CHW

The only unprofessional thing that I can see from the OP comment is that maybe at the end of the first set the band could have said. "Thanguverymuch, we're off for a break now but will be back at ....." We are frequently asked to take breaks of an hour by venues, it's frustrating to a degree as I feel you lose the momentum a bit from the first set, but let's be honest, the venue is buying in a service, so would have their expectations of that would be delivered

If he is putting in the hours for practice but still making errors then he needs to work out some form of crib sheet, even if it's a few notes on the setlist. Something like: I, V, C, V, C, B, C, S, C. Could be enough

Our singer is not the best at this, but he's not the worst either, I could definitely do without the "Are there any _______ Fans in? It's a guaranteed flat moment, if there's no response, and the sign of a nutter in the audience if there is. I quite enjoy using my BV mic to heckle the singer at times, but I don't do it that much as I'm not that quick to come up with new lines all of the time The guitarists could also be a lot more "pro" about being ready for the next song too

I can't say I've ever heard of him being rated (over or under) but I always liked Pat Badger's basslines in Extreme, true most of them were probably written by Nuno Bettencourt but to be able to keep up with some of those unison riffs on bass always impressed me. [url="http://youtu.be/hgqsT6Tgdrs"]http://youtu.be/hgqsT6Tgdrs[/url]

[b]1. Don’t play a Stratocaster.[/b] I have done this, but not in the way that the whinger, whinges- I'm not trying to be Hendrix, Clapton or any of the multitude of players that are associated with Strats. I play like me- [b]2. Don’t wear shorts.[/b] I've been told by a couple of gay guys, that I have nice legs- so for all the gay guys out there who like a bit of live classic rock (and when we happen to play that summer afternoon outdoor gig), my shorts are on standby. [b]3. Keep your shirt on.[/b] No-one but Mrs W, wants to see me shirtless- I'm with this one. [b]4. A drum kit shall comprise of no more than two toms, no more than three cymbals and shall be mounted on individual stands, not on a scaffolding rig.[/b] I must admit that I tend to agree with this (a bit), the best drummers I've played with have tended to be able to get a great sound out of a 5 piece kit, with nothing more than a hi-hat, crash and ride. (I'll allow a cowbell) [b]5. A bass guitar shall have no more than four strings.[/b] Just go away- silly boy, [b]6. Do not address the audience using the name of the town or city in which you are performing.[/b] I kind of appreciate our singer's tongue in cheek versions of this- "Godley Labour Club....You Rock!!" [b]7. Don’t announce the address of your band website from the stage.[/b] Not guilty, but don't care [b]8. If you don’t intend to bust out any badass dance moves, you don’t need a radio mic.[/b] I've seen too many bands in pubs with a crap sound, thinking, why doesn't some bugger come out here and listen to what we can hear. Wireless is worth it, if only for this. [b]9. Don’t end every song with an extensive monologue of requests for a perfect monitor balance.[/b] You've got a sound man????? [b]10. If you absolutely must play a shredding guitar solo, do not wear the facial contortions of a man being aggressively fellated.[/b] The guitarists in the band are getting on a bit now, any facial contortions probably mean they are getting desparate for a wee

[url="http://www.anthonydavison.com/"]http://www.anthonydavison.com/[/url] As I said, he's primarily a guitar teacher but if he can't help you he can point you in the right direction

Best sound I've heard in a sports hall was the levellers, basically the walls were completely draped in fabric. Is this even remotely possible for you?

Annoyingly I was in Darlo yesterday visiting the crematorium, I had loads of time to kill too but haven't logged on much while I was away.

Although I'm nowhere near you, I grew up in Darlo, and a guy I used to go to school and 6th form college with now teaches in the town. Primarily he's a guitar teacher but he knows his bass too. If you get totally stuck I'll pass you his details as I'm sure he'd do a lesson on sound set up.

