Stub Mandrel

Ha... the challenge here is to make my freshly minted song a valid entry. So the poster is advertising a Shadow Play, but ripping off Rory Gallagher woudl be cheating. However, in this warped tale an unexpected incident casts a dark shadow over the village green... Actualy as the poster is promoting 'composers' any piece composed by anyone is probably eligible if it meets the dates... 😆

You can improve youe ear with practice just like anything else, When I started out I struggled to tell what key something was in. After a few years I took singing lessons and the tutor said my relative pitch was fantastic (although I don't have perfect pitch). These days I can get in key withon 2 or 3 notes, but I struggle to work fast passages out by ear. Generally i find a tab and then work through fininding any errors..

I came across an exercise which was playing a riff in eighth notes, then every so often speeding up to sxiteenths for a bar, keeping time. It was a really good exercise and helped me step up a notch in my playing.

Funky!

Oh God. You've created an infinite loop. Let's hope this doesn't happen in the DoI thread, the universe could collapse.

The problem with this thread is it's tempting me to suggest the song...

I saw them on the Signals tour, at the NEC. NOtable because in ethr eview I wrote for our Rocsoc mag I called him Lief Ericsson...

Still in Wales. Then when I come back, I'll be fairly stationary for a while...

I was up in Matlock this morning. Going to South Wales early on Weds. Is there any chance it can be in Derby tomorrow?

Blues rock version or Hair Metal version? Which do I prefer... let's just say Whitesnake have a track record for spoiling a good songs, like 'Ere I Go Again Again.

Under all that crap a B2, converted into a lefty by my brother, converted back by me, and resprayed by my mate - believe it or not. Sounds fantastic and plays itself.

The hardest kind where remembering it is a bigger challenge than playing it!

You may worship at my shrine of Hohner Headlessness, Ricky 🙂

Space Ritual Just playing it in the background. The sheer power behind sonic attack is like being hit by a bulldozer.

I emailed my MP who came back with the party line about all the support. I replied explaining the issue in simple, plain detail, others did too, and she said she would take it up with the Chancellor to no more avail than a few small headlines.

My earning music from music days were beyond the 20 year limit. Which is a shame as now I understand the tax system I would have been able to claim a tax rebate as what I spent on gear, practice venues and recording was more than I ever got back. These days many people will come under the £1000 turnover de-minimis rule. A three-piece getting paid £250 a gig could do one a month, for example. And if you do earn more, it's a good reason to make sure you have the finest basses and amps in the land "That 62 Jazz isn't a luxury, think how much tax I've saved!" 🙂

Pine make surprisingly good guitar bodies. I keep looking at the pitch pine doors in the house (which is going to be sold) and thinking the next owner doesn't need those...

I wandered away for a few decades, some of the recent albums, especially The Machine Stops, have been excellent.

A couple for times you can hear the previous note ring on over the start of the fill without its sound changing. But it shows up just how far away I am from playing it properly...

Went to an almost deserted PMT in Nottingham today, looking for a strap for my HB kit-build 'Deathburger'. First one I spotted was a big, baby-blue leather one but it was £49 with some pointless (for me) rapid adjustment feature. The chap spent some time looking for a vegan one (he obviously hadn't noticed I was wearing a leather jacket, but perhaps he sensed my veggieness?) The most appropriate was a vintage looking cheapie. After looking at (but not touching) several basses - I like the Gretsch short-scale ones - then I spotted another rack of straps, with this Ernie Ball one, a touch pricey but spot on IMHO with a slightly vintage feel to suit the bass (I gave it a 50s P-bass headstock). I think it's the best match of any strap and bass that I've seen 🥰😍😘

I was in Nottingham today but not going back soon. If it could divert to Burton upon Trent by Tuesday I could take it to Barry.

Oh stinky poo... I suppose I'll just bin my acoustic guitar, and this Stradivarius while I'm at it...

Rosewood and Maple are very different woods. Neither rosewood nor maple was chosen originally because they sound good, but because they look good, hold frets well, are easily worked and wear well. For a fretless fingerboard, ebony seems to be the timber of choice... Other woods should sound completely different again. there is nothing magic about rosewood or maple - just tradition - so all these other woods: Poplar laminate, amaranth, paulownia, laurel to name a few, there's every chance that one or more of these will actually sound better than rosewood or maple, if properly blind tested with all those many other variables controlled.