petebassist

The shrieking of nothing is killing, justPictures of Jap girls in synthesis and IAin't got no money and I ain't got no hairBut I'm hoping to kick but the planet it's glowing

They had one of these in Hobgoblin music in Bristol the last time I was over there a month or two ago, and the build quality is stunning. I didn't get to try one amplified though, and that's where they shine according to the guys there.

@NJE I was there myself yesterday and popped in to this shop, & was drawn straight to the Mustang - definitely an eye-catcher. I'd been reading about the the Justin Meldal-Johnson Signature Series Mustang on bassplayer.com so was interested in how they sound. I play upright mainly but I've got a 3/4 size generic Fender P style that I use to compose or noodle on when I'm sitting on the couch, and one of these would be very nice.

In answer to the question, I'd say an unprofessional one. I always carry spare double bass strings for my acoustic upright plus an electric bass as emergency backup. Strings do break, and you look a right prat if you don't have a spare. I've seen a bass player with brand new strings on a rickie 4005, and a string broke second song into the set. 5 mins later the spare was on & they continued the set. Bonza!

Great singer & song writer & musician. Seems to take a lot of stick because he doesn't just play the old stuff he did from the 80s, and has dared to play different instruments, such as the lute etc and branch into other genres outside of 'new' wave. Inspirational bloke !!!

Like @Al Krow I love the look of the NS Designs, and I tried one at the LBGS earlier this year. The tripod thing doesn't do it for me, but I'd like to try out the end-pin stand on an instrument with the action max'd out. I play acoustic upright mostly, but if I had the spare cash I'd like to explore the cross-over electric upright sound rather than just trying to replicate the amplified acoustic sound. Maybe unleash my inner prog-rock bassist alter-ego ;-) BTW I saw Imelda May at the Croft in Bristol four or five years ago and yes the bass player's amazing, as she was !

I found Revolution in the Head a great read, couldn't put it down. Recently been listening to Macca's isolated bass tracks for songs like I Want You and Come Together... Awesome... Amazing band, always will be. So yes enjoying the thread. Thanks.

Interesting thread. Another couple of important attributes: tenacity and luck, though it's arguable that you make your own luck. I keep going and try to maintain a pro attitude to any performance whether I'm being paid or not. As to talent generally, I'm smart enough to know that I know know nothing (a la Socrates ;-). I guess turning pro might be great if you're lucky enough to be playing the music you love, but otherwise... On talent V passion, in TV talent shows that have become popular in recent years, the schtick being pushed is that passion trumps talent, especially if that passion involves a sad/difficult back story where the performer really really really wants to win. This unfortunately encourages the less than talented to delude themselves. By the finals, it's talent that wins out though.

@tinyd Thanks for this link and the link to the wider library. This Fundamental Patterns one's a great little summary - I'm gonna be working through these approaches this weekend. I've also got Walking Jazz Lines for Bass by Jay Hungerford, which has some great walking patterns for popular standards such as So What.

@tinyd - Yes agreed mate, I use the appeggio as the starting point and then try to link smoothly and satisfyingly from one to the other. I work by ear during this process, as I don't know the underlying jazz theory about why a particular dominant third is best to link to a V chord when in a II-VII-V progression and that type of thing, but I'm slowly learning more about this. So if it sounds right, it is right, at least to me ;-) Recently I have done more site reading of bass scores, which feels a bit like reading a book, and I enjoy concentrating on the reading rather than trying to remember what comes up next. But I also enjoy playing my own lines from memory, and it also means that I don't have to use a music stand and use my reading glasses LOL. Of course you can always do away with theory go free-improv, like the double bass solo at 2.15 here, that was in the Grauniad recently - gives me a headache I'm afraid so I'll stick with my amateur jazz method...

Jazz -purists look away now: Whenever I can, I like to write the bass lines myself for a given arrangement, and not being schooled in Jazz I find apeggios a good way to work as an alternative to concentrating on scales. Once I know the chord, I can look up the apeggio, and go from there. I use this book as a guide A Visual Guide to Chords and Arpeggios for Double Bass: A Reference Text for Classical, Blues and Jazz Chords/Arpeggios: Volume 11 (Fingerboard Chord

I saw Stu at the London Bass Guitar Show this year and he did a beautiful solo of Zep's Going to California. Great bloke and very inspirational.

