leschirons

We'd put an ad out for a keyboard player for a new band but had been rehearsing with vox, guitar, bass and drums to get song structures sorted. Mainly doing laid back jazzy - blues and pop stuff. Some Sade', Carole King, Cyndi Lauper, Robben Ford etc. Guitarist announces he's found "the one" he'd been round her house to chat the night before and whilst she was making him a coffee, he'd looked through her music folders that were by her keyboard (an 88 key Yamaha) It was all there, Stuff by EW&F, Weather report, Tom Scott, and even a couple of Dave Grusin numbers plus, a load of classical pieces. Three weeks later, she arrived at my place, set up the keys, we'd given her 6 numbers to learn. She turned it on, pressed some buttons, the drum machine started, and then she spent 20 minutes trying to turn it off, eventually pulling the mains plug out the back. She couldn't play the songs, had no idea about timing, was totally unaware of what the rest of us were playing so, as a last resort, we decided to jam a slow blues in Am. She asked if we had the notation for the song!! "It's not really a proper song, just a slow 12 bar jam in Am" "Yes but where is the music?" "What music? there is no music, we'll make it up as we go along" "I thought I would be playing with proper musicians so I don't really think it's for me" "But you can't play the songs we asked you to learn" "This keyboard stand is not the same as mine, it's putting me off" "You're right, it's not really for you is it, goodbye"

[quote name='thumbo' timestamp='1336669340' post='1649283'] Inspirational stuff He's got a new album on the way. edit: it's out on the 14th [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvLAKrVbCBM[/media] [/quote] Catchy tune, no doubt I'll be whistling that all day tomorrow.

I use 6 and 5 stringers most of the time and have noticed no difference at all. E strings sounds fine. Can't really see what Mr Turner is getting at.

[quote name='ceilidhswinger' timestamp='1336576646' post='1647802'] Maybe they were Sinti Gypsies? these guys are amazing! if their adding accordion, maybe going to sound like French MUSETTE, I play quite a bit of this stuff which sometimes morphs from 4/4 swing to Parissian waltz. [/quote] Yes basically it will be Musette when the accordion is in there. They just use the term Dansette here for the little get togethers for the "find a partner" evenings in the local villages. We are after all in La Creuse where dress up for the evening in your best clothes usually means a slightly less smelly pair of blue overalls that you've only worn for 4 months

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1336509364' post='1646775'] How odd. I played with a drummer who couldn't play in 3/4 and anything in 3/4 morphed into 4/4 but I'm struggling to see how Honky Tonk Woman fits into 3/4. Jumping Jack Flash maybe.... [/quote] Quite easily, all the phrasing fits spot on. He had no problem with the vocals and there were no drums involved. They just had a weird idea to do a melange of R&Roll and "Dansette" (Tea dance type of stuff over here)

[quote name='wombatboter' timestamp='1336507996' post='1646742'] I played Honky Tonk Woman live last year on a Pedulla fretless and I was free to have a bass solo.. I added some distortion and it was great fun..still in 4/4 though.. [/quote] 4/4? No possibility of a Waltz and no accordian? You just don't understand Rock & Roll over there do you

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1336506951' post='1646707'] I think we need to hear it. [/quote] They promised me a copy when it's done so I may just put you all through the trauma.

Just said goodbye to a couple of French guys who have a blues duo (two guitars) They'd called and asked me put down a bass part for a CD they are recording. Said it was something I'd know so they came over with a laptop and an Edirol racky type thing. I have a small studio with all my gear in so in we went. I've just put down the bass to Honkytonk woman, in 3/4 time, and they wanted fretless. About the same tempo as "You picked a fine time to leave me" by Kenny Rogers. They're now on their way to get the accordian part put down Strangely enough, it appears to work although I'm not sure Mick & Keef would approve

Reading these replies, it seems I'm not alone. Maybe at last, I've grown out of GAS. Must be my age. Expensive gear is nice to ponder and own if possible but I get depressed when I think of how much I've spent over the years only to come back to my £150 comfort zone bass (weird that it's a six stringer!!) I think it's partly the weight as it's very light, and has a great neck with no dive at all. Give up the GAS, you know it makes sense.

