Bilbo

Its kind of a rule you get used to over time; be wary of extensions. When you are learning, there is a temptation to tray and imply the extensions of every chord every time you play them. This can lead to illogical and clumsy lines. Its is important to know what the chord names mean and what the extensions are but you should only use them when the line requires it. When chords are shooting past at one chord per bar, there is no way you can get it all in. Friday Night at the Cadillac Clud is a great example of when not to over egg it. Its essentially a rock shuffle and over complicating the line undermines the momentum and the energy of the thing.

Crect..... I nhaven't been in a proper recording studio for years. I think it was pre-millenium? I am trying to get a good sound in my music room which is a sort of loft space, an ordinary bedroom with a sloping roof. You can see it here, particularly on the headstock shot.: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/93958-i-did-it-now-with-photos/page__hl__gedo+musik__fromsearch__1"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/93958-i-did-it-now-with-photos/page__hl__gedo+musik__fromsearch__1[/url]

I guess my issue is that I can't think of a drummer as great if I know others are 'greater' . Stewart can play a back beat like a monster. I know a lot of Stewart but have only heard this Dana Hawkins guy today so a comparison is unfair, I agree, but I can't get excited about backbeat drummers like this appear to be. I have to say, also, that, despite and early Rush obsession, I find Neil Peart a bit thuggish!

Sounds like late Tribal Tech to me but without the edge. I hear lots of production but not a great deal of depth. There are elements of of Patitucci in there (might be the Ken Smith) and the octave dividier is a very old trick. He's not a bad player but certainly nothing here is grabbing me. Same with Eli Marcus. Massive production effort and a lot of electricity used but the music is cold as fcuk. The basses sound over processed to me. I'm probably not being fair but these drummers playing variations on straight backbeats are pretty soulless. Try this. All the creativity but these are playing not programming!! Listen tot he the way the drummer plays WITH the time not just playing it. And the dynamics WITHIN HIS PLAYING are astonisihing. His control is much more profound than these new breed of hip-hop drummers. Watch his right hand (tune goes onto a second video). [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7GmHiA9HKs&feature=related[/media]

The Fripps of today are all in Jazz. There is no room for them anywhere else.

At least one of these Christmas songs has great bass playing..... Chris Squire on bass and lead vocals... I think this appeared chronologically between Jon Anderson leaving the first time and The Buggles arriving. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjvWcDlyh3c"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjvWcDlyh3c[/url]

I have some pretty useful orchestral samples already but this is quality stuff, mate. Many thanks.

Frankly, I wouldn't write it down as D# but as Eb where the third is G. I recall that there is an argument that D# major is different to Eb major but I think that is generally archaic and less relevant today (please say if you know different). The fundamental thing is that, in normal scales and i order to make it write/readable, you have to have a ABCDEF and G. So D# major scale is D# E# F## G# A# B# C## D# - really cumbersome and an appalling read.

Absolutely - and a lot of fun and learning in the trying. Personally, I will be happy if the recording sounds like the bass does rather than like the bass does at the far end of a really long corridor!! !

There are lots of technological developments in recording that have some bearing on all of this. The early stuff was recorded through horns and drums were not used because they made the needle on the recording equipment jump. As things like rudimentary multi tracking came on line, the first studios had 2,4, 8 and 16 track studios and I suspect it was a long time before bass players got a look in in terms of having their own track allocated. So a lot of older recordings will not have 3 tracks dedicated to the bass (say a di, a close mic and a room mic). So classic jazz would inevitable sound very different to what we hear today. I have listened to loads of Paul Chambers who was probably one of the most recorded players between 1958 - 1963 and his recorded sound varies massively depending on where the recording took place and how much time was available to record and to mess around getting a sound. He used a pick up close to the end but, by then, he was recording a lot less. I guess this all has an impact on what we hear as a generic jazz double bass sound. In the 70s, it wsas low actions pick ups and close miking and some of the sounds are really clanky.

Just listened to my efforts again, Jake, and they have EXACTLY the same ring in there!!! Well, I'll be.... I learned something valuable today!

Wow. Never realised that the room could have that kind of effect. May explain some of my earlier frustrations (that I have not posted here )

The bass is a lot more in tthe foreground than mine and is much more like what I am trying to get. And the playing is great. The only thing I don't like is that ringing sound that underpins everything. Sounds like something ringing in sympathy to the lower frequencies (it reduces as you go up the neck)?

Just had a pleasant surprise. In an effort to plug some aesthetic/historical gaps in my listening, I down loaded Carla Bely's legendary 'Escalator Over The Hill'. I was kind of expecting to be confronted with a bizarre mixture of free jazz and Kurt Weill (and I guess I did a bit) but its really good stuff; eclectic but interesting. And I had forgotten how good Jack Bruce's voice is.

Swap flats?

An unmixed live version of Joao Bosco's Incompatibilidade De Genios by Gione Antony's Brazilliance. Another bass solo with flaky intonation. I'm off to investigate in-ear monitoring!! The highlight is Myke Cliffod's soprano solo!! Percussion is a bit loose but, to be fair, she had only learned a samba rhythm that afternoon. Anyway, details aside, I like the energy on this one!! [url="http://soundcloud.com/robert-palmer-1/incompatibilidade-de-genios"]http://soundcloud.co...idade-de-genios[/url]

I think many of us who 'freelance' are used to putting in deps if necessary but I think there is a hierarchy of priorities that each holds for one reason or another and it is an individual thing. I have one band that I always put first because it rehearses and has no charts so it is difficult to dep whereas most standards gigs can go out to a dep with no real detriment. My take is that its not just my income I have to consider but everyone elses as well e.g. I won't cancel on people who are pros and need the income. I stress that I am not a pro and don't 'need' the money enough to blow people out but I also get that this is a luxury some can't afford.

This thread is now the best ever on Basschat! I think the main thing is to spend time and thought on the issue. Mic positioning is proving to be an interesting 'diversion' but I can see all of these options being worthy of investigation to some degree or another. Thanks, everyone, for all of your input.

I was in 9 at one time. First come first served, as it were. Noone complained.

Julian was best man at my wedding and is my oldest and dearest friend. Tell him Rob Palmer says hi!! I used to play with him often and played bass in his first band (which had Lee Goodall on drums (in case you didn't know, Lee also plays guitar)! I get down there about once a year and have often stayed at his place. I knew Paula (although not well)when she first took up the bass (she was already playing guitar and flute). She's a great player (I just recently downloaded her trio cd with Lee and Mark O'Connor - some nice stuff on there). Other folk I know that are around there: Ian Williams (dr), Osian Roberts (tenor sax - based in Prague but his family still lives near Roath Park), Ceiri Torjussen (tpt - based half the time in LA), Rob Haddon (gtr), Dylan Fowler (g), James Chadwick (g), Nigel Cyril (dr), Greg Meliville (g), Dick Hamer (sax), Paul Hornsby (sax), Glen Manby (as), Greg Evans (dr), Barry Foscolo (perc), Jon Caulfild (bs), Jon Thomas (bs).... you may recognise some of them although I suspect some have moved on one way or another.

[quote name='mercuryl' timestamp='1321820146' post='1443506'] Seems to be good advice. I'll probably do that. [/quote] Jakesbass on here is in Aldershot, Hants. Lots of us here have been helped by him. He's a great teacher. Certainly worth a visit. Sarah - who is your tutor? I used to knock around in Cardiff (as did Jakesbass, ironically) and wonder if I know him/er?

Did another trio gig last night (piano, sax/bass) and, again, no need for the electric. What is more, the piano player, a guy called Chris Ingham, hadn't heard me for a year and commented that I had moved on considerably since the last time he heard me. He also said the bass sounded great and that, whilst he could still hear some fatigue creeping in at times, he could see the progress that was being made (Chris is a monster player whose opinion I respect totally - he is a lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University's Jazz course and has a way of feeding back that is empowering). Anyway, I ended the gig with minimal fatigue and no pain in my hands. A little soreness on the middle finger of my right hand this morning but nothing anywhere near a blister. The bass sounded great, particularly the E and A strings and we played some ballads where I could just wallow in the root notes and enjoy the sustain - simple pleasures!! I want to get some in-ear monitoring to help me with the intonation at higher speeds but, other than that, its all coming together!

The irony is that a Genesis tribute band would probably be the one I would like to play in or even see. But I won't. I have watched the youtube vids of Genesish and, yes, they show considerable merit (the band, not the videos). But I don't do nostaligia very well, I'm afraid. Like the website tho; (but why no music?). Click on the Squonk !

Me and tribute bands have a history!!

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1322393694' post='1450175'] easily up there with the top tributes you will ever see. [/quote] Oh.... the temptation!!