Bilbo

Just to clarify a point. I don't play professionally, I am what is called a semi-professional. I get paid to play but its not my main source of income (thank God...one gig in October!). As for why bother with electric... its a journey, isn't it. That's where I started because, like most of us, music was something I had to discover for myself and I had no guidance from an early age regarding listening, playing etc. So I found my own way through and got to double bass in the late 90s, messed up and returned to it in December 2009 (thanks to Jakesbass), aged 46. Thankfully, most of the musical knowledge I gleaned from the electric is entirely transferable to the double bass (a major scale is a major scale etc). I have a long way to go but the fun of learning has returned and I can practice for hours again. Anywa, thanks for the positive comments.

I get no pain at all from that. Once you get a solid technique and consistent practice regime, the pain thing is history. Now the only pian I get is earache

Another imperfect basschatter improvisation! Intonation is a bit to cock but I do love solo double bass playing (its the lack of compromise that I love). It's a Dave Holland arrangement off his One's All Cd but the solo is mine and the intonation is in the hands of the Gods. Here's the link.... http://soundcloud.com/robert-palmer-1/mr-pc-solo-bass

I am always fearful that all of this is just asn illusion caused by the different perspective created by the absence. Would it be better just to find ways to prevent/address stagnation that don't involve 'time out'? Learning a new genre, some new songs, transcribing something really hard or really easy, trying some classical etudes instead of jazz solos (or the other way around' etc. Just thoughts. Still, it is always good to remember its not all about music.

oOu have the gig everyone else secretly wants, Pete. Or was that cetera?

NOTE: it sounds better with the volume down low as the recording is a bit hot.

Nowt wrong with that, sunshine! It ain't Coltrane and that synth makes me want to puke but the bass part is doing the job perfectly well. Spend some more time listening to the greats and learn some 'proper' jazz tunes and before you'll know it, everyone will hate you too!

Good ply vs bad hybrid. Ya gets what you gets. Drop a Marshall cab on either and ther will be tears! A good preamp (Fishman PRo Platinum) will stop feedback problems.

[quote name='urb' timestamp='1319137249' post='1410504'] Anyway fearlessness is the way forward and I too am feeling particularly fearless with my playing too right now - leaping into the unknown and knowing you will land just fine if you trust your instincts is what making real music is all about... [/quote] I think this state comes after you have fully absorbed the core of what it is you are doing. If I 'let myself go' in the way you describe over a 12-bar blues or a static groove, it may reap rewards (no guarantees) but, if I did the same over a more complicated set of changes, it woudl fall apart within seconds. I was looking at some obsdcure charts last night and thinking how easy it is to get locked into a comfort zone and to forget the massive potential of improvised music. So much jazz that I play is based around the (not so) Great American Songbook or the half a dozen Aebersold/Fake Book tunes everyone plays that I can get locked into II V Is and cycles and routine turnarounds so much that even a slightly odd set of changes like a Wayne Shorter tune can throw the kind of spanner in that I am talking about. I guess the kind of freedom you describe is not something I am comfortable with. But it's not all about me

That's all about leading notes and grace notes, BE. They work becuase they are adjacent to the chord tones and are used on weak beats of the bar as a lead into a diatonic phrase on a strong beat. Holding any lead in note will create tension that is released when it is resolved. A lead in note will work better on a chord tones than a non-chord tone and on a weak beat rather than a strong one although turning that around has long ago become acceptable in the right context. You learn to recognise the difference quite quickly and make your musical decisions accordingly.

That is correct. Use the root of the dominant 7th chords as the first note of the mixolydian mode and change the mode every time you change the chord. So a blues in E would be E7 = E mix (Amajor) = E F# G# A B C# D E A7 = A mix (D major)= A B C# D E F# G A (only note different is G instead of G#) B7 = B mix (E major)= B C# D# E F# G# A B (only notes different are D# and G#) Those 1 and 2 note differences are what defines the 12-bar blues and a whole genre has been built upon them.

[quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1319103737' post='1409844']Sod all that. I want to learn about the wrong notes. The interesting ones that don't fit "theoretically" but sound jazzy and cool.[/quote] Trust me. Just because they sound jazzy and cool to you doesn't mean that they don't fit a theory, just that you don't know that theory. I did a session once and the producer (who worked for the BBC) said he had ths jazzy chord sequence he wanted to use but had not yet found a use for it. The sequence went Emaj7, F#m7, G#m7, Amaj7.....He said it reminded him of Level 42. Nuff said...

And PS, the fraudn thing never really goes away

[quote name='Amafi' timestamp='1319043972' post='1409300'] I know my major scale in every position and in every key, I know the modes and I know both my Major and minor Pentatonics in every key. Most songs I play are 12 bar but I still don't know whether I should play Major or minor Pentatonics as they both seem to fit. What I would really like to know is what scale/mode to play and when, especially for fills, and how do you know what scale/mode to use? Say I was to get a song from a friend, how would I know how to jam over it? A recent video said that you should find each chord that the guitarist is playing, overlap them in the same fretboard position, and the notes from the chords will define the scale to play. Is this correct? Any advice would be helpful. Thanks[/quote] Sounds to me that you know some stuff but have not yet got a sense of context. Most blues are based around dominant chords rather than major but the dominant chords are the fifth mode of the major scale so its them same notes starting in a different place. A major pentatonic works over both as there is no 7th, a minor works because there is a blue note (the third). Your guitar player may be playing rock barre chords that are often ambiguous, hence both sounding correct. As for the video advice, its very simplistic. It may work with first position chords but not with any interesting voicings (a lot of jazz guitarists don't play root notes etc). Try finding some play-alongs that focus on the stuff you want to learn.

Just a point in relation to 'building up strength'. In my experience, it is not so much building up strength as it is learning to use you hand and arm effeiciently in order to maximise it's muscle tone. I have found that, when I maintain a sustained practice schedule, my left hand maintains its positioning much more readily and I find that I have fewer problems with fatigue etc. Its not because my hand is stronger, it is because my whole body/arm posture is better. Can I also recommend the book An Alexander Technique Approach to Double Bass Technique by Ethan Kind as something worth reading and thinking about? Its not a magic cure but it helps you think about how the body works 'in toto' as opposed to just the ways your hands interact with the bass. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alexander-Technique-Approach-Double-ebook/dp/B004JKMSSE/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319025463&sr=1-1-fkmr1 Also, ref. baboom's comments about playing softer. Agree 100%. Use the pick up/amp technology to amplifiy your sound. I know there is a lot of talk about the bassists in the old big bands having no amps but the music they played was a lot more 'grounded' and modern playing techniques probably require a bit of help (and a lot of them were mic'd up as well). Get a good pick up and a decent pre amp (Fishman Plat Pro?) to avoid feedback and let your amp do the work. It will help you relax and play better and your right hand will not choke your sound as much i.e. more resonance.

on't deny yourself the pleasure of finding this stuff for yourself. If you know major and minor scales and their modes you are probably 90% of the way there for most popular music but the quality is in the 10% and that is where you find the augmented, diminished, chromatic, altered etc that Doddy referred to. It is worth mentioning that the altered dominant is the 7th mode of the melodic minor scale. Most alteted chords in charts (E7b9, E7#9 etc) are all played using the the altered dominant scale. Its not as complicated as it sounds although learning the sounds of each scale is that much harder because they occur less often and often fleetingly. Kids learn this stuff one at a time. Adults always think that they can learn the whole thing in one sitting! TAke your time and learn incrementally.

If you weren't joking, it would be even funnier.

Silddx rools! I haven't enjoyed the tune so much in ages!!

Don't like those Hot Club grooves and the harmonies tend to be too 'square'. How about 'Joy Spring'?

Googled it. Not my bag. Any more suggestions?

Who is that by, Mark? Not sure if I know it.

I guess its about context. A fast paced tune can carry that a lot more than a slow one. Endless sixteenths on a ballad would be a lot harder to take than on a Parker blues. But we unquestionably agree that space of a good thing (and that my Bossa solo didn't have enough of it)!!

[quote name='mcgraham' timestamp='1318798945' post='1406388']I'll be honest, I was surprised that you and Mike didn't use them more when I listened to your renditions. Mike's GS and your first fast BB rendition just seemed relentless with next to no space or breathing room for the piece as a whole... which is fine for basslines but not for solos (IMO). As I'm sure you'll agree, playing relentlessly without rests is akin to people who talk lots but truly say so very little. Rests let the piece breathe and lets whatever else you've played find somewhere to rest in the listener's mind... in the same way if you were doing a talk you would have pauses to let the point you've just made sink in.[/quote] The issue is pacing and, whilst I agree that silence is great way to break up the flow but its not the only one. A sequence of straight 8ths is going to be dull but both Mike and I broke up the sequence with held notes, syncopated notes, triplets and various other dynamic figures so 'without rests' is a bit harsh. Nevertheless, more space is an entirely legitimate suggestion.

Its strange to admit that the gaps are what makes it harder to play but easier to listen to.

Great backing track on that one, Mark, and you sound better for it - am loving that tempo! As a contrast, here's my slow one! I couldn't get the mp3 downloaded so had to make my own backing track so apologies for the cheesiness. http://soundcloud.com/robert-palmer-1/sets/basschatters-revenge