wombatboter

A couple of months ago I bought a Wal fretless from someone in New Jersey, USA... While the bass in itself wasn't expensive (1500 Euros), the taxes and the shipping really increased the price... Import duties were around 475 Euros (had to be paid in cash on delivery, they called me a day in advance to inform me about that) and the shipment was around 150 Euros, if I remember well.. So the rather cheap Wal costed me 2125 Euros in the end... It's still worth the money since it is an amazing bass but I never thought it would be so much in the end...

If your band is hired to play in the garden of a hotel and the manager insists that the band doesn't come anywhere near the swimming pool : before you jump into the water during the gig as a sign of protest..be aware of the fact that jeans suck up the water and that it's not easy to swim the whole length with heavy wet trousers... Watch out for electric shock when you plug your bass back in after the swim..

I can agree with that point of view and indeed everyone has the right to say what he wants about a certain player even if his status is rated really high... What I miss in a lot in these comments is an explanation why they don't like it ... I feel that most of them just easily put it down without any justification, it feels disrespectful and arrogant sometimes. It's that bold "pfff" without saying anything and is really impolite.. You might not be a Wooten fan but you certainly can't say that he is not musical or an adventurous musician... Whatever you like his music or not is not important, as long as I get a comment which is a bit longer than "I just can't listen to that crap for more than a minute" or "I think Geddy Lee plays a lot better than Jaco..." As soon as you point out to someone that his comments are weak and pointless you get the answer "But I've got the right to be like that since it's a free world" Indeed it is but before you write something down think about if it's of any use to someone... Sorry for my choice of words but it's not that easy in English..

I couldn't have said it any better ...(except in Dutch)

What bothers me sometimes is that through the power of internet I experience bass-players picking on musicians like Berlin, Wooten, etc... with comments like "That playing sucks" "Terrible" "worst playing I've ever seen or heard". When you do have the opportunity of meeting these anonymous bassplayers with their big opinions about practically everybody and you see how théy play (with sometimes the occasional sloppy octave as their biggest sign of any musical imagination) I sometimes wonder where those people get the nerve to criticize world famous musicians who have worked their asses off to get as good as they are.. I'm not saying that well-known musicians are closer to God but before I post any comment on somebody's playing I think about my personal goals, the commitment of certain musicians, their struggles and achievements. What certain bassists have accomplished (and that goes for Cliff Burton, McCartney, Mick Karn, Lemmy, etc....) should be slightly considered before one posts any cheap or quick comment imho...

[quote name='Oscar South' post='251760' date='Jul 30 2008, 11:54 PM']Soliloquy is yet to be toppled as the greatest solo bass achievement, and somehow I doubt anyone but Manring himself has the ability to do it.[/quote] +1 : a unique bass-album, far away from any hype of specific style. Best thing I heard in decades. As for S M V : I think they will add more and more dates and probably also in the UK.. In the beginning there were a couple of dates in Holland but now also Belgium (Ghent) was added so surely the UK will also be on the list...Enjoy !

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='251642' date='Jul 30 2008, 07:58 PM']I think a lot of you are completely missing the point here... The same as the old saying, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", no piece of music or soloing can be described as "un-musical." The content of music can be whatever we want it to be, whatever out imaginations can come up with, [b]whereas it's how we interpret & play it that causes it to be musical or otherwise.[/b] As for limitations... Yes, sometimes we have to sit back a bit & admit that we can't play something. But I tend to think more on the lines of, "I can't play this [b]yet[/b]." Actually not being able to play something is a spur for us to learn a new technique, find out a way of doing it. This is the whole point of being a musician. Not playing the same old boring sh*t for decades, but pushing the boundaries and finding something new and interesting to play. This is why people like Victor Wooten & Jeff Berlin are so important. They inspire us to be better bass players. Period. Did anyone noitice Victa's little response on his site? Very subtle & very Wooten. *Climbs off soapbox*[/quote] +1 ... well said

At least it is a big advantage when you're able to write down that great bassline you just found instead of having to call your own mobile phone to play it on your voice-mail... I met Jeff Berlin a couple of years ago after his gig in Belgium, talked to him for awhile and he was a nice guy, not pretentious or anything... He played really well and I have never heard anyone play bass so melodically ànd so fast...He is in a league of his own and he challenges himself everytime.. I heard from the sound-engineer that he was a bit demanding about the hired amp set-up and he wanted to have the cabinets changed during the soundcheck and then back to the same set-up again and so on (4x10 on top, 15 on the floor, back again etc...) but the playing was amazing ànd he is a funny man...

And he just deserves more respect if you think about the tasteful bassplaying Jimmy exposes when he plays with James Taylor.. True musicianship if you can be a master in every situation and every style..Far from the latest hype but just a household name you can depend upon on.. When I watched the Holdsworth video I was thinking how great it is to hear a nice arrangement, excellent musicians, some great chordchanges... What a cold shower when I turn on the radio and get the feeling like I'm being insulted by cheap marketing tunes far from the spirit of musicality and its sheer power to soothe.

Thanks a lot for this... i used to listen to Holdsworth quite a lot in the eighties, this all brings back memories. Especially the groove of Metal Fatigue is a killer, what a bassplayer and what a drummer !

Funny how as well in the UK as in Belgium the same problems and topics surface...doubts about playing, commitment, covers yes or no...? It's the same thing everywhere I guess... whatever happened or happens I still play bass.

