LeftyP

My wife plays oboe in our local orchestra. She has two oboes. One is the student model she learned on and it took her through music college but then she bought a 'pre-owned' better model that she has used for longer than we have been married (28 years). Most of the other orchestra members have violins, cellos, trumpets etc that they have used for decades. Is it only bass/guitar players that feel the need to constantly acquire more instruments? I can understand a gigging bass player having a couple of back-up instruments, for those occasions where the local drunk falls over and snaps the neck of your main instrument, but for most of us 'one and a spare' would seem to be enough. Of course, you can never have enough!

Sad to hear about the clubs having to close because they will have a knock on affect for suppliers and entertainers as well as the clubs' contribution to the local council coffers. I think this covid situation has highlighted how vulnerable many businesses are these days. When major, high street names go into administration after a few weeks of lock-down and holiday companies going under, you really have to ask if they were being run correctly. I do suspect that some big names have used the current situation as an excuse to shed labour and cut costs and that 'administration' has be used as a way of avoiding paying debts. Small family businesses often work on very small margins and don't have the capacity to weather a storm of a pandemic, but you would think that national chains and global companies would have enough 'fat' to survive. The market has probably changed more in the last three months than at any time in recent years. Whether it will return to "normal" is any one's guess.

That was amazing. I don't have any recordings by any of the 2019 artistes and couldn't name any song by them. But I have plenty of Beatles, Carpenters, Elton John and Bee Gees plus a load of albums by Garth Brooks. I hear that Elvis sold more records after he died than when he was alive. Michael Jackson's death may have boosted his sales and Freddie Mercury's for Queen. It just shows how tastes change - which is a good thing.

It really depends on the type of music being played. The old Motown and soul music recordings would be nothing without a good thumping bass line but that style doesn't suit every genre of music. I like melodic playing (not that I can do it) like McCartney. A bass line that compliments the song but does not dominate it. I just don't get the bass players who come to the front of the stage and try to cram as many notes in as possible with a "look at me" attitude. It's very clever and way above my skill level, but after about 20 seconds, I'm wondering where the tune has gone and where the song is. I play in a church band and my job, along with the drummer, is to make sure everyone - including the congregation - keeps together. Hitting the root notes is paramount and, depending on the song, the odd little arpeggio can add a little colour. It's horses for courses but I must admit that "less is more" suits me as I can't play much more!

I don't wish to hi-jack this thread but as we are "church people" here........ Two church friends were due to be married in April - then the lock-down happened and weddings were stopped. They have not been living together and have been able to keep in touch via technology and 'just bumping into each other in the supermarket'! Today, they were married after getting 48 hours notice. Some of us from church went to wish them well and stand outside the church but as there were only about 20 or so of us we were invited inside to be part of the ceremony. I was not dressed up for a wedding, but then none of us were! The bride and groom were though! There was no music but the vicar made the event very special and the whole thing added a very spiritual dimension to the afternoon. Some people spend thousands on weddings but this intimate marriage really focused the mind. Hopefully, once the Covid stuff has subsided, we can hold a party for them at church. It was a privilege to be a small part of it.

I tracked mine down at Richard's Guitars in Stratford-upon- Avon. I had to buy it via the internet without trying it but they weighed it for me and set it up well. They were the only place I could find one.

It's the Maranello Cavo bass which is hollow bodied and short scale.

I'm the same. A back injury means that my 7Ib-ish Italia is all I can handle. I do have a sneaky liking for a genuine Hofner Club bass. I like the look of them and they are light. However, A Club bass won't do anything more than my Italia can do and a German made Hofner costs more than double what I paid for my bass. I don't need one. Say it again - I don't need...............

We should have been there by now, flying from Newcastle to Geneva this morning. Sadly, it's all been cancelled - Festival and flights. We were there a few years ago and the atmosphere was amazing. Loads of free concerts on open air stages along the lake shore with stalls and food outlets. Some of the best acts were USA high school bands doing the Glen Miller stuff. Kids from 14 to 18 years old playing like great professionals and supporting each other. Instead, I'm watching the rain pour down in our terraced street in the north of England.

I'm a bass player, I don't do "smile"!

My wife and I have recorded several of these 'put together' songs for Sunday morning streaming. They are quite stressful as you have to get them right. Any mistakes in a 'live' performance can slip by unnoticed, but when the video is going to be on You Tube for ever, you need to be on the ball. Recording our parts in isolation is a unique experience. I play bass and my wife either sings, plays oboe or her Yamaha wind controller. All we get is either a piano or rhythm guitar track with, the occasional vocal for guidance. We then listen to the guide track via headphones while recording our video contributions onto our mobile 'phones. As I type this my wife is trying to keep in time and pitch with a rhythm guitar (that has its own rhythm) and a vocal that has "interesting" qualities! The first week we both took over 20 attempts to record our parts. Judging by the sounds and exclamations coming from the next room, this current song, "Cornerstone", is going to take some time!

