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[quote name='Jezyorkshire' timestamp='1396609996' post='2415624'] i should have said 2nd or 4th finger lol [/quote] In which case use your third Steve

[quote name='Jezyorkshire' timestamp='1396569433' post='2415323'] had a bluegrass rehearsal tonight , half hour playing and left upper back/shoulder/upper arm muscles are protesting and cant keep 2nd or 3rd finger stopping a c or g note, its interesting how these muscles when fatigued affect fingering! got home and done my physio exercises. [/quote] When I lost the use of my second finger for a while I would drop back into half position and play all C's and G's with my fourth finger supported by my third. Mean't a bit more shifting but worked until I got the finger back working. Steve

If you're looking for mandolin tunes then download Tefedit (the free reader) from here [url="http://www.tabledit.com/"]http://www.tabledit.com/[/url] and then download the zip files from here [url="http://www.mandozine.com/music/zipfiles.php"]http://www.mandozine.com/music/zipfiles.php[/url] and have fun Personally I don't use the tab but it's useful to give you an idea of the fingerings and pick directions as you're learning. The MIDI on the other hand is great help and I tend to learn tunes using a mix of reading and listening. Should you decide that sessions might be fun (they are) then an ABC program will give you easy access to a huge number of tunes from all over the world and again in either MIDI or notation. Ask me if you're interested and I can point you in the right direction (I have somewhere over 10,000 tunes stored on my computer). Steve

If anyone's interested, for comparative purposes here's the original of the first video played by it's composer on the instrument it was written for - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0vveyYODpQ Steve

The disconnect between the "B" and the "a" could also be a problem. What colour and what size (including thickness) do you envisage? What is the angle on the bevel? A dremel won't cut it, the blades aren't fine enough. My Hegner with a number 1 or 3 blade might but it wouldn't be easy. Steve

Once the strings settle it will stay in tune for ever, mine gets tuned every other month If it has an adjustable bridge then use it to get the action you want. Mine is really low but I never go too high up the neck so I can wing it. It's also worth just checking the bridge position (standard method, fretted and harmonic note at the twelfth fret, it they're out then it's ruler time). The real trick is to go to your local music shop and buy a dozen or so picks, one of them will work for you and the mando so when you find it go out and buy a bulk supply. My son and I can play the same mando and will use different picks so it is worth having a play around for the one that suits you. The easy way to improve your playing is to remember one simple rule, always stroke down on the strong beat. It's very easy to get into an up/down/up/down pick pattern but if you're playing a jig or a syncopated time you can very quickly end up out of sync for your strong beats. Steve

I assume it's solid wood? If you had to go out and replace it how much do you think it would cost? Then add on the strings, pick up, bag, set up. The important thing here is that you are not waiting round for a deal here or on ebay, you are going into a dealer (when I had to replace a couple of instruments following a break in the insurance company agreed an amount but I had to specify a shop and they paid the shop directly) so how much are they going to ask? As a rough guide, what would you ask for it on here and then add at least 50%. Steve

The last two gigs I went to at a small venue near me were effectively ruined by people talking loudly to all their mates with no regard to anyone else. It wasn't even as if it was long lost mates, given the nature of the conversations it was people they met everyday. When asked to be quieter the attitude was "Why? I've paid my money and I can do what the f**k I want". Net result, out of eight of us who went to hear the bands, four have said they won't bother going back. Steve

The important thing with insurance values is not what you paid for it, not what you could hang around and a get a good deal on ebay but how much would it cost if you went out today to buy an equivalent. I have a bandoneon that cost me £500 on ebay, if I had to replace it through a dealer in a time frame it would cost £1200 so that's its insurance value. Ditto a melodeon, to replace it would probably cost £2,600 (I paid £1,800 for an immaculate second hand one) but it's insured at £2,600. My double bass would be £550 new, however I also have £150 of set up. £140 new strings, £100 reprofiled neck, £150 new bow, £100 carrying case. So that is £1,200 to replace as is so that's the insurance value. Steve

I use Newmoon as I have a lot of random instruments and the value mounts up quite rapidly. [url="http://www.newmooninsurance.com/"]http://www.newmooninsurance.com/[/url] Steve

