urb

[quote name='Golchen' post='448545' date='Mar 29 2009, 10:29 AM']Wow - some people are on a different planet to me when it comes to bass playing. I just feel good hitting the right root note![/quote] Hey I didn't say it was easy... - I'm still trying to make them sound musical... that's the REALLY hard part - sorry the repost but this was thing [b][url="http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=110099"]I recorded[/url][/b] - let me know what you think. It all takes a long time and you never stop learning - as long as you try new things and keep an ear/eye on your own development then you're doing exactly what I do. Mike

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='448655' date='Mar 29 2009, 01:24 PM']Is it sad that I am waiting here to see this bass and it's not even mine...? How does that work?[/quote] I don't know - but hey I just changed from using Elites Players to D'Addario EXLs and have just been playing the hell out of my sigle cut Sei - they are amazing strings and even though the set up is even lighter now (if that was possible) the bass sounds magnificent... so my pangs for my new Sei are certainly being kept at bay. However I am very excited about the new Jazz Sei - it'll be my new jazz/funk machine and I'm really excited about having a 4 string again - so Russ that makes two of us. You can have a go on it when I get if you like M

I've recently decided to really get to grips with the three (what I call "tricky-bastard") scales that are in part symetrical but also have infinite possibilities - these are the diminished, whole tone and the melodic minor - but in turn using these over diminished/altered/seventh chords when soloing (or playing a bass line). I've also been adding in chormatic notes - much like bebop scales - and just really trying to get into the deeper harmonic aspects of these things away from just major and minor. I've also just finished (well almost) Vic Wooten's 'The Music Lesson' book that has loads of 'other' musical advice in that all pertains to bring a greater level of expression and meaning to all the technical stuff on the bass - really getting into the nuts and bolts of 'why' we play music at all - and what you want to achieve (in a wider sense) when you pick up the bass. It's a really interesting book - not for everyone I'm sure - but I've found it really enlightening and has already helped me approach the way I play differently. Lastly I'm working on some new solo tunes - as in my own music - the writing side is not something I struggle with it's more about upping the quality level of the recording I produce - I've even been playing keyboards and adding in different sounds really opens up the ambiance of a piece. I've also upgraded the RAM on my intel Mac to 4GB - which means I can now ryun BFD without it crashing all the time! Anyway I better get on - I got some music to make! Mike

[quote name='alexclaber' post='447802' date='Mar 27 2009, 11:44 PM']Damn, Mingus plays that upright like it's a shortscale toy! Alex[/quote] Mingus is/was an absolute bass monster - like you say, he makes a double bass look like a child's toy, he's simply one of the all time greats.. on bass and in jazz. M

Hey fellow jazzers... Just wanted to recommend a couple of my fave new jazz artists/bands as they are very much drawing on contemporary pop/rock and other sources, er, like math core metal, and even film music. First up is a US pianist [b]Aaron Parks[/b], he's signed to Blue Note, and has recently released a killer album called 'Invisible Cinema', I can't imagine many of you have heard of him as he's quite a new name, but believe me it's a seriously great album, packed with great TUNES (yes actual melodies you can remember) and it all grows on you with repeat listens. Link: [url="http://www.myspace.com/aparksmusic"]http://www.myspace.com/aparksmusic[/url] My other tip for the top this year, well they started doing lots of gigs last year actually, are a Leeds based band called [b]trioVD[/b], I have no idea why they decided on that name but like those pesky STDS it's sort of stuck. Now before we go any further, they don't actually have a bass player... they are drums, guitar and sax and are one of the best live bands I've ever seen. they come acorss as a mix between Primus, Queens Of the Stoneage/Rage Against he Machine and Ornette Coleman... if it sounds mad, it is, they among others like Led Bib have been dubbed 'death jazz' as it's hard to describe exactly what it is... They are ridiculously tight, all top level players, but in spite of that fact they can really play they are incredibly passionate live, drummer Chris Bussey has to be seen to be believed and guitarist Chris Sharkey is an absolute demon. He's also joined Acoustic Ladyland (for those of you that know them) and their new album coming out in a month or two is stunning as well, and the DO have a bass player, a cool gal called Ruth Goller. Anyway if you live in Leeds trioVD play quite a few gigs in the area and are well worth checking out, there really aren't any other bands doing what they are doing right now, and yes it has bits of jazz in it but it's a whole load of other mad rocking stuff as wel... Link [url="http://www.myspace.com/triovd"]http://www.myspace.com/triovd[/url] [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/jazz/londonjazzfestival/introducing4.shtml"]http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/jazz/londonjaz...roducing4.shtml[/url] Have a listen and let me know what you think... Alright that's enough from me have a good (jazzy) weekend y'all Mike

