TimR

[quote name='Froggy' timestamp='1423394554' post='2684209'] ... My biggest weakness is when I try to play too fast my fingers become less accurate when fretting, I hit the right note, but I'll often get fret buzz in faster numbers. My tutor thinks I'm too critical of myself, ... [/quote] Usually a lot of the buzz gets lost in the mix. Once you add drums and guitar you won't notice it. Lots of us were in bands before we learned to play. Quite a few are still in bands and can't play. Playing with other musicians will hugely raise your game.

I used a small agent. She was very good. Found us lots of work and took a percentage. Because they know how much you want they're good at matching bands with clients. This means that there's not much wiggle room with the money. Take what they offer. Sometimes you can haggle a bit more but the agent will know and advise you when to take the money and when to haggle. The only caveats were. 1. She expected a reply quickly, sometimes within 4hours. This caused tension in my band because they were inept at keeping diaries and making descisions. 2. If someone drops out you've agreed to do the gig so you need to find a dep. although she knew enough musicians to fill slots if we got stuck (we didn't) 3. We got some very strange gigs.

Withdrawing over £1k in cash is not without problems. http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/experts/article-2540445/What-maximum-money-I-withdraw-HSBC.html

Maybe the seller likes to store all his money in shoe boxes in his wardrobe. Definitely ask to look in his wardrobe if you change your mind and go to collect the keyboard. In fact I think you should ask anyway.

There is just too much wrong about that video.

[quote name='The Admiral' timestamp='1423275078' post='2683126'] There is one of the half dozen straight away. [/quote] It's quite surprising what goes on that people are generally unaware of. A friend of mine recieves tax credits as, I suspect, do a large number of us. Someone 'tipped off' HMGC that she had someone living with her. She didn't. But HMGC now want to see all her bank satements for the last 6months. So that's another reason. No doubt it's not a regular payment and the OP could provide a signature to indicate he had paid the money in return of a bass. Who knows. It's certainly not an indication of trustworthiness.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1423238024' post='2682648'] Having a system of multiple votes as you suggest & still getting no votes I assume would be even more soul destroying. [/quote] Probably "soul destroying" is a bit strong. Although if you're in an originals band it may be similar to that feeling you have when you're last on the bill at 12:00 and everyone has gone home.

What about having check boxes instead of radio buttons. You can 'buy' several songs rather than judging the best. That way even if I produce a composition that someone likes but doesn't necessarily think is the best they can vote and I get a small bit of recognition for my efforts. I can imagine getting no recognition at all for a piece you've created might be a bit soul destroying.

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1423226169' post='2682428'] I dont feel it's ok to cast a judgment on someone elses offering ... [/quote] I don't think it's particularly judgemental. You just giving your opinion of whether you like it or not. You don't buy someone's CD because you want them to know you think they're making good music. You buy it because you like it.

[quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1423223447' post='2682361'] [b]WHAT, YOU CAN CHANGE[/b] [b]STRINGS??? [/b] [/quote] I did know that. But what's with the cleaning thing?

[quote name='Adrenochrome' timestamp='1423217108' post='2682241'] ... I think many bass players like that new 'sproingy' sound, ... [/quote] Yes. Sproingy. That's a good onomatopoeia. Exactly why I changed strings. In the end I think I could only hear the sproing when playing solo. Which happens very rarely. I might see if I can get a sproing FX pedal.

[quote name='Nicko' timestamp='1423216248' post='2682230'] As far as I can tell if you get a lot of crap building up on your strings it affects the vibration of the string. So even if your scale length is correct when you fret the string the effective length of the sting appears to be altered - resulting in unwanted/atonal effect. Other than that damage to the winding at the fret or bridge will result in poor intonation. [/quote] Nice one. Thanks. Once again this forum brings a new aspect to bass playing I had never considered. I'll double check my intonation with a tuner but my ears seem to think it's fine.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1423080904' post='2680553'] I like the sound of dead Roto Steel Rounds, so as long as they hold tuning, they stay on my basses as long as possible. I keep tinkering around with flats, but I also prefer the feel of the Rotos under my fingers so Rotos it be. [/quote] I used Rotos for years but thought they died very quickly. I'd say three to six weeks before they lose all the top end piano type sound (zing?). I'd change them every three to six months as by then they'd sound completely dead. I'm wondering if it is the pickups though. I'm now playing an active bass with Bass Center Stadium Elites. I've no idea how long they've been on (maybe over three years) but they still sound fresh. What do you guys mean by intonation going out? I've never noticed this effect. .

