Bilbo

If you want to understand sharps and flats, try looking at the notes on a piano. Then think of what it would look like if the whole piano alternated between black and white notes.

Of course and the occasional blues lick finds its way in but, in simplistic terms, there ain't much dancing at Prog gigs!!

Prog is, for most people, a minority interest music, like Jazz. Finding four musicians willing and able to invest the time necessary to develop something intelligent and original will be like searching for the Holy Grail. Investment vs. return ratio would mean it's for a very dedicated few. Personally, I love the fact that Prog is probably the only music in the popular fields that isn't linked to dance and/or the blues. It is an essentially English invention with no direct links to the African American influenced dance genres like Funk, Soul, Jazz, Blues etc etc. Thus it works best for White men who can't dance ;-)

10, 000, 000 violinists, cellists and double bass players can't be wrong. The idea that fretless is harder than fretted is entirely mythological. It is merely different. PS ha[font="helvetica, arial, sans-serif"][color="#141823"][size=3]ve been playing fretless for over 30 years[/size][/color][/font]

Learning both helps us with writing out tunes as well.

I was working as a roadie for a band recording at Rockfield studios and staying at their accommodation up the hill opposite. These two guys appeared and came in for a cup of tea and we sat and chatted for ages. Nothing embarrassing was said and it was all cool but I had no idea until I was later told that I was talking to half of Hawkwind (Huw Lloyd Langton and the then bass player who I still cannot name). Also, when I played with Grant Nicholas of Feeder, we had an opportunity to jam with an American drummer guy for a couple of hours because he just wanted to play and was not otherwise busy. Lovely guy. Handlebar moustache. That'll be Richie Hayward of Little Feat then. Although I later found out he was Robert Plant's drummer, I still didn't know who Little Feat were!

Wow!! Was there any Jazz on??

Nope. Cloying. Not his fault I don't like it. He is a talented guy. I just don't think he has found himself yet.

Can't deny the talent but I find it unlistenable. Hate the affected voice and choice of material (turd polishing?). Talented but misdirected, IMHO.

For me, it is always 'i don't like the music'. The reason I don't like the music may be different but the fundamental problem is always the same.

If you want to learn standards like a pro, you need to be able to play them in all keys. Niger Price says, if you cannot play a tune in every key, you don't really know it. I don't know standards like a pro and have to use real books etc. I am considered a lightweight in the business.

These monsters have always existed. I envy them their focus.

Or an 11 year old girl from Japan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XsYuHbXZUk

Or Fabio Valdemarin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Otbe5c2OIxI

And there's Simon Allen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyB4wV56IP8

Not got to it this month, guys. Sorry. Blame Tony Kofi and Ornette Coleman!

That Behind The Lines line was one that I used as a learning tool early on. Alphonso Johnson is, to me, THE underrated player. Sklar is top drawer, though, absolutely.

I had one of these and they are marvellous. I have some recordings with it on. Here is one. The basic percussion track is a Handsonic Loop. There is additional percussion on there that is also the Handsonic and there is some real percussion too. I have other that are interesting and will try and post them. https://soundcloud.com/robert-palmer-1/fire-works

Nova - Vimana. It is on YouTube but not available as anything but vinyl. Also Peter Sprague's Napali Coast.

Stage electric double basses have a good reputation for start instruments but my advice is always to go for a real double bass. The electric ones are ultimately unsatisfactory and tend to sound like Fretless electrics rather than a double bass. This means that as soon as you get an electric upright, you start gassing for an acoustic.

I remember this blowing me away when I first heard it. Anthony Jackson with French Toast. http://youtu.be/YMobWpeUZw0

The reading thing just takes you places you wouldn't otherwise go. Bach Cello Suites are lovely to get you thinking about the neck. Jazz solos are great for reading practice because they tend to avoid predictable patterns.

Paul Chambers discography dropped off heavily after he left Miles (see the discography in my book 'Mr. P.C. the life and music of Paul Chambers'). If you listen to the recordings he did do, however, there is no tailing off of his ability. He was still practising when he was in the hospital with the TB that killed him. His recordings are strong right until the end and there are no substantive stories of unreliability. I just think that, when he left Miles, he inadvertently cashed in his best bargaining chip. Also, the style of bass playing was changing and PC didn't move with the times so got left behind. Was he the best? I don't think so, if I am honest. He was important as he was the most widely heard. Being the best is no guarantee of anything.

My Dad was in a male voice choir but that happened long after I had started gigging and had left home. Maybe I influenced him?

I think it is an important point. The influence of a player is often determined not by their ability but by the levels of exposure they enjoy because of the gig they have. When Paul Chambers was doing the Miles gig (1955-1963), he was all over the Jazz scene recording hundreds of sessions with everybody. When he left the Miles band, the sessions dropped like a stone and Ron Carter, Pc's replacement in the Miles bass chair, was the first call guy. Was this about the players or the reflected glory of recording with a Miles sideman? I know what I think. The thing is, a lot of influential players are in no way the 'best' players, they just have the highest profile gigs. Sometimes this lines up but, often, they don't.