Burns-bass

I completely agree. This fella is a committed criminal who continues to offend. He’s a scumbag. I am playing in a band later with someone who was convicted of robbery. He was more a victim of circumstance and it was 30 years ago. Guess you have to believe in the capacity for change. My dad’s house was repointed by a childhood friend who went to prison for attempted murder. A lovely fella who had a breakdown and did something entirely out of character.

I think, from memory, he’s the guy running the bands. It may be that he’s a nice guy who’s fun to be around and pays well for the band. Confidence criminals can be quite lovely people, it’s the reason they can be successful.

You’ve seen Police Interceptors too!

Hopefully this is where they chop off his hands. Seriously though, this guy seems to be wedded to this lifestyle and a career criminal.

Thanks for explaining. So this is more serious then? A trial suggests he’s going to have to face a more serious punishment than a slap on the wrist like last time. I’m sure he won’t get a custodial sentence…

What happened? Hopefully they chopped off his hands.

I did try wireless in the end but it all felt a bit 80s to me so I went back to a trusty old cable. I respect the level of effort that has gone into this. It will not be forgotten.

I hate hate hate that song.

I’ve had the set list for Saturday now. Nothing challenging, and I’ll chord them all out in the next few days and embed them through active and passive listening.

The bow and 6 year olds!

This looks great! I don’t have the time to dedicate to orchestral stuff really. I’m doing 70 DB gigs a year at the moment and it really takes up the time. But it’s what I enjoy doing at home and that’s keeping me playing the bass daily, which is what it’s all about.

You’re better off getting a standard short scale bass because then you’ll have a better choice of strings etc. I’d say Squier Bronco is the way to go. I love mine.

His songs and style are so good!

I remember trying to get a band to learn Robben Ford’s version of Chevrolet (which is absolutely brilliant) and it was a chore. When we played it live once, they messed it up and we never did it again.

Dont worry, I’m exaggerating for comic effect and I’ve done lots and lots of these gigs before and the setlist will be pretty much the same. A lot of it is bluegrass-style stuff which is all based on a similar format and a healthy dose of improvisation. In fact, that’s why they book me I guess. It’s very much like jazz in that you’re often given the chord structures and improvise a line around the changes, rather than a party band that has spent years developing all the arrangements etc.

Finally managed to get to Bowspeed. The shop is incredible and the staff wonderful. I was given the freedom to try as many bows as I liked from the cheapest to the £2000. I found this was a wonderful chance to trial them. I’m obviously rubbish (still) but even to my untutored and uncultured ears it was clear the difference in sounds and feel. After having my heart settled on a German made bow I tried a lighter pernambuco French bow by a maker called Ary which was (as you’d imagine) more expensive but after lots of backwards and forwards (literally) it was the one I chose after some guidance from the experts there. I had hoped to take it away on approval but this wasn’t a possibility so was given a substantial discount and purchased on the day. When I got home I didn’t want to play it and today I’ve been out playing jazz all afternoon (electric bass). But I’ve given it a 20 minute go and it really is wonderful. I know Bristol isn’t accessible for everyone but the opportunity and freedom to try so many bows is fantastic. My classical aspirations are to play for myself, not more than that, so I can’t ever see me needing an upgrade.

Much the same as everyone else here. Learn the songs, create your own notes if they help and enjoy it. I’m doing a wedding next week and haven’t received anything yet. No songs or set list. Or even the address. This is how it works I guess!