Coilte

Sad news indeed. R.I.P.

Agree 100%. I did not get the impression that anyone (it certainly was not my intention) was dictating. Surely it's a given, that the OP has the option to take or leave ANY advice offered ? It's just a forum...not the army !!! 😄😉

I thought that was exactly what we were doing. 🤔

No one is asking you to. Practicing little and often is simply (good...IMO) advice which you and the OP have the option to heed or ignore. 🙂 BTW...over the course of say a year...you may end up putting in more time over all, by playing for small amounts of time, but on a more regular basis.

Fair enough. You're obviously not a fan of Ms. Kaye. 😄. Nonetheless, that does not render her advice invalid. In my experience the general consensus would agree with her. Here is a renowned site which seems to think along the same lines. https://www.studybass.com/lessons/practicing/how-much-to-practice/

Whatever floats your boat...but...practicing for very long periods at a time can be counter productive. From Carol Kaye's website " Remember to practice a little every day -- that's crucial. Keeping the continuity of playing a little bit everyday is a lot better than going for 2-3-4 days and then practicing "a lot". It's best not to practice over 2 hours at a time, the mind (believe it or not) tends to shut down after that and you get sort of robotic in your playing. While it's great for the fingers to play a lot here and there, the creative mind (the thing you have to please) needs a rest inbetween.

Don't forget to include some actual MUSIC....as in... playing along to songs and developing your ear. IMO, the latter is one of the most beneficial things to learn.

+1. Little and often is best.

My sentiments entirely. 🙂 Though judging from this, and previous threads about Moondance, it would seem that people DO care....a lot !! 🤔

Perhaps there IS more to it, but I can not think of any other reason why people would get their knickers in a twist when Moondance is referred to as being jazz. 😄 I have been a jazz fan all my like (now 63) and I could not care less if someone interprets the song as jazz. It's all MUSIC to me. Some of it you like...some you don't. No harm done.

I can offer one reason regarding the general attitude about Moondance being (or not being ) jazz. Because there is a lot of snobbery and elitism attached to the genre. Why this should be the case, is beyond me, considering it's humble beginnings. An example of this snobbery and elitism is quoted below, taken from an earlier post in this thread. On 12/09/2018 at 13:12, HengistPod said: I have a cousin who makes a very tidy living in London singing French jazz and playing accordion. Residencies in brasseries , gigs on the Orient Express and the like, playing with top-notch po-faced jazz musicians in dinner suits. She absolutely refuses to acknowledge me, with my 38 years of playing bass in rock cover bands, as any level of musician whatsoever. Which is probably fair enough, to be honest.

Reminds me of what Miles Davis said to Coltrane when he (Coltrane) said he found it difficult to end a solo when in full spiritual flight...." Try taking the f***ing horn down from outta ya mouth...!!! 😅

Very sad on learning this news. I loved his work with the L.A. Express. R.I.P.

"AKA MOON" might be worth checking out. They are a Belgian.. (have a great bassist too BTW...he studied with Jaco )..band and have been on the go since around the early 90's. They have a core membership of three (sax, bass and drums), but have collaborated widely with many different artists. The track below is from a recent album in which the band give their interpretation of Scarlatti's sonatas. Kind of like ..."jazz meets classical". 😎 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80lVklIvd8s

I would not get too hung up on labels. Granted, they can be useful in some circumstances. "Jazz" IMO is an "umbrella" name for a vast variety of music which has been constantly evolving since around 1900, and is still doing so. Generally, people have an era preference in this evolution.

I don't think that's fair at all. It is attitudes like your cousin's, that puts people off jazz, claiming it to be elitist. Granted, it takes a high degree of musicianship to perform jazz music, but that does not...(or SHOULD not)...mean looking down your nose at fellow musicians.

I have been a jazz fan since my mid teens (now 63). I suppose I was "lucky"...(YMMV 😉)... enough to be exposed to it early in life by an older friend who had lots of jazz LP's. When I could afford to buy my own albums, I started exploring new names. Still doing so to this day.

Anything you learn that enhances your knowledge and appreciation of music is important. I would place reading very high on the list.

As well as Happy Jack's advice.... If you don't do so already, try keeping a practice session to no more than an hour at a time. Take a break and come back to it. Both your brain and hands will thank you for it. 😉

+1 to the above. IME any string cleaning remedies only last a very short time before the string resorts back to it's original grimy state. The best way to prolong string life IMO is to always wash your hands before you play. I have seen people picking up a bass or guitar with their hands looking as if they'd just been doing some gardening. 😄 Otherwise....it's new strings...

"Chicken Shack" deserve a mention here, albeit they are not contemporary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDcOwhUPtT4

One of my all time favourite drummers. Loved his work along side bassist Tony Reeves. Especially loved this duo's work on John Mayall's "Bare Wires" album. If you have the means to isolate the bass and drums during the sax solo on this track ("Look In The Mirror") from the album, you'll hear how a rhythm section should sound.

Sorry...just realised it doesn't meet your criteria. Great band though....😉

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR0bDh_fjvw

Yes, they are amazing basses for their price. The Tributes have a lot in common with their USA cousins. The pick ups and electronics are exactly the same. The main differences would be on wood type and finish. Not bad..when you consider the price difference. 😉