LeftyP

Am I a boring bass player? Take a look at the photo below of me playing bass at church last Sunday. I've never looked so cool - behind the screen!

It's not that I dislike slapping (I enjoy much of the Level 42 catalogue), it's just that I find it tiring to listen to. In its place - "Forget Me Nots" by Patrice Rushen and some Luther Vandross tracks, it works very well but overall I prefer much more melodic playing like Paul McCartney and Joe Osborne. The well known and revered (on this forum) bass players are well above my skill level but their style of playing leaves me cold. Slapping and popping, showing off their licks, is OK as far as it goes but after about 15 seconds I'm longing for some light and shade and melody. It's horses for courses and the music I like does not fit well with slap bass.

I was thinking along similar lines today, in that - "Why would I want another bass?" I have two bass guitars; an Italia and a Tanglewood violin bass. Both have been featured in various posts on this forum. The Tanglewood was bought about 15 years ago and was cheap (less than £200 including case), the Italia was bought nearly 3 years ago and cost £670 or there about. Today I went down to our church to help sort out the sound system and set up a small bass combo/amp. I grabbed my Tanglewood in its case as it was easier to throw in the back of the car. When I opened the case at church it was like one of those spoof films where someone opens a chest and a glow radiates from it. I just love the look of the violin bass. Let's face it, when you've seen one Fender precision/jazz you've seen them all and most other brands just provide variations on the same theme. The violin shape is different. I played a few notes to try out the system and it sounded fine. The bass is hollow and very light and just so easy to handle. I began to wonder why I'd bought the Italia (which is a very nice bass). Through our church sound system I doubt there would be any discernible difference between my cheap violin bass and a custom Fodera. There is nothing wrong with wanting a well crafted instrument but sometimes just making the most of what you have can give better results. I have looked at genuine, German made, Hofner violin basses - costing about ten times what my humble Tanglewood did - but would they be ten times better and make me a ten times better player? I play in our church band about once every month and we generally sing four songs during the service. If I was a gigging musician playing several nights a week for two hours at a time then I think my Tanglewood would probably shake itself to bits. I am not a gigging musician playing two hours a night so it fills the bill well. Of course I still look at other bass guitars and am in the fortunate position to be able to spend quite a bit of money on one, but the more time I spend with my current duo the more I realise I don't really want another.

I would love to have a mid-week rehearsal but we just get together on a Sunday morning, about an hour before the service, to run through the songs. We get the songs emailed to us about a couple of weeks in advance so we can practise them at home. The church has a Spotify account with our library of songs on it and a web site with the sheet music/chord charts. I often have to make my own chord charts from the sheet music. I have a Tascam GB-10 MP3 player to play along to. You can slow the song down without changing its pitch or change the key without affecting the speed. As we have a pool of musicians, we very rarely play with the same people every time. The idea is to have a rota so we don't have to play every week. Mixing the members of each band brings variety to the service and prevents cliques forming. It can make gelling together a challenge! The attached video is from the American Worship Tutorials site on YouTube. They are professional worship leaders, at a Mega Church, and take it all very seriously but have raised some helpful points about running a worship team. They can get a bit obsessed about the subject but it may provide food for thought.

I was back in church today for the first time in nearly a year (since the first lock-down). We have had On-Line services where we've recorded our musical parts onto our mobile 'phones and had them stitched together, but that is not the same as being together. I was delighted to get back into the building and meet (socially distanced) friends who I've only been able to chat to via Zoom. Our normal congregation averages at just over a hundred, with most of them being students and young families. Due to the restrictions we could only accommodate 30 or so this morning and they had to wear masks and could not sing! The band was pared back to just; keyboard, semi acoustic guitar, bass guitar (me) and my wife on vocals. She was the only one allowed to sing! It was surreal playing a couple of songs while the congregation stood in silence and swayed along to the tune! As we had no drummer, I kept things very simple and hit the root note on the beat. Not very spectacular but it was what was needed. I did the occasional "fill" or chromatic run but other than that kept it straight to the point. I pray for the day when we can all get back to normal and enjoy great worship and fellowship together.

I think the wedding industry will take some time to recover from the pandemic. Over the last year I have seen friends get married at scaled down ceremonies. The first couple managed to arrange their wedding in 24 hours, following the lifting of the first lock-down. There were twenty or so people in the church and the couple sent out for a take-a-way for their "Wedding Breakfast". All who attended he wedding agreed that it was far more moving and poignant than a large bells and whistles event. The other couple had a similar ceremony and loved the intimacy of a smaller gathering. I have heard several people comment that the lock-down has given them time to re-evaluate their lives and priorities. There will always be those who want a lavish 'do' but don't bank on events (weddings) being the money makers they once were.

I haven't been in our church building for a year because of Covid and my advancing years! I have recorded bass parts at home, on my mobile 'phone, and they have been stitched together with other band members to make an on-line service. Our church is now open again but with limited numbers and a skeleton band. In house congregation is not allowed to sing but the service is streamed live on Youtube for those who cannot attend in person. Having had my Covid vaccination and being totally fed up at not being able to get to church, I shall be back playing this coming Sunday. We will only be doing two songs but it will be great to get back into the swing of things. I have neglected the bass for most of the year because there was nothing to rehearse for.