[quote name='The Funk' post='444168' date='Mar 24 2009, 07:41 PM']Thank you! Someone had to say it. Personally, though, I would cop as many blues-rock guitar licks as possible as well. Patterns are fine for getting cool sounding stuff under your belt fast. Yes, they're ultimately limiting and can be extremely repetitive but then [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhythm_changes"]Rhythm Changes[/url] can be a bit repetitive too![/quote] Yeah I was going to suggest try learning some blues lines - Billy Sheehan has a pretty cool Hammond Trio called Niacin that mix funk, blues and rock with a touch of jazz as well - he does some nice stuff and is actually in the pocket a lot of the time - have a look here: And you'll probably hate this - but this is Vic Wooten in a fairly tasteful mood live with the Dave Matthews band - check out the spaces between the phrases and the repetition how he builds the dynamics with some actually very simple phrases - mostly derived from an E minor scale... with you extra 'jazz' notes for interest; Hope they give you some food for thought M

[quote name='steve-soar' post='441989' date='Mar 22 2009, 08:17 PM']Nicely rolled frets and fingerboard edges, this kind of attention to detail is what makes Sei justify their prices. 48 fret ends, all filed and polished to perfection is no joke to achive, I should know.[/quote] Absolutely, the neck is even better in the flesh, the feel of the finish on the back of the neck is sublime, like you say it's all about the little details that make these basses just a tad classy M

Hey Steve Great stuff, my one comment, aside from stating the obvious (like that all looks like a lovely range of gear) and (I seriously could never imagine owning so much stuff or being able to fit it in my flat or justify it to my lovely lady)... is that you are a man of very good taste, and I can see exactly why you would want each and every bit of that gear. Nice one, I look forward to seeing/hearing this lot at a bash some time. M

Hey all Just a couple of new pics of the neck now with some beautifully finished frets in - the dots on the side of the fretboard are red LEDs by the way - and the matt finish is silky smooth I can't wait to play this baby - the body will be off to the finihsers on Monday so (any problems notwithstanding) the bass could be ready in roughly three months... I'll obviously keep you posted. No more pics for a while now. Cheers Mike

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='438209' date='Mar 18 2009, 01:00 PM']They have their moments and there are some very interesting things happening bass-wise but, as profound musical statements, they are not particularly successful.[/quote] Here's my review of his last album 'Lumpy Jazz' that went in Jazzwise a couple of years ago: A hard-nosed and opinionated jazz educator, Jeff Berlin is both a bastion of good musicianship and a controversial figure in the world of virtuoso bassists. ‘Lumpy Jazz’ therefore resembles something of a puzzle. While his speedy execution and phrasing are both flawless, a tendency towards the clinical and emotionless, makes the notational bombardment sound exhausting. With supreme support from Drexler, who is as good on double bass as he is on piano, and shimmering percussive layers from Gottlieb, Berlin has two very sympathetic band mates. It’s on the scary-fast ‘Everyone Gets Old (if They Have The Time)’ that this trio’s power and skill can be heard best. Yet despite the obviously high level of playing here it’s Berlin’s ‘chorused’ bass sound, (an effects pedal that essentially ‘sweetens’ the tone) that is all pervading, and by the fourth or fifth song, begins to become sickly. The one thing that really defined the iconic Pastorius’ style was the spaces he left between phrases, and it’s something Berlin would be advised to use more of himself, as by the end of this bass marathon, the notes per-bar have coalesced into a single, rhythmic plane, that has a touch of jazz-sermonizing about it. I think that covers it... M

OK this is crappy quality but gives you all the basic info you need to start developing this picking technique and integrating into your playing: Hope that helps Mike