[url="http://www.thethunderbolt.net/hidden-events-source/2017/11/9/wavered-albatross"]WAVED ALBATROSS + Wychelm + The Basil band + Omega 14[/url] Waved Albatross, Wychelm, The Basil Band, Omega 14. at the Thunderbolt, Bristol, on Thursday night.

There are no hard and fast rules, but your action does sound on the high end of the spectrum. Double bass isn't easy even with low action, so if you're finding it difficult to play I wouldn't recommend persevering without getting the action to a more comfortable height. As to manning up, there's nothing manly about having knackered fingers. It's also worth looking at what strings you have. Lights (weichs) can make a big difference, and also having the correct string length for your bass size so that the tension is as it should be. Not everyone rates them, but an adjustable bridge is good when you're starting out as it enables you to experiment a bit with different strings & heights - you'd need a luthier for that though & more cash...

Love the sound clip, funky as hell, and great playing... what's the track? How did you put together the other drum and guitar parts ?

Hi Geoff, I know what you mean about there being many variables. I tried out a number of old and new basses, but it was really hard to compare one from the other without the same strings, tension, setup etc. I also found that some more expensive basses didn't sound that great for pizz to my ears (and with my technique), but would probably sound great for arco. The new Eastman that I eventually found had the exact sound and feel I was looking for, and I thought with the laminate sides I could drag it round to gigs without being too paranoid about knocks and scrapes. I went for the Evah Pirazzi weichs too after watching your video on that, and after four months they're now giving me a great gut-like thump with a bit of spiro-like complexity on the D & G, which is exactly what I need. So the strings advice is much appreciated. If you're ever down Bristol way you're more than welcome to try out my hybrid for comparison, and I occasionally take it up to the North East when I'm working from up there. Also let me know if you're playing any gigs. Cheers, Pete

An interesting [url="https://discoverdoublebass.com/lesson/eastman-vb200-double-bass"]new Eastman bass review[/url] from Geoff caught my eye because I recently upgraded to a similarly spec'd Eastman VB105, which is a hybrid model with solid front and back, and laminate sides, and I also got it from Bassbags. Like the review model, the setup on mine is superb, and the overall service was great. (btw I have NO affiliation whatsoever with Bassbags :-).

Talkbassers among you might have see this [url="https://www.talkbass.com/threads/2-minute-jazz-christian-mcbride.1295477/"]interesting 2-minute video[/url] from Christian McBride where he talks about how to get a good tone, and someone's even transcribed the walking bass that he uses. I might have unlearn my chicken-wing arm technique that I learnt from Ed Friedland...

Has anyone come across a good bass transcription for My Blue Heaven? I love Dudley Moore & trio's version. [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIVauBXP38E"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIVauBXP38E[/url] Awesome tone and attack from the great Peter McGurk! Thanks, Pete

I think you need a dictatorship not a democracy when it comes to covers bands - I think it's best left to the singer to choose songs, and that usually keeps the focus. If every member tries to choose songs, you can end up in endless discussions and disagreements. I doubt every band member loves every track & you could always start up your own band on the side to play other stuff.

I read that those hand strengtheners can also make your hand very stiff and inflexible, which is exactly what you don't want. I used to find that keeping my left arm raised (I'm a righty) in position for long periods was difficult. I now do a few press ups and upper body exercises in the gym to build a little bit of upper body strength. I find this also makes playing upright bass a lot easier, but before anyone chips in, I'm in no way saying that you have to be Arnold Schwarzenegger to play upright. I'll be Bach!

Last heard Lulu on a Beatles/Lennon tribute show thing on the radio a few years back and she sang Don't Let Me Down live. Amazing. Good to hear that she's still going strong.

Looks very nice mate, with spiros too! An adjustable bridge is a good idea in my book if you haven't been able to try an instrument before buying. Best of luck with your new bass.

Caught this on Sky Arts the other night - great to see Roger Glover on top form, and of course the amazing Ian Paice. Roger was shown jamming with a bar-band in Nashville. Incidentally, he raved about the Nashville live music scene and said it was loads better than LA or New York.

Before a gig I always psyc myself up by listening to Cohen's 'First We Take Manhattan'. This always gets me in the zone. Along with a pint of diet coke.