ARGH

It really depends on the tune, though if its a tough line, it feels like a victory when I nail it.

Had a convo with a drummer mate of mine who finds a lot of work online with the odd weekend gig when her band was not playing, but I commented that there really isn't a lot of call for Bassists. Am I wrong? Am I not looking in the right place? If I am wrong, Where are they? What are theee skills that are demanded for Dep work...?

It's one of the best post Daisley Basslines, and deffo imho as distinctive as Phil Soussan's ..identity..errr...you can tell who it is.. type of line since a 'Shot in the dark'. Yes I know Inez does a really good job on No more tears, but without THAT line, on 'Perry Mason', played, like that, Like the Bob Daisley stuff, the tune would just fall apart. It's Bassplaying as it should be, as a rhythm section, not just a double of the guitars, with maybe a hint of a fill at a verses end.

Lessons... Not from some flashy 'Look at me slap' type or any of that "There are no wrong notes.." Wootenesque airy flim-flam. Get some solid education, and learn notation and the fingerboard. Jam with records, play out as much as you can... Join a band. Do not panic at your progress either, some days you feel massive breakthroughs, other times, it becomes a standstill, but trust me, YOU ARE GETTING BETTER. Learn slowly, not racing and using every piece of info off of Youtube, get solid, and take your time. The only other thing I can say is, re:musicians, admire, but do not imitate, steal by all means, but don't clone.

Soft spot for 'Perry Mason', the guitar solo section is brilliant, ALL of Dehumanizer is brutal... NIB, Hand of Doom, Hole in the Sky... Terry Geezer Butler just kicks arse.

Just realised I had not added mine... Formal... just over an hour 1-2-1 with Jeff Berlin. It was worth it! Informal... an Ex of mine taught me how to read a chord chart, also, another time, I learned when to walk away from a band/project... and changed my attitude to the world, conflict is for kids and idiots, you make the choice to stop being either! Another odd one was learning about reliability and gear.. the Tools for the job per se, as much as it's nice to have flash, custom, whatever in your hands, making the sound guys job an easy one helps sooo much, I've not changed the heart of my set up in over 20 years, and I mod a lot, but if it breaks, its a damn sight easier to get a replacement or repair to a Fender designed instrument, than something custom and flash, but I still carry and extra strap and soldering iron, mini-maglite to the big gigs.

Experience has taught me to not waste effort with anger, but always remember the result of the actions of others. Secondly, if a band has a long list of ex members, find the consistent one, and there you will find the problem. In time, you may be lucky and get an apology.

Yep, Div chancers msging me on a £500 instrument, 'I'll give you £160 cash and pick it up tomorrow yeah...' followed by them being ignored...then punters that aim high just to find the reserve and back out.... I haven't sold squat on eBay for years and the charges are fun, FB marketplace is worse for scammers mind...

Who has been your best tutor, the one person..or persons that gave you something that lasted, you may even still use what they taught to this day. It might even be a VHS/DVD, or YouTube vid, even a book. Secondly, in the latter part of the heading, what did you learn, by experience or discovery, by yourself?

IIRC 'bassist for ELO used one.

Used to go an hourish, one way for my first band that toured Europe.

One from a guitarist mate.... 30 odd years ago. Drummer auditions, we will call him 'Trev' Trev appears, unloads van, VERY nice high end Tama kit, plus cymbals...its the 80s, it looks awesome. Trev plays, Trev is good, looks right, nice guy, fits... Gets offered the job, accepts it on the spot... "This the rehearsal space yeah? I might as well leave my kit here, cases and that!!" Handshakes all round, "See you next week!!" Trev, is never heard or seen from again, various calls to his number, no responses, word put about the 'Scene', uncovers nothing, even when visiting other towns and cities, if the band members recall, they ask the locals...give a description, nothing and nobody matches. About 8 years go by, My mates band have, obviously found someone else, gigged around, and the rehearsal space is getting leveled for an office block or suchlike,their stuff needs clearing out. Trevs kit and gear gets sold for the new, bigger PA...

