urb

[quote name='bassjamm' post='248012' date='Jul 25 2008, 06:10 PM']Backing tracks...hmm what what! Pardon the rooky question, but how can i get hold of some of these? Thanks Jamie[/quote] Hi J Jamey Aebersold is a great American jazz educator - he's recorded over 100 CDs of superb play-along jazz CDs covering all types of standards from beginner level to advanced and everything in between - some of them have Ron Carter and pianist Kenny Barron them - so you get to jam along with world class jazz musicians as your backing band. I've got quite a few of them - the one in this video is from the Charlie Parker Volume No 6 - they are really good and really help you with your soloing: You can buy them here [url="http://www.jazzwise.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=547_16"]http://www.jazzwise.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=547_16[/url] Hope that helps - I recommend them Mike

[quote name='TKenrick' post='247766' date='Jul 25 2008, 01:01 PM']Lovely work as always Mike, big thumbs up for doing it at tempo as well! Is the backing track an Aebersold one?[/quote] Thanks Tom - the tempo is actually a bit weird in that it's not too fast but not too slow either - I find the head really hard to play at this tempo, hence a screw it up a few times! Anyway - yes it's good Jamey Aebersold on the backing - they really the biz those play alongs... Cheers M

Hi Jamie First off - good stuff man! I particularly liked the first one - your tone is great and I liked the way you got a line and kept working back on it, and playing with the phrasing - something I actually need to do more of myself... your playing is very musical and despite your explanation about not having a chord change or key centre etc this is actually a great test of your improvising/phrasing skills - the less you have to work off the more you have to create something interesting. The fretless vid was lovely as well, maybe a little long but that's no bad thing when you are stretching out and trying things. My one small criticism/bit of advice is that I notice when you have done some lovely solo-y stuff that when you go back into a bass line that the groove isn't that focused. Or rather you haven't thought ahead to that so your thoughts go from - solo, solo, solo...now, er, groove... - you can obviously play so it's not about that, it's about think "now I'm going to lay down as nasty, funky groove that will rock the house..." - or something like that! A really killing bass line as part of a solo 'feature' live can be great so while it's not strictly soloing, it can still be played with increased attitude and really be a great end to a solo - so my advice 'think ahead' more and your stuff will really sound tight! My only other nugget of advice re soloing is as long as you start strong and finish strong then the middle will take care of itself... while that's massively generalising it is partly true as if you go into your solo too fast you ca quickly run out of steam, likewise if you don't close your solo with some more melodic phrases or a strong ending note it can sort of fizzle out and die (don't worry I've done both of these) - anyway you are sounding great - keep it up. Cheers Mike

[quote name='AdamWoodBass' post='247428' date='Jul 25 2008, 12:04 AM']Loved it Mike. Question I always meant to ask: are you going thumb, index, middle, ring when you do the 4 finger garrison thing or are you going the other way? Reason I ask is I've been finding it slightly easier and a bit more comfortable to go backwards if that makes sense? Basically going ring, middle, index, thumb. I dunno why I find it more comfortable, maybe its just my hand position. I'm trying to work on my consistency a bit as I can't seem to hop from string to string very well with it. Got any tips? Great vid tho. Adam[/quote] Hi Adam - thanks for the positive words - with the 4 finger stuff I know what you mean - I actually made a lesson video explaining the reasons why I do it (and Matt Garrison does it) this way [b][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PigAe4VIMI"]have a look here[/url][/b] - the way you do it is fine but it's like the 'natural' way to do it - going TIMR does mean breaking that habit of going RMIT because I personally think it's easier to stay consistant (and in time) that way. Training your hand/muscles to go TIMR does take some time but once you have it down it feels very natural and easy to use - getting your muscle memory to do that IS hard - but take your time and you'll get it. I also explain how to string cross by dividing you four digits into two pairs - thumb + index - middle + ring finger, as this is how you can smoothly jump up and down strings... the vid is pretty helpful The other reason it's a better way is that you can use your thumb and index as your 'principle' digits - playing grooves with a down and up stroke - then when you feel the urge, you can drop in two extra pluck from you middle and ring fingers - check out the bass line I play at the start of the lesson vid and I think you'll see what I mean. Hope that helps. Cheers Mike

Hey guys Just made this the other day - I still dig playing over this tune so this is just me having some fun - I hope you dig some of it: Cheers Mike

[quote name='The Funk' post='246239' date='Jul 23 2008, 04:45 PM']Mike and Mikey - digging the jazz/funk bands![/quote] Thanks - and yes while the various other style 'bags' here aren't all to my taste it's great to see you all out doing the biz and gigging like any bassist should be... keep it up ladies... and bassists... Mike

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='245938' date='Jul 23 2008, 11:24 AM']Did you head fall off by the end of the gig Nice clip though and yeah, see seems a bit mad but great fun to watch.[/quote] Yeah that'll be me in 'dodding dog' mode - Amber is/was one of the best front person I've ever worked with - and that band kicked ass live. Thanks for checking it M