I had a Chowny SWB-1 and was caught out by the weight of it. They are really nice bass guitars but my old injured back just could not deal with having the SWB-1 hanging around my shoulders for long. My bass (as featured earlier in this thread) is an Italia Maranello Cavo, which tips the scales at a fraction over 7lb. I also have an old Tanglewood version of the Hofner violin bass that is lighter still. To be honest, the Tanglewood would be more than enough for my needs but I do like the Italia model.

A local pub always played Neil Sedaka tracks at closing time to ensure the punters made a quick exit. I quite like Sedaka's later stuff but have tired of "Calendar Girl" and "Happy Birthday Sweet 16".

Well, my wife and I recorded our contributions for next Sunday's on-line service. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, we are new to this way of doing things and were using our mobile phones to record our playing while listening to a guide track through headphones. Talk about frustrating!! We'd both been going over the song - "By Faith" from the Gettys - me on bass and Glenys on oboe, but when it came to recording it was as though we had never played it before! Getting the sound balance right while listening to the guide track in one ear completely threw me and it took around 10 attempts to get past the intro. Then, I'd be doing OK, but trip over a few notes and have to start again. This happened a couple of times as I neared the end of the song - AAARRRGGGHHH! Glenys had the same problem with her part and we spent most of the afternoon in separate rooms going over and over our musical recordings. In live performance the odd fluffed note can go unnoticed but when it is going to be "broadcast" on YouTube it has to be right. I think I just about got away with it but will be waiting in anticipation to see how the various contributions meld together. Hopefully, the other singers/players will mask my mistakes. I used to like the song....................

Wilcock do a very nice looking short scale bass. I have an Italia Maranello Cavo short scale. I bought it because it is light - around 7lb and easy to handle. It plays very nicely, even in my hands!

As people leave the service I think Chairman of the Board will fill the bill. My late son-in-law was a red hot Labour supporter and a trade union official. At the end of his funeral service we played "Part of the Union" by Strawbs - it put a smile on most people's faces.

My wife and I did our first go at playing/singing our parts and recording them on a smart phone last week, to be knitted together for our Sunday streaming service. It's very strange listening to a backing track through small headphones and trying to keep in time. Last week was "It's A Light And A Hammer" (kid's song) but this week it's the Getty's "By Faith" with me on bass and my wife on oboe. We've decided to record our contributions separately! I'm currently getting the hang of playing along to a piano and cajon track and don't know who else will be taking part. I usually follow a chord chart with the root notes placed above the appropriate words, but as no-one is singing on the guide track, it is making life interesting. All good fun and a great lesson in concentration and patience!

I mentioned this on the cycling thread but if you don't cycle...................... I am spending time on a turbo trainer rather than venturing out on my bike during lock down. Sitting on the bike spinning the cranks in my back yard is mind numbing so I've been listening to some classic Motown/Stax and Atlantic soul through headphones. I'm now realising what a great bass player James Jamerson was. Trying to keep up with his bass riffs on the Motown tracks has inflicted great pain on my poor old legs! The Four Tops, Supremes, Stevie Wonder etc. are great tracks to keep fit to - or in my case collapse to!

One of Willie's great comments went along the lines of; "I don't know why everyone is criticizing Lance Armstrong for taking drugs while riding his bike. When I was taking drugs, I couldn't even find my bike!"

We would have been going to the Montreux Jazz Festival but that has been cancelled and I can't see our holiday taking place either. We were also looking to book for a Barry Manilow concert (Mrs. LeftyP is a fan) but that won't be happening anytime soon!

I may have posted this video on another thread so sorry if it is a repeat. I don't understand the words but the emotion Trijntje puts into the song reduced fellow singer, Tino Martin, to bits! All the people in the video are huge stars in the Netherlands and can sell out stadiums at the drop of a hat.

"Tin Man" by America. I'm going through it slowly, writing down the name of the notes and working our the fingering for it. Then I shall put it into notation-al form on manuscript paper. By doing this I'm improving my Ear Training, music reading and finger dexterity all at the same time! I need a cup of tea!

I've had La Bella flat wounds (.039 - .096) on my bass for about six months and the E string does lack a bit of sparkle with the A string not far behind. I've just changed to Dunlop Stainless Steel flat wounds with a slightly heavier gauge (.045 - .105) and I cannot believe the difference! The Dunlops are much brighter, to the point where I have had to roll off some treble, and feel really good under the fingers. Even without the bass plugged in they project really well. I think I've just found my "go to" flat wounds.

I'm not sure my choice is 'Cool' or 'Uncool' but I've just been listening to an album by the trio America. They had a hit with "A Horse With No Name" - or as I like to call it "A Song With No Tune". Their track "Tin Man" has a great bass line, simply credited to America. Their song "Ventura Highway had drummer Hal Blaine on board and the legend that was Joe Osborne on bass. Some nice easy listening country rock.

There was a web site - "menwholooklikekennyrogers.com" which contained photo's of - men who look like Kenny Rogers! Sad to hear of his death, he had a voice that could only belong to him.