Bilbo

2 - one electric, one double bass

I got something working this evening but I think it needs something else to take it up a notch and make it more than a sketch. We shall have to see where it goes.

Remember this kid? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_uLEIphzFA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3jyt0QPnkE

Dad's was done by 2.03pm

Can I sit down? With a music stand in front of me? And a saaaaandwich?

'But jealous souls will not be answered so; they are not jealous for the cause but jealous for they're jealous' - Nobby Fishcake - 'The Scented Wallpaper'. I think it's the same old story with these guys; they hit and hit big, everyone loves them and then everyone else has to hate them because everyone else loves them. They gain adulation and vitriol in equal measure until, after and while, they become an ordinary band that people are allowed to like or dislike as they see fit. I like what they do, it is a new take on things, a fresh approach which has limitations like all approaches. I won't be buying anything by them as my interests lie elsewhere but I will keep listening as they go along and applaud their efforts.

I have had a few of these. I recently did a performance of Karl Jenkins' Peacemakers with a small orchestra and one of the tunes was a VERY difficult piece to play AND read (it is called One Song - it is on Spotify - 16th notes in 3/4 with a change of clef half way through, chords, weird arpeggios; your average nightmare). I had the charts for about 6 weeks before the gig and spent a lot of time with this tune (the rest is relatively easy) but, on the night, through a mixture of nerves and a lack of experience working with a 'classical' conductor, the piece fell apart (not entirely my fault and not a total trainwreck but definately a low point). I emailed Laurence Cottle, the bass player on the recording, and asked him how much rehearsal time they had. He had done it cold. I always liked his playing but he went up a dozen notches in my estimation. In the early days of my computer experiences, I emailed California based guitarist Wayne Johnson and told him I had been a fan for years. I asked him if he had any charts from the tunes on one of his early LPs and he said no, they evolved in the playing etc. I told him I was a fan of his bass player Jimmy Johnson and he gave me JJ's email address!! I emailed Flim and got a response, although I cannot remember what he said - I lost the email and address long ago in a computer crash but it was nice to say hi. In my research for my Paul Chambers book, I also contacted Christian McBride, Ben Wolfe, John Goldsby, Tootie Heath, Jimmy Cobb, Rufus Reid - the list goes on and they all responded but the best was Ron Carter. I emailed him a couple of questions and he emailed me back with two words - 'Call me' and his telephone number . He was an absolute gentleman, very easy to talk to and really generous with his time and experiences. It is lovely to know that so many of 'the cats' are so approachable.

Judas!

Rufus Reid's The Evolving Bassist is a good starter.

AND HE'S COMING UP ON THE INSIDE!!!!!

I'm gaining on 'em!!!

Joint first to joint third. Boccolks!!

That is astonishingly ugly. But, then again, so am I

There is a free PDF book of Charlie Parker heads that can be easily found on-line. Just google 'Charlie Parker Tune Book Fred Parcells' and look for a link. 80+ heads for free - all treble clef but short enough to transpose as needed if you cannot read treble clef.

No, that's us 6 coming back every five minutes to see if we have another vote.

Trouble is that to listen to all six tracks takes a minimum of 36 minutes. An eternity in this day and age.

The trouble with getting intonation right, on both fretless and double bass, is that you don't know it's going to be out of tune until AFTER you have played it. My electric has fret markers up the side of the neck but, on the double bass, we are reliant upon finger memory. What do people do to nail this issue? I seem to be ok in the practice room but, on gigs, with all of the background noise (of various kinds), it all gets a little shaky (sometimes more than others). Is it just about amp placement/monitoring?

Absolutely. As an electric player, I learned how to play everything on the beat until, one day, a saaxophonist colleague was heard to say that the problem with my playing was that my timing was too good. I discussed this with a saophonist/flautist/guitarist/drummer friend (yes, he played them all) and he explained what it was all about. Took him about 4 minutes and it turned my electric playing around. When I moved over the double bass, I had to revisit the issue and was interested to note that one of my early failings was related to stamina. A very good pianist friend, who I played with last Sunday and have more gigs lined up in the next month or so, noted that, as the early gigs progressed, I would start ok but, as the evening wore on ' the energy would go out of my playing'. In short, I was slowing down through fatigue. Things have got a lot better as I have progressed with the instrument but I am not aware that, if I am tiring, I need to harness a greater deal of energy and dig in more in order to ensure that I remain on top of the beat. It can be exhausting.

Dexter Gordon - behind the beat John Coltrane - ahead of it. That's nailed it!

Great player. Got his thing going and it is cool. I have only heard him doing these kinds of intense funk/pop things so I am not sure how he would fare in a Country Band or in a pit orchestra but I suspect that is not yet a concern for him!

SInce I took up the trouble bass about 4 years ago, I have struggled with my right hand technique. When I practice, I use the side of the index finger but, when I gig, anything can happen. I use the sides of the index and second, the ends of the first two fingers (a la electric bass), two fingers at a time and so on. At the end of each gig, I always felt a little defeated, that I didn't have the discipline to maintain my practised technique and that, under pressure, i caved in to less legitimate techniques. I looked on youtube for advice and found this from John Patitucci. In short, all of the technique I have been using are legitimate, given the various challenges offered by the music I play. Brilliant!! [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGHLKj-TvBc[/media]

Thousands of them. Everytime I realise I know less and less, I buy another book so I can learn more and more. So far, I have failed. I always say that, if you put some thought into it, you can probably get everything you need to know in two or three books.

[quote name='RickyV' timestamp='1411765144' post='2562692'] [media]http://youtu.be/Qw0BESvKWIw[/media] [/quote] That's Linda Oh on bass! If you are in a trumpet mood, what about these guys? The Avishai Cohen Trio (the trumpeter not the bass player) [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oyXF-tbeS8[/media]

It's the best fun. Composing is the most satisfying aspect of music for me at the moment, not because I am particularly good at it but because I can see things getting more sophisticated every time I try a new idea. It also helps me learn more about the IT side, the recording side, the composing software etc etc and, at the end of it, I have something of value in each piece. Brilliant fun.