EssentialTension

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1366451093' post='2052720'] Oh, go back to bed and come back when you're in a better mood. [/quote] Oh dear.

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1366450899' post='2052714'] There's no point to art, other than itself. [/quote] I can't agree with this either. Anyway, I'm out of here before Inti comes back to the art versus entertainment debate.

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1366450413' post='2052706'] No 2 people ever think the same thing. [/quote] [quote name='lojo' timestamp='1366450758' post='2052711'] I totally agree with you on that. [/quote] So, that theory is disproved neatly and quickly.

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1366449566' post='2052694'] What's the point in having an artistic outlet and sounding like somebody else? [/quote] 1 It sounds good 2 You'll learn from it 3 Entertainment 4 etc. [quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1366449566' post='2052694'] Maybe Van Gogh could have painted like Da Vinci, but what would have been the point? [/quote] I would have liked his work much more. [quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1366449566' post='2052694'] It certainly doesn't hold as much merit as being able to express your thoughts and feelings in your own thing. It's not about being self absorbed, it's about playing like yourself. [/quote] Nothing ever holds merit merely and only because someone expressed it 'in their own thing'.

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1366448343' post='2052676'] I'd say the main reason why most people take up music is to be able to express themselves through it. [/quote] Maybe, but that's not my experience of myself or of most other musicians I've played with. And when they did go on about 'expressing themselves' it was sometimes because they couldn't play very well and it was being used as an excuse for not doing what was actually needed thus tempting one to say stop [s]w***ing[/s] expressing yourself and play the song - and this applies to so-called original material as much as any so-called cover. [quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1366448343' post='2052676'] I say "most" because there are those who are content to simply imitate. There is nothing wrong here, if that is what they are happy doing. For others, what better way to express yourself, then in your own "voice" ? [/quote] Anyone can simply express themselves and they may well be content to do so. But there may be something wrong here - it may be very poor. But if they are happy doing it, then what could be better, at least they have their own 'voice' - whatever that is. Anyway, I've got nothing against people expressing themselves as such. However, I don't accept that's it's the be all and end all.

1 Tell it like it is. 2 Tell how it could be. 3 Explain how to get from 1 to 2. 4 Practice 3. 5 Repeat from 1.

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1366423434' post='2052551'] ... I've heard it said many times by musicians "It's important to sound like yourself", and I think I've finally reached the point where I realise the importance of it, and have the confidence to take it seriously, and continue to develop what I sound like. And that is (presumably) what all musicians realise, sooner or later [/quote] I don't see why it's so important to sound like yourself - unless you live in a me me me kind of individualistic egoistic society and subscribe to those values.

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1366401579' post='2052266'] I would have thought that if the guitarist has a rig sitting at home, uses whatever is provided in rehearsal & then fetches out his own rig for a gig & the guitar sounds completely different through it, then where's the logic? [/quote] It would drive me nuts if a guitarist, or the bassist or whoever, was all prima donna and moaning 'I can't get my sound'. I'd be right pissed off having my time wasted. [quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1366401579' post='2052266'] My band isn't a rock band ... [/quote] No, nor mine.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1366400839' post='2052247'] Past performance is no guarantee of future results... [/quote] There's no guarantee about the future but we can be certain that it's been possible to make excellent music with a four string bass.

[quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1366400182' post='2052223'] Really? With the wrong gear it can take for ever [/quote] Well don't waste time on it then. Get on with playing the song. Though I can't say I've ever had the experience of it taking for ever, I tend to plug and play.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1366400193' post='2052224'] Just never say never, I was more anti five strings than ET above, now I have two, never gig the others! [/quote] I'm not anti five strings. I merely pointed out the fact that the great majority of recordings are four strings.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1366399524' post='2052207'] And all could of been done on a five but not on a four except the stuff done on a six stuff [/quote] But no one person has to do it all on one bass. You can use what you like, or at least what the producer likes.

[quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1366399074' post='2052198'] Yes - it makes a huge difference [/quote] The question was not 'does getting your sound right make a huge difference?'. The question was ' isn't getting your sound right just as important as getting the song right?'. Getting the song right is much more important and more time consuming than getting the sound right - which only takes a couple of minutes anyway.

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1366398136' post='2052171'] ... but isn't getting your sound right just as important as getting the song right? [/quote] No.

If the gear was so bad that I'd need to take my own then I wouldn't be using that rehearsal studio. Anyway, it's just a rehearsal, get over it.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1366398085' post='2052169'] Quite a bit has been recorded on fives even if the live shows were not too [/quote] Very likely but the great majority was still done on four strings.

... and the great majority of recorded music over the last 60 years has used a four string bass.

I didn't see 'Later...' but I've got two of his albums that I like a lot.

One Fender, one Lakland, one Michael Kelly, one Takamine - I sound much the same on all of them.

A former student of mine - now at Cambridge University - is a regular visitor to North Korea but I'm guessing things may be on hold for the present.

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1365697318' post='2043157'] ... Another guy who can play across genres with what appears to my ears to be absolute conviction is Ed Friedland, his take on reggae is utterly awesome, completely 'convincing'... [/quote] Friedland also manages to make any bass sound 'pretty good'.

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1365581675' post='2041212'] My personal theory is that bass players naturally rock [u]or[/u] funk/groove. For me I naturally rock.... [/quote] It's not natural, it's learned.

This is common. On a two pickup Jazz bass there's a sweet spot (although not everyone will agree it's sweet) with the neck pickup on 100% and the bridge pickup rolled off to about 75%.

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The Jean Genie is in E and uses an A diatonic harmonica.