RhysP

[quote name='ead' timestamp='1389688018' post='2336838'] What about all us prog fans without iPads [/quote] There's a rather fantastic vintage M400 on Ebay at the moment for a very reasonable £3000: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mellotron-M400-Vintage-Keyboard-Analogue-Classic-1980s-Legend-/281243606597?pt=UK_ I'm actually quite tempted to sell all my other music gear in order to buy it.

[quote name='iconic' timestamp='1389644832' post='2336557'] i learn sonething everyday i never knew 70's fender jazz's had laquered fretboards... [/quote] Good God man, you didn't know 70's Fender jazz's had laquered fretboards, you've never seen an 8 string bass - do you live in a cave?

With the very occasional paid sessions I do I tend to charge a daily fee of £150.00 - the people I work for tend to be self funding singer/songwriter types so don't usually have huge recording budgets. I'm also usually pretty safe in the knowledge that whatever I play on isn't going to become some surprise global smash so I'm more than happy with a one-off fee. As somebody else has said, you can probably forget about getting points/royalties. If that's the sort of path you want to go down you'd better join the MU if you're not already a member & get their advice.

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1389640908' post='2336484'] And THAT's the 'instability' your family members are concerned about. Would they be so concerned if you were self-employed plumber? Probably not.. [/quote] The big difference between a musician & a plumber though is that there will always be somebody that needs a plumber.

My new neighbours rutting like cattle. "Couldn't love you more" indeed....

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1389649241' post='2336630'] Time generally makes us forget the less good bits. [/quote] If what I can remember are the good bits I must have had a really sh*t life so far....

[quote name='BassBus' timestamp='1389648406' post='2336620'] Good job. That's better than the demo videos. [/quote] Ooh ta very much! That's made my week!

I just recorded a quick demo of a few of the sounds from the mellotron app & shoved it on Soundcloud if anybody is interested: https://soundcloud.com/rhysparry/mellotron-app-strings-flute (Don't really do this recording/soundcloud thing as a rule so apologies if it's unlistenable or doesn't work properly - plays OK through my mac but my PC is struggling with it even though it's a tiny file)

Lie down - you'll be in effectively the same position as standing up, only lower.

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1389568892' post='2335724'] Thank you, good sir! Surprising, but much appreciated. [/quote] I'm sure I would have made exactly the same choices had I been fortunate enough to be in your position. Unlike being a professional musician, living in rural Norway sounds very much like my idea of heaven.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1389566217' post='2335684'] I did 4 evenings and a matinee at Birmingham rep four years ago through a drummer friend, and I did 2 months on a cruse ship around the med thanks to a guy at a music shop, who recommended me to a fellow bass player, who recommended me to the bandleader. Through that I got gigs from the 2 keys players that I played with on the ship. It goes on like that, spreading. I gave up on the idea of being a pop star when I was about 20. [/quote] These examples above (& thousands more like them) are the reasons I'd never want to be a professional musician - it really does sound like hell on earth to me. I've never enjoyed playing enough that I'd play anything just to pay the bills. I've known a couple of fantastic musicians who worked in studios, did theatre work etc. for years & just became so unhappy with music they may as well have been working in a factory.

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1389566131' post='2335682'] First: never, ever listen to parents and the likes if their ideas about your life seem to be about steady incomes and security and that kind of stuff. You'll always regret later. Then it's better to have tried and to have been proven wrong. I don't know whether my reasons are interesting to you, but just in case: The choice to not pursue a career in music took almost two years to make, as a joint decision between me and my wife. She'd accepted becoming a musician's wife, so that element was not involved, and we lived off my income as a musician for some three years. But we'd moved from the culture city of Rotterdam to a rural area in Norway, and found life there was better. My music career would demand moving to Oslo - another "big" city. We decided the totally of living ruraly was worth giving up a music career for. We loved the notion that walking in the forests or swimming in the sea were options that cost no money, and were right at our doorsteps. Oslo would mean using money for the tram, bus, museum, concert .... whatever. Another aspect was of more psychological nature. I feared my being a composer would reduce me as a husband or father. I've known "all my life" that if I met a nice girl, I'd probably have to give up a career in art - even if not giving up a career in music. I trust this doesn't go for most people, but I do believe it was a valid point in my case. [/quote] Great post.

[quote name='EmmettC' timestamp='1389526622' post='2335009'] I think Jeff Ament occasionally used a Hamer 8 string with Pearl Jam. [/quote] He played a 12ver - Hamer made a Jeff Ament signature model at one point. 12vers are awesome - wish I'd never sold mine.

Streetly Electronics, original makers of the Mellotron, have got a superb Mellotron app (& downloadable free user manual) available: [url="http://www.omenie.com/M3000_50th/Mellotronics_M3000_50th_Anniversary_Edition.html"]http://www.omenie.co...ry_Edition.html[/url] I've just bought an iPad air & this app is the main reason why - the sounds are just awesome. (Mods - didn't know whether this thread should go here or in "Other Instruments" - feel free to move it if you see fit)

I noodle about a bit on bass when I'm in the mood, play guitar, keyboards & stick too but very casually - the days of spending ages obsessively learning stuff & trying to be the best player I could be are long gone. I help a couple of friends with their songwriting/arrangements when needed & still occasionally do the odd paid session on bass if asked (& in the right frame of mind). My past experiences of gigging were pretty much all negative & I've not got the kind of personality that's suited to being in a band so I don't miss it at all. The last year for me was probably the most pleasurable yet from a musical perspective.

[quote name='Roger2611' timestamp='1389207040' post='2331403'] I imagine this is how Ben Stiller or Will Ferrell would act the part of a bass player [/quote] No, the video clip was funny.

Buying a used bass from a shop is always going to cost a lot more than for the same bass bought privately.

[quote name='arthurhenry' timestamp='1389178613' post='2330852'] The Spandex and monitor foot rest would be fun, but it's not quite the same without a 30ft tall monster emerging behind you. [/quote] In my Spandex wearing days I looked like I had a 30ft monster emerging in front of me....

Hirajoshi, Kumoi & Neapolitan major & minor scales.

One of my all-time favourite play-along albums (when I used to do such things).

The duty & vat are based on the combined value of item & shipping. Allowing for varying courier charges this end I always work on about 23-24%, but it depends on what the actual item is classed as by HM Customs & Revenue, duty could be a lot less or a lot more.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1389003266' post='2328529'] Why? [/quote] Death.

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1388937171' post='2327805'] well, have you? [/quote] I was going to post that yes I do have it & that it's still for sale but then I'd have to pay seven quid so I didn't.

I thought I had the "allow comments on your profile" function deselected, but I just looked & there was a comment from somebody asking me if I still had my MXR flanger for sale from nearly three years ago.