"If Your Life Was On Videotape" by Steve Goodman. He died of Leukaemia in 1984, at the age of 36, and was the writer of "City of New Orleans" recorded by Willie Nelson, among others.

I find that I go through stages of playing then long periods where I don't even see the bass! I have subscribed to a couple of Mark Smith's courses and can spend several days going through them before realising that I haven't touched the bass for a couple of weeks. With nothing to work towards - like playing in church - the incentive to pick up the bass is not there. I really need to get a grip and start playing every day.

TV themes; "St. Elsewhere" by Dave Grusin. "The Avengers" by Laurie Johnson. Films; "Walk on the Wild side" by Elmer Benstein. "The Anderson Tapes" by Quincy Jones.

See my posting on the "Off Topic" section of this forum. I would never choose to use Hermes - ever!

I've just remembered this one. I saw Ray perform it on the old Andy Williams show where Ray was on video singing all the parts. He does All the vocals and plays some of the instruments - too clever by half.

OOH! the delicious Reba. I have most of her recordings and just love the way she can roll words around her tongue so that they take on completely new sounds. Her version of the Everly Brothers' "Cathy's Clown" is a prime example.

It's true that most non-musicians do not notice the bass player - or even the instrument! To most, it's just a guitar. My wife has a similar problem. She plays principal oboe in our city orchestra and has lost count of the number of compliments she has received for her clarinet playing!

This one's worth watching just for the facial expressions! I do remember a slow, soulful, version of this song back in the day but cannot remember who did it. I'll keep looking. Then just when you think it couldn't get any worse!

Love the Beatles early stuff but never got into Sgt. Pepper and thought Abbey Road was a bit of a strange mix. As to covers; Joe Cocker - obviously and the Stevie Wonder track already mentioned. Top of my list is "Ticket to Ride" by the Carpenters.

Same here. I have written many poems/songs over the years and can't remember any of the words! I can also sing along to loads of songs but ask me to sing them without the record and I'm stumped. There is one song that I know all he way through and that's "King of the Road" by Roger Miller.

Although I am a lefty, I play as a right hander.

I've thought about getting a five string because some of the songs we do at church drop below my E string. I usually just play up the octave and no-one is any the wiser! I need a light bass and am used to playing short scale so finding a cheap five string that matches those requirements will not be easy. "Up the octave" it will be then!

Pure Magic! I'm so glad I was a teenager in the 1960s when The Fab Four and Radio Caroline changed the music scene forever in the UK. Loved the Beatles and still enjoy their early recordings. I could never get away with Sergeant Pepper but prior to that they could do no wrong. I shall look forward to the film.

It's a long time since I have sat down and listened to a CD all the way through. However, prompted by a post I made on another thread, I dug out my copy of the Fotheringay album and sat for 47 minutes transfixed. I bought the vinyl LP back in 1970 and went to Newcastle to see them perform. The album was very rarely off my turntable and I purchased the CD copy when it was released. It is a few years since I listened to it but the wait was worth it. The end of the 60s and start of the 70s brought us the "Folk/Rock" era, with Fairport Convention, Pentangle, Fotheringay etc taking the popular music scene in a deeper direction. Sandy Denny had a wonderful voice and the whole ensemble worked very well together. A great album by a talented group of musicians.

For me it has to be Fotheringay. I saw them at Newcastle City Hall in the very early 70s and was totally blown away by their tight, but natural playing. Sandy Denny on lead vocal was in front of a superb group of musicians. Trevor Lucas on Guitar, along with Jerry Donahue with some great bass work from Pat Donaldson and spirited drumming by Gerry Conway. The night lives long in my memory.

Just out of curiosity, I contacted Tanglewood UK to see when and where the violin bass was made. They replied very quickly and said that they were made in China between 2002 and 2014. I bought mine about 10 or 12 years ago and still enjoy playing it.

I have tried that and it certainly improved the balance of the bass but I found that the strap had a tendency to slip off my shoulder and down my back as I was playing. I mentioned in another post that the balance of the bass has as much to do with the feel of it as the weight. My bass is a light weight, hollow bodied Italia but I have been using my old Tanglewood copy of the Hofner violin bass lately because my back issues have resurfaced. Short scale and light weight is the way to go but watch out for neck dive as it does put extra strain on the left shoulder.

Further to my earlier posting; My lower back problems have returned so I am using my Tanglewood violin bass more. It weighs in at 5.7lb - 2.4Kg. Taking a close look at it, the body is put together very nicely and the finish is good. The tuners, bridge and electrics are a little down market but they do their job. I understand that Tanglewoods used to be made by Cort but there is no indication on my bass as to who made it or in which country. It really is a well made (for the price) bass guitar. I have been looking at genuine Hofner violin basses, made in Germany, which look really nice, but would I notice that much of a difference in playability and tone? If you have a German made Hofner, I'd like your opinion.