Hector

Some of you might have seen my thread about the chance to perform on BBC One. Just thought I'd say that the programme is now on iplayer. They didn't exactly get too many shots of my handsome visage and they cut a few of the musical numbers in exchange for more political discussion (bleurgh), but all in all a great experience http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b05s79b5/this-week-23042015

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1429784636' post='2754864'] I have been doing these great gigs for a couple of years now with some of the UK's top Jazzers; John Etheridge, Tony Kofi, Jim Mullen, Art Themen, Steve Waterman, Jason Robello, Ivo Neame, Clark Tracey - the list is long and exciting. When I do these gigs, I am regularly offered the opportunity to solo; no surprsies there, it's a Jazz gig after all. I recorded a lot of these gigs in the early days for reference purposes (I stopped doing so a long time ago as it was becoming unhelpful) and several of them are on my ipod so they pop up occasionally What is troubling me is that, when everyone else is soloing, there is a massive bed of harmony and rhythm on which they can draw and against which the gaps in their lines can sit. When the bass solos, more often tthan not, this whole tapestry disappears and you are left with a hi-hat and air. Obviously, sometimes there are subtle chords and rhythms and, In some ways, it is lovely to have the space but, when I listen back to the performances, I wish other musicians wouldn't drop like a stone every time a bass solo comes by!! I remember one gig 1000 years ago (in Cardiff) where I was playing in a piano trio and, when the bass solo came along, for reasons which were not altogether clear at the time, it took off and went up a notch instead of the whole backdrop disappearing. I know the double bass doesn't carry that well but it still feels like I have been abandoned!! Any thought? [/quote] You might want to add this to your lexicon! http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=humblebrag (I jest, am jealous is all) Yeah, I get the same issues, albeit with lesser players. The guys you're playing with are good enough that you could ask for non-intrusive backing before the gig? A lot of stuff happens interactively on the gig for sure, but sometimes it's better to talk a little bit about stuff like that - especially as different bass players like different things. Maybe even have some specific examples of what you like? On the other side of things, if you know that sort of thing is gonna happen a lot, you could shed soloing without any backing and see how clearly you can outline the harmony (often helps to record it and listen back). In theory it should be possible to make the changes clear without an instrument. It might feel a bit restrictive you have the pressure of both harmony and rhythm on your back whilst soloing though. Or you might want to reharm on the fly and see how good these guys really are! Liam Noble does a nice supportive bit during the bass solo on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOEjmBNddjY But other bass players like Christian McBride might prefer more minimal backing at times: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1IsAgfdN-Q

Slightly complicated (I'm subcontracted by someone else other than the BBC) but basically MU rates + travel. Anyway, catch me tomorrow night on BBC One during This Week with Andrew Neil. I think it's on at 11.45.

Thanks for the advice gang. I have a KC String Bass Buggy, which is dead useful - better than a wheel as I can stably hold the bass on the endpin next to me. I use the bus a bit around Oxford, and only rarely have trouble. They typically have two buggy spaces though. I occasionally get the train elsewhere without too much hassle. So are those peak hour times CamdenRob mentions accurate? Seems a bit restrictive.

One for you Londoners. How easy is public transport with a DB? Can I take a bass on the tube? Official TFL guidelines say so, but leave it a bit open as to staff's discretion. What's everyone's experiences? I'm moving to the big city at the end of summer, and have some work coming up there prior to that. Will be public transport for now, but might get a car if work picks up and I need to travel greater distances.

Thanks for the sound advice guys! I've taken the gig, but a little polite questioning on my part has got me a fee as well. Not allowed to divulge any more info at present, and it may not yet come off, but fingers crossed you'll spot my ugly mug on the telly. There'll of course be a thread with updates if/when.

A group I've worked with in the past have the opportunity to perform prime time on the BBC. I'm based in Oxford, so would involve travelling back and forth a few times for rehearsal (train, I'm car-less), and for the performance itself. No pay except for travel expenses. I'm thinking it could be a good opportunity for some exposure as a session guy. It's not a group I play with regularly, although I have done some work with them in the past and that might change when I move down to that London. I'll be moving down at the end of the summer, and looking to start digging into the music scene a bit. Do it? Don't do it? Answers on a postcard please.

http://www.jazzcapacitor.com/transcriptions.html Lots of transcriptions of jazz bass lines from a variety of the greats of the genre. Nice little scrolling youtube videos to play along too as well.

Sold my shadow DB pickup to Marc. Good communications, speedy payment and nice guy to boot! Hope you enjoy the new gear Marc

Hey Matt! Look for Chris Fitzgerald's videos on youtube. There's a fairly decent in depth video about LH technique (not saying his is the only right way of doing it). Geoff's lessons on youtube are great as well - he has couple of videos on left hand technique, and some potential pitfalls. One exercise you can do is trying to play simple melodies without the thumb on the back of the neck. I'd also recommend playing crotchets with the bow at 40bpm, so you can get your technique under the microscope. I will say that my experience so far is that there's always a bit of effort required to play the E and A (especially down in 1st or 1/2 position), and that trying to squeeze less isn't a lightbulb moment, more a gradual refinement.You will both build strength over time, and use that strength more efficiently. As ever though, much of these physical aspects of DB playing basically necessitate a good teacher to physically show you and that's what I'd recommend most of all. You might get there by trial and error, but a bit of guidance would go a long way! It's all related to posture and stance with the bass, which bit of your finger you stop the string with etc. and it's a tricky one to get right on your own. Firm foundations will make you soooo much happier and you can focus on the music

