OliverBlackman

Yeh, but if you're at a jam and the keys player says the tune is in Gb you don't want to have to think "that's the same as F#" because if you learn the scale thinking about both, you won't have to think when playing either.

Ready aim improvise is a popular choice book wise. Or if you like funk lines there is one that I had with loads of 4 bar patterns, can’t remember what it’s called though. Really though the ability to improvise comes from learning scales/ arpeggios (chord tones)/ and theory to a point where you no longer need to think about it. It’s hard work but makes a huge difference to the way you play music. You say you’re a pattern player, well everything is created from a scale/ chord so that’s a good place to start. Another idea is to copy something else in a song. So say the guitar, keys, horns, or strings, or even singer plays a line, you could copy some of that to the bass as a fill.

Only heard great things about Hamilton. I tried to get tickets before Christmas but it seems to be impossible!

What a great way to start playing bass. I seem to be working backwards through time and genres, and big bands are something I know less about.

Amazing, serves me right for being so impatient and not looking properly! Thanks for correcting.

A nice resource Ian, it I was looking for bass clef parts rather than the full arrangements. Guessing there aren’t many big band players on basschat?

I'm looking to practice my reading and walking lines and wondered if anyone had any big band charts they could share?

I was dismissing the reference to it being "nonsense". I don't actually like all things Jaco myself, although I can't actually play half of it.

He actually studied violin books which is where he claimed to find most of the harmonics from. Bassists were already tuning using harmonics before that anyway.

As I've not got much going on today I'll offer a thought. A common analogy for music is often that it is like a language. So, say someone is speaking Chinese and you don't understand it, does that make it nonsense? Of course not, if you learnt Chinese you would probably understand it. It can be argued that it is the same with music. If you learnt and enjoyed jazz vocabulary that is similar to those that influenced Jaco, the chances are you will then enjoy it because you can relate to it.

I would love a Ken Smith Black Tiger 5. Played one once and it was the most luxurious bass I've ever played, just perfection! This one was apparently at Bass Direct

Looks a little like a flamed Zebrano?

My 'Bass of Doom'. [attachment=255621:IMG_1370.jpg]

So nickels wear less than steels? I generally use steels so I had a set on the bass when I got it, but I was shocked at how quickly the board marked. Might be worth buying some nickels and tape wounds I guess and comparing?

I’ve played one and it was sublime. Not been a big fan of Musicman stingrays after having a 3eq one in the past, but this bass completely changed my opinion. The neck felt wonderfully smooth and the tone with everything flat was warm and punchy throughout. And they look stunning.

So I've got a nice fretless bass, and to protect the board I fitted it with TI flats. I had TI flats before and liked the lower tension compared to other flats. But on my P bass I have a similar aged set of Rotosound flats and they have so much more colour in tone than the TI's. Are there any other options that would have less tension that the Rotosound's, but still wouldn't mark the board, and have plenty of tone? I've heard of half-wounds and tape-wounds but never tried them. What's everyones experience?

For a few years rhythm was the weakest part of my playing, until a tutor showed me counting the subdivisions using “1e+a”. After a lot of work and repetition, my rhythmic pulse is now stronger than my harmonic knowledge. I don’t think anyone is not cut out for music, you just need the right tutor and to be inspired to play. Learning to read music is also a big part of learning rhythm.

Great coverage. He did a masterclass in 2009 in my first term at ACM and he was pretty similar to how he was here, although I think he might have been touring with VV Brown at that point. It's funny that during the masterclass I went to, he knew nothing about gear and was very bullish in his persona, a stark contrast to what we see in the YT vlog. Funnily enough these days, I find myself caring less about gear and more about transcribing and improvisation, so I wish his vlog covered more what he said in he masterclass as I'd appreciate it more now. Did you record any others? I wish it was something I had done, there were masterclasses from Ruphus Philpot, Laurence Cottle, and Gary Willis, all where I only remember bits.

Even on a fretted bass you should be placing your fingers just behind the fret, not in-between, to eliminate any potential buzz. It's the same on a fretless, play on the line and it's slightly sharp.

For the reason of closure, I thought I'd say I don't get anymore issues from this after practising a little bit a day for a week. Thanks for the advice all.

I think I've narrowed the issue down to not getting enough contact with the bottom of the finger on the G string, to to successfully play the root and the tenth with one finger. Especially when I add in the 5th using the 3rd or 4th finger, my index finger tends to lift up very slightly on the G string, trying to keep this down is causing the strain. Think to either stretch my fingers or make them porkier.

I've recently purchased Janek Gwizdala's new chord book, and while watching the video I noticed when he plays minor triads that he bars his first finger across the board so that he plays the minor third on the g string. Now this looks like an ideal way to play it, and he makes it look very easy, but when I try it I get tension in the left hand because I'm trying to fret the G string while avoiding muting the A string so I can play the 5th. Question: Has anyone else experienced this, and if I practice it regularly for short periods will it become relaxed eventually?

I heard mojo can improve tone by 20%! I've played probably around 10, and most of them have had the same sound quality. It's honky but there's lots of depth and warmth to it but still focussed unlike the 60's which are overly woolly for me. It's not necessarily just the ash and maple combo because the rosewood boards have a similar sound. I haven't found a single bass that can replicate it but the closest I've tried was the Sire V7 which has a 60's position and an alder body!

Got an Overwater fretless delivered last week, after what was quite a long build time. But it was worth it! What exceptional quality for not much more than the Fender standard Jaco bass. Plus I got extras like a matching headstock and flame maple top. It's a stunning looking bass and sounds just like a fretless jazz should.