Bilbo

Not a great fan of effects on electric bass. On double bass it really is gilding the lily.

Nice work, Johnny....

My reference to Sheehan et al being in small ponds referred to the fact that, great as some of these guys are, their scope, musically, is pretty narrow. I have heard Sheehan do what he does and, impressive as it is, its a specific niche. If players want to be 'that guy' then its sh*t or bust whereas a more rounded musician has more irons in the fire and will improve thier chances of lucking out. There are plenty of factors that contribute to ones potential for success and most of them are outside of anyone's control (I stand in front of the mirror every day saying 'Johnny Depp, Johnny Depp, Johnny Depp' but I still look more like Rolf Harris) but reading isn't. Its there for all and free. Its just a great way of getting inside of lots of great music. I can't advocate it enough. I actually don't give a rat's whether anyone takes up my suggestion but, for me, its really been worth the effort.

Did a dep gig with this guy last nght, IPswich based Tim Ainslee. Great blues guitar player. Grungetastic! [url="http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/standing-ten-feet-tall-raging/id498511312"]http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/standing-ten-feet-tall-raging/id498511312[/url]

Beck and Sheehan are monster players but they are pretty limited in their scope and their 'greatness' is of a 'big fish in small pond' nature. I don't want to take anything away from them because I like their work and Beck is undoubtedly one of the most expressive guitarists out there but I am talking about the big picture. They are like they are for all sorts of reasons and their dedication to their craft is unquestionable but I will never advocate a route that requires a player to be the 'fastest gun' rather than a rounded player because that way is the path of broken dreams. All the rock gods I used to play with when I was 17 gave up years ago. The ones who stick aroundtend to be the more rounded. Ref the comment about 'having no use for reading'. My point is that, once you have that skill, it is incredibly useful and not just for reading on gigs (which, like most people, I rarely have to do).

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1336068099' post='1640505'] You seem to doubt me sir! [/quote] Not at all. My point was that your reading friends had the pro gigs and you didn't. Is that evidence of cause and effect? Might be, might not.

You can't read music and expect to play well without a good ear. The dots tell you what to play, the ear tells you how to play it. Its not a choice. You need both. A good ear will not, on its own, make you a great player. My wife has a great ear and can recall music from years ago and remember stuff in remarkable detail after hearing it only once but she can't play a note on any instrument. People like the idea that a good ear is the magic bullet because it allows them to remain comfortable with the fact that they can't read but still see themselves as credible. In truth, an informed ear is always more important than reading because reading is useless without it but, if you are serious about your playing, why settle for that? I did a session last night and, in just over two hours (inc a tea break) recorded 4 tunes I had never heard with people I had never met before. The ear was important but it would have taken a lot longer without the dots. Tab would have been of no use at all.

Brilliant

Tab Staff Notation

Tab Staff Notation

Tab Staff Notation

Tab Staff Notation

Mr PC = Paul Chambers OP = Oscar Pettiford

Playing notes in different places on the neck also impacts significantly on phrasing and sometimes the 'right note' being played in the 'wrong place' can undermine a piece. Al DiMeola is a great example of this when his arpeggios are made up of open strings and long stretches above the seventh fret. If you try and play it without understanding the shapes, its impossible. So the accuracy of a tab is potentially compromised. It can work the other way around but anyone who knows anything about notation will know that you can indicate the fingerings on an arpeggio by placing numbers above the notes. Staff notation wins again!!

Just a addendum to all this. Can I recommend Primo PDF software for turning charts into pdfs. It basically attaches itself to your print button and by selecting 'Primo PDF' as your printer instead of your actual printer, it will turn any music software you can print into a pdf which you can then post on here. Best bit? Its free. http://www.primopdf.com/

I actually thing that reading dots is a particularly great way of understanding rhythm, something that tab doesn't even begin to address. Ironically, rhythm is the bit that most people think they understand the most but, when it comes to more complex concepts, it is often the area where 'ear' players fall down. Its ok when its 4:4 but a lot of ear players can only deal with complex rhythms by playing the 'one' on each bar. That's why a lot of music in odd time signatures sounds so clunky (early prog rock was guilty of this a lot).

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1335967612' post='1638770'] I should point out that I have played with plenty of guys who play music for a living and have done tours, played on sessions (records, TV themes, adverts, etc.). [/quote] You have played with these guys but they are the ones who play music for a living and have done tours, played on sessions (records, TV themes, adverts, etc.) I just want to stress that reading music is not just about reading music on gigs/sessions. Its a great way of learning about the mechanics of music. Learning parts by rote has its place but understanding notation is a massively useful skill when you are working with lots of different people. Writing ideas down becomes easier, studying other pieces of music like solos by other players, understanding theory and harmony, explaining intervals etc. Of course you can get by without it and millions do. You can also undo a screw with a butter knife at a pinch but why would you want to?

Try this.... http://www.quinnviolins.com/qv_stringidsearch.shtml

Learn to read dots. It's called defferred gratification.

Sorry, Matt. I wasn't hijacking yout thread per se but the tunes I posted were all used as theme music to the Friday Rock Show on Radio 1 in the 1980s and 1990s and many who post here will know them, even if they don't know they know them. I have to say that my love of Jazz probably began with the fact that I found, during that period, I was liking film and tv themes more that the pop music of the day. I followed these tunes up in the way you have with the Snooker tune and found my way into intrumental fusion and jazz.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj22tOoCZoo&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj22tOoCZoo&feature=related[/url]

Remember these? [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX-A4HvoGu8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX-A4HvoGu8[/url] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LkABDxg13I"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LkABDxg13I[/url]

That drummer's at the wrong gig...... Great fun for all the wrong reasons!!

Yes, its toe curlingly sh*t. it is on my list of no-nos, not because Marc Almond is gay but because the song is total boll***s. It has one redeeming feature. It ends eventually.

A favourite of mine; TOmatito playing Armonías Del Romañé. Carles Benavent on bass (the godfather of flamenco bass). There is a whole movement called Nuevo Flamenco that fuses flamenco with other genres (some of the stuff already posted is actually Nuevo Flamenco not traditional flamenco). The secret if 'if it's got electric bass in it, it is probably nuevo flamenco'!! Flamenco is afusion of North African, Indian and Europeam music and is, ironically, given its complexity, a dance music first and foremost. In traditional flamenco, the most important element is the dance, then the cantador (singer) and the music comes in third. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWt-IvU5R9s"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWt-IvU5R9s[/url]