BottomE

A room full of slappers sounds like fun But seriously - a room full of anything loud and disjointed is gonna sound crap. Bass, keys, horns - fill a room full of people playing loud unrelated music and it is going to be aurally challenging. The secret has to be to apply a technique that best suits the song.

[b]Cover band[/b] Pubs 2 x 45 minutes and a max of 2 encores - always leave them wanting more Functions weddings corporate stuff - 2 x 1 hour [b] Originals band[/b] 1 x hour set + encore if needed

[quote name='deaver' post='1158382' date='Mar 11 2011, 06:13 PM']Shaftesbury Christian Centre, last years thread here [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=85532&hl=dorset+bass+bash"]Dorset Bass Bash I[/url][/quote] Thanks - i am well up for it. I can bring the stuff in my sig plus a Sadowsky DI/PreAmp and an EBS Multicomp Compressor. A chance for you guys to see how a bass should be built talking about the Hamer of course

[quote name='Dom in Somerset' post='1158367' date='Mar 11 2011, 06:04 PM']I've got a busy year ahead but if I'll be there if I can. To anyone who is undecided about going: Last years event was great, a simple formular : a bunch of bass players get together in a church hall, compare instruments amps , try stuff out, drink tea. If you were thinking "what would a P bass with flats sound like through an Ashdown speaker and a Trace Elliot head?" then it's the place you are most likely to get thye chance to find out.[/quote] where was it last held?

I don't like to be overtly negative about someone elses playing/music as it is something personal to them - i will either leave a positive comment or not at all. Some people will react well to constructive criticism and others not. I am not in the business of being a Simon Cowell and don't want to judge others. As long as THEY are happy with what they are doing then fine and dandy by me. For me, i am never happy with what i am doing so posting my playing and expecting great comments would be stupid as i wouldn't believe it because i am pretty hard on myself anyway. I am my own worst critic - i don't need you lot gangingup on me as well

[quote name='cocco' post='1157265' date='Mar 10 2011, 09:31 PM']Anyone got any more experience of the 1100s? I'm quite taken by it[/quote] Yep - had one for 25 years - bought new in 1984 for over £400! They were not cheap basses. I used this bass a lot and did thousands of gigs with it. Built like a tank and was in fab condition when i sold it. Never ever let me down. Active and Passive, great hardware, nice balance. Medium neck i would say and a bass that was loved by engineers in studios for some reason. For £250 its a steal.

[quote name='oldslapper' post='1157122' date='Mar 10 2011, 08:11 PM']As title. Happy to arrange another, same venue. But a bit more notice means I can get some more "trade" support. Probably be June/July. However, if someone else wants to sort a gathering out within 1 hours drive from me, I'll be there.[/quote] Count me in - i can try and support if you like? I have some contacts in music shops and venues around Bournemouth and Poole.

Lullaby of Birdland - George Shearing

[quote name='Lozz196' post='1157025' date='Mar 10 2011, 06:29 PM']Agree, Squiers VM range is reputed to be very good. However this is a hellofalot of bass for the money: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=112782"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=112782[/url][/quote] +1 Also played jazz funk and i had one of these basses as my first ever "proper bass" in 1984. It was over £400 new then! It lasted me 25 years and never ever let me down. It still works fine and is owned by another Basschatter who is very happy with it. These are very high quality instruments.

[quote name='silddx' post='1156830' date='Mar 10 2011, 04:37 PM']Don't we have enough people skills to do that?[/quote] hmmm

Bump on the Hamer build

[quote name='chris_b' post='1156793' date='Mar 10 2011, 04:21 PM']Errr.....[/quote] classic

Here is Kiki Dee and her backing singers (me snuck in the middle) [attachment=74393:kikidee.jpg] Can't remember why i looked so pleased with myself... [attachment=74394:pleased_with_self.jpg]