I recently sold my Spector 6 thru-neck as it wasn't getting out of the house much, have a KSD705 and Custom shop Fender jazz but for some reason I keep going back to an old Far Eastern Aria Pro 6 string for gigs / rehearsals and practice. It's just like an old pal, stays in tune, sounds nice for a passive cheapy and is so easy to play. I paid about £150 for it secondhand and it's covered in scratches. Same when I had the Fbass, kept using the Aria!! Really starting to think about being happy with what works for me rather than wasting more money on "nice" basses.

Tears of a clown, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for me.

Played mine last weekend at a Dutch birthday party we'd been invited to. Had the lot there, acoustics, Celtic pipes, washboard, violins, tin whistles, Hurdy Gurdy, Cajon drum, accordians and harmonicas. Brilliant evening. Fitted in well with all the French & Dutch traditional folk music that was being played but it made me realise I need to put some work in to sound anywhere near competent.

Yes, he's got it spot on. He's a good player, he's different and this is about the 50th time we've found ourselves talking about him. You can't buy publicity like this.

Personally, I quite like the song (Manson version) However, send me your address and I'll post you all my Liza and Dusty albums. There's some great tunes on those for your band.

I can see your point sort of about songs you know already but in my view, if you learn their choice of numbers, it will tell the band something about who you are. It will give them an idea of how thorough you are in learning material. Their choices may include particular numbers to see how you cope with different tempos, grooves etc, and will also show them how accomodating you are. If we were auditioning a new member, we would pick the numbers in order to see what the auditionee can cope with. I don't think they're being unhelpful at all. They just need to make sure they pick the right person for their band.

I never get any comments from the bands I'm in about tone or equipment other than, can you turn it up a bit or point it my way a bit more. This could be for one of two reasons. Either, my choice of tone and equipment is absolutely unquestionable as I'm so highly regarded as a band member and musician or, I'm just the bassplayer who organises the coffees in the break and no-one cares a sh*t about what I play or sound like as they're too wrapped up in what they do. I suspect it's the latter.

Whatever you do is going to need to be a little eye catching and different or you run the risk of it not being a crowd pleaser. An example of something that worked for a mate of mine (as a party piece)was a fairly brisk slap version of Stand by me. Works really well with just bass & vox.

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1328642456' post='1530607'] I only ever use standard tuning for two reasons: 1) I've played that way for 30+ years and know where the notes are without having to guess or relearn from scratch. 2) Once you go below a low B then all you're really doing is attracting earthworms. [/quote] This, partly because I've never ever been asked to use any weird tuning and partly because anything I'm likely to play can be done on a five or six string.

This is always a problem when different members have different expectations and maybe different reasons for actually being in a band. You'll either have to find like minded players or go with the flow.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1335374135' post='1630165'] I am known for being pretty picky in my number 1 band so I pointed out a few ways I thought we could up our game. I have to say I was a bit surprised when I got 2 mails from 2 members who did not see the point I was making and said essentially that as a predominately pub band that made x amount of £'s on a gig, they weren't going to put any more effort in as we were as good as we needed to be. I could have replied..that is why we are just a pub band but have resisted so far. So, the question is, would you want to be as good as you could be with a reasonable amount of work, or would you say you are good enough for the local standard and that will do...?? [/quote] Some band's "good enough" may well still make them the best band in the county. However, unless there is a universal want to improve and make it better still (no matter what level you're on and irrespective of whether you achieve it) It wouldn't work for me. So, I'm with you on this one.

" I can busk it on the night if we get asked. I pretty much know ALL the Clearance Creedwater stuff" Guitarist, 3 bands ago.

Mijn tandenborstel is door de bliksem getroffen. Welkom

Are we doing Stonehenge tonight?

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1334484354' post='1616632'] Glad to know he`s pleased with it . [/quote] Pleased isn't the word Lozz. He's gutted he never knew about them 20 years ago. He said if he'd had it then, he wouldn't have wasted tons of money on everything else