Here's a clip of me and my old jazz funk band - sadly no longer together - this was us having a amazing time in Koh Samui, Thailand in 2005: Hope you dig it - and yes our flute player/singer Amber is barking mad... Mx

[quote name='Wooks' post='243362' date='Jul 19 2008, 02:26 PM']Wow what a great job you've got Mike, I loved the interviews:D I know what it's like to do the face to face interviews because I was part of a team that ran a metal webzine when I was living in Germany and I got to interview some great bands. And you get to fly around the world to do it I had to wait for bands to come out on tour and if they came near try to blag an interview I really miss doing the webzine it was a lot of hard work but really great fun. Keep up the great work!!![/quote] Thanks Wooks - it's definitely a privilege to sit and talk with some of these amazing musicians - I interviewed Michael brecker three times and I really cherrish that since his very untimely death last year - so it's a real pleasure. I have loads of interviews on Mini-disc that i want to turn into MP3s - I've been very lucky to hang and chat with some of the greatest musicians in the world. And it's a pleasure to share their thoughts on all this music stuff too Cheers Mike

Hey guys I just updated my Interviews page on my website - I hope you enjoy some of this stuff: [url="http://www.munkio.com/words/words_home.html"]http://www.munkio.com/words/words_home.html[/url] Cheers Mike

[quote name='mcgraham' post='242372' date='Jul 18 2008, 08:58 AM']Strict alternation is necessary to glean full benefit from this technique. Re-starting the sequence everytime you change strings can be useful, but I'd advise getting the technique right first. Jam, TIMRMI is very inefficient as you're using your middle and index fingers twice as much as the outer two. A key advantage of TIMR or TRMI, is that the work is split evenly between each finger. This isn't the case with TIMRMI. Mark[/quote] Absolutely Mark - what I'm discovering the more I do this is actually using it and getting a lot 'freer' with it - is to mix and match it with other picking styles - I'm also using thumb and index up in a down and up configuration - this way you can set up a nice 16th note groove and then bring in the middle and ring fingers to double up the time - yes it gets fast, but the thumb index groove is there to steady your timing. I'm planning on making a second video that expands on some of the other ideas I've developed with this. Cheers Mike

All I'm going to say - as a contributor to past issues of BGM - is that I agree with most of the cirticisms of the mag in this thread - I was VERY dissapointed with the overall standard of the last issue - I'm actually too busy to contribute on a regular basis now - but I think the whole thing is a massively missed opportunity... the time, money and effort spent creating such a dissapointing magazine really frustrates me. I don't know the way forward as there are loads of issues highlighted in this thread - that despite being made by general readers, not a bunch of publishing experts - are 100% spot on. I appreciate Stuart's comments but I personally think the whole thing needs an overhaul. I'm happy to discuss any ideas with Stuart or others on the editorial team - not here but via email or phone - but I don't think my opinion seems to be that valued. Oh well... Urb

[quote name='velvetkevorkian' post='241353' date='Jul 16 2008, 11:05 PM']How strictly do you alternate? I'm used to playing with 3 fingers in the Billy Sheehan style, with very strict alternation, but that just doesn't work for me at all when you throw the thumb in- the feel just seems totally wrong. Do you use this a lot for melodic lines or just funky staccatto stuff? Kyle [/quote] I know what you mean about the thumb feeling weird at first - like I say in the video I was using it a lot already with the Wooten thumb style so it was a logical progression into this style - if you are used to playing ring, index, middle then it's hard to reverse it AND throw in the thumb...! You just have to switch it and it takes a while to get used to - it's not for everyone this style - all a matter of what suits you. I use 'very strict alternation' with this too, in that I know exactly what my fingers are doing in terms of the amount of plucks I'm playing per note - I do play melodic solos with this - there's a clip I recorded in the Recordings forum - have a look and let me know what you think. Cheers Mike

[quote name='bassjamm' post='241110' date='Jul 16 2008, 05:43 PM']Hi Mike, Great meeting you at the Garrison gig mate. Nice stuff. The Sei sounds really sweet mate, really nice indeed...bet your growing ever more in love with it. Noticed some familiar phrasing around 3 mins, nice to see you incorporating what you've got down into your own playing, but in an un-mistakably you context! Great to see your progress mate!!!! Out of interest, how do you find the ramp, is yours curved or flat? I'm thinking of getting one, although the pickups covers on my F bass are fairly wide and match the finger board radius so they're really helping my technique...getting the whole Garrison-esque 4 finger thing down! Nice groovin' though... J[/quote] Thanks Jamie - re the ramp mine is flat but then so are my pickup covers - the one on my fretless is radiussed (spelling?) - but I don't have a problem with it either way... they both work! Thanks for checking this out Cheers Mike

