dlloyd

They're okay. If I was at a function where there was a cover band playing and they played the Foo Fighters, I wouldn't be offended... might even enjoy it a bit... but probably only as background music. Monkey Wrench, Everlong, My Hero, All my life, Learn to Fly, Times Like These and Best of You are all pretty good songs. The sort of thing that people tend to book cover bands for. Music that people who don't think a lot about music recognise and that makes them happy when they're having a drink. Modern easy listening music. What are the other songs you have to learn?

[quote name='Hector' timestamp='1446293299' post='2898382'] You've come across as really dismissive of my contribution so far, perhaps you don't realise. I was polite enough to say it's fine for you to basically tell the op to ignore my input, no need to bludgeon your point home. [/quote] That wasn't the intention, and I apologise if it came across that way.

[quote name='Deerhunter1331' timestamp='1446285805' post='2898314'] I see now that you really have to look at how the chords sound and interact with each other. Also, how do you know in a G minor scale, which chord is which? is it the [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I ii iii IV V vi vii chord thing that Hector mentioned above?[/quote][/font][/color] Yep. Chords are constructed like snowmen on music paper... Take the key of G major... The notes you have available to you are G A B C D E F# G The "home" chord is G. It's made up of the first note, the third note and the fifth note (a triad): G B D If you play them together (preferably on a guitar or keyboard... sounds a bit muddy on a bass) you get a "nice happy sound". Take G minor, the notes you have available are G A Bb C D Eb F G The "home" chord is Gm. It's made up of the first note, the third note and the fifth note: G Bb D If you play them together you get a "sad sound". That's all due to the difference between the major and minor 3rd... that Bb makes all the difference. Now, if you construct triads from all of the notes in G major, you get: G (G, B, D) Am (A, C, E) Bm (B, D, F#) C (C, E, G) D (D, F#, A) Em (E, G, B ) F#dim (F#, A, C) G C and D are constructed from the same "home chords" as you'd get in those major keys. Am, Bm and Em are constructed from the same "home chords" as you'd get in those minor keys. F#dim is a special case as it has a diminished fifth... don't worry about it for the moment. Major keys always have the same pattern of major and minor chords... that's where the I ii iii IV V vi thing comes from... small letters for minors, capitals for majors. The same thing goes for minor keys: i ii (dim) III iv v VI VII... but as you know, we sometimes turn that v into a V. [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][quote]Do you recommend a book that explains this and allows me to put this into practise? I was thinking about going for Gary Willis' fretboard harmony for bass, as I don't really want to focus at any style of music just yet.[/font][/color] [/quote] It's about thirty years since I did all this... the best thing you could do at an early stage is to approach it from the classical tradition. The ABRSM publish music theory books for this purpose... just go for the pink one (volume 1). [url="http://www.musicroom.com/se/id_no/011274/details.html"]http://www.musicroom...74/details.html[/url] And their music theory in practice books are good: [url="http://www.musicroom.com/se/id_no/0442319/details.html"]http://www.musicroom...19/details.html[/url]

[quote name='Hector' timestamp='1446247889' post='2898170'] It's all good man. I'm not a teacher by any means, just answering the questions in the best way I can. There's a huge gulf between theory and practise in playing the bass - it's a combination of the two that makes for the best players. [/quote] Absolutely, but a lot of people go off on the wrong tangent when they first hear about modes and try to apply it to everything when just thinking about keys and chord tones is far more appropriate.

With all due respect to Hector above, I'd suggest you try to forget about modes for the time being too. They are a horrendously misunderstood and misused part of music theory. They're pretty useful for mediaeval music and in some styles of jazz, but they have little relevance to most of us.

