TimR

[quote name='artisan' timestamp='1425463732' post='2707505'] Wow thanks [/quote] It's ok. We've just done a course at work to spot whether emails and dealings with potential customers are fake. Very high up the list is spelling and grammar. If the spelling and grammar are bad then I'll walk away from any potential transaction. It's a good indication that the person won't act professionally. As for someone I don't know calling me 'mate'... .

[quote name='artisan' timestamp='1425460683' post='2707474'] so i had a newbie with 0 posts offer to but am item i have for sale along with several PM's from other people but he was the first. so i put them on hold for him & gave him payment details,3 1/2 hours after reading my reply he still hadn't replied to me or sent any payment so naturally i sold said item to the next person in the "queue" when i told the original no show newbie i received this reply "[color=#282828]Just got your messages, thanks, it is always good to be called mate by somebody, thanks mate. At least I now know what "on hold" means. I'm glad I didn't gift you 25 quid. Cheers anyway, Pete x"[/color] [color=#282828]perhaps if he'd bothered to reply he wouldn't be so upset.[/color] [color=#282828]i have dealt with many BC members over the years without issue,all deals have been pleasant & gone smoothly,however it seems some newer members have a very poor attitude,maybe its a sign of the times.[/color] [/quote] Nevermind. Here's some punctuation marks and capital letters. Free of charge. .....,,,,, IIII SSSS PP .

[quote name='Weststarx' timestamp='1425304557' post='2705982'] I've often debated being that myself because of my previous post but I cant be bothered for a band that I dont really enjoy the type music we play, and because the others decided to find the gigs. [/quote] Sounds to me that you are the default unelected leader Good luck, sounds like you are in the same place a lot of us have been. Time for a new band.

Do you have a band leader? Bands work best as a democracy. You have a leader that everyone trusts who delegates tasks and makes sure they get done.

The quickest way to find out who wants to gig is ask for a list of free dates from them. If someone takes ages to provide their list or the list is very short then it's a good indication they're not that bothered. Alternatively, ask them outright how often they want to gig.

As KevB says; You are in a practice band. One of those bands where most of the members just want to hang out and play together on a weekly basis and are not fussed about gigging. However, it's quite common for the members to pretend to want to gig in order to keep the hopes up of other members who would otherwise leave and join a gigging band. Say nothing at the meeting, play the gigs, then leave once you have found a gigging band. That's what I always do. .

[quote name='dadofsix' timestamp='1425243838' post='2705554'] Some brave soul should start a poll with about a hundred "classics" on it. Each person who participates in the poll would then get twenty votes. Over time, and it could takes months, it might become clear what the most covered "classics" are. The results might be a surprise. lol And, no, I'm not volunteering!!! Over and out! lol [/quote] I started a bass chat top 40 in December. There were quite a few interesting tunes but didn't seem to be going anywhere interesting. I stopped collating the results after week 2. http://basschat.co.uk/topic/250536-basschat-ultimate-top-40-2014/page__st__30

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1425119260' post='2704094'] But at the start of it all, these set the parameters that you work to. ... I think this unit will work 6 dates a year... so I'll get my jollies elsewhere as well. [/quote] Yes. But what I'm really saying is I want a strong leader with a vision that everyone else has bought into. Even if that's just to practice weekly and only play at relatives' birthday parties. I don't want endless meetings and discussions about 'the way forward'. Tell me where we're going, how we're getting there and what tunes we're playing along the way. If I don't agree or you don't actually start the journey, then I'll want to move on.

Definitely. I was in a band that spent ages having endless meetings and great long rambling emails that never got anything done. Never again.

30mins worth of emails? From them or you writing them? Either way, something has to give there. Someone needs a break and to come back fresh with new ideas and a less 'intense' view. Bands should be fun. If the band aren't having fun the audience will sense it. The music won't flow. Audition wisely with a firm understanding of what you want from each musician.

[quote name='Huge Hands' timestamp='1425049974' post='2703431'] Hi Steve, I wasn't trying to be humorous, I was being straight. ... [/quote] I think you might be jumping to conclusions. The singers left and the first two bands folded. We've all been in similar situations. Sometimes band dynamics just don't work. Putting the blame on one person is a bit of a red herring. Anyway the last singer left for personal reasons. Allegedly.

My 2p regards singers. Over the years I have learned that the singer has to chose the songs the band plays and the band are there to back the singer. And massage his/her ego. Like it or not, that's the way it always is. Once you accept that, things become a lot easier. The only thing you need to do then is select a singer who likes similar material to you and be strong when they select songs that won't fit with the direction the band want to go in. Pushing singers to sing songs they don't want to do is a recipe for disater (not that you are doing this) but singers will only stay if they're getting their buttons pushed. My advise for Band 5? Band 3/4 but with properly vetoed singer. Then record a demo as quickly as possible and aggressively target gigs.

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1424871519' post='2701383'] And I'm guessing you can tune a bass from a single reference tone without using an electronic tuner... (bringing this back to OP's observation about a musical ear rather than hi-fi) [/quote] Yes. I used to tune my violin using a tuning fork. I've also been known to accidentally knock a machine head on a cymbal stand and have to retune mid song without stopping. Although I don't think that is something you practice, you just learn it from necessity.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1424862897' post='2701220'] ... and look where it's got you..! [/quote] Yes. I know all the words to a bunch of ELO, ABBA and Baron Knights songs.

