Dad3353

I couldn't hear any significant difference which couldn't be explained by simply playing very slightly differently. I don't know how much either cost. Both sounded just fine, in all the sequences. I certainly couldn't tell '60s from '70s p/u position. They might as well have been the same bass, for me.

One often overlooks the distinct advantage of using kitchen foil aluminium, in that it keeps sharks at bay. I offer as proof having a roll of the stuff in our kitchen, and we have no sharks there.

Does that mean that you don't hear your slugs humming any more..?

All very well, and it's The Truth, but it's not necessarily The Whole Truth. There are many aspects of Music, as with Life in general, that escape from the clutches of Competition. Whether that's a Good Thing or not is for individuals to appreciate; for my part, it's those elements that are the best bits. The sheer joy when it all comes together, either playing solo or in any ensemble, there are moments (often no more than moments..!) where one is uplifted, charmed, untouchable, and far above tawdry concerns of competition. OK, if there must be aspects of competition to be taken into account, at least on occasion, it would be a shame, and a waste, to only see the competitive side of things. Some are fine with this, of course, and maybe, for them, vying for the Top Spot is a goal in itself. It's not so for many; Humility can be a virtue, too (or does that compete with Ambition..?).

Here is my contribution to the February 2023 Basschat Composition Challenge, illustrated with a picture chosen by Wolfram. There are those that praise highly the musicality of the Ferrari exhaust notes; there are even specialists whose sole task is to tune the beggars. I'll let you judge as to the success of their labours... A collection of sound samples, carefully crafted into a short symphony, with some pertinent tyre squeals for good measure. Standard Cockos NY bus on the Master channel, a spot of Cockos Compression and EQ, and that's all. No rubber was burned in the making of this epic. Thanks for listening, if you already have; if you're about to, enjoy.

You're not a copper, then..?

Nor I a Jazz bass, but one can never be too careful. Well, I say 'Never', but that's one heck of a long time, so, maybe...)

It doesn't help against slugs, though.

Yes, of course, but it's worth it for the Earl Grey alone, with biscuits the cherry on the cake (just an expression of course; I don't have cake on hand...). Still, given 15 hours notice, I could bake one. Hmm, where's my egg whisk and flour..?

The tape recommended above is specifically for emf (electrical...) shielding, with conductive adhesive. As a bonus, it will repel slugs, if the bass has such a problem, as slugs don't like copper. No, it's not the same tape as the copper tape sold in garden centres.

Bring it to us (we're just up the road from you...) and Our Luthier Eldest will do it for you, and show you how it's done. No..? OK, do as the Good Lady S'manth said, using the stuff she recommended (we use the same...). The glue that sticks it together is conductive, enough for shielding purposes. If you can firstly remove the pots, it makes things easier and tidier, and when they're put back in, they'll make the metal shielding contact required to the ground point. The easy way to do it is to firstly empty the cavity, cut the tape to the shape of the sides, top and bottom, making slits for the p/wires and stuff. Once it's all glued down, pop the electrics back in. If in doubt, give us a ring and we'll do it together, here, with a pot of tea and some biscuits. ... or look here (turn the sound down, though...)...

What have they got to do with Music..?

Fixed.

You don't need a four-string bass for 'Smoke On The Water', either. Should it only be played on a two-string bass..? I don't get 'mildly irritated' when a pianist doesn't use all 88 keys at his/her disposal; that would be daft.

Maybe one day you'll learn how to do it properly. ...

If you've ever seen someone playing a musical saw, the question of pitch would be answered. Skilful tensioning of the string is the secret, and there are many tea-chest players that are able to get a decent tune from their instrument. It's true, though, that many either lack that skill, or don't bother, as a good rhythmic 'thump' does the job too, in some genres. Enthusiasm and spectacle can be more important in some bands, some of which are very successful. The tea-chest construction becomes quite critical, too, as a total collapse of a badly-made instrument is not rare. It's an art; respect to those who can make it work, but it ain't as easy as it looks. Try it yourself, with a ruler hanging flat over the edge of the table. Pluck the ruler; can you slide it to and fro to make a tune..? It's a similar principle. Swanee whistles, too, come to mind.

I don't see much advice to learn playing the bass, as a musical instrument, as opposed to learning songs or styles. Whilst these are fine, or even indispensable, I would suggest this bass method, for its all-round approach, for becoming a proficient and complete bassist, as a complement to the rest... Amazon.co.uk (other sources exist...) Hal Leonard's Bass Method ... Once you've finished Book Three, you'll be good to go...

And the winner is ... @Wolfram..! Here, then, is your Winner's Certificates (download and save as pdf file, then proudly print and frame...) ... BC_Chal_Cert_2023_01.pdf ... which look like this (but bigger, of course..!)…

If one accepts the narrow definition given, you're probably right. Luckily, not all music falls into this band, and, equally luckily, not all that does qualify as 'competitive' is rubbish. Soooooo, it's competitive. So what..? One listens to it or not, whatever. Using this sense, baked beans are 'competitive', too. Thoughts..?

Hmm... Not sure where this idea comes from; many posts over the last decade or so would rather point to the opposite. I did, once, five years ago, hint at such in a sarcastic manner; does that count..?

S'what comes of being old; I don't do 'tablets' or 'smart phones', although I've now abandoned the quill for the ease of a keyboard (less ink splodges, and a 'backspace' that works...). I'm not certain, but I would imagine that functions such as 'auto-correct' and 'predictive typing' could be disengaged..? I do have a spelling checker active as I type this (it's not happy with the very first word, for instance...), but I'm the Boss, and I control, warts'n'all, what gets sent. Yes, reading through seems to be a lost art for many, in an apparent Need For Speed, but, in my dotage, I have the leisure, and little else to do than to read again my ramblings. There are occasional blips, though; even I make mistakes from time to time. It's just a 'standing joke', really; I lose little sleep over BC punctuation, if Truth were told.

Is it not flagrant..? The rule is simple : can 'its' or 'it's' be substituted by 'it is'..? If 'Yes', apostrophe; if 'No', none.

... and Basschat. Don't forget Basschat.