JoeEvans

It would sound interesting if the snare was left in the cajon.

So can we have some kind of a prize for the first evidence of a band gigging under a name drawn from the thread archives? Actually, having written that, 'The Thread Archives' isn't bad either...

You can use a knife edge or some other thin flat object to check that the harmonics are all exactly lined up across the strings; that's about as far as you need to go regarding the intonation, as long as it't not a lined fretless.

"F[color=#141414][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]antastico e rarissimo" indeed.[/font][/color]

There used to be a fantastic place called TJ's in Newport - a dive by any definition of the word, but what a great place to play or see a band - tiny, sweaty, the audience cruising somewhere in between starting a fight, drinking and drugging themselves insensible or having the best party of the year, and open to persuasion as to which way to take it... Dives are the true heart of the music world. My only worry is that economics, 'health and safety' and the lure of the box-set will kill them all off before my kids are old enough for me to embark on a happily disreputable old age playing in such places.

When I was booking bands for a mid-size venue, I was surprised by how under-prepared some bands were. I obviously had to sell the band to my audience, and there are a few things that make that immeasurably easier:[list] [*]A bit of film with good sound quality (i.e. probably not gig footage off someone's phone) on Youtube or Vimeo, so that I could embed it in our website and share it on Facebook. Best of all is to set up a filmed recording session in a nice-looking space and do maybe three of your best tunes. The sound quality and performance are more important than the video quality and editing... [*]Either a good poster design in a format that let me add date etc (e.g. a jpg or similar at least 2000px wide) or some good photos of the band that I could use to do a poster design (again minimum 2000px wide). I personally hated the ready-made posters with a blank bit at the bottom to scrawl gig details on, they look rubbish to my eye. [*]A decent biog with some press quotes that were not too obviously made up. (Top tip: send a press release to a regional paper with some good lines about the band in there, then when they print it, use those lines in your publicity material, attributed to the paper - "rip-roaring rock action" - Western Daily Press) [*]A website that I could post links to with more film or audio, more pics etc. [*]A local fan base that the band could easily reach through social media - even touring bands can often rustle up a bit of local excitement if they are organised. [/list] Any band that had most or all of the above and looked half-decent was in with a good chance of a booking, even if no-one had ever heard of them; any band without any of the above wouldn't really be worth booking even if they were the most extraordinary act on earth, because how could I show my audience how good they were? Obviously for smaller gigs you could scale that list back a bit but it really does all make life easy for the person doing the booking.

I always get a lot of comfort from knowing that there's a definite 'turn-off' time, say 9pm, when any noise I might be putting up with will stop.

Well, obviously, after tasting the delights of the bass guitar, you're never going to want to go back to one of those silly twangy things. So the only answer is to keep doing your scales and look for another band... Or sack the songwriter and start writing your own songs, or look for another singer / songwriter?

I was told to err on the side of caution, and put a bit more on if you feel that the bow isn't biting properly. If you have to re-apply twice or more, put more on in the first place next time you play, and over time a routine emerges which seems to work.

It might not be all that important - I think you would instinctively increase or decrease the weight I put on the strings with the bow to produce the right degree of pressure at the contact point; if the bow was a bit slacker you'd need to weight it a bit more to get the same volume and tone, which I think you'd probably do without noticing that you were doing it, if that makes sense. When I first started playing arco (only quite recently so I am in no way an expert, barely a beginner) I did experiment quite a bit with bow tension and I couldn't detect much difference in feel or tone as I tweaked the tension up and down, within a reasonable frame.

I once turned down a job so that I could do the music for a theatre show for a few months. It was fantastic and I'd do it again like a shot if the circumstances were right. But it's all about the people - being on tour with a bunch of people who you don't get on with, playing music that doesn't do a lot for you, would be ten times worse than doing a dull office job but making amazing music with your mates in the evenings.

