Pete Academy

[quote name='TimR' post='1083548' date='Jan 9 2011, 08:26 PM']Going back to my example with my previous band. There are a lot of musicians who will listen to one verse, one chorus and the mid and then announce that they've got it. Hence the problem when it all falls apart in the third verse, or when the band can't get the bit where the mid section goes into the chorus instead of the verse. Now most tunes have differences in each verse and each chorus. So where I'm coming from is not necessarily nailing the parts exactly but understanding where and why the parts differ in each verse and chorus. Usually the bass line can be picked up in one or two bars, it's the subtleties that take the time to pick up and it's those bits that people don't bother with. Hence blandly busked tunes.[/quote] Good post.

I've just started playing with a local jazz-funk band. The set is instrumental-based, and includes 'Pick Up The Pieces' and 'Chameleon'. I would never play these lines other than how they are on the record. 'Chameleon' is an example of the bassline being the song, and 'PUTP' has a bass part that complements the song perfectly. I've heard players make that part busier, but for me it adds nothing. For me, making a recorded part busier is asking for trouble. 'Sex Machine' and 'Play That Funky Music' are prime examples.

We've had one of these in our shop for months, but I never use it. After doing thousands of string changes over the years, I prefer to use my fingers.

Nearly Dan play the Jazz Cafe in Camden next Sunday 16 January.

[quote name='Conan' post='1083290' date='Jan 9 2011, 04:53 PM']Possibly in some cases. Again it depends on the gig. If you are a pro or semi-pro then I would agree, but for those of us with full-time day jobs that play in a band for recreational purposes I think the law of diminishing returns holds. Why spend three hours getting one bass line note perfect if you can do a "good enough" job (so that nobody will notice the difference) in half an hour? Unless you are a perfectionist of course... [/quote] I think I would agree with this. A lot depends on the musical situation.

Interesting thread. Firstly, I would agree with the feel of the song being of prime importance. An example would be 'Sweet Home Alabama'. Three chords that can be played as root notes, but it has to have the right feel, even if it's embellished. Whenever I've played this song, I've always stuck to simple root notes, and sometimes by the end I've improvised it a little, but been careful to keep the feel right. If I were to use 'Good Times' (my favourite ever bass part) as a benchmark, I personally don't like to see this messed with. There was a thread a while ago where someone featured Jamiroquai playing the tune live and pointed out how good the bass player (Zender, I think) was in improvising it. Personally I hated it. There's a difference between bass riffs and bass parts in a song. That line is perfection and I just don't like to see it improvised. I can't see the point. Certain riffs have to be left alone, IMO. 'Peaches', 'Sunshine Of Your Love', etc. Certain bass lines are, for me, so integral to the song that I just don't like to see them embellished. 'Billie Jean', 'Good Times', 'I Wish', etc. I once saw someone playing 'Boogie Oogie Oogie' his own way and I just couldn't listen to it. When we first did 'Kid Charlemagne' I used to do my own take on it, but retaining the feel. Then after a while I felt that I was cheating both the song and myself. I felt lazy not learning it. I still don't play it 100% like Chuck Rainey, but I try to play the major parts as close as I can. But saying that, there are probably some players that would still dislike it, and I couldn't really blame them. These are just my opinions, of course. I'm a firm believer in playing for the song and having space to let it breath.

She's amazing. Great groove and vocals. Very much like Me'Shell. Thanks for the post, mate.

Just googled it and it says Jaribu Shahid. I presume Ira Coleman is on upright?

[quote name='dlloyd' post='1081071' date='Jan 7 2011, 02:03 PM']I gave up on any loyalty to local retailers a long time ago. Last time I tried to buy a bass locally was in 2003. I wanted a Fender Precision and had my mind set on the then new US-series basses (they'd been introduced 3 years previously). The local shop, which was part of a chain that were main Fender dealers, had a couple of US Fenders on the wall, the newest being from 1996. At full RRP. I was told that they could get one of the newer models in for me from one of their other shops, but it would take a few days... I went back once a week for the next three weeks with £900 cash in my pocket to be told they hadn't got it in yet. The last time I went in, the guy told me, "look... they're exactly the same as the old ones, they've just changed the name..." I didn't go back. I got on the train and spent £1200 in a non-local, specialist shop. I've moved since then, but my experience in many guitar shops has been similar. I asked a shop assistant about the new Trace Elliot range, to be told that they weren't really made by Trace Elliot any more... if I wanted a "real Trace Elliot" I'd have to buy an Ashdown (surprisingly they were Ashdown dealers). I simply don't feel any compulsion to stay local. Even for strings... Why drive into town and spend a couple of quid on parking to buy a set of EBs for £23, when online shops do them for £18, free delivery?[/quote] That Ashdown/Trace comment was indeed very dumb.

Great song. Is it Tony Levin?

[quote name='molan' post='1081022' date='Jan 7 2011, 01:26 PM']Nobody interested in a pair of tickets for this? Yours for a tenner each N.B. I'll post these in the proper for sale thread, just thought I'd leave this here as a reminder to people that the gig is on next weekend![/quote] Why not put the money towards the Nearly dan gig on the next night?

