ubassman

...just also check by tapping the bouts where the neck joins the body for any hollowness. I once had to repair a bass where the shoulder on the left side had come unglued from the neck block and the neck and block and whole body had distorted in shape. It looked exactly like the bridge was drifting but in fact it was the neck which had become twisted and was no longer aligned to the vertical axis of the bass. Some of the Chinese basses in particular are prone to 'popping' at the seams due to changes in UK climate and can distort quite significantly ! If you put the bass on one side it may lay completely flat but then when you flip it over and lay it on its other side you may only have 3 points of contact rather than 4 ...a sure sign of a twisted bass !

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1374705483' post='2152336'] I'm new to db but I wonder if the tail gut (?) Is offset and the vibrations are making it move across? I know mine needs putting straight since the last time I had the bridge off but I can't be bothered to mess right now as its sounding and playing well. [/quote] Thats usually the cause. At the end of the day the nut is fixed at one end and the tail piece is at the other. If the tailpiece fixed end isn't correctly aligned then it will pull the bridge. Could be down to a poorly tied tail wire making the tailpiece skew or it could be that the tailpiece wires need separating and aligning on the saddle better. Those would be my first port of call. Put the bass on a blanket on the kitchen table and have a look down the length of the bass from the machine head end and you should see whats what.

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1374670888' post='2151592'] I have always assumed its because laminated wood is less resonant than carved wood. Feedback is all about turning the body of the bass into a giant vibrating microphone and the less it vibrates the less the feedback [/quote] +1 on that Clarky ....the thickness of the top of a carved bass between the F holes and under the bridge is made thicker partly to resist the forces of the bridge but also to resonate more - whereas plywood is plywood and has an even thickness throughout the top. The result is that acoustically the carved is more richer due to the greater resonance and vibrations happening in the top but when its amplified its a bit like trying to put out an already raging fire with a can of petrol !

Could be that you are too stiff with your wrist and are sawing the strings rather than rolling. Pull upwards at an angle from the left hand side of the string and push upwards at an angle from the right - the bow angle of attack is different on the up bow to the down bow - rather than being flat sawing backward and forwards - give that a try ! Also try loosing off your bow - if its too tight it will screech and skid over the strings. There wants to be just enough tension so that you can play cleanly without playing another unwanted string a the same time - if the bow is too lose its hard to play just one string. Like steve says if you want to get into bowing you need to read - that will unlock a universe of info and music for you !

...could be tempted ! ( just got to check a couple of other happenings going on around the 11th - may be i'm away ).

...and of course the dynamics ( which was the original post !!) !

[quote name='oggiesnr' timestamp='1374429507' post='2148631'] I prefer playing no 9 but I actually play the other one more accurately! [/quote] For no 9, the 'money notes' I reckon are to make the shifts in bars 7 & 8 ...and 11 squeaky clean - I reckon 'jobs a good-un' getting those bars nailed with everything else more or less falling under the fingers ..just got to get them thar string crossings clean !!

[quote name='oggiesnr' timestamp='1374429507' post='2148631'] I'm working on both of them at the moment, no decision yet made on which I'll actually do. I prefer playing no 9 but I actually play the other one more accurately! Steve [/quote] ...I think I do too on balance ( 9 is just a bit more musical to play ) ...but it cool to show off a bit of dexterity with no 4 ( which I guess is the deal there ) !

[quote name='philparker' timestamp='1374433952' post='2148713'] when I studied classical guitar and could buy all the exam pieces in one album. [/quote] I remember having to buy Augustine Barrios, Fernando Sorr and an obscure Scarlatti when doing my 6 at classical guitar ( many moons ago !!) and thinking how expensive it was as you had to buy a whole book for one piece....and pay for the exam. I think that seems to be a predicament with the upper grades. Maybe we should operate a musical library and share what we have !!

Phil, 40 'Allegretto con energy' with big drops or 50 'allegro' with the first bar played 'leggeramente' ( calm before the 3/8 staccato storm ? ) ...you gotta love Bottesini!

You can see Bottesini with a twinkle in his writing 4 as a test for the right hand ...slurred notes into staccato and then a slur into an accent - all in one bar ...and then the 9th definitely throwing down the gauntlet for the left hand intonation and fingering! Both great fun to play for very different reasons .

...just looked up the Bottesini 4 and 9 studies - really very different pieces ( are you doing one of these Steve? - if so all the best with your exam !! ). ...4 is a lot more straight laced and almost mathematical and Study no 9 is more lyrical in comparison. What I though was interesting was that I figured that if i were doing 4, I would play it perhaps more 'black and white' focussing on the precision of the alternating slurred and staccato bowings and hitting the accents where they are specified ...but if I were playing Study no9 I would tempted to add colour with all the accidental notes that are thrown in and the range covered. So maybe the right answer is to play what the piece calls for!

