zbd1960

I have a simple solution to this problem... I'm single and live on my own... 30kg of new amp and cab arrived yesterday...

Here in the UK I've joined my local branch of 'Rock School' which runs taught sessions for beginners. I'm in the adult class. Maybe there's something similar or a community group? I joined a community orchestra when I started playing cello - they take all-comers and all ages. Perhaps there's something like that near you?

My musical background is very different - I don't play by ear at all I only play from sheet music. Learning music in all its aspects is a long journey. In my thirties I started singing lessons - I'd never sung a note prior to that. I had weekly lessons for about 8 years - they stopped when I moved house. The start of the journey was slow, but after a while I suddenly realised I was able to sight read straightforward stuff. Early 50s and I start to play cello and sax. Because I could read music, that side of things didn't get in the way, but there's a lot of technique learning any instrument and it takes time to get proficient. Latest addition for me is bass. So, reading music not an issue, left hand is very similar to cello, so not too bad, but right hand is more challenging. What is alien is some expectation from my teacher of being able to play from memory with no music and learning without music: I find that really challenging and frustrating as give me the music and it would be much easier for me.

I don't want to open a complex discussion about temperaments, but curious as to 'what' they autotune to? I assume that since keyboards are likely to be involved, as well as fretted instruments, then it must be equal temperament. But ET itself is a compromise, and at times will sound out of tune especially on major thirds. There are purer temperaments around which have nicer (narrower) major thirds and purer (wider) perfect fifths (there are complex reasons why we tend not to use them, not least being you can't be in tune for all keys at the same time).

One of the issues here is that so few people are used to hearing live musicians, especially ones who sing without any sort of assistance live, that they lack the critical skills to know what a 'good' sound is. I started singing lessons (classical) 30 years ago in my early 30s and I have sung a huge amount since then (not as soloist though). I never ceased to be amazed how some 'pop' singers make it as they clearly lack even basic skills in many cases.

I'm a cellist and relatively new to bass and have lessons... so on the one hand I've been taught to have the bass so that it's in the same place sitting or standing. The other influence is my left hand technique from playing cello - basically hand shape should be pretty similar and I don't want any stress or strain on my left wrist/arm as that way tendinitis lies... I'll have to take some pics of me playing bass and post something up...

As a rule I don't listen to what is loosely called 'pop' music... Some years ago I was on holiday in the Greek islands and I stopped at the bar on the way back from a walk to pick up a bottle of water. The bar was empty and there was a big screen playing music videos. A well-known 'girl band' was on with one of their main numbers. This would have been around early 2000s. The volume was up and this is not something I would have really ever listened to. I was shocked at how badly out of tune it was - excruciatingly so in places. At the time, I was singing with various sizes of choirs and singing in concerts from local churches, to the odd cathedral to big concert hall (all as an unpaid amateur). If we'd have sung that poorly, we'd have been embarrassed and given a rocket by the MD...

There's an element of 'horses for courses' about this. My background is mostly classical and I have a lot of experience of choral singing, including a cappella. We're expected to be in tune and it's something that gets worked on in rehearsals. I also play cello which is 'fretless' and a lot of effort goes into being in tune. Tuning though isn't an absolute, and there are complications around temperaments which is an entirely different debate. Minor imperfections are what tells you music is life and gives it character. Where technology is being used as an effect, or to subtly assist/adjust I can see that having its use and place. I tend to balk when it's being used to fix and correct people who struggle to be in tune (I remember hearing a track about 20 years ago from a then well-known group and I was shocked how out-of-tune it was - it was not minor!).

Yes, would look forward to that.

Yes, I now have two basses... the original Fender Jazz bass and now a Marcus Miller 5 string... I finally got a bass tutor through the local Rock School. Whilst not exactly my genre, it's a way forward. I was going to be playing with them, then lockdown hit - expecting it to resume shortly.

I have a full set of SATB Yani saxes... I think we know each other from elsewhere...

Apologies for going quiet for a year.... I went to NZ, nearly got stranded as lockdown hit, scrambled back to UK, and kind of lost interest in everything for a year... although I have kicked off my astornomy again after many years of not doing it (then there's the weather....). On the plus side, I'm now retired. All my music making stopped. I did manage to get a few bass lessons in, albeit online, so I've made some progress on the bass. Being able to play with people would be good. Hopefully events and meet-ups will be able to kick off shortly.

...it had crossed my mind... 😂. Having recently replaced both my alto and tenor saxes, I need to feign restraint for a little while....

