bass_dinger

On 27/07/2021 at 15:39, Cat Burrito said:

 

 

 

This is what the internet was invented for. 

I can hear that it is out of tune, but not why it is out of tune.   Is it the odd choice of chords that gives a sense of discord?  Is she singing microtones - so, singing in between two conventional western notes (C half-sharp, say?).  Is it the use of glissando, that has her singing a sweep of notes that move towards, then past, the right pitch?

I am genuinely curious - if someone could analyse the song, and say what the notes are, I would be educated. 

On 26/07/2021 at 19:26, Baxlin said:

Our new (employed) worship leader has received a couple of comments from older folks that she doesn’t include enough older songs and hymns.  She’s on holiday this week, so 3 out of the 4 songs for Sunday morning are from the 80s...

 

 On another subject,  I was in the congregation yesterday, and it was really good to be able to sing again, albeit wearing a mask.

I can't work out if this is an example of your church playing lots of old songs, or lots of new ones. . . . 

As for masked singing, I too got the chance to sing - a previous bassist wanted the fun of playing with the previous worship leader for half of the set, so I was part of the pew-ballast for the day!  Great fun.   

On 26/07/2021 at 07:53, Big Rich said:

On Sunday, the beginner bassist pointed to their bass  ,. , ,  ,

 

They then stood in front of the bass combo  . . . . and asked if the guitar lead goes into the input jack on the amp....they've been playing for 2 years.

 

During one song they said to me that they weren't sure what notes to play  . . .  no bass for at least 2 minutes of the song . . . 3 of the 4 notes can be played on open strings FFS.

If it has taken two years to get to that level, maybe the bass (or music, or indeed, clapping their hands while counting to 4) is not for them?  A two-year audition and training programme is generous by anyone's standards, so perhaps the leadership might decide that they won't be using certain musicians and singers going forward.

I get that different churches use the music team for different purposes - some make it their shop window, and one of the draws to the services ("come and hear and sing along to a wonderful live band!"); others use it as a form of service and involvement, and one of the draws to the services ("come along and take part in a live band!").

If the congregation and leadership are happy with a lower level of competency (but greater involvement), then I applaud their decision.   However, it seems odd that the better musicians in the congregation are having to humbly take a back seat while trainees with no real skill are involved, often for years, yet showing no improvement.

Could churches that uses a range of abilities, take three or four of the better musicians, and play a set for the leaders?  That will allow them to see and hear what is possible when the right people are in the team.  Of course, they would also need to be willing to remove most of the existing team from the rota, which is a big step.  Maybe we can show the leaders that the local church can play well and that the problem is too many beginners.   

In general, I mentioned this predicament to my wife.  She said that, if she wanted to join a Mercy Ship, and travel the world performing surgery, there would be an expectation that she would be medically qualified, and not learn on the job (and still be getting it wrong 2 years later...).   

Church music does not have to be rubbish (but it often is).  So, finally, just for fun, here is a 1 4 5 6 song, to show what can be done with passionate involvement, musicianship, great sound guys, 50 singers, a fat bassline, and a few key changes!  So good, that it makes me cry...

On 21/07/2021 at 08:10, Richard R said:

Rotating everyone would be more interesting, and allow more people to be part of the worship.

Allowing everyone to sing in the congregation allows even more people to be part of the worship . . .   !!

21 hours ago, Big Rich said:

@TrevorR Trust me, I have been but I don’t think their passion is there, I won’t back down though and I’m going to continue helping them.  They’ve been playing for a couple of years and they’ve never used the D or G strings 

I do wonder why people want to serve, yet don't seem to show a passion for excellence (or even, a desire for competency).   We had the same issue with musicians and singers who were coached and carried by the then-worship leader.  Ultimately, however, they did not understand the need to improve, and when the time came for a new worship leader, he could not use them. 