[quote name='inyabass' post='240718' date='Jul 16 2008, 11:19 AM']A book on "How to improvise".. Isn't that a contradiction in terms? From Wikipedia "Improvisation (also called extemporization) is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment." If you can teach that in a book I'd be surprised and interested :-)[/quote] The thing with any form of improvising - acting, singing, talking - is having the 'vocabulary' to do that with wit, timing, taste, appropriateness etc etc - some people are natural improvisors... but for the rest of us there are books, music courses, DVDs, CDs and a ton of transcribing that can all help you devlop your vocabulary. Once you are fluent in the particular 'language' you want to 'speak' (or play) - then you can do it freely and without much thought - then you will be able to "create, in the moment, responding to the stimulus of one's immediate environment." And you will be able to do this without thinking at all - spontaneously letting the music guide you. So yes - a book that explains this will help you be able to do this. Mike

Hi People After a lot of requests I've made a new - very clear and SLOW - 4 finger picking technique lesson video - hopefully this will explain how to get started on this style and work it into bass lines etc. - NB I hate talking to camera but I thought I do actually need to explain this as well as show examples of how to use it. Hope it's helpful - any questions just ask. Cheers Mike

[quote name='gilmour' post='240211' date='Jul 15 2008, 05:08 PM']Nice - I'm suitably impressed [/quote] Thanks man - glad you enjoyed it M

Thanks guys, I was just playing some fun lines, but I'm definitely getting in the mood to record some more solo stuff again soon, this is all in aid of research and development! Thanks again for listening. Mike

Yes I'm a massive fan of this stuff - Gene Perez rules! I've jammed along to this stuff for years now - and MAW's remixes actually make great listening too with loads of additional parts added - especially on the bass - Perez's b-lines are supremely cool - busy but always grooving. Good shout. M

hi peeps just had a little time to record a funky jam with my Boss RC2 loop pedal (the drums you can hear are on the pedal, you can tap tempo them from a number of good beats) and my new EBS Wah One pedal - very nice bass-specific wah-wah - anyway this was all off the cuff - just trying out some solo and bass line idea - just a bit of fun really - hope you enjoy it: Cheers Mike

I can't really add to the great info here on the lineage of the music - which all seems spot on - I guess what I will say is that a lot of rhythmic influences on today's scene where pioneered by jazz artists - i.e. they got that swing feel happening - and even John Bonham had a killer swing in his time feel! Also look at funk and drum and bass, a lot of the syncopations that are heard with beat displacement, and the really technical side of modern drumming came from the likes of Tony Williams and Billy Cobham et al. The latter famously sampled by Massive Attack etc. But also Mitch Michell and Ginger Baker had serious jazz chops and that in turn gave both Hendrix and Cream's music that more open, improvised feel - and both bands were a sort of mix of blues with a bit of jazz thrown in as well... and if you want to hear some truly ferocious drumming - to rival any metal drummer today - check out Buddy Rich in full flow - that's scary! The Great American Songbook is also the basis of many great pop songs - jazz was the pop music of the day before the whole rock 'n' roll revolution took over in the late 1950s As a rule of thumb jazz is often at the cutting edge of musical devlopment - as a lot of very gifted musicians look for ways to extend the possibilities of both the instruments range and also the sonic evolution of each one as well - these innovations eventually filter through to the mainstream. It's not always the case obviously but jazz is best described as the 'sound of surprise'. Cheers Mike

Sounds like you've had a sh*tty time of it - it can be a massive downer - all I can say is that playing bass saw me through some tough times and now times are good - so stickign at it cos you love it is actually important. What I have 'discovered' in my 25 odd years of playing is that A. working with people you like, respect even, makes life a lot easier and actually makes the music BETTER. B. playing you music you don't really like - or are doing for the sake of a suposed 'lucky break' - record deal - money... is a fast way to fall out of love with the real reasons you wanted to play bass in the first place. I have no idea how you get around/over your anger at your current situation - but getting back to basics - actively seeking out some musical challenges, rediscovering your love of the bass and music and finding some genuine reasons to carry on playing would be a start. take some risks - venture into the unknown, try something different - jazz or classical - folk, electronic music etc - (whatever) - being involved with music at a good level is life mission - just because you haven't clicked with the right people yet doesn't mean it's over - you just need to keep looking. Quick edit - I've also recently started to find new reasons to play beyond the stuff I did years ago - I won't go into those now - but they mainly DON'T involve playing complicated technical bass - that's just my hobby! Best I can do I'm afraid - hope it helps - good luck Mike

I really wanted to go to this but had other plans unfortunately, but I have seen Vic live about 6 times live and he's always amazing, so how was it? Let us know M

Superb results - keep the faith - you will be rewarded soon! Congrats Mike

Cheers Josh - the bass truly rocks in every context - glad you dug it here. Mike