[quote name='martindupras' post='1081039' date='Jan 7 2011, 01:40 PM']You're a good man, Pete. If you were my local store, that would be exactly the kind of customer service that would bring me back, and that would make me recommend to others. - martin[/quote] Thanks. I just know what it's like to get that extra bit of service if I go to buy something.

[quote name='Musicman20' post='1081045' date='Jan 7 2011, 01:42 PM']Heck Pete, I wasnt attacking anyone, I was stating how bad my experience has been with general music stores. Eg, PMT and places like that. The only local place is back home called PPS Music/Pooles which is fantastic, but only because the guy knows me and will always do special prices on Orange gear, etc. No, I wont be attempting to open any kind of business. I looked into it and the stress/cost was far far too high. The market is now fully loaded with great bass shops. I think if anyone did, they would have to concentrate on online prices. I meant no offence to general music shops, Ive probably just had a few bad experiences that put me right off. I do think shops have to match online prices though, as most the time they are online themselves. There is still a profit margin there, and a sale with some profit is better than no sale at all. Plus the customer may come back [/quote] No offence taken.

[quote name='Musicman20' post='1081023' date='Jan 7 2011, 01:27 PM']I think we all realise how dramatically the internet has changed modern buying. The customer has much more power to pick and choose, and EVERY retailer who has an online store NEEDS to reply to emails. Yes, 3/4 of them might not get you a sale, but having deals in writing in an email is MUCH better for me. Plus, it means I dont have to list huge amounts of information. [b]We are lucky to have bass specialists now like Bass Merchant. If we didnt, we would still be buying from 'general' music shops and probably paying silly money for average instruments. Quite a few retailers ive dealt with lose business because they dont match. You dont make as much profit? Oh heck....nevermind. You lose a whole sale? Now you're in trouble.[/b] People will always want the best prices, as we are currently fighting against rising VAT and all the other rubbish thats occuring. I much prefer to develop a relationship with a store, buy everything I can from them, and they help by giving me a great price, and I help by recommending them. Certain places like Strings Direct etc, will always have the best strings prices.[/quote] Wrong. Shops work at certain margins to stay alive and pay staff that know their stuff, not shift boxes. I pity you if you open a music store...it will last five minutes.

It's tough for music stores, believe me, but I can see how bad customer service can drive people to go online. However, some people simply think they are getting a bargain online, when it's not always the case. Yesterday someone asked our hi-tech guy to price match something he had seen in another store online. Our guy said he could get it the next day. Turns out that with carriage etc from the online store, he would save about £6. Then he would still have to wait until they ordered it in for him. He walked out just to save that amount of money. Beggars belief. The other day a young lad came in looking for a Squier P-Bass, which he was certain we wouldn't have. I had one in stock at £179. He said he'd seen it online for £139. I said I couldn't match that price, so he asked if he could try it anyway to see if he liked it before buying it online. I gritted my teeth and let him. His mum asked for our best price, which I said had to be £169. In the end she saw sense and bought it. Frustrating times. And now there's news that Amazon are bringing out a music superstore, with many major brands jumping onboard. Going back to customer service, if someone comes in for a kids' classical for £39, I make sure it's exactly the right size, I tune it up, and stretch in the strings, so that it at least has a chance of being in tune for the first school lesson. They probably save ten quid at Argos but have an instrument that is out of tune. Therefore the child gets frustrated, and it gets chucked in a corner. Waste of money.

This is the one I want. [attachment=68055:ritter.jpg]

I just think these instruments are absolute works of art, which is why they aren't seen in gigging situations.

I don't want to play it, I just want to stare at it in disbelief.

[quote name='Spoombung' post='1080321' date='Jan 6 2011, 07:44 PM']The guitar is the real design innovation there. The basses remains the same with various flamboyant finishes. As a company, they really know how to present their product well. I've still never seen one or played one, or seen one played in a band or on TV or anywhere and have no idea if they have a special sound character or not.[/quote] Me neither.

As soon as I win this week's Lottery, I'm placing my order.

[quote name='icastle' post='1080271' date='Jan 6 2011, 07:00 PM']Not too keen on the body shapes but there are some truly fantastic finishes on some of those basses... [/quote] Not too keen on the body shape? Are you talking about my avatar?

I know these aren't to everyone's tastes, but I think they are the most stunning basses on the planet. [url="http://www.ritter-instruments.com/available.php"]http://www.ritter-instruments.com/available.php[/url]

You have to think of it as a guitarist playing a funky rhythm part in sixteenths. The main parts of the rhythm are played and the other parts are muted. It's the same principle. Clear as mud, eh?

Still haven't had my copy. They're sending another out. Won't be re-subscribing.

[quote name='Doddy' post='1077886' date='Jan 4 2011, 09:06 PM']Victor Bailey Shreds!! I've always quite liked his playing,particularly on the album 'Domino Theory' and especially the track 'D Flat Waltz',but that solo was nasty. 'Do You Know Who?' is the track on 'Low Blow' that I always skip over.[/quote] We all have our off days.