silverfoxnik

Just 4 weeks to go now!!

Bowie; but he'd been my favourite artist since I was 11 anyway. But by the time I was 16 in 1977, early Adam & The Ants, Talking Heads and Siouxsie & The Banshees had arrived and started to fil up my headspace. Good times, they were!

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1470561998' post='3106677'] Still and all, I appreciate that they loved Bowie too and that is what counts in a tribute. I loved your work David. Thanks for keeping us interested to the very end of your life. [/quote] +1 Haven't seen the Quincy Jones prom yet but am looking forward to seeing it. And despite a majority of quite negative reviews here for the Bowie Prom, I still thoroughly enjoyed it and that's despite having watched it more than once...

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1472023545' post='3117679'] That's very well put and I understand your musical reasons. I am totally the complete opposite. My ears like hearing solos from (any Instrument). I like complex arrangements and structures. Just something that has happened to me as I have got older. But then again my musical tastes are very, very broad from simple, to complete over the top Orchestral and Jazz offerings. For me, he has great, melodic, lyrical quality in his playing, not to mention his good timing and groove. But then, that's just my opinion of course. Nothing wrong (and certainly not rubbish) with his playing on this. There is more to Vic than show boating. I love hearing players solo and on this they all do it well. [media]http://youtu.be/sx5Qd6uEWq8[/media] [/quote] That's totally cool with me; as has been said many times on this Forum, it'd be boring if we all liked the same music and same musicians.. [quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1472027458' post='3117727'] The other point that Nick raises above, about how he views the bass guitar is interesting. Fundamentally this is really odd to me. Bass guitar is simply an instrument, the role it plays is determined by the music and the player. I imagine that there are many many instruments that, during their infancy, were simply for accompaniment, and weren't considered solo instruments. But as the players who choose that instrument develop the voice of the instrument, it's invariably going to grow into something more. So again, my expectation of the bass guitar is not to just play the bass line, it's just a tool to make music. Perhaps my expectation of a certain player in a certain musical context is of course to just play the bass line, but that's different to having an expectation of the instrument itself. Remember that soloing is effectively also about developing a melodic and harmonic voice, that knowledge and appreciation is always going to help your bass lines, how your lines effect the harmony and chordal quality of a song etc. Practicing soloing is a great way to stretch the muscle, no-one is saying use it on every gig, or any gig, but it will only ever help you. Si [/quote] It's called 'Bass' for reason, Si ! No, seriously, I have no issues with anything you've saying there.. I don't mean to imply that I think my own personal preferences about how I like to use the bass within a given musical setting and also, my preferences for the bass to play a more supportive role in what can loosely be described as 'rock & roll' (i.e. popular music from the mid 50's onwards) are better than anybody else's preferences - they're just the ones I have acquired over the years. When I was younger, I was very much into bass players who had (as I saw it) a lot of technical ability and a distinctive style, e.g. Chris Squire, John Entwhistle, Bootsy Collins, Larry Graham etc. It's only as I've gotten older that my tastes have changed and perhaps mellowed.. Again, thinking about this more, I've come to the conclusion that my particular ambivalence towards players like VW, Marcus Miller etc is as much to do with they predominant style of music they make when they are the 'star of the show' so to speak. And by definition, that is usually music that is instrumental, quite jazz/funk/smooth jazz etc, which doesn't particulalry move me. I think the other reason I don't listen much to those players is that I prefer song-based, lyric-led music in the main. Lastly, and particular referencing VW himself, if I had his ability or 'facility' as Jake (jakenewmanbass) refers to it, then I would probably be doing what he is doing now, and I suspect most of us would if we were able to .. He is living the dream, as they say! [quote name='OutSpoon' timestamp='1472037755' post='3117869'] Music is subjective and we all have our favourites. Some people don't get Paul McCartney or Sting or Les Claypool or Flea or Steve Harris or Steve Lawson or whoever. There is no best or better. Some players are more technical, some are more knowledgeable but none of that has an effect on whether we connect to the music - or not. Some bass players really connect me to their music and some leave me cold. BUT I appreciate the art and ability that they all deliver. If you don't get Victor Wooten - I can't change your mind about that, in the same way that some people don't like broccoli. I can tell you all about the healthy properties and how it was made and cultivated. If you don't get it - you don't get it. But that's okay. Because plenty of people like broccoli and plenty of people like Victor. I studied with him at Music camp a couple of years ago, and met him a few times since - and he is a genuinely lovely, lovely human being. He is deeply, naturally musical and loves what he does. I don't connect to all his music, but I have my favourites. So, if you don't like it - that's cool. I know Victor would say the same thing. But you cannot deny that he is an incredible musician, and you cannot overlook the deep impact he has made on bass playing and you cannot dismiss the decades or practice, dedication and devotion that he has dedicated to the instrument. [/quote] +1 to all the above and very well said.. It's great to hear from many in this thread that VW is such an all round good egg as well as being an innovator; we need more of those people, not less of them and he is clearly inspiring a lot of other musicians around him which is a very good thing and I'm certainly not dismissing what he has dedicated to the instrument and his craft.. It's just that - for whatever reason - most of his musical output doesn't particularly speak to the inner depths of my musical being (if there are any)?? And perhaps that's my loss, but so far, I'm quite happy living my life without it.. By the way, I have to concur with my learned friend above that Rum & Raisin is the best flavour of ice-cream!!