[quote name='Deerhunter1331' timestamp='1446206904' post='2897691'] I'm working my way through Hal Leonard's bass method, and it has been going great right up until now. I have just learnt the natural minor scale, so now I'm learning some basslines around it. Now, the key for 3 out of the 8 bars is D and the key signature for this is G minor.[/quote] No, the key for the whole thing is G minor. There's a D7 chord in three of the bars, which is perfectly fine in G minor... minor keys are like that. You just have to sharpen the F to F#... but, in this tune you don't have to worry about it. There are no F#s to play. [quote]I try to play it using D major scale but the notes go below the D, and you play notes which aren't part of the scale, such as C and E flat. I know that the relative minor scale of the D major is B natural minor, but if I try to use the B minor scale, then I still can't use it since it doesn't have the notes I need. I was thinking that since the B and E are flat, due to the key signature, then maybe I have to use the B flat minor scale, since it contains the notes that I need?[/quote] Okay... since you're thinking about this anyway, let's start with the key of G major... The chords in G major are: G Am Bm C D Em F#dim Don't worry about the F#dim for the moment. The others are all constructed from a root, a major or minor third and a perfect fifth. That's just the distance between the root note and the notes in the chord. In tunes in G major, the D is often extended to a D7... that's a major triad (chord made from a root, major third and a fifth) and a minor seventh added on top. This is the most common type of extended chord (chord made from more than three notes). The reason D7 is used is that it has a tense quality that makes the ear want it to move somewhere else... and that's to a G chord... it takes you home. We call this type of chord a dominant 7 chord. Let's now think about G minor... the chords are: Gm Adim Bb Cm Dm Eb F If you were playing in the relative major key (Bb major), you'd use F7 as the dominant chord, and it would pull you nicely back to Bb... great. In G minor there is no chord that makes you want to go home, ie. back to Gm. Dm to Gm is a weak movement. Extending the Dm to Dm7 doesn't provide the tension needed. The resolution from Dm7 to Gm is rubbish compared to D7 to G. [size=2](The reason is that the interaction of the major third and minor 7 in the dominant 7 chord is what causes the tension.)[/size] So instead of putting up with such a sad state of affairs we cheat. We steal the D7 from the key of G major and slot it into G minor. D7 to Gm sounds great! It has all the tension we need! We have to fiddle about with the notes we use a bit when playing a melody or bassline in Gm when we hit a D7 chord, but that's okay. We just change the F to an F# and give it a fancy pants name (harmonic minor). Sometimes we'll take the Eb up to an E natural (the jump from Eb to F# is a bit unmelodic) and call it the melodic minor.

[quote name='Deerhunter1331' timestamp='1446232487' post='2898034'] Thanks for explaining modes to me, its just a lot to take in. So, if I'm playing in the key of C minor, and decide to play the 5th mode of the C natural minor scale, then I can use any minor scale in the key of G? Or the relative major scale if I choose to? Does mean that in playing the C natural minor scale from G to G? Also, if I'm playing in the key of C minor, how do I know which minor scale to I use? Thanks [/quote] Don't think too hard on this... Just play the whole thing using the G natural minor scale.

[quote name='zawinul' timestamp='1446201357' post='2897628'] not bad. How much would it cost me to get active pickups fitted to this do you reckon I mean cost of work. John east preamps about £200. Cost of fitting? Then ive almost got what I want!!! [/quote] Hmm... it depends on the pickups. You're looking at a set of pickups and a preamp and the cost of having them professionally fitted? Depends where you go and what hardware you're talking about... A set of Nordstrand NJ4s are £130, NJSV4s are £180. A J retro will be £195. EMGs would be about £130, a set of Seymour Duncans will be about £110. You could get an Aguilar preamp for £120. Fitting them would probably cost in the region of £50, or you could do it yourself if you're handy with a soldering iron. By the time you did all that you'd have a Japanese Jazz bass that cost you £900 to £1000. Is it worth it? What if you don't like it? Resale value wouldn't reflect the cost of the components. Doubly so as these basses appeal to Jaco fans who generally aren't after active basses.

I didn't like it at all. But I quite like this: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbvg1CPae4U[/media] ....right up to the bass solo.

[quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1445729227' post='2893788'] [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-SB-5A-SAMURAI-BASS-GUITAR-1960s-Rare-Collectable-/161863763025?hash=item25afd50451:g:RAEAAOSwAYtWG5M4"]http://www.ebay.co.u...AEAAOSwAYtWG5M4[/url] Rare and collectable, possibly. [/quote] Yeah, they're quite nice in a quirky way. They're quite expensive to buy in Japan... they probably do have a cult status there

[quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1446155695' post='2897442'] Yep, here's one for a shade over 50,000 yen, around £300... [url="http://www.ishibashi.co.jp/u_box/e/select.php?cd=80-325680003"]http://www.ishibashi...cd=80-325680003[/url] Even with shipping and tax that's going to come in at around £500... hmm. [/quote] It's lovely...

[quote name='AndyTravis' timestamp='1446151891' post='2897415'] These have been around ages, one or two have popped up here for sale. I nearly bought a used one from ishibashi used for about £400 but had a fretless made instead. Still, fancy one from time to time - like a budget jaco bass. [/quote] Yep, here's one for a shade over 50,000 yen, around £300... http://www.ishibashi.co.jp/u_box/e/select.php?cd=80-325680003 Even with shipping and tax that's going to come in at around £500... hmm.