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='436276' date='Mar 16 2009, 04:45 PM']Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-theory, but I also think that to many, bass is just a hobby. JB ssems to think that everyone wants to be him. I don't. If I was bitching that I couldn't get any session work, but couldn't be bothered to learn to read, then he'd have a point.[/quote] Great thread - my one point to add is that many people assume that learning any kind of theory or getting good at reading will somehow remove every ounce of soul from you etc - which I know is a bit of a moot point when it comes to JB's extremely notey playing - but you can still groove plenty hard or play really simply WITH a good grounding in music but instead of just being able to do that you should (in theory ) be able to do a whole lot more as well. Anyway - each to their own - JB makes things very black and white in his world and life's too short to really dismiss all the untrained musicians out there making exceptional music - or the exceptional players making terrible music! Broadening your listening habits does help I think to actually give you an idea of what is just plain 'good' music and what is 'bad' - I think I can tell but hey I never said everything I listen to has to be liked by anyone other than me! M

[quote name='bubinga5' post='434104' date='Mar 13 2009, 07:57 PM']Yes the lyrics are about Jesus obviously, but i dont really care, because the music is so powerfull (although i cant help but think there faith is what makes the music so full of amazing energy) But i really dont mind the lyrics, its never 'in your face religious ranting' its just great musicians making great music with a religious content... They could be singing about drinking beer and melting plastic, and i wouldnt care The bass playing is sublime. i wonder what hes playing?? I can be be in a real crap mood, and this brings me up every time.. Molan i love the Latin style tune they do called 'Jump get Excited' Amazing stuff....[/quote] Just checking out the New Direction clop on YT - it's just awesome stuff - like a REALLY good version of Was Not Was - and I'm not religeous but hey, like you say it doesn't matter a bit when the groove is this fat! I have to say as a fan of some of the noodle-meisters featured here I couldn't agree more with the comments made about the promo vid - it seems a bit uncohesive too and very 'jammed' - which would be fine if it was more about the groove and less about the notes! M

thought I should chip in All my gear is here: [url="http://www.munkio.com/music/music_gear.html"]http://www.munkio.com/music/music_gear.html[/url] I can't wait to get my new Sei jazz but that's still a few months off yet I'm very happy with the rest though M

Monkey say... the road to enlightenment is littered with bands that fizzled out before they came to anything... Monkey also say music is a hell of a lot bigger and far more rewarding in the longterm than any one band can ever make it, like Alun says get out there, find musicians who are better than you, play with them, learn from them, copy them, improve, set yourself goals and pursue the music YOU love (not what other people like), as it's the only real reason to play at all, do it and be true to yourself. Mike

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='432733' date='Mar 12 2009, 06:32 PM']Yeah, Uncle B, Dave Marks and me heading out for the end of the week. You know where we gonna be [/quote] Sweet, see you at he EBS stand... I'll be around the er, bass stuff Have you been before? It's in Halle 4 I think (or 4.5) and it's big but I'm sure our paths will cross, really pleased Dave Marks will be there, top lad and always brings some sunshine to the party... I look forward to seeing you there, grab me if I don't spot you. CHeers Mike

Hey all Just a really simple question - anyone of you bassers going to the Messe this year....? If so I'll see you there - I'm there from the Thursday all day and most of Friday. Cheers Mike

That really sucks - I'm wondering what else will be removed - like solo bass (or any instrument) versions of pop songs etc - I think Marlowe is a great guy who's fantastic at sharing his enthusiasm and the sheer joy of being able to play a great bass line - he's a damn fine player too. I think if there's anything good that may come out of this hopefully he'll get a lot of actual financial support to create a proper music video channel (i.e. better quality than YT). I hope he sorts something out soon M

[quote name='Stuart Clayton' post='428703' date='Mar 8 2009, 05:07 PM']That's a great looking bass-in-progress! Every time I see a new Sei being built I try to convince myself to take the plunge... Stu[/quote] Go on Stu - you know you want to...! They really are wonderful instruments - that keep on giving... Hope you are well - see you around sometime Cheers Mike

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='428176' date='Mar 7 2009, 07:25 PM']There's gob loads of growl when I turn up the mid control! [/quote] Kewl! M

