tinyd

For what it's worth I'd make sure that he can tap a basic pulse with his foot while playing. This might mean breaking the bass lines down into smaller pieces but once he can do it he should find it much easier to figure out how the bass interacts with other rhythms.

I suffer from nerves before even the smallest gig - like others have said, it's just one of those things and it keeps you sharp ! For what it's worth, 2 things that I always do are 1) don't drink beforehand - even a single pint messes with my ability to play and remember stuff and, 2) always have a bottle of water on stage to combat nerve-induced dry mouth syndrome The thing is, you're taking care of the important part (knowing the tunes) so you'll be great...

To answer your original question, the consensus seems to be that if you're going to play amplified then the carved top will make less of a difference plus laminate tops are supposed to be less likely to cause feedback problems. However, if you fancy the carved top for 'acoustic' reasons, one thing you could try is to get a 'mid range' pickup like a Bass Max. I have one of these and I plug it straight into my GK MB150 amp and it sounds pretty usable (I have a Fishman Pay Pro preamp but since I got the GK I find I prefer the sound straight into the amp). The trick for me was to tweak the EQ to get rid of the nasty 'boomy' high-mids.

@bilbo, that's a great post. IMO what you've described is the irrational 'fear of getting found out' that lots of us suffer from in all walks of life! You're clearly a very accomplished player and I'm pretty sure that all decent musicians who aren't completely deluded go through the same thought process. From reading about and listening to jazz my theory is that only the true greats really 'get' all aspects of the harmony of what they're playing. But this shouldn't stop the rest of us from trying our best and having fun at the same time.

IMO if you want to play jazz it's worth getting a book specifically about constructing walking basslines. I've got the ones by Ed Fuqua, Ed Friedland and Jay Hungerford and I got something from each of them. John Goldsby's Jazz Bass Book is a wonderful combination of biographies and technique that's filled with snippets from the great players. It inspires me to try new things out whenever I pick it up, well worth getting. Hope this helps.

We started a song once and the singer was singing pretty much at double-speed so she was on to the chorus when the rest of us were still halfway though the verse. I still get a headache when I think about it now but I asked several people in the audience if they noticed and not one of them did. Which either means we're so incredibly professional that even our mistakes sound good, or (somewhat more likely) that all our stuff sounds shambolic and a bit sh*t anyway

I have an Intellitouch PT-10 clip-on. It seems reasonably accurate and responsive but what I really like about it is that it has a bright, clear display that you can read easily on a dark stage.

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1365582412' post='2041225'] I think the two are intrinsically linked. To make someone want to rock out or dance you have to have that almost indefinable sense of timing, syncopation and phrasing. You have to groove. For me, Deftones and Beyoncé are almost the same. They make me want to move in almost the same way. The notes and style are peripheral to the core skill. [/quote] +1 - the core abilities are the same. IMO any bass player who understands the qualities that @xilddx has outlined should be able to play either genre (or anything in between). They might not WANT to, but that's another thing....

I get the impression that a lot of keyboard players learn to play basslines with their left hands as a core part of learning the instrument. So I suppose once they get into a band with a bass player their success will be based on how quickly they can 'un learn' this. I must admit, I still get insecure as a bass player when I hear someone like Jimmy Smith basically doing my job with his left hand

I have to say that although the Simandl book is pretty hard going, it really sorted out my intonation. If you have even a passing interest in jazz, then [url="http://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Bass-Book-Technique-Tradition/dp/0879307161"]John Goldsby's Jazz Bass Book [/url]is a real pleasure - it has plenty to read about the players and tradition, plus it has a good amount of theory and the musical examples are really nice to work through

Thanks for the suggestions - I found the Jim Hall and Ron Carter stuff on Spotify just after posting here, and the Pat Metheny and Charlie Haden is great too. All these sources are making it crystal clear to me that I need to get my act together when it comes to soloing.....

