Frank Blank

After over 35 years playing bass I have just recently started having lessons and learning theory. I play with the index finger only plucking the strings and through exercises I am realising that I’ve played 1,2,4 instead of 1,2,3 resulting in finger 3 having to be dragged around like a reluctant slug. The aforementioned exercises are improving my third finger dexterity and I find myself using it more on some of our songs but not always. I think this is the key, especially if you have been playing a while and have settled into your own style, there is a ‘traditional’ way of approaching playing but I’d stop short of calling it ‘correct’ because that implies that people who play like me are ‘incorrect’ rather than just slightly different. I also respectfully disagree with @Chris B that the guys who know music theory and have learnt a good technique will always be better players, they will usually be better players, sure, but not always, one of my favourite bass players, Mick Karn didn’t know any theory at all, even which notes his open strings were, he would bowl into rehearsals, ask the title of the song being worked on and write some of his bass lines solely inspired by the song title, the band would then sometimes have to restructure the entire song around his bass line. This sounds like a drag but imho that’s what makes Japan’s music sound so fresh and interesting becaus it isn’t necessarily structured around a traditional or classical route. I have often played in bands with classically trained musicians who wonder about my choice of notes, the polite ones will say some of my choices are interesting, others say will say wrong, sometimes I am swayed by their arguments, other times I will stick by my decision because it is right to my ear and by ear likes dissonance, granted it isn’t a classically trained ear but sometimes I think that training will filter out some of the more interesting ideas in order to tread the traditional route. I’m waffling, essentially I am now being tutored and I’m finding the tuition extremely helpful but then my tutor is not insisting that I use two finger plucking technique, he is showing me the traditional route but not insisting how I walk it because he realises I already have a style of my own involving technique and choices of note by ear.

He Always Struck Me As A Colossal Bell End - The second of today's entries on my list of potential autobiography titles.

Fingers crossed.

Thanks for this. I ordered it in ash/walnut. If I like it I'm hoping to get the standard in fretless, unless they would do a fretless pro..? I must ask. I will post pics as soon as I get it.

Just as you posted that the status of the vessel changed to 'armed guard on board'.

Heh... gulp.

Try the old Bata shoe factory in East Tilbury or contact Tilbury Docks, they have some amazing old buildings and I once parked in a car park there walled in by cargo containers, it would make a great backdrop for a video.

Heh, I sent an email to @Chownybass yesterday asking for an update on delivery of the latest batch of SWB Pros and I was sent a link to the Marine Traffic website so I could see where the container ship carrying the consignment was. Fantastic, I can now see just how slowly these ships move, ha ha. I have, like the sad trainspotter I am, downloaded the Marine Traffic app and I can report that the bass is in the Indian Ocean south of Oman heading this way at 13.5 knots. I'm beginning to love this company and I haven’t played one of their basses yet!

There’s only two of us but she makes extensive notes with chords drawn and such, as I don’t read I do everything by ear so, like you, I record and edit down to the best take.

This is excellent, thanks so much for the tip!

...actual genius.

I was going to point out that this was a huge generalisation but then I can’t think of one UK rap/grime artist that I like, it’s difficult enough to find any rap or hip hop free of racism or homophobia but then you could say that of life/society I suppose...

Not sure any of these are rap or hip hop per se but there we are...

At a gig about ten years ago I drunkenly staggered back to my mic and said “We’re about three songs in and I think I may have used the C word a few times”, a voice came back from the darkness “Yes, eighteen times”, it was my boss from work. Could this be a record?

I was once informed that rap was particularly suited to the French language because “All the syllables are the same length”, this may be horse poo but the person who told me was heavily into French rap.

I am hoping to be.

I would genuinely like to try it and, as previously mentioned, if it were 23” and EADG I’d be double interested. Something about the shape of it and the way you are going about building it is just speaking to me.

Are you taking orders..?

Oh lord, playing cards in the spokes held on by pegs, I miss that.

You know what? I need some recent death metal recommendations. Reign In Blood was the last DM album anyone recommended to me!

I used to attend a lot of Killing Joke gigs back yonder and their intro music included two snippets of songs that I loved but I could never ascertain who they were by. Turns out it was Faith Healer and Booids by SAHB. What a front man, what a guitarist, crazy and so sinister.