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='428099' date='Mar 7 2009, 04:52 PM']Its ok, I've taken care of it now, but thanks OK update on the bass. I spoke with Andy at Wizard and he was a diamond, just said stick something in the mail to him and he'll tell me what can be achieved. I put a set of Elites from Nick dad's shop yesterday and we both commented that the bass has quite a distinct stingray character but with more upper honky mids and less lows. One of those things that made me go 'hmmmmmmmm...' I might send him the pickups from the red Celinder as well. I also updated the firmware for the Axon AX100 today. The editor interface has proven to be a bit unreliable through the MAudio Delta 1010 I use and I corrupted the firmware the first time I tried. So I repeated the same steps again but used the slow update option and it seemed to work. I also got a Roland JV1010 in the post yesterday and when I opened it up my heart leaped as I found an expansion card had been left inside and it was actually the expansion card I'd been told to look out for - the vintage keys module. So I might end up selling one of my EMU units (the Vintage Pro). I had a quick whizz through the JV1010's patches last night and there are some really nice ones, especially for bass. Gorgeous fat, warm, synthy sounds. So I'm in two minds about letting the Yamaha CS6R go as well. The good thing about the Yamaha is that its been designed for trance music so there are some really long evolution times possible with pads when I get my head about how to exploit it best... ...anyways. I've agreed with Jon to carry out the following modifications: 1) Reduce the width of the neck at the nut further so that its more like the Spector 6 - reason being is that when I stretch for the E-string my left hand has to make an awkward adjustment in angle when I change from positions on higher pitched strings. This is because the neck is too wide for the length of my fingers. 2) Rewind the neck pickup so its fatter and deeper 3) Consider routing a chamfer directly under the bridge units to increase the break angle of the strings over the transducer elements. (The strings can sound a little uneven in volume at the moment) Jon will need to take a view on this because the central issue is that the transducer elements aren't big enough for bass strings. 4) Install an extra battery cavity so we can run the 18v preamp. 5) If it's ready, install the 3 band Shuker sweep eq so I can nail those frisky mids 6) Swap the acoustic and MIDI vol knobs around 7) Replace some of the knobs with small ones 8) See if there are any black switches available.[/quote] Hi Steve The bass does look wonderful - big congrats BTW - I'm just hoping after all the above shopping list has been completed you get to play the thing...! A labour of love indeed - but hey at least you know what you want, hope you can get it all tweaked to perfection. Cheers Mike

[quote name='movwkd' post='427895' date='Mar 7 2009, 10:52 AM']Just swopped all my bass rig over to markbass , a ta503 head and std106hf cab for gig's of a decent size and a traveller 210 cab for rehearsal and small gig's . . Now i was wondering where to go and see the markbass line up at shows or exhibitions . . Also merchandise, cannot find anything markbass related apart from the amps and cabs . . . Any help appreciated . . mov....[/quote] Musik Messe Frankfurt - or Bass Day in Manchester around the middle of November... - or the Bass Gallery in London - most days of the week M

Hey Trip Wamsley is great - but I also rather like Jeff Schmidt - yes this is 'extended' solo bass noodliing - but his fretless sound is rather lovely and he's got some great ideas (for a guy who plays his bass back to front and upside down ) M

[quote name='silddx' post='425477' date='Mar 4 2009, 07:52 PM']I can't stand this obsession so many bassists have with SEEING THE WOOD! Don't get me wrong, I love the look of wood - but only as furniture or on those wimpy guitar things, of which I have a few with natural finishes. So many high end basses have hideous natural finishes with highly figured woods, laminates, bindings, inlays. They look so horribly MUSICIANLY. I would be embarrassed going on stage with one because they look so uncool. I probably have emotional issues you can help me deal with.[/quote] Each to their own obviously - but funnily enough I actually agree with but I just can't stand the thought of not playing my seriously great basses on a gig - that's why I got them. In a pefect world I'd have a beat up four banger for everything but the one I've seen costs 5K... doh! M

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='425279' date='Mar 4 2009, 04:50 PM']Basic question I know, but how do you pronounce it? What does "Sei" rhyme with?[/quote] 'Say' M