BottomE

I am just happy that Discreet has reappeared! And is already admiring somebodys "equipment". (s'ok fellas we used to have this kind of Carry On thing going on.) coat and gone...

Pay your money and take your choice. £50 seems like scant reward for the effort but it might lead to more gigs or you might meet someone in the band which will lead to something else. Sometimes you need to speculate to accumulate...

One song thats getting a bit of love from me at the moment is Michael Jackson PYT. When it was suggested for the set i secretly didn't want it to work but actually it sounded great. Something about it that gels with our lineup and just works.

Oh yes lick away. It doesn't matter how you accumulate your language - just use it tastefully. One of many tools.

[quote name='crez5150' timestamp='1349688300' post='1829004'] A lot of the tunes we play (Disco genre) are originally big production numbers with lots of backing box. The lead vox is backed up by myself and the guitarist... but then we drop in further vox to give a much bigger/thicker spread. [/quote] I guess if you are trying to copy the original one of these might be a useful tool - if only it sounded nice. Even then it just winds me up in an old git kind of illogical way I'd prefer to hear a band use their own abilities and play tunes that sound good with the lineup that they have.

Wedding in posh hotel last night. The band had the library as the band room so we played a bit of the "upstairs downstairs" innuendo game. Gig was ok - not banging but the cheese board was spectacular. Jugwatch was only at about 5/10 unfortunately - can't win 'em all i guess. Friday night was a local upmarket bar and was fair to middling. I think we need some new material as i don't think the energy levels are happening as they were and this will start to transmit to the audience if we are not careful.

I have only heard two of these machines. They sounded terrible in isolation and very robotic when incorporated into the mix. I'd rather not have backing vocals than use one of these based on my limited experience.

Its just about to start. Quick coffee and then off to play some funk after a set by a guy called Jazz Ellington. Massive PA sound checked earlier today - huge sound. My soundcheck (bass) took about 1 minute whereas all the others take ages! What gives? Can't they hear stuff

[quote name='Ashwood1985' timestamp='1348920818' post='1819774'] Regarding us all giving and recieving advice on how to mute unwanted sound and play fluidly at the same time, I think it's important to communicate and take note of the physical attributes of each persons hands. To give or receive advice without establishing an understanding if each others hands are similar could be very problematic! :-/ [/quote] Yes, use the technique that you are comfortable with. There is no right or wrong answer. I use different right hand styles depending on what i want to achieve in the song.

[quote name='aj5string' timestamp='1348856882' post='1819266'] It did cross my mind :-) I got him to leave it in my office - for safety obviously - and explained that I would play on it during the day! [/quote] Nice story. Makes you think of all those beautiful basses tucked away somewhere never seeing the light of day (well it does me anyway)

Hiya Jon I'll never moan again after looking at the effort you must have to make to do the gig with your 3 piece. And I never use the term "guitard" as some of my very favourite players are guitarists. Welcome and good luck on your amp search. Jerry

The answer is both. I have found that over the years the right hand just does what it wants. I mean that i can't remember ever choosing one technique over another - it seems to have its own little brain that decides these matters. Funny thing is is that if i sit down and look at what my right hand is doing it freaks me out a bit. I have found the best policy is to trust that it knows what to do.

[quote name='lowdowner' timestamp='1348690820' post='1817059'] Bass guitar players are (according to the stereotype) intelligent, introverted, deep thinkers, that don't make eye contact and prefer the dark to the light (night to the day). What do you reckon - do you fit this stereotype. Do you think there *are* any common behaviours/character-traits for bass players or is it all bunkum? [/quote] I hate stereotyping. The people that tend do it are all the same.

[quote name='WalMan' timestamp='1348678637' post='1816876'] I don't know, but perhaps I should give my next holiday destination some better thought [/quote] Most of the Med is saturated by this type of thing unfortunately. USA has some great music cities. France has some really good open air gigs in the summer.

Great funk night down in Bournemouth on Wednesdays evenings. Its actually funky jazz and there are some great players in the house band. Jason Rebello features regularly. Look at FNUK, Bournemouth, Wednesday nights.

Just having a bit of a jam on a Hamer Cruise Bass - now with Lollar PuPs. I am going over last nights rehearsal tunes that we will be playing on Saturday night. 3 new tunes, one featuring a favourite bass player of mine, Bernard Edwards. To steal from Freddie, "Don't stop me now, i'm bla bla" Cya

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1348586218' post='1815588'] I have this vision of Bottom E coming on stage and unplugging Rush on their next tour because they have gone beyond his guidelines of acceptable levels of samples and pre-recorded triggered bits [/quote] Yeah watch out Geddy with your cheating foot pedal bass synth thing, and you Alex with all those effects and delays. Neal might be ok until he triggers a sample and then i'd have to chin him.

[quote name='Mr Bassman' timestamp='1348591748' post='1815691'] The first clue is that it is / was "L" shaped [/quote] A Rickenbacker?

Scales and chord tones are your palette. Choosing how to apply them is the magic bit. As always try to serve the composition.

I don't think its limited to the Canary Islands. There are plenty of insipid duos around this way too. There may be a case for taking some kind of legal action against the venue when the acts are described as "Live Music". Some of these duos must be using about 80% tapes/midi files and actually playing only 20% of what you can hear. Maybe a trading standards issue? Fasle description? Not fit for purpose. That said, I'd rather concentrate on fine tuning our show and set list.

I like the one that goes Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Thing is - if you get into/form a decent band that plays music people want to hear you will always get gigs. I think this has always been the case. If you are in it for the money this is even more appropriate. When i hear of bands that are finding trouble getting gigs its normally because they don't recognise what they are doing wrong - its easier to blame landlords, duos or the price of cheese than actually take a look at what they are doing. I'll leave you with this from Wiki... "A duo still performs under the name of Black Lace, but neither current band member was in the group when it was formed or when it enjoyed its biggest chart success" Now thats depressing.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1348568847' post='1815214'] What gets me is that, if you make the observation that the food at, say, a Hungry Horse pub is nowhere near the standard of the stuff you get at a good restaraunt, no-one struggles with the idea but, where music is concerned, people will swallow any old s*** and be grateful I guess its a case of give them the cheapest muck you can get away with. For those who recognise when they are being fed yesterdays leftovers, its a real bummer. [/quote] But thats why there is an obesity epidemic. People are quite happy consuming sh*t.

He seems to be a top bloke - what a great story.

Local festival in the rain and me "backstage" with Kiki Dee and her backing singers