ambient

Ha, this was my last release. 😁

CDs, you’re so 20th century 😊

A lot of the time it's down to training, or lack of. I remember watching the vocalists at uni, they'd spend ages warming up before singing, not just their vocal chords either, many used to do yoga exercises to physically warm up. He looks slightly over-weight there too, you have to be healthy and look after yourself, in my opinion anyway, especially for the sort of singing that he does, or did.

The Comfort Strapp is very good, as is the Duo strap thing. I once saw Michael Manring using two Comfort Strapps; one on each shoulder, achieving a similar result as the Duo. Another idea is to build up your back muscles, maybe look at Yoga classes in your area.

A used MacBook?

You need a DAW, digital audio workshop software. Something like Logic Pro, which is apple only, but that kind of thing. Cubase works with windows.

Vertigo. I had a problem with the m80, it was a little too deep with the front pocket to fit on the overhead luggage rack on some trains.

Don’t play licks. Just listen to what’s going on, feel it and act accordingly. The most important, for me anyway, thing is to know where ‘one’ is. When I’ve had to play in anything other than 4/4, 3/4 or 5/4 I’ve broken it into two, never more than that. So 7/4 would be 4/4 followed by 3/4. It depends though how the drummer is feeling it.

ICMP where I did my BMus run summer schools. https://www.icmp.ac.uk/course/performance-music-summer-school It's an excellent place.

One of my gigs is with a jazz collective, they have three different vocalists, each sings in a different key, and instrumental we use another key again. Beautiful song though. I think the best version I’ve ever been a part of was at a pub in Wednesbury called the Trumpet. The owner is Algerian, he played drums for us and sang the most beautiful vocal in French.

From my experience; I was a mature student when I got my BMus. They weren’t actually bothered about prior qualifications or grades, I needed A levels; that was for UCAS, I had an assessment to see if I was good enough to audition, then the actual audition which included an aural skills exam, there was a was a harmony and theory exam, a sight-reading exam and a general playing exam where I had to play along to recordings in various styles, then play a prepared piece; that could be to a backing track or solo. It was probably the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life.

Good idea, it's always best not to complicate things. I did Autumn leaves as a solo bass/chord melody thing for one of my auditions, it's a really beautiful song. Good luck, I sincerely hope it goes well for you. I'm classed as a mature student, very late 30s. You're really never too old. It’s just a new road on the journey of life.

I disagree. Where I studied there were several mature students over 40. I'm doing my masters now and there are again a few over 40, and one of the PhD guys is over 60.

They'd generally play what they need for the gig. Sometimes a band leader might specify a certain instrument. I've never personally had that, but I do know people who have been told they must use a P bass or something. I know someone who did a musical based on the 1950s, the band were visible on stage, it had to 'look' right. Dave Swift is one of the UK’s busiest, his main bass at the moment is a 6 string Ibanez, though he plays others depending I guess on what the gig requires. Anthony Jackson always plays his 6 string Fodera. John Patitucci always plays a 6 string, usually a Yamaha. Jimmy Haslip plays a 6 string Roscoe.

There are loads, I love classical music for instance, and anything by Brian Eno or Harold Budd. Most of what I listen to is sound based, rather than instrument. This piece is very inspirational in my work at the moment:

I’d love to use an iPad, I know lots who do. I have this fear of it either stopping working or falling off and breaking. If my printed paper pad falls off the worst than will happen is I lose my page 😁. Most just swipe with their finger.

That’s brilliant, hope it works out. You’re still playing music which is fantastic. It’ll probably give you a different perspective on playing bass.

That would the adventure of a lifetime. I bet it was amazing. With this kind of thing, if you approach it right, you can come away with ideas that you can keep dipping into whenever you need to. I did a weekend thing with 6 string player Todd Johnson about 8 years ago. He did a lot of chord melody playing and soloing concepts. Things that take ages to assimilate into your playing anyway. There were things that he covered that every now and then I think ah yes!

BIMM? I know they’ve opened one in London, I’m not sure exactly where it is though.

You’ll do plenty of performing. You have lpws and rsw every week. Lpw is live performance workshop, rsw is rhythm section workshop.