Doddy

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='596271' date='Sep 12 2009, 02:44 AM']Lastly, I think we'd all love to have a perfect sounding bass but something I've noticed is (and this excludes vintage priced basses) as the value increases the craftsmanship and sound quality of a bass increases too but as the clarity of sound is achieved the less you can get away with regarding sloppy technique. As your technique improves you reach a point where your playing allows you to go to the next level of instrument - because that instrument allows you to be more expressive. So again you gravitate to your desired point along the curve, this time governed by skill level rather than the thickness of your wallet.

Although there is the school of thought that says that if you play instruments that are beyond your ability then it forces you to get better so as not to sound like a twat.
Isn't there some sort of business idiom that states that when people get promoted they are always promoted to one position above their ability but one day you stop getting promoted - at which point everything is run by incompetents.[/quote]

I have to disagree with you here.
The instrument that you play has nothing to do with your ability or expression as a player.
You can be playing blues badly in a grotty pub on a Fodera,does it mean you are a good player? No,it means you can afford
a Fodera.
If you are looking at the instrument to improve your playing,I'm sorry,but you have a warped view towards music.
The technique,the expression,and most of all the music, comes firstly from the player.

With a good teacher you will progress quicker as a player than going it alone. But,you have to want it.
There is nothing worse for a teacher, than a student who obviously doesn't want to be there,and doesn't listen
to a word you say,week after week. Everyone talks about bad teachers,but few mention bad students. It really
is a two way street.
Some people have a kind of reverse snobbery about lessons-they feel superior because they are self taught.These
people often have some deficiencies in their playing that could be helped with a few lessons.
The funny thing is that many of the best players have no ego and will still seek out a great teacher to continue to
improve their playing.

And contrary to popular belief,by taking lessons you will NOT sound like your teacher.

[quote name='iamapirate' post='596859' date='Sep 12 2009, 09:51 PM']Whenever I have to learn something i either get given a) a chord chart or a CD a few days before the gig. But i don't play with orchestras or anything like that and if I ever do functions and get given a list of songs to learn, I spotify them and learn from that (and usually make a chord chart). it just seems more natural to work out what they're playing, and then to go ahead and just plain copy it

But obviously, there sometimes scenarios where you're given sheet music the evening before a matinee performance [/quote]

There are also times where I have been given the music minutes before a performance.

It's not always an option to listen to the songs ahead of times and learn them-of course if you do that there are other variables
such as did everyone learn the same version?,In the same key? How are we ending? etc. If you have the dots,you know exactly
how everything goes,because it tells you. That's why a player who can read and groove will always get work.

As far as learning to read,whilst going it alone with a book is great for learning the basics,as with everything else it is better
to get some instruction from someone who will be able to tell you if you are correct-especially when things become trickier.

I think it's about time I posted a pic of my pedal board
The pedals are.....
Aphex Punch Factory compressor , Aphex Bass Exciter
Guyatone PS3 Phase shifter , DOD Ice Box Chorus
Boss Flanger , Boss Line Selector
Dunlop Cry Baby Bass , EBS Octabass
EHX Bass Big Muff , EHX Micro Q Tron
Emma DiscumBOBulator , