BadHands

Gorgeous bass. Any idea what pickups are in it?

4 hours ago, DaveFry said:

It is a process best learned by doing the process .
The more you do it ( with an attitude of Play ) the easier it flows of itself .

 

This has hit home! Thanks

17 minutes ago, Doddy said:

want to be able to play along with a band and come up with a bassline on the spot

This appeals more to me. The only bass solos I enjoy tend to be groove based, and so are either not that harmonically excited, but around chord tones or scales.

I've been working on recognising intervals and transcribing by ear, but tend to fall into the habit of looking down and "Seeing" which notes are in the scale/chord, and playing from my eyes. 

Hey all,

I've been working on improvisation, and wondered what exercises or breakthroughs helped you with improvisation. Specifically reducing the time between hearing something in your head, and playing it immediately? 

By this I mean not "Playing visually" (Scalar patterns/arpeggios) or by relying on muscle memory (internalised licks). 

Thanks!

I will say, I AM thinking of replacing the bridge so it's usable in a few more band situations. 

9 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

I've offered lessons to several famous bass players, but I was surprised by their lack of enthusiasm, to be honest.

I'm sure they'll come back to you now they have some time on their hands. 

I've managed to get a reply from a couple of names suggested here, who unfortunately aren't doing lessons at the moment, but I'm debating having a lesson or two with Jeff Berlin!

If anyone's interested, I'll write up about the process and how I find it.

Thanks so much for the help, everyone!

4 hours ago, StickyDBRmf said:

Pedulla 5-string

Ironically, Guitar Guitar offered me a terrible price for my 5 string Rapture. They want to make a profit though, so to be expected. 

I kept my brother company when he was guitar shopping in Birmingham (Remember shopping in person?) and went to PMT, then Guitar Guitar. At PMT the staff I spoke to didn't seem particularly keen to help, and after wandering into the synth area, found one employee on video call with his girlfriend - Just turned to me and said "Hi" and went back to his conversation.

GG on the other hand couldnt have been more helpful, were happy for us to try anything we wanted - despite having to clean them down between customers, and were pleasantly chatty without hovering. 

Just now, Dad3353 said:

Your location may be a factor

I'm in Staffordshire, but anywhere in mainland England will do. 

On 27/01/2021 at 01:16, Maude said:

The Kentucky Sweetcorn Smugglers. 

Maybe they're Toyah fans. 🤔

I definitely found enter Sandman easier to listen to than usual

Hi guys,

I'm aware of the classifieds section here and the Ebays of the world, but was just wondering: What UK based shops/websites have you had luck selling or trading your basses? Looking to get rid of one and want to make sure I've put it out ANYWHERE that the right people will see it. 

Thanks in advance

EDIT: I'll add that it's worth well over a grand as it bares relevance to the best places to sell it, but won't name make and model as I don't want my post ended for looking like I'm advertising it in the wrong place - This is a genuine query. 

Just for confirmation, is this a homebrew Flea Jazz?

My Traben is my go-to bass. There's a playability to it which I havn't really found in any others I've owned, and when I recorded with Eric Greedy, he loved the sound of it for rock. 

On 22/12/2020 at 23:08, NewUser said:

Got my Traben. Am I in the club now?

Got my first bass amp too, ampeg ba110. 

Could you give a quick idiots guide for those knobs on the Traben?

P.S. I like jazz. 

I have the same model! The top larger knobs are volume, pickup ratio, then bass, mid, treble. 

11 hours ago, Killed_by_Death said:

Ghost's Pinnacle to the Pit

Don't be afraid to jump around from one song to another if you feel yourself getting bored. Learning one song might open up your ability to play another. Also, PTTP has SUCH a great riff

6 hours ago, MacDaddy said:

there has not been any 'new' music for about 30 years

While there was a wave of chav bands (Nu-rave bands like Enter Shikari and bands like HardFi), there are bands like GoGo Penguin who make music similar to post-rock with electronic ideas, but all done with jazz instrumentation. The London jazz scene at the moment is a mixing pot of styles, with full jazz bands on electronic kit playing alongside a DJ playing with samples, and the biggest culturally, Grime. 

There's exciting, new stuff everywhere, it's just knowing where to look.

On 25/01/2021 at 14:57, MacDaddy said:

apart from some songs in the set list of my old band, I don't really know any new music since about 1992.

Exactly. While I think this is something we start to wear as a badge of honour as we get older, with the internet there's no excuse not to be finding new acts who float our individual musical boats. 

Hi everyone, 

I was reading somewhere that apparently Gary Willis offers/offered online lessons and was curious if people know of any other "Famous" (in the bass community) teachers? By that I mean those who supplement their main music career by teaching a handful of students. 

Also, yes - I understand that fame doesn't mean someone is a better or even good instructor - just curious

Also, what a classic

Always this

I thoroughly enjoy Scott's Bass Lessons, which has great content considering it's free. I know a lot of people get annoyed by the general you-tubeyness of it, but the guy's gotta stay ahead of the curve and the info he's giving out is great and practical.

Adam Neely is less bass-focused now, but taking a deep dive into a random musical concept has been really eye-opening for me.

2 non bassists who I've picked up a tremendous amount of theory stuff from, are Rick Beato and NewJazz. Their videos have been really practical and entertaining to watch, as I find theory can be a dry subject to approach. 

34 minutes ago, John Cribbin said:

I've recently bought a Focusrite 2i2 interface, it really is plug and play.

I've just got the same one. Would recommend. 

I studied music tech at college/Sixth form (I'm now 30), so I'm in a different-yet-similar position to you as I focused more on playing and performing than recording and producing since then, unlike my friends who have stayed up-to-date, and the technology has changed quite a bit in 14 years. I'm currently dipping my toes back in to do some youtube stuff. I would say this though:

I can't speak for Reaper as never used it, but Protools, Cubase, Logic, and even Garageband all fundamentally act like real hardware and are logical in the way they're laid out - so aside from new features that have been developed  - recording a few different takes and editing them together is still as simple now as it was then, and takes really minimal time to learn. Ever heard of the Pareto principle? You'll only need to learn 0.001% of how this software works to be able to record bass and send it to someone else. 

2 tips for you that my friends swear by:

When you've discovered how to do so, save a template so you can open it and you're ready to hit record and go. 

Learn keyboard shortcuts. 

Both of these things speed your workflow up dramatically and means you don't need to keep repeating yourself. 

If people you're competing with for the gig can record files and send them, don't make it harder for the band to find you if you're the right guy for the job. As has already been said, it sounds like you're asking this because you feel like you're missing out, so there is your answer. I disagree with comments that you need to create a facebook page as you didn't say the bands want you to have it, and with any new venture you want to be reducing barriers to getting it done, not creating more. 

If I can offer any help with navigating this stuff, just shout.