louisthebass

Last time I broke a string was the Sunday before the August Bank Holiday in 1989. Was doing some recording at a friend's house in MK when I managed to break the D string - we had to go over to his Brother in Law's House in a nearby village to borrow his bass to complete the recording. It was an Ibanez Blazer strung with flats, & by the time we finished the recording my fingers were really sore!

Saw her at The Hexagon in Reading about 2/3 years ago. Probably the best female soul singer I've ever seen - band was kick@** too (the bass player was using a Warwick gear - Streamer 5, Alien ABG, some kind of keyboard bass & a Warwick rig). Would definitely go & see her again.

Not really been an active year for me - have only done 6 gigs this year. All being well, am hoping for a more active 2012.

[quote name='phatkat' timestamp='1320348296' post='1425746'] Im in an odd place at the moment as well, I didnt start playing anything seriously till I was 40, I had played guitar for years before ever playing in a band but soon moved to bass because the usual... lack of a bass player. Soon got to love it. I've played in a few bands for fun for years doing the odd gig, problem now is that we have changed singer/guitarist for the umpteenth time and this guy has been there and done that... my problem is that without a proper grounding in bass and lack of technique, im finding it quite hard to keep up with new material. Dont get me wrong, i'm really loving the pressure but dont want to hold these guys back... would lessons benefit a set in his ways 56yr old? G... [/quote] You're never too old to learn - I did a Jamey Aebersold Summer School in Richmond in 2003 & two of the bass players were OAP's! If anyone tells you you're too old, tell 'em to go & sit in the road & play with the traffic.....

Have now got my tickets - looking forward to it!

[quote name='Chlo_treacher' timestamp='1320325850' post='1425317'] Here is mine, playing sir duke by the legendary stevie wonder. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-7ZxkyiGbQ&feature=channel_video_title[/media] Chlo x EDIT; P.s Im not left handed, its just the program i used that made it look that way. [/quote] Like this That's a pretty difficult bass part to master & you've really nailed it. Well done!

Will be definitely going next year with the missus as we both thoroughly enjoyed this years (& she doesn't even play!). I've had a look at the website, but it looks like they've left all of last years acts on?

I got an iGig bag recently (as recommended to me in a similar thread some time ago by Doddy - many thanks ), by far the best bass gig bag I've ever had. Very well padded out, good construction & a lot of storage space.

[quote name='leftybassman392' timestamp='1320225119' post='1423860'] Thanks for that Jakes. Made my day. One of my very favourite Peter Gabriel songs, and a lovely, lovely version. Definitely J.B. on guitar too for me . I've always liked Tal's playing, and if it's good enough for the likes of Herbie Hancock then that'll certainly do for me. [/quote] +1 - 'nuff said really.

There's a video on YouTube of a guy (he's not a musician as far as I know) who teaches finger strength & independence (the video runs through some exercises which was posted on here some time ago) which I've found useful for warming up before practicing or on a gig. The main thing to remember is that the ring & pnky fingers share a tendon, so one will (to a certain extent) follow the other to a point.. IMO age doesn't really come into it (you're 6 years younger than me). It's possible to use a 1-2-4 fingering on the fretboard (Simandl) which should be fine on a Bronco as it's a short scale bass if memory serves. I use 1-2-4 a fair bit on a 5 string as I'm not blessed with the biggest of hands.

+1 on the Overwater Contemporary Jazz - definitely in your price range. Tried one out in Guitar Works in Reading when it was open, & if I'd had the readies, would have bought it without any hesitation. Lots of tonal variation even though the pickups aren't single coils - it sounds just as good.

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1319813084' post='1418908'] do you (like me) use the top edge of the pickup cover as a thumbrest? [/quote] Hi Steve, I do indeed. Do you think this could be part of the problem?

Thanks for that Nugget - much obliged. Mods - please could you move this as posted in wrong part of the forum?

