Earbrass

In my view Jools Holland is a serial offender in this department. He will often play boogie-woogie left hand parts even when playing with a band. It seems to me that the whole point of the boogie-woogie left hand is to simulate a "chugging" band rhythm section, and as such is essentially a solo piano style. If anyone listened to the recent memorial show/concert for Humphrey Lyttelton R4, they will have heard Jools ruin the classic "Bad Penny Blues" by doing just this, and muddying up the bass.

[quote name='markstuk' post='990985' date='Oct 17 2010, 11:35 AM']I prefer 88 note keyboards but be aware they don't fit across the back seat of most cars.... I move my Motif ES8 around in a road ready flightcase, the combination makes moving bass gear around seem easy :-)[/quote] I find a 76-note keyboard a good compromise - you very rarely miss the extra few notes, but the portability is considerably improved.

[quote name='Stingray5' post='982256' date='Oct 9 2010, 03:24 AM']Meanwhile, here's a touch of the remastered video of Yes at QPR football ground. Patrick Moraz on keys; Squire on that Jazz bass again (at least for this number). Spot the...er...deliberate mistake!?! A great gig, nonetheless - I have to say that 'cos I was there. Yes - Yours Is No Disgrace (QPR 1975) [/quote] I was there too! Great gig. That month (May 75) I saw Yes at QPR, Led Zep at Earls Court and Rick Wakeman somewhere or other (Wembly Empire Pool (now the Arena)?? Heady days for a music-obsessed 15 year-old.

On the whole I have no time for them, but I do like West Side Story, and the Brecht/Weill stuff, and Guys and Dolls. I also love the "Trouble in River City" number from "The Music Man" ( the inspiration for the "Monorail" number in the Simpsons episode). Actually, now I come to think about it, I part-wrote one once - a truly awful musical adaptation of Aristophanes' Lysistrata. Quite proud of the libretto, but the music was average to poor and the production as a whole was pretty dire. For those who don't know, it's all about the women of Athens going on a sex-strike to try to force their menfolk to end the Peloponnesian War with Sparta. The humour is extremely broad, and the production featured HUGE dildos in several scenes. One evening, a couple turned up with their young kids, and the director had to have a quiet word to warn them about the content. They stayed, though, and seemed to enjoy themselves.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='990267' date='Oct 16 2010, 02:52 PM']FTR I am a bloke and I am straight, I just got the hunky homos avatar recently to balance out all the airhead bimbo avatars.[/quote] Respect! I didn't know you had done this, as I have avatars switched off specifically to avoid the saddo girly pix, and was actually considering doing the same myself, but typically never got round to it.

Not sure about the bass, but I like the band (link provided in ad): [url="http://www.myspace.com/bofanost"]http://www.myspace.com/bofanost[/url]

[quote name='lanark' post='987838' date='Oct 14 2010, 11:10 AM']I don't know how The Watersons, Yo Yo Ma, Nouvelle Vague and The Beatles ever live with themselves for playing other peoples' music. ... Do you include folk bands, symphony orchestras, opera companies, jazz bands, ...?[/quote] For me, there is a big difference between playing music written by someone else, and slavishly trying to copy a particular famous recorded version of a song or piece of music. You don't find many folk groups, symphony orchestras or jazz bands doing the latter - not the ones worth their salt anyway. It seems to be primarily a pop / rock phenomenon. I can see why people would want to do it, though; if performing is what you really love, it's probably the easiest way to perform music in front of an appreciative audience of decent size. It doesn't appeal to me, but each to his own, I say.

[quote name='Bassassin' post='985986' date='Oct 12 2010, 05:52 PM']I write with a singer and sometimes she'll give me completed lyrics & melody and some ideas of style, tempo & feel. To be honest that's easier for me,[/quote] For similar reasons, I used to find it much easier to compose for theatre and film than I do now to write a piece from scratch. With a film or theatre cue, you're always aware that the music has to perform a specific job, and you've already got a length, and a mood, or other instructions from the director, to start from. That and the fact that there was ALWAYS a tight deadline made it much easier to come up with something than it is now when I just have a blank sheet of paper, so to speak, and all the time in the world. I think it was the great songwriter Sammy Cahn who, when asked which came first, the words or the music, replied "The phone call, always the phone call".

