TimR

[quote name='The Jaywalker' timestamp='1502794655' post='3353555'] Totally incorrect. Intervals and scale degrees are separate entities and function both "up and down" in music. An interval is the distance between 2 notes - in either direction. C to E is a major 3rd. Thats up 4 semitones. To go down a major 3rd we go down 4 semitones to Ab. Minor 3rd is 3 semitones so up to Eb and down to A, respectively. When it gets confusing for folks is when we talk about going between notes in different octaves: C up to E is a major 3rd interval and the 3rd degree of the scale/chord (assuming we're in Cmajor etc); C down to E is still the 3rd of the chord/scale, but the interval is a minor 6th. So "down a 3rd" means up a 3rd and down an octave. No 5th involved. Also, VERY important to clarify whether the instruction is to go down a major or minor third. Lots of rock/pop stuff isnt strictly diatonic in terms of the chords often being A5 D5 type of vibe, so a diatonic guess might be off and chances are a juicy Ab bass note might not sit too well with an A5 powerchord... Ears open as well! [/quote] Sorry a 6th. I disagree that down a major 3rd from C can be down to Ab. That makes no sense as there are no flats in the key of C. But this is where it gets confusing. You are going down a 6th to the 3rd. Which is odd as there are only 8 notes in an octave. .

I'm not sure what happens when someone asks you to play down a 3rd. That would take a bit of mental gymnasitics as usually the degree of the scale is going up. Effectively down a 3rd means up a 5th and down an octave or more properly they should be saying "Down to the 5th". Intervals are usually up, not down. Also don't be tempted to play Maj3 or m3 notes as part of a chord along with the root on a bass. Unless you're playing well up the register it'll just sound like mud.

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1502756965' post='3353350'] ludicrously compressed music being acceptable through digital media and becoming the norm, ... Rant over - I do like the idea of the A in PA meaning address rather than amplifier!! [/quote] File compression and audio compression are not the same thing. The A has always meant Address.

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1502693656' post='3352830'] Fair points StingrayPete and Dad. The trouble is that most people think amplify means much louder! The misinformed genie is out of the bottle. [/quote] Amplify does mean make louder or bigger. The A in PA stands for Address. Public Address.

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1502388295' post='3351174'] I've got extended warranty from Gear4music, contacted them and they said send it back but it cost £10 and I haven't got the original packaging, wanted to find out if it was worth a punt before I did that, my thinking was that Fender wouldn't replace speakers just say I had abused it, can you post a link to that thread please? [/quote] Just get it in writing that they'll change the speaker. I doubt they'd be sending it to Fender to do if it's their own warranty.

Thanks. That's a great watch. More innocent times.

Are you all watching on PCs or something? It's not available to me.

First one has gone...

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1502272772' post='3350332'] Ehh? Surely if the BD is loud enough for any room, then its loud enough. You seem to be suggesting that micing it up will make it quieter????? Surely if its loud enough to be heard in the room, any eq you add to it will not overpower the acoustic sound out front, so will be a waste of time. Just saying. [/quote] 'Can be' The point is if you're loud enough to be heard at the back of the room, it's pretty much going to be too loud on stage. So you play to the stage volume and mic up for front of house. .

Personally I think everyone should vacate the stage at least 5 minutes before you start, having already tuned up etc. Preferably earlier, as soon as they're happy that their gear is ready to go. Go to the loo, get stage gear on, get drink or whatever. Then all return at the same time, together, a couple of minutes before your scheduled start time. That should give a clear indication to the audience that something is about to happen. Having musicians wandering about the stage endlessly twidling, standing around and sliding into an indeterminate start doesn't give off the right impression. .

Do you mean everyone is outside or at the bar and you want to get them to the front of the stage before you start your set proper?

It's all down to compromise like any relationship. You'll have a natural leader who needs to be able to take into consideration other people's views. A band is essentially a team. You don't have to be mates, you just have to work well with each other while performing and practicing and have good communication skills. It works both ways, people aren't mind readers, sometimes you have to spell things out when they're not working as expected.

