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oggiesnr

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Everything posted by oggiesnr

  1. Way back at the end of the seventies I ran out of money for a deposit on a house (we got gazzumped and had to up the offer). I traded down my gear so I sold a 1970 Jazz Bazz, a 1969 Gibson 335 and 150 watt Orange amp with a 4x12 speaker. Periodically I weep when I see modern prices.
  2. For me the most important thing is to go somewhere you can play a few and buy one that you have actually played. Even in these days of quality not all basses are created equal and needing a major set up to make it playable for you adds to the sticker price. Second hand is a way to go, they don't seem to hold their value as well as fours. Mine is an American fretless made by an unnamed luthier on the west coast some years ago. It was that or a fretted Musicman and the one I bought (£200 which was the same as the MM) just worked for me. Have fun.
  3. I went to one gig lat year where they'd panned the drum kit from extreme left to extreme right with a booming kick drum in the middle. I didn't survive the set but joined countless others in the bar.
  4. I tend to raid this collection and print off what I need [url="http://www.scorpexuke.com/ukulele-songs.html"]http://www.scorpexuke.com/ukulele-songs.html[/url] Steve
  5. However now would be a good time just to check that you actually have reachable copies of anything on Soundcloud elsewhere. I discovered that one of the tracks I have on there was from an earlier machine and the copy I thought I had didn't actually work on my new pc.
  6. [quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1499341356' post='3330835'] I think the OP was more asking why singers want to do songs if the original is so far out of their range. [/quote] Sometimes it's the rest of the band who says "We must have x in the set" and it's the singer who has to try and find a way to make it work with their voice.
  7. [quote name='kodiakblair' timestamp='1499980879' post='3335007'] There's "no borders" within the EU so technically there was no import/export going on. [/quote] However after March 2019 there will be so the situation will probably change. I'm currently in the same position with a rosewood ended concertina (built c1900) where I'm not in a position to provide a registration document or purchase invoice to show it was built from pre 2017 stocks. It's getting a little interesting proving the obvious. The best description of the new regs I came across was this one [url="https://www.avalonguitars.com/news/2017/02/What-You-Need-To-Know-About-The-New-CITES-Regulations"]https://www.avalonguitars.com/news/2017/02/What-You-Need-To-Know-About-The-New-CITES-Regulations.[/url] It is also worth pointing out that any instrument maker who is using rosewood from sustainable sources should already have a full FCS chain of provenance for the wood in their instruments. Steve
  8. An everyday orchestral player is expected to be able to play 100's of hours of different music accurately each year. They don't have the luxury of learning by heart and they also don't have the luxury of a "wrong" note. Learning by rote is a skill they have no need for and don't develop. The soloist is slightly different. They have a more limited repertoire at any one time and as theirs is the only only instrument to be playing a line they have a little more leeway in the accuracy department (note I said "little"). Also part of what makes them a soloist is that slightly different skill set. I have heard accusations that players who need the dots are using them as a crutch, they're not, they're using them the way they have spent thousands of hours learning to do. Getting round that is a slow process. Maybe you could look at how you have arranged the music and see if a more organic approach is possible.
  9. [quote name='Oopsdabassist' timestamp='1499674454' post='3332808'] This, plus, all the celtic folk type music I see played in pubs is pretty improvised on the spot anyway.....which to me is much better than rigid 'doing it by the numbers' [/quote] This is so far from the truth as to be almost unreal. Yes some of the song backings may seem like that but the rality is that we know the songs, the form and what works. We are also very aware of the instruments that are playing. As far as tunes are concerned than we know these tunes, if we don't we back out until we have a fix on them. A session may look very haphazard and improvised but actually each tune and tune set has its own structure that the players know. What becomes interesting is that tunes and sets are fairly regional (even in England, more so in the Celtic nations) so tunes that are common in sessions in one area may be almost unknown somewhere else.