I’ve been around for a while, but dropped out due to loads of issues with trying to find a teacher etc. Experienced amateur musician playing cello in orchestras, so used to performing in groups. Also have a lot of experience as a choral singer. I also play sax in various groups. Mostly tenor can can do baritone and alto. So I’ve got no probs reading music (currently working in grade 7 theory). But playing bass I’m a novice as I’ve never played any sort of guitar. Would like play in something like a big band and jazz group. Live in north Shropshire - about 20 miles south of Chester.

I like Renaissance music, so quite partial to 4/2 and 6/2. If you want a hard time counting, I can recommend trying to sing the opening page of Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, virtually every bar is different before it settles over the page into 7/4...

The wind band I play with has 4 percussionists at most gigs and rehearsals: drum kit, timps plus two to hit/smash/wallop assorted toys such as glockenspiel etc. The amount of schlepping to get stuff in and out of the venue is significant, especially if there are stairs. They've got quite a hard job, especially with arrangements that bands play as it is not the 'four square' sort of stuff. Now volume is another issue...

[quote name='GarethFlatlands' timestamp='1477240385' post='3160788'] Well the trombone is pitched to Bb so you're playing a Bb when the sheet music tells you it's a C. I never got why brass instruments did that, used to drive me nuts when I played trumpet. [/quote]In brass bands yes, but not in orchestras...

I'm a cellist, not a double-bassist, but I would suspect lack of rosin. Does the bow skitter over the strings? That indicates lack of consistent grip, which means either lack of rosin, or the hair is worn. You can get it if the strings get caked with rosin, which is why you need to clean the string by giving them a rub with a clean dry cloth after playing. Now if you were talking underhand baroque grip on a violone... This vid is violone played with a baroque bow: [url="https://youtu.be/CunZ_ciJ6bI"]https://youtu.be/CunZ_ciJ6bI[/url] And this one is played with an underhand bow, but nearer to Renaissance style bow: [url="https://youtu.be/hbYfSAtuR6E"]https://youtu.be/hbYfSAtuR6E[/url]

I'm not up to gigging on bass yet, but I will if the opportunity arises. I would probably go for jazz or similar as I'm not a rock/pop sort of guy. I have done loads (hundreds) of concerts/gigs with my other instruments and voice so live performance is something I'm used to.

[quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1476033682' post='3150656'] Music theory just baffles me after you get past the rudimentary stuff. Modes, for example, complete mystery. Keys, chord tones and some other little bits and bobs is my limit. But then I've never really been in a situation where knowing any more would have been helpful...other band members would have just looked at me blankly if I'd been asking more in depth stuff. It's a struggle to get guitarists to tell you what chord they're playing let alone anything else. I wouldn't want the gigs that require a better theory knowledge though, or the ones that require you to read, they just don't interest me. People like what I do, I get the gig. If it ain't broke... [/quote] As someone said earlier in this thread, a lot of theory is much easier if you have a keyboard to hand as it makes things much easier to 'see' as well as hear. I think modes is one of those, since if you play a scale of C, then see and hear what happens as you play a scale starting on each degree of the scale, it becomes really obvious what modes are and how they work. Agree with the comment about jazz theory 'monsters' - I tend to think it is often excessive and I'm not always sure it's that helpful

Hello Whereabouts in north Wales? I'm only a mile from the border in north Shropshire...

It's worth making some noise. My limited experience is that some attention is paid and despite sometimes justified levels of cynicism, they try to do the right thing, sometimes. I think we are seeing a problem created by the 'need' post crash to encourage local development which does seem to have given council's the idea to authorise stupid developments which previously would have been turned down flat.

I saw 'All Star Big Band' on Friday in Stockport Plaza. I think it was a scratch band for the event. Lead tenor sax was Mike Hall who is the head of jazz at RNCM and 1st alto was Rob Buckland. There was an unflappable guy (Dave Turner) on bass (both DB and electric). Extremely good

Toft's are dealers, hence the mark-ups, but they are open to haggling. I got my first cello from them. There's the big workshop at the back with I think three luthiers. A friend bought a nice violin there and with haggling got the price down nearly 30%. They have separate 'rooms' for cellos, violins, basses...

[quote name='scalpy' timestamp='1475994790' post='3150232'] Sounds like The Film Orchestra with Ed Malpas! Must admit I find it bizarre that any number of people will bang on about off axis response of cabs, how to link 3 drive pedals together or why they need a bass that's got a neck 1/16th of an inch thinner than another- but are quite happy not to be bothered how their music works! [/quote]Indeed it was - I've done several gigs with them on cello. I play in one of the smaller groups on tenor sax as well. I'd do more with them, but I'm the wrong end of Shropshire for it to be easy