Sadly, part of the blame lay with the previous leaders - rather than telling people that they needed to improve,  they were instead turned down in the mix, and kept on the rota.  So, the message that they received was that they were good enough to be involved previously, but now, they are not.  

I wish that I had @Big Rich's patience with other musicians!  

 

On 16/07/2021 at 14:25, Stub Mandrel said:

I found the biggest challenge getting decent hardware in small sizes for bass cases.

Penn do excellent hardware for instrument cases. I used theirs to make this dog case:

 

 

Perfect for transporting sub-woofers. 

My wife was not keen on my ukulele band's music (but let's face it, who would be!)

She likes my church band, but rightly squashes my annoyance when it goes wrong, and tempers my over-enthusiasm when it goes well.

She is okay with my limited purchases - she gets that I need to maintain equipment, and buy strings.   I now have a small budget to buy kit - £10 per month, into a savings account - which should cover strings and cables.   

2 hours ago, Big Rich said:

@Baxlin The struggle is real, the YouTube livestream from our church never sounds as good as it does in church.

By the time everything's been compressed etc, it gets changed so much.

Our sound team used to mix for live broadcasts. Now, they mix for for YouTube - that is to say, they listen to what we are live-linking on YouTube, and adjust the mix so that it sounds good on YouTube.   

This article covers live worship (notably there is very little on the technical side, reminding us not to worry about YouTube)  5 Things We Learned From Streaming Worship — (worshipcentral.org) 

Other more general articles here All Resources — (worshipcentral.org)  

For me, I never sound as good on a recording, because I was not very good when I was playing live!

18 hours ago, verb said:

There is a band local to me that does a ska version of Hotel California.

The working title of Hotel California was "Mexican Reggae" - almost certainly due to the bassline.  

15 hours ago, EssentialTension said:

Jack Ashford on tambourine at 1.45 ...

 

That whole track is how aspiring performers (myself included) imagine that they are playing and singing - driving and tight rhythms, smooth yet impassioned vocals, funky dancing basslines, and everything seems effortless.

Motown - required listening for everyone who is a legend in their own mind...  

16 hours ago, Waddo Soqable said:

Oh go on then...I'd be interested hear an example of that !..

It seems to me that a well-played tambourine sits within the rhythm section, and is unnoticeable.  Certainly, I had not realised that the tambourine featured so heavily in Tears of a Clown.

Here is another example - the "gallop" rhythm in the chorus is carried by the bass and tambourine, but starts at 0'14".
Y M C A. Village People. Bass Cover. - YouTube  

Perhaps install a set of heavy curtains, and keep them closed during the day, to keep out the light (and thus, the heat).

It works for my bedroom during the hot summer months. 

On 30/06/2021 at 11:15, Cliff Edge said:

If you had been the session bassist during recording of a well known song. 

Would you have played it differently?

In the main, no.  I am still in the foothills of bass playing, and do not have the experience, taste, or technical mastery to play it differently.  For me, different would be worse.     

12 hours ago, Maude said:

He had one bourbon, one scotch and one beer, but was accused of plagiarism. 

Does anyone know what kind of foam was on the beer?

21 minutes ago, bartelby said:

Tone wood floorboards?

Like these ones?!

"FAC 51 The Hacienda Peter Hook Bass Guitar number HAC 51 as played by Peter Hook. A series of six long scale EB2/335-shape bass guitars are to be custom built by Brian Eastwood with HAC numbers HAC 51 to 56 utilising pieces of the original maple wood dancefloor of FAC 51 The Hacienda. "

1 minute ago, Cliff Edge said:

Now you’re being silly.

You're right - the rosewood does not need lemon oil, and it would be slippery to walk on. 

5 minutes ago, Doctor J said:

Even better. Tonewood tonefloor toneboards.

Mahogany? Maple? Rosewood?  With lemon oil? 

Were the floorboard nails steel, or nickel?

I heard that he once lay on his back in the studio while playing bass.  Anyone know whether it was a carpet?  Solid floor? Wooden floor boards?  Lino?

