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Your guitarist is a better bass player than you!


Al Krow

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2 hours ago, Al Krow said:

It was just your post implied you had heard the originals band playing live and the guitarist was doing both the bass and guitar parts...but I guess you must have meant a recording, right?

Indeed. He's a bit odd but he's not an octopus. 

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5 hours ago, uk_lefty said:

Indeed. He's a bit odd but he's not an octopus. 

Or even a plectrum wielding octopus?

But given the bass playing talent of some of the canines on this thread, and the over-arching belief in the power of a decent haircut to win the hand of a maiden, nothing should really surprise us.

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I've had the good fortune not to be in bands where the guitarists have any great interest in bass, although one of the current band's guitarists is able to show me  a lick I haven't had problems with playing it (e.g. one time he showed me his simpler version of a line I was screwing up!)

One band I joined the guitarist/songwriter had written all the basslines already, very much in a Bruce Foxton style. My audition was him going through a whole load of them on guitar. I picked them all up I got the gig!

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I have played with a few guitarists who were capable bass players .

On occasion when we do an instrument swap for a bit of fun , they always play  with picks , plays lots of fancy fills and runs , and are always very pleased to hand the bass back after a song or two .  ( which is kind of reassuring for me ) 

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11 hours ago, Al Krow said:the over-arching belief in the power of a decent haircut to win the hand of a maiden, nothing should really surprise us.

Well if you think having a head like a burst couch is the way to a girls heart fair play to ya. Most young ladies I have had the pleasure of knowing like a man to be turned out nice like. 
  
 

 

Plus it was clearly a joke. Which seems to have gone right over some folks heads 

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Can't say i've ever really come across a guitarist that was a better bass player than me. I did know one guitarist that showed me how to play slap bass but that was all he was good at. That was back in my early days. 

Current guitarist did play bass in an Ozzy tribute band but he freely admits he's not a bassist. He did a great job with them tho.

Current drummer has stated i'm one of the best bass players he's ever played with and he's done a lot of serious touring including arena gigs. That was probably my best compliment over the years. 

Dave

 

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Mick Jones taught Paul Simonon the bass and Joe Strummer used to play Guns of Brixton live on the bass as Paul couldn’t sing and play bass.
On Rock the Casbah the bass line was put down by Topper Headon who could play almost anything  

I think in most bands there is usually one musician who is a real smart derrière

Jon

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1 hour ago, ubit said:

Well if you think having a head like a burst couch is the way to a girls heart fair play to ya. Most young ladies I have had the pleasure of knowing like a man to be turned out nice like. 

Plus it was clearly a joke. Which seems to have gone right over some folks heads 

Nah don't worry - I'm sure everyone realised you were trying to be funny.

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19 hours ago, Nail Soup said:

Exactly.

However good they are, they can't do something they wouldn't do. it's about having a diversity of minds involved.

However the best song writing partnership I've been in was with a guitarist whose guitar style was almost exactly the same as mine only loads better. He could take my guitar ideas and play them brilliantly first time and always seemed to get exactly what I was after. Never found that with another guitarist, they always struggle to get their heads around my guitar playing even when I think it is something really simple.

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56 minutes ago, ricksterphil said:

She's cute, that's for sure...and a good singer too!

I continue to refer you honourable (albeit age inappropriate - this is no longer the '50s/'60s even if the band is a '50s/'60s combo) gentlemen to my earlier post on the matter...😁

On 04/10/2020 at 11:40, Al Krow said:

Boys calm down - she's got a steady boyfriend now (it's not the guitarist) 😂

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I was in a jazz standards quintet playing EB with flats trying to sound like I knew what I was doing. The guitarist was a conservatory graduate who played classical, rock and jazz and had a good knowledge of all of these. He also was an excellent bass player and was usually first call for pit bands for local theatre groups and had written most of the bass lines I was supposed to play. They were very good but sometimes they were tough for me at the time and of course I made some terrible messes on some of his arrangements. This would be followed by a quick nasty look which made me even more nervous and sometimes at the end of a song he would say things like "what key were you playing in?" He was a full time guitar and bass teacher and I could have used the time in the band to learn a lot but he was so intimidating that I probably made more mistakes because of his attitude which meant I often kept the bass volume low(a dull thud) and just tried to get through the songs.

A dozen years on I am a much better player and just before the pandemic hit we talked about getting together to jam a bit, I feel much more competent now and I think it would be fun, maybe that will happen soon when things ease a bit.

Edited by Staggering on
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On 04/10/2020 at 11:40, Al Krow said:

Boys calm down - she's got a steady boyfriend now (it's not the guitarist) 😂

I have now watched your 2015 vid over three eight ten eleven times (sigh)

Edited by lownote12
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The first band I auditioned for had just recruited the guy that used to teach me bass.  He was their bass player and was moving onto rhythm guitar.  I got the gig based on my long hair and looks according to the vocalist, as my skills were considered 'adequate' at that point.  Every week, a day before rehearsals, I would have a bass lesson with the rhythm guitarist, this time it was for free.  By the end of the second month with the band, I was playing probably the tightest and most fluid I had ever played.  I still have his lesson notes and use them when I want to kill any bad habits and sloppy playing technique.  He was a real gem.

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52 minutes ago, lownote12 said:

I play unlined fretlesses for the same reason, now updated to the nuclear deterrent: 5 string unlined fretless. 

Portamento arrived I take it?! You liking it so far? 

Hopefully it will provide you with a distraction from further viewing of the OP 2015 Retros clip 😁

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5 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Portamento arrived I take it?! You liking it so far? 

Hopefully it will provide you with a distraction from further viewing of the OP 2015 Retros clip 😁

Nothing will distract me from her. Now, to which clip do you refer? Ah, that one.  I'd better watch it again just to check...

Edited by lownote12
Late onset dyslexia
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