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Doddy

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Everything posted by Doddy

  1. Doddy
    The Flecktones are one of my favourite bands but they wouldn't be my first recommendation when it comes to Bluegrass. The influence is obviously there, but they can also fit in just as much with the Jazz/Funk/Fusion/Jam Band scene. Bela Fleck's previous band, New Grass Revival, would be a better choice for a more modern take on Bluegrass. They were an excellent band.
  2. Doddy
    I don't think it's impractical for a gigging player to use a selection of pedals like that. I've been using pedal combinations to get sounds on gigs for a while, and I prefer to do it that way than to sit and programme a pedal like the Future Impact or the C4.
  3. Doddy
    No I don't. At least nothing that an hour or two in the practice room learning the notes won't sort out. Going off your example, a 6 string doesn't give you a huge number of major 3rds over a 4 string. If you use C as your root, you're only getting 2 more places to play an E than on a 4 string (within the first 12 frets). What you are getting is the option to play over a full 2 octave range within a 4 fret area rather than a 9 fret shift, and a full 3 octaves within 12 frets.
  4. Doddy
    By 'loads', I'm talking about function/corporate gigs, clubs, jazz gigs, tribute bands, theatre tours, big band. Sometimes you'll get lead sheets but most of the time it's fully notated charts. When I was doing more musicals and cruises, then I was literally reading every night. Now, I'd say that more than half of my work involves reading. I'm not going to say how much they're paying, but I'm making a living.
  5. Doddy
    I don't know about that. There are still loads of reading gigs around. At least half the gigs I do involve reading charts.
  6. Doddy
    It depends what your situation is. I've taken a load of gigs with a busy tribute band that specifically want a Precision Bass for the look. If I didn't already have a couple, they have one I could use. The same with drums- they have a specific kit that they want using. I don't mind anyone suggesting gear ideas with me, but I expect them to be putting plenty of decent gigs in my diary.
  7. Doddy
    The thing with this, in my experience, is that you get people wanting lessons who overestimate their ability and want to learn XYZ, but they don't understand ABC, so you need to take them down that path first to be able to make sense of what they initially asked. Generally, students who are open to this idea learn far more than those who get arsey that the teacher went in a different direction after one lesson. Not giving any flak but I don't think it's a waste of time because it does help. It never hurts to know more about what you are doing, and it can open up opportunities that you might not get otherwise.
  8. Doddy
    As far as the actual technique is concerned, I'd say most of the motion is coming from the forearm rather than than the wrist or elbow. Some players, like Louis Johnson use big movements from the elbow at times, but the majority comes from a forearm rotation. For the best tone, I'd say to play over the end of the neck so that the string can hit the top fret. Some guys really hit hard, but it isn't necessary to get a good sound. Playing thumb up or down is often dependent on your bass position. Flea has his bass pretty low, so plays thumb down. Mark King has his bass really high and plays thumb up. Most people sit in the middle and I find that having the thumb up or sideways is more accurate than playing thumb down, especially on the higher strings. For popping, you can use any or all fingers, but most people use index and/or middle. For the sound, I like an active jazz style bass with some mid scoop. Newer strings help with the brightness too. Some players use a lot of compression, others don't, so you just have to experiment there. All this side is personal preference- there are guys who slap on a Precision who sound great, and others who nail it on 6 and 7 strings. Personally, I spent a long time trying to get Marcus Millers technique down and I've used it for years. Lately though, I've been trying to switch it up in to more of an Alain Caron kind of thing.
  9. Doddy
    My 6 is lighter than my main 5 strings, has less neck dive than my Fenders, and doesn't have a permanently ringing B string because it's muted by my right hand. I also don't think that it particularly complicates the navigation of the fingerboard. Once you've spent a bit of time learning the notes on the added strings there's not much extra thinking involved. In fact, there are times when it can be helpful because you can play over 2 octaves in position. I'm all for using the right tool for the job, but there's nothing you can do on a 4 that you can't do on a 5 or 6. I generally use a 5 as standard now but I still like to take the 6 out occasionally, especially if I know I'm going to be soloing a lot. I only really take a 4 string if I'm specifically asked for one, and often it's as much for visual reasons than anything else (in a live context at least).
  10. Doddy
    Seems pretty standard to me.
  11. Doddy
    As it's your project, I'd say you should be prepared to take control and assume the bandleader role. Pick the set yourself and give it to the rest of the band to learn. You can take suggestions from the other members, but you have the final say.
  12. Doddy
    I've got really in to The Tragically Hip over the last year or so. They are a band that I was aware of but never paid any attention to. I knew how big they were in Canada because I was over there when Gord Downie died and it was headline news, but I never sat down and really listened to them until last year. Needless to say, when I was over there again before the last lockdown, I came home with a bunch of their albums. They've easily become one of my favourite bands and I'm disappointed that I didn't check them out earlier.
  13. Doddy
    I've got an old Peavey double gig bag that I bought years ago. I've used it a lot, mostly with my Fenders, but I feel more comfortable using my iGig or my leather Reunion Blues cases with my nicer instruments. They are just better quality cases, and to get that level of protection from a double bag means a heavier case than I'd like.
  14. Doddy
    For a pub gig, unless I'm doubling on upright I only take one bass. For bigger shows when I generally have to travel further, I've normally got a spare.
  15. Doddy

    Zappa!

