norvegicusbass

[quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1340472648' post='1705036'] I never make mistakkes [/quote] Good for yuo

These answers have really lifted my spirits. The point made about recorded performance giving us expectations of perfection is a good one.

[quote name='Cameronj279' timestamp='1340470201' post='1704971'] This video springs to mind... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_jFAhN6V9s[/media] [/quote] Thats a great clip never saw it before. My mistakes dont sound like Wootens mind but it has made me think

[quote name='Gungr' timestamp='1340469564' post='1704950'] You say mistakes, I say jazz notes! I make plenty of them when it's just me by myself. That's the best time to make them, you can correct what is going wrong. Once i'm playing with another person things generally go well. [/quote] Love your description of a mistake "Jazz Notes" ! makes me feel better already. Do you think players are more prone to making mistakes when by themselves?

After a hell of a long layoff from playing I picked up a bass again some eighteen months ago. I love playing it but cant seem to get through a song without making a mistake here and there. I would class the songs I play as beginner to intermediate, songs like Fleetwood Mac's Oh Well, The Stranglers Nice N Sleazy, Led Zep's Ramble On and Celebration Day and songs of that ilk. When I played as a young lad I cant recall making so many mistakes but I seem to get a bit self conscious even when playing by myself. Eighteen months seems long enough to me to be able to play songs a bit more fluently than I do. Anyone else plagued by mistakes?

[quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1337007800' post='1653868'] This might help you find the notes, it's pretty simple to work out but fun to play: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKQV8h81bEM&feature=related[/media] [/quote] Is this you? If so you play it very well indeed

Thanks everyone for your replies. Yeah I agree it sounds a simple bassline but deceptively so I think. Just surprised that a song with a bassline like that doesn't have tabs all over the place. Will look into that book

I am finding it impossible to find any tabs or transcriptions to "Thinking Of You " by Sister Sledge played by the genius Bernard Edwards. Anyone know where I can find it?

So I am weird, not great to be at a concert with, in distinguished company and the keeper of an esoteric knowledge shared by Bach scholars which is all a lot better than my wife and kids call me when I do it I think the lyrics sort of let me work out the correct number of notes in quick sequences where the syllables equate to the individual notes. When learning a piece I often get just an approximation to certain quick little fills which sounds ok but not quite right and most commonly this is due to missing out certain notes ( or even adding misheard notes ). Seems to work for me for difficult passages but I seldom do it all through a song just the tricky points. Incidentally I remember a tale of Paul Mcartney keeping a melody in his mind before he had proper lyrics worked out by way of some ridiculous song about scrambled eggs or something. Would have been a hit regardless.

When I am trying to learn a bassline from ear I sort of sing the bassline and make up words that fit the rhythm so in effect the bassline becomes the melody line and the words help with the phrasing. As you can imagine these songs often result in having wonderful tunes crafted by such masters as Jamerson, Jack Bruce, JPJ et al but bloody awful nonsensical lyrics. Anyone else do it this way? I think learning by ear is very difficult especially as my ears arent what they were when I was younger and picking out the bassline cleanly is very hard for me. I am learning Darling Dear at the moment and I am in the middle of crafting the lyrics which include a bit about a Hobbit going to the dentists! Unless there are easier ways to learn by ear my family have to put up with these bizarre utterences. What strategies have you used to aid learning by ear?

[quote name='SteveK' timestamp='1333711562' post='1605541'] I've just got to a bass and tried it. I'd say your fingering was correct. Just a case of learning it slowly, playing it accurately and gradually increasing tempo. Another reason for avoiding open strings: You've spent ages learning a tricky piece (incorporating open strings) in F#, then the keyboard player says he can't play it in F# and would you mind playing it in G. [/quote] Yeah that is the main reason easier to transpose keys.

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1333648523' post='1604860'] Is this the Joaquin du Pres arrangement? I found it just came with practice. Sorry about that. [/quote] Do you finger it the way I said? If its down to practice then practice it is I was just wondering if it was a cack handed fingering that no-one else would use

I am trying to learn and play on my bass Bach's Cello Suite No.1 in G major a tad cliched at the moment I agree but still fun to learn. However I am having trouble with the left hand fingering. I am playing it in low G and would like to avoid where possible open strings. I start the first bar on G on the E string ( third fret ) fretting with my middle finger then play D on the A string with my little finger then up to the G string where I play the B with my ring finger and A with my index ( so far so easy ) But then I must play B D B D with my little and ring fingers which has my little finger bridging over the D string. I find this fingering very hard and cumbersome and keep catching the D string a bit. I can play this far more fluently utilizing the open D string but like I said I want to avoid open strings where at all possible. Anyone know of any books or DVDs with the correct fingering for this piece? Or has anyone else tried it in low G and had any difficulties with this bit? Is it just a case of persevering and practice?

...sort of lose its way? I must admit at the outset that I hate slap or maybe I should qualify that statement and say I hate what slap has become, an endless fuzz of barely discernible notes played as fast as is humanly possible. There was a time however when slap was done with a lot more finesse and sounded way better. Larry Graham and Robert "Pop" Popwell both shared a classy approach to slap and I have always loved that sound. However I dont really like Les Claypool or Flea. I sort of blame Mark King for the thousand notes an hour kind of playing where the beautiful growl of a Sly And The Family Stone bassline gave way to his endless tippy tapping. So is he the one to blame or do you think he elevated slap and its doing just fine?

Agree totally with Austin7. I mean you wouldn't go to see a top class athlete or footballer several decades after their best achievements and expect the best they have to offer and World Records. I would look on this tour as a testimonial, not expecting world class playing but paying regards to a WORLD CLASS PLAYER.

Just noticed on here there seems to be loads of bass players from Newcastle or thereabouts. Do we have chunkier fingers up here? No wonder our lasses are happy

Led Zeppelin are probably my favourite band. I am just awe struck by the inventiveness of their songs and how they seem to change as the song develops so that it almost feels as though you are listening to songs within songs. Plus not many bands have a drummer consistently voted the best ever rock drummer a guitarist pretty much always in the top three and a bassist with two J's in his name ( which is a hallmark for great bassists ). Black Sabbath I can take or leave

I am trying my arm at learning transcriptions of sheet music rather than relying on tabs ( no snobbery I am willing to learn from any method I can ) and have just bought a transcription book of LZ songs. On Celebration Day some of the notes are bracketed what does this mean?

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1331388413' post='1572203'] Fender Precision / Ford Escort of yesteryear - millions of 'em! [/quote] I thought they were more of a Ford Transit myself

Trying to describe my ideal bass to a mate I slipped into the usual parlance of describing a particular bass as a Rolls Royce of bass guitars. I think that is quite a useful thing to do to as most people understand the hierarchy of cars to that of bass guitars ( I dont think the Roller is the epitome of car design BTW but it seems to have become the gold standard description wise ) What is your opinion of the various bass guitars out there described in a way most people would understand and their hierarchy in the bass world?

My favourite JJB moment or moments are the end of Down In The Sewer and the start of Get A Grip when he does this amazing chunky rhythmic strumming. Pure magic.

Must be missing something I cant see a pick at all, plus I am sure she was a finger player

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1327873472' post='1518157'] That can't be true because if it was true then Les would have cleaned it all up before you saw it. [/quote] Nah Les was too busy wiping up Fleas vomit from my leather sofa when I went to the toilet

Forgot to mention Flea left a very large unflushed turd in my new toilet just incase a few of you were still undecided

Both came to my house a year ago. Flea drank my beer, ate my food and hogged the remote whereas Les cleaned the bathroom, aired the sheets and rearranged my cds in alphabetical order. So who do you reckon is the best?