Doddy

I don't think that you have to fill any gaps. The problem with going full Jack Bruce under guitar solos is that it's almost more of a jazz style where you are reacting to the soloist and almost having a conversation with them, and a lot of rock players don't do that. They often just start playing busier for the sake of it without any real meaning. It's the same with drummers. Cream worked well because Jack and Ginger applied their jazz improvisation background in a rock and blues context and were reacting to what everyone played.  

Sometimes it sounds bigger to just play  simpler, solid lines with good tone. Hanging out in the lower register, especially on 5 strings, can leave a big sonic gap in the mids, so it can sound fuller if you play in the lower midgrange of the instrument.

3 hours ago, ezbass said:

 There’s also the tritone/chord option. 

Tritones are cool, but in this context it's normally better to use them as passing tones rather than playing them as chords (Unless you're playing a diminished chord ,in which case-go for it).

I often hear the point of "I've never done a gig/ I've only done a handful of reading gigs ever", and that is totally cool. But, a big part of that is that if you don't put yourself out as a reader you won't get calls to do gigs that require it, and there are a lot more reading gigs than those mentioned in the video.

I also don't agree with the insinuation that readers can only read and can't come up with lines. In fact, I'd go the opposite way and say that all the best improvisers who I know either personally or via fame and reputation, are generally solid readers too.

I've always preferred Jazz basses or modern 5 strings, but I've got a tour coming up where I have to play a Precision.

There is something cool about a Precision, which is probably why a load of the hippest players are using them again.

On 13/05/2021 at 12:57, stewblack said:

Would the duo work with this kind of bass or is the horn insufficiently horny? 

You can buy a tension strap that runs between the strap pins and gives you an anchor point for the second strap for basses without a horn. I got one when I bought my DuoStrap.

https://gruvgear.com/products/tension-strap-option-for-duostrap

Only 3 pedals?  3 Leaf Audio Octabvre, and Emma DiscumBOBulator for sure. The third pick is harder because depending on the gig I'd want either an overdrive, a fuzz, a preamp, or some kind of modulation. 

Are you talking timing as in keeping a steady tempo, or more about playing rhythmic patterns accurately? 

On 20/05/2021 at 02:58, TheLowDown said:

Ah that's OK then, so there is no added complication when playing a 6 string compared to a 4 string? Nope, because Doddy reassures me that: "At least nothing that an hour or two in the practice room learning the notes won't sort out.". Wow, that was quick!! Otherwise it shows that his understanding of the fretboard leaves a lot to be desired, and which perfectly explains his views.

Or maybe, I can learn the extra notes on the extra strings quickly because I have a very good understanding of the fretboard?

Think about it...if you have a full understanding of the fingerboard on a 4 string, then only need to learn the note positions on 2 extra strings- only one string if you're moving from a 5. How long would you expect it to take you to learn that?   If you are coming at it from nothing then it's going to take longer, but if you know the fingerboard pretty well to begin with, it's a relatively simple thing to learn where the notes are.

On 20/05/2021 at 02:58, TheLowDown said:

Anyone unfortunate to read Doddy's guide to the 6 string for advice is going to be very misinformed.

I'm not giving anyone 6 string advise. I'm just pointing out that I disagree with your points about the 6 string being a lot more complicated than a 4.  However if you do want me to give you a guide, I'll happily sit down and prove everything I say.

22 hours ago, dave_bass5 said:

Had one, thought it was very similar to the Emperors new clothes. Great rep, but doesn’t do much, and nothing i couldn't get from much cheaper gear. 

Sorry, just my opinion. 

I have the complete opposite opinion.  The Sadowsky Preamp/DI is my favourite outboard to use with my passive Fenders. It just makes them sound better.

The last arena I played of that size, this was my rig...

9 hours ago, Silky999 said:

 I will stay away from using any form of written music aid on stage as per everyone’s advice.

You often see posts on here about how it's a bad thing, but in reality more people do it than you think and no one cares.  If you want some brief notes on the floor or full charts on a tablet (or even a stand),do it. If you don't need them, great, but they are there if you need them. I think it's better to refer to your notes and play something right, than to keep messing up for the sake of looking 'cool'.

6 hours ago, Rich said:

The rest of us are quite happy to do our part to help rescue the beleaguered hospitality/ents sector by playing one or two gigs for expenses only for the first few months to help places get back on their feet, but this member is dead against it. 

I agree with him.

3 hours ago, Jakester said:

Sorry, I completely disagree. 

The whole point of a band is that the members commit to it - otherwise it just becomes a loose collective of people who meet once a week to play music together.

 For a lot of people music is a hobby, so it will always be secondary to work and family life, and being in a band is more of a fun night out than a serious commitment. Personally, I've found that the best way to get people to commit is to offer them regular, well paid gigs. 

1 hour ago, RaNoFuNkY said:

Still struggling to see how short scale 45-105 gauge flats happily hit bottom C 

I don't see a problem. Companies like Callowhill and Serek make/made short scale 5 and 6 strings that handle a low B comfortably and sound great. This short scale Musicman should be able to handle a low C.

16 minutes ago, Doctor J said:

They've had Steve Lukather and Steve Morse models since the mid-90's at least, definitely before 95, and the Albert Lee model even pre-dates those, I think. As I recall, I read Flea wanted the Stingray renamed after him and got the PFO. At least, I read that somewhere shortly after he started his relationship with Modulus. 
 

