Coilte

Welcome to BC. I'm sure you'll like it here. As for a tutor...post in..or check out the "Tutors Available" thread. Here is the link. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/forum/26-tutors-available/"]http://basschat.co.u...tors-available/[/url] Best of luck.

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1504707887' post='3366782'] I prefer a pint if you're buying Dad. [/quote] I assume you are both heading here. http://www.tabsbarandgrill.com

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1504701400' post='3366690'] Tadda! Thanks. [/quote] At the same time...[i]if you know your fretboard...[/i] it can safely be said that notation tells you where to put your fingers.

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1504701175' post='3366682'] So... where do I put my finger again? I have a suggestion but it is not polite. [/quote] So..it's safe to assume that you don't know the location of the notes on the fretboard ?

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1504701110' post='3366679'] Are you kidding me? As you well know you have to earn your place in the queue for her dowry when courting a colleen. She [i]scored[/i] a free lunch every time. [/quote]

[quote name='paul_c2' timestamp='1504699481' post='3366657'] Yes it does. Simple example: There's one way to do it on the (4 string) bass.....its as clear as a bell. [/quote] I agree. However it is necessary to know your fretboard first. In my experience a lot.. (granted..not all..).. of tab users don't know where the notes are on the fretboard. With tab, there is no need to know as you simply put your finger on for example, fret four of the first string etc. In this instance the note name makes no difference.

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1504698465' post='3366644'] She only spoke one language though - cash. [/quote] I assume she picked up the tab when you went out for a meal. !! [size=2]Grabs his coat and runs...!!![/size]

Conflicting reports.... http://en.mediamass.net/people/walter-becker/deathhoax.html

Wow !!! . Lets hope the message proves to be a hoax.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1504303118' post='3364072'] All my basses have a case. They are stored in the cases at home but I take them to the gig in a gig bag. [/quote] Ditto.

TI Jazz Flats for me. As flats go, they are on the bright side, so I find them ideal for classic rock.

[quote name='casapete' timestamp='1503124746' post='3355817'] Never got this album at all - too perfect and clinical for me, lacking in soul - runs for cover........ [/quote] Another +1 to the above. Never really liked it.

[quote name='louisthebass' timestamp='1503330697' post='3357322'] Haven't investigated them but the Todd Johnson Jazz Bass modular books are also supposed to be excellent. Maybe someone on here has got them and can recommend them? [/quote] I have Volumes 1 & 2 of Todd's modular books and can highly recommend them.

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1503164787' post='3356188'] Forgive me for saying but that sounds ever so condescending. [/quote] Sorry if that's how you interpreted my my post. It was n't my intention.

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1503159951' post='3356147'] Each to there own.[/quote] That was the second sentence of my previous post. Far be it from me to tell people how to learn. I could not care less. I am merely expressing my opinion. Oh... BTW.. I am not just talking about reading, but basic theory in general...all the things that makes for a good all round musician.

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1503149256' post='3356067'] That would be THE learning path would it? Like there is only one. Sorry, I can't see it from your point of view. [/quote] It would indeed. To each their own, but there are tried and trusted ways for us to learn. As with "ambient's" earlier comparison of learning music to reading a book. In order to learn how to do the latter we generally take a certain path. We start off with our ABC's, we get familiar with the sound the letters make. Most people remember at infant school, constantly saying out loud..."D-O-G" = dog....C-A-T= cat etc. We move on then to bigger words and then on to constructing sentences. We then start reading child's books, maybe with pictures to help us get the gist of what the written word says. Finally we move on to adult novels and literature etc. Do you see a certain path being followed here ? I certainly do. It is THE ..(there's that word again ).. learning path to reading and writing. One that I'm sure the vast majority of us have taken. Like the content of the book, music is also a language and has it's own learning path. So in this context I think the word "the" is valid. Granted, some people choose to join the musical path somewhere in the middle. They then often find themselves having to backtrack.....mostly this brings them back to ground zero...which is the most beneficial place to start.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1503065765' post='3355475'] Many have wrong bits in them, but as a starting point, and for bits that are difficult to hear, I find TAB is an excellent tool. [/quote] I would agree with the above. The problem IMO is when people become over reliant on tab to the exclusion of other aspects of learning. If a person wants to make progress along the learning path, they won't get too far by relying entirely on tab. If on the other hand they are content to stay in their comfort zone and have no wish to take their playing any further, that's their call.

An interesting article on tab (with responses) from Damian Erskine : [url="http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2015/05/06/learning-music-a-discussion-on-bass-tab-notation-and-ears/"]http://www.notreble....ation-and-ears/[/url]

[quote name='julietgreen' timestamp='1503070673' post='3355523'] Still - I wondered how others actually learned. [/quote] Well...I started off with the "Walking Jazz Lines for Bass" book I recommended earlier. It gives you (starting very basic and going up from there) exercises to work on, then you can incorporate those exercises by playing along to the accompanying CD. The bass on the CD can be isolated if you wish, so it's just you and the band playing. Further on in the book there are standards written in bass clef along with the track on the CD (with or without the bass). Great way to get started IMO.

