skankdelvar

[quote name='bremen' post='394819' date='Jan 29 2009, 07:10 PM']Sure it's just a bit of fun, but can you imagine a 'Best black bass player' or 'Best gay bass player' thread?[/quote] Take your point, but (more in reply to Bilbo, really, but not picking on him per se) there's no question that large swathes of musical endeavour are notable for the statistical under-representation of women. [i]Even[/i] Jazz is a bit - er - male dominated And I'd love to know why. Given that they count for over 50% of the world's population, it would be a [i]Good Thing [/i] on so many levels if there were more women players. Because then there'd just be [i]more players[/i], irrespective of their gender or their genre. And then we wouldn't have to differentiate - there'd just be fiery threads about who's better - Tal Wilkenfeld, Victor Wooten or Charlie Mingus.

I deliberately haven't listened to it, but I still think it's the devil's work.

[quote name='OldGit' post='394475' date='Jan 29 2009, 12:35 PM']I guess too it will depend on the venue and audiences.[/quote] +1 - that's the key. It's down to the audience's familiarity with the material. No question that there are (different / better / whatever) artists than GM / SRV / EC - but it's down to what the paying punters want - and lots of 'em want to hear re-treads or covers of covers of covers of the aforementioned covering other artists. So, tough... Somewhere else, like a 'proper' blues club / venue, you'd maybe get canned off for playing that stuff because the punters are more ..er...scholarly? It's happened to me. OTOH, in pubs or general music venues, if you take it out of the mainstream many punters just glaze over. Walter Trout (has he been mentioned yet?) once said he was too 'rock' for the 'blues police' and too 'blues' for the rock audience, and there's definitely a fault line in this marketplace. Bonamassa and Sherman Robertson have expressed similar views. Clearly, to appeal to a crossover audience, you have to walk a fine line. As regards "having the blues", IMO that's synonomous with the idea of playing with passion and commitment. If it's about more esoteric issues of background, ethnicity and authenticity, then we're in danger of getting into a sort of "Can Blue Men Play The Whites?" debate; at which point I'm running a hot bath and cutting my wrists... Or we could start a whole new thread - maybe take it over to the 'technique' section - pretty quiet down there, I hear But back to the OP - good point about the soul background. Definitely helps to start from there rather than, say, odd-tempo'd Swedish Metal. Frankly, for a man of your calibre, it'll be a piece of p*ss and you'll love it.

[quote name='timloudon' post='393348' date='Jan 28 2009, 01:40 AM']Where could I get hold of one?[/quote] They crop up on the bay quite often and not that expensive unless you get in a bidding war with a guitard who (erroneously) thinks it can be "blackfaced" into a gtr amp. Make sure it's a 135 though, the earlier silverface bassmen are 50-100w depending on age, and have a bit less clean headroom.

Y'know, I reckon this is the exact same conversation people must have been having 35 years ago. Not that it's uninteresting - far from it. But this thread def has vintage mojo, peoples.

One approach is stick to simple repetitive, even hypnotic patterns, with more interesting supporting passes when shifting between chords and on turnarounds. That's the thing about blues - unless the band's billing itself as being [i]different[/i], there'll probably be an expectation that 'stock phrases' will form part of your repertoire. Also, keep it low down. For a lot of songs, I don't go past the 5th fret. If the key forces it (say, D), I might start the root high then run the pattern back up to it from underneath, rather than the classic root [i]up[/i] to root octave. Def worth checking out SRV's bass player, Tommy Shannon. Some nice loping grooves, partic Pride and Joy. Good point from EBS-freak about non-trad-stuff. Def worth checking out structure variations such as the 8 bar (keys to the highway) also alternative beats e.g yer 2 basic Bo Diddleys, Two-steps etc. The other key thing is "helping" the drummer to (1) swing it a bit and (2) lay back off the beat in the classic slow trip shuffle. Lots of Brit drummers hit everything spang on, which makes things a bit metronomic and also have a tendency to overplay e.g over-complicated fills through turnarounds. Although it's a bit of a generalisation, Brit Blues Bands (even the best) can be a bit stiff at times...check out the Fab T-Birds, Jimmie Vaughan solo stuff, even Johnny Winter, for a more "rubbery" approach. IMHO, the best blues rtm sections are the ones where you don't even notice they're there, but the song would die without them.

[quote name='SS73' post='392877' date='Jan 27 2009, 04:29 PM']Just thinking may be the guy just had real bad luck with his winning buyers?, does that sound like I'm backing down [/quote] Don't sweat it, I reckon you've good reason to harbour suspicions...

[quote name='Linus27' post='392893' date='Jan 27 2009, 04:39 PM']They had a statue of Arthur English who I think was a soldier based in Aldershot or something like that.[/quote] He was a 40's comedian usually portraying a 'spiv'-type character. Very like Pte Walker in Dad's Army. ...and also appeared in Magnum PI The world just keeps getting stranger.

