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[quote name='Maude' timestamp='1468774700' post='3093227'] No there's no sign of any cracking, just a hump which I didn't notice at first but we did a gig where the venue had a dancefloor that was lit from underneath, when my bass was lying down pre gig I saw it in the light. Now I know it's there I notice it more. It hasn't got any worse in two and half years since I noticed it and I've wondered if all doublebasses have it to a degree, but as I said I've nothing to compare it to. I don't get many issues with feedback and a tight soundpost could actually be helping this I suppose. My amplified sound is fine and I fear any improvement on acoustic sound, by having a proper setup, could give me more feedback when amplified due to a more resonant top. [/quote]I don't think it should be doing that - worth a chat with a luthier... if the humidity drops and the instrument shrinks, the pressure may get too much. Don't know much about string shops/luthiers in your neck of the woods - probably Exeter and Bristol at a guess? Long way from you I suspect. There probably are ones nearer, needs a search. I'll ask some people I know.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1468683578' post='3092651'] I'll report back, she will be doing it this week all being well, has your wood cracked or just a gentle hump formed? Mine is quite isolated to the post area, must be really tight and this humid weather has not helped I bet. I'm going to let her show me the basses they have on sale when I collect it, could be an expensive mistake! [/quote]Sounds like you were talking to Helen... She sold me my Jay Haide cello and Dorfler bow. If you talk nicely they will cut a bit of a deal. They have a bass room (and a cello room...)

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1468667367' post='3092500'] Ta mate I've just dropped it off at Tim Tofts, bit like taking a Kia Picanto into a vintage Ferrari restoration specialists! [/quote]TimTofts are good - that's where I bought my first cello. There's a really nice guy in Shrewsbury - Julian Batey - he has a shop in the centre off Dogpole I think. Real old-fashioned craftsman and he will be less expensive than Tofts. He's done some running repairs for me and he re-hairs my bows.

I'm the kind of guy that usually ends up organising stuff and over the years I have realised that there are basically two camps: those who make-it-up as they go along, and those who plan. The odds are that if you are a member of one of those clans you don't really like the other clan's way of working. There are exceptions: some people will be happy to have someone do the planning and will go with the decisions made. Personally, I dislike lack of organisation and planning and so I usually end up being involved in doing that. It is nice sometimes to turn up to an event and to have others do the organising. The only way to find out and resolve this is to talk. They aren't going to understand what you need and why if you don't tell them. Equally, they need to tell you what they're OK with. Good luck.

Wind band gig in Ludlow this evening but on tenor sax playing with The Film Orchestra

I imagine a decent DB will be more expensive than anything other than a collector's item BG. I play cello and a basic Chinese cello is £1,500. New UK luthier made starts at around £8k. 'Cheap' German/Italian/French/English from around early C20th start at about £5k, anything 'interesting' starts at about £8k+. Even a decent C19th English instrument will be £20k+. DBs are probaly similar, or more...

I'd get it straight to a luthier, sounds like the sound post needs adjusting. Position of the post is critical to the sound of the instrument. If it's just a sound post adjustment, it will be a quick and cheap fix. A full set-up with new bridge etc will be rather more.

Update time... I have had weekly lessons for a couple of months as noted above. But I think I will move on. He tends to run 2 or 3 people simultaneously in separate rooms. I get two minutes of attention whilst he 'shows' me something, e.g. B minor scale linked to D major, put on a backing track and leaves me to it. Pops in a few times and 'says 'wow - you've nailed that...'. Am I expecting too much? I'd rather pay more for fewer lessons one-to-one. This is getting to be very disheartening. I've been looking for ones nearer to work (mid-Cheshire) and there's plenty around south Manchester/Stockport area, which is around 15 miles from the office, so not too bad, the killer is the 45 - 50 miles home. Welcome any suggestions for Chester/south Cheshire (Sandbach/Crewe/Nantwich/Audlem), Wrexham area, north Shropshire (Oswestry/Whitchurch/Wem/Prees/Market Drayton)

I suppose the best-known is the Dittersdorf, but on a different tack there is Koussevitsky, better known for piano works.