Searching for "the tone", Bass_Dinger.  

2 hours ago, LukeFRC said:

I was on a few weeks back - That was a smile hand signal I’m trying to make

Thank you for clarifying that it was not "I am going to shoot the sound guy"!

5 minutes ago, nekomatic said:

A guy I used to play with had a rule ‘never let a singer get hold of a shaker’. 

Keith Richards?

And don't get me started on tambourines!

People assume that they are easy to play, and will add to the overall sound.  However, they often end up sounding like a drawer full of cutlery being dropped down the stairs.  Latterly, we took to bolting it to the drum kit rack - the drummer never played it, but the clamp ensured that it could never escape, and fall into the hands of the wrong person.

47 minutes ago, ambient said:

I’ve encountered drummers, guitarists and singers who count in on one tempo, then actually start playing at a completely different one.

I met a drummer once who had absolutely no understanding of the fundamentals of drumming, ie beat subdivision or anything. Yet he had a ridiculously expensive drum kit. He didn’t understand that a fill is meant to be in time, he’d just hit the drums a number of times.

 

I have seen both - people who will literally count to four before the song starts, rather than count in four beats.  Drummers too, whose fills are great but which last 7 or 9 beats, or whose sense of speed varies hugely.  

But the question was "vocalists", so, I have worked in a church group that expected to start singing acapella, with no reference pitch, and then have the musicians join in.

"You might not be starting on the right note - we won't know what key you are in!" I said.
"But it is written there  . . . " and she pointed to the chord chart.  

The music was in G, they rehearsed the week before in G.  On the morning, they struggled with that key, but then spontaneously sung in C.  At other times, they have sung songs in C sharp - pretty difficult for most musicians.

It took me a week to think of a response that was polite and helpful. I explained different keys, and how everyone needed a reference pitch.  "I don't understand about that.  I just sing."

I must say, when I started out, I had no real clue about music, and it was only the patience and generous nature of others that allowed me to build up my skills.  I am grateful that others put up with my musical incompetence; I am less patient with the incompetence of others.  And that is an attitude that I have been working to get rid of, for 20 years.

8 minutes ago, PaulWarning said:

quite a few Bob Dylan songs, All along the Watchtower, If You Gotta Go Now, Mighty Quin, Mr Tambourine Man, probably be some more, Oh yes, the covers are always better than Bob's originals 😂

Make You Feel My Love by Adele, too.  I had no idea! 

Girls Just Wanna have fun - original version by Robert Hazard Robert Hazard - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - YouTube 

Rivers of Bablyon - 10 minutes ago, I heard the version by the Melodians The Melodians - "Rivers Of Babylon" (Official Audio) - YouTube  

Great thread - an opportunity for basschatters to share obscure 78s that they have in their collection!     

I have been asked to advise a friend who is setting up an old-school Jam Room in the basement of his house.

He has asked for advice on which bass amp to buy, along with a bass guitar for when a bassist turns up without the necessary kit.

I have also been asked for advice on a vocal mic and the necessary amplification - like I said, he wanted to set it up like he remembered from 40 years ago, when he was in a punk band.  Old School - so, one amp for each instrument, and a single vocal amp.

As for budget, I have not been given one, nor do I yet know the size of the room, or what other amps will be in place.  However, I do know that a small drum kit will soon arrive. 

I am thinking a Sire bass (because basschatters seem to like them), and an Ashdown Electric Blue EB 12-180 (because I have used one), and a 20 foot cable.

For the vocals, an SM58 into a floor monitor? 

Does anyone have any advice?  As I typed this out, I realise that it is hard to advise on kit, when we don't know budgets, room size, and existing kit.    

1 hour ago, EssentialTension said:

A punter once told me I was too short to play bass. So, if you are 5'9" (175cm) or under, sell your gear.

Do we have any volunteers to break this news to Suzi Quattro?