A good knowledge of harmony is a great help when it comes to stitching bits of melody and riffs together to make a whole song; understanding the implied harmonies in a melody-line may suggest where it should go next, and understanding what chord patterns go well with others helps when trying to sort the whole thing into a manageable shape, adding a middle 8 or other linking passages etc. In my experience / opinion obviously.

[quote name='bubinga5' post='982996' date='Oct 10 2010, 12:26 AM']blah blah blah... still find this music naff..?[/quote] Yup. Totally naff. Be boring if we all liked the same stuff, though, wouldn't it?

Looks too heavy to me.

Thanks for posting that. Never been a Genesis fan, for some reason, not sure why since I love a lot of other prog bands (Crimson, Yes, Gong, Soft Machine, Henry Cow etc), but I love JW's playing and really enjoyed this.

Ditch the bass, and take up the didge and wobble-board?

Played two gigs in the last few days. First was the Rhythm Factory in Aldgate, last Thursday. Good stage, PA and monitors, lights and soundman....but we were first on and only 4 of our mates showed up to watch. We really enjoyed playing, though, and it warmed us up for Saturday, when we played the Birds Nest in Deptford. This pub is also a hostel of some kind, I believe, so there's always a good few people there. We had a few friends in as well, and two or three got up and danced in the limited space in front of the stage. Everyone was very friendly, and I got complimented on my playing, and my choice of T-shirt, by the bassist from the band who went on after us. It's only about a mile and a half from where I live, and I was home by ten. Result!

[quote name='Sonic_Groove' post='977322' date='Oct 4 2010, 04:33 PM']Erm because he [b]could not[/b] stand-up (or sit-up in chair)...[/quote] "You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on." - Dean Martin.

[quote name='Lord Sausage' post='969141' date='Sep 27 2010, 09:19 AM']Is it me or are there never any decent combos for sale on here! Just Rigs and cabs. I've got a rig. What i need is a decent combo for playing pubs with just backline and vocal PA. Can't be arsed carting my rig about![/quote] So when DO you use your rig? I would have thought that a pub gig without PA support is one of the most demanding jobs that backline amplification is asked to perform; surely for bigger gigs, you'd have a proper PA, so backline would be just for stage monitoring. Or am I missing something?

Just listening to the music out of interest - really like it. Very Tom Waits. Good luck with it Clarky.

[quote name='cheddatom' post='969261' date='Sep 27 2010, 11:10 AM']If I got turned down for a band just because of the bass i'd played I would be well pissed off.[/quote] But then again you'd have had a lucky escape. You might not have found out they were idiots until after you'd joined.

[quote name='maxrossell' post='969249' date='Sep 27 2010, 10:57 AM']What's the latest bit of gear you got[/quote] New jack socket for my Peavey Milestone III. This is the only bass-related purchase I've made for a year or two. [quote name='maxrossell' post='969249' date='Sep 27 2010, 10:57 AM']why did you get it and what did you pay/trade for it?[/quote] Playing 2 gigs this week and the old one was loose and crackly. Want to feel confident that it won't let me down. (I don't do the "backup bass" thing). Paid £20 to the Gallery, for parts and labour. (I can't solder for toffee). [quote name='maxrossell' post='969249' date='Sep 27 2010, 10:57 AM']And crucially, was it worth it, or are you a bit disappointed?[/quote] Money well spent. Feeling totally comfortable with the bass again. Many things may yet go horribly wrong this week (worst ever band practice yesterday, kit share still to be agreed for gig on Thursday, no idea how we're going to be able to get gear to the venue as its a parking and traffic black-spot, etc etc), but I'd be very surprised if the jack socket is one of them.

[quote name='observer' post='966448' date='Sep 24 2010, 10:08 AM']Of course attachment is not my band poster [/quote] Pity. Delivering Quality, Convenience and Value was a seminal album. The Larder were never as good after that, imho.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='965588' date='Sep 23 2010, 01:46 PM']This thread and others like it remind me of this: [/quote] So true.

My bass has 4 strings, JJ pickups with 2 vols pots and one tone, 20 frets, Jazz-dimension neck and it is passive. I'd never call it a jazz bass, though, because it isn't jazz shaped. I might say it was [b]like[/b] a jazz bass, if asked to describe its feel and tone (and I used to own a Fender Jazz, so I have some point of comparison). [attachment=59411:Ms3R.jpg]