OldGit

First whole gig on teh Stag EUB. It's a kind of semi-dep with an acoustic-ish barn dance band I've been playing with for about 4 years. a few gigs a year. This was a wedding in Bristol in a lovely venue. The very nice weather meant the grown-up punters stayed out in the ornamental gardens though and it was hard work getting them in to dance, still, not actually my problem and teh caller did a great job of including teh kids and whoever else was willing to dance... The Stagg was great to play and from what I could hear sounded great. Big thuddy root-5th sound with some big whaaaaaah and twaaaaanggggg which is what this band needs. Amped through a DI box into my powered monitor then daisy chained out to the PA .. that worked well and I could hear it. Some intonation/finger position problems when my arm slid down the neck a little but, fortunately, I could hear it enough to correct myself. This band record every gig so no doubt I'll be getting a copy to see if it was actually as OK as I thought it was .... The new callouses on my plucking fingers stood up to it but my shoulders are aching today and at one point a guy with a big camera was lying at my feet taking pictures up the bass, as it were. Glad I didn't have a kilt on .... I tried to stab him with the spike but he moved .. I guess I may get copies of the pictures Oh and the band thought the stick upright looked just right for their band ... All the encouragement I need

[quote name='thebeat' post='248236' date='Jul 26 2008, 01:49 AM']Well I've worked with a lot of people from other 'cultures' as you put it and yes, they can be fascinating. On the other hand, Americans and i mean the man on the street, not artists/writers/musos etc, seem disconnected from reality in some ways. They live in one of the largest and most advanced countries on the world but the majority have never been outside the state they were born in...so i suppose they are going to be disconnected somewhat if all they know about the world is what CNN tells them. I'm not saying per se that Americans are bad, well not as bad as the Serbs anyway...just that they're strange and no amount of semantic tomfoolery is gonna change that....nosirreee bob.[/quote] Have you spoken to many "man in the street" Brits? They go out on Saturday night in weird clothes to get drunk and fight with knives and get pregnant, buy the Sun, and the News of the World, and Hello magazine. They watch Big Brother, neighbours and Coronation Street, think a tricked up Saxo is the world's best thing, are planning to go and live in Spain 'cos this country has been ruined by immigration, thought George W Bush was right to invade Iraq to fight terrorism (I know, I had a "War is not the answer" sticker on my car. White Van Man was very vocal about it, [i]before[/i] the lack of exit plan and loads of Brits coming home in body bags... ) Brits may have been to Europe on holiday but that's about as far as halfway across one state in the US, and when they get there they get drunk for 2 weeks and shout at teh indigenous population in English. Yup, Brits are weird, even bass playing Brits, and about 50% of US people are perfectly normal, even Talkbass members.

I've finally got around to editing the stuff I brought over from Basstalk when we moved. (that's the first post) I hope it's a tad more concise and together now. OG

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='247008' date='Jul 24 2008, 04:38 PM'] Baaaaaaaaaaaaaargain![/quote] Bit of pip lagging on the neck holder will lift that up a bit ...

Welcome Boston's a very nice place Trudged through several ice storms there a few years back ...

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='245620' date='Jul 22 2008, 07:23 PM']In that case, try looking at the other members of the band. I have way more experience of being in the audience than being on stage, and I reckon it always looks good if the band seem to be enjoying playing together.[/quote] But don't play to each other to the exclusion of the audience. There's a lot to be said for the "we're having a great time at this event, Join in if you like" kind of stage presence but you must make the invitation clear and inclusive by communicating with the crowd. Mostly that's about looking at them, performing to them and other non-verbal- communication. Good: Less good Bad

[quote name='Geek99' post='245251' date='Jul 22 2008, 12:03 PM']I'm jsut curious about this - I was listening to a the radio when a Paul Simon track from Gracelands was played - you know the ones with the jangly African guitars (that sound like a Strat) and that nice sinuous, thumping bass sound. Does anyone know how to achieve that bass sound? Is it in a particular instrument line, or particular amps? Or is it done with Eq and effects? Obviously there is also a certain amount of finger input by the player too, but I'm ignoring that for now. thoughts?[/quote] Can you post some youtubes of what you mean? That may help