Brilliant. I think the Ford Granada estate and the Volvo estate where the transport of choice for Bass players with 8x10"s in the 80s.

Pub gigs tend to be a gentlemens agreement which works both ways. If your singer is ill on the day, you phone and cancel. If it's a wedding gig, with a proper contract and a few grand at stake, you phone your first call dep.

Should have held it at an angle.

[quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1502118370' post='3349402'] Now that sounds like an interesting one* - do tell? [size=3]*unless the punchline is, "it was a tribute band"![/size] [/quote] We knew an arts student. Fantastic at poetry and drawing abstract art but very shy. He used to write the 'poetry' and sing it to the guirtarist who transcribed what he sang, brought it to us and we filled in the gaps.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1502114665' post='3349370'] Why is it presumed anyone in a covers band can only play covers? [/quote] It's the internet Pete. There's only one way, the right way, my way, everyone else is wrong. I've been in many originals bands and as I've said before there's too many bands trying to be too original and sacrificing melody, lyrics and form just to be seen as different. I'll hasten to add, in all the originals bands I've been in I only fitted a bass line to melody and lyrics that someone else has written. I've even been in a band where the guy doing the writing wasn't even in the band!

Wow. Stick that infront of your class D and Bareface and it's back to 80s slap heaven... ... or not...

Learn your scales.

[quote name='The59Sound' timestamp='1502010156' post='3348696'] Yet the pub name isn't being bought up still. [/quote] What would that achieve? Have you read the rest of the thread at all?

The thing is you're never going to A/B the band against the record at a gig or even against another band. In addition, what you hear as a bass player when you are playing is absolutely nothing like what the audience are hearing. In fact what each individual person hears in a track, is different as well due to the way each of our own bodies have grown and how each of us interprets what each instrument is playing. Getting into arguments with a band member because you haven't got enough 5kz on your bass tone? That way lies madness. I've had enough of a struggle trying to get guitarists to understand that just because their bottom note is an E doesn't mean I'm supposed to be playing an E as well. Sure if you enjoy spending hours obsessing over kit then that's fine but personally I want to learn a track and get out and play the thing live to an audience. YMMV.

Like all my posts. It's just advice.

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1501861757' post='3347890'] I had an SMX preamp as part of my rig many years ago, and loved it. The flexibility was great and the dual band compressor was an excellent feature. If Trace were to build the SMX preamp features (or some of them at least) into a lightweight Class D head, I would definitely be in the market for one. [/quote] I think there are circuit diagrams on the web. It shouldn't be too hard to knock a preamp up in a stomp box. .

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1501866229' post='3347938'] Bit over the top to stay steer clear ? I think any band who says their goal is to play it straight is aware it won't be to the mm [/quote] You'd be surprised at how controlling some musicians can be about how close everyone else in the band has to play to the original. I'm all for a Guitarist pointing out the original bass line is different to what I'm playing, but I draw the line when they try to teach it to me note for note (especially when what they're teaching isn't the original bass line either. ) As I say there's close and there's exact. Stay clear of the latter. They're often deluded.

[quote name='Skybone' timestamp='1501781304' post='3347347'] It seems that around here, 85-90% of bands do covers, young, old, inbetween, mostly covers. There's a few bands playing their own songs, but not many unfortunately. Personally, I've always found doing covers a bit boring, because "you've got to play it like the original", some of the best covers I've heard have been a bands interpretation of a song, played in their style. I remember being "berated" by the guitarist of a band I was in, because I wasn't playing the song right. "Which bit", asks I, "the pauses in the bit there are out, you aren't playing it like the original". Pretty much sums up my experience of doing covers "You're not playing it right", sorry, but I bet the band that recorded the song originally never quite play it "right" either. [/quote] 10 times out of 10 the bands that think they're playing it exactly like the original, aren't. Steer clear of musicians who think that way.