tinyd

Cheers Clarky, it's always nice to get recommendations of stuff to listen to, especially duos and trios featuring DB. I've just found that album on Spotify so I'll be giving it a listen as soon as I get a chance....

[quote name='Bolo' timestamp='1382364545' post='2251199'] Jazz appears to be a field where highly skilled musicians prove to be very poor songwriters. [/quote] Do you mean actual writers of songs, or composers? If the latter, then I disagree - there are loads of beautiful pieces that have been written by some great musicians.

[quote name='bassace' timestamp='1382295579' post='2250329'] ...But a typical reaction often is 'I don't like jazz but I like what you play'. [/quote] A related thing that people often say is "I like some jazz but I don't like the really busy stuff". I think a lot of people like some jazz (ballads, slower standards with tasteful, short, solos etc). But everyone has a different threshold for when things get faster and more rhythmically and harmonically elaborate. That threshold can change with time - some of it is down to 'educating your ears' in that you can discern a bit more of what the musicians are doing whereas before it might have sounded like noise. But everyone has their own level IMO. The other thing that puts people off is the impression of elitism, but I have to say that although some people who talk about jazz can be knobheads, most actual musicians that I've ever met are extremely humble individuals because they realise that learning to play the music is a lifetime's journey.

I bought a tascam dr05 recently and I'm really happy with it. The reviews all suggest that there's nothing to separate it from the zoom H1; I chose it purely because the build quality is a bit better. The recordings are great with it (the sound quality, at least. The playing is another thing. ..).

That's some nice playing on that tune. My only comments aren't really related to the recording itself, but more to do with the music. Like lurksalot says, there is a lot going on in the tune and IMHO it would benefit from a montuno section in the middle where you settle into a groove (piano playing a montuno, bass playing a straight tumbao, congas and bongos more prominent in the mix etc). But maybe you're not going for that 'classic salsa' arrangement, in which case ignore what I've just said

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1380892000' post='2232007'] Miles' electric period divided his fans and critics alike, but he was never one to stay in the same place for very long...always had to be experimenting. [/quote] That's a good point - the "Plugged Nickel" live CDs are a great example of this. He took the standards that he'd had such success with, tore them apart, turned them into something new and then drew a line under them and moved on.

I like the album a lot, but I have to say that I much prefer Miles' last acoustic stuff that preceded it - the "second great quintet" albums like Miles Smiles have never been bettered by anyone IMO.

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1380887932' post='2231921'] I'm glad that you feel it's working out for you and you should definitely keep on doing what you feel is best, but seeing your band live would irritate me because I would be hearing sounds that I cannot attribute to someone performing an action of some sort other than pressing a play button. Sorry about that. That's all I've been saying all along. [/quote] I agree in that I usually find bands with backing personally irritating to listen to...having said that though, I was at a New Year's Eve function a few years back and the band (backing and all) were excellent and I had a great night. So maybe there are times when I need to bury my "inner muso" and just have fun

Of course, the only way to be 100% sure is to immerse your DB in water and measure the volume of the water that's displaced

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1379933774' post='2218313'] If anyone wants to hear the difference between some of the strings mentioned above, this is a great site. Click on the link called Saiten (strings) and there's a grid of various string types, played different ways (walking, groove, long tones etc) [url="http://www.hervejeanne.de"]http://www.hervejeanne.de[/url] [/quote] Thanks for sharing that Clarky - it's great that someone has taken the time to be scientific about it. It would be great if there was a "Pepsi challenge' option where you could listen to a few clips, pick your favourite and then it reveals the string. Thanks again

[quote name='ChrisF' timestamp='1379945762' post='2218531'] I think, just like most things in life, the "mystique" surrounding the DB is mostly a lot of rubbish. There are obviously some things best left to a professional... fingerboard reshaping comes to mind, but most things are well within the scope of anyone with a bit of common sense. [/quote] It's funny you should mention that, because fingerboard shaping is exactly what I'm going to get the luthier to do....it seems like one of those 'proper' skills alright.

Hi ChrisF - yes, I think so, and yes to your questions. But I don't know much about DBs and I've not really played any others for any length of time so I was a little bit worried that I was missing something...but I think I should stop being a drama queen and just get on and play the thing. Thanks!

Thanks henry - I must say that I prefer the second explanation It did occur to me that maybe Shen basses weren't as well know back then and maybe there was a general perception that all Chinese basses were of poor quality. Still, it seems like an odd thing to do but maybe not any more odd than people replacing Squier logos with Fender ones....