This thread has still got legs i see... I have been thinking about this today and wanted to share our experience. I am doing this because it seems from previous posts that its neccessary to be in one camp on this argument - you are either for cover/tribute bands or against them. There is a 3rd way perhaps... My main current band started as an originals band playing a genre that was never going to get a shed load of gigs locally. We decided to have an alter-ego cover band so that we could earn money to keep the pro players happy and also funnel a percentage back into the originals project. 4 years later we have the original members still playing and have reached (i think) a decent balance. We don't think less of the cover band gigs we do - we still put a lot of effort into them. We still put a lot of effort into writing and recording original material too. Gigs - we do functions, corporate stuff, weddings, nightclubs with the cover band and earn good money without having to travel too far. For the original band we do support slots and a completely different circuit - normally for little or no money and travel a lot further. The cover band has really helped us (IMHO) be a better originals band in many ways and kept everyone interested.

[quote name='lojo' post='1153024' date='Mar 7 2011, 09:15 PM']This is indeed a mad debate[/quote] +1 to that. Anyone who gets up in front of an audience and gives it their best is ok by me. Its down to each of us if we like it or not. Would i go and see a tribute band? No. Does that make them rubbish? No. This genre is feeding a particular slice of the market.

(i am such a luddite)

Did a session on Wave FM last night - medium sized station on 105 down here in the southern delta. Singer and guitarist did acoustic versions of a couple of tracks and then interview. It was really cool and we got a lot of feedback and hits on the websites already!

[quote name='JPS' post='1152564' date='Mar 7 2011, 03:09 PM']My next question is why do you practise scales? Is it for increased dexterity, greater knowledge of the fretboard, as a source of musical ideas for improvisation/solos etc? Is it essential to practise them i.e. if you don't improvise or solo etc?[/quote] A knowledge of scales is fundamental to almost everything you do musically if you want to do more than play root notes. Its the equivalent of being able to trap and pass a ball to use a football analogy. Regular practice will speed you up on the fretboard and provide you with a set of notes ready for creating bass lines. Pick the 1st 3rd and 5th/7th from the scale and you will be playing chords! Scales are your friend. I do find it a bit annoying that there are so many ways of describing the same scale. I was once asked to play some exotic sounding scale over a chord (can't remember what it was called) - i said "ooh i don't know that one" only to find out that i did but i just wasn't familiar with that particular term. IMHO it IS essential to practice them. Great for warming up before you start grooving. 10 minutes on the note trainer - 20 minutes of scales and then go for it.

Just started working on Love Foolosophy - a Jamiroquai track. Good fun bass line - quite disco in places and some very odd timing on some pull offs way up the neck. Damn, the songs even got a bass chord in it innit... The guy who did the original line is a tasty player IMHO.

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='1150913' date='Mar 5 2011, 08:14 PM']Mark Adams had the hugest bass tone of all the 70s and 80s funk players. For anyone that's never heard of him, please check him out. Monster player.[/quote] This guy has totally escaped my radar. I am on it.

Depends on the gig really. If its small pub then its tshirt (classy one) and jeans. Bigger venues tend to get the whistle out and shine the shoes as i think its worth the effort. [url="http://www.myspace.com/thegoodfootband/photos/albums/dumafoot/1948306#mssrc=SitesPhotos_SP_AlbumCover_ViewAlbum"]Various band shots[/url]

[quote name='MrRatty' post='1150525' date='Mar 5 2011, 01:26 PM']Thanks for the suggestion John - I'll look out for something in my area.[/quote] There are some blues jams around locally. I think they are called Stans Jams [url="http://www.myspace.com/stansbluesjam"]Blues Jam[/url] Good starting point maybe?

For me it was about overcoming the brick wall i hit when i realised that i wasn't learning anything new on bass. I was recycling the same licks and patterns with no idea really of where to go next. Everything was starting on the root note. Accepting that i needed to learn theory was harder than the theory itself. What i do now is build theory into my practice sessions. Nothing "heavy" - a nice slow progression in learning that i try to make relevant to any songs that i am working on at the time. It then becomes extremely useful I am no way a good technical musician yet (still average over 2 seconds on the note trainer ) but i am really glad i am on the road to becoming one and enjoying the journey.