Bad Places.... Generally EVERYWHERE in central York ALWAYS has at least 3 flights of narrow stairs, and punters going up/down with no idea that "Excuse me, I need to get in that room,," is a polite way to say "MOVE..NOW!!! THIS CAB IS FU&K1NG HEAVY!!" There was a venue in Southampton that was on multi levels to just get to the stage, I think it was called the Crow or something, upstairs, Across, Down stairs, through a room, Up more stairs, hard turn through narrow doorway...stage in corner. Bradford town center can be a pig, and Chichester one way was annoying. I thank the sky for Google maps, as Manchester and Liverpool centers can be a nightmare. I drive a classic so ULEZ is not a problem, but for others it is a rip off expense. I still feel its rather strange that some club venues put the performance room on the floor above, and moan like Hell that they can hear "...Vibrations" downstairs. I still feel a bigger curse are BAD soundpersons, but that's for another thread.

Have to agree a bit, fashions aside, the big 4 survived, Anthrax probably dipping in sales the most, Slayer surviving on their reputation and live concerts, Megadeth like Tallica had a great back catalogue. Yet like everything in the music industry, the tastes and styles changed, they were the last stadium/Arena filling, extreme metal (Few remember how far out Thrash was until the 90s) bands until, Slipknot. Sadly the heavier bands that came afterwards at the time never broke through (Morbid Angel tried) and most of those bands have regular seasonal jobs (One thing a lot of people forget, or do not want to admit, about metal bands, day jobs). I don't think anyone in Death, Grind or Black metal, regardless of where it came from sold a million on one release, the big 4 did. The second league bands still exist, and still can do a club tour (Testament being the largest) but it's a hobby really.

I watched this a few times over the years and it is car crash, but the redeeming thing for me is the 'Dave' meeting, if only for the line when Dave says "I wish James was here...(Pause)...I wish Cliff was here.." That bit hit hard.

Same venue, few months later.... utterly smashed lass knocks over an entire PA stack stage right, then some ar5e think's its a laugh to steal vocalists radio mic, during audience participation bit... Venue has closed now.

Only in Drummers

Watch a few of the Jeff Berlin Short vids on Youtube. He is blunt. Take lessons, don't bother with flash technique, and learn MUSIC, if you actually want to improve, reading, taking musical lessons, and listening, will improve your playing END OF. String numbers do not matter, Tab only teaches how to play a piece in the position it's written in, and that is often an incorrect transcription anyhow...

SH1tFACED of Barnsley... staggers and kills the floor and starts getting monk on when we (Band) don't know a Gareth Gates song. I believe he fell down a flight of stairs afterwards.

Naaa I’m talking the really far out 8,9,10+ string instruments… Dzrod, Conklin, Bee etc Stew McKinsey, Trip Walmsley, Jean Baudin pioneering the big boards. I recall that Les playing a fretless 6 in 91 was really brave, now it’s kind of, ok, nothing too far out.

00s ? Elixir strings... ERBs appeared, and established, through much flame and hate from rancid small minded traditionalists. Most string manufacturers offer +.175 guage strings to supply a need for F sharp or lower tunings, in extended scales. due to the above. The 35" scale on 5 and 6 string basses, because Scale affects tone. (I was right) Musicman Bongo and Sub models...they were everywhere at one point Warwick stopped with the heavy grain Wenge necks Ashdown and Hartke REALLY pushed their amps in ads (Larrys Daughter tried being a model and annoyed the crap out of everyone with her spamming) MarkBass... They appeared... Seymour Duncan started up a retro vintage line or the Ultra in your face, Biggo magnet. Basslines range Line6 Bass and Guitar Pods... At the twilight of the decade Gary Novak's (Novax) fanned fret global patent ended and they started turning up on other makes, rather than exclusive to Curbow. Emett Chapman was exposed to be the douche people said he was. and thus we have/had the Megatar and Warr (TLDR: He tried to state that he invented 'Tapstyle' playing, He did not and lost in court) The Curt Cobain worship stopped around 2006 and people began to want to play lead solos again and didn't sneer at actually having ability and technique Thanks, I now feel old.

Still the only Band and musician that looked and sounded EXACTLY as I thought they would in the flesh,live. Pete's 'Sizzle' sound (as he called it) was from him customizing his cabs with loads of bullet tweeters

Deeply considering it, the only worry is string supply....But rather like a chorus pedal, once you start using it, it tends to confine your sound, possibly almost becoming a gimmick... I've been offered a 12 (a Dean) and an Ibanez 8. question is, do I really need them, as I prefer my Fenders as they are modified and so versatile.

When is ill, too ill...?

Within 11 months, It paid 40% of the down payment for the Mortgage for the house I sit in now...