bassist_lewis

All Mono cases are solid and provide great protection. However, the velcro on the cable tie/strap thing wore out in the first year. Currently I use the Sleeve, which is slimmer than the M80 but it still gives great protection. The pocket isn't as big but I manage to get two cables, a fold up stand, earplugs, clip-on tuner and an ipad in it.

I love this technique, especially if you've got the right amount of top-end, just enough to get the attack. It can be very subtle (ie. the John Mayer video) but you can get super funky with it especially when combined with your 1sy and 2nd fingers, and there's tons (tonnes?) of dynamic range to play with: you can morph to full on Victor Wooten style thumb-as-a-pick type playing. Damian Erskine also uses this technique a lot and has taken it further than most (from what I've seen). He uses a lot of banjo techniques apparently.

Music is a BIG topic! Referring to the OP, you say you've been putting in hours for 3-4 months, which is exactly what you should be doing and much respect for putting in the time. But I'll put it like this: you've ONLY been putting in a few hours a day for 3-4 months! To learn a complex skill like playing a piece of wood with strings on it takes years of repetition, focus and reflection. You say you're struggling to 'understand' the information, I think you are understanding it just fine. As you say, you understand how chords and scales are built. The problem occurs when you play with other people. This is the difference between being able to understand a complex word/phrase and using that phrase/word in a conversation. You have not integrated what you are learning into your 'vocabulary' as it were. To make the theory stuff really useful you have to get it into your subconscious, so you're not thinking about notes and intervals or even licks, you're thinking sound. This takes YEARS of dedicated, conscious practice. Another thing I picked up on was your comparing yourself to others. This is a guaranteed technique to make you feel s**t and demotivate yourself. Separate the person from the behaviour: the guitarists who play so well and know their fretboard inside out without knowing a drop of theory (I know guys like this also) is not a better person than you, he's just focused on things that you haven't for longer. And remember this: you're playing with these guys!!! If they thought you were crap they wouldn't play with you! Being the worst player in the band is the best place to be because you get to learn the most. Being the best player is boring and frustrating (I teach kids, I know this to be true!). Stick with what you're doing, vary how you practice, break it down into smaller chunks, reflect on the result (without judgement) and most importantly, stick with it. Good books on learning and music: The Music Lesson (Victor Wooten); Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else (Geoff Colvin); Make it Stick (Peter C. Brown);The War of Art (Steven Pressfield); Effortless Mastery: Liberating the Musician With (Kenny Werner); Drive:The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (Daniel H. Pink); The Talent Code: Greatness isn't Born. It's Grown (Daniel Coyle); Inner Game of Music (don't know but it's out there somewhere). Good luck!

If there's a PA needing set-up then I do my gear first - for the reason mentioned above, though this often results in PA cables being trailed all over my cables meaning I have to unplug and replug them, but them's the breaks - then I do PA stuff. I work quicker if I know the band and their set-up (or if, regrettably, I happen to know more about plugging in PAs than they do!). I avoid doing lights because I don't know what I'm doing and I have the arrogant opinion that I'm a musician not a stage hand!

I'm getting a very high pitched hum (like 15k+) from my pedalboard. I have two loops. Loop 1: octave and overdrive. Loop 2: Moog Low pass filter. I've narrowed it down to the Moog, it's centre positive (opposite to everything else) so the plug (part of a daisy chain powered by a 1spot) has an adaptor to reverse the polarity. When I unplug the Moog the hum goes away, problem solved but i want to keep using the Moog! Is there a way to get rid of the hum? would a better quality adaptor make a difference? Lewis

I placed an order back in January and the same story as those above: they money left my Paypal account and when it didn't arrive I got no response when I enquired as to why. I read murmurings on the interweb that they had gone into administration but nothing concrete. in the end I raised Paypal dispute and got my money back in a couple of weeks.

Hi Iain! thanks for getting in touch, and for letting borrow your bass, it was great! cheers L

I was up in Orkney this weekend playing the folk festival and borrowed a double bass with synthetic/nylon strings and they were amazing! they sounded great (i was playing for a bluegrass band) and they didn't tear my fingers up. I asked the owner what they were but he didn't know. They were a dirty brown colour with a white spiral looking core, don't if that helps anyone identify them?? anyway, I've decided i want to try nylon/synthetic strings but wanted recommendations first. thanks lewis

I play in two bands that demonstrate the dichotomy of personality (I'm reading showmanship/showboating) vs musicianship: Nipples of Venus (correct, that IS the best band name you've ever heard) is an instrumental band doing cheesy pop songs in a latin/salsa/afro-beat style. We all dress up and dance around, and always get a great reaction from audiences. However, because we're dancing around there are often mistakes from someone or other, but frankly it doesn't matter, we're not out there to show everyone how good we can play. On the other hand is Teek (indie pop/hip-hop/trip-hop): when we play we hardly move at all and we don't dress up, and we still get a great response from crowds. The music isn't technically much different, but there are definitely fewer mistakes. The only common thread between these two bands is great songs, and I think that's what it really comes down to.