Bilbo

It's definately a bass.......

Nice one, Scott. Getting chords to work on the bass is always a tough one but the concept works here. Very Swallowesque tonally but I don't think even Steve could pull that off quite so convincingly.

You aren't going to get an Italian hand made bass that is painted white or covered in flames but I suspect you knew that!! It'll be fine; at these prices, the difference betwen one bass and another won't be a deal breaker. When it arrives, it is likely that the bridge will be lying flat (don't worry, its not broken) so you will have to initially set it up yourself. All you need to do is line up the bridge with the notches on the f-holes and then tighten the strings as you do on an electric (it'll take longer, tho ). A proper set up can come later but, for the first few days, just have a bit of fun and slap it about a bit.

I just hope they didn't all try to get there on public transport.... Can you imagine the queue at the bus stop?

9 hours? They produced Kind Of Blue in less time than that!! Seriously, though. Nice work.

You can, of course, use the '8va' / '15 ma' options which keep the reading manageable but instruct you to play the notes one or two octaves higher.........

If he was Duke Ellington or some major composer of innovative material, I may think about it, but all this to play covers? I'm going to die soon and I won't be lying on my death bed thinking, 'wow, I can go to my maker knowing that at least I nailed some other people's s***'. No people skills.

There are layers and layers of things here to consider and context is very much the point. Personally, I think the best tecnique is technique that you can't see. A bit like acting, if you can see the technique, it isn't very good. When I listen to any piece of music, I can be listening for different things; a good arrangement, a good melody, a nice solo, a great groove. When we are discussing music on here, we are very often discussing a [i]part[/i] of the performances we are evaluating and not all of it. I have heard it said that the 'greatest' bass line is Good Times by Chic. Its fine as a line but the whole tune is two chords and the lyrics are total pap. James Jamerson played great lines but a lot of Motown stuff is lollipop music. There are great lyrics by Dyaln that are sung with that irritating whiny voice he has etc etc. As a jazzer, I am often accused of liking stuff that is lacking in melody when it sounds really melodic to my ears. Its all about what we as listeners require from a piece of music, what we see as its purpose at any given time. Sometimes that purpose is to move emotionally, sometimes its cerebral, sometimes about moving feet. Sometimes, we have to accept, that its no more than to showcase chops. When we are discussing specific techniques, be it slap, tap, ERBs, bowing etc, it is perfectly legitimate to point people in the direction of that techniques leading exponents. I heard Bobby Vega for the first time this week. Great player, great pick technique. Glad I have added that to my understanding of the potential of my instrument. No I won't be buying any Bobby Vega records because his cv is full of stuff I don't particularly enjoy, same with Pino, Mark King and Jamerson. It is also entirely legitimate for kids who are new to this game to share their excitement at new discoveries. Those of us who know better should allow them to be excited. A kid who is learning about bass is going to get a buzz out of watching Wooten etc whereas someone who has already been there may look for something more tasteful. Eventually, most of us get to the point where the 'song' (in is broadest sense) is king but lets not s*** on people's picnics and lets let them get excited about stuff that floats their boat.

If you can do it without the bass in your hand, more power to you!! I have done short transcriptions like that but its really hard and takes me longer so I tend to do it with a bass/guitar/keyboard to hand!!

I have the Fishman and it really helped me control my sound at higher (gig) volumes. No feedback and a useful eq. Comments from other musicians are positive so I can concentrate on my playing and not fret about whether the sound of the gear is fit for purpose.

Stewart had perfect pitch. Apparently his duets with Art Tatum, who also had it, were legendary (but I have not heard them). He was also one of the first to solo with a bow and was a mjaor influence on Paul Chambers, who had worked with a 'Slam Stewart' tutorial book.

You use and open string when it is called for and a fretted one where it is not. As long as you are in control of the lines you are playing, it matters not a jot.

Yes. It is easy, when reading, to read rhythms as the points where notes atart but easy to forget that the chart also tells you where they end. Its a common mistake in developing learners and one that can easily br overlooked. i.e. the length of the note is the distance between the start of the note and the end. A simple point but am important one.

Agree with the mportance of the end of the note. When I write a chart for any instrument, I am profoundly aware of the length of the notes I require and, as a result, I try to remain in tune with that element of a piece when I am reading it.

Can't help thinking of the sound of a Lancaster Bomber.......

Pollution. All around. Sometimes up and sometimes down. But always around. We are on different buses. But we are both burning petrol. Seriously, these debates are a minefield. My take has always been to do what I can and to manage my life as ethically as my knowledge base allows at any given time. If I discover something about a product I use that suggests something untenable, I will act accordingly but, at the same time, I don't feel guilty about what I don't know because I can't keep tabs on every element of everything I buy/use even if I spent every waking hour trying to do so.

You can get a secondhand version here for £2 + postage (total £4.80). http://www.amazon.co.uk/Al-Meolas-Picking-Techniques-Meola/dp/079351018X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326990058&sr=1-1

HAve you tried a radical strap adjustment so you are always playing with straight wrists? I don't know how you carry the bass so I don't know if I am talking sh*te. Another thought is that I had wrist problems years ago and couldn't seem to get the aches and pains to stop but I had an Microsoft Natural ergonomic keyboard 4000 v.1 fitted in work and the discomfort gradually fell away and has never returned. I am typing on it as we speak and its keeps me wrists straight all of the time. Its not always the bass; it can be the PC/typing aggravating the bass issues or jsut preventing recovery!!

Haslip is a bass tart and changes basses every 5 minutes (probably once a decade but time distorts when you get to my age . I spoke to Martin at The Gallery once (1990s) and he told me Haslip was looking at his Flamoboyants although I have never seen him with one; just a lot of basses with a similar look. I went through a phase of loving the Jackets when I was into fusion but I find them a bit lightweight now. Unquestionably great players, though, and Haslips' 'Ninos' from his solo CD ARc is a real favourite (wish I could get a chart for it; I can't figure the harmony out at all).

Got the new strings on last night and noticed an immediate improvement in some areas; the bass certaonly seems to 'sing' more and the attack on the notes is quicker, giving me more ocntril over phrases etc but the overall sound is still not what I want it to be so I will have to try other things (pick up height, action etc), Trouble with these things is that I have to steal moments to look at it and can't ever sit down and work at the issue for hours.

Just a thought. I got a lot of my picking technique from Al DiMeola's book (which is about guitar not bass). Essentially its all about economy of movement and making sure that the pick remains near the strings at all times in order to contribute to the accuracy of phrasing etc. I never gig with a pick on bass and only use one on guitar but, on the occasions when I pick one up and rip off a few licks, its obvious that the skill is completely transferable. It is also important to note the rhythmic potential of the up-stroke vs the downstroke in terms of phrasing.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmpZx_g6kXw&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmpZx_g6kXw&feature=related[/url]

Watch this guy....... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xUcV05ebZQ&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xUcV05ebZQ&feature=related[/url] Carles Benevant - THE nuevo flamenco bassist, Plays with Paco De Lucia and loads of others, Monster player.

Good work.