube makes you a musician. It's not just the knowing how to, it's also the knowing 'why'.