paul_c2

[quote name='bcbass' timestamp='1506271387' post='3377488'] Is it anyone recently imported basses from Japan?How much hassle is now with CITES regulation and the rest,is it worth it at all? Cheers! [/quote] About a month ago, sailed through (rosewood neck) with no problems. I guess its down to luck, since they're basically unable to check each parcel etc internally. Some exporters in Japan do the necessary admin/paperwork though, but mine didn't.

1) its not technically wrong, its just a variation 2) IMHO its not worth unlearning, mainly based on 1

I play in a couple of different groups. In the big band, which despite its name isn't that big, has neither piano nor electric guitar (so its drums, me, saxophones x 7, trumpets x2 and trombones x2). The Jazz bass on flat EQ fills in the rhythm section very nicely. In the other groups, the EQ is a gentle slope down.

I'm not sure if you'll get them exact, but with some EQ, a Jazz bass tone can be made to be very useable in a mix. Just add a bit on bass and roll off the treble slightly, so the graphic eq looks a bit like a gentle downwards slope!

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1504880899' post='3368028'] I've played violin and cello and never seen TABs for either. [/quote] I've seen cello music where a cellist has pencilled-in the names of the notes above the (standard) notation. The reason - because it was on the tenor clef, and they're obviously unfamiliar with it, hence the extra markings to help themselves. However I also know cello players who are quite comfortable with the tenor (and treble) clef, and don't need to pencil in reminders of note names. So it just shows that its not so much one or another system (ie tab vs standard notation) is better, but that players who learn, comprehend and master their instrument get good at what they practice. If you haven't learnt/don't practice reading standard notation, its no surprise that its difficult and also no surprise that its perceived as a mystery to some. But its just an aspect of learning a musical instrument. Its the same with playing by ear, or improvising - classical musicians typically don't (and don't need to) do this, thus these areas are poorly developed. Its recently changing, Trinity (exam board) now have an improvisation section in their graded exams, however ABRSM don't.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1504880109' post='3368022'] Incidentally how does standard notation show quarter tones and the like? [/quote] By using symbols for quarter-tone sharp/flat and threequarter-tone sharp/flat, just like there exists symbols for a semitone sharp or flat, in front of a note.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1504866429' post='3367840'] If you are looking at the score for a transposing instrument what note do you sing, the one your instrument produces when it has transposed it? [/quote] The one your instrument produces once transposed.

[quote name='Nicko' timestamp='1504794885' post='3367379'] To be honest this is like saying knowledge of maths is dependent on the ability to write arabic numerals. Its not and never has been. [/quote] Perhaps a better word would have been "interlinked" rather than "not independent". I agree that knowledge of intervals is not dependent on knowing standard notation - but that at some stage in learning, you can link up aspects such as intervals, notation, chords, scales etc in a logical manner and so long as you have solidly gained the knowledge, nothing contradicts anything else and in fact helps make it quicker/easier.

[quote name='Nicko' timestamp='1504786487' post='3367288'] knowledge of the notes, intervals and theory is all independent of the ability to read notation which was at least the original question. [/quote] Its not independent, but then it can also be related to tab (which is a representation of shape/position on the fretboard). For some people after, but most people during, I'd say notes, intervals, patterns, shapes on the fretboard, chords etc all interlink in a fairly logical way and can't really be isolated as independent aspects. I'd agree that tab (at least on bass, which is tuned in fourths) has a more direct relationship eg 1 string up and 2 frets back is always going to be a minor third; but those things are also fairly logical when presented as standard notation - with the caveat that funny intervals such as the augmented 2nd (for example C to D#) are enharmonic equivalent to a minor third, etc. But there would be accidentals to alert you to this occurrence.

With the numbers of members who have recently left, is it possible to "do a Sugababes"?

If it matters it can be accommodated in standard notation by a small note saying which string to play a particular note on. I know it will sound different, the question is, 1) does it sound different enough to require every single note to also nominate the string it must be played on, 2) could/would a composer/arranger trust that the person playing the instrument can adequately interpret is such that the "tone" will be correct, thus not requiring the detail and 3) how do you know the tab has the notes sounded on the correct strings and doesn't contain an error? Based on evidence I'd say it were 1 no, 2 yes, 3 you don't.

I believe (not 100% sure) the seller will get a "strike" from eBay if a sale is unfulfilled after a normal auction. Too many strikes, and they will be unable to use eBay (unless they create another account, etc). eBay doesn't like it either because they want the extra fees off of a reserve price auction etc, but they can't force the item to be sold.

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1504702472' post='3366713'] Trouble is it relies on your association of two abstract things through learning those associations. Tab shows you. [/quote] Most instruments rely on the person playing that instrument to learn 'abstract' (its not an abstract thing..) things about how to play it, without needing to be told/reminded of the precise mechanism by which the note is sounded correctly. Its part of learning and playing. Tab lets you bypass this, whether its a good or bad thing I don't really have a view on. [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1504701877' post='3366699'] But that only works if that part of the score is written expressly for the bass guitar, otherwise there are three different ways to do it. [/quote] Yep - but does it really matter which of those three ways are chosen, since they all sound the same pitch/note? Plenty of other instruments have alternate fingerings for notes, eg saxophone, clarinet, flute, bassoon, trumpet, french horn, etc etc. The basic notation shows the duration and pitch and doesn't pretend to show anything else - there's other markings for dynamics, timbre, etc etc

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1504696733' post='3366622'] Tablature can be better for understanding certain passages, such as harmonics played on certain frets. Try reading the score for "High speed on ice" by Talas (or probably any Talas score). Knowing how to play those harmonics is gonna take a lot of trial & error. Tab shows the string & where the hand should be. With harmonics, it can be written as 3 1/4, 3 3/4 etc. You get good TAB, just as you get good score. Anyone who only stays with either tab or score is holding themselves back & not making the most of their musical ability. [/quote] There is a convention for notating harmonics in standard notation - no trial and error needed, can be read & played first time.