[quote name='chevy-stu' timestamp='1443021468' post='2871536'] I'm relatively new here, but one thing that seems to stand out and I don't get is what seems like many forum members concerns about the weight of a bass. I've been playing bass for 37 years, and regularly gigging for most of this, been a pro for nearly 20 years, gigging 3-4 times a at week on average, and never once has it ever crossed my mind what a bass might weigh, unless it's flight cased for taking on a plane, or shipping. I appreciate some people have back problems and then a particularly heavy 6 stringer may prove to be an issue. I've owned and lugged some stupidly heavy gear over the years, along with PA etc.... and I went lightweight amp wise myself about 3 years ago, but bass weight never occurred to me, I just don't get it. Can someone explain.. [/quote] I have back issues. Usually I'm okay, and you wouldn't know about it... when it goes though, I can be out of action, doubled up in extreme pain, unable to move for as long as six weeks... I treat my back with some respect. My old Stingray was about 9 and a half pounds... it was a phenomenal bass but I could play it for maybe quarter of an hour before I felt uncomfortable... My Yamaha bass weighs about six pounds and I can play it forever... a bit uninspiring though. My Fender Jazz weighs about 7 and a half pounds... I can play it for a lot longer than the Stingray, but not as long as the Yamaha. I like the Fender fine... I rarely play long enough for it to be an issue. When I go into a guitar shop I don't ask for the weights of the instruments because I can feel how heavy they are. This really isn't worth five pages is it? Wide straps, padded straps, etc. don't make any difference to me. Strength is also not the problem.

Cliff Burton.

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1445585464' post='2892508'] Enjoyed it. Cool band. dlloyd, if you're into this, give The Lydian Collective a listen. I think you'll enjoy [/quote] Golly, you were right!

[quote name='ribbetingfrog' timestamp='1445554856' post='2892447'] Nicely played but made me think I was on hold whilst stood in a lift. [/quote] I'm coming to Manchester to hang around in some lifts. [quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1445585464' post='2892508'] Enjoyed it. Cool band. dlloyd, if you're into this, give The Lydian Collective a listen. I think you'll enjoy [/quote] I shall do... Ta!

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1445550158' post='2892420'] Idunno, but this might be one of several reasons: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/225867-vulfpeck-a-great-new-to-me-band"]http://basschat.co.u...-new-to-me-band[/url] But yeah, likeable band indeed! [/quote] Yeah, probably... but what the heck... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dpvyZBKg6Q[/media]

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1439130661' post='2840243'] Sei Jazz 5. Bartolini's, JRetro added. [/quote] Nice... how does that combination sound?

Hmm... only two responses... astounding! [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4G0nbpLySI[/media]

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1444060115' post='2879941'] I'm typing it so it's not just one massive block of text (which is often difficult to read, of course) It's fairly standard practice ... unless of course, there's something awry with your computer, or your screen resolution set-up? [/quote] The only other place I've seen anyone do this was on a poetry forum.

Discovered these guys a while back, but know very little about them. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKg_3kyIhHc[/media] They are phenomenal... so tight. Tell me about them.

[quote name='TheG' timestamp='1445248669' post='2889847'] Thanks Bilbo so Im getting closer to finding that it isn't something that a lot of people talk about then. I think its going to be one of those quite normal chord progressions that has been called a specific name by a few. Cool. I shall continue my search and report back when I find out. Ive got a couple more avenues to explore on the matter. [/quote] Do you have any examples of standards where it's used?

Or you could learn Sam Jones' line on Cannonball Adderley's version: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u37RF5xKNq8[/media]

[quote name='Hector' timestamp='1435855600' post='2813113']These changes are an example of a [i]tritone substitution[/i]. Gb7 is a tritone substitution for C7 and E7 is a substitute for Bb7. So you can can actually just play G-7 C7 F-7 Bb7, which gives you another option. Ideally you'd want to be able to choose which of those you play. Also it helps to change that last Am7b5 to an Ebmaj7, then you have a progression G-7 C7 F-7 Bb7 Ebmaj7 (this is a 3 6 2 5 1, classic progression). [/quote] Yeah, I should have read the thread before answering!

[quote name='karlplaysbass' timestamp='1435854573' post='2813108'] hello everyone ive been playing jazz walking bass lines for a short time now. ive started learning some jazz standards and theres always one thing which catches me out and makes my bass lines sound messy. like in autumn leaves where in goes from g to gb, i was wondering if anyone can offer advice on how to keep the bassline sounding nice or wheather im missing a trick. cheers [/quote] How about this for a neat trick... G7, Gb7, F7, E7 is a tritone substituted G7, C7, F7, Bb7 descending fifths/ascending fourths sequence... root notes with chromatic approach notes would sound great, adding tension and movement to the whole thing... Play the first chord as G7, then go to a C7. Everyone else can keep playing it as Gb7. Don't tell anyone and they won't know they're playing C7b5b9, just that something cosmic just happened. Nice. Play it fast and if everyone can keep up, you've got bebop. Sort of.