fatback

Great you got sorted. Don't apologise for the post though, cos it's a timely warning for most of us, I'd guess. I'm gonna start winding the cable round the tailpiece from now on. I had someone step on my lead soundchecking Friday night and it pulled the string clamp thingy off but thankfully that's all. Wireless sounds great, but I'm always wary of adding another thing to go wrong. How reliable are they?

I really do think that not injuring yourself is the number one reason for trying to get good technique. Bass can hurt you.

[quote name='Shockwave' timestamp='1352881849' post='1868664'] The worst in my mind would be Nick Karns Technique god rest his soul. His plucking fingers are held out completely straight at all times. [/quote] He admitted as much in an interview, I remember. Said that half the time he hadn't a clue what he was playing, just if it sounded good he kept it. Cheered me up no end. I wouldn't diss technique at all though. It keeps the path ahead open, but especially as a way of not getting injured.

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1352406492' post='1862757'] One day, maybe even in my life-time, one of these threads WILL actually be about a fantastic essential musical event in Reading (as in Berkshire) which we'd all be the poorer for missing. [/quote]

[quote name='rikodriko' timestamp='1352385212' post='1862422'] markers on side of neck are a short term way of maintaining intonation. it works for a while, but you become dependant on them and when you pleay someone elses bass you will be lost. I tried using small stickers on the neck for ages, and thought i was ace, but when they moved i had major problems. You really have yo use your ears. Using a bow will bring out any intonation issues as has been mentioned. use your reference points - open strings, and thimb stop on neck as mentioned. you might struggle for a while but eventually it will come. you will just sh1t yourself everytime you have to play something in Ab or Db ! [/quote] I'm not sure it's as clear cut as that, though. If you practice while reading charts or whatever, you aren't looking at markers, so that should be ok. Gigging is where they really free you up, especially when you can't hear. They've saved me in that situation several times. For anyone using Rabbath, I think the situation is different anyway. I use markers on the Rabbath thumb positions, and while practicing they're a useful (occasional) check. As I understand it (and nobody has really explained the method well) if you don't get the thumb right with Rabbath, everything fails. And you can't rely on your ears for that, because you can intonate perfectly and still have a faulty thumb position. Developing correct muscle memory in that case requires a reference, imo. Because the number of shifts in Rabbath is so few, though, you can systematically practice shifting, which I'm finding very helpful.

[quote name='Kongo' timestamp='1352245739' post='1860784'] A wide strap will help with weight. P-basses are light if you use wide spaced 6-string basses regularly :-P but I can't even feel the weight of them with a 4" leather strap. Keep your wrists STRAIGHT, it's easy to slouch and put your elbows towards your ribs and have bent wrists. Poor for blood flow and doesn't help tendon sheaths. Someone above mentioned Cod Liver Oil. I'd like to post what no one has and say that can actually BE your problem instead. Cod liver oil contains a lot of vitamin A, if you already have enough in your system this will trigger vitamin toxicity. Vitamin A overdose will cause chronic joint and muscle pain, which can be confused as injury or disability. Seems to be a rarely known fact. If you already take multivitamins with Vitamin A in it, Cod liver oil can easily put you well over the recommended UI. [/quote] On the other hand, there's this: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/5868.php

+ 1000 to the above. There's nothing inevitable about pain. Technique is almost everything. Oh, and cod liver oil.

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1352046032' post='1858111'] not really finding it difficult to find a band just finding near impossible to find a band whos not doing bloody rock covers... they are endless..!! a real bummer with living in rural ares is everyone plays rock.... there like bloody sheep [/quote] +1000 or as the joke has it, 'leisure centres'.

I'm finding improvising to an unfamiliar chord chart really useful practice. I can't see me ever needing to read the dots though, other than for exercises.

[quote name='TheRev' timestamp='1351869857' post='1856428'] That doesn't really work if you're in a rockabilly band. [/quote] True that. How to get fired in one easy lesson.

[quote name='thunderbird13' timestamp='1351855248' post='1856155'] So would this be an argument for not practicing arco , in fact can you play db with a bow standing without placing your body in a strange shape ? [/quote] Funny you should say that; I find the arco arm angles completely different and haven't found a good compromise bass height yet. I imagine that's just me though, as I play pizz with the bass set low to spare a dodgy shoulder and wrist. btw, I'm not saying use mnarkers all the time; just that for gigs they allow for a more fun approach.

