lowdowner

Coming from a classical music background where 'tab' wouldn't be looked down on only because it would be *so* low it wouldn't even register, I can honestly say that tab most definitely has its place. Tab+notation is a great way to learn a new piece - 'classical' notation has no fingering information, which for a newbie is very important. Ditch the snobbery I say and use what works. I bet no-one starts interviews with Victor Wooten with the question 'so, do you use tab or not?'

[quote name='SpaceChick' timestamp='1343246915' post='1747803'] You need to find a teacher that suits you, there are a lot of mediocre teachers out there and guitar teachers that think they can teach bass too. [/quote] yup - I second this... some guitar players think that bass is 'easy' and they can teach it... Nope! Nada! No way! A teacher who *only* teaches bass, or for whom bass is the main thing, is what you need to look for. If they list 'guitar' first in their advert/listing/whatever then walk away my friend!

OK, so I'm a bass book whore, and I seem to think that buying loads of 'instructional books' will somehow make me a better player by osmosis - with groove skills just leaching from between the covers and into my brain as I sleep But.. I've just started playing some of the grooves in this book and it is absolutely ace! http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0876391307/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00 Which is the amazon link to: 'Anthony Vitti: Funk Bass Fills' I pre-ordered, it arrived a few days ago, and the first few grooves are already turning me on. check it out! Anyone have any other recommendations for bass books?

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1343213664' post='1747055'] Love the sound of the front pickup on the tumbs! [/quote] Oh yeah - can you hear the dark-jazz 'whump'?... thumb B.O.s groove

Ah the old 'lessons or self taught' issue... I play in a folk/rock covers band, and my root/5 grooves are 'OK', but my teacher has a real groove working for him and I'm hoping that I just absorb some of that sound in our fortnightly lessons. Seriously - bass is a black art, and every minute with a groover is worth it. Find someone you click with and it'll become a no brainer...

My thumb bolt on 4 string fretted is 'snappy' - it has a very quick attack but a very long sustain and cuts through the mix. It doesn't produce the softer sounds I can hear on other basses like Overwater or Stingray. The 4 string fretless is a whole other beast though - although it is otherwise exactly the same bass, it comes out smother - almost soft - and very dark-jazz in sound. Completely different sounds just because of the frets! Either way - delicious!

Funnily enough this is the place that made me want to play bass in the first place - loads of guitar shops, but the basses in the window always drew me and I'd change my walk home so as to walk past and gawp! I remember a sold wood bass in their that might have been a Warwick (I wouldn't have known at the time)... I still get a thrill thinking about it - does that make me slightly weird?

There's no such thing as an uncool bass, only an uncool bass player.... Mind you, I *would* say that wouldn't I - as a fully paid up warwick fanboi!

I suspect lots of BC members are 'Guardianreadery' - I mean, bass players are supposed to be thinkers aren't they? I don't read The Guardian, but only because I don't have the time

Hey, i've been playing for 10 months and loving it more and more every day! It's a fantastic sound/feel/groove... good for you!

I had a friend who seemed to want to 'rank' instruments in order of difficulty - mostly, it seems, so he could tell me that his instrument was th e most difficult (and presumably meaning that he was much more able/clever/whatever). Why do people need to rank instruments when it's the musicality of the player that's most important?

Ouch! New strings days should be special - what a waste! What's worse is that anyone listening might now think you're completely crap! Rant completely reasonable in this instance - I'm outraged on your behalf

I have 2 1x12" Bergantino cabs and I take one cab to rehearsals and small venues and it sounds good enough for me : ) Every time I life the things into my landy I'm glad I don't have anything even bigger - they're heavy enough as it is. If they were heavier I'd probably find an excuse and not leave home ever!

I'd love to hear it being played - do you have a youtube or soundcloud account?

Enjoy! You only do a first gig once. I've kept my £20 note from my first gig and framed it... it brings back memories when I look at it

The answer for me was to be completely comfortable with the (simplified) bass line first. I find the vocals much easier than the bass (i've sung all my life, bass is relatively new) so I don't bother too much practicing that, but playing the bass and single was tough to start with. The biggest problem was that I started to sing in a kind of rhythmic way in time with the bass - sort of all 'choppy' and unnatural. Good vocalists sing around the beat and not absolutely *on* the beat. The only way to do this is to be comfortable with both bass and vocals separately, and then putting them together when you're happy with both. Why not start by just playing root notes on beat one of each bar, and doing the vocals as well as you can, and then adding in the bass riffs or syncopation later? Or record your bass part and then sing over it without your bass until it seems natural. Just practice...

OMG I've been rumbled by the Gods of Bass! Don't get me wrong, both my Thumbs (4 string B.O. and Fretless 4 string B.O.) are phenomenal and I wouldn't swap them for the world. I noticed that the action was a little high and took it in and the truss rod was just 'loose'. This was causing the neck to bend slightly and the action was then not consistent across the neck. It didn't take much to make it perfect. When I first bought the bass I hadn't had much experience with setup so I didn't realise that it could be even better - now I know and I'd just recommend people to have it checked by someone who knows what they're doing with the initial setup. Now it's perfect - I can't praise it enough!

Yes, absolutely - our band consists of one guitarist (lead/rhythm combined), one vocalist/flautist, and me on bass. The combo works very well. We play mostly folk/country/classic rock and the bass adds the rhythm with some ghost/whomp notes in the right place. All three of us do the vocals when we need to add harmonies, and I think the result works... Give it a try and you (and audience) might be surprised

loctite? jeesh, you're hard! something else to add to my gig bag!

Mistakes? Hmmm... you're doing something miraculous: giving a little bit of yourself to those people fortunate enough to be listening to live music (which is a privilege). Just enjoy it, and forget about the mistake - they show you're human and add a quality to the music that only a computer can't replicate. The less you stress about it the more you'll enjoy - but you'll still make mistakes - that's human Listen to Miles Davis (especially on 'a kind of blue') and stop worrying about mistakes and think more of the music...

I will try surgical spirit then - i need to do *something* to stop the stinging!

Magnificent - i had a 'blonde' one of these about 4 years ago - sold it (much to my regret) - now back to Warwick with a Thumb, but your corvette is brilliant!

I think it's just the skin - it really does seem like friction burns (or even mild heat burns, you know, when you touch a hotplate for an instant by mistake). Just surface... I suppose I have to suffer for my art - it was never like this with plinky-plonky classical guitar that's for sure.

OK, thanks - thought that might be the case (though a little sympathy wouldn't have gone amiss - they sting even when i'm sitting here watching QI!)