  10. It may not happen but, looking at the latest news, now would be a good time to check that anything you have on Soundcloud you also have somewhere else. Seems obvious but I've checked and found that one of my pieces was uploaded from an earlier machine and didn't exist on this one. It does now. [url="https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2017/07/06/soundcloud-layoffs-offices-closed/"]https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2017/07/06/soundcloud-layoffs-offices-closed/[/url]
  11. It's been fun whilst it lasted but my short double bass playing career is now over I've always had a bit ot trouble with my left hand (a tractor accident over forty years ago) which is compounded by the fact that I have small hands anyway. In the last year I've been getting more trouble with it and fairly frequent hands cramps. I'm now struggling to play for more than a few minutes at a time, I certainly can't gig with it. I've done all the stuff that one's meant to do but to no avail. As I make my living by using my hands I've decided that the double bass is one stress too far. I'll miss it. I've learnt an awful lot in the last few years, my sight reading's improved, I've done some composing and arranging, and I've met some great people. C'est le vie Steve
  12. Any lyrics or music that are saved on computer will also have a whole series of dates attached to the files that can also be used to verify creation dates.
  13. I had one briefly. Useless as an acoustic instrument, you had to use an amp even in a small acoustic sesion which defeated the object of the exercise. With the rubber band strings on you can't slide as the strings stretch under your finger and you intonation goes.. I now use an Ashbury or just take my Tacoma Thunderchief. Steve
  14. [quote name='Grahambythesea' timestamp='1483814892' post='3210387'] A cheaper one might make it more saleable, but there is a lot of competition out there. [/quote] There is very little competition if they make an acoustic bass that can be heard over a few acoustic instruments without needing an amp.
  15. [quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1483570438' post='3208440'] When I played fives, I tuned a tone below E-C (so DGCFBb). I found the low D useful but low B not helpful with what we were playing. [/quote] Did you use a standard set of strings for this as this looks like an option? I play a lot of UK folk so G and D major (plus related minors) are the main keys and I like the option of the low D. On the other hand I rarely go below there. Steve
  16. My 5-string currently has a low B. It's going in for some work and a set up so this would be the opportunity to swtich to high C. What do other five-stringers do and any thoughts on the pro's and cons of the two options? Cheers Steve
  17. [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1480285175' post='3183141'] However don't sign anything without getting it checked by a lawyer who specialises in the music business. Now would be a good time to join the Musician's Union since they can put you in touch with the right legal people and also offer a free contract check for members. [/quote] This plus loads. Also if you contribute to writing songs that's a whole new ssue that also needs to be covered. Last point. How are you going to earn enough to live? What's actually on offer? Playing music is fine but it's the Music "Business". If the "Business" sucks then there's no music and no way to pay your bills. Be very careful.
  18. [quote name='Bass_Guardian' timestamp='1479997709' post='3180894'] Any recommendations for beginner bagpipes? [/quote] Find a tutor and be guided by them. For a playable set of Delrin (plastic) pipe expect to pay several hundred pounds, more for wood. Avoid buying cheap pipe via ebay or on-line, you'll get what you pay for which is not very much in terms of a playable instrument. To quote a piping friend of mine "They look nice on the wall".
  19. Take the money everytime. Must be nice for it not to matter but as it does then money talks. My other thought is that for as long as bands are prepared to play for under a fair price, and if it's packed they can afford more than £100, then you're doing a diservice to both you and other bands.
  20. How are the frets tuned? Doesn't look like equal temperment.
  21. Two choices as I see it. Either play to the people who can be bothered to find you in your leg of the L and put on the best possible sound for them or talk to the landlord/manager and set up in the outside corner of the L and play down the bar. If he's going to have a big crowd in on NYE then he might go for the latter.
  22. I've looked at the BS2 several times but never yet pulled the trigger. My son having left them in storage with us I'm currently working my way through part of his collection. I've used both his Mini Korg and Sub Phatty (prefer the latter but then it is 3 or 4 times the price) but the one that I'm finding best for pure bass is his ancient Korg Prophecy. It needs a couple of things mending, it's had a hard and long life, but as a non-keyboard player I get along best with it and find it easiest to consistently recreate the same sound on.
  23. I use four fingers on occasion because there are times it makes sense rather than doing a hand shift. I need one note a semitone up from my where my fourth finger would usually be so finger that note with the third, use fourth for the fly note and come back down to 3, 2 and back to the usual 4 rather than the hand shift.
  24. I play a fretless five. Low string rather than high. Custom built in the States, ie no clue who built it. Fretmarkers in line with where the fret would be but no lines on the fretboard. Personally I would buy one that was designed to be fretless rather than ripping the frets out, if nothing else accurate fretmarkers are a god send.
  25. Every so often put in a melody or a harmony snippet as a filler. I do the same with the uke group I play with because otherwise I'd die of boredom.
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