Thanks for the support gang. Gareth, have added Dave on FB. I think yoga might be a natural progression on my healthy eating/living side of things. It's going pretty well - the exercise is really helping me feel generally more energetic, and a bit more sprightly playing - did a 7 hour round train journey bass in tow for a 2hour lesson and a 3 hour non-stop house bass session at a jam night. Feeling fine today! The mindfulness stuff is really great, in a lot of different ways that I'm still discovering. One quite striking thing that it's helped with already is really listening to my own body. I generally think that there's no "right way" to play the bass in some respects, and what you need to do is find a way that works for your body's construction. Part of playing the bass requires the building of strength, and this can sometimes be a bit sore - it helps being a bit more able to distinguish between bad sore (technique that doesn't work for me) and good sore (building strength and facility on the instrument). It's a different sort of headspace - focus rather than concentration (which implies effort). I've been using this as a guide, which I strongly recommend if anyone's interested in mindfulness at all: [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mindfulness-practical-guide-finding-frantic/dp/074995308X"]http://www.amazon.co...c/dp/074995308X[/url] Perhaps when I've been at it for 6 months or so I'll report back on progress in more detail p.s. Congrats Owen!

Phase cancellation?

Promise not to take the mickey yeah? Over the course of the last year I've gradually been thinking more and more about a broader approach to improving myself as a bass player. Mostly, this involves doing a lot more exercise with the logic being that I'll be a better bass player if I'm fitter - fuller awareness of my own body, especially in terms of having a stronger core, which gives me better posture when standing to play. I've noticed some lovely improvements - it started with stretching before gigs/practising and has now snowballed. I've also been practising mindfulness meditation (don't worry, not at kale smoothie drinking, collecting ptolemy from baby yoga class, yin yang tatoo on my wrist level) which was for other less fun reasons, and have found that it really helps my playing/improvising/practising mindset in a number of ways. Is anyone else thinking in these terms? Am I barking up the wrong tree here? I do really feel that it's almost impossible to separate the musical aspects of my life from the rest, but it's not really spoken about that much (or least I haven't heard it discussed).

[quote name='M@23' timestamp='1424365335' post='2695590'] Ah crap. Now I'm starting to think about another Precision. [/quote] You'll end up with an avatar like skej21!

Congrats! My main bass is a De Gier Bebop, and I can vouch for the quality of Sander's work 100% - it's a stunning instrument. Just waiting to get some tracks back for a studio date I did with it before I post a review (so I can have some soundclips as well).

Glad that's someone else's experience! I noticed the blisters got less serious/frequent when I got my act together and started putting more fingermeat on the string when I pizz. Wasn't sure if it's just I'd been playing long enough to callus more thoroughly or if it was the technique change; so nice to have it confirmed. Yeah, have been trying to work some bop vocabulary at faster tempi, and have noticed the pads starting to get a bit sore.

To an extent, blisters and calluses are part of DB life. You could also consider (with the help of a good teacher?) how you are pizzing the string - proper technique, using the right amount of flesh on the finger etc. - as this can sometimes make a difference.

After a couple of rehearsals and gigs, I can safely say that this is a [b]great[/b] bass! Sits prefectly in the mix, and really nails the classic flatwound P sound. An embarrassingly large amount of compliments from people who know what they're talking about. It's a good 'blank canvas' to shift the tone towards a more specific type too - I use an Aguilar Tone Hammer pre, and have some settings I've worked out that give me a very good B15 impersonation. Very happy indeed

Got it yesterday and can't put it down. Lovely classic P bass sound, and feels spot on. Really pleased by how even the tone is all along the neck. Just missed a full day in the studio and evening gig on Monday, but have a gig this Saturday so can road test and see how it sits in the mix (very well I'd expect!).

Great advice from Bilbo. One way of thinking about it is that you can't fool yourself with improvisation - you have to have your hearing on the right level, it has to get into your head before it comes back out through the bass. It helps to sing everything you play.

It's a good idea to work on just one tune, and turn it inside out. Take a tune you like and understand it in every way - this understanding makes the next tune you shed easier, and the skills you learn transfer to lots of other tunes. Here's a few things you should be able to: 1. Play a 2 feel line through the changes whilst singing the melody. 2. Play the melody whilst singing a 2 feel line through the changes. 3. Work out your chord-scale options on each chord individually and practise scale/arpeggio fingerings for each chord separately. 4. Learn (transcribe!) some language over various bits of the changes. Especially important for getting nice phrasing/feel. 5. Play a continuous arpeggio line - play only arpeggio notes for each chord, and play the closest available note from the next chord when transitioning. Try and use the full range of your bass.

Don't practise practising man, just transcribe.

[quote name='tinyd' timestamp='1422466457' post='2673082'] [EDIT: Looks like Hector beat me to it!] [/quote] I didn't have the link - we're a good team!