oggiesnr

It's totally defeatable. You merely have to hand your significant other all you cheque books, debit and credit cards, your wage cheque and ensure you never have any cash on you. Steve

You're either a group and approach this issue (and many others) as a group and sort out a written agreement as like minded professionals or you're a bunch of individuals who happen to play together whilst each looking out for yourselves (and your pockets) and sod the rest. The answer to who pays will depend on which side of that divide you fall. Steve

Korg Prophecy. They come up fairly often on Ebay, going rate looks to be around £250. Steve

Ronnie Drew and Eleanor Shanley. Specifically this track as I'm trying to sort out a bassline that isn't going to put me to sleep while I play it but the whole album's a good listen. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lamBi96nJDE&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lamBi96nJDE&feature=related[/url] Steve

How much is the group planning on spending on the PA? Is the end result going to be that you all need to go through the PA with all the extra that that entails or is it just a small upgrade? Is the guitarist planning to use the new PA for his duo or will he keep the one you've already been using? Do you actually need to upgrade or would it be simpler to hire in odd extra stuff for the bigger gigs? Steve

Peter J. Hall, Beverley. [size="4"]mobile 07901 591965[/size]. Does my bass work but also repairs, makes and deals in all the string family, mainly violins but he's got several basses in at the moment and also has the contacts to fit what you want to what's available. Also helps that he's a really nice bloke. Steve

I know it's a cop out but my solution was to take out every other note and concentrate on the quality of the notes that I left in. Over time I'm finding that other notes are making their way back in but I'm not forcing it. Steve

Ah! It's essentialy a hammer dulcimer or cimbolin (not sure I've spelt that right) although it sounds as if it's tuned pentatonic. There are books on hammer dulcimer that would get you your hand technique but I've not come across any that deal with the tuning. I suppose it depends what music you want to play. It would probably tune western if you wanted to. Steve

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1337108023' post='1655684'] That in itself would make a great folk song - the only problem is one of us would have to die by the others hand before we found out we were brothers. [/quote] Usually it's the sister that get killed although I can think of one exception (Lord Randall) Steve

Is that similar to a Gu Zheng? If so I know someone else who is struggling with one and I could put you in touch for mutual support. Steve

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1337124317' post='1656027'] It's just wrong. That is all. [/quote] + 1 Steve

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1337000528' post='1653724'] As for the wisdom of taking kids on tour, I'd steer clear of that discussion unless expressly asked. They're not your kids so they're not your responsibility. Suggesting to parents that they are not doing a good job (whether it's true or not) is a recipe for disaster and not really any of your business. [/quote] Sorry but I strongly disagree here. In the example as stated, leaving kids of that age by themselves in a van isn't a question of good or bad parenting, it's a question of law and your complicity in leaving kids in a dangerous situation. So a kid has broken away from a parent and is about to run across a busy road, do you put an arm out to stop them or go "not my responsibility, it's the parents" and sod the consequences?

[quote name='3V17C' timestamp='1336996296' post='1653630'] We did a 2 hour radio session the other night and they were just left outside in the van by themselves with instructions to text if they needed anything. Certainly not something I'd do with my own daughter. [/quote] Given their ages that is borderline illegal apart from being highly dangerous. At the very least I think that that should be pointed out to the parents. Should something happen (a child being ill, a passer by noticing unattended children and notifying the police or worse) your singer's career (and your continued employment) wouldn't be enhanced by the fallout so it is a valid point for you to raise. Steve

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1336829750' post='1651655'] You going to do it again, or has your mind been blown? Maybe you could persuade the band to dress up like this: [/quote] Steelye Span in "drag"! Honestly! I've heard both Mike Batt and Maddy Prior tell the story of how it came to pass. Steve PS All music is folk music, it's just cooler to call it something else.

[quote name='radansey' timestamp='1336843349' post='1651876'] I have today been asked to play Bodran in a concert with the flute orchestra in which my wife plays. I now have 6 weeks to sort-out the rhythm accompaniment (and solo intro!!) for the 'Irish Washerwoman' - I wish the leader had asked me to supply the bass-line, instead [/quote] At least it's a 6/8 double jig with a strong pulse, I can think of worse Actually approaching it from a bassline perspective isn't the worst way of going about it. That gives you the main structure and then you can add the flourishes. Have fun! Steve

[quote name='LawrenceH' timestamp='1336684106' post='1649604'] Maybe the ones who succeed at it are s^&t-hot at time management and therefore not on basschat... [/quote] I suspect that the one's who succeed are lucky and are in the right place at the right time. Over the years I've seen hundreds of new originals bands come and go, all keen, ambitious, competent to varying degrees, willing to work (also to varying degrees). Two of them made it huge and in all honesty at the time I wouldn't have picked them as the ones to make it over many of the others. Steve

