Burns-bass

Cheers bass playing friends! I will get some pictures and get her up for sale. The issue has just got a little more pressing today.

It all seems to work! I'd love it to go to someone who would use it. It's just sat here annoying the cat (and my wife!). I have a whole room full of vintage gear and this one I've never bothered to mess with. I'd suggest it needs to be rewired but the circuit is incredibly simple.

Will do the bass is in my music room at the moment and it's very dark! It's this one: http://www.daydreamguitars.com/enlarge.asp?ref=012_1_.jpg&title=ORMSTON+BURNS+UPRIGHT+BASS It's a solid body bass, the f holes are black plastic. It's a quirky instrument!

Hi all, I have an Ormston Burns upright bass which I'm looking to get rid of, and will inevitably advertise on this forum when I finally get my camera sorted and it's not raining and dark. Anyway, it's all original aside from the endpin I had custom made. All seems to work, although the pickup hasn't been tested for very long. There are some marks on the fingerboard where the finish has worn away, been chipped etc. The previous owner touched up a bit of paint with some Umbro paint (not a vintage fan). But aside from that is all good, apart from being a little dusty. Anyway, I have no idea what this might be worth. I paid a few hundred for it many moons ago I think. Any help in valuing this beast gratefully appreciated, I have no frame of reference. I need to seek because of a combination of a new baby and a new upright on the way.

Harsh, but probably fair. This was the sort of stuff I listened to before the opposite sex entered my life.

Also, be interested in seeing you play in Bristol. I'm not really up on local gigs so feel free to send me a message with your gigs and I'll see if I can come along.

Hi Johnnie, I'd suggest having a chat with Martin Penning in Froome. He's a wonderful DB luthier and is likely to be able to source an instrument locally. Greg Cordez on the forum is selling a particularly lovely instrument on here, I've heard it live and it's lovely (although he made my piece of junk sing wonderfully) but it's a pro level instrument that has been set up and maintained impeccably. I'm a firm believer in that you get what you pay for with a DB. He imports Chinese basses and sets them up too if you can't stretch to a vintage instrument or one of his own hand made instruments.

If you want to learn the classics then I recommend a Sun Records comp. This one is great. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00005Y47C/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1485021224&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=sun+records&dpPl=1&dpID=51WPbOb73DL&ref=plSrch

I use this personally through a Bose Bluetooth speaker which is great. http://www.dronetonetool.com

Sorry, should have explained more. The open string exercises are form the Evolving Bassist book. They're great at helping get a big sound, and incrementally increase in complexity, to the point now where I'm working on 16th note passages. Arpeggios I call chords because I'm playing jazz, but you're quite right. I began to play tunes from the start because it's fun. The way I see it, if I do everything else I should be doing I get to indulge myself knowing the work is done.

It sounds like you're doing very much the same as I did! My view is to continue with your structured practice, the stuff you need to do. But make sure you enjoy it - and for me that's either playing tunes or improvising over jazz standards (poorly!). It may sound dull but I structure my practice like this (give or take): Warm up Sound building - open string exercises Scales/Chords to a drone Sight reading / Work through a book Playing through changes / playing along with records With a glass of wine I'll sometimes try and write a few lines that use specific approaches. All gets written down and then I can add pointers on stuff I'm getting wrong or struggling with. Some days though, I'll stick on some tunes I know and enjoy playing.

Are the Yita bows any good? I'm a beginner/intermediate player so a bow is a logical next step. Are they set up to work straight out of the box? Any help gratefully appreciated!

Nobody ever seems to say thanks for these, but I will; Thanks! What a bass player Carol Kaye was, eh? Can I ask what programme you use to create your transcriptions?

One of the best ways to understand a key signature is to write your own baselines. Use something like Realplayer and create a few basic chord progressions and then write your own baselines. Or find some tracks: http://www.songkeyfinder.com/songs-in-key/a-major And transcribe some of these.

This might sound stupid, but blues bass is pretty simple. The best bass players will understand the guitar figures too. Worth learning at least a bit of blues guitar or blues piano. Both relatively simple and a lot of fun!

I used to teach a professional music qualification and it always depressed/bemused me that sight reading wasn't a key requirement of the course.

Your best aid here is a blank notepad. Sit down and create a practice plan and find 30 minutes at least a day. This is best spent in chunks. One of the best ways is to separate the rhythm from the stave. There are two great books I used. One was Joaquin Du Pres Sight Reading for Bass. The other was Modern Reading In 4/4. Both are great. Then I'd start by picking up a book in the style of music you want. I have one which is called 'Reading Contemporary Bass' which is cheap, and easy and teaches you some good syncopated stuff. Set some targets, and then make sure you breath and enjoy it. Oh, and recognise there's a difference between being able to sight read in real-time (i.e. be given sheet music and read the whole thing and play it perfectly at tempo the first run through) and being able to read music. The first is an incredible skill that takes years, the second is easily achievable. Anyone with a logical mind should be able to understand how to read music, then it's a case of practising to perfection. Finally, reading music is a useful skill but it won't necessarily improve your musicianship. I know classical players who can read the most complex figures and you'd assume they'd learn as much as they can, but they spend years perfecting a relatively simple Bach Cello Suite. All about the sound! It's an amazing and fun journey, and you'll make massive leaps very quickly which is brilliant.