I just noticed that indeed I have a beard, play fretless and that I like fusion !

[quote name='bremen' post='235026' date='Jul 8 2008, 03:33 PM']I'm sad to hear that, I'd always heard that the mainland European music scene was a bit healthier than ours. Your English is better than a lot of the native-English speakers I know :-)[/quote] Thanks ... It's "easy" to build a bass-career upon the universal repertoire like "I wish", "I'm so excited", "Kiss" etc...but it's a lot harder to get something started that is unique and combines the talents of all the bandmembers. Sure : everybody around here in Belgium likes Jamiroquai or Earth Wind and Fire, etc...but as soon as you talk about writing songs, rehearsing ("not paid ? you must be out of your mind !") and being creative even the best musicians take the easy way and commit themselves to being background bandmembers doing an ego-less but efficient job. Most of them prefer the quick buck to locking themselves in a rehearsal room without the certainty of success or an impressive tourlist. I feel like I'm talking to a wall whenever I am enthousiastic about certain records, dvd's to fellow musicians..They only go to other gigs if they can slip backstage to present themselves and start the flattering. In the alternative scene it's not that much better (a bassplayer told me that it's forbidden to slap in certain bands since it is considered "not cool") and I sometimes dream of ideal situations where I am sitting with my bass next to Joni in Laurel Canyon, hear Ringo practice his drum roll on "Come together" or see Robert Palmer do the programming for "Looking for Clues".. It is important that there is still something happening and that you might be involved in it, you never know... Last summer I had around 30 gigs in two months, now I have only 4 because I try to be true to myself (I just resigned in a band because the singer works on a cd with a producer who prefers his own session musicians and I can't believe our singer doesn't stand up for her own musicians). So be it.. I replace in other bands for the moment and I work as a receptionist during the day so I don't have to be worried about my income. One thing remains : the love for music and knowing that it all has been worthwhile..

Just read this topic and though I'm Belgian it also sounds familiar around here... For me it's a bit of a different situation but the feeling's the same. I have been fortunate to play with well known bands around here for the last twenty years and have had great times. Lately I feel that the music scene changed a lot and that everyone is hanging onto what he's got and that the smoothness of making music has disappeared and that making money and playing covers (out of safety reasons) is what it's all about.. That has off course always been important but the true spirit of making music and taking risks is difficult to find anymore. Hidden agenda's, hypocrite behaviour, cheap solutions, fake smiles and superficial friendship is all that I can see.. Because I have trouble with these items I have less gigs and it's hard not to become cynical but I still try to find comfort in the instrument itself. I still love playing bass (because that's what it's all about) and I use the time that I have to get better...is it not for a band or a project than it's just for me since it's only me that I have to challenge and surprise. Maybe times will change again and there'll come another opportunity to meet and play with musicians with the same spirit ? I don't know but nothing can stop me from playing bass. I can improve my fretless, I can work on chords, etc...there is so much to do and I don't need a band to get me going although it's always nice to get a good groove going with fellow musicians.. This is all just a passing fase so I wouldn't sell anything..I think I know the feeling and it always turned out ok in the end (sorry for my English, I try to do my best...) Good luck !

I just like to listen to virtuoso bassplayers since I think that maybe their way of playing might trigger a small idea in my head which makes a bit more sense to me than their virtuoso playing. If I can colour up my playing a bit by using the information they give me in large doses then that's fine with me..I just steal from everyone and try to incorporate it in the way I play. The ultimate goal is to have my own style, if that would be possible....but the journey is also very nice.

On his other albums it bothers me from time to time that his name gets mentioned so much..."Hey Vic" "Yeah, it's Vic..." etc...etc... Gives me the impression that he likes to hear his own name really a lot. I didn't like the "I saw God" either.. Although I'm a big fan of his playing I'm not that impressed with his composing (rarely a great tune but he does play a nice riff from time to time and has a good energy and vibe). When I went to see his show a couple of years ago I got to meet him afterwards and gave him a solo-cd and asked if he would be willing to listen to it and send me a comment even if he didn't like certain things... He was very eager to have it and put it in his bag and promised me to have a listen and send me an email... I never heard anything from him.. Ok, so he is a busy man but if you don't have the time you can always say that to the people that hand you over a cd. I was a bit disappointed. I send him an email about our meeting but all I got was an automatic response. Still a great bassplayer though who influenced me a lot...

Some time ago (two years ?) a drummer I knew played at this Heavy Rock festival in Roeselare (Belgium).. I could get in for free and since I had nothing to do I went to see different shows mainly with rather heavy rock bands..Squeezed in between was Manfred Mann's Earth Band and since I love at least four songs I was curious how they would manage to keep themselves up in between the rest of the bands.. I was floored by the band from the first minute and it was one of the best concerts I have ever seen in my life. Great players, excellent songs, a great live sound and the whole hall applauded after every song. It was just such a relief to hear true musicianship and a tight band with great songs that gave you goosebumps... Days and weeks later it made me smile whenever I thought of it... That's what music is for ! Thanks a lot...

[quote name='markytbass' post='151924' date='Mar 5 2008, 07:30 PM']+1 for Rhythm Stick I think it's an amazing bass line. I can play the first 2 bars and thats it. I also like doing slap, although not to well. I'd like to learn Tommy the Cat or The Awakenings by Les Claypool.[/quote] The Awakening is originally by The Reddings... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QFv4nq9n9w"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QFv4nq9n9w[/url]