Graham56

Can you get the guitarist to raise his amp off the floor? Perhaps by putting it on a chair, stool, box or bottlecrate. If it's right in his ear it's easier to persuade him to turn it down. Failing that, can he tilt it back a little so his ears get the sound rather than his ankles? Our guitarist took quite some time to learn to control his volume. It was really only when he bought a radio unit and went walkabout in the audience that he could hear how the whole band sounded out front. Cheers Graham

[quote name='xgsjx' post='1221618' date='May 5 2011, 09:33 PM']The original or the one off Stop Making Sense? [/quote] The original... although after that I spent months learning the bass lines for White Stripes' tunes...

[quote name='JTUK' post='1221479' date='May 5 2011, 07:57 PM']Do it and see how it goes. They may be desperate and they may let you down again but they will have served a purpose getting you playing again because until you do that, you can't be in a band anyway. Some people are too precious about bands...IMV, they only have to work on a certain level..like you enjoy the time doing it...being best mates or whatever doesn't come into it. Treat it as stepping stone and if you stick around, it must be ok. Turn up and take the money and enjoy it for what it is..[/quote] This. It will be good experience, you'll get your face out there, you'll sharpen your gigging skills and you might even enjoy it. And if it doesn't work out it's something else on the CV and will put you in a better place to find the next band. Cheers Graham

Probably Talking Heads' Psycho Killer. After that it was a very crude improvised four-to-the-bar walk over a jazzy 12-bar in C. This was as part of a bass evening class which had you working on improvised patterns against chords from almost the first lesson. Cheers Graham

Best value for money? My custom-fitted earplugs. They work brilliantly and make the gigs much more enjoyable. I don't go home with ringing ears any more - and it means I'll be able to carry on doing this for years to come. Cheers Graham

[quote name='Doddy' post='1189968' date='Apr 6 2011, 12:34 AM']Why is that?[/quote] I guess it's because practice time is limited, such that I have to focus on priorities. It take me quite a lot of work just to 'maintain' and stay able to play anything from our 60-plus setlist. And we always have three or four new songs that we are working on as well. So, while I do spend time working on my groove and tone it's all within the context of the band. Yes, I know we play simple stuff. I should be able to master the songs with ease and have time left to explore other avenues. But it doesn't seem to work like that. We are currently in the middle of a six-week gap between gigs so I have been using that to work on other things, such as revisiting the jazz stuff I did at a workshop a few years ago. And I'm also struggling with "I want you back". I hadn't realised what a brilliant, driving melodic line that is, and how you can hear the fire and energy crackling under the restrained playing. I'm learning a lot from this. Cheers Graham (Sorry about the thread hijack David...)

Hi David, good to hear from you after all this time. I'm in a pub covers band, in a similar vein to your last one. I find that my practice time is given to stuff relevant to the band - learning new tunes, maintaining existing ones etc etc. What I am not doing is stretching myself into areas where the band doesn't go. But when we have some down time (band members out of the country etc) I find I have time to open up and play around with different genres. So maybe this is your chance. Work on a completely new genre or style. Try and find out what makes it tick, even if it's not a style you particularly listen too. Maybe work on that dub reggae. Perhaps some show tunes. Focus on your jazz chops. Whatever takes your interest. Then also find a few minutes to blast out the stuff you already know, if nothing else just to remind yourself that "Yeah, I really CAN do this..." Best of luck and I hope you find a playing band soon. Cheers Graham (A faker, combined with a strong element of bluff and seasoned with more than a hint of bullshit...)

I bought an LMII head from Dave. Nice amp, good price and an easy, pleasant and efficient bloke to deal with. Thanks Dave. Cheers Graham

Hi, I'm from Bromley, although I'm a Scot, originally from Edinburgh. I'm an old fat guy in my 50s who took up bass late in life and have been playing for about 8 years. My bass is a late 60s left-handed P-Bass to which a previous owner has added an extra pickup, replaced the bridge and repainted it. That's OK, because I it meant I didn't have to pay a 'vintage premium' for what is still a fine old bass. I'm in a pub covers band that gigs regularly in pubs in Bromley, Forest Hill, Blackheath and surrounding localities. We play the kind of thing you'd expect, interspersed with the odd song that might be less common. You can see/hear us on - [url="http://www.talkingstrawberries.com"]www.talkingstrawberries.com[/url] Why such a stupid band name? It came from our previous drummer. What else is there to say.... I'm new to this forum, although I have spent a few years hanging around on the Lowdown. Cheers to all, Graham