I think it's interesting (strange) that they have been making signature guitars since the late 80s/early 90s, but refused to make signature basses. I can understand them not wanting to rename the Stingray for Flea ( which is basically what Modulus did with the Sonic Hammer), but if they had made a tweaked model for him I think they would have sold very well.

I still don't get why Ernie Ball are pushing various Joe Dart models, when I think it would have made more sense for them to do something like a Flea model (their refusal to do that was why he went to Modulus), or a Pino fretless. Although, it looks like the Vulfpeck fans are eating it up.

The video just highlights that Jack Stratton's forced personality annoys me, although the bass sounds pretty good.

9 hours ago, Killed_by_Death said:

 

Maybe that's why I have so much trouble learning new songs, I have never ever recognized a chord progression. I'm in no position to join with real Musicians, unless I'm paying them to instruct me.

I tried a few local instructors, six weeks in & I was only mildly better off, so I sufficed with just learning from the book that the instructor insisted I buy.

Music Theory seemed the way forward for improvising, but then I hit the wall of tone-deafness headlong in the 2nd or 3rd lesson.

 

Theory can definitely help with improvising because just knowing the notes that are in the chords (or even just their shapes on the neck, up to a point) gives you options of notes that you can safely use. A teacher can definitely help, but noticable improvements can take a while to show, depending on how much you practice the material outside of the lessons.

I'm sure you could find some players who are at a similar level to you who would be happy to practice and jam together?

12 hours ago, TheLowDown said:

I prefer not to use 'crutches' because I think muting should come from the player. The only time I think they come in handy is for tapping or slapping, but I don't go there.

So they are a crutch, but they come in handy for tapping and slapping?  So, not a crutch then.

I don't use the hair tie/fretwrap thing often, although I have them on a couple of my basses. (A hair tie went straight on my bass after aayching Victor Wooten on the Bass Day 98 video). I mainly use them with certain monophonic synth pedals which are sensitive to sympathetic vibrations and tend to glitch at the slightest overtone.

4 hours ago, Killed_by_Death said:

conditions:

*tone-deaf: unable to distinguish intervals

no support from anyone, including family

unable to improvise or form bass-arrangements

 

* this part is huge, it's a handicap of epic proportions for a person trying to play Music, I'll never be able to play by ear

 

As a little more background, lately I've been pruning songs from my play-along list, removed 200 & down to 350. The 200 I removed were boring 'human metronome' songs, you know where the bass player drones away on 3 notes for the whole song or summat.

This part kind of jumped out at me. I understand that simple basslines can be boring to play at times but if you feel like you are tone deaf then learning these songs are perfect to help improve your ear. You'll also start to notice reoccurring chord progressions which makes learning other songs easier.

With regards to improvising basslines, one of the best things to do is to sit down with other musicians and just play over some changes. Even something as simple as a 1 or 2 chord vamp, or a Blues, are good ways to start coming up with lines. 

3 hours ago, TheLowDown said:

That's not what I said.

But you did say that if you don't find a 6 complicated then you lack fretboard awareness, and that 5 & 6 strings are for if you play in a box all night. I just countered that rubbish by saying that it doesn't matter how many strings I'm playing, I know exactly where to play the notes over the entire fingerboard.  It's not about playing boxes and shapes.

Seeing how often people seem to change their pedals around is the exact reason I stopped using a board and just put everything on the floor instead. 

Bass in general or bass guitar specifically? Because there is a lot of music without bass guitar, but there is still something happening in the bass register.

I was just going to jump in and comment that I've got a few compressor pedals, and have used them on maybe a dozen gigs over the years. I don't particularly like them up front because I prefer how my pedals react with the compressor off, so when I do use one it's normally to tame my signal at the end of my chain when I'm stacking a lot of pedals. A few of my favourite players use compressors all the time, and I love their tones, but they aren't an essential piece of gear for me.

Is that cool, or do I need to state my gig credentials first?

I like Doug, but I find his work can be hit and miss at time. I know guys who have beautiful instruments of his, but then he fitted a new nut to my Jazz Bass and left a gouge in the neck. 

I've doubled on electric and synth bass on gigs before and it's no real extra hassle to set up.  The main thing is do you want to run it through your rig or are you just going to DI it straight in to the desk. If you want to put it through your amp maybe look at something like a Boss LS2 so you can split your signal. I'd also look at a way of muting your bass so that you don't knock the strings when you're playing keys.

I've used the Akai Miniak a bunch. It's got some really good sounds in it. It probably wouldn't be my first choice for piano sounds but it's definitely passable, although it only has a 3 octave board. For synth sounds though, it's great for it's price.

I think now it's very rare to hear any recorded vocal without some form of pitch correction. I guess it's cheaper and easier to use auto tune now,  than to do it the old school way and just get a session singer in to ghost the part.

I used to do the same height sitting as standing but not every bass felt comfortable when standing becausr of things like balance and body size/weight.  So now, I wear them so I can play the whole length of the neck comfortably, and so I can go between fingers and slap easily. Normally this is with the top horn just below chest height.

I like what Dean Ween says- Have your guitar above the d!ck or below the d!ck, but never covering it 😄