SteveK

'fraid he comes across as a bit of a fruit-cake to me. Doesn't matter how good you are, or [i]think[/i] you are, if no-one will work with you it means jack-sh*t. FWIW my good friend and colleague, Mick Rogers, played bass for Frank Z for one show (mid 70s) when Tom Fowler couldn't make it. Had to busk a 2 1/2 hour Frank Zappa set Steve

Records = Not too bad Live = Dire I should add that my judgement of "live" shows is based on what I've seen on telly. Steve

[b][u][size=3]It's official[/size][/u][/b] [u][b]U2 only 1/2 as good as Take That[/b][/u] [b][i]"The group's 12th album No Line on the Horizon sold 64,698 copies on its first day on sale" "Last December, Take That sold 133,000 albums on day one"[/i][/b] Quotes from Music Week taken from [url="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7921583.stm"]HERE[/url] So, there you have it...Now, let that be an end to it!

I don't get the "Friction/grip is good" thing. Why would you want to make it harder for your finger to get from one side of the string to the other, ie: Pluck? Liking a fairly bright and sustained sound, I would change strings every 3 or 4 shows, it tends to be 4 or 5, or sometimes 6 shows these days. The downside is that the new strings (I use Elites) tend to be a little rough for the first 1/2 hour or so of use. My remedy: Raise my fingers to my head and use a little "brow grease"...more effective than gob

[quote]and they're led by a twat with a Messiah complex...[/quote] Don't really want to get into the "U2 are c**p" thing... ...but, I am reminded of an old joke: [i]What's the difference between Nelson Mandela and Bono? Nelson Mandela doesn't think he's God.[/i] OK, I never said it was a [i]good[/i] joke Steve

[quote]So I wanna play funk., Advice?[/quote] All of the above... And, you gotta think "Sex"

All You Need Is Love - by that obscure 60s band from Liverpool.

[quote]not everything is on the internet you know.[/quote] [quote]Can I nominate this for the best quotes sticky if it's still going[/quote] Or maybe more appropriately, [b][i]"Can I nominate this for the best quote if the going gets sticky"[/i][/b]

Perhaps the OP could post a link to any article that refers to a Stick as a "Bass guitar"

If you can afford it, definitely drum machine. I can't think of anything more boring than playing to: [b]Click[/b] click click click [b]Click[/b] click click click [b]Click[/b] click click click [b]Click[/b] click click click [b]Click[/b] click click click [b]Click[/b] click click click [b]Click[/b] click click click [b]Click[/b] click click click [b]Click[/b] click click click [b]Click[/b] click click click [b]Click[/b] click click click [b]Click[/b] click click click [b]Click[/b] click click click [b]Click[/b] click click click [b]Click[/b] click click click [b]Click[/b] click click click [b]Click[/b] click click click [b]Click[/b] click click click [b]Click[/b] click click click [b]Click[/b] click click click [b]Click[/b] click click click [b]Click[/b] click click click [b]Click[/b] click click click [b]Click[/b] click click click etc etc 5 minutes of that and I'm ready to kill Music's s'posed to be fun...right?! Steve

[quote]I'm not sure what that emoticon means. I'm guessing: ho hum![/quote] No, not at all. It means that I was half expecting someone to link to an accomplished player playing thumb style However, my answer to the original question: [quote]Is there any reason not to just use my thumb?[/quote] would still be: "None at all...but it's highly unlikely that you will become an accomplished player." (Note that I say "highly unlikely" and not "impossible") To advise a relative beginner to play by just plucking with his thumb would be bad advice. Steve PS. Does Robbie [i]never[/i] play the orthodox two finger style?