[quote name='Jezyorkshire' timestamp='1395936624' post='2408188'] Hi Hector, no have not had lessons, its 2 years ago that i stopped playing double bass, i played for 3 years before and never had this problem, i think its caused by increasing playing too quickly and too much fingerboard scoop under the a string in particular around C when playing that note with little finger, i may not be supporting it enough with third? [/quote] I would suggest a couple of lessons to make sure your posture and hand position are correct if nothing else. It's easy to do yourself a lot of damage playing double bass. Steve

My rule of thumb is that if it needs a big screen for me to see the band then I don't need to be there Steve

It starts with gigging and being good enough that someone will want to sign you. Also the brutal truths that some bands just aren't going to get signed no matter how good they are because they don't fit what anyone wants (or thinks that they might be able to make something of), some "crap" bands will get signed because they do, and there's also a lot of luck in it. Jake Bugg, the Mumfords, are no better than lots of similar acts over the past ten years but they're the ones who got the deals. You have to offer a potential label something and in all honesty the size of your Facebook following probably means very little. What you are offering is sound, an approach, a look, an instrumentation that a label goes "we can make money with that" or "we can mold that into something we can make money with" because labels are in the business of making money. So keep gigging but take a long hard look at yourselves and work out just what you are offering and whether that's good enough. And keep gigging anyway because it all helps (and it's fun). Steve

[quote name='fatgoogle' timestamp='1395692893' post='2405240'] Have you thought about maybe having some work done. Having the neck taken down and chamfered can really change a bass and make it a lot faster and easier to play. Probably wouldnt cost more then a 100 or so. [/quote] Peter Hall in Beverley did mine for 100 quid. Steve

[quote name='Mr Stinky' timestamp='1395513257' post='2403295'] My guitarist buddy has just made me into a Tom Petty fan. [i]OMG what have i missed all these years!![/i] [/quote] Lots of good music Steve

At that level of fee and work it's worth an agent spending some time on you.

Good luck and have a lot of fun. Steve

This article comes from one of the most respected agents in the folk world who also spent twenty years playing with one if the top groups in that field. A lot of what she says applies across the board. [url="http://www.jacey-bedford.com/helpfiles/dontneed.html"]http://www.jacey-bed...s/dontneed.html[/url] . Steve

Start with a Luthier, how does the G on the E string sound? In my case the G throughout the range was weak (not good for a folkie whose main keys are G and Em) and repositioning the soundpost worked a treat. Steve

If you're going to play in an loud, amplified band then I'd go down the mandocaster route. Other than that, at the budget end they're much of a muchness but go somewhere where they have a few to choose from. Check that the action is comfortable for you (I like mine super low) and check for fret buzz up the neck. steve

[quote name='Mark Dyer' timestamp='1395078914' post='2398414'] [url="http://www.configurator.sandberg-guitars.de"]http://www.configura...berg-guitars.de[/url] [/quote] Oh dear, dare I get a quote for the 5-string fretless I've just configured? Steve

A cheap and cheerful tie clip mike, a zoom h2 in my pocket as an amplifier and an earpiece in my left ear. My quick solution when playing outdoors with a scratch morris band that consisted of too many squeezeboxes and people banging things. Steve

I've paid £17 and £30 per hour for lessons. Check that your teacher is actually teaching their primary instrument (ie isn't actually a guitarist who reckons they can play bass). Steve

[quote name='leftybassman392' timestamp='1389868737' post='2338777'] I've recently acquired a banjolin from a cousin - does that count? [/quote] You can of course restring and retune the banjolin into uke tuning and make an even bigger racket (there are uke groups that ban banjoleles). If you do that then don't bother tuning the bottom G an octave up but put octave strings on both the G and the C. Ideally you 'll need to get the nut recut as well. Steve

If it's a wolf note then take it to a luthier and they can sort out where to either reposition the soundpost (worked for me) or to put on a wolf eliminator. Mine was a D and really showed when you tried play the harmonic. Try playing the harmonics on the G string with a bow, if any are hard to sound then it's probably a wolf note. Steve