If you are starting from scratch then I'd recommend : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Walking-Jazz-Lines-for-Bass-Music-Book-with-Audio-Access-/272526565447?hash=item3f73d96047:g:HKYAAOSw3mpXK1AY or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ7MfADYRmg There is a series of about ten lessons here, starting basic and going on from that. Later on you could try : http://www.alfred.com/Products/Todd-Johnson-Walking-Bass-Line-Module-System-Volume-2-Scale-Modules--00-30025.aspx http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Building-Walking-Bass-Lines-Ed-Friedland-Paperback-New-Book-Free-UK-Delivery-/222273401271?hash=item33c086f1b7:g:7hgAAOSw8w1X9s8x http://www.shermusic.com/1883217504.php

For general nerves when gigging I'd recommend you go to a quiet corner of the venue about five or ten minutes before going on stage. Do some breathing exercises. Slowly breath in deeply through the nose and slowly breath out through the mouth. When you go on stage to play, remember to "breathe". Sometimes we get so caught up in our playing that we hold our breath without realising. Try to be aware (granted...it's not always an easy thing to do ) of your breathing while playing. As for the physical side of things..i.e. stiffness : use the rest of your time in that quiet corner of the venue doing gentle stretches BEFORE you even touch the bass. Check out Youtube for .."hand stretches for bass/guitar". Spend a few minutes on these and then pick up the bass. SLOWLY start doing scales and/or arpeggios above the fifth fret at first... (any lower might be too much of a stretch when starting cold). Then move down the fretboard gradually. Be aware that your general technique and stance could be causing the problem also. All of the above should take between ten and fifteen minutes. Time well spent IMO. Hope this helps. Worth a try anyway.

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1503014581' post='3355131'] Personally I found scales really useful. Go to a jam and someone says 'We're doing a blues in G' - if you've practiced your scales your fingers will just automatically find the notes you can play around with. I haven't absorbed much music theory (as is probably obvious from the way I expressed the above), but surely we all need to know our major and minor scales and arpeggios, don't we? [/quote] Scales are indeed useful but only if they are practiced in the right way. I have often come across people who claim that they "know" their scales because they can play them from root to root all over the neck, at a gazillion BPM's. Not a bad thing in itself, but REALLY knowing your scales involves knowing how chords are derived from them and knowing how to harmonise a scale. When you have nailed this, only then will you feel confident playing in the scenario you describe above.

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1502790779' post='3353519'] Yep. Your opinion, as valid as anyone elses. If I am in a hurry to learn a song I find tab quick and easy, If its available, certainly quicker and easier than playing parts of a song over and over trying to get a handle on the bass line by trial and error. [/quote] I suppose that tab can be helpful in an emergency if you need to learn a song in a hurry. However in the long term it is much more beneficial to learn by ear via trial and error. I suppose it all depends on what you want out of playing the bass. Relying on tab alone renders you a human duke box simply miming what others have transcribed. You will never be able to come up with your own bass lines. When I started out playing bass (back in the Jurassic period ) there was no such thing as tab. I had no choice but to wear out vinyl LP's by constantly going back and forth learning a song. Looking back on it now, I am eternally glad that I was forced to learn in this way. There are no short cuts to learning an instrument. As you say...your opinion is as valid as anyone else's. If you find tab useful...fair enough.

[quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1502809875' post='3353687'] As a newish player I have watched this with interest, I am sad to report that I now haven't got a clue! Back to the books and tabs for me :-( [/quote] We were all "newish players" at one time. Granted, it can be a bit daunting when you first dip your toe into theory. While I am not an expert by any means, I did struggle at times to get the basic grasp I now have. Well worth the effort IMO. The trick is to find a teacher or tutorial online course that [u]starts very basic and builds from there. [/u] The other "trick" is not to bite off too much too soon. To start, a half an hour a day is ample time to spend on theory. Then increase the time later on. To make sense of this thread you'd need to understand intervals. The information in the thread was given only because the OP asked a specific question. If you start at ground zero and stick at it, the information will, in time, make sense. Nothing like having that lightbulb moment.

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1502725780' post='3353133'] I was assuming the OP did not have a good ear, as that is exactly how I learned, from listening and playing. I also advised him to learn THE SONGS HE LIKES, if we are all shouting, then use the phrases, over the chords, for other songs. Dont take it all out of context. [/quote] Point taken. My point however, is if you don't have a good ear, all the more reason to concentrate on rectifying that. Personally I have never found tab useful. YMMV.