chris_b

The conclusions I draw from this thread are: Tab is rarely correct. Sheet music is usually written by piano players who are getting paid by the sheet and who know no one is ever going to check what they wrote down. Acid and time changes a lot of memories. Check out your assumptions before you go into print. Inaccuracies will come back and bit you on the arse in no time. In music you should trust your ears before believing your eyes.

It's a great version of Thunderstruck. And great playing.

[quote name='danonearth' timestamp='1496371426' post='3310883'][color=#191919][font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif][size=4]I am wondering how often people use the pinky finger [/size][/font][/color][/quote] All the time. I don't understand your diagrams but I use 1, 2, 4 and 3 the least of all. Guys who use 1,2,3 just look awkward to me. IMO you can't "overuse" a finger when playing if you're doing it properly. Are you positioning your hand correctly? A bass isn't just a big guitar, you have to hold everything differently. If you don't use all your fingers to fret notes you're wasting a resource and overusing the others, which is not good. If any fingers are hurting or uncomfortable when you're playing, either your strings are too high, you're pressing too hard or you're stretching. What ever the cause, get your bass playing technique right and the problem will go away.

Mike Portnoy summed it up. Ringo changed what a drummer could imagine playing. Ringo went further than rhythm drumming and became part of the arrangement, part of the song. 2 drummers changed drumming, Earl Palmer and Ringo Starr.

[quote name='Jack' timestamp='1496326651' post='3310554'] So I am looking to join a band (ideally a function band) what would be the best way if the ads are regarded as useless? [/quote] It's down to who you know or who has seen you play and remembered that you were OK. The last band I joined via an audition was in 1985, since then it's been word of mouth.

Change is common place and mostly goes by unnoticed these days, but Sgt Pepper was a perfect storm that changed everything. It caused a seismic change in what was possible and what was expected in every aspect of the creative side of the music business; song writing, recording, art work and musicianship. Brian Wilson said he was in creative competition with the Beatles and he thought he'd won with Pet Sounds. When he heard Sgt Pepper he knew he'd been left for dead. Then the only people I knew who were 50 were teachers and grand parents. Jeez. . . . what happened!!

[quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1496263919' post='3310105']I routinely do gigs with zero rehearsal. [/quote] As do I. If the guys in the band are good enough, your preparation is up to scratch and everyone is on the same page then it can work. I would imagine there are guys who aren't up to this way of working. Fortunately I don't meet up with them very often.

So you guys are saying this bass line is not played starting on an open E? And you've all been listening to the original recording?

Sloppy Jazz band? How can you tell? Decide after you get an impartial second opinion from someone who knows about these things.

IME, a lot of bassists are not going to be playing very often if they're intending to only play songs they like. Life is too short to be sitting at home in self imposed exile waiting for the next likeable song to turn up. If you can turn a song you don't particularly like into a well played song that an audience wants to hear then you're a good player and you've done a good job.

Over the years, I've made up for the both of you. Am I bovvered??

I was 9 when I realised that [i]time[/i] could be counted right through a break in a song and that was how they all started together after the break. What a revelation. Counting 1, 2, 3, 4 goes through the whole song and nearly everything started on the 1. I played the same bit of that record a dozen times just counting through the break. A eureka moment. This guy has to know what his weakness is and has to be working very hard to fix it. He has to be made aware that he's currently compromising the band, and he's going to look stupid in front of all his mates. Then tell him he has 3 weeks to shape up or that's it. If the penny drops you're good to go, if it doesn't and he walks or is fired you're also good. This problem is a show stopper. Cancel the gig until it's solved.

I've played several RHCP songs over the years and they always went down well. They had an energy that made them good to play. Nick Cave on the other hand. . . . . where did I put those razor blades.

He's not up to it. Get another singer.

I've played I Wish in my last 3 bands. Good number that always seems to go down well. IME Superstition gets chosen in guitar led bands, because they can pay the riff. IMO Superstition always works better when the keys take the lead and the guitar vamps on chords. Not many guitarists want to give up the spotlight though.

Played properly there's nothing wrong with any of the songs mentioned so far. But that's the problem. They are very rarely played properly.

As always, incredible playing, from both. Also listen to them on Aretha Franklin's Young, Gifted and Black.

Now for a set of flatwound strings.

Dial back the filters. They are off when turned fully anticlockwise. Try a high pass filter to reduce unwanted low frequencies. Reduce the lows and push the mids to improve definition. A GRAMMA pad might help. My suggestion would be to ditch the 115 and use 2 210 cabs.

From what I've read a Glock pre amp is more smooth than aggressive, so that's probably where your attention should be. Replace the preamp rather than the pickups. But I'd first try an outboard preamp/pedal.

I've been told Mustang Sally is on the list for tonight's gig. Like Duke Ellington said; “A problem is a chance for you to do your best.”

I doubt Fender are using the best parts they could source on this bass, so you could use this opportunity to replace the electrics with better components; new loom, pots (audio taper) and cap. IME this [i]will[/i] improve the sound of your bass. As far as I read things, changing the caps won't add or subtract bass. The cap is what turns the pot into a tone control, by creating a variable low pass filter that progressively removes the top and mids. Better caps will allow better control of the filtering of the top and mids but it's the quality of the pots that will increase the volume of the whole bass, which will probably unlock bass frequencies your current pots don't let through, but caps they don't add any frequencies.

If you have a few frets getting in the way then you definitely should have this work done. IME this will be a night and day improvement. I had my Lakland set up and fret stoned at the Gallery. It came back playing like there weren't any strings on it. I wish I'd done it years before. The action was so low I couldn't play the thing so I had to raise it a little, but you can still feel the difference. I currently have another bass at the Gallery having the frets being worked on. This isn't just about low action. It makes your bass play better at any action you choose.

Anyone played the Star at Bentworth? The bass almost stands in front of the gents and the ladies have to walk thorough the band to get to their loo.

The only gig I've refused to go back to was a restaurant gig at the Swanage Blues Festival when I was in a duo with an acoustic guitarist. We were told to set up at the end of the bar, which was beside the coffee machine. They were making coffee for most of the night. We couldn't hear ourselves over the grinding and hissing sound of that bloody machine. I used to play a gig in Ladbroke Grove in the early 70's and when the fights broke out it was like they were out of the Beano, a big ball of dust with arms and legs poking out. I'm surprised no one ever got seriously hurt. The one rule we had was never to stop playing. They used to come over afterwards and apologise for spoiling our songs!!