ubassman

...and if you're in West London Walton on Thames theres the Contrabass Shoppe - need to make an appointment http://www.contrabass.co.uk/top_quality_bows.htm

Sam, give Tim Toft Violins a call and ask for Helen and see what stock she can get hold of in advance http://www.timtoftviolins.com/ - They are based in Stone which but is a short trip from Stafford. Good luck with it - any hand me downs on offer ?!

....but also worth having the PAT test done in the first instance as a starting point!

[quote name='danthevan' timestamp='1367270019' post='2063615'] The PAT test only shows the bit of kit was ok when it was tested, doesn't mean it will be trouble free for 12 months. Therefore, not worth the sticker it's written on in all honesty. [/quote] +1 Interestingly, most portable domestic appliances such as microwaves, toasters, kettles, TVs, are pretty low risk because they stay put and are usually in a nice warm house . Well travelled band equipment gets exposed to much more potential abuse ...outdoor weather, being chucked in the van by knackered people at 2.00am after a gig, being bounced up and down on the motorway, left on stage overnight, ...the lead singer's water regularly being spilt ! etc, etc). Apart from using a testing device and logging items in the inspection / following a protocol, theres a lot of emphasis on a visual inspection ...and that particular bit is pretty easy to do on a regular basis. DantheVan is right the PAT test is just a snapshot in time and good to to a visual equipment check every couple of months looking for the obvious . Pretty much common sense stuff - more info [url="http://www.pat-testing-uk.info/what-is-involved-in-a-pat-test.php"]here[/url] .

I have just got used to the fact that the 'bass parts' that I get with Wind Orchestra are rarely in the right range for the DB - comes with the patch ! I play a 4 string DB and frequently seem to get given Tuba parts as its a C instrument requires mental gymnastics if you have a 4 string DB as the Tuba has a much lower range and a 5 string is essential ( ...i know, I know GAS - 5 string is on the list !). Also get the odd bars in Tenor Clef and occasionally in treble. The absolute trick I have learnt is that when the reading gets tricky , I aim to just hit the first note of each bar or skip it entirely if I can't transpose fast enough but then hit the next bar I recognise .. knowing where you are in the flow of the music is vital. Currently really lucky to working with some brilliant musicians in a 7 piece and in the process of transposing a repertoire of over 150 tuba parts . Writing music has really sharpened my reading and transpositional skills ...particularly those long staves and ledger lines. At the end of the day if its a matter of playing specific dots for a specific piece of music the only way really is write out your own part from what ever you get given - it doesn't half improve reading and transposing skills having to write things out!

You may have your bass rotated too much into your hip ...causes the elbow to be way out in front of the 'nipple line' ( an imaginary line if you were to 'join the dots' !) .The more the elbow is out to the front , the more the tricep is stretched. Try playing 'air double bass' and get into your playing position - see if you can feel your tricep tighten . You may simply need to pull the elbow back towards the nipple line which will mean the bass won't need to be rotated as much. Hope its as simple as that !

Have a look at this [url="https://www.cglloyds.co.uk/instant-quote/plel?trade=241&gclid=CIv30tni6LYCFSXLtAoduksAcA"]web site[/url] Quote of around £55 per annum for £1M PLI ( plenty of other on line quotes though !). The organisers of any venue / event should have PLI and should indemnify you with employers liability insurance - its your place of work and they are the employer paying your wages , providing you ( in theory) with a safe working environment . They also have a duty of care to the public coming into their building to make sure it safe and all preventable risks have been mitigated . The chances are you would be covered in any event under their Public Liability insurance policy for most things that occur in a venue . It would be pretty worrying for a venue to have no insurance in place and to try to pass on their responsibility down the line to a band. If however the band did something that caused a problem, for example a bin toppled offstage and hit someone then it may well be down to the band ...so for £55 quid its probably best to be covered by your own policy. Quick story - we once played on a Thames river boat - the night was rocking until the captain turned the electricity off to stop the band in its tracks so as to stop everyone dancing ....reason being that the whole deck was springing up and down and he was worried about the thing collapsing. He wouldnt let the gig continue because he said that the boat wasn't covered under his insurance if the floor collapsed. Whose fault ? The Boat owner for not having a boat fit for purpose or the band for causing the crowd to be too lively ? If the floor had collapsed the injury claims laywers would have gone for everyone ! As the saying goes, nobody intends to have an accident - when one occurs I wouldn't want to rely on the robustness of someone else's policy!

Enjoyed this and thought I would share... [url="http://youtu.be/pyUZh_Cbw6Q"]http://youtu.be/pyUZh_Cbw6Q[/url]

Loving going through Tarlton's version of the Essential Sevcik - currently on exercise 5 ( ..with 240 variations!!) would welcome anyone else's views .

