Stub Mandrel

Featuring the Windows XP tellytubbie hill!

That point's right...

Watching the Wales V. SA semi-final (in a Scottish pub) with a bunch of my compatriots there were actually several South Africans in their too. One guy pulled out a bag of biltong he'd sneaked into the UK. While I was forgiven for being a veggie, the meat eaters who struggled got soundly mocked. I don't remember the result of the match...

🤪

I'd show you my 10", but I might get banned...

Used the Joyo XVI on a dropped D today (we were just jamming the Dr Who theme and playing with different sounds) made the modern Fender Bassman through a 4x10 struggle a bit! Sounded better an octave up with +/-the octave on. Increasingly finding the Joyo useful for 'real world' sounds especially as an overdrive with with the Bassman in the reharsal space as it makes it break up a bit (which my TE doesn't). It sounded ace last night on Feeling Good (Nina Simone song).

Interesting evening! Fun setting up the small PA, it was very quiet and took while to realise it was because I had plugged a monitor into the line out, the main PA was off... Plenty of room but not huge numbers due to weather, but landlord happy as new people came because of posters and bad weather kept people in all night (you know you are good when people prefer you to a weather bomb...) As for the actual gig, as expected it was fairly chaotic in terms of strong structure (the other two are more used to busking) so lots of thinking on my feet. For my moment of glory Wherever I lay My Hat where the singer swapped the bridge and verse 🤪 and a few songs had unexpected reprises... some of the 12-bar-ish soul songs did suffer from me struggling to remember which one was which, but at least I was in the right key if not the right song... Encouraged by some friends of guitarist and family of singer (her mum joined in on a couple of songs too!) we actually had a fair bit of dancing and a good reception. Must have done about 2 1/4 hours or more in the end although it flew past. Finished with an unrehearsed One Love which most of the pub joined in so it was actually really good, if terrifying.

I've got my third gig since taking the cudgel up again tonight. I think it's going to be mostly made up on the spot and I'm convinced we will end up doing some songs I've never rehearsed, played or even heard before. At least it's making me look forward to next saturday with the main band, when we do a battle of the bands and and we are rehearsed to the point where I could play the set blindfolded. Hopefully I will be able to report back. Otherwise: Morituri te salutant...

Why are gigs so long in the US? In the UK, two 45-minue sets plus few encores is normal.

Thanks to @Si600 I can't take it seriously very time you mention Panga Panga...

That one above is a baritone, but in standard Uke tuning. Not obvious from the pick is it has a lovely convex back, which is what made me like it.

It's quicker if you choose an original name. My business was page on in a month, and it's tiny... 🙂

Don't want to put a downer, but you do realise it's impossible to find either your website or YT channel? Try putting 'bass guitar review' into Google...

Easy to be too clever. Case in point - Higher and Higher by Jackie Wilson, as I have discovered.

Progfest or what? And Bob Fripp on violin!

Good luck Burke. My brother knows his son.

I've managed to avoid Corona today...

Aiee! TLRT famine!

All broad generalisations are wrong 🙂 You need to take the video in the spirit it's intended: "Young person hoping to make a living from music - don't assume it's just about getting enough work to be paid. If you want to be successful you need to..."

I can just look and that and see the lock mechanism would NOT take my 43kg TE...

Nice to nail it, but sometimes you can't. If it's complex, I generally learn the bones of it then add detail, but I get a lot of satisfaction from playing something spot on, especially a walking line. It also depends on genre. If it's the Faces or a Rory Gallagher song then why try and duplicate something the originals would have played differently every time themselves? Use it as a chance to develop my improvisation. Or circumstances, doing a gig on Saturday, mostly new stuff and styles for me. Acoustic, fretless (me) and vocals. Very few rehearsals and some songs I've only played once so far... some songs are totally improvised, some are in the spirit of the original, a few are by the book. I've learned up to the start of the second verse of Wherever I Lay My Hat and beyond that I'm 'in the style of' - going to be hairy as it's just going to be bass and vocals (am I scared - no I'm s***g myself!) *Ace of Spades - I've had to learn how to play bass chords, super fast, with a plectrum. I would never have attempted this and have now discovered the main risk is cramp! OTOH, doing a battle of the bands with the main band the week after. Eight songs, six of them we're aiming to nail*, one I simplified but I'm now adding in bits and for one I'm going to just have as much fun as I want as we'll all go OTT 🙂

https://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/relationships/impressing-women-by-playing-instrument-does-not-apply-to-ukulele-20200210193359 MEN hoping to impress women by playing an instrument have been reminded it does not apply to the ukulele. Experts stressed that the ukulele should only be learned by people who genuinely love the instrument and not by those hoping to look sexy. Professor Henry Brubaker, of the Institute for Studies, said: “While there have been a few cases of male ukulele players succeeding with women, it is purely coincidental. The women were not aware that those men played the ukulele. “Indeed, many ukulele players go to great lengths to conceal their ukulele playing. For example if they are in a social situation and a friend says ‘Jim plays the ukulele’, ‘Jim’ will say ‘no I do not, that’s a lie’.” Professor Brubaker added: “Recommended instruments include the guitar, the bass and the piano. Even the violin and the harp could do the business, especially in the hands of an Irishman. “The only thing that comes close to being as bad as the ukulele is, of course, the trumpet.”

You could say it has it's ups and downs. But it doesn't.

🤩 To speed things up I've just emailed all my bank details direct...