BigBeefChief

[quote name='funkmunky' post='154925' date='Mar 10 2008, 09:46 PM']Just out of interest, how many people here have taken the time to visit Janek's forum on talkbass.com to read about his own history and background and thoughts on music? Just a thought.[/quote] I've just read a few of the threads. Quite funny. It's like one great "Who can suck up to the pro the most" competition over there! Thank God we're all mature enough to question and debate things in an open forum over here, without attempting to perform a lewd act on the pros.

So who won then? Are we going to get an announcement?

naked?

It depends on what styles your into. I tend to struggle learning music that I'm not a fan of, no matter how good the bass line. Personally, I love the Stone Roses. Some great examples of songs that would be nothing without the bass line, without being self indulgent. Check out their first eponomously named album: She Bangs the Drum I am the Resurrection I wanna be Adored Waterfall Also, even though he is an owl faced stoat, you can't go wrong with a lot of McCartney's work. Melodic genius. Just playing along with Lady Madonna, Come Together, Penny Lane, Revolution, you soon see how a simple line can drive a song.

If the world stops spinning at about 8.30 tonight, you'll know that I've nailed it.

I'm gonna go home and practice that lesson tonight. Super stardom beckons.

And make sure you don't get sand in the vaseline.

I think The Sun (where I get all my insightful views) is pretty reliable.

I suppose my issue is on the reliance of technical ability over the reliance on creativity. To me, and again this is opinion based on my musical tastes, there are some players who are working profesionals today moreso because of technical ability than creativity. Fair play to them, they earn a living. Its just not my bag.

I know I've been on this f*cking thread too long when I find myself agreeing 100% with Bilbo! Well put mate.

10 times? Once through with less than 5 mistakes does it for me!

Bass about 15 months. Guitar (badly) off and on for about 8 years (although you'd struggle to tell!).

I agree its a slightly far out idea, but I i find it difficult to explain by any other means why I never seem to like the work of more technically accomplished and classicaly trained musicians. Goin back to the painting analogy, I agree that practice improves your bility to make marks on a canvas. You can practice painting in all styles and become very accomplished. You could also develop some pretty firm ideas as to how to paint in a certain style. What would happen if someone who had never painted before picked up a brush and started slapping paint around? It would not be as good technically, but it may be just as creative. It would certainly be different and less likely to conform to any known styles. Hell, it could even be more creative than the pro's picture! For those who think I'm saying "practice is wrong" - I'm not at all. We all need to practice. Me more than most. But I think an overly academic approach can be stifling towards creativity. I found this myself. I used to get slightly hung up on theory. Then I started studying the bass lines of my hero's and guess what? A lot of the time, they through convention to the wind and just played what sounded good. Isn't that what its all about?

Just to clarify, I think practice is very important. However, I think being a great bass guitarist (technically) and being a great musician can be worlds apart. Perhaps its a coincidence that I tend not to like the music of great technicians, or maybe having the ability to play flashy licks increases the temptation to use them when not appropriate? Maybe, as I said earlier, if you not tied down to conforming to theory, you can come up with ideas that more classicaly trained musicians perhaps wouldn't think of? I remember seeing an interview with Suggs from Madness once. He was asked what gave Madness they distinctive and catchy sound. He said that it was their lack of technical ability at the time. I think he was unerplaying their talent, but if the members of Madness had all been virtuosos, would they have had the success that they went on to find?

I suppose we're all different. I'd quite happily play for 10 hours a day, but the second it was my livelihood, and I felt I HAD to pick up my bass, I think it would seem slightly less fun. Likewise, I'f I'm learning a song I can play for hours, but if I'm playing a slightly more academic excersice, I slip into playing Stone Roses lines after not to long. I'm sure reaching the level of technical skill as Janek isn't all a walk in the park. It wouldn't be for me.

Yeah, I agree. Full credit to him for having the discipline to practice that hard. Doing anything (apart from boozing) for that amount of time would fast become a chore.

It was Andy Bell (of Oasis, not Erasure!) who made me first fancy getting one!

I practiced for 10 hours today. "Another one bites the dust" is coming along really well.

I'll have to try track one down. Look pretty good for the money and I love the quirky britishness of them.

Its cool with a few scars. Rock!

[quote name='BOD2' post='154217' date='Mar 9 2008, 09:51 PM']Hmmmmm [/quote] I wasn't being sarcastic! I genuinley think its the best out there. It could be better, but it doesn't annoy me like that US one that clogs up newsagents.

Bass Guitar Magazine is the best in my opinion.

Did you ever get your hands on one of these, OuttoplayJazz? I quite fancy the look of them myself.

[quote name='birdy' post='154161' date='Mar 9 2008, 08:25 PM']So you don't mind being called a tosser. Neither do I but surely the golden rule really should be to treat people the way that you would like to be treated. Maybe I am oversensitive but if I was Janek I would have been upset by this thread at the point before he joined in, especially if music was so important to me that I made it my whole life as he does. Its not hard to respect people really is it. Steve[/quote] Firstly, I think he's being overly sensitive. But thats his choice. Secondly, as I've pointed out several times - Its part and parcel of being a performer. If you don't want criticism (constructive or otherwise), get off the stage.