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='245882' date='Jul 23 2008, 10:18 AM']I was on Zanzibar (the island) a few years ago & the local band's bass player acheived that sound... With an old and battered jazz copy with what must have been 20 year old strings & a home made cab (banana box or something!)[/quote] 99% fingers

[quote name='sticker' post='245695' date='Jul 22 2008, 09:40 PM']???[/quote] it's a an eq setting on my Zoom

[quote name='Clarky' post='244347' date='Jul 21 2008, 11:45 AM']ah, I get it. Talcum powder for his sweaty hands[/quote] Perhaps Eric plays an Ashbory? Chummy also has a Sunburst P bass with exactly the same wording. It too is Eric Clapton white ...

[quote name='sticker' post='245463' date='Jul 22 2008, 04:02 PM']As for the [i]African[/i] bass sound in general I think the main thing is that is a fretless bass played very acurately with minimal string vibrato .[/quote] and a whole lot of fart

Johnnie Taylor/Blues Bros/Etc "Who's making lourve (to your old lady While you are out making lourve)")

[quote name='metaltime' post='245472' date='Jul 22 2008, 04:09 PM']i think your avator picture is kind of ironic for this conversation doddy[/quote] Absolutely nothing wrong with a porkpie hat I think Doddy and I are talking about dfferent things though, or different objectives, anyway.

[quote name='Doddy' post='245385' date='Jul 22 2008, 02:33 PM']I don't think that it's really all that beneficial to practice blindfolded. I agree that it is much better to look at the audience during a gig,but during practice this becomes irrelevant. Everyone looks at the fingerboard when playing-it's only natural,especially if you have to make large jumps up the neck. If you just practice as normal,you will find that when you do gig,you will be comfortable with the songs and won't look at the neck much anyway-especially as you are doing backing vocals. Having said that,the best way-i think-for learning to not stare at the fingerboard,is to read.That way you are focused on the notes on the page,and have very little time to look at the neck,other than an occasional reference glance.[/quote] I think you've missed the point. Reading is great but not on stage in a rock/metal band The blindfold is just a way of practicing playing without looking at your fingers. Looking at your sheet music or shoes or set list or mic stand or inside of your eyelids or through yoru dark sunglasses all the time is just as bad from an entertainment perspective.

[quote name='SJA' post='245322' date='Jul 22 2008, 01:09 PM']here's their myspam- [url="http://www.myspace.com/hamfatter"]http://www.myspace.com/hamfatter[/url] "girls in graz" is alright. a bit Joe Jackson/Ben Folds. walking bassline could be more flowing though.[/quote] And Website [url="http://www.hamfatter.net/"]http://www.hamfatter.net/[/url] the comments on Peter jones and why they chose him are quite funny ..

[quote name='phil_the_bassist' post='245362' date='Jul 22 2008, 01:55 PM']tea===>keyboard[/quote] Oh dear That's the third tea>'puter incident I've caused on BC this week .. Sorry!

[quote name='Maxcat' post='244961' date='Jul 22 2008, 12:13 AM']Im thinking the Trilby. Just seems more substantial. A hat to plat DB all night.[/quote] yes..... I like the way the Trilby bounces the sound back into my ears, and that may be handy for this gig, but I'm rather taken by the Homburg at the mo .. Certainly not a Pork Pie gig

[quote name='Dr.Dave' post='245028' date='Jul 22 2008, 07:19 AM']Nothing wrong with watching what you're doing but it does look better if you're eyes aren't glued to the fingerboard during gigs. Take my tip and find a nice bright fire exit sign to stare at. Pretend it's a person. That way you have something to focus on and the punters don't feel threatened by being stared at.[/quote] The thing to realise is that, your band aside, no one will notice if you fluff a few notes but you will get a great reaction from the punters if the whole band plays to them and looks at them (or appears to) rather than at each other or their feet or fingers. A tip from my presentation skills course is to look just above the heads of the people you are presenting to, or playing for, this is the same as looking at the exit sign or back wall TV, or just look at people's hair (rather than eyes) It will look like eye contact and that's the good stuff. And look around the room at many people rather than at just one person, even if they give you good face back .. That's also why you need musical and sound cues in the band rather than visual ones - with visual cues you have to look at the drummer or singer or whatever to pick up the cue, with an audible one you can be looking at, and entertaining, the crowd and still pick up the cue ... Another idea: if you are right handed, stand to the right of the drummer (stage right) so that when you are looking across at the rest of the band, the front person at centre stage and the drummer's foot, your fingerboard is just a small glance away from your eye line. If you are stage left you have to look away from the source of the visual cues to find your start notes etc ..... (reverse if you are sinister)