Don't carry on like this or you will damage your own hearing. No band is worth destroying your ears. If you want to continue rehearsing while you have the debate within the band, I can recommend wearing good quality builder's ear protectors rather than earplugs. They cut out more noise if you get the right ones, and they are easier to slip on and off to chat between tunes. They also make a strong visual statement. But honestly, don't stay with a drummer who will damage your ears for life.

[quote][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Yep, but only up or down by a maximum of 5 Hz. The lowest it'll go is 435 Hz.[/font][/color][/quote] How low do you want to go? And why, if you don't mind me asking?

Do you mean so that one string of four is just plucked to provide a root, then the other three are played with different harmonics?

[quote name='landwomble' timestamp='1436207455' post='2816019'] The new Macbook air is very expensive sive for a very low spec. Dunno what your old work did to screw up the dell but a modern machine shouldn't and doesn't typically behave like that. [/quote] Yes - I wouldn't have bought the Air myself, but it's very nice nonetheless... Boots up more or less instantly (solid state HD) and does everything very fast and easily while also being very small and light. And the Dell was like that straight from the box. I fiddled about a bit trying to work out if there was anything actually wrong with it (as did the IT guy at work) but didn't really get anywhere. It's entirely possible that there is some reason for the slowness beyond it just being a bit crap, but it has certainly put me off Dells.

My Dell is absolutely rubbish. Bought it last year (with a work budget) and it was like stepping back ten years in terms of speed and reliability. It takes about five minutes to boot up, regularly freezes and is generally an absolute waste of space. When I got a new Macbook Air (new job) I couldn't believe the difference - it feels literally hundreds of times faster.

And if you ever feel like it's not going too well, half-close your eyes and focus all your attention on the kick drum.

Cerys Matthews told a good anecdote about meeting Tom Jones (it was to do the 'Cold Outside' Christmas single, which I actually really like). She asked him for his advice on live performance, thinking to tap into his sage-like wisdom, drawn from five decades or more of near-constant touring and Vegas show. Apparently he thought for a moment, then leaned in and said (and you have to imagine the accent) "I'll tell you the trick of it, Cerys. Have a drink or two after you come off stage, but not before you go on." Simple, but true.

I suppose it is true that someone who has some expertise with an instrument might recognise it when a musician pulls off some effect that is particularly difficult technically, but actually, that sort of stuff is not always enjoyable for the general listener anyway. I remember going to see Kroke, a Polish klezmer trio, and the accordionist did something with his left hand that had never occurred to me as being even possible. But I don't suppose anyone else in the audience noticed or got any special pleasure from it.

The point of playing music is to create enjoyable experiences for listeners, regardless of whether they are musicians themselves. So anyone with ears is entitled to comment on whether or not you succeeded in that task.

I thought that the Thomann solid top / laminate back with the tine-wood back and sides looked pretty sexy - http://www.musikexport.com/e-shop/en/string-instruments/double-basses/semi-massive-double-basses/semi-massive-double-basses/thomann-2w-tn-44-europe-double-bass But I ended up getting a second hand instrument which I love and I think I'd always end up going down that route in the end, just because I like well-made things that are a bit old and battered.

Accordion reeds are stuck down with a blend of beeswax and rosin. If you wanted to mount a pickup semi-permanently, you could probably do worse than to experiment with that idea. Melt down the wax and shave in some rosin, then maybe smear it onto the base of the pickup when semi-set, stick it onto the bass and let it harden off?

Pure beeswax is the best thing I've tried. You can hold it in your hand for a while and it goes soft enough to mould, but then it sets nice and hard and sticks well. And you can just polish out the smears.

Here are a few on eBay right now... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-4-Double-Bass-THE-STENTOR-STUDENT-II-/201373350520?&_trksid=p2056016.l4276 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-2-size-double-bass-Antoni-/221794299998?&_trksid=p2056016.l4276 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Beautiful-Bargain-Bass-amp-extras-/121670261566?&_trksid=p2056016.l4276 I reckon any one of these would be a far better buy than a cheap new one.