Sounds promising. So when are you going to gig it so we can hear it? Steve

Many people have jobs that take them away for weeks at a time, not just musicians. Yes it is possible to do it and have a kind of family life, it depends on what kind of family life you want, and what kind of life your family wants. If by being away you are actually earning a living, paying the mortgage etc you may find the partner/family more supportive than if they're having to support you being on the road. For me the major downside of being away thirty plus weeks a year was that I missed a hell of a lot of my son's early years and you can't get them back. Steve

[quote name='Wil' timestamp='1331906173' post='1580737'] I bought a Braguesa t'other day: [url="http://www.hobgoblin.com/bigpicswebsite/gr3614.jpg"]http://www.hobgoblin...site/gr3614.jpg[/url] It's rather nice! 10 strings in courses (3 octave pairs and 2 identically tuned pairs), and traditionally tuned CGADG - this tuning didn't really appeal so I've since retuned it DGCFA (D standard guitar tuning minus the high D). Soundwise it's somewhere between a mandolin and a 12 string guitar, and it packs a remarkable punch for such a small bodied instrument. I'll be using it on the album me and a friend are currently recording, so once I have some recordings I'll be sure to post them up if anyone is interested. Has anyone else delved into the world of slightly obscure acoustic instruments? If so, what have you got? [/quote] I have a balalaika and an Appalachian Dulcimer. The bala is a cheap, nasty thing I bought in Moscow about thirty years ago, I know the basics but that's about it. The dulcimer I can/could play reasonably well but time just seems so short. I also play bandoneon which is great fun and leads to slightly puzzled looks of the "what the hell is that?" variety. It's really an overgrown anglo concertina, two notes to a button, a five octave range and where, when they decided to add more notes, they put the buttons where they'd fit rather than be logical. Each scale has a totally different fingering and is also totally different depending on whether you're opushing or pulling the bellows. Steve

I think I got lucky but I bought a second-hand Antoni from Nick of this parish for £250 and it's great. It cost £250 (sans case) and I've spent £40 with a luthier getting a couple of odd jobs done (tailpin and new sound post) and it's opening up great. As I play outdoors, a plywood bass with poly urethene varnish fits the bill just fine. I have a checklist of other jobs which I'm getting done as finance allows (next one is new strings and a bit more relief on the fingerboard) but those are optional rather than essential. It came reccomended when I bought it from Nick and I knew exactly what I was getting. If your need is not urgent then it may be worth hanging fire and watching what comes up here. Steve PS I would also suggest having some lessons fairly early on, it makes life a lot easier and less painful.

I dabble but I'm very conscious of the fact that you need to practice a lot to be able to play in polite company. I mainly use it to accompany myself on some songs such as Cam Ye O'er fre France, where I can control both my playing and the speed rhythm of the song if it goes pear shaped! Steve

Small Marshall combo (between 15 and 50 watts) which have enough effects and functionality to keep them happy and are fairly indestructable. Ok so they don't have the wow factor of the big boys (you can always hold out the promise of a 100 watt stack if these aren't wrecked) but they are a name amp and they work pretty well. Also buy the cheapest, naffest second hand combo you can find (and paint it pink) with the promise that anyone who wrecks an amp will be using it for the whole of the course. Steve

[quote name='Len_derby' timestamp='1335854708' post='1636850'] That sounds brilliant. Any chance of posting the pictures or putting up a link when they appear? [/quote] These are the pictures that the press photographer took [url="http://www.dipintosales.co.uk/thisisHullandEastRiding/Gallery/View/f0nrw495tz"]http://www.dipintosales.co.uk/thisisHullandEastRiding/Gallery/View/f0nrw495tz[/url] Steve

[quote name='thunderbird13' timestamp='1335872034' post='1637213'] That was all going so well up to that point [/quote] Fair enough but the "inspiration" was that you could play the music in a different way with a different look. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5G8AJf4Xzw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5G8AJf4Xzw[/url] Steve

From left field so to speak check out the first two Horslips albums "Happy to meet...sorry to part" and "The Tain". Horslips broke the mold. They are slightly after Planxty but at the time Irish music was either very traditional, ballad based or showbands (showbands played the hits of the time in a sub Radio Two sort of way and were excrutiating) Horslips arrived a couple of years before punk and were prg-rock irish for want of a better description. Trad instruments plus drums, bass and keyboards and playing and looking like a rock band. Far more influential than their commercial success becaaus ethey showed that music could be done different. Bob Geldof cites them as an inspiration. Steve