jakenewmanbass

I wonder if it's worth having a "I'm traveling from X to Y thread on here! I once took a Double bass to Glasgow from Manchester from a BC seller to a BC buyer as I was gigging up there. I travel the length of the country all the time, surely making arrangements for pick up drop off is possible and a few quid towards fuel everyones a winner. There must be loads of us that travel about. If it's well known members and the finance has been done properly... you could even insure it! My thinking is not terribly clear, but someone here could run with this idea

I might be imagining this but I reckon my bass goes a bit quiet when it's been in the case...! and after a little while playing, it opens up. So arriving in a studio, it's the first thing i do, get the bass out and play a few notes in the live room, and leave it to settle (usually while the engineer takes an age to get a drum sound )

Nope and I have had the experience of a broken string on the first rehearsal of a musical (3 week run) lots of hurried phone calls produced a replacement. edit having said that, my bread and butter gig has a bass that lives in their van, I've left an old set of spirocores in the bag... unused for prob 8 years

To be serious for a moment, my main concern with sound is how something records, given that I spend part of my working life trying to sound any good on recordings, then i am actually making a serious point, I want to sound like ME on a recording, so the sound is as much to do with my musicality and note choice as it is tone, I would strive to achieve my sound whatever instrument I were playing.

I took up the bayse (ancient spelling) in AD 27 and can confirm without a shadow of doubt there is only one sound... The player.

It's difficult to know, I've been playing DB for 32 yeas but there are areas in which I would not dare to try to advise others. I do teach DB but with a definite err on the side of foundation technique followed by a leaning towards jazz/pizz I can show people how to do rudimentary stuff with a bow but the moment a student shows an interest in serious classical repertoire I say, 'off you go to an orchestral player' The bow grip in the first video leaves me speechless....

Quick bump, I'm told there are only a few tickets left for this. It's a good lineup Harry and Andy Treacey are Faithless band members. Donny Little and John Tilley are in Paolo Nutini's band, the sax player Robbie is out of this world, then there's ahem... me on on bass

When I moved south from Manchester, I had a spell as a computer maintenance man while I established my self as a freelancer in a new area. I went to a house in Southampton to install a new laptop for a barclays employee, she was a nice lady, we chatted a bit and I told her that the job was temporary until I got more bass work in a new scene, she said... 'I was once married to a bass player, he was quite famous' 'Oh really?' I said, 'who?' 'Alphonso Johnson!!' She showed me the wedding pic and sure enough...

Love the look of it Nige...

How people play live and how they play recorded will vary enormously, few bands will put on an album quality performance, and in my experience top players will calm it a bit when they know a show is being recorded. I think there's room for a bit of showboating on gigs as it can add to the live experience especially if you can add a wow factor. Having said all that I broadly agree and find that I'm more scintillated by a very controlled performance which makes the odd fill seem jaw dropping in context, than an endless stream of chops which ultimately can detract from the song exactly as you say.

I saw this on FB earlier, just brilliant.

Will do...

Cheers Dean, he does play some bass still, but not in this band cos I do!

If you live within spitting distance of Chelsea this might interest you, it's a great band... http://www.pizzaexpresslive.com/popList.aspx?showId=e8f01677-b1f1-4f8e-80b5-2c75e452932c&showDateId=6727

umm.... http://basschat.co.uk/topic/217882-josef-wilfer-34-double-bass-from-1960-fully-carved/page__pid__2220052#entry2220052

Not last night but Sunday, I did a charity event for the teenage cancer trust with my good pal Elliot Davis. Bit of a star studded event at the St James's theatre. The band: myself, Andy treacey, Ollie Hannifan and Joe Louis Robinson were joined onstage by Elliot on piano. We were backing a load of west end singers and some songwriters. Jenna Russell, Paul baker, Michael Xavier, Caroline Sheen, Cassie Compton were some of the singers (there were more) James Rhodes did a solo classical piano piece. And in the song writer sections we were joined by Graham Gouldman (10cc) and Gary Kemp (spandau ballet) There were a bunch of composers/producers there too including George Stiles (who also played a number, what a pianist!) It was a really great, positive event and such a good cause... Highlights were playing: Remember Us with George Stiles Dreadlock Holiday with Graham Gouldman Through the barricades with Gary Kemp and Wichita lineman with both Gary and Graham.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1379946401' post='2218539'] I got my arse kicked last night. By a girl. Did a trio gig with pianist Kate Williams. Great tunes and great arrangements but some seriously tough charts including Dienda by Kenny Kirkland (its in the Chuck Sher Real Book if you want to see it), a chart from Eliane Elias and one from Michel Petrucciani. Her website is here: [url="http://www.kate-williams-quartet.com/"]http://www.kate-williams-quartet.com/[/url] [/quote] Kate's great, as is her partner Pete Whittaker, who is also a stunningly good organ player.

Nice one Garry, I did a gig at the St James theatre last night with a few west end singers and writers/producers and we were joined by Graham Gouldman and Gary Kemp towards the end... (I will get to the point!) We played a song from Soho cinders called 'Remember Us' which was written by George Stiles, for piano, bass, gtr and girl boy vox, it was really beautifully arranged, with me playing some sections of the melody (14th fret environs featured a bit for a sight reading sweat!) to a guitar pno ostinato then into full on loping 6/8 bass parts. It was an absolute pleasure to play, mostly becuase every detail of the orchestration had been thought about.... Makes all the difference even with that small an ensemble.

Looks like a fab day guys, sorry to have missed it.

My feeling (as a player of both) is that the sound of the bass guitar is too uniform to provide the range of tones that make a good walking bass line really work. The BG can swing and some of the names mentioned here do a fab job. I just prefer the sensibility of the upright both as player and listener.

Thanks guys, I'm liking the look of the ditto...

Hmm I wouldn't be so keen on achieving perfect pitch if I were you, I wasn't born with it but I've developed my relative pitch (not intentionally) to such a point that when I hear recorded music that isn't in concert I really struggle for a while into the song. I discovered this by listening to 'that why I'm here' on the similarly titled James Taylor album... I love the track but it takes the first verse for my ears to settle into the (I assume tape speed adjusted) pitch at which it's recorded.

It's all in the arm... the fingers can only go where the arm takes them, after a hundred years of moving to the same place you'll start to get there more accurately and quickly, (just need to condense that pesky 100 yrs)

I could go on all day... Stranded off the west coast of africa, being bought brandies all night by a TV moguls amorous daughter in Taipei, Having my one and only bout of sea sickness having eaten between shows aboard a ship in a storm and vomiting during the piano solo only to dash back on stage to finish the set... I should write a book!

You're playing at a university ball in unbearable heat after a rush from a daytime gig, burst into the first number in front of 2000+ students who want to learn lindy hop and through the house PA (which would be fitting for Motorhead) can be heard the sound of what is apparently an incoming shell but turns out to be my bridge slipping from place slamming the pick up into the body at terminal velocity. (I did manage to get it back in place before the end of the number tho)