Musicman69

Yea.. provided you're tuned to the same pitch as guitars its easy. The roots are C,G,D,A etc. (Ignoring the fact you're detuned) Good Luck with it!

Im 41, in a classic rock covers band and a 3 piece country/rock/folk/younameit band... both with a drummer who is 55ish and BY FAR the best drummer Ive ever played with. To use a couple of old cliches; When one door closes, Another opens and my favourite; Its an ill wind that blows no good!

Never too old to play bass.. once the ol arthritis doesnt set in! Cheer up.. its Paddys Day

What a name! Hope you enjoy it here and keep those stumpy fingers working John (41)

Thanks for that post on Ascending/Descending minor scales OTPJ Just playing with it there and found some sweet 'blue' notes. Must brush up on my theory

Clear as mud

[quote name='Clarky72' post='775887' date='Mar 16 2010, 01:04 AM']Megan Fox is sexier though to be fair.... [/quote] Well yeah, you got something there.. now Ive forgotten all about bass guitars. This is not progress

[quote name='silddx' post='775319' date='Mar 15 2010, 03:34 PM']Agreed, but that's a combination of things. You need to relax and hold your wrist at a natural angle to ensure blood flow is not restricted. Any prolonged stress position will potentially do you some damage. That said, I've probably got terrible picking hand posture and I play so hard live sometimes that my fingers go completely numb.[/quote] Bad habit of mine, hitting it too hard. Poor old fingertips get a hammering.. they go numb also. I always say Ill take it easy next time but never do. Its a bit like se Ooops better stop there.

[quote name='silddx' post='775284' date='Mar 15 2010, 02:54 PM']Eh? Who told you that? CTS and other infammatory conditions are normally caused by prolonged flexion, extention, and ulnar or radial deviation in the wrist. Nothing to do with "stretching".[/quote] Heard about it on a tutorial for floating thumb, 'the guy' said he got CTS due to bad technique/bass position. Stretching, straining and tension cant be healthy no matter what youre doing IMV

Last night 2 separate bands travelled to play my local in Dublin from Galway (about 120 miles) and NEITHER of them brought a P.A. Gig cancelled. Total mix-up between them and the promoter. Id be gutted...

I think if there is constant stretching and tension when playing its going to cause problems in the long term. Certainly bass height is very important too. Probably not an issue if one only plays for short periods of time.

[quote name='rjb' post='775209' date='Mar 15 2010, 01:40 PM']I'd recommend either the floating thumb (which is what I use) or a moveable anchor. Stretching your hand from a static thumb position on a pickup could really hamper your playing, IMHO. Each to their own, however![/quote] Yea, its even been suggested that constant stretching etc can cause injury. Carpal tunnel syndrome, ouch!

[quote name='Doddy' post='774741' date='Mar 14 2010, 10:14 PM']Here's a short vid of Todd Johnson demonstrating the floating thumb..... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPVMBPmrblU"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPVMBPmrblU[/url][/quote] Highly recommend this technique folks.. great for fast stuff. The thing is (IMV) its a good alternative playing style, mix it up! I find I do ok when I dont think about my right hand, just let it do what it wants.

[quote name='geoffbyrne' post='775124' date='Mar 15 2010, 12:30 PM']Are you sure it's nothing that putting an extra few turns of A string onto the tuning post won't fix? Fender P & J style basses are notorious for having little or no break angle on the A unless you leave an extra bit of length and put a few extra turns on the peg. Another way is to put on an extra string tree, but that's messy, but I think you may still have the same problem after a new nut. G.[/quote] Thats clever.. almost McGuyverish! Hope it works.

^^ you guys are top of the range. Threads like this make BC special. John

Just to clarify.. I was telling you about the bass part, denoted by the bass clef. Dont want you getting confused!

You should have E for two bars, then D, B, E Look up the Majors Boot Camp thread here on BC to get started reading. Good luck with it.

Not gone on the song to be honest. Great bass playing though.. reminds me a bit of Colin Hodgkinson for some reason

[quote name='jmesa' post='773711' date='Mar 13 2010, 04:49 PM']Mike is such a sick player. Wish I could play even half as good as that! Good on ya, mate[/quote] Yea.. excellent. Will certainly keep the YT heads busy for a while

Good song.. catchy too. Im not a huge fan of reverb myself but thats down to personal taste. Only noticed it out a bit towards the very end. Keep up the good work I say!! John

Jazz isnt my "thing" really but some excellent technique on that. Well done.

Once shared a lift with Michael Caine.. I didnt bother him with small-talk. Met Rory Gallagher in the Mean Fiddler bar in London, just the two of us in the place at either end of the bar. I couldnt resist wishing him well and saying how I loved his music, we shook hands I happen to know a famous Irish drummer but enough about that except he's a pure gent.

[quote name='AndyMartin' post='772213' date='Mar 11 2010, 10:35 PM']I've tried to get together a band to do it many times but I just can't get the musicians around here, even just a basic drums/bass/guitar/keyboards/vocals setup. What I want to do is 1970s funk/disco like Chic, Sister Sledge, Rose Royce etc. but I've found that drummers and guitarists in particular who are up to it are virtually impossible to find. Rock and Indie is so popular because it's relatively easy to play.[/quote] Correct and true.. same all over. If something is difficult most people just want the easy option so they stay in the ol comfort zone. Craptastic.

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Yes, by ear is best.. the more you do it, the easier it gets. Just another tip which hasnt been mentioned. For hearing the bassline a bit more clearly a good set of headphones really can help. Try it.