[quote name='Oscar South' post='244898' date='Jul 21 2008, 10:41 PM']Really? damn. One of the coolest looking basses I've seen and would be amazingly convenient, figured since I hadn't seen anything bad about em yet they must be decent : /. I'll hold out until I get to try one out, cheers for the heads up.[/quote] I'm talking about the very small cricket bat style ones, the XT's You may like them .. Look cool, no doubt, but where the graphite of the old Steinbergers made up for the lack of actual physical mass , and teh synapse seems to have something good going on too, the "budget" construction and small amount of wood in the spirit XT doesn't. I even put real 18v EMG's in place of the "EMG designed" passive pickups but it still sounded "thin" to me .. In your shoes I'd just get a good backpack gig bag and carry a full sized bass ..

[quote name='Oscar South' post='244883' date='Jul 21 2008, 10:24 PM']Cool, will have a listen, I'll see if I can get a recording of my playing at this gig so I can post it. Oh yea and I forgot to mention before that I play the majority of the time on Double Bass now, switching to Electric as the 'backup' when it suits the tune better. I bow a couple of the slow ones too, my favourate to bow is probably 'Planxty Irwin'.[/quote] Saw you were looking for a Steiny Spirit ... only if your really have to .. I had one it was not a great bass .. IMHO....

Ah yeah .. a few snippets of our band are on here. Bass is a bit quiet 'cos I was a bit loud on stage and so mixed down in the PA [url="http://www.jellied-reels.co.uk/sounds.htm"]Jellied Reels Rocky Ceilidh Band - Sounds page[/url] Oh and there's a tune behind our "setting up" montage on Youtube too ..

Ha ha great idea, fingerboard watching is so overrated I play in the dark a lot (with my side marker lights off) to practice things so I can look at the audience rather than my fretboard ... That's the point, really ...

Got a right hand index finger callous building up nicely ..... Now which hat should I wear?

Hey great! Well that's over with, now it gets better and easier .. As I mentioned before, pop one earplug in just for that one number. Two ear plugs are better all round and for protecting your hearing in the long term. Also, playing with monitors takes some practice, actually it's more about getting your monitor sound right that takes the work. If possible try to use monitors in the rehearsal studio for a few times before the gig so you can work out how to ask for the changes you need .. For example hearing yourself is sometimes more about changing the eq on your voice than the volume level and you should have the monitor's overall volume as low as possible but still clearly audible. You see what I mean about it being something to practice? So ... when you play your first gig with monitors have a chat with the sound person before the sound check, give him a big smile, and a pint, and ask if he would mind helping you get the best sound in the monitor as it's your first time. If he's any good he will. Then get your band to indulge you a little too and spend a few moments making sure you can hear yourself. Sound check the bit you are singing to get as close as you can to how it will be in the gig. You need to make sure the monitor is positioned so that when you look at it you look straight down a line coming straight out of the centre of the cone. All of this is worth the effort as monitors are your lifeline with singing, especially when you start. You have to hear your voice and the lead vocals so you can tune your voice to the lead line. You'll be fine OG

Ah Sorry Didn't see the "cheap" bit in the title ..... You can make your own version of the Bass Grabber strap to tie it to your amp with a few IKEA cable velcro straps .. that's about £2 including a hot dog and coffee ... However... a good stand will always pay for itself. One ding on your bass will cost you way more than £20 when selling it, and a good stand will be with you over many years and basses so a good stable stand that can keep your basses as safe as possible on a rocking bouncy stage is worth every penny ...