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1471942772' post='3117077'] As with the recent Jaco thread...some like Wooten, others don't. No big deal. [/quote] [quote name='bassjim' timestamp='1471943345' post='3117081'] I remember a guitarist friend of mine brought round a DVD with him doing "You Aint Got No Groove" at some Bass Day event some 15-20? years ago. I thought this was really good. Since then apart from the occasional thing where he is actually playing bass in a band I'm kinda numb to it. Its the same thing for me if I see any band or artist regardless of genre playing virtuoso things for a long duration. However I would say this..... Early Level 42 stuff has loads of instrumental youthful testosterone fulled fast playing with lots of riffs glued together. Today I cant listen to it but as an 18 year old lad I thought this was very moving stuff. If I was 15 and just starting out on bass, I'd probably want to be the next VW and although I'd in all probability be nothing even close, he would be the Mark King of today that got me into playing in the first place. Maturing as a musician and as a person comes later. (although sometimes looking at my own performances I'm still working on that ) So yes its all very twing twang twong slappidy ping ...but for all the players new and experienced that find it inspiring its got to be a good thing overall. [/quote] Kind of agree with these two posts really; we all like/dislike different things and it's no big deal.. Gives lots of different musicians a chance to fine their own audiences. And it's good that there are certain kinds of virtuoso players that come along to inspire a generation of younger players, whatever the instrument. Having said that, I also have a lot of sympathy with Trevor's OP too... Having just spent some time this morning listening to some solo VW, and his stuff in The Flecktones, Keb Mo etc, it just didn't do anything for me in particular, but that's probably because I'm just not a fan of those particular genres of music he operates in as much as his bass playing.. which I do find a bit [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] "Keepie-Uppie" if I'm honest. [/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I also checked out some of the VW Marcus Miller and Stanley Clarke jazz festival clips on YouTube and I feel the same way about that too, in that it just leaves me cold emotionally. [/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Thinking about it for a minute, I've come to the conclusion that my reaction to these kinds of bass players and their music is based on two things; [/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]1) I don't feel, speak or understand that sort of jazz/funk/smooth-jazz/muzak kind of language at all - the chords, chord sequences, melodic and harmonic relationships etc. Without really knowing why that is, I just don't particularly like it.. [/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]And 2) I think the virtuoso bass player stuff goes against my very ingrained, traditional and maybe completely illogical concept of what bass playing is - particularly what electric bass playing is.. For me, the bass isn't a lead instrument, it's a supporting one (possibly the most important one), so I always prefer bass players who do that really well, as opposed to bass players who do a lot of solo/lead stuff.[/font][/color] [font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][color=#282828]But as Coilte said earlier, it's no big deal and gives us plenty of stuff to talk about at least! [/color][/font]

A definite 'Yes' from Mrs Silverfoxnik as to whether (or not) she likes my basses, so I consider myself very lucky. I think this is helped by the fact that she has a fairly large collection of cameras/photography kit, which she knows I like. In fact, I actively encourage her to pursue her interest in photography because, like playing bass, it's important to have something that you really enjoy doing.

Only 5 weeks to go BUMP!

Just ordered one and am looking forward to reading it! Great idea and congratulations on making it happen...

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1471105745' post='3110591'] Right, I am definitely going to be able to travel down to this, having arranged to combine with a visit to an old friend in Lightwater on the Friday. I'll put my name on the list later, as I am just posting from my phone atm. Won't be bringing any gear, just the ol' Fender P in case there's a bit of a jam going on. Looking forward to catching up with some of you that I haven't seen for a couple of years! :-) [/quote] Great news! And there'll definitely be 'a bit of a jam going on'.

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1471160227' post='3110816'] Really pleased that you've managed to make something positive out of this; have fond memories of him whenever you play! [/quote] +1

[quote name='andytoad' timestamp='1470940881' post='3109542'] All sorted now. Thank you everyone VERY VERY much. What a great forum! [/quote] +1 Thats what this place is all about...

I bought a cheap Yamaha BB300 on here about 18 months ago and used it as main bass for about 9 months. In that time, it saw more rehearsal and gigging action than my vintage BC Rich, my Roscoe Beck 5 string and a few of my other more expensive and so called high end basses. I recently had it set up properly and it plays and sounds even better now.

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1470847417' post='3108937'] Useless piece of trivia - Herbie Flowers wrote "Grandad" by Clive Dunn which made No1 (courtesy of "Pointless) [/quote] I had heard that somewhere before, Mick. I suppose that is balanced up with playing bass on Walk on the Wlid Side, from a 'cool career highlights ' point of view. But from Herbie's point of view, I suspect writing Grandad has made more of a difference to his quality of life.

[quote name='bassninja' timestamp='1470470929' post='3106182'] Looking forward to my first bash! See you all there✌️ [/quote] Looking forward to seeing you there, Wal!