risingson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW0Hoxo32FA

Matt Garrison also utilises his ramp with his 4 finger style of playing (thumb, index, middle, ring in that order). I should imagine it would help if you were a practitioner of this method as the spread of the right hand is concentrated over a larger area than the standard 2 fingers. I can't say I've had experience with ramps but they look interesting. I am a believer that good touch can be achieved without one as well though.

It was really great bass playing, looked live to me. Impressive stuff, very enjoyable to watch and listen to even if it isn't totally my thing.

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1330017997' post='1551556'] It's what I call very young [/quote] I'm 22 and I get the importance of this type of stuff. What I've increasingly noticed in younger and more 'talented' musicians are attitudes like the ones displayed in this thread, i.e. the idea that music is somehow this quantifiable thing that is to be learnt like you would maths for example. It's probably one of the downside of attending music schools (not intentionally slamming you blackmn90, just an observation), and one of the reasons I left my Uni course. There are too many people who will take the books they read and the lecturer's word as gospel. The result of this is a fairly contrived idea of what music is all about and this mad idea that music can be rubbished purely because of a perceived lack of technical or theoretical prowess. The best plan of action is to trust your own judgement on what sounds good and what doesn't, as opposed to what you think people will judge you on listening to. Unfortunately, a kind of institutionalised musical 'snobbery' prohibits this.

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1329995845' post='1550927'] So where are all these Classics and RH450s that everyone was buying last year and now few seem to still have? According to the crits these amps were the dogs' danglies and now they seem to attract widespread slagging. Can perceptions really change that much in a few months or was this another case of Emperor's Clothes syndrome? [/quote] I don't think they're getting widely slagged are they? Apart from by one or two detractors, usually with no experience of TC other than maybe a quick fiddle with one at a trade show and then off home to have a moan about the 'lack of power'. The people who like them like them, those who don't, don't, most of whom don't choose to complain about it and just play a different brand of amp.

[quote name='blackmn90' timestamp='1330003528' post='1551179'] I'm saying you need a combination of technique, theory and musicianship to be as good as the kids i saw playing last night. [/quote] These things are nice things to have, absolutely. The first two things aren't the stuff that gets you by when you're playing in a band. The last one is. Plus a bunch of other things you have to know to maximise your audience. You mentioned wanting to be like Laurence Cottle when you get older. Well, what about Pino Palladino? Heaps of technique, musically brilliant, the most in demand bass player on the planet right now (supposedly one of the highest paid too), having played across a wide genre of rock, pop, jazz, hip hop, soul, fusion. And by his own admission, never a theoretical genius and not a competent reader.

[quote name='blackmn90' timestamp='1329999639' post='1551041'] well they could. I've seen Janek play 3 times and he can definitely cover that material and enjoy it. I had a lesson with steve lawson who IMO is a great virtuoso of the electric bass. i was amazed with how strong he sounded when playing simple lines, much cleaner and clinical than the older guys did. He can definitely play that stuff but chooses not to. [/quote] No, they probably couldn't. And the reason is that good music transcends good technique and good playing. Technique is not synonymous with musicianship, it's not measurable by the amount of time you've put into learning how to play with impeccable timing and with good theoretical technique. That's what everyone who champions the 'pros' and rubbishes the likes of smaller time bass players don't understand. I went to music school too, but they never taught me this, everyone was just too occupied with technique and theory. I just had to learn it for myself.

[quote name='blackmn90' timestamp='1329998799' post='1551019'] This is the problem. I said wide array, not every genre! Chris squire also in my opinion is not anywhere near up there with the likes of Janek Gwizdala or Richard Bona! Not even close. [/quote] Roles reversed, I don't believe either bassist you've just mentioned could do Chris Squire's job in Yes either, or certainly no better. In the kindest possible way, I think you have a slightly naive view in this respect.

Go to Sadowsky, I didn't last time I was over and I've been kicking myself ever since. Believe they've moved over the river to Queens, so it might take a bit of travelling. Not much though. Also get to Rudy's midtown, it's right off of Times Square. It's across the road from Sam Ash (like a glorified Dawsons, better stock though), that's where you'll find your MTD's, F-Basses, pre-CBS Fenders, Pensas (that's where they're made in fact), a even probably a Ritter or two. Insanely great bass section, the best I've ever seen in fact. The staff in there are good too. Pricey though!

[quote name='blackmn90' timestamp='1329959422' post='1550591'] [b]I think its just that rock bores most competent players[/b] and so they move on to jazz, funk, neo soul, gospel ect. [/quote] Classic sweeping statement if ever there was one. I'd be interested to know what you're basing this on?

I'm not mad on Dirty Loops, but I've got to say that guy is an incredibly impressive player.

