Huw

[quote name='TKenrick' post='234927' date='Jul 8 2008, 01:15 PM']Don't forget that posture and hand positioning are a big factor when talking about playing-related pains. Check the way that you sit (or stand) to practice, and try and make sure that your body is as balanced as possible - weight equally on both feet, straight neck, level shoulders, keep your chest open and try and minimise any bending in the wrists.[/quote] I've been thinking about this in particular, recently. I'd like to sit down to practice, but usually end up getting perched on the edge of the sofa, which is very uncomfortable. I stood to practice last night, which is most natural, as I'm stood up to play most of the time. What is everyone's practice space, or more specifically, their [i]seat [/i]like? I've been considering getting something like a drum stool so I can sit comfortably and play.

I'd say the pain in my left hand tends to be across the back of my hand/palm, along with a sapping of strength from my fingers. I generally only get it in that first position, as some of you may have already guessed. My hand just kind of locks up, but I can let go of the neck and shake it out. I do also play guitar, so I guess that's where my one finger per fret discipline is coming from. I do always keep my thumb on the back of the neck, though. I'll give 1-2-4 a shot tomorrow, and starting further up the neck. But does that just go for warm up exercises? The piece does seem to want me to stay down in second position finger per fret for those last 3 bars. Or are you saying it should be fine for short spells, while playing? I had a little practice playing it an octave up, and that was a lot easier, obviously. OutToPlayJazz, thanks for the offer, bu I do have a copy of Classical Thump here. Think I'm a long way off trying to play that if I can't manage this, though. Any other exercises I should try? Are those Gripmasters a waste of time?

I've been laid up with a pretty bad ankle sprain for the last week and eventually at the end of the week, I thought I may as well use my time to practice. So with renewed vigour, I thought I'd sit down and try and get some practice done every night I can from now on. I've been dipping in and out of a couple of books I bought some months back; Classical Masterpieces for Electric Bass, and JS Bach for Electric Bass. Tonight, I started in earnest and tried to have a go at Bach's Prelude to Suite 1 in G Major (the main theme for Victor Wooten's Classical Thump) My left hand is in agony. My main concern here is; will this get any better? I started up with a warm up, playing -------------------1234--1234------------------ -------------1234--------------1234------------ -------1234--------------------------1234------ -1234--------------------------------------1234 moving up a fret each time and then back down the neck, and every time I hit first position, my hands were spazzing out in pain. Then I had a go at the Bach piece: [attachment=10557:bach.jpg] Now it looks fairly simple, but even at 30bpm I could barely hold the notes down in the bottom two shapes. Is this going to come with time, or do I really need to start lifting weights with just my fingers in order to build up the strength? feeling pretty miserable about it at the moment.

Tonight it's working fine (so far). Maybe it needed a bit of a warm up. Incidentally, how do you use switch cleaner? Do you have to open it up and spray it on, or do it externally?

I'll have a look at cleaning up any contacts I can find on the pots and jacks tonight. One other note though; trying to explain what's happening a little better. I turn the volume up a bit, banging on the strings and I [i]can [/i]hear the signal but very quiet and fuzzy. I have to basically slap the E string as loudly as possible to make the signal pop through. (rather than it just being no signal at all one minute, then full volume)

Well I decided to blow the dust of the Laney DP 150 that I got off eBay a short while ago. Just for home playing, while my regular head is at our practise room. I've only tried it a couple of times before. The first time, I couldn't get a sound out of it, so tried turning it all the way up while banging on the strings. BLAM! The sound came on at full volume but once I turned it down to a manageable volume, it was fine for as long as I wanted to play it. I turned it on a few times in the week after and it was acting normal, again. It's been a couple of months, so I just tried it this evening. Starting off much like the first time I tried it; no sound until I turned it all the way up, then it comes to life but now whenever I turn it back to the manageable volume, the signal just fades off and dies. I can turn it back all the way up and have the sound pop back, but I'll turn it down and the signal goes again. I tried different speaker cables and instrument cables but the same problem across the board. I tried the headphone jack and the same output problem through the speakers occurs in the headphones, so I guess its a problem in the head, rather than the cab. So, anyone had anything similar or think you know how to fix it?

ugh.. SEX.

Definitely go for the bongo/ and or lessons. Buying more speakers just for the home will be a waste of money, I feel. Your Ashdown with one speaker isn't going to sound a whole lot different to Your ashdown with an extra 8 speakers if it's being played at the same volume. At least a new guitar that you want will be tangible and something you can experience is worth the money you spent on it.

what they said.

Well, I think you need to think about why you actually want an extension cab. It's only going to make you louder, really. You say you're not going to gig it and I would have thought 180watts through a 15" speaker would have been loud enough for home playing. I've used that set up for small gigs! If you're insistent on getting something, though, I'd suggest a 2x10. I wouldn't have thought you'd use a 4x10 to nearly its potential at low volumes. The Ashdown ones do have the advantage of looking very cool and 2x10s are a lot more maneuverable than a full on 4x10 cab.

