thebrig

I started playing about six years ago at the very young age of 54, six months later some of the players at the football club where I was the 'physio', had played in bands in before, and wanted to play about six songs at an end-of-season presentation, and as they needed someone to play bass, they asked me. I told them I'm rubbish! but agreed reluctantly, and then frantically searched for tabs and played the songs over and over again relentlessly. When the night arrived, I was shaking like a leaf, I played quietly as I was frightened of making mistakes, but I suppose I must have done reasonably well, as we all became a band from that night on. It took a while to feel confident playing with them, but I went on to play many gigs with them, and I could tell that I was improving all the time. I have now formed a new band with some excellent musicians, and I don't feel overawed by them at all. I have no knowledge of theory, and can't read music either, but nowadays, I can learn most bass lines quite quickly, just by listening to the song. At the beginning, I used to play safe and stick mainly to the root notes, but now I can play most songs note for note, but quite often, I play my own interpretation on some songs, as I feel that I am putting my individual touch to the song. I will never be the greatest bass player around, but I must be decent enough, otherwise I think that I would have been shown the door by now. In short, what I am trying to say is, "[i][b]go for it, you will improve without doubt by playing with other musicians, there are are loads of people on 'Joinmyband' in the same boat, some will be slightly better, some slightly worse, but you will definitely benefit from getting together with them".[/b][/i] Just put an ad on there asking for people to jam with, stating that you are inexperienced, but wish to improve, and maybe try the odd open mic night with them to see how it goes. And as for your age, for most bands it really wont be an issue, especially if they are mainly doing covers. Anyway, a big hug from me , good luck, and let us know what you decide to do.

[quote name='spongebob' timestamp='1337522536' post='1661291'] Just joined an upbeat r'n'b trio to compliment my originals band. It's all Dr. Feelgood type-stuff, regular mix of r'n'b and rock 'n' roll. A couple of times, we've gone through 'She Does It Right'. Great song. I've been playing it really simple, keeping it as hard-edged as possible. At the last rehearsal, the guitarist said that on the record, the bass part contains some chords! I've had to go through the song on Youtube, etc, so the bass frequency isn't that great....so I can't really make out what's going on. Anybody played this one before? How did you play it? Any tips on this so I can nail it before next rehearsal? [/quote] You lucky man! must be great fun playing in a lively and energetic band like that. I've been trying to put a '[i]Feelgood[/i]' type band together for years, but just can't find enough interested musicians, although in my present band, our main guitarist loves Dr Feelgood and has all the '[i]Wilko[/i]' riffs off to a tee, our singer has nailed the vocals, and the other guitarist plays some mean harp! We do three '[i]Feegood[/i]' songs, and the punters love them, even if they are not familiar with them, trouble is, our drummer prefers a lot of the old classics. We only play pubs and some open-air events in the summer, and I feel that the punters are getting a bit bored with all the usual covers that most bands play up and down the country, seven nights a week. Just my opinion, of course!

If you all chip in for the PA, and then you pay back anyone who leaves, what happens when you audition a replacement, do you say, nice one mate, you've got the gig, all we need now is £??? towards the band's PA? Just wondering, as this was suggested in my previous band.

I still think it makes sense for the singer (if that's what he does, and doesn't play an instrument), should supply the full PA. As an example, in my previous band, the vocalist would turn up with his £95 mic in his pocket, after we had spent a couple of hours setting everything up, literally five minutes before our sound check, then once the gig was finished, he was home indoors while the rest of us were busy for the next hour or so, packing up more than £10,000 worth of gear. Obviously, things like lighting and effects should be split between the whole band, but for me, the PA is the vocalist's tools for the job, because if he did a solo gig, he would have to have his own PA then. And like I mentioned earlier, in my new band, we took on a new vocalist who went straight out and purchased a full PA, as he thought it was only right, as he will be the main user of it, and because he did not have to lay out anything on rigs and gear, like the rest of us have to.

In my band, my equipment exceeds £3,000, both guitarists about the same each, and the drummer has a £4,000 kit. So when our new vocalist joined the band, he went out and bought a full PA, as he thinks it is only fair that he should contribute a bit more than around £100 on a mic. It would be different if he played an instrument as well, then we would all chip in, but as he only sings, I think this is fair.

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' timestamp='1337374700' post='1659143'] THIS! [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bass-Aerobics-One-Exercise-Per-Week-Developing-Maintaining/dp/1423495632"]http://www.amazon.co...g/dp/1423495632[/url] [/quote]Sounds just the job, are there tabs included in the book? as I'm not a reader.

My main bass is an Ibanez SR1200, and it has an unbelievably fast neck, and it's been set up by a very good luthier, so the bass is fine, I'm afraid it's me that's the problem. My left-hand speed is fine, but because I cannot use the thumb on my right-hand, I have to rely on just my two fingers for picking with my thumb literally just floating in mid-air, and I'm finding it difficult to get the speed required for some of the rock numbers we play.

Thanks for the tips so far BassChatters, all sound advice, and much appreciated.

Some of you may recall that I had a thumb joint replacement last October, unfortunately it has failed, and now needs to be taken out. I mostly play finger style and have adapted to just resting my palm on the body of the bass, and use my two fingers to play, which is fine for most numbers, but as my speed isn't great, I tend to use a pick for the faster numbers. But after I have the artificial joint taken out, I wont be able to hold a pick properly for quite some time, so I will now have to play the faster songs with my fingers. I find that I am ok for a while, but then I find it hard to keep the pace going without it becoming painful, I don't think this is anything to do with my thumb problem, but just my poor speed/technique. As my new band have a few gigs coming up soon, I really do need to work on finger speed, so any advice/tips on the type of exercises I should be doing, would be very much appreciated.

Not so long ago, [b]£1,100[/b] came my way via [i][b]Her Majesties Inland Robbers[/b][/i], and I wasn't sure whether to spend it all on a nice [b]Ibanez SR1200[/b] which I had gassed for, for quite some time, or come clean and tell the missus. Luckily I found one on eBay which was just two weeks old, in mint condition with an original [b]Ibanez hard-case[/b] for just [b]£500[/b]. Problem solved, Mrs Brig got a few pairs of shoes, I got the bass I wanted, and we had a few meals out. Two happy bunnies, and no guilty conscience!

Just because it is the "[b][i]only specialist UK bass magazine"[/i][/b], is no reason to shell out money on it, those people who find it a good read will buy it, but those people like myself, who used to subscribe to it, but now finds it totally uninteresting, will not. I will probably buy it every now and then to see whether it has improved, and if it does, then maybe I will start buying it regularly again. But I certainly don't see why I should support it, if it has nothing to offer me.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1336140226' post='1641541'] TBH I don't think that people who spend a lot of time on Basschat are BGM's target audience. We're too well informed. Also no matter what their reviewing policy is someone somewhere will be either disappointed or unimpressed. IMO they should concentrate on the less commonly found instruments, whether they be expensive or cheap, because anyone can go into a shop and try the others for themselves and make up their own minds. Lets face it no-one sensible goes out and buys a bass blind (deaf?) on the strength of only an instrument review. When I first started playing back in the 70s I bought International Musician to get my information and gear porn fix. It didn't matter what they reviewed everything was out of my price range whether it was a £30 Audition from Woolies or a £1000 Travis Bean which would have to be imported from the US. None of that bothered me. I just wanted to find out what was out there so I could dream. When I finally bought my first bass guitar, reviews had nothing to do with it. I bought the instrument that I liked the most that was in the shop at a price I could afford. You're mistake is to think of musical instrument magazines as sources of hard information when in actual fact they are mostly about entertainment and porn for gear fetishists. [/quote] I agree with most of your points, but I personally would never buy a bass, or anything for that matter on the strength of a review alone, and I think that most people are the same. Yes, most BC's are well informed, but when you are younger and not so knowledgeable, you tend to turn to reviews to see what the experts think about certain models, because even if you have tried something out in the shop and liked it, it can sometimes be reassuring that more knowledgeable musicians than yourself, also think that it is a worthwhile purchase. I can remember many years ago, I bought a guitar that I thought was great in the shop, only to find that six months down the line, it started failing on me. Being a naive teenager at the time, I didn't know what to look out for in a guitar, but maybe if I had read an honest review pointing out the poor quality of the guitar in question, I might have steered clear of it, and made a better choice. You are right again on magazines being about entertainment, but I just don't find BGM entertaining any more.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1336138864' post='1641490'] BGM [i]isn't [/i]all that. And you [i]are [/i]a grumpy old man! [/quote] Right & Right!

I've just received my final copy of Bass Guitar Magazine after subscribing for three years. When I first started reading it, I found it really informative and interesting, now I just flick through it in about 30 minutes, and don't bother to pick it up again. I love reading reviews of new basses etc, but I found that they seem to predominantly review basses, that are way out of the averages bass player's price range, so because of all these things I cancelled my subscription. When the final copy dropped through my door yesterday, I thought to myself, am I going to regret not getting it any more? but when I started reading it, I knew that I had done the right thing. Once again, it was totally uninteresting, virtually the same adverts in every single copy (I know they have to make money), but I think I have seen Geddy Lee sitting on those Orange amps far too many times now, and interviews with mainly unknown bassists from not-very-well-known bands talking about their playing styles, telling us if they use a pick, or play finger style, whether they do, or don't slap etc, Yawn!!! and of coarse, then there is the great bass guitar review for millionaires! They had a nice [b]£5,200[/b] [i]GMR Flow Out 6[/i] on review in this edition, think I'll just nip out and get me one! or I could save a bit, and get one of the [i]Enfields[/i], as they were only [b]£2,650[/b], or the [i]Yamaha TRBJP2[/i] for [b]£2,999[/b], or the [i]Dingwall Afterburner III[/i] [b]£2,845.[/b] Ok, they did also include a couple of [i]Fret-King[/i] basses at just [b]£599[/b] and [b]£629[/b]. This must be really off-putting for younger players out there, who buy the magazine for ideas and inspiration on what's on offer, only to read about high-end basses all the time. There are so many great basses below £500, but how are they to know how they play and sound, if all they get to read about, are reviews on basses that only the rich and famous can afford. Sorry, rant over! I just needed to get this off my chest, and just wondered if any other BC's have similar thoughts. If not, I will just have to accept that I am just a [b]grumpy old man![/b]

Thanks for all the advice so far. The event is open to the public, and is being organised by local Councillors, and backed by the council. It will be advertised in the local press and community news magazines, so there is no way of telling how many people will turn up. Unfortunately, the people who are organising the event, don't have much experience in this sort of thing, and are waiting for us to advise them on our requirements.

Our band, along with another band who are friends of ours, have been invited to play at a free 'Diamond Jubilee Event' in June. Neither bands have any experience of playing outdoors, and the organisers are relying on us to state what is needed in terms of generator, PA etc, which they will hire. The audience could be anything from 200 to 1,000+ people, so can anyone give some advice on what is needed as far as power is concerned, will all the amps have to go through the PA for instance? I have read on some forums that the bass should be ok as it is, (I have a Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0 going through 1x12 & 2x10 cabs = 600watts), but I am a bit sceptical about whether it will just get lost. Please help, we are clueless!

Why does he think you need LEDs, is trying to say that you need help finding the right notes? If you have a spare, give him that to mess around with, and if he does a good job, then maybe get your main bass done as well, that's providing you think it's cool to have them of course.

I've just watched the video again a couple more times, not to check out the legs of course, but to see whether the song will grow on me. Unfortunately, it still does nothing for me!

I think you should put them on the [url="http://basschat.co.uk/forum/21-for-sale-other-musically-related-stuff/"]For sale: Other musically related stuff[/url] section, and watch the scramble for them!

Heard it for the first time just now, and if my band insisted on doing this, my gear would be packed up, and I would be out the door in a flash! I know it's rather shallow of me, but there's only one [b]JJ[/b] for me, and he play's great bass, mind you, she does have better legs though!

Whilst this is not the hardest song to play, I do find it difficult to follow the structure of the tune. It's [b]Soft Eyed Woman[/b] by the Dutch band [b]Alquin[/b] in 1973, and I had never heard it before until now, and I have to admit that I do find it a little bit bland, so it's hard to get it to stick in my head, when trying to learn it by ear. But hey! the band want to do it, so I was hoping that maybe someone out there, had the the music or tabs that I could have a look at. Cheers.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1328198406' post='1523507'] Good evening, thebrig... It seems that your main problem is the lack of experience in shaping the sound of your gear to obtain what you desire. Although there is a fair bit of good advice in the replies above, I suspect that a helping hand (or ear...) may be more efficient, in your case. Do you have a bass-playing chum who could guide you..? If not is there anyone reasonably local to Herts on this forum who could devote an evening or two to go through the motions (I'd love to help, but I'm in France..!). If no-one here could volunteer, maybe a local music shop could recommend a player..? Essentially, one needs to have a starting point (normally everything 'flat', then listen...), and adjust to fit the bill. One has to have had some experience to be able to identify what's 'missing' (or too much...), but once the ears have been 'locked in' to the essential points, it's not that hard (assuming decent gear, perhaps...). It doesn't sound as if the playing is any problem to you (congratulations..!); simply being able to use the knobs and buttons to adapt the sound to the event, be it at home, pub, hall or open air. I woundn't want to presume too much, but I would have thought that a knowledgable BC'er not far from you could be worth a cuppa (or pint...)? Any takers, folks..? [/quote] I do have a mate who has been playing bass for many years, although he has never been to one of my gigs yet, but I know for sure that he will be more than willing to help me out if he can, and I have just found out that our new vocalist's missus, did the sound for him during his solo singing career, so at least now, I will have someone out front advising me whether it's cutting through or not. Thanks for the help, and thanks to [u]everyone[/u] who has chipped in with advice, it's much appreciated.