[quote name='fatgoogle' timestamp='1366359167' post='2051342'] Also ill just add, even if you might not like the idea, but join a local orchestra. First of all its incredibly fun. Second of all your sight reading, bowing, intonation and ability to become a better musician will go through the roof. It'll be pretty damn scary at first especially if your the only double bass player but it'll really push you and you'll probably start to love the bow and all you can achieve with it. [/quote] +1 hard, hard work and pretty scary at first but theres nothing better ! Maybe look for a wind orchestra? ...they are often desperate for a 'String Bass' player ( I am guessing players might be quite thin on the ground in sunny Aberdeen )! . Current orchestra I play in has a repertoire where we play a full on pomp and circumstance 'Night at the Proms' set with Land of hope and Glory, Crown Imperial , Nimrod, Jerusalem etc and then another set that is jazzy and big band Sinatra type numbers , Come fly with me, Mack the knife, ( NB wind players look to the DB to get the feel of how to swing - a lot don't do it naturally !!) and the next minute I get to pull out my electric bass and have fun playing show pieces from Lion King, Les Miserables, ....and then theres the Christmas set where we sight read carols and play ...its all really great for opening up the bass, musicianship absorbing it all and playing what ever style you really want to play outside of orchestra . None of the music is really my genre but its huge fun to play and I see the orchestral pieces as avehicle that takes me out of my comfort zone and into places I wouldnt normally go . Best of all theres nothing better to give you a boost of confidence to be known as 'the double bass player' !. So ...top advice from @fatgoogle !!

...maybe the bass is down the back of the sofa ?

....Just PM'd him and apparently he delivers free of charge worldwide via air mail !

...priceless! (...well a bid for 99p at the moment !!)

Thought I would share this gem - very tempted but I already have so many in my collection already !.. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Air-Guitar-/261198916487?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3cd0ab2b87

CAPTION?

CAPTION?

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1366022047' post='2047297'] Are there many deps who don't read? [/quote] Orchestral + big band + show work - obviously! ...you are playing someone else's dots ! Jazz dep - probably will be a reader anyway but perhaps more valuable to know the changes and be able to transpose into any key ..and to have a 'F1' pair of ears! Everything else that works on chord changes and where its up to you how you connect the chords - probably not vital. This sounds like the gig in this instance. That said - in my experience yes, deps are always excellent readers ...it kind of an assumed skill and if you are going to do that kind of work on a regular basis you have to be able to comfortably handle every musical situation.

+1 [quote name='danthevan' timestamp='1366020670' post='2047274'] I would say if you start asking £100 then they'll expect you to be sh*t hot. If you say bung me £30 and some beers then they'll know what sort of standard to expect! Keep it simple, enjoy it and buy yourself a new set of strings from it! [/quote] If you have an awesome gig and you shine then you will no doubt be asked again - if your experience turns out to be a 'steep learning curve' then no harm done if your fees are modest . You could just say to the band that as its the first time you've played with them that rather than charge your normal dep fee of £100 you just would want some petrol money to cover your costs to see how it goes. You definitely need to get along to the rehearsal - I once did a dep job where we had just one rehearsal and the band, who had been together for a couple of years, decided to play the soul classic 'My Guy' ( which they'd done before). The guitarist had downloaded his chord chart from Ultimate Tabs , which were different to the keyboard players version from a songbook with original intros and outros and the singer wanted to do the piece in an entirely different key with a sax solo in the middle! Its always good to meet the guys and figure out their strengths and who is likely to be the person that strings it all together on the night - Ive always found the drummer and bass player usually keep everything together and if you've already 'bonded' then the gig usually hangs together. Theres nothing like being comfortably stretched to develop as a musician and I have done many a gig just for the opportunity. Expect the unexpected and enjoy every minute!

[b][u]SE London Kent[/u][/b] [b]Colin Cross[/b] Deal Violins 27, Gilford Road, Deal, Kent CT14 7DJ T: +44 (0) 1304 373 111 M: +44 (0) 7971 924 929 http://www.dealviolins.com/ Used to up in Buxton - knows his stuff !

I use an Iphone App http://eumlab.com/string-tuner/

Just an thought - would be a good idea to perhaps follow Clarky's format to make it easy to find Luthiers by area.

My Mrs. calls it 'the other woman' as it gets more hugs and attention ( so she says!) ...you have been warned !!

Try a G octave scale rising on the G string :- You play both the open D string ( the drone ) under the open G to start with. Keeping the D string sounding, work your way up the G string Scale:- G A B C D E F# G ( Good to do this top G as a harmonic to check that you are actually playing a G ) Drone:- D D D D D D D D - G ( ending with a G the E string rounds the scale off) You can try variations such as staggering the notes i.e. D,G,D,A,D,B etc GAB, ABC, BCD, CDE etc