tinyd

I learned to play congas after playing bass for 20 years and I found it improved me as a bass player so I say go for it! Not sure if you're into the music or not, but learning to play Cuban rhythms can be a lot of fun and there are loads of vids on YouTube if you're interested.

An interesting,but more expensive,alternative might be a marimbula. It's like a giant bass thumb piano :- http://www.thomann.de/ie/mobile_prod.html?AR=164445 I haven't tried one but they're used in some older Cuban music and they sound nice.

I have to say that I'm broadly with Bilbo on this. The kick drum in "straight ahead" jazz doesn't act as timekeeper like it tends to in other genres - the walking bass line (along with the ride cymbal) does this, and the 'thump' that you get from DB just does a better job of defining the rhythm IMO.

[quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1345123493' post='1773854'] Can i just ask - what is a double stop? [/quote] playing two strings at once - a 'two note chord ' if you like. I think the term is used a lot more for orchestral string instruments like violins etc, but it's appropriate for bass guitar as well.

I was wondering the same thing. I've been lusting after some form of Baby Bass for years but you hardly ever see them on this side of the pond. These KK ones seem reasonably priced so if they have anything like that authentic Ampeg thump they'd be a great addition to the Latin band that I play in. Now I just need to rustle up the cash, which will probably take me several years

The Jazz Bass Book by John Goldsby is well worth adding to the list. It has extensive biogs of players, a great CD, and really nice theory/instructional section.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1338988726' post='1682005'] I find that the stuff I play on electric and double bass are completely different. With very few exceptions, I see very little commonality, conceptually, between the two instruments and lines that work on eb are different to those that work on db. I am hearing a different thing entirely. [/quote] To me, it depends on which type of music I'm playing. I much prefer the DB for jazz and latin music, but playing fingerstyle funk lines on a DB, while possible, is bloody hard work and doesn't sound as good IMHO. Having said that, I managed to play a passable version of Cissy Strut by the Meters last night because I couldn't arsed to get my BG out....

That Paco De Lucia clip is great. Unfortunately, it always reminds of this "version" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89zM9pZzt0U

This is completely subjective on my part, but there's something about the best drum grooves where the hi hats or ride stay fairly constant but the bass drum and snare do the main work. Whereas the problem with the big flash style of drumming is that it breaks the groove up completely while the drummer goes round the entire kit showing off his technique.

[quote name='Lazy James' timestamp='1329658959' post='1545398'] Currently wondering whether to buy from Thomann or wait to see if anything comes up used [/quote] I did the latter, and I don't regret it - I was lucky and got a decent mid-range Shen for a lot less than the Thomann basses I was going to buy. I'd recommend looking for something used for a few months if you can stand to wait.

In my (very) humble opinion, good funk playing is about feeling all the different rhythmic choices that are there but only playing a fraction of them. So you need to be able to play the more syncopated beats in each bar at will....but for your actual basslines hit them sparingly. Of course, like everything in music, there are plenty of exceptions to this, but it's a good place to start.

[quote name='Faithless' timestamp='1322660341' post='1454051'] Bill Evans Trio - Live at Village Vanguard? [/quote] +1, and Waltz for Debby, Portrait in Jazz and Explorations, all great albums from the trio, also including Paul Motian RIP

[quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1319717313' post='1417627'] ... there were some nice chops going... [/quote] I'd have to respectfully disagree. I thought there was some fast playing going on, but IMHO rhythmically and harmonically they were all over the place. Some of Victor Wooten's stuff leaves me personally cold, but I'd have no hesitation in saying that the guy has serious chops. But this stuff to me just sounded messy from beginning to end.

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1319094269' post='1409696'] This is my fave line from that era of Grace J & Robbie S [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHTkrXDeqSk[/media] [/quote] That's a great line as well. I started off listening to more reggae and Robbie Shakespeare, but his Grace Jones stuff led me into listening to more funk. His playing captures for me what bass playing is all about - economy and groove!

Nipple to the Bottle by Grace Jones has one of the simplest but funkiest basslines ever. Robbie Shakespeare isn't just a great reggae bass player... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs9kzmzHgmQ

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1319016159' post='1408827'] Yeah some amps don't need a preamp necessarily (although the Fishman is handy for its feedback-battling features) but it's a matter of trying it and seeing what it sounds like. My Bassmax through my Hartke head sounds horrifically thin, presumably due to the Hartke preamp not being designed to deal with the high impedance of the piezo pickup. Stick the Fishman preamp inbetween and it all works. [/quote] +1 to this - I did the same, BassMax through Roland Cube and 'horrifically thin' is exactly the right description. Then I got a Fishman and it made a huge difference.