It's geared tuning pegs you are looking for. Agree with comments about getting taper checked - it might not be a straight swap. Also, depending on the set-up of the instrument, tuning of the neck, suitbale string tension etc., it is possible the geared pegs may be too heavy to suit your instrument (I wanted to put them on mine, but the luthier did some tests about the tuning of the neck, stiffness etc., and concluded not suitable for my instrument). If it's because existing pegs are stiff, or not holding, I'd see a luthier anyway, you might need the holes aligning or reaming / re-sizing, or different pegs.

[quote name='essexbasscat' timestamp='1468134084' post='3088717'] This. Strained muscles, leading to decreasing vocal ability, leading to further strain and progressing in a vicious circle. The strained soft tissue becomes inflamed and sore, also making the area susceptible to infection. Vocal lessons are the kiddie [/quote]Yep. I know it's not easy, but if it needs saying/doing, then to be fair to eeryone, it should. A good musician looking to develop should always be open to feedback and suggestions. Maybe we're more self-deprecating in choral groups, and less of the diva/divo ego of the soloist... Where I live I have heard a few bands in local pubs (to be honest, not really my genre) and I would say that in the majority of cases the singers and the bands are not in tune with each other and most of the singers have poor technique. There are exceptions and I have heard a few good ones.

Interesting comments above. I didn't start singing until I was in my 30s and I then started lessons with a retired opera singer (counter tenor) who had morphed into the head of a music service. Long story short: poor technique results in tightening of muscles, restricts air flow, and the tight muscles tire quickly, leading to strain, hoarseness etc. Proper breathing, relaxed stance/posture, and relaxed, open airway = being able to sing comfortably for long periods (with practice). Persistent poor technique can lead to permanent damage. Even though an amateur, I can sing in a 3 hours rehearsal and then do a 2 hour concert same day. I've done summer schools where I have had to sing for about 6 hours during a 10 hour 'day' for a week.

OK - I'm a 'classically' trained singer (but amateur). I don't do solo.... A lot of singers (not all) have no proper training in technique, which leads to straining of the vocal chords (in brief - tuned shouting rather than proper controlled vocal production). This means that the voice tires very quickly and is easily strained. So one option, is that their voice just isn't very robust due to poor technique. Thi can explain lots of sore throats etc. Alternatively, they've picked up a bug and you can't sing if you've got one - and there are plenty of those aroudn at the moment.

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1468010070' post='3088112'] no issue, just wondering whether classical trained muso's have a music stand in front of them to make them look more professional whereas rock bands don't, to make them look more professional, perverse of what? and how do they turn the pages? [/quote]Planning....

[quote name='jezzaboy' timestamp='1468008370' post='3088088'] Re the classical players. How do they turn the pages when holding a bow and violin. Is it some mad Jedi / Kung Fu mind trick??? [/quote]Yep. As a cellist, the switch from pizzicato to arco in a nano-second between quavers is a rare Jedi secret... [url=http://www.emoticonsfree.net/][/url]

[quote name='paul h' timestamp='1467980847' post='3087769'] Actually...I'm guilty of this as well I call it a "guitarist's key". When I ask somebody what key a song is, I'm really asking what the first chord is I'm a terrible, terrible musician [/quote] May all your songs start on an anacrusis on the dominant....

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1467987131' post='3087864'] I guess that's why we have a drummer seriously, I don't see much difference between learning a a 40 song 2 hour set than a long classical piece, but hey, I've never been anywhere near an orchestra so I probably don't know what I'm talking about [/quote] Because you get very little repeatition of notes, rhythm, or structure that you get in rock/pop. I play in orchestras and in large wind bands. Some of the easier pieces, the music is an aide-memoire since you get to know it after a few rehearsals. But you don't develop that level of familiarity with more complex works, plus as already noted, there are a vast number of articulation, dynamic and performance instructions, as well as notes and rhythm to worry about, plus other performance guidance notes, cuts etc. Typically you get maybe 4 or 5 rehearsals, do concert, start rehearsing new set of music... I don't yet play bass in any group. When I get round to that, it is likely to be jazz-ish probably. Since I don't currently know any bass music, I'm anticipating using a stand, which I do not see as a problem. Maybe over time, if I end up developing a core repertoire that is aired regularly, that requirement will fade. Don't know. I don't see it as a big deal. One orchestra I play in has a partially sighted player. He has an A4 sized tablet. He gets his music scanned and then video reversed so that white is black and vice versa - he can see this better. He has a pedal to control scrolling. The main point is surely that what matters is the end result - if it's a decent performance, what's the issue?