Hi all - I bought a second hand Shen 180 bass a few years ago and I've been plodding along with it quite nicely. I took it to a luthier today and he pointed out that the maker's label on the inside had been deliberately scratched off. I have the original receipt from the shop it was bought from, and from looking online the bass itself looks exactly like other Shens of the same age (12 years old). So, can anyone think of any reason why the label was scratched off? Has anyone heard of crappy companies creating clones of basses like Shens? The bass seems fine to me but there's nothing like a bit of paranoia to keep you awake at night...

I have absolutely no 'ideological' objection to electric in jazz, but as others have said, there's something about the sound profile of the notes on an upright that seems to sit better. It also might be something to do with the fact that the kick drum isn't used in the same way in jazz, so the bass needs to provide more of a rhythmic 'thump', or it could be just that I prefer the sound

Another great lesson Geoff! I 'discovered' something similar a few weeks ago and I've been trying to get more comfortable in that area of the neck, but your lesson is much clearer and more succinct than the somewhat muddy concepts that were drifting round my head - thanks again for sharing this great advice.

These are excellent lessons Geoff - really clearly presented. What I really like is that you get to the point quickly and illustrate every point that you're making on the bass itself. Other videos that I've seen often involve the presenter standing there, bass in hand, talking for 5 mins before they even play a note, which can be a bit frustrating. But for "time challenged" people like me your lessons are perfect. Thanks for sharing!

I do if we're working out a new bit of a tune or something. I find it easier to know that a break is on "3 AND" rather than rely on the collective memories of band members the next time we do the tune. But most of the time the internal clock seems to do the trick.

[quote name='Rabbie' timestamp='1378768785' post='2204603'] I got mine from Upton and paid the charges, but recently got a spare here on Basschat. Sometimes one comes up in the 'for sale' section. Unfortunately you can't buy them in Uk (don't think so anyway). [/quote] Thanks Rabbie - yep, after much Googling I came to the conclusion that it's either Upton or secondhand. Oh well, there's no major hurry and I may still opt for a Full Circle instead as I'm getting adjusters fitted sometime soon... Cheers

[quote name='Rabbie' timestamp='1378413457' post='2200070'] Like anything 'double bass related', it all depends on the bass, your style, the size of gigs, the stage volume you need and the sound you aim to achieve. I think I have tried every pickup or mic I am aware of and I cannot find anything better than the Upton Revolution solo. In the studio it puts the bass sound to the desk pretty unaltered, and live you can play loud with not too much risk of feedback. Plus it is easy to install and relatively cheap. Other people don't like it as much of course, it's never that easy. [/quote] I must admit that I really like the sound of the Rev Solo. I currently have a BassMax, which has the same benefit of being easy to install, but it's way too boomy and artificial sounding. The Solo sounds like a good match. Do you know where I can get one from in the UK/Ireland? The Upton site charges $40 or so for delivery which makes this a very expensive option, but if anyone knows anywhere closer to home I'd be interested to find out.

I'm the opposite to many here in that I'd much prefer that someone borrows my bass than the amp. My rationale is that if someone is mistreating a bass you can pretty quickly spot it (plus I'm not massively picky about the general finish of instruments). But it seems to me that an amp can be messed up with a just a bit of cack-handedness on the controls and you might not know about it until the next day.

Thanks @2wheeler - that's just the kind of info I was looking for, especially the tip about using the 3rd finger. Although, as you say, thumb position isn't necessary in this case, it has made me interested in working on the transition so I'll have to dig out some suitable exercises. Thanks again!

I have a question that some of the more experienced players round here might be able to help me with - I'm learning to play the melody of "Billie's Bounce" and there's a part when it goes to a high G for a single note (or two if you count the eight-note triplet). I have big hands so I can reach F# fine just by stretching. But to hit the G, I find myself just removing my thumb from under the fingerboard and just extending the little finger a bit further for the G. My question is - should I instead work on using thumb position for this part of the passage. Or is it OK to just extend as I'm doing? Obviously, if there were more notes up there then I'd absolutely use thumb position. My intuition is that it doesn't seem 'worth it' for such a brief period but I'm also conscious that this kind of thinking is exactly how bad habits form.... Anyway, thanks as always for insights!

[quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1376995088' post='2181884'] After years of learning to play jazz on the fly, I've found the best walking bass lines are the ones which manage to sound like an effortless stream of notes, instead of a series of chord changes...if you see what I mean! [/quote] This is very well put. My lines still sound contrived and obvious whereas the great players manage to weave a line through the harmony without that "chord change here...." feeling. To my ears, Ron Carter is the master of creating lines that use the less obvious note choices but that still strongly outline the harmony.