XB26354

[quote name='synaesthesia' post='456604' date='Apr 7 2009, 05:28 PM']Marienthal. I guess saxophone players don't matter much in the world of electric bass players for whom Mike Stern is so high up on a pedestal. Good player, but it quite obvious where the slant is on this forum. FWIW, I have been listening to Mike Stern since he was with BS&T, and I've met the man with Dennis Chambers in '93. Again good player, but all this "you don't like or don't know Mike Stern?" bashing is amusing to say the least in the face of 'Eric someone.'[/quote] Go back and reread my post. I praised the whole quartet for great playing. I've known Mike Stern's playing for a long time too, and merely commented that I don't like his sound. Such a heavily effected sound tends to grate over a long period of listening, especially chorusing. I also am very well aware of who Eric Marienthal is, just didn't have his name at the tip of my tongue. This is all opinion, so why not think before writing condescending posts, as if you're the only one that's ever listened to Mike Stern?

Saw him year before last at Ronnie's with Anthony Jackson, Dave Weckl and Eric someone on sax. Great, great playing but I can't stand that horrible chorused guitar sound. He had stereo amps and it still sounded thin and crappy. Each to their own I guess but I can't imagine why anyone would like that sound and continue to use it for 25+ years, especially someone with so much talent - guess he likes it!

[quote name='6stringbassist' post='456329' date='Apr 7 2009, 12:39 PM']Basically playing with someone is better than sitting at home practising, and a lot of jazz musicians can be very......shall we say 'set in their ways'. "You don't play jazz on an electric bass" is something that I've heard on a couple of occassions.[/quote] But you DON'T play jazz on an electric bass, and especially not a 6-string bass! (see my signature) Seriously, the reason why many jazzers think you can't or shouldn't play jazz on electric bass is that most players just don't swing like double bass players do - something to do with the depth of tone, and the more subtle sound of double bass. Being a more physical and somewhat harder instrument to play perhaps players get more out of each note... my number one tip to someone dtarting to learn to play walking lines - play quarter notes and nothing else. Only when you can really swing should you start to add the skips and triplets etc. and VERY sparingly.

[quote name='lowdown' post='455620' date='Apr 6 2009, 04:13 PM']Anyone fancy sitting in on this big band? There is a hard act to follow mind. Garry[/quote] Oh and check where AJ screws up at 1'04" even the best miss it sometimes!

[quote name='synaesthesia' post='455888' date='Apr 6 2009, 09:35 PM']If anything irks me is the limited view most so called jazz musos have. Mention latin bass and they can only name Anthony Jackson. It's as if Showaddywaddy were really from the 50's.[/quote] eh? I'd like to think I've listened to a fair chunk of salsa, island, brazilian and south american music (and played a fair bit of it) and I've never heard anyone say that...

[quote name='lowdown' post='455620' date='Apr 6 2009, 04:13 PM']Anyone fancy sitting in on this big band? There is a hard act to follow mind. Garry[/quote] This is bordering on film/TV theme music from the 70's a la Quincy Jones - and despite transcribing it (and the whole of One More Once) it's more like latiny jazz with a backbeat. Anthony Jackson plays a quasi-walking line over the solo section I guess... It doesn't really matter what anyone thinks about jazz - it is there for you to take it or leave it if you want. Go to some decent gigs, get some books on the subject (e.g. The Jazz Theory Book) and dip your toes in until you either find something you like or hate it all and give up! I find nowadays that the Jamey Aebersold play-alongs do a lot more for your playing if you want to try things and make mistakes in a low pressure situation than a bad jam session. OK, they're not the same as playing live but you do get to practice tunes of all types (as well as turnarounds and other jazz specifics) with some real bad-ass jazzers. Maybe Miles' playing grates for some people because like Jaco he's been endlessly copied - I've certainly played with plenty of trumpeters that did bad Miles impressions :-)

The new SR506 with Bart mk II's is very nice - sound is much improved over the first incarnation. Too neck heavy when seated for me but light enough for it not to matter in the long run. I can't recommend the BTB676 - it sure looks nice with the thru neck but basic tone was very uninspiring.

I've also had a go on the red SR300 at the Gallery, and in addition to being the lightest bass I have ever picked up (seriously, thought it was a guitar) it performs really well - this standard of bass simply did not exist 25 years ago below £500. The blend pot between "slap" and "fingerstyle is not really to my taste but works as a kind of sweepable mid, to me it was best left in the middle. Great bass and not just for a beginner.

I assume you're talking about the US models? The Standard has all five tuners in a row, Deluxe has a 4+1 arrangement. The Deluxe I had was very light and well put together, and of course it has 22 frets, SCN pickups and the active circuit. I think it boils down to whether you want to go active or passive really. I would strongly advise you to try one out in a store as quality seems very variable. I was lucky enough to try 4 at the same time and the one I bought was head and shoulders above the rest for finish and feel. Sound was of course almost identical.

I'd also add that once you find a technical approach that works for you, stick with it and push it as far as you can. You'll notice much more of an improvement in technique than if you chop and change between different approaches. I aim for comfort first, tone second. It's no good having a great sound and your wrist cramps up after one hour of playing!

