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Off topic, but it’s the other way round. Reading as no use other than communicating musical ideas. Music theory is the building blocks of composition. You could know a key signature on the fretboard without knowing it on a stave and get through a tune. If you can read the stave but have no idea where it relates to on the fretboard, you’re screwed.

Yes, it is! That's why A -> C natural -> E will sound better under an A minor chord

I respectfully disagree - IMHO 'Music theory' is everything from knowing note names to knowing when, why and how to substitute a Subdominant for a Neapolitan Second chord and everything inbetween.

Cleaning is Mrs Lurks hobby, so I don’t mind contributing to cause 😁

No, I am talking about the 'academic' Music Theory examinations held by the ABRSM. You're talking about what people just happen to know. Two completely different things. Oh, and A - C# - E is an A Major Chord in Root Position.

Cut Off My Right Arm — Johnny Copeland Listen out for an absolute honker of a bumnote on the bass at 1:19

Not necessarily - 'Music theory' means knowing which notes to play over under which chords - A -> C natural -> E will (generally) sound better under an A minor chord than A -> C# -> E for instance, even if you couldn't read them on a score. You all know some scales and triads, even if you don't know that you know them!

Great song that i once played in a band. Had another great song we did that i just loved the bass part. Let It Roll by Little Feat if you fancy giving it a try Rob. Lot going on in the song with horns, guitars and keys and i found it hard making out the bass part. Dave

Sounds good with a passive bass à la P-Bass, way too nasal for other basses and never try a fretless with it : all the cats will leave the neighbourhood. I had 3 or 4 over the years, including a brand new one when it was released, but always ended up selling them because of that nasal tone, and the weight too, especially nowadays.

Au contraire. The Music Theory should work along with the Sight Reading. If you don't know how key signatures, time signatures, rhythms and chord progressions work, all you'd be able to read would be seven basic notes. Yes, the ABRSM Grade 5 theory is vastly more useful than an 'O'Level (or GCSE) in Music, but any teacher worth their salt will teach some theory as you go along with lessons, otherwise you'll be left with large gaps in your knowledge. If you had no reading ability whatsoever, music theory would be utterly meaningless.

Indeed. Many moons ago, I helped out a youth orchestra based in West Sussex. The man behind it was the head of music in the County. He was a cellist and could read anything put in front of him, faultlessly. One day I was noodling on an upright bass and asked what I was playing. I just said I was just improvising something and he was completely stunned that I could do that. A weird situation in which each of us was in awe of the other.

Gary bought a preamp off me. All good, straightforward transaction and good comms throughout. cheers John

I thought about getting a double bass, but what with the price of Mr Sheen / Pledge these days I’m not sure I can afford the upkeep. ☹️

It seems strange to me to see so many taking 'Music Theory' to be reading, or even sight-reading..! Although connected, one may be very proficient in theory without being able to read any notation whatever. I would suggest, even, that some knowledge of theory would be far more useful than reading (although both are Good, obviously...).

Listing all your past basses is an interesting exercise. We really do run in trends - I've owned 19 Fender basses over the years.

Bit of fun that someone was asking for on one of the Facebook bass transcription forums. This is the complete Mel Schacher performance on the tune 'Some Kind Of Wonderful' from the 1974 Grand Funk Railroad album, 'All The Girls In The World Beware'. Straight as they come. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/some-kind-of-wonderful-grand-funk-railroad/

I swapped a Warwick fretless for a double bass many moons ago , still don’t play it really , but it’s a lovely piece of furniture

My favourite is Micro-timin' With Mr Bloe.

I’ll just leave this here then 😜

An interesting arithmetic system you have there.

Year started playing: 1982 Number of basses: 10 Music theory: 3 ** Technique: 4 Groove: 8 (** I did give myself a 1 originally, but then I realised that I can follow a chart quite well even if I can't actually read the notes.)