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1467832915' post='3086640'] Hogwash. A band doesn't have to actually be professional to have a 'professional' attitude, approach and organisation. [/quote] Agree amateur = does something for the love of it. If you want to be taken seriously, you need a professional approach

Someone at work has recommended a teacher in Cheadle - ping me if you need details.

Guitar/bass tablature notation seems to be a cut-down version of lute tablature, of which there are at least three versions: French/English, Italian, and German. Lute tablature is also used for some types of viola da gamba playing (which is a bowed isntrument).[attachment=222927:LV03.jpg] The photo is from a book I have: a facsimile edition from 1682 for playing the viol 'lyra way' by Playford. You'll note that lute tablature uses flags above the staff to indicate rhythm. I'll be honest, I don't see the point in tab for guitars/basses without the rhythm. Notation is not hard to learn, takes practice to get fluent, but so does playing.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1467759537' post='3086078'] Unfortunately your probably only going to find that sort of management in a professional band. Blue [/quote] It's how other amateur groups I perform with work, but they're not bands - chamber orchestras, symphony orchestras, wind bands and choirs. So we're looking at groups that are from about 16 upto over 100 in size.

I struggle with this too, but in my case it's because I already read music and my sight-reading is pretty decent (not on bass ). I agree it's an acquired skill, but not one I've yet spent much time on. It helps to learn to understand intervals and what they sound like. Start with the basics - octave, fifth and fourth (ascending and descending). Some basic music theory will help as you will understand, for example, why chords !, IV and V (tonic, sub-dominant, and dominant) are important and how they will feature a lot in your bass playing and why.

[quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1467753910' post='3086007'] *facepalm* [/quote]Oh dear... It should look a little more like this (1st violin part)

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1467751065' post='3085975'] Are you talking about the Shark Cage Fugue? If so, yes a right handful. The concerts sound like fun. All Williams material? Or mixed film? If you like John Williams material, there is a great web site with a ton of info on his scores. (You more than likely know the place, but if not). [url="http://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/forum/17-john-williams/"]http://www.jwfan.com...-john-williams/[/url] [/quote] I've depped a few times with The Film Orchestra, they try to play full original versions of film, TV and video game music. There are quite a few groups now: several orchestras, symphonic wind band, couple of smaller wind bands (I play in one of them), a jazz group, a choir... Groups are scattered around the midlands. [url="http://www.thefilmorchestra.com/"]http://www.thefilmorchestra.com/[/url] I've played things like The Dark Knight Rises, the chase scene from ET (that's hard...), the Star Wars suite (that's tough too), Jurassic Park etc. My favourite though is Erich Korngold - he wrote the music for the classic Errol Flynn films (e.g. The Sea Hawk (1940), Robin Hood etc). There maybe some relationship between Korngold's music and that of ... [url="https://youtu.be/V47enEvsafQ"]https://youtu.be/V47enEvsafQ[/url] (this is one example, there are others). Here's The Sea Hawk (played this last month) see what you think [url="https://youtu.be/C-RPzAbW7No"]https://youtu.be/C-RPzAbW7No[/url]

Gosh, all this to look forward if I ever get to the stage of wanting to be in a group of some sort on bass. There seem to be several common themes. One is around what the actual objectives/aims of the band are: is it for fun, fame, or fortune? That dictates the general direction needed. Repertoire planning is another big one. There are two basic routes: one person is [s]benign dictator[/s] music director and manages it all and everyone signs up to it, or consensus. If the latter, then expect to spend some time on that as you work out genres/styles, original/covers, manageable or not. I've done this kind of thing for different musical styles/groups and you quickly realise you cannot please everyone in a group, so there has to be some reality check. Basically, a more professional approach, key to which is understanding people's capabilities/limitations.