Thanks for that, I may look into getting it rack mounted at some point. I've just spent a rather intense week of sawing, drilling, glueing and, uh.. screwing. As well as the occasional bleeding and swearing. You'll find a lot of [url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18158427@N05/sets/72157604526354107/"]inbetweeny photos here[/url] but for those of you with a short attention span.. I started off with a Laney 4x10 I just got from ebay, my GK 1x15 Combo and an armful of wood and will a great deal of sweat, some actual blood and many metaphorical tears, the following transformation took place. Putt it all together and you end up with something like this: (except that photo is slightly photoshopped. I'm currently missing 3 sets of speaker grill clamps, so I've copy and pasted the one I do have to illustrate the finished target)

Hey guys. I'm very soon to be acquiring a second hand Laney head and 4x10 cab. The head's fair enough, but it was the cab I was really interested in. My plan now, as soon as I get my hands on it is to strip it down, give it a clean up and reupholster it and whatnot. A new lick of paint, as it were. In addition to this, I've had the brain wave to make a matching cabinet and stick my current combo's 15" speaker in, to make myself a noise/nuisance machine of epic proportions. I've already, a few years ago, taken my old Marshall valvestate guitar combo and converted it to a head and 4x12 angled cab. So I'm not too bothered about the cabinet construction (woodworking or parts and mounting), but I still have some very naive questions to ask, so if anyone could field them, that'd be ace. My current amp is a GK 400RB 115 Combo voila The reason I have to ask, rather than just check it, is cos it's locked up at our rehearsal space at the moment. It's a great amp and everything, but it's so heavy and cumbersome, I'd rather split it into two parts and carry one at a time. Is it an act of true ignorance to believe that if I started to take that box apart I'd essentially find a 400RB Head just screwed into position at the top? Or is it going to be a bit messier with wires hanging about the place? If the answer to that is the one I want to hear, and I can proceed I have a couple of questions regarding the science of the cabinets. Something I never really bothered with when I made my guitar cab. What's the deal with ports and holes? The GK has a huge port on the back, but nothing at the front. I'm not so sure about the 4x10 I have coming. But do I only have to worry about that on a 15" sub? Wadding. Feeling around the inside of my existing combo proves there's a lot of that stuff currently in it. How much do I need and will it change depending on the ports OR whether it's an Open/Closed back cab? And should I even consider making it open? ...and finally I must confess to not really understanding the whole ohms and combinations of speakers/cabinets. If anyone could explain it, or point me in the right direction of something that explains it, thank you.

Does anyone know when these are coming out?

Aquick google brings up this [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=241187"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=241187[/url] and in particular, this; [quote]I bought it. I got it because it was kind of cheap. Some of the extras are ok. But the core of what it offers. The, "secrets," are really just soundfiles of basslines and the tab and music. His big secret is to learn one of them a day. so, basically just learn a bass line from one song a day and you'd be doing the same thing. Some nice information if you are new. But, it doesn't deliver on the, " make up a great bass line on the spot to anything, " promise. If would however be much more usefull, if instead of just bass soundfiles, the bass files popped up on a fret board telling you where to put your fingers. I just find it too annoying to listen to the bass lines and look over tabs and or music. I'll do it for a song I'm playing, but for bass lines I may not ever use.... Plus the bass lines were not catogorized as to what type of music they might be best suited too. A course I bought which was much more expensive, but I thought worth the money was , " bass magic." It was like $200, but I got it when I started, and it showed me exactly where to put my fingers with a fretboard, explaines music theory, and many techniques. Some video, some audio, but mostly midi, so you can slow down the tempo as you listen to it. Basically it probably contains all the information I could ever want for bass, but I got sucked into the hype for the one you metioned...... As said above he doesn't have any real secret, it just boils down to learning different bass line a day or so, thats his whole program. then he heaps a lot of extras on it, so you feel like you really got something.[/quote]

I thought this fairly pertinent to good technique and also posture, so what is your actual practise space like? I ask because I think my current set up is pretty uncomfortable and that's no doubt having a knock on effect on my desire to practise and, therefore, my playing in general. These days, I'm perched on the edge of the sofa; where it's more wood than fabric. Trying to juggle my bass from resting on my right knee and sitting in between my legs. I considered buying something like a drum stool (or 'throne' as I see drummers have taken to calling it ) or perhaps I should lug my stuff into my bedroom and sit on the bed like when I was a teenager. Or maybe a bean bag. Just curious as to what you all tend to do. Have you got a special corner you skulk off to, or a comfy chair? Or not worry about it and just play wherever you feel or stand up, even?