I bought a very cheap acoustic bass on eBay which looks like a Chinese import that someone has slapped a brand name on to (shaft?) It was largely unplayable so I ripped the frets out and fiddled about with it a bit to get it playable, yes it's quiet acoustically, but it sounds pretty good plugged in. I was running horrendously late for a band practice a while ago and grabbed it on my way out of the door, taking no other kit at all. I plugged into the pa and all of the band were surprised at how good it sounded. Actually one said it would be ok to gig with.. I actually play it more than any other bass purely because it's a pick up and play it job, no messing with amps or leads. Always worth having in the armoury I think

I sold on a MIM Strat a couple of years ago- and I regret it regularly. Having played a couple of USA Strats it was every bit their equal to me

[quote name='oggiesnr' timestamp='1390421741' post='2345344'] Quite possibly There seems to be a hell of a lot of melodeon players round here! Steve [/quote] I'll be sure to say hello next time I see your side out and about.-I've just checked out the website and a few videos of that festival in Lincoln are still up- Me and my folks still in evidence in a few

[quote name='oggiesnr' timestamp='1390346860' post='2344485'] Interesting experience tonight. Had a morris dance practice and usually I play quite melodic lines. As I have left hand issues at the moment I had to dial that right back and played simple root/fifths and simpler progressions, concentrating on the dancers rather than trying to be clever. The result was that it was commented on how much stronger the bass was tonight and how much more lift it provided. There in lies a lesson for me. Steve [/quote] Given away by your location a bit, but I did a bit of melodeoning for your team at a festival in Lincoln a couple of years ago, I'm guessing you may know my batty parents.

I've very recently treated myself to the off white version, and I love it- I think it will be main gigging bass for several years to come

I've thought through a fair bit of our band's current set list and there are definitely a few plodder lines there, however some are fun, and some are dull, in particular I find Rocking in the free world particularly boring while sharp dressed man is fine. I must admit though, that my favourite ones in the set are the proper bass grooves- Play that funky music is a simple enough, but a great groove which the drummer and I play around with a bit

[quote name='oggiesnr' timestamp='1390324102' post='2344080'] Gaillard D/G/accs, two year build time. Gorgeous box but not right for me. Steve [/quote] For me it was the opposite- Why would I ever need anything other than a Hohner Erica, that was until I tried a Castagnari Tommy, which is everything I ever dreamed a box should be

My daughter seemed to have a natural aptitude- she decided she wanted to play when she was 14 and although she has not kept to it as I'd have liked it's one of the few things she actually acknowledges that I still understand. I was musical, but have really had to work at technique- whereas that has come naturally to her, she was able to play all of the riffs to Another one bites the Dust in her 1st hour lesson. I suppose she did have me teaching her, whereas I fudged about in the dark. I was able to teach her some great grooves and accessible basslines but the way she picked it up was impressive. within 3 months of starting she was able to play Man who sold the world, at an open mic night with me on acoustic guitar playing in front of a room full of musicians. It took me probably 18 months to attain the standard she managed in 6. She also adapted a groove I taught her as a GSCE music composition, gaining a grade B. I suspect, that if she ever decided to take it seriously (an hours well structured practice for an hour a night for 18 months or so) that she would eclipse the level I can play at now pretty quickly. Here's us on stage with the ceilidh band, about a year after she started playing (yes I forgot a guitar strap)

[quote name='Oopsdabassist' timestamp='1389789160' post='2337864'] You have a whole band that knows who Jaco is? WOW! [/quote] Exactly what I thought

Maybe there is a sub conscious desire to be allowed to show off our chops occasionally- guitarists get to do it all the time whereas generally bass players rarely step into the limelight. I remember going to watch a country band at a function several years ago, the bass player sat there all night playing root-fifth. At the end of the night they did a little intro to all of the players in the band and all of them played a little solo. The bass player then proceeded to show off some serious chops for about 15 seconds before going back to the old Root-Fifth routine.

