scalpy

Not me but my mum. She was at dartington college in the late sixties. A nice Indian gentleman used to give her a lift home in his white rolls Royce. She later realised this was Ravi Shankar. She then went to the guildhall and used to hang around this dingy jazz club. She got chatting to this nice couple, very unusual for the time she thought, one of them was black and the other white. Cleo lane and Jonny dankworth at Ronnie Scott's. Clueless!

Dance week indeed!

Being band less for a while I found a pub rock covers band in the deepest darkest depths of the Forest of Dean. They were nice guys and played well but they hadn't completely decided on dropping their friend as a bassist, so he'd come to watch rehearsals whilst they told them that's how it should be done, which made me look a right pratt. And after a few rehearsals conversation was starting to dry up and there wasn't a lot of common ground, so in an effort to keep things moving I pointed to one the guitarists many amplifiers (they rehearsed in his basement) saying 'I used to have an HH amp a bit like that'. He said 'You'll never guess who that belonged to?' I really couldn't think of a band who did, so he told me. 'Fred West' Did one gig with them.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fpvA3Jfzcjw You may have already seen this but it's great, I think. What Scott doesn't explain though is Joe's tone, which slightly hot to me but I can't work of its gain or compression.

Vernon and Doug: an hour to basically scratch the surface. Interviewer: what did you use with Jimi? Billy Cox: Marshalls.

The only bass I own....

I love that clip! Master songsmith, performer and player.

If you have an Apple device get the iReal Pro app. £10 but thousands of standards and it plays them in the key you want, with tolerable genre impressions. Edit: whoops- coffee hasn't kicked in, missed this point in above post.

The tunes will look easy but they whip by, and because they are so reliant on D G A it can take a bit of concentration to keep your place. Then, when you least expect, when you're just starting to look up and watch the bridesmaids, there will a Bm and it will be- the hardest chord in the world!!!

Got to admit the aesthetics of Aguilar cabs did sway my current choice and I was very keen to have tweed too. So yes the looks are important to me, but I've got to say that purchasing those cabs has made my work go up threefold. Firstly, it really helps with trying to look professional (emphasis on trying!) secondly, clients aren't bricking it like they used to when I heaved in a 410. They'd assume it was too loud before I plugged in.

The only bass I own! (G&L ASAT)

Orchestral players often say it's better to play a wrong note in time rather than a right note out of time. And whilst you can never underestimate harmonic knowledge and especially a capacity to work around primary chords, having a good rhythmic vocabulary is just a important. So like a drummer learns stock grooves, (the drumeo YouTube channel is excellent for demonstrating these) it's worth spending time learning the standard rhythmic patterns associated with certain genres. So you might start with straight 8ths for run of the mill pop and rock, then learn to accent common groupings, 3+3+2 maybe, then accenting the 4+ in the first part of a two bar phrase, and expand from there. It's dead easy now to get a drum machine app and program different kick drum patterns to lock in with. If you internalise these rhythms through consistent practice you can free up brain space when playing with others and enjoy playing music!

Happy Jack's video has been super useful for me, use a selection for it before any lengthy practice/rehearsal/gig. No issues since, thank you Mr Jack.

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1459801951' post='3019882'] I like his playing but I'd have to hear him playing jazz on a little Gretsch kit before I'd let him join my band With brushes! [/quote] In a modern drummer magazine back in the 80s/90s there was a story about Zep being on the same bill as James Brown. Apparently Bonzo sat down with the various drummers in the group and goes 'you play like this' to Clyde Stubblefield, and 'you play like this' to Jabo Starks, impressing them suitably. I do admit I've not heard this story repeated anyway else. There are numerous accounts of him buying a toy kit for his son Jason when he was small and demonstrating how to drum on it, and sounding pretty much as dynamic and huge as he was on his regular kit. He had such an ear and touch for rhythm that I don't doubt tiny jazz kit and brushes would be far out of his reach.

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1459811029' post='3019997'] Marcus Miller with Luther. No over playing, perfect slap bass to give the record some edge and that what Luther wanted. .its not complicated and thats whats so great about his playing on tis masterpiece of a soul record.. his playing on this record is just WOW. Iconic bass line. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNj9bXKGOiI [/quote] Ready for the luvvie darling anecdote?! A friend of mine engineered one of the Luther/ Marcus records at AIR Montserrat. It's intimidating enough recording with this guy but when he's just told a story about what he and Marcus got up to with a sampler and a Caribbean cleaning lady at 6am it's very hard to lay down the perfect take.

My dad played Eb clarinet for the national youth wind orchestra and also played bass and guitar. Started me on all three, but the clarinet didn't stick. My mum went to dartington and the guildhall and triple majored in voice, piano and conducting. Whilst she was at college this funny Indian guy used to give her lift home in his rolls Royce. Turned out to be Ravi Shankar. They always talked about great musicians like Demi-gods and I just had to be involved.

Nice touch about the handles.

Ditto on the not knowing about the football. We had a gig last night and the game was put on after our soundcheck. Just got this sinking feeling knowing that the first half at least was going to be hard work and then just hoping people would stick around after the 'sport' finished. Plus there's the issue of slightly more drunk punters than usual being a little more testosterone-y than typical as well.

[quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1459010079' post='3012843'] It's a toe curling moment for me, whether I'm a part of the audience or as a band member. I just hate it. [/quote] This

Really enjoyed that.

I play with one guy who thinks he's quite the raconteur. He isn't. Sometimes I wish he didn't do any 'showmanship' as the rest of the band stand there for what can be minutes at a time whilst he mumbles about himself and saying 'please enjoy' before every number.

They gave us Buena Vista Social Club, we giving them the Stones. Fair swop?

Oh my word geek heaven. Thank you. All probably knocked out in an afternoon between 4 others calls as well.

+1 for bjork. I've always found I pay more attention to the lyrics with female singers. Janis Joplin and Aretha Franklin have to be on my list. Favourite male singer, despite the fact he launched Mustang Sally on the world: Wilson Pickett.