Thought the unison parts on the Latin stuff was bang on, but you're a bit too insistent on the groove. If you're reading it's a typical issue. This is going to sound so stupid but you have to imagine yourself in 35 degree heat, chilled out environment, linen suit, mojito cocktail and looking out on a Brazilian scene that's just stunning. The fact you get the notes out at all is a good thing... Visualisation might sound stupid but it's a great way of getting a mood or a feeling in your brain. I'm talking here about the groove / solo section.

The one piece of advice I received was not to buy too many books! I used to be a teacher, so I have loads around, but I never really 'did' Jazz. My default was then to buy loads and get frustrated. In the end, I now use 3 of them. The first was Ed Friedland's Walking Baselines. The second is The Evolving Bassist The third is the Bass Real Book I used to work through examples in the Walking Bass book and then apply them to chord changes of familiar jazz tunes. I listen to the melody on a You Tube recording and try and get this down. It also helps to get out to watch some live music too and see if you can follow the melody, and then understand the tune. The Evolving Bassist is a good book, but quite challenging, with some serious leaps in it, so I am working through this slowly with a teacher. That's the other bit of advice is to get a good teacher. Having someone to give you encouragement or unlock some of the complexities is great. As you're probably great with the theory, someone playing your sort of music is great. Most of the pros I met started this way, subbing for their teacher and in the end improving.

Does it sound good and play well? Does it have a good set of strings and all the things you'll need? (Case etc). Is it set up properly? It's a tough one to offer advice, and there are some more qualified than I am. The aim is to get an instrument that's well set up, easy to play (within reason), comes with everything you need and - most importantly - sounds amazing! Buying a guitar unseen is usually OK because the industrial manufacture ensures at least a certain level of quality. They're also less likely to move, shift or change much. A DB is naturally a very different beast! Personally, I would look on the forums here and see if I can find an instrument with great strings, a good case and a proper set up that has been loved and used. Of course, the Antoni may be this bass. My concern would be that if it's sat around unloved and unplayed by a learner it may have some of the common set up issues you find on new basses. Hope this helps!

You're classically trained so I can offer no input on technique, as I'm useless. My practice regime is split between understanding chords and progressions, playing through changes, transcribing tunes and playing along with records to get melodies down. The iReal player helped me a lot, as did building in a solid amount of listening time. You can't play jazz if you're always playin'

I met Ali Friend once at Trinity (friend of mine was tour manager for Red Snapper before Basement Jaxx) and he was a lovely chap. I'm sure he has no recollection, but was very supportive and engaging. Send me a PM Rev - be good to see you out and about playing DB. Cant see from your site but if you're on the Rockabilly scene we may know some of the same people.

Good question! I started playing electric at 15, got reasonably good at it. Achieved Grade 8 standard, toured Europe and taught at a local music college. Sitting there once transcribing a track (I think it was 'Maybe it'll rub off') I realised I was bored with my sub-Jack noodling crap, so I sold all my gear apart from one bass and didn't play properly for the best part of a decade. I'd always loved the idea of upright, but never the reality. Then, when my wife became pregnant I decided to treat myself and spend the nights indoors with the new family as an opportunity to learn something new. The next best thing to happen was enjoying a free jazz concert (cost not music) in Bristol (where I live) and seeing Some amazing players I realised the complexity and beauty of the instrument. I also realised it's sheer size and physical presence meant that the sort of widdling virtuoso bollocks (sorry) I was prone to on the electric - and that bores me stiff - was impossible on upright. Its apparent simplicity is it's complexity, even though within one four bar phrase you have millions of potential options writhing the first few positions. I realised I couldn't do it alone so I plucked up the courage to get some lessons and create what I always told for my students: a structured practice plan. I'm now relearning theory and practical bass playing in a completely new context which is incredibly rewarding and exciting. I'm also now open to huge amounts of new music (some of which is very old!). I can also play through changes too, which is pretty cool. Favourite players? Hard one - I'd probably say the thing that kicked me into getting a DB was listening to Thompson play with John Martyn after rediscovering Solid Air. This is live which loses some of the enchanting quality of the album track, but gains some of its own allure: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg_Utj4Aljc Interested to hear from others.

Different username (old band) but have been here from the start!