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1362744165' post='2004087'] There are videos of Joe Pass and NHOP on YouTube. Fairly tricky stuff though! [/quote] Cheers! Those are some great vids - I think it's fair to say that ability-wise we inhabit a very different universe...but there are some nice ideas in terms of arrangements and feel that we might be able to learn from. Thanks for sharing

[quote name='Chambo' timestamp='1362742778' post='2004060'] Ah! I thought that 3/4 was for learning [/quote] Yep, it's only 75% as difficult as a full-sized one

Hi there Myself and a guitarist friend have been playing though a few jazz standards for a while and we're thinking about gigging at some point. Does anyone have any examples of 'proper' guitar/bass (+ poss drums) bands that we can use for inspiration and ideas? We're interested in playing bebop and newer (as opposed to gypsy/trad stuff). I love the likes of Bill Evans' and Brad Mehldau's trios, and it's obviously possible to learn a lot from them, but equivalents with guitar seem a bit rarer. Anyway, all suggestions will be gratefully received.... Cheers

[quote name='mtroun' timestamp='1361553536' post='1987510'] You aware that this is a (brilliant) joke video? One for the jazz geeks (that's me) [/quote] Haha, I didn't realise that this was the 'shred' version. The original video has a few shots where you can see PC playing the line

In this vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZCz--kHbTs I think he plays the A on the G string, then up the fingerboard for the rest on the G as people have said above. I found this a bit tricky at first, but I'm getting better verrryyy slowly...

[quote name='Antiloco' timestamp='1360217997' post='1966768'] That's a pretty shallow statement but hey, whatever makes you happy. [/quote] As are the self-quotes in your signature, especially the one about expensive basses.

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1359496976' post='1955846'] My fave [media]http://youtu.be/beQ9yChEcHw[/media] [/quote] "Are you talking about a girl with a beautiful smile, like strawberry wine?" - genius!

I'm on a bit of a budget (i.e. can't afford GK/Acoustic Image gear) and I use a Roland Bass Cube 100 - it works pretty well for me. However, I did also shell out for a Fishman Platinum Pro as suggested above by @thisnameistaken, which makes a huge difference.

[quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1358441316' post='1939260'] How about The Meters? [/quote] +1. Cissy Strut is a great tune - pretty easy to learn, no horns and it's from the 60s (just!)

I think it's one of those "diminishing returns" arguments. If you take a baseline playable bass like a well-setup Squier for example, the question is how much more money will improve your sound, compared to working on improving technique? My guess is that the latter wins hands down, and everything else is pure GAS for the sake of it. But then I'm very tight with money so I would say that

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1354893832' post='1891736'] Here's a video of him playing a very busy line in live setting and to my ears he pulls it off in a convincing manner , even if it does sound a bit 1980s ( not neccesarily a bad thing ) : Sounds like a pro to me . [/quote] He's a much better player than me but some of his note choices are a bit ropey IMHO. However, unlike me he's actually out there playing music so I say good luck to him!

[quote name='Jimryan' timestamp='1353620115' post='1876759'] I really quite like the idea of one bass. No "what one today" thoughts, just pick up one case and I'm off. [/quote] I agree with this bit - I find that the amount of time I spend thinking about basses is inversely proportional to the amount of time that I spend actually playing the things so I tend to follow the "less is more" principle, although if I were gigging regularly I'd probably invest in a Squier or something for backup.

[quote name='artisan' timestamp='1351615873' post='1853313'] the poor old bass guitar doesn't get much of a look in now. [/quote] Yep, I'm the same. I have the DB leaning in a corner of my kitchen which makes it really easy to have a quick noodle whenever the fancy takes me. However, it also instantly lets everyone know where I am and that I'm not doing whatever I was supposed to be doing

[quote name='barkin' timestamp='1351010750' post='1846210'] You're right - staying in watching X Factor is almost exactly the same as going to a gig. [/quote] IMHO this depends on the gig. If the gig consists of lifeless pap that's devoid of any creativity then (musically at least) I'd say it's on a par with staying in and watching the X Factor, although depending on the beer and clientele, the overall experience may be better