[quote name='redstriper' post='1330339' date='Aug 6 2011, 08:53 PM']There are as many ways of playing reggae as there are styles within the genre.[/quote] +1 to this. The 'one drop' style of playing, where the bassline starts on beat 3 of the bar, is generally very laid-back and 'behind' the beat. The problem may also be one of shuffle or swing - some styles use a shuffle feel ('Get Up, Stand Up' by Bob Marley). If you play 'straight' eighth-notes over this, it will sound a bit forced and 'stiff'. However, 'Exodus' has much less shuffle and the bass sounds a lot more 'up-front'. I hope this makes sense

[quote name='chardbass' post='1371291' date='Sep 13 2011, 12:25 AM']What was it Marcus Miller said...?.. pauses to Google... oh well, something about people getting "too hung up on gear. Just find something that works and concentrate on your playing" (then he works on a signature bass!!!)[/quote] That Marcus Miller quote is pretty good IMO - I think the initial "just find something that works" bit can take a few years for a new player, but I've had the same bass for 20 years and try as I might, I can't justify getting another bass guitar ( I bought a double bass a couple of years ago but that's a whole other thing ). I'd rather worry about the things I can't do as a player than worry about the things that my bass can't do. Not sure if that last sentence makes sense but hopefully you know what I mean...

[quote name='derrenleepoole' post='1355691' date='Aug 29 2011, 09:02 PM']I think there's something to be said for just using a J or P bass with flats, and letting your fingers do the talking. [/quote] I tend to fall into this school of thought myself - not just for my own playing but for others too. There are some fantastic players out there who have a rich, lively tone to their bass which I'll never have. But to me (and this is obviously heavily subjective!) that sound isn't really what bass is all about. I suppose it's similar to the whole "Is Victor Wooten a bass-genius or a show-off who should go and play guitar instead" debate. There are bass players who like to keep bass simple and uncomplicated, and there are others who want to take it to different places and of course it's entirely possible to fall into both camps at different times. I could be biased because I don't really have the technique or the budget to do anything apart from the 'keep it simple' approach

Fela Kuti, some of the best basslines and drumming you'll ever hear IMO

I started out with rock stuff, but after I'd been playing for a few years I started listening to reggae, in particular Sky and Robbie. Robbie Shakespeare's playing is well worth listening to-he never plays more notes then he has to and he plays with an incredible sense of timing and groove. Two of my faves are ' Nipple to the bottle' by Grace Jones and ' Shine Eye Gal' by Black Uhuru.

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1315762' date='Jul 25 2011, 02:17 PM']Are you playing complicated stuff because it's what the song needs or is because otherwise you don't find the music interesting enough? If it's the later then maybe you should consider that this isn't the right band for you and that's the real problem.[/quote] This is a good point - and maybe you're not just playing in the wrong band, but you're also playing the wrong type of music. This is purely subjective and I'm not trying to say that one type of music is better than another, but from my point of view I started enjoying bass a lot more when I expanded my playing to other genres. You can bring this knowledge back into your current musical setting, or you may want to find other musicians to play with. An example of what I'm talking about is rhythm - learn to start your lines on different beats in the bar than '1', hold notes across bars etc (maybe you're already doing this, in which case, apologies!) and, as others have already said, generally adopt a 'less is more' approach.

OK, here goes... I'm 44, and I've been playing since I was about 15. I started off playing with a pick inspired by the likes of Stranglers, U2 and The Cure, then I discovered finger-style playing via John Taylor. To me, the whole point of bass is to hold down the groove in the most economical way possible - this doesn't mean that the lines have to be boring, or even simple, but just that they should never be busier than the tune can support. IMHO if you spend too much time up the fretboard you might as well be a guitarist - but that could be because I've always been crap at the flashy stuff I've been playing a Japanese Fender Jazz for nearly 20 years and haven't seen any reason to replace it for anything else. I've also started playing double bass in the last 3 years and I'm trying to get better at playing Jazz and Latin music. My biggest influences on BG are Robbie Shakespeare, Paul Jackson and Sweet Charles Sherrell and on DB there's a long list including Dave Holland, Paul Chambers and Cachao. Oh, and the bass playing on Fela Kuti's stuff is amazing but I've never been able to find out who actually played on those records, so perhaps someone can enlighten me...

[quote name='Mr Bassman' post='1084927' date='Jan 10 2011, 10:08 PM']Hi guys, I've got a '60's Sunburst Ampeg Baby Bass on loan, with the option to buy. I quite like it to play, but it's sound is very limited. Just wondered if anyone can recommend strings, or has anyone experimented with a replacement maple bridge with wing slot pickup? cheers Keith[/quote] I haven't got one, but I'd love one - you're very lucky! To answer your question, there's a whole thread on TalkBass.com dedicated to the Baby Bass and I'm sure there's some discussions of strings there. I think that you're right about the limited sound, but for salsa / afro-cuban music that is 'the' sound so I'd be loathe to mess with the sound too much if I were you. How much is the asking price if you don't mind me asking?