TKenrick

Theory is dry. Unfortunately, there's not a lot that you can do to 'dress it up'. What [i]isn't[/i] dry is the application of theory, i.e. [b]making music[/b]. After all, that's why most of us got into playing, right? It's easy to get bogged down in the nuts and bolts of things and lose sight of the bigger picture; you can learn theory until you're blue in the face, but if you can't apply it in a playing situation then it's pointless. (I say this as someone who suffers from this exact problem - I understand many things on an intellectual level but can't apply them in real time on the instrument). If you could share what you've been practising and (more importantly) what you want to sound like then it'd be easier to advise on a course of action.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1483544982' post='3208102'] I dabbled with high C some years ago, but I really didn't like the tone. To me it always sounded like a cheap and nasty guitar. The same notes always sounded better played on the G or D strings. [/quote] I feel the same way - I've never heard a C string in a live context that didn't sound like a bad classical guitar (that includes those belonging to Anthony Jackson and John Patitucci, both of whom are pretty good...). Having gone through dubious 6 string (too much teenage exposure to Dream Theater) and E-C 5 string (one too many Janek masterclasses) phases, I realise that I can't get on with C strings. I know that others here are fans of them, but it's about the range of the instrument that you [i]hear[/i] in your head; I hear brown notes. If you're into extensive chordal playing and believe that your solos won't cut unless they're played in guitar territory then the E-C thing is worth a look, but for more 'everyday' applications then I'd say that you're better off sticking with B-G. The possible move to a 6 string brings with it some major technical adjustments and the search for an instrument that doesn't feel like you're playing an ironing board.

[quote name='dand666' timestamp='1484154000' post='3213119'] No midi keyboard? [/quote] Ah, that's the part I'd forgotten about! Yeah, midi keyboard and numeric keypad (for note lengths and articulation) are important parts of the Sibelius equation.

Gary bought a set of pickups from me and was an absolute gent from start to finish. Swift responses to messages and prompt payment, couldn't have been easier.

New additions: Did a gig with Suggs in October (CLANG!) so here are charts for a couple of Madness tunes: Madness - Baggy Trousers Madness - My Girl Also added: LaBelle - Lady Marmalade (none other than George Porter Jr. on bass!)

[quote name='dand666' timestamp='1482422580' post='3200463'] Used your transcriptions for a few gigs! They're great. What software and equipment do you use for transcribing? [/quote] Good to hear they're useful! I use an old version of Sibelius for writing things out, other than that it's spotify > vox headphone amp > cheap headphones. If I'm working on something that's really complicated then I'll use Quicktime 7 or the Tempo Slow iPad app to slow things down and loop sections.

[quote name='NoirBass' timestamp='1481847821' post='3195755'] Nice one, just had to do these and you've saved me a job transcribing it. Thanks. [/quote] Anything to save people having to endure listening to these tunes too much!

Some seasonal offerings which might save time prepping for gigs: Shakin' Stevens - Merry Christmas Everyone Slade - Merry Xmas Everybody Brenda Lee - Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1480368170' post='3183843'] Listen to a shitload of Paul Chambers, Ray Brown and Milt Hinton. Then practice for the rest of your life [/quote] This. Transcription, although much more strenuous than getting lines and concepts from books, is much more beneficial. As well as giving you insight into what the masters of walking bass played on various tunes it teaches you the [i]feel[/i] of walking bass, which is a vital ingredient that you can't get from the page. Part of the problem is the bass is difficult to hear accurately on many recordings - it might be worth searching for records that don't have drums on (there's a great duo album by Jim Hall and Ron Carter called 'Alone Together' which is worth a listen). Another option is to seek out the Jamey Aebersold Jazz books that had decent players on the recordings (such as Ron Carter) as these allow you to isolate the bass part. Also... if you're not comfortable with chord tones then the whole process will be much more difficult. Good luck!

[quote name='paul_c2' timestamp='1479762892' post='3179135'] The fact that the time signature is 4/4 but the first bar has 1 quaver in it, isn't right unless the last bar has 7 quavers - but then it's incomplete. [/quote] Pedantry alert: this, I believe, is part of the joy of the modern anacrusis - any pickups into the first bar of a piece are generally notated without any rests preceding them and don't have to be 'balanced' by subtracting notes from bars at the end of the line. This is definitely a case of conventions having evolved over time from the 'rules' of classical notation. That Espana part is HORRIBLE to read, A.Carter needs a slap for awful chart writing.

[quote name='paul_c2' timestamp='1479296736' post='3175383'] Scales are - and always will be - a bit abstract compared to actual pieces, but there is a vague link so they are vaguely useful. It does seem that the classical training (of other instruments) seem to like them though, maybe too much so? For bass, probably just as important/more important is arpeggios. A lot of the time in pieces, arpeggios of a certain chord come up again and again. [/quote] I totally agree with this - I find that placing too much emphasis on practising scales leads to vague, noodly scale-based playing. Once you understand how a scale is constructed and have the sound of it in your ear then I don't really see the point in playing it to death for technique's sake. Much better to play some music that stretches your technique [i]and[/i] gives you context for the scale/arpeggio that you're working on.

[quote name='moonbass' timestamp='1479325938' post='3175707'] Any gigs coming up? [/quote] They're playing at Pizza Express in Soho on December 15th (sadly I'm up north doing a function that night so not on the gig). https://www.pizzaexpresslive.com/whats-on/mr-littles-nosiy-band

[quote name='moonbass' timestamp='1479157843' post='3174444'] Dang! Where are you guys based? [/quote] London(ish) - the recording was done at a studio near Guildford.

Another video from the same session: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLIEZuRcoZc[/media]

Used Chandlers many times for repairs and always found the work (and the service) top notch. I recently moved closer to Charlie Chandler's Guitar Experience and thought I'd give it a try, not impressed at all - terrible communication, surly attitude from staff and pickups wired incorrectly. Lovely setup, but the overall 'experience' was less than delightful.

Thanks for that, I remembered someone mentioning it on a gig the other week and forgot to follow it up - could do with some better earplugs!

New stuff added: Charts Bon Jovi - Livin' On A Prayer Robbie Williams - Angels Maroon 5 - Harder To Breathe Blog Groove of The Week #36: Joe Dart on Vulfpeck's 'The Birdwatcher'

Thank you all for the kind words! I'll start pestering the bandleader to release another video...

I've heard lots of good things about Transcribe but never used it, my default is to use Quicktime 7 (which is free) as it allows for looping, slowing down and changing the key - it also has a rudimentary EQ that lets you boost the bass. My advice is to start by doing little and often - 10-15 minutes at a stretch is plenty as ears tend to get fatigued quickly. Try to hum or sing the bass notes from the track and match them on your instrument (a good singing voice is definitely not necessary!). Being able to work out the key of a song can cut down dramatically on guesswork. As country/southern rock mostly sticks to conventional major scale harmony, having a half-decent grasp of how chords work in a key will save you lots of time as most of the songs will stick to the rules. On the ear training side of things, the first thing is to get really comfortable with the sound of the intervals that make up the major scale. There's a great iphone app called 'Functional Ear Trainer' that I've found very beneficial to my own ear training efforts. Again, little and often is the key to this - your ears will take time to develop but it's definitely worth the investment.

Here's a video from a recording session I did this summer with Mr. Little's Noisy Band. Serious reading faces throughout... (for those who are interested, my p-bass was DI'd using a Noble preamp straight into Pro Tools) [media]http://youtu.be/WW6_XDJTME8[/media]