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='450315' date='Mar 31 2009, 10:10 AM']That's right, let's all knock what we haven't tried, don't understand, or worse still can't afford. The detractors here quite simply have way too much time on their hands.[/quote] I've tried loads of Statuses and owned a couple, understand them very well thank you and as I seem to be able to afford a bass that would retail at approximately twice the price of a S2 6-string, money doesn't come into it. Still wouldn't buy one You're right though, it is nearly lunchtime and I do have too much time on my hands

[quote name='Eight' post='443644' date='Mar 24 2009, 12:23 PM']Well... For a sense of completeness maybe. Because I'm not currently learning bass just from a functional point of view. Because its challenging. Or just because there's nothing more or less wrong with a bass solo than there is a lead guitar solo. And I don't believe you need to play jazz to pull it off. I don't gig, I'm not even in a band. So I have no whinging guitard telling me what I can and can't play. I just have limited ability.[/quote] I wouldn't try to limit yourself be believing you need to play or not play any style. It just so happens that jazz is the main style of music that specifically demands all instruments improvise at some point. The bass is and always was an accompaniment instrument in every style of music (including those where there is no tuned bass instrument, like South American and Indian music). As you say there is nothing wrong with bass solos or developing your facility to play them on bass. "Soloing" in many bass situations means taking the bass line and elaborating upon it, with reference to the melody (if there is one). As treble clef instruments tend to do the bulk of soloing they are a good place to start.

I'd respectfully ask why you feel the need to work on bass soloing if you're not playing jazz? Although it is talked about a lot it is very rarely heard/asked for outside of modern jazz circles. If you a break that you need to fill, then as mentioned above learning melodies (and very importantly, how the melody relates to the underlying harmony), perhaps adding a stronger rhythmic element if you need to groove along to the drums. Cheers Mat

I just noticed that the OP was also talking about muting strings below the one being plucked. On a four string bass Jennifer's suggestion above seems the most logical. If you go for 5- or 6-strings in the future a floating thumb (or lightly touching straight thumb) is better as if you play top G on a five you have to damp 4 lower strings.

Damp [b]plucked[/b] strings with the plucking hand. It's much more efficient as you fingers are there ready to play anyway. If you're playing on the E string then your fretting hand naturally mutes the higher strings so they don't ring in sympathy. I've played both ways and certainly for recording it really cleans up your playing. I've been fortunate to have quite a lot of students over the years and it seems not to have posed a problem for anyone. It is like many things with technique - not a natural thing to do initially but it will improve the cleanliness and punch of your bass playing. Check out Gary Willis Progressive Bassics (I think it's on YouTube) to see it in action. Cheers Mat

Pentatonics are just an available group of 5 notes. If you want to practise them musically try your exercises round the cycle of 4ths, use odd groupings (e.g. play up 5 notes of the scale at a time), use different rhythmic figures, like starting on the + of beat 1, then on beat 2, + of beat 2 etc. Melodically pentatonics have a simplistic and quite appealing sound, at least to my ears.

What I always think, even when I listen to the old stuff with Bill Bruford, is that his playing is technically very clean and impressive (e.g. Palewell Park, 5G, Water On The Brain), but actually sounds crap. It does nothing for me at all. What is the point learning what he has learned only to sound crap. I like jazz and even (gasp) some fusion, but only when music is the point rather than a crappy tone and way too many notes/chords etc. This is strange as from the way he talks about education and the music industry you'd think he was a revered custodian of the worldwide bass community rather than a marginalised, anachronistic player with seemingly no sense of taste. Oh and his solo albums are pretty awful musically

[quote name='ARGH' post='437594' date='Mar 17 2009, 05:31 PM']Oh its alright.... Its ok to be wrong,good construction is a good thing,just dont think it actually is the greatest influence upon tone.[/quote] Then in your opinion (with your reasons) what is?

I doubt very much that Pino doesn't read music. He contributed the very complex part to For Once In My Life to Standing in The Shadows of Motown and I'd be surprised if a non-reader could cop the part really. Mick Karn (who is one of my favourite players) basically had success in one band over a very short period. This isn't really a guide to either learning theory/reading or not, as players of all backgrounds develop their own styles. If I had the time and energy to practise several hours a day now, I would study harmony and arranging on the piano and/or impovisation on sax/trumpet from the start instead of worrying whether I could play slapped triplets up to 200bpm

I'm no scientist but having played 5 and 6-strings of most the major makes for about the last 20 years there are several factors in the tightness of sound, and also B-string response: Scale Length String material and diameter Tuning (dropped or standard) Body wood Neck wood and construction (bolt on or thru-neck) Frets Pickups and electronics Of these I believe the most important qualities are the woods, construction quality and pickups. I've played and owned several basses with 33", 34", 35", 36" and 37" and found that there is little benefit tonally to be had from extended scale length. The feel of the string is different due to increased tension, and the sound is a little clearer, but having played a number of Overwaters at 36" and Dingwalls at 37" I don't like the sound that produces. The best B-strings i have ever played came from a Ken Smith (34"), Warwick (34") and my new MTD (35"). All three were very well made with properly seasoned woods and high quality electronics. it's not just about price either - the Ibanez GWB45 has a great B and it is again 34" (and under £500). Unless you like the feel of a very extended scale I don't believe the extra scale length is worth the discomfort from wider spaced frets in the first position (which is where we do the bulk of bass playing, right?)

I've always thought that he talks a lot of sense about music education, even back when he had a column in Bass Player. Learning any instrument to a high level takes a lot of hard work, but even more sense about the right things to learn. The issue I have is that while he has a scary level of ability, both musical and technical, a lot of the music I've heard him make turns me right off. He also seems to describe things in very black an white terms as urb mentioned, and seems fond of picking arguments with other bass players. He is somewhat anachronistic nowadays - who is going to buy a Jeff Berlin CD if it came out anyway?