Charming or what. And the real deal, no doubt about it. A treat. Also, wins the prize for the largest number of times the word 'practice' is mentioned in any bass vid I've seen so far.

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1351782289' post='1855324'] As you know Al, I have side markers on my double bass for precisely teh reason that I am new-ish to my band and don't want to screw up, but eventually I want to remove them. Alternatively you could buy a fretted double bass [url="http://www.gbase.com/gear/rickenbacker-bedpost-fretted-upright-d-1935-b"]http://www.gbase.com...pright-d-1935-b[/url] [/quote] I'd never gig without markers. imo you have to be able to play in tune when you can't hear, and if your band is loud that's going to happen all the time. Also, if you jump about, you can't rely on muscle memory. Seems to me it's different for relatively static players. Jazz and orchestral bassists can rely on a standard posture. I would say for bassist who sing there's an argument for markers as well. I find that reading practice removes the reliance on the markers anyhow, as you can't look at both things at once.

Do you play fretless bass guitar? If you do and you play using a thumb pivot, check out the Rabbath method. Intonation just stops being a problem because you need to move your arm so much less (only a few positions). If your thumb placement is right, everything is easy.

I agree with BurritoBass. GAS can be fun and beats spending the cash at the bookies, but it can be a substitute for several things including gigging and working at technique. I really lost my GAS when I got an upright bass, cos nothing I can buy is going to make me a better player. Ironically, my other half would be OK with any buying spree I wanted. But there's no point

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1351526391' post='1852182'] Mine has a strict one in one out policy now, I do have plenty of instruments though, and she bought the last one (Yamaha BB) for me! She is very encouraging generally of my musical activities when the band I'm playing with is good, and very discouraging when the band is not so good - even if those are the ones that make the money! She hates the covers band I play with, refuses to come to any gigs and despises that I'm out of the house to play with them. But for the other bands I play for, she's always asking why don't we do more gigs? [/quote] Rare discernment. That lady is a keeper.

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1351491603' post='1851668'] Really? Do people do this? Can they look at themselves in the mirror? [/quote] You can't be married.

Oh very nice.

I've got old NAD, Cambridge, Denon and Yamaha hi fi amps all over the house for streaming music. All great amps bought for pennies on ebay or charity shops.

[quote name='sarah thomas' timestamp='1351024848' post='1846446'] It's been re-released on DVD: [url="http://www.dannythompson.bigcartel.com/product/bassically-speaking"]http://www.dannythom...ically-speaking[/url] [/quote] Ooh, just ordered now. Many thanks for the tip Sarah.

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1351070746' post='1846826'] I find this really bizarre. Out of all the years of the professional gigs that I have been to, I never ever seen anybody use any sort of Auralex contraption... I'm not saying that the physics doesn't sing true, I'm just not sure how much of an impact in the real world that all this has. [/quote] Honestly, a strip or two of auralex foam cures stage boom. Not at a subtle change either, a dramatic improvement. As for the er... debate above, I have no idea.

OK, but what about fingering and positions? Do you readers normally analyse first? Dunno why i'm asking really. I think I've got whatever the musical equivalent of dyslexia is, and should stop torturing myself and stick with chord charts. Is there anything less pleasant than trying to read those dots?

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1350983687' post='1845742'] I'm familiar with the gramma pad and the many many threads there have been discussing the effectiveness of what seems like a hilariously overpriced bit of wood and foam to me. I thought part of the whole point about having the bass cab on the floor was to [i]allow[/i] it to couple, increasing the LF response. I mentioned raising my cab off the floor in another post and was warned about the de-coupling that might occur and how detrimental it [i]could[/i] be to my sound! In the end, it depends on the application. [/quote] As I understand it from knowledgeable types, there are two types of coupling. The mechanical sort from having your cab on the floor, which gives the nasty boom, and boundary reinforcement, which is about how the waves reflect off the floor and interact. That one you need and can lose if you raise the cab too much. Agree that the Gramma pad is expensive, but auralex strips are cheap enough and definitely solve the boominess problem.

Still waiting here too. Need one as I've found the BF Midget doesn't like being raised up much, on a keyboard stand or whatever. Meantime, i sometimes use an auralex strip (also from BF) under the front edge. Works quite well.

Brilliant!