[quote name='Cantdosleepy' post='392446' date='Jan 27 2009, 09:45 AM']A good super-intro book is Gary Willis' Ear Training for Guitar and Bass. It's very much the thin end of the wedge, theory-wise, but ... you'll know in your head the relationship between the notes and can getit right the first time.[/quote] That sounds like the b*ll*cks. I'm having some of that.

Hi Huw, welcome to the forum. Lapdancing club with it's own band, eh? H'mmm, there's a thought ... there's a couple of 'saunas' round here...

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='392207' date='Jan 26 2009, 10:12 PM']Oh sh*t, I just bought one. [/quote] As long as it's a pirate hat, that's fine. Or a WW1 German Spiked Helmet. Purple berets, leather pork pie hats, top hats - very difficult to carry off with aplomb.

FWIW, I use almond oil. Not for cleaning, just for finishing. Last time, I tried olive oil and everything seems fine - Filippo Berio Extra Virgin for extra vintage mojo.

[quote name='beerdragon' post='392180' date='Jan 26 2009, 09:46 PM']At £15 a ticket i expected a more than can i get a witness, Money, (the beatles one) bring your sweet lovin to me, a couple of their own and a bit of a jam.[/quote] You'd probably not have enjoyed their acoustic-y, jazzy tunes tour of a few years ago, then. I didn't.

Hi Tom - welcome to the forum! Sounds like you started the way lots of us did (although sometimes it's a sideways move from gtr). You're right about the pick / fingers thing - it is controversial, though God knows why...whatever works for you or the song is what works best (IMHO). In terms of tips, you'll find a lot of stuff here on gear and a bit less on technique and performance - see the forum post counts! If you feel like asking questions, go right ahead, but be aware that everyone will chip in and threads have a tendency to wander. There's some useful stuff in the Wiki section you may also wish to peruse at your leisure. If you're after a Stingray, there are a fair few threads on here about that fine instrument, including the recent swings in secondhand prices - in short, they're a bit depressed at the moment, so now might be a good time to scan the basses for sale forum. Nice to have you here - good luck.

Welcome indeed

[quote name='Buzz' post='391777' date='Jan 26 2009, 02:08 PM']Surely not, no-one would be depraved enough to turn to [b]folk[/b] of all things!?[/quote] 78 years ago I became bored with the thuggish, neanderthal meanderings of 'Ragtime' music. Ragtime is to music as Elmer Fudd is to vending machines, while 'Apocalypse Now" is to tapioca as the Plantagenets were to a B&Q birdbath... Ludicrous, unfeasible, engorged, granular and designed specifically to apply shower-gel to the fetid, reeking masses who I spurn and crush, shrieking, beneath the iron wheels of my contempt. I speak of Trad Folk, specifically that example of the genre as performed within a 2 mile radius of my home. The marvellous thing about North Oxfordshire Trad Folk is its obstinate refusal to embrace melody, harmony, tempo and structure, while giving full range to uncontrolled body movements, yelps, cries and swearing. In these circumstances so-called 'notation and theory' are self-evidently of no assistance whatsoever and I refute your arguments as the blitherings of half-wits.

On the 'image' aspect of the post - I've committed some terrible sins over the years... African shirts / 'Marshall' baseball cap / Leather strides / White boiler suit with red dm's / White strides with pink hooped t-shirt / Flowery shirt, jeans and white leather shoes (during the 'Wham' years).

The study of music theory and the ability to sight read clearly is not sufficient in itself to bring on staleness and w*nkery. Other conditions include: Use of absurdly over-extended chords Untimely eructations of 'personal gases' Use of only I, IV and V Ludicrous Trousers Flurries of semi-percussive notes Bad skin Semi-metronomically delivered 4th note plods "Bass Player" hats Delivery of "Ooooo-eeee-oooo" B Vox while executing a sh*t-eating grin

Try slapping on that mother...

[quote name='whynot' post='391079' date='Jan 25 2009, 05:36 PM']IIRC no absurd strides I'm afraid, although would love to report otherwise.[/quote] Shame - though the leopard print shirt in the youtube vid above goes someway towards conveying the general idea...

Paging Dr Freud...

[quote name='beerdragon' post='390952' date='Jan 25 2009, 02:16 PM']Dennis Greaves was in the Truth.[/quote] Ah ha! [i]That[/i] was when he was wearing the ludicrous trousers (see my nostalgia post above) I knew it wasn't NBZ, but just couldn't remember the name. Perhaps our 'Truth Audition Correspondent' can confirm the absurdity of Dennis's strides at this time?

[quote name='simon1964' post='390128' date='Jan 24 2009, 12:31 AM']I can't think of another instument that you could learn without knowing how to read music.[/quote] Which is why guitar and bass are popular among people who don't know how to read music - you can make a fairly glorious noise quite quickly. I would imagine that many have achieved their ambitions (boundless riches, plentiful sex and diverse narcotics) without being able to read a single note, yet few would call them hobbyists. It's not ideal that people reject learning paths out of hand, but that's their choice. Depends what your priorities are... and nice to see tBBC back...

I used to quite fancy Deirdre. But it was a long time ago.

500w and 4kg? They'll break inside 5 minutes, trust me. Ye cannae defy the laws of physics Captain!