Hi all, Wonder if anyone who owns a Yamaha TRB bass with humbuckers has had a similar problem to mine? I keep having to adjust the height of the rear pickup as the top of the pickup is getting too close to the strings - I'm not sure if it's an issue with the sponge underneath, or if one of the screw holes needs filling and retapping? If anyone can help, would be very much appreciated Cheers, louisthebass

Worst one I can think of was a gig I did at a venue in Windsor a few years back. Tuned up before the gig in a bit of a rush...Band kicks off the first few numbers and for some reason it doesn't sound right at all, but I can't figure out why until the keyboard player tells me I'm playing a semitone flat. Turns out that I'd used the wrong setting on the tuner.... Felt a right Muppett...

I was in the same boat as you about 18 months ago, but came to the conclusion that I really wanted to be a better bass player than I had been up to that point (had been playing 20+ years). If you think you need to know your fretboard better, it's pretty much a case of going over the Major (& relative Minor) scales in the Circle of Fifths & naming each note in the scale as you play it. I know I've plugged this book many times on this forum (& I'm not getting paid for it - honest!!) but the Stuart Clayton book on scales & modes might be what you're looking for. The first half of the book might be just what you're looking for as it does venture later on into more Jazz oriented scales & arpeggios, but if you don't need that part of it, then it's achieved what you required in the first place. In terms of improving your sightreading, it's a case of looking for bass books that concentrate on that subject - one I use is an American book. long out of print (The Complete Electric Bassist). No tab, & the fingerings suggested in the book are more DB based than OFPF. Hope this helps?

[quote name='edster' timestamp='1319205612' post='1411311'] I only managed 53s! [/quote] I only lasted 25 secs. Not for me I'm afraid...

Another good resource for the timekeeping aspect is a section in "The Working Bassists Toolkit" by Ed Friedland. That will keep you going for ages - rest of the book is very good too.

Welcome to the club! Learning your scales & arpeggios is crucial - the latter even more so as outlining chords & harmony is one of the main roles of the bass player in any band. Learning to read Bass clef would also be a good idea as this opens up more playing opportunities. I'm afraid there's no substitute for hard work in this bass playing malarkey I can tell you... If you can spend an hour a day working on these subjects, you'll be headed in the right direction. There's loads of good people on this forum who inhabit the Theory & Technique Section (Scott Devine, Bilbo, Doddy, The Major) who can help you out with any questions. Hope this helps? Cheers, louisthebass

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1319136563' post='1410491'] The bass in action pre Elvis gig! I loves it! [/quote] It's a Larry Graham Funk Machine - very nice indeed!

Good review... I've got a Japanese TRB5 (35" scale) that I've had for 11 years now. I love the way they build these things & they have a great modern bass tone.A really solid gigging bass that does the business. The only two gripes (minor ones) are I have to lower the pickup heights fairly frequently, & when I do a string change, It's a bit of a nightmare fitting the B string, but I'm wondering if it's got something to do with the way the slot in the machine head has been cut?

If you're really looking to understand which scales / modes work with particular types of chords, it might be worth you getting some of the Jamey Aebersold Playalongs (Volume 24 Major & Minor has a book that has a shedload of scales & their related chord types - there are also a couple of Blues Playalongs in the series as well, but they aren't straight I-IV-V progressions). Alternatively, it might be worth checking Stuart Clayton's Scales & Modes book. I bought it and am still working through it, definitely worth the money.

Hi Scott, Thought the lesson was top notch - I never fail to be educated when I see your YT tutorials (have now subscribed to your YT vids). I think it's great you can get your point across so concisely in such a short space of time. You're doing a grand job, keep it going! Cheers, louisthebass

Agree with a lot of what has been said really - being friendly, polite, & doing your prep properly have always been the main ones for me. Main thing to remember is: "If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail".

My wife is very tolerant about me playing in bands, I get no grief whatsoever. On occasions she'll come to gig with me if I'm playing. My present from her on our wedding day was my Yamaha BB500 Amp head, & she has since bought me my Epifani cabs to make life a lot easier toting my gear around. My missus = Star!