When I was a teenager I used to have quite militant views on "plodding." 20 years on and the experience of playing in originals bands, rock covers bands, ceilidh bands and more, as well as having depped quite a bit has mellowed my views a lot. I played in a rocked up ceilidh band for 10 years playing simple folk tunes. This does not need Flea influenced funk grooves, it needs drive, lift and life (centring on 3 or 4 chords) this can all be achieved very well with nothing but root notes. I was once asked to get up with a friend who wanted to do Still haven't found what I'm looking for, at an open mic. Without that very simple "Dum, Dum, Dum, der-daa-daa" bass line what does the song have?

I bought a cheap 5 string on a bit of a whim a few years ago, and through a long winded series of events it became my most used instrument. I still lose myself occasionally (especially when learning new stuff) in the search for a "home" left hand position as I probably still "think" in 4 strings before translating it to 5. But the more I play 5 string, the more natural it feels. I have found it useful in many scenarios where the band has needed a key change- (All right now in G anyone?) as well as giving that low growl for certain riffs (the band use the Paranoid riff in D for a mash up, and it sounds so much better in the lower octave available on the 5 string) I have recently splashed out again on a nice (for me) 4 string, so will be using both intermittently in an effort to get equally proficient on both.

I'm not sure I ever seriously pursued a career in music, although definitely dreamt the dream as a teenager. I guess it boils down to a handful of factors, Firstly, I'm not 100% that I have the talent and ability and Secondly, I am not willing to work at it- I'm a rubbish networker and a natural introvert, who is too laid back to really push at things. I've worked (day jobs) and been friends with 2 pretty successful pro musicians. One gave up music because although when he was on tour, or doing session work, the money was great- it was so unreliable that he could not put down any roots, was stressed and waiting for the next job. He said to me that although he could go out on tour for a few months, and then live off the back of that for the next 6 months. At the end of that time, you were broke, and really in need of a steady income. Added to that wanting to settle down and have a family it was just not feasible. The second, is still working at it- not long back from a tour of Europe supporting the Pixies I think. He spends a lot of time promoting his band and networking. He has the benefit of being very affable, approachable with an engaging personality to back up the musicianship. However, despite the fact that he has been working at his band for at least the last 6? years, I'd still be suprised if a handful of folks on boards like this had heard of them.

While not common, 8, 10, 12, 15 string basses have been around for years- first time I heard one was on Pearl Jam's Jeremy- the whole song is on 12 string but it's particularly audible during the intro and the chime-like ending.12 string bass is 3 strings per note [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS91knuzoOA[/media] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight-string_bass_guitar"]http://en.wikipedia....ing_bass_guitar[/url]

We have a set list, but it's stuck too maybe a little too rigidly at times, I feel that maybe we lose the room occasionally by not being flexible. It may well confuse the guitarists though, who already frustrate me at times with a multitude of sins, (rehearsing riffs at audible volumes, audible tuning, audible searching for "that" sound, general noodling- all between songs) So I'll stick with the rigid set list. We have had a good chat (the singer, drummer and I lecturing them) about the professionalism being lifted at the last rehearsal so we'll see if it improves.

I bought a Laney R4H 300w head and 1x15 cab about 18 months ago and have gigged with it once a month, and practiced once a fortnight throughout this time and it hasn't missed a beat. We did a gig just before Christmas and when I first turned it on, it would fuzz a bit, and pop and crackle when playing a note. In fact I had to play quite hard for it to respond at all. After about 3 mins it settles down and then goes on as ever, Does this sound like a familiar issue to anyone at all? This has happened at 2 gigs now, and one practice- although I did leave my kit in the car between a couple of these as it was only a 36 hr gap. A couple of storage q's, Is there any reason why an amp head should not be stored on its side. I don't have a huge storage cupboard and the head has to live on its side in order to fit, I've always assumed that it should be ok but on no real basis of any sound knowledge?