Oscar South

+6 =1473

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='526373' date='Jun 27 2009, 11:01 PM']I wasn't trying to relate any of this to what I do or what you do privately with a bass, more gauge whether people believe that - through their innovative approaches - they've actually changed the way the bass is played or used, which I don't think they have to any noticeable extent.[/quote] Thats fair enough and I can see the virtue of it, but you're only applying your hypothesis to your own personal hemispheres of music. Its simply not true unless all you want to play is rock covers in the pub. Just earlier this year I was called to play in a band that required double thumb techniques and tapping parts. Originals bands are an entirely differnt game too as you you can do whatever you want, I've seen some incredible bass playing in originals bands that has literally made the band and given it that extra focus that just wouldn't have been there with just root plodding. [quote name='thisnameistaken' post='526468' date='Jun 28 2009, 02:39 AM']I think it's a fair question to ask, but I'm not surprised that some respondents have got immediately defensive about it.[/quote] You put it across in a very provocative and somewhat ignorant way. Whether you meant to or not is beside the point, thats how it reads.

[quote name='MacDaddy' post='526086' date='Jun 27 2009, 05:19 PM']when you understand why the C string on a 6 string bass is a C, and not a B, as on a guitar.[/quote] [quote name='thodrik' post='526123' date='Jun 27 2009, 05:59 PM']you try and improvise something remotely interesting or challenging, but the drummer doesn't follow you and you end up looking like an idoit.[/quote] both of these made me laugh

What the people who make this kind of thread/post don't realise about the really great bass players such as Wooten, Manring etc. is that they are highly in demand as a solo player and as a 'regular' bassist/musician. The number one argument against expanding your ability as a player is that "there's no place for any of that"; firstly there is a LARGE place for *all* of that, just not in the kind of music that the culprits of this statement listen to perhaps, secondly these great players have all worked full time in the music industry doing 'regular' gigs for years until their popularity as a solo artist has reached the point where they can focus more on that. I'm fed up of these threads, maybe I'm wrong but to me it just seems like self-justification for not putting any more work into your playing than you have to. I don't actually have a problem with that in itself, its an individual choice, its the effect it has on developing players that I hate; mantras like "there's no place for any of that" and other re-wordings are creeping into bass education and giving developing players an excuse to put as little work in as possible. Of every bassist I've met inside or outside of musical education, I'd say 90% of the good ones have experimented with and practice advanced techniques, probably 99% of the poor bassists who don't put the effort in have justified their inability to do these 'tricks' with mantras such as "there's no place for any of that"; is it just cooincidence that they're also terrible at 'simple' ensemble playing? It seems to me that advanced techniques represent a work ethic as much they do a niche genre. [quote]Can we conclude that, while it's interesting for the individual involved at the time and other Bass Anoraks, it's pretty irrelevant for anybody else?[/quote] I've played many open mic nights as a solo bassist and gotten gigs and studio work directly from it, I've thrown little bits and pieces of it into auditions and the feedback I almost always get is that it was that they blew them away and resulted in me getting the job/whatever else it is, whenever I've worked it into assessed uni performances I've gotten higher marks because of it. Not only this but when I play it live I have many people approach me and tell me how much they enjoyed it, they've never seen anything like it etc., MUCH more so than when I've just played the bass. So it seems that my solo bass playing (and by any means, my solo playing is quite amateur and undeveloped) has directly resulted in me getting studio work, gigs, I got my place in uni partly because of a tapping arrangement that I threw into my audition piece, 'standard everyday' audiences have greatly enjoyed and appreciated it and I've gotten a great deal of enjoyment from it myself too. I don't think that anything that can provide that much enjoyment and benefit for both the audience and the player can be called irrelevant.

Thanks for the help but I'm looking for stuff more specifically related to bass playing and the study of music in general. Those are important aspects that I've been working on for the last few years though.

I've got a module next year at uni called 'Negotiated Study', its effectively a dissertation but weighed more towards the practical than the academic. Basically we pick a large project which has to have some practical element, our lecturers ok it and then we're marked on it when its done. I'm thinking carefully about what I do for mine, I want to pick something that'll really benefit my playing and overall skill as a musician. The purpose of this post is to ask what you guys consider to be the vital and important skills for a bass player wanting to opperate in a professional setting. Once I've established the skills I want to focus the project on then I'll work it into something that'll serve my purposes and hopefully be interresting as well. If anyone wants to suggest any specific projects then feel free. I was considering simply transcribing and analysing as many selected pieces as the lecturers think is the right amount, and carefully picking the pieces as to be most beneficial to my development as a musician. Cheers, Oscar.