    Doddy replied to stewblack's topic in General Discussion

    I became a massive Zappa fan after I first saw 'Does Humour Belong in Music?' when it was shown on Channel 4 years ago. I'm not going to say that I love everything he did, but there is so much great music to dig in to. A lot of great albums have already been mentioned, but I really like the '88 band albums 'The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life', and 'Make A Jazz Noise Here'. Plus, so many great musicians passed through his bands. Unfortunately, I was too young to see him live, but I did see the 'The Bizarre World of Frank Zappa' tour, a couple of years ago.
  16. Doddy
    If I'm using a preamp pedal I generally run it at the start of my signal chain, before my other pedals. I tend to keep the graphic EQ on my amp flat and only use it to notch certain frequencies that are causing trouble in the room, so I'll use a pedal as my main tone controls when I'm playing a passive bass. If I'm using an active bass, I'll use the onboard preamp as my main tone controls and sometimes use a preamp pedal to give me a different sound- for example, one of my active basses sounds amazing for fingerstyle playing but I don't like it's slap tone much, so I'll use a pedal to get that classic scooped slap sound.
  17. Doddy
    Unless you really want a new bass, have you looked at strap options? The Levys 3 1/2"- 4" straps take a weight and make my 9lb 10 bass feel way lighter. The Gruv Gear DuoStrap distributes the weight over both shoulders, and makes a huge difference if you're playing long sets. Alternatively, you could go all Anthony Jackson and play sitting down.
  18. Doddy
    It's not like you're putting a song on and playing along. You're basically just playing to a click, while the parts that are on the track just come in and out at the right places. You can end up playing to just a click for whole sections of songs before anything happens on the track.
  19. Doddy
    I don't see a problem. It's almost becoming a standard for the higher level corporate/function bands as well as theatre tours. Even big name touring acts have been using tracks for years. Personally, I like playing with tracks and a click. It generally makes the band sound better and tighter.
  20. Doddy
    Jeff Berlin said on his Facebook page the other day, that he wasn't going to be doing the Brand X tour anymore. No disrespect to Percy, but I was going to go because Jeff was doing it.
  21. Doddy
    When I'm improvising, the notes I use are heavily dictated by what the chords are. I think chord tones are the foundation for improvising but rather than playing to a shape I'd prefer to know where the notes are across the whole of the fingerboard, whether it's the actual notes or the intervals. Knowing that opens up the entire neck rather than being locked in to a scale position, especially if you play their inversions too. Obviously you can move away from playing just chord tones, but knowing what they are is an important part. You don't really want to be playing Mixolydian over a major 7 chord, or playing Lydian over a minor chord or whatever. You can, but you should know how to resolve the 'out' notes. Knowing how the chords work together (ii V I etc) can also help you play longer, smoother lines without playing each chord one by one. Learning modes can be useful, but I think that guitar and bass players often place too much importance on them without really understanding them well enough. Focus on the chord tones instead and it will give you a solid basis for improvised either a bassline or soloing.
  22. Doddy
    I'm not a fan of learning by shapes or boxes either. I'd rather know what is actually happening with the scale degrees and the actual notes. I look at modes as variations of major and minor scales, like this.... Ionian (Major), Dorian (Minor natural 6), Phrygian (Minor b2), Lydian (Major #4), Mixolydian (Major b7), Aeolian (Minor), Locrian (Minor b2,b5). A lot of people look at them as the major scale starting on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th degree etc, but I find that thinking of them as variations of major and minor scales helps me more when I'm playing over changes. (Sorry for jumping in @greghagger)
  23. Doddy
    He was in the band Dreams with Cobham at the time, so he it wasn't like he was a random booking. Will did the demos, Cobham didn't like his sound and so called Leland Sklar for the album session. If you're booking someone for a gig, especially at a high level, you want someone who has got it all together. They aren't going to have anyone on the session who sounds bad so that they can waste time and money fixing it. They want someone who can come in, nail the part, and sound great. There's a reason why all the top players have got great tone.
  24. Doddy
    But this was before Will Lee became the session legend that he became, and he was part of the band Dreams. He was playing a modified P Bass, and apparently Cobham told him that he needed to get his sound together if he wanted to play sessions. He obviously listened. It's not about salvaging a take at that level though. If someone doesn't sound good, they'll get someone in who does. There are plenty of stories around of players being told that they didn't have their sound together, and/or being replaced in the studio.
  25. Doddy
    I'm guessing it happens more than you'd think, or at least used to. If a player has a bad sound, there is only so much that an engineer or soundman can do. You can't just have a bad sound and expect someone else to make it better- it should be there from the start.
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