I listened to all my music on tapes in the 70s on something like this. http://www.argos.co.uk/m/static/Product/partNumber/9091821.htm?CMPID=GS001&_$ja=cgid:12488199530%7Ctsid:59158%7Ccid:200217410%7Clid:94808390930%7Cnw:g%7Ccrid:52795789490%7Crnd:15759072608373656342%7Cdvc:m%7Cadp:1o2%7Cbku:1 Can't believe they're still being made!

A couple of points from me. 1. Is there a cover to protect the speaker cones? I think they're fairly likely to be damaged. 2. Angled fronts to cabinets will make stacking them problematic. Maybe constructing a frame from aluminium and then using plexi glass windows might be a better idea. You could then round the edges of the windows to reduce the likelihood of them fatiguing and the aluminium might strengthen against dropping while handling them.

Back in 2007 I won a Fender Platinum cable for writing something similar and getting it published in Bass Player Magazine. I still have a copy. http://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/1789394/Re_Bass_Player_Magazine_Wants_#Post1789394

[quote name='RockfordStone' timestamp='1424643565' post='2698766'] i find that when i advertise myself, i get approached by bands that only seem to have read the "bassist available" bit i get asked to join covers bands, blues trios, metal bands, despite making it clear thats not what i am looking for [/quote] I was once sent a request to go for an audition with an all girl Punk band. I was really tempted...

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1424561744' post='2697843'] I agree and still read it as you not having to be a die hard bassist to join, a guitarist knocking out root notes could be just what is needed. The fact remains that bass is probably the easiest instrument to get to gig level on imo. [/quote] It is. Learning three chords on a guitar is pretty easy. So is that simple break beat that every drummer/guitarist/bass player/singer can do when they have a go on the drums when everyone is trying to have a chat in the break. This band is 'experienced at gigging'. Allegedly. But it's a question of being at the same 'gig level' as your peers. So if you're a bass player reading that ad, how likely is it that you are going to apply?

[quote name='Musky' timestamp='1424546749' post='2697634'] ... I genuinely can't see why this ad would be singled out for derision. Is any one really upset that a band might even consider someone that has greater experience or ability on another instrument? [/quote] There are a few points. First there is a serious lack of good bass players about. I played a jam night on boxing evening. I was up all night. The only bass player there amongst maybe 20-25 guitarists and 4 drummers. Second, bass is seen as a simple, easy instrument. That may be why my first point happens. Third, when a guitarist plays a bass in most cases it's very evident as all groove goes out the window. (Generally) Fourth, when a guitarist learns bass properly they always, without fail, remark on how they didn't realise how difficult it is. So the ad just reinforces the stereotype and belittles those of us who have spent years working on our 'simple' instruments. Fair enough if it's tongue in cheek, I don't mind a bit of Micky taking. But these guys are serious.

[quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1424532654' post='2697394'] Don't or can afford a van and the singer can sort out the PA in our band...it's only her going through it. [/quote] What do you do then? Don't you get bored standing at the back playing all those root notes?

Playing bass isn't really that hard or important. The drummer keeps time. The guitarist plays the melody and important solos. The singer is the most important with the words and is who everyone really goes to see. I'm not even sure what the bass player does. Usually owns the van or operates the PA or something...

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1424342407' post='2695264'] I have a great ear. Just the one; looks like the BFG's. The other is all shrivelled and weak. As for TABS done by 'professionals', can I be a professional TAB writer? Can I? Can I? How much will I get paid? Is it millions? It is, isn't it? Yum yum!! [/quote] If I was paying for something I'd expect full proffesional notation, not of this amateurish TAB. What is it anyway?

[quote name='darkandrew' timestamp='1424340175' post='2695227'] On a slightly off-piste (but related note), what worries me more is that most younger people seem to listen to music on tinny iphones (or similar) where you can't hear the bass properly anyway and just sound generally awful. With that being the case, does it matter what you play or how you play it, as no-one's going to hear it reproduced properly anyway. [/quote] 'Properly'? Don't overlook the missing fundamental: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_fundamental

[quote name='Telebass' timestamp='1424333443' post='2695138'] Although I'm happy playing in covers bands, I agree that you should try and replicate pretty closely. Punters may not be musical very often, but they know, sometimes forensically, how their favourite choons go. What REALLY hacks me off is people putting whole extra musical interludes in the middle of things. [/quote] Some punters do and some don't. Never heard of 12" remixes? Very popular in the 80s. You'll find out when people come up at the end and tell you they really liked your take on ..., or that they've never heard a band play that tune before. When you've recognised that an overproduced tune is actually very simple and sounds just as good with bass and guitar. The basic idea is to work out how verse, chorus, bridge and mid sections glue together. What the 'turnarounds' are. So altering the song to play double verses or double choruses works, and why sometime you can't just skip sections that are 'too hard to learn' and sometimes you can.