I'm really interrested to hear some elaboration of these statements, its just that these days it seems like a lot of bassists just shoot down any and all solo bass artists from the hip. Obviously its not always the case but whenever I see stuff like 'technical, no feeling, elavator music' etc. with no justification thats how it comes across to me, and it kind of irks me when every single thread related to solo bass goes down the exact same road with these 'one shot' "I don't like solo bass." posts. Personally I think that Manrings feel and emotion in his playing is incredible, I get more feeling out of his melodies than I do from 95/100 'professional' vocalists. Everyones entitled to their opinion, but a little elaboration would make it a lot more interresting. [url="http://files.getdropbox.com/u/134504/14%20COME%20WITH%20ME%2C%20MY%20LOVE.mp3"]http://files.getdropbox.com/u/134504/14%20...20MY%20LOVE.mp3[/url] [url="http://files.getdropbox.com/u/134504/04%20I%20LEFT%20AMERICA.mp3"]http://files.getdropbox.com/u/134504/04%20...T%20AMERICA.mp3[/url]

I'm going to try and make this

Can you elaborate on what you mean? I can't really hear a connection to be honest.

I consider Michael the spiritual successor to Jaco, not literally from a stylistic perspective or even because he was taught by and toured with him but simply because of how he approaches and expands the potential of modern bass playing. There is literally nobody on the planet who can even be compared to him.

[quote name='rslaing' post='516535' date='Jun 17 2009, 03:48 PM']Decent, but his timekeeping is poor. Couldn't listen to any of his vids all the way through I'm afraid. It's all about the groove............................[/quote] Normally I don't get drawn into this internet forum stuff, but this post just irritates me.

Terrible bass-chord voicings too, play something other than block 137 voicings please. Check out this guy [url="http://www.youtube.com/user/havic5"]http://www.youtube.com/user/havic5[/url], incredible and musical bassist, exceptional technique and he has some great instructional videos up.

There is rarely a situation where a capo on a bass does anything more than save you the tiny amount of effort it takes to transpose a bassline in your head. The point of using on on a guitar is that you can use open chord voicings in different keys but apart from an extremely rare case of a bassline needing a specific pedal tone and a singer absolutely needing to change the key you can always recreate the bassline flawlessly enough without the capo. All it effectively does is cut off a chunk of the neck that you could be using easily enough in the new key, theres no harm in playing about with them and I've done it in the past, just with a harmonically linear instrument like a bass in almost any practical situation there is simply very little point; it does nothing but limit possibilities.

Thanks for the great comments people , I don't know about being the best in the band though Funk, the other guys are amazing. I loved playing in this band, one of the most fun things I've ever done.

I play in a 4 piece (vox, vox/guitar, bass, drums/percussion) pop-covers wedding band that gigs often and charges reasonably, can't say at this exact moment whether we could do it or not but if you were in a pinch I could see what I could do.

I saw a gig of his a few years ago. Great matierial, enjoyable performance and virtuosic bass playing. Theres some good bass playing in this video: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZg2kpPB0Cg"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZg2kpPB0Cg[/url]

I reckon these are both pretty decent, I play a solo which I quite like in All Blues [url="http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/134504/Crosswinds.mp3"]http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/134504/Crosswinds.mp3[/url] [url="http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/134504/All%20Blues.mp3"]http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/134504/All%20Blues.mp3[/url] Enjoy, any critisism is welcome.

[quote name='The Funk' post='499533' date='May 28 2009, 01:19 AM']Cool set list! How does a guy who hates funk find playing in a fusion band? [/quote] I don't hate funk , I was just overexposed to it for a while and I dislike how every other contemporary band these days dubs themselves with a funk prefix and essentially uses it as a way to genericize every groove, wear stupid glasses and/or add a cowbell to the kit. I've no idea about the ownership of Alexanders, I'll see when I go there next, its just down the road from me so I go there prtty regularly.

If you're interrested, heres an essay I wrote about theory and application of practise. Its quite consise, I had trouble fitting what I wanted to say into that many words but I'm happy with the final product. I find this subject fascinating personally, I could have easily written 6000 words on it.

I just thought i'd post about a couple of gigs coming up that should be interresting for musicians. I'm playing in an instrumental Jazz fusion group in affiliation with the Uni Chester music department, we're playing gigs in Alexanders Jazz Bar in Chester on 1st June, the 'Hanover Hotel' in Liverpool on the 2nd and Chester guildhall on the 3rd (we're only opening at that one). The Steely Dan tribute is also associated with the uni and is playing with us on all the dates. Both groups are top class and we've been rehearsing them 6-8 hours a day for the past 3 weeks. our set list is a mix of Fusion tracks and arrangements of Jazz and Popular songs: Goodbye Pork Pie Hat - Stanley Clarke arrangement Crosswinds - Billy Cobham D.T.B - Zenith Patrol Quiet Afternoon - Stanley Clarke Tease - Greg Howe/Victor Wooten etc. Snakes - Eric Clapton/Marcus Miller etc. Josie - Larry Carlton instrumental version of Steely Dan tune All Blues - Miles but influenced by a Larry Carlton version Lenny - SRV Dirty Old Man - Tom Scott Red Baron - Billy Cobham Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder What is Hip? - Tower of Power Pocket Change - Dennis Chambers? A Day in the Life - Jeff Beck arrangement If you're in the area of any of those they'll be well worth seeing.