Was chatting to a friend about a couple of Bottesini etudes included in the current ABRSM syllabus (Grade 5 - 8 ) and how they should best be played . As there are no dynamics shown in any of the etudes (as they are technical studies rather than compositions for the concert hall), I was of the view that its down to the musicianship and interpretation to make the pieces come alive particularly in an exam environment for the level of grade being performed i.e. for a 'distinction' the player should be [i]authoritative and have an instinctive and communicative sense of performance, sensitivity to the musical detail and mood. etc etc [/i] He was of the view that you just play the notes evenly taking the ground that if the composer wanted accents, Forte and Piano passages, cresc etc he would have written in the dynamics and as a technical piece it should be just that - a technical tour de force. Pull out the character of the music or play a technically perfect but sterile demonstration? For me it should be both but got me thinking and normally yes, I would follow the dynamics of the piece respecting the composers intention ...but when there are none ?

Happy birthday Clarky!

[quote name='Owencf' timestamp='1374256504' post='2147003'] Another member of the Double bass family, welcome. [/quote] +1 ....welcome !!

[quote name='Burg' timestamp='1374247841' post='2146897'] Hi [url="http://basschat.co.uk/user/3801-symcbass/"]symcbass[/url], any way I could find out for sure if this was an Excelsior? [/quote] Yep, it does look to be a Boosey and Hawkes - not so sure that its an Excelsior though? The Boosey and Hawkes 'ARTIA' Excelsior Double Bass, 3/4 size, built circa 1960, were swell backed, laminated but with a nice mature, warm sound.These were Czech made basses and imported by B & H and designated the 'Excelsior' range (a name they applied to many quality student instruments, brass and woodwind), under the Artia label, coming from the Luby factory that now make Strunal basses. Could be either The Excelsior which was a full plywood bass, or even a Golden Strad which had carved top ( rather than plywood) . It looks however like it be a bit more recent and might be a '400 series' made in the 1980s in Czechoslovakia - still a good quality student instrument !. Look inside the left f hole - there should be a label.

There are cool players, musical players, technical players and then are rare people like Jaco who are all of those but are also visionaries who do something that (at the time) nobody had ever seen or thought of before. That for me is why Jaco stands out in a league of his own - its the uncontainable spirit of his music that I love . Everyone who knew him describes him as 'one crazy cat' , a risk taker, a guy who lived like every day was his last day on the planet, a complete genius. His legacy is that he redefined the role and possibilities for the modern day bassist - there are only a very small handful of people that can shine a light to that and to become a true legend you have live for your music and die young!

You might also enjoy this link to Ingrid Horn Mullers ( Jaco's 2nd wife) web site - it kind of gives you a different take on the music ! [url="http://www.jacop.net/homepage.html"]http://www.jacop.net/momsintro2.swf[/url]

His life was a complete car wreck ...but that maybe is what made his music the way it was! [url="http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/4758_001.pdf"]http://www.bronxbant...10/4758_001.pdf[/url] [color=#ffffff].[/color]

[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JIM-Dunlop-Fretboard-65-Ultimate-Lemon-Oil-for-guitars-/330956657042?pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&hash=item4d0e8dd192"]Lemon Oil[/url] for the [s]fingerboard [/s] sorry fretboard ( natural mistake for a DB player !)

Hi maude - PM with your details and I will send the Black on - impressive !

[quote name='Owencf' timestamp='1370004127' post='2095425'] i dont have to worry much ..yet. This cat is a complete spaz! wife dont believe me that if it starts to claw my Double bass i'll turn it into strings. [/quote] ...first dibs on the gut strings !

[quote name='geoffbassist' timestamp='1373995596' post='2144051'] I dont really know what to advice to keep the volume down other than buying an EUB. [/quote] If you invested in one you could plug it into a [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TASCAM-MP-BT1-MPBT1-PORTABLE-MP3-BASS-TRAINER-/390627258328?pt=US_Other_Pro_Audio&hash=item5af332efd8"]tascam bass trainer[/url] and play silently through headphones at full volume ?

Thanks for all you efforts Sylvia ( btw theres another masterclass at the academy later in the year - tempted? !) Jim, I will be 'sticking up' the bass and packing ready for the next recipient complete with KaBLes . I am going to be on the radio later in the week .The Relay is gaining interest and momentum - theres no shortage of musicians around and I think that it will be only a short time before the next story emerges. Jim, just got to say a huge congratulations to you for having the idea in the first place and really pleased to have had a part in the bass's adventures! My youngest daughter aged 13 wouldn't put the bass down and just loves the popping and slapping sound ( what are the strings that are on it? Might have to invest in bass for her as long as it has that sound ....hopefully the auction won't be for a good long while yet !!). Peter

Just came across some stats:- 1/. According to the National Lottery, the chances of winning the jackpot are [url="http://lottery.merseyworld.com/Info/Chances.html"]1 in 14 million. [/url] ....not very good odds !! 2/. According to Cancer Research UK however , 1 out of 3 people will be [url="http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/cancerstats/incidence/risk/statistics-on-the-risk-of-developing-cancer"]diagnosed with cancer[/url] at some time in their life. So, that means that potentially either me writing this, you reading this ....or the next person will have to deal with that day. So, if anyone needs a reason for getting involved in the Bass Relay .....lets try and get better odds than 1 in 3 !