bassace

I was 16 in 1957 and believe it or not jazz ruled, well, for anyone with half a brain that was. Pop was pretty mushy stuff, even Elvis left us unmoved in those day except when Scotty Moore struck up. And Rock wasn't really established. A bass guitar made quite a rare appearance and was played with a plectrum. So my influences were Dave Brubeck, MJQ and Chris Barber.

I'll have a couple of Double Bass books to sell:- Ray Brown's Bass Book and the Evolving Bassist by Rufus Reid. Both at a fiver each. Also I'll bring some of my clips to attach the pickup jack to the tailpiece. And I might be persuaded to part with my Crazy 8 cab but still mulling this one over.

Dan, keep the melody in mind and different tunes should inspire different solo lines. And by playing those tunes in the written key -iReal will provide the default key - you will find that you are playing on different parts of the fingerboard and finger positions. The more tunes you play you'll soon pick up all different lines. As a jazz freelancer I find I get little opportunity to play prepared solos but rather I have to solo on what's thrown to me. Concentrates the mind wonderfully.

Dan, at its simplest a bass solo can be either an embellishment of the walking line you've been playing under the band or something built up from the tune's melody line, always keeping the chord sequence in your head. I'll look out for you at the Double Bass Bash and if you like I could show you how it works in practice. It'll get you started.

Duckworth-Lewis method?

Watched the Jamie Cullum Prom on BBC 4 last night. Good to see our own TheG on double bass with the Remi Harris Trio. Great playing, Mike. Gigs will be quite humdrum after your moment in the spotlight. But of course you did Montreal a few weeks ago, so onwards and upwards.

The Jamie Cullum Prom the following day was good too. That guy certainly knows how to bridge the jazz , pop and rock genres. And did you see our own TheG on double bass with the Remi Harris Trio. Great playing, Mike.

And a very accomplished guitarist.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1471787238' post='3115830'] From your definition then, neither Wes Montgomery, Errol Garner, Buddy Rich or Dave Brubeck would be classed as musicians because they don't read music ? [/quote] From the narrow definition, perhaps not. But they were creators of music and certainly musicians. I'm not creative in the originals sense but I consider myself a musician nonetheless by my simple standards and what I'm able to contribute. Goes to show there is no one simple definition. Many of us have diverse talents to add to the musical pot.

When I first realised that, given a set of chords, I could play any tune put in front of me and in any key. And people phoned offering me gigs. That was back in 1964.

Photos or it didn't happen!

Enjoy the gig, guys. Our band played there last Sunday (outside) to an enthusiastic crowd. See if you can get a deal on the drinks. Prices are a bit on the heavy side.

I'm so glad there weren't any forums when I started out. I bought my £45 ply from the local music shop. Hadn't a clue what the strings were, bridge could have been anywhere and probably a massive string height. And of course initially no amp. But, in blissful ignorance, I had the best time. No lessons, I learned on the gig. And in the five years I did some amazing gigs, some of them with the biggest names in the Jazz world. All this is of course a bit tongue in cheek. This forum and its members provide some of the very best advice to help anyone starting out and even we old lags still pick up some good stuff. But don't be too intimidated or confused by all the amount of advice and opinions, some of them contradictory. The double bass is a wonderful and satisfying instrument so initially just go out and enjoy it. BTW, once I fitted a set of Spiro Mitts I resolved that I would never be distracted to try anything else. And this has stayed with me for five decades. After all, they are the jazzer's string!

Bob, it's just outside Derby. All details of this and other bashes are listed on the Events page of this forum.

Welcome the dark side, Bob. Wait for a whole host of recommendations to come in. But in the meantime just enjoy playing around with your bass and getting used to it. Not sure where you live but there will most likely be a bass teacher near you who can at least get you started the right way. And, as StingrayPete has mentioned on another part of the forum, if you can get along to the double bass bash on 2 Oct you will get a warm welcome and plenty of pointers. Take one step at a time.

There's a saying amongst the jazzers that the quality of the band is inversely proportional to the number of cars in the car park. I'm presently playing with a band that, musically, started from small beginnings and still doesnt display a great deal of musical brilliance. But it ain't half popular.

Great. There's going to be quite a lot of bow interest. And your hang your bow device will be very interesting. I'll bring some of my 'fix your pickup jack to the tailpiece' devices. Who said innovation was dead.

Well, I put it like this: it's damaged goods. Would you accept a new car with a scratch down one side? Or a cab with a ripped fret cloth? Thought not.

So we'll have a demo of French and German bows. That'll be great.

Just one more thing: I've noticed that some kettle leads don't hold on to the amp prongs very well. Some can even fall off during the gig. I've had to have a bit of a clear out recently. Anyone else found this?

Oh dear, there's no inner sanctum but all events need a bit of organisation. In this case it's Owen and me: Owen's the guy with the ideas and helms the event on the day and I book the room and pay the deposits. Simple. The last Bash was simple and completely informal and unstructured. We wondered whether this one should offer a bit more. You'll see this in the other bashes, SE for an example, which started as a get together and over time became a well organised event with shoot outs, talks, demos etc and all the better for that. I don't usually have a lot to say leading up to the event but felt that at the beginning of Sept I should send a wake up; after all we need a minimum number of attendees to cover certain costs. When I see an item for sale on BC and if I can say anything positive to help the sale I will. I see plenty of ads for products I don't like or who's price is a bit heavy. In that case I keep quiet. It won't help this event by expressing a contrary view so vociferously. Pete, I owe you an apology. I ran your setup idea past Owen and I was of the opinion that we couldn't justify, let alone afford, a specialist to attend unless we had cash to spare, which on the initial showing we probably won't have. But apologies for not keeping you in the loop. However, last bash, Keith, Mr Bassman, did a much photographed sound post adjustment and there will be people at this bash who have knowledge enough to give setup advice. And a lot more. After all, that's what bashes are all about. So put any suggestions for the day here and they will be sensibly discussed and considered. It'll be a great day.

[quote name='taunton-hobbit' timestamp='1470334573' post='3105281'] I, being mega-technical, tend to make sure that any gig leads have a 5amp fuse - its worked for fifty years, so I'm not stopping now. [/quote] And me too. I can't justify this technically but it just seems to make sense. Fifty years for me too.

I've just ordered a new car made in Germany. I could wait until next year but I brought it forward because I'm sure there'll be a price rise of a few K. I just hope it doesn't kick in before Sept 21 delivery.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1470314217' post='3105019'] Paul Motion Trio. [/quote] Motion, that's poo. It's Paul Motian. But you know that, Bilbo. Sorry to be so pedantic, it's a slow Thursday afternoon.

Just a timely reminder that the bash is a couple of months away at Risley Park Hotel, Derby Rd, Risley, DE72 3SS. It's an easy run in from M1 Junction 25. Sunday 2 October from 10.30. The morning will be a meet and greet, set up stuff and walk round. In the afternoon we propose to have some informal 'discussions' so that we can share advice on various topics. For example I'll bring some preamps and we can discuss these and their benefits/uses. So are there any other topics that you would like to discuss. £10 will get you tea/coffee and a buffet lunch and all welcome, especially newbies and those contemplating starting out on DB. Please add your name to the list if you will be coming.