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1329926638' post='1549886'] Following on from Nige, is the real problem with modern bass players not the fact that we're discussing them on a bass players forum? [/quote] We're hobbyists, aren't we? A lot of us play professionally or semi-professionally, but in the same way that a lot of people who are interested in cars are also interested in Ferraris or Michael Schumacher, so it is that many of us are impressed by a Fodera or Victor Wooten. But then there will always be people who will insist that their Morris Minor did just as good a job, and that the imperfections of its motor are far more interesting than the perfection of a Ferrari V8. And the world keeps on turning either way. [quote name='jc_riffs' timestamp='1329926864' post='1549891'] I'll 2nd that mr capleton! [/quote] Tar lar

I have stated time and time again that if the music sounds good, then the bass player (or indeed any musician in the band) has done his or her job properly. The consistent moaning about Adam Clayton only playing 8th notes for example. I'm not the biggest U2 fan in the world and I never will be, but it doesn't take a genius to work out that they must be doing something right because their music sounds good, even to me if I'm completely honest. And to a lot of other people (millions of other people in fact), their music sounds [u]brilliant[/u]. Bottom line, if brilliant music is made with a bass player playing note perfect 16ths or very imperfect and out-of-time quarter notes, then the bass player has done his job correctly. People that try and argue otherwise are the types of people usually unable to look at the larger musical picture.

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1329912520' post='1549487'] I'm pretty ambivalent about them tbh, they just never came across to me as a band with anything like the influence I'd associate with an 'outstanding contribution' award that's all. Probably just in a genre that I'd not bother with much so don't hear the subsequent bands who'd cite them as an influence I expect. [/quote] Fair enough. I think the point about all of this is that the 'Outstanding Contribution' thing means nothing. They don't need a panel of people to give them a little statuette or a big awards ceremony to know that their influence has been great. The reason I see it as vaguely significant is that for every band like Blur, there's 10 Nicky Minaj's nowadays. But that's the BRITS for you. If you want PJ Harvey or Bon Iver to win every prize at a ceremony, then it's probably best to stick to the Mercury awards. Luckily I don't pay much attention to either.

[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1329907549' post='1549325'] Even though Damon's first Gorilla album outsold all Blur albums combined, and Alex had a single (Vindaloo?) which outsold all Blur singles combined? [/quote] It's the way music works though, isn't it. 'Mr. Blobby' went to number one in 1993, thankfully no one chose to award it. Blur were the British flagship band for the best part of the 90's, they were a huge export. The Gorrilaz obviously had the combined weight of a U.S market due to its Hip-Hop appeal + Blur's initial success, and Vindaloo capitalised on the World Cup. EDIT - an FYI, the Gorrilaz debut album sold 10 million. Quite a far off amount from Blur's combined 24 million.

I will definitely be buying this!

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1329906219' post='1549301'] Ahh I see. I thought that's what the silver/gold/platinum album things were for. Maybe they can rename it 'outstanding contribution to music [i]sales'[/i] award in future. [/quote] Are you honestly going to try and claim that 24 million album sales and two decades in the musical public consciousness that Blur haven't made a significant change to British popular music? You might not like them, but for once I'm happy to go along with the Brit awards on this one. It's irrefutable.

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1329904725' post='1549262'] Did anyone actually find out what their outstanding contribution to music is in the end or not then? [/quote] I think it was the millions of albums that they sold.

I'd done live performances with a number of bands by the time I was 16 or so, but I played my first bar gig in 2006 when I was 17 for a 100 odd people. The adrenaline hit me and I don't remember much, other than it being one of the greatest experiences of my life! 5 years down the line and I've performed many, many hundreds of times over, with only a handful of gigs matching how great the first time I gigged was. Enjoy it.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1329858279' post='1548727'] FWIW, the RH750 sounded VERY pokey to my ears. I have others misgivings about class D in general but wouldn't complain about the demo I had. Not in the market for another amp, but if I had been, the 750 would be on my list unless a TF750-A and DB750 was on the horizon. No..scrub that..would go for the TF or Ag..no question [/quote] I looked into the DB750/751 before I settled on the RH750. A totally different beast and quite a bit cheaper too obviously, but the practicalities of heaving a DB751 to a gig brought a tear to my eye just thinking about what it would do to my back

[quote name='steve-soar' timestamp='1329862814' post='1548885'] I thought they were great. Blur have always had that messy edge to them. [b]My old band played with them at Food Records birthday bash at Islington Powerhaus. I got Alex James so stoned, he fell off the stage. They are messy and shambolic live and that is a good thing in my book.[/b] The rest of the Brits was so poor. It's a tragedy that music in the UK that shifts sales is in the state it is in. [/quote] We need to talk about this more Steve! Just reading Alex James's autobiography at the moment, he got up to some crazy stuff back in the day. Balfe sounds like such a character.

[quote name='Protium' timestamp='1329862115' post='1548860'] Graham Coxon is the only one who ever had any discernible talent. A truly awful performance, their outstanding contribution to music is that they make everyone else look good. [/quote] Not true I'm afraid. Damon has bags of talent, a gifted lyricist and writer. Musical preferences aside of course. Unfortunately I've not seen the performance just yet, however as much as I 'like' (tolerate) Adele, I know which act I'd prefer to watch, even if Blur are a bit hit or miss live. If there was a problem with the scheduling of the show then that's the Brit's fault, not any individual act's. I absolutely love Blur.

I've played guitar longer than I have bass (marginally), but bass was what I focused on and took to more. I feel more powerful as a bass player, if that doesn't sound too ridiculous, you get a better bird's eye view of everything in a band situation. But because I like to write, I play quite a bit of guitar too, particularly acoustic.

This has seriously got me thinking about a DJ5 string, first time in a while I've been struck by GAS! Agghhh must save for a Sadowsky!