[quote][url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=RdAa2ktmWFc"]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=RdAa2ktmWFc[/url][/quote]

[quote]It's one of the many techniques Sting uses[/quote] I feel like saying, "If Sting had gone through life relying solely on his bass playing to feed himself, he would have led a very hungry existence" but there are probably a few Sting fans here... so I won't [quote]Is there any reason not to just use my thumb?[/quote] None at all...but it's highly unlikely that you will become an accomplished player. Steve

[quote]A song various jazzers like to knock but secretly they'd all give their eye teeth to have written anything remotely as popular themselves.[/quote] I'd like to have written it...along with "The Birdy Song", "Agadoo" or any other ditty that has sold by the shed load. However, it's the performance that's in question here rather than the song. Steve

[quote]Doing a 2 song mime for Cliff Richard... laugh.gif smile.gif[/quote] And, how is Pete (drums) these days? To answer the op: It's a compromise between having the right and left wrist comfortable. For me (finger style) that means having the bass body pretty squarely over my tummy button. Steve

Apologies for the delay in responding - had to take my 2 & 5 year olds to see Santa I also wanted to consider the e-card idea. I don't have Mike P's email address, so unfortunately, it would rely on a friend of a friend and I kinda feel uneasy about doing it. But, there is nothing stopping anyone sending their best wishes via his forum: [url="http://www.totonetwork.com/forum/15"]MP's forum[/url] Or dropping him an email: [url="http://www.totonetwork.com/contact"]Toto contact[/url] If I think of anything else I'll post here. Steve

[quote]what's the real gen?[/quote] Having worked a lot with Toto over the years - and more recently with Lukes band - I've got to know them [i]fairly[/i] well, and I know how protective they are of their "brothers", so it's unlikely that you'll get "the real gen"...at least from them. Even after many Tequilas and Jagermeisters Luke didn't say much more than I posted above - he was quite obviously very sad and upset about MP's plight. Steve

A couple of months back I asked Luke the same question, he told me that Mike was in a fairly bad way and was pretty much unable to venture out of his front door or pick up his bass. Very sad!

If it's an established artist, then my general rule of thumb would be to ask for the same rate as the keyboard player/drummer/guitarist etc. Steve

[quote]When is it acceptable to use a band name that's already been used?[/quote] Why decide on a name that you[i] [b]know[/b][/i] is already in use? Seems crazy to me - a possible recipe for confusion.

[quote]Not sure if it was my telly sound or my hearing,but i thought the bass was low in the mix,and JB and co drowned it out more often than not[/quote] It was yer typical telly mix - ie: Crap! The guitar was just too high in the mix. What does surprise me, is that JB would most probably have heard it before transmission - and OKd it. Nevertheless, enjoyed the show - thought he was on great form. Steve

[quote]I think this is a good case to show that having a written 'Band Agreement' in place to cover such eventualities is worth it's weight in gold.[/quote] And if the band say, "You're rubbish, we've found someone else...on yer bike". What are you going to do? Edit: In all the years that I've been playing I've never signed a "Band Agreement". I,ve [i]have[/i] heard of musicians signing a contract for a particular tour, but nothing else. In answer to the OP: As long as there are good vibes and you don't have other commitments, then I would suggest 1-2 months, or till a replacement is ready.

If your band are playing around G7, then, "The world is your lobster, Terry" . But to keep it simple - in addition to G Mix - you could incorporate some Blues scale phrases (G-Bb-C-Db-D-F-G). Ideally, you would have the scales and modes under your belt before attempting a solo... But, being thrown in at the deep end is often a quicker way to learn. It does focus the mind. Good luck. Steve

A couple of points: 1. It's quite possible that the headliner hasn't got a clue who you are. Back stage areas are often awash with people: Sound tech's, lighting tech's, stage crew, liggers and family and friends. Unless you have a great big sign above your head saying, "I'm in the support band". How the hell are they supposed to know? 2. Just because headline acts often play to thousands, doesn't make them any less shy about approaching total strangers. 3. Maybe a headline act is unable to watch the support band - perhaps they have to eat - perhaps they like a bit of peace and quiet before their show - or maybe they're just knackered and need to lay down somewhere. 4. How many of you bemoaning the "arrogant" "Up themselves" headliners have actually done the approaching and said "Hi, I'm ?????, I'm in the support band. Looking forward to your set" or similar?..yeah, thought not. Of course you get the odd a***hole who just doesn't want to be friendly, that's life, but if [u]you[/u] say "Hi" to someone, there's more than a good chance that they'll say "Hi" back. Steve

Granted, he does look a bit like Tony Levin, but it is in fact... ...keyboard player extraordinaire, sometimes OXO man, Joe Zawinul