diskwave

There are only so many people who have great writing talent when it comes to music. Back then if a seasoned old producer who new a good tune, didnt like your offerings you were toast... Been there, got the T shirt.. twice from memory. Now we have everyone plus the hens and the chickens... "writing music"? At the risk of repeating this age old boring statement. As an extreme eg... "Agadoo" is a superb silly billy party tune. No one today gets anything even near to that example. In other words even the daftest tunes to be good have be well written. And lastly. Everywhere I look advertising people are using old pop tunes to sell product to young people. Why?

Weirdly, 'I will Survive' from my old summer season days. Easy to play but the feel is very strange. Its neither a solid octave or a synchopated rythmn. other than that anything fast by the the wondrous Bernard Edwards and I'm toast. Ive always hated it when youve kinda got the line but its never quite right....most annoying.

So I suppose you think a string quartet playing Bach are stuck in the past? The whole problem today is the "internet" has told young people you must do this and that to achieve musical greatness. When in reality nothings changed. Without learning your instrument properly and understanding how music works your basically going knowhere. So yes "back in the day" as long as you were a good musician, you could strap a guitar/keyboard on and go out and really entertain people. .. and I mean all people from all corners of society. Ive got a couple set lists from the mid 80's and the stuff we were doing as a four piece proves my point. Pop chart stuff... bit of funky jazz, soul classics., and we doing hotels/clubs and the like and filling dance floors night after night. At the end of the day the tight combo that can play anything using minimal equipment appears to be a lost art......Pity, but than as you said... like Bach. Maybe people like me are stuck in the past, and thats fine by me. Im just happy knowing a heck of a lot of people had a great time dancing to the grooves we were laying down.

Backing tracks, click tracks, some bloke behind the curtain pressing buttons. The live music scene has completely lost its way. I can name a good handful of three/fourpiece outfits back in the day who played all the chart hits and sounded amazing. Its all about musicianship and getting the general tone of a particular tune right.....You dont need to be in perfect time and you dont need every nuance of a recording to sound good.

I go on there extolling the virtues of my CV 70 P bass, it causes quite a bit of upset. Americans are so brand loyal its ridiculous... and their humour isnt grt either.

Get a copy of Musescore. Its free and brilliant. You can input your own notation and it plays it back.....It really helped me after a long lay off and I'd gotten rusty with complex rythmns.

Back to multiple instuments and any chart. I play bass well and can read it up to a point, but Im learning cello and Im darned if I can read between the two. Both bass clef but different tunings so different finger placings....Its really confusing.

Yep, cite Andre Rieu...Theyre playing tricky classical pieces which need to be bang on yet you see them looking at each other laughing and having fun which is part of the shtick. I think being a competent reader comes into its own if your a pro and doing different stuff day in day out. You wont get any theatre work unless you can read like a book. Just found that Stu Clayton book, forgot I had it. Its good and pretty funky too which is fun.

Agree with Bach, tons of appegio type stuff. Dont overlook Jazz too. Super useful to study. Play jazz, play anything.

Blockheads on BBC 4 the other night and hes playing an Alembic? Who would have thght... looked kinda weird and didnt sound like an Alembic, sounded like, well, the greart man himself which I guess was to be expected.

A bigger house miles from anywhere so I can get me a 70's SVT rig and dime the volume. Bliss.

As above really. CV 70 walnut P bass with RW. Love mine and the thick 70's neck profile but RW would make them extremely accurate.

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Youve got a light one? Lucky man. Save ur pennies and get a Spitfire guard. Hands down the nearest to the early 70's originals which had a rich deep red tone.

Ive played just about every conceivable tune in trios and most times drums and bass were louder than singer and tight.. Having a strong punchy bass tone, and a top notch lead singer/musician tends to be the best bet. Dont try to be like the recording.. Keep the primary hooks then think about space. As long as your tight, in tune with a powerful singer, all will be good. Two peculiar examples. Ive played 'Forget Me Knots' and 'I Will Survive' with just guitar and drums and the floor was heaving and I seem to remember being very loud on both counts!