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1504695556' post='3366599'] Score does not. [/quote] Yes it does. Simple example: There's one way to do it on the (4 string) bass.....its as clear as a bell.

I'd say if we did a survey of the accuracy of a representitive sample of (say) 100 scores, the tab would be about 20/100 and standard notation would be about 95/100. Obviously it depends somewhat on the genre of music, some genres are predominantly written in one or the other method etc etc.

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1504686146' post='3366499'] I don't agree. [/quote] I thought I'd adequately explained this - standard notation shows the pitch, from which you can deduce the fret and string (from knowing your instrument). It won't tell you exactly which string/fret it is (there may be a choice, depending on the pitch, ie notes below G#/Ab on a 4 string bass, there's a choice of 1....) but then it is often the case that tab doesn't have the best position, simply [i]a [/i]position that the tab-writer thinks is the best one.

Without listening to it its impossible to diagnose, but I wonder if its some kind of electrical/earthing issue? Or conversely, the inevitible acoustic noise/sound a bass makes when a note is fretted? Imagine a strong hammer-on, the bass is able to sound the note without the right hand because the hammer-on imparts energy to the string, in the same way the other "half" of the string (okay it might not be half...in fact it will never be half, imagine playing at 12th fret, the other 'half' is from the nut to fret 11) similarly acoustically sounds, resulting in (if purely acoustic) 2 notes sounded a semitone apart. My other thought it that the luthier is basically rubbish and hasn't identified an obvious issue such as a maladjusted neck, or a fret not level, or a warped neck etc. Or a simple electrical issue.

I suppose if you're paralysed by indecision then it offers a solution.

Is it still possible to break a string if its 1) stretched during fitting and 2) not 10 years old?

I struggle with tab, but can read music perfectly adequately. To those who say that tab shows you where to put your fingers.....so does standard notation! If you use tab then you're 100% relying on the writer of the tab to have determined the correct position to play in (if you're not, then you're effectively transposing their numbers by adding or subtracting 5.....). And, you can have the equivalent of it on standard notation anyway, simply by making a written note of the position; or the string a note is played on. Regarding rhythm, 99% of the tab I've seen is devoid of rhythm and the other 1% relies on lettering/numbers like q Q e a 2 etc - which again, is much slower (for me) to read than the rather elegant and logical way rhythm can be expressed in standard notation. I guess its one of those things "you get good at what you practice". If you are accustomed to reading standard notation then after having done so for 10000 hours, the 10001st hour of reading music isn't difficult. I guess if I needed to, I could force myself to become better at reading tab (and hunting around for the song in audio form, repeatedly listening to it, annotating the rhythm for it, then printing out the tab and doing a bunch of corrections and changes for wrong notes and different positions I prefer etc etc) but I think there's real limits on how quickly it can be interpreted - just as semiquavers in real music in tempos over (say) 100bpm are a struggle to interpret 1st time reading it.

What do I look for.....one bass which is reliable enough not to "break down" in a gig? I too don't fully understand why you'd need a spare bass. I have used the same bass for ~30 years and then recently changed in the past few weeks to another (which I hope will also last 30 years) but nothing spectacular went wrong with the first in any case. I'd have thought any failures would be in the moving parts, or electronics, than the bass itself. And without active electronics and with 2 pickups (a pickup is very unlikely to fail, but if it did...) what could go wrong? I carry spare leads, I have straplocks on both basses (personally for me, worth every penny) and the only pedal I use is mains powered but I have a couple of batteries in case something funny happens there, and even if it did its a tuner pedal so I could ditch it and plug straight into the amp if needs be. Seriously considering having a second amp plugged in and ready to go next to the first one but even that's a bit OTT. Regarding strings, I reckon you'd have to do something unusual to snap a string - unlike a guitar, the strings are sufficient gauge that their inherent strength is way beyond any force applied during playing; and that while bad strings exist, they'd likely snap either during fitment or in the first few hours after (and are more likely to break internally, going 'dead' in sound but still semi-useable).

The (relatively humble) C harmonic minor key, has a B natural together with Eb and Ab. ETA: with 3 flats, are you sure the key isn't C minor instead of Eb major?

How long have you been playing? Finding it a stretch could merely be a symptom of inexperience/newness on the bass, rather than a fundamantal incompatability between a long scale bass and your anatomy (and age). I have only ever played long scale basses and "the stretch" is perceivable during warming up, but once warmed up and playing actual music rather than abstract technical exercises, its basically a non-issue. Yes I'm sure a short-scale might be more comfortable for some, or allow a theoretical greater stretch in certain isolated situations, so no worries I respect that for some, short scales are the way to go but don't put yourself into this group quite yet.

I have bought a (non-genuine) tort scratchplate ready to go on. It needs a little bit of a tweak around the neck area, so I'll carefully have to do this, then it will be ready to go on. Of course, I'll keep the white one. I might change it to a black one, or a mirror-finish one, later. Variety is the spice of life, after all.