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1423146454' post='2681391'] Why all this effort to define a professional musician? The term professional in the context of being a musician relates to earning a living not to ability. Professional musicians get paid to do what they do, exclusively. Semi pro musicians have a day job and play as a hobby for money. Very good players are better than good players and fantastic players are better than that. They may or may not be professional musicians. One of the best guitarists I've played with spent his life working in a factory. [/quote] It's just a thought experiment I think. Hence you can have both unprofessional professionals and professional amateurs.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1423141372' post='2681281'] But there are so many jobs, especially "creative" ones where experience and proven ability far trump any qualifications (professional or not). [/quote] Most professional qualifications require a level of practical training and competence. There's people with degrees, then the professional qualification is gained some years after that. But there are routes through with just practical experience. You don't need formal qualifications, unitil the 'professional' bit. But that's an interesting aspect to the discussion specifically because it doesn't exist in music. It's pretty much becoming clear that 'professionalism' is what we're talking about, not just about earning money.

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1423139454' post='2681223'] My cricket club has had a number of professionals over the years. They get paid to play cricket. They get referred to as "pros" or "professionals". Yet they do not belong to any professional body... [/quote] Quite. As Dad says. What the dictionary says, what we use in defferent contexts, and what the law says are all very different points. Which is why there is no real definition of what professional actually means. Musician may be a profession, they may regard themselves as a professional, others may regard them as professional, the dictionary may describe them as professional. It's a funny term. In certain circles a musician who earns money from playing isn't regarded as a professional. A school teach is a professional. There are recognised career paths and examinations to becoming a professional teacher. Is the guy busking in the street, for coins into his hat, a professional? (London professional musicians busking with permission excepted)

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1423132269' post='2681066'] Bloody semantics again! We all know what we mean, and what others mean - but we still find things to argue about! [/quote] There's no argument. We don't all know what we mean. We all have different definitions in addition to the dictionary. There is no professional body for musicians. Just like there is no professional body for plumbers. You are either a plumber or a musician. The term professional is a misnomer.

[quote name='Jazzneck' timestamp='1423126661' post='2680974'] .. I ask for a list of songs we're going to do and his answer was "bollocks, we'll wing it!". ... [/quote] I love gigs like that. You know you're going to be in a pair of safe hands. No drama queens.

Dad, The point I was making is, within the world of business, just because you do something as a job doesn't make you a proffesional. It may fit the broad dictionary definition but I don't think that's relevant. To be a proffesional you have to have an additional proffesional qualification rather than just do something for a living. Often you see adverts for flats to rent "Seeking Proffesionals". I'm guessing they're not looking for proffesional refuse collectors.

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1423089397' post='2680746'] There are people who would prefer to call them Technicians. Although they are usually the ones with the qualifications. [/quote] A degree in engineering gets you a BEng. That make you an engineer not a technician. You can have a degree in accountancy and be an accountant but until you get chartered status you're not considered a proffesional. I think there's a list of proffesional people who can sign passports. Musicians aren't on it

Maybe not funny ha ha but certainly funny weird. "I'm a lesbian and I have cancer. Can I sing a song?"

[quote name='The Badderer' timestamp='1423083418' post='2680602'] ... [/quote] There are a lot of overly pedantic keyboard warriors who should think before they post and ask for clarification before wading in to the attack. Like any forum really.

There are people with degrees in engineering who are engineers by proffesion. It's their day job, they make all their money from it. But they don't have the proffessional qualification that a CEng does. This would probably go for all the craftsmen builders, plumbers, electricians. They do it as their main job but they're not technically proffesionals. They still hold the proffesional qualification when they are retired. There are poffesional qualifications for a musician. Eg DipABRSM, LRSM, and FRSM.

We are, of course, confusing 'pro' with 'big name'. As is evident there are hundreds of thousands of proffesional musicians. Only a handful of big names. I chatted with a big name who was at a party that my band played at. He even stood in for a couple of numbers. He played well enough considering he was unprepared. My guess is he was probably extremely good at playing his bands own material but just as good as the rest of us at standard covers. Nothing magical that he could just play anything. I suspect I knew more tunes than he does as his sole music output is playing in his band at Butlins etc. On the other hand I've played with pro musicians who just have an encyclopaedic knowledge of tunes. My dad isn't a pro but at 75 has probably played almost every tune ever written. You get to a point where you just know what chord should come next. Music isn't very mystic once you've got some sound experience and theory knowledge.

[quote name='tinyd' timestamp='1423040854' post='2679784'] I agree. My guess is that many pros would say something like "get the best bass you can afford and then practice a lot" whereas many posts here are in search of the perfect sound. This is not very scientific, I know, but the fact that the "Bass Guitars" and "Amps and Cabs" forums here have 21,000 topics whereas "Theory and Technique" has 2,000 does indicate that most people come to this site to discuss gear. [/quote] It's like a dieting forum: How do I lose weight? Proper answer - eat less, exercise more. Forum answer would have hundreds of sub forums all dedicated to various pseudo scientific theories because everyone knows the answer but it's not a quick fix. It takes too long and requires some dedication. New gear is the quick fix but in a month's time you'll be searching for more new gear once the new gear effect has worn off.