Norm

[quote name='daz' post='1142507' date='Feb 26 2011, 04:59 PM']Yep I saw a Pixies songbook the other day for Guitar, vocals and [b]piano.[/b] F#kin piano!!!! when the hell has a piano ever been anywhere near a Pixies song? (or a Thin Lizzy one for that matter?) I mean why on earth bother with a piano arrangement ? Why not put kim deal's bass on there it'd be a lot easier for a start. Hey why not go all the way and arrange for Tasmanian nose flute or Kentucky arse trumpet ?

Some publishers want shooting. Or at the very least a cuffing around the back of the head with a plank so their false teeth shoot out, like in the Beano or something. Honestly. thick as a brick.

I mean piano!! Bleedin Piano ffs ............................... [size=6]Arghhhhhhhhhhh[/size] Rant rave gnash gnash Grrrr[/quote]


The Kentucky arse trumpet is a very difficult instrument to master!

[quote name='daz' post='1142320' date='Feb 26 2011, 01:40 PM']Well thats keyboard players for ya. They make drummers look normal by comparison.


[size=4][b]*[/b][/size]Dave Green played huge Organs[i] not [/i]keyboards[/quote]


+1. Mostly eccentric, often strange, very strange.

[quote name='bartelby' post='1138935' date='Feb 23 2011, 06:01 PM']I had a dream the other day that I'd formed a Steam-Punk band. The band were dressed in the peak of Victorian fashion and played punk and metal covers on old instruments, including a Harmonium. The next day one of my mates, who was in the band in the dream, said he was thinking of buying a harmonium!

I had an awseome looking bass though, Carl Thompson-ish style with all darks woods and brass.[/quote]

With big tall stove pipe hats? & massive mutton chop sideburns?
Thats ace, what a brilliant dream!
Wish I had dreams like that, last one I had was gutting huge fish on a windy beach!?! I don't really want to know what it means.
Oh yeah & stranglers songbook, £15 down the pan.
[u]Random Strangler legend.[/u] A mates bro in law used to roadie for the "Strugglers" (as he calls them) in the old days, he told me their keyboard player has a bag that he carries all the time & nobody ever knew what was in it, he never let it out of his sight. Nobody ever managed to see inside it.

Cheers,
Norm

[quote name='garethfriend' post='1095823' date='Jan 19 2011, 11:51 PM']Completely agree about the eq, but it's never bothered me as I play through a cab that doesn't really colour the sound very much and I have decent eq on my basses, can understand why this might bother people with passive basses though.[/quote]

Garethfriend, the pic of your set up looks like my ideal set up too. I'm gassing for valves (Orange AD200, Matamp or Trace V) but cost is the main issue so OBT is the way forward. I favour 15's over 10's so the Barefaced Vintage is top of my cab shopping list.
& IMO your rig looks the mutts nutts, tell me I wont be dissapointed if I get one?
Cheers,
Norm

Always wanted one 'cos of Bruce Foxton, then Geddy Lee & the fact they look (IMO) the mutts nuts but have ever never played one.
Cost was always an issue but now reading about all these potential problems has put me right off.
Still on second thoughts trying to find a good 'un would be fun & the fact they are a difficult beast makes them stand out a bit.

To the OP, best of luck & let us know how you get on.
Cheers,
Norm

John Bonham
Dave Grohl
Taylor Hawkins ( first saw him in alanis Morrisette's band)
& the big bloke who used to play for Skunk Anansie & then Feeder

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='1105375' date='Jan 27 2011, 06:26 PM']I was so into I Should Coco when it came out. I found In It For the Money a bit of a let down but still enjoyed it. However I saw them on that tour in Cambridge and they were blown off stage by Spacehog, a band who's album I thought was weak but put on one of the best live shows I have ever seen. Supergrass by comparison looked like they didn't want to be there. I've still bought the albums and liked some of the songs. I think my expectations of them live really took a knocking that night[/quote]

Hey, BurritoBass it must be just you & me that got that Spacehog album! I still like it. I can't find many people who have ever heard of them. Never saw them live though, sounds like I missed out. I only saw Supergrass twice & they were great both times, but it was early days 1st & 2nd album time.
Norm.

+1 Great band. Mentioned them t'other day in the best support band thread. Mickeys basslines are always ace & great fun to play, he also did fantastic high harmony backing vox when I saw them live. His blog was a good read too, haven't looked for a while, it was called children of the monkey basket or something similar. I used to do Richard III & Lose it in a covers band, never tired of playing them.
Cheers,
Norm.

Ah, the old "new songs" routine to cover up the fact the lazy twat hasn't even attempted to learn any of the songs that were scheduled.
Had a few of them types in the past. An honest chat about what band members will try to do for the next rehearsal & set some not too challenging targets should be first. If that ends up in a blazing band ending row, find a new guitarist.
At least our current guitard is honest & up front when he hasn't learnt or done what he said he would. Refreshing but still frustrating.
Best of luck,
Norm

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1098743' date='Jan 22 2011, 03:37 PM']It's alright I turned my back on Paul Simon due to his music being sh*te with or without bass.[/quote]

Just spat me tea all over the keyboard!! Cracked me right up WPD!
Cheers,
Norm

OP I hope you get it back. & I hope your mate is mortified & contrite until several years after it's safe return!
He owes you big time whatever the outcome!

Cheers,
Norm

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='1097941' date='Jan 21 2011, 06:51 PM']Keep it simple means "keep it simple". It doesn't mean "Only play root notes" and it is not a mandate to be boring.

I'm increasingly amazed by fantastic basslines which inspire me to work them out... resulting in me thinking "is that all he was doing?" D'oh![/quote]


+1
This ace comment from BurritoBass & the keep it musical one earlier nail it for me!
Play what the song needs & not what you can. Save the fret w*nks for home practice or to warm up yer fingers!
cheers,
Norm

2 'tings.
You never stop learning.
&
Look up & smile at the crowd. (Even if its only 2 blokes & a Jack Russell, if you look like you are enjoying it so will they, especially the dog!)

Ooh, that last song tip is so true. Never be at home to Mr Cockup on the last song!

Cheers,
Norm

[quote name='WalMan' post='1090624' date='Jan 15 2011, 04:52 PM']Indeed. I have to learn to use the off switch more

Loving getting back into the EBS I acquired before Christmas, just seemed looking in for sale that everyone is getting rid at the mo. P'raps not[/quote]

Must agree with the less is more bit, it is tempting to leave it on all the time.
I'm using a MXR Bass octave deluxe & love it. Sure it (like the competitors) doesn't track well below an A, but can cope with a short note duration down to an F sharp but sounds horrible when it starts to warble. Makes up for it with its great sub growl & a pinging slap sound. My basic sound is always gained-up dirty & it add a further texture of dirt, a skim of extra filth if you like. Awesome too when in conjunction with distortion. The mid boost button rev's it up too. I use it on 2 songs only at the moment, one was written totally around that octave sound.
Cheers,
Norm.

Cheers for that vid bh2, I'd forgotten he was in the Princes Trust House Band.
Great player with an individual style & voice, he will be sadly missed. RIP Mick.
Was listening to Ghosts only the other day, one of my all time favourite tracks.
Cheers,
Norm

Each to their own cup of tea. Beautiful workmanship, he's obviously a craftsman & doing something different but.....no offence to any proud owners, just my opinion, they make my sh*t itch, hideous looking things! Leopardy grain top half, stripy bottom half??? Whats that about? Looks like he just ran out of wood half way through! for that many euro's I wouldn't want to see the join.
They might play like a dream too but I still wouldn't part with my hard earned wedge on one. What am I talking about I will never be able to afford one anyway. Too rich & curly for a grizzled old cheapskate like me.
Cheers,
Norm

1. Jim Lea (Slade as seen on 70's TOTP, I thought sounds great looks great, I want to do a bit of that)
2. Steve Priest (The Sweet also as seen on 70's TOTP, a bruiser in eye shadow, ace)
3. John Paul Jones (picked up on the basslines from a mates older brothers Zep albums)
4. Cliff Williams (AC/DC - Live at the Colston Hall, front row, Let there be Rock tour, attitude pure attitude, relentlessly pumped it out & let angus do all the running about)
5. Phil Lynott (not for his playing, just cos he looked cool as f***!)

That was sort of in order of earliest influences, today it would be a different list & next week probably different again!
Cheers,
Norm

+1 to the "play it loud". Play it like you mean it, you wrote it, make it belong to you. Practice until it becomes automatic & effortless.

Also, to your other point of what inspires? Anybody who gets up & does their stuff inspires me, as a mate of mine (guitarist, i don't hold it against him!) says "its too easy not to do it" so take the harder road, keep doing it, keep learning, trust your gut instincts (they're usually right).
All the best,
Norm.

I'm in agreement with Lozz196, a lot of stuff can be technically excellent but to me after half the song, when the "wow, he/she's got some chops" has gone, sound really dull & lifeless. Its a hard one feel, as it can come & go. Depends on lots of factors, who you are playing with, what you are playing, etc etc. Was your dads comment about your playing or your songs?
Cheers,
Norm

Predominantly a finger style player these days but use picks occasionally for punkier numbers (downstrokes only, real punk!!).
got a tin of 'em in gig bag, mostly dunlops gauges from 0.73 up to 2mm. Heavier song = heavier pick in my book.
Churrs,
Norm

Nothing specific, just noodling around some riffs trying to make them automatic so I can think up some melody lines to sing over the top & turn it into a song. Got an interesting 3/4 one that goes from slidy fretless vaguely jazzy feel to a chunky Zep-esque riff (well I think so anyway) that I'm having difficulty welding into a useable song.
When I've had enough of that (about 10 mins if I don't get anywhere with it, ha ha!) just noodling to see if owt interesting happens.
Norm.

Cheers for the warm welcome fellow BC'ers (I can say that now!)

Well hello, finally plucked up courage to join in the forum after lurking for far too long!
I was worried about spending too much time here & not actually playing enough but managed to lurk & play so might as well join this rather marvellous community.
[u]History[/u] - Played bass from age 15 to 25 in rock, punk & metal bands, some gigged gloriously, others died painfully in rehearsal rooms.
Got fed up with being in bands so did other stuff (windsurfing, surfing, mountain biking, worked abroad, got married, had family etc)
Then 4 years ago (aged 44) got asked to join a covers band & got right back into it. Covers band swiftly died after a couple of gigs but formed new band out of the ashes with old guitarist & new drummer. First challenge was me doing lead vocal duties + bass (something I'd never done before & didn't know I could until I had a go). Gigged about once a month for a couple of years. Then we all got fed up with covers & undertook challenge number 2, which is we've had a year off gigging & written a set of originals. 8 songs finished & about a dozen in work (lyrics, damn lyrics but thats another story). Going to do some proper recording early 2011 & hopefully gig them later in the year.
[u]Musical influences[/u] - vast & varied, Led Zep, The Who, Radiohead, QOTSA, Muse, Dinosaur Jr, Mogwai, Dub reggae, old Ska, Part Chimp, Hey Collossus, Flipron, XTC, Gorillaz etc etc.
Currently listening to The Fall a lot (awesome brutal rythum section) & old 60's garage psych stuff.
[u]Bass Players wot I like[/u] - Jim Lea, John Paul Jones, The Ox, Geddy Lee, Bruce Foxton, J-J Burnell, Tina Weymouth, Colin Moulding, Mickey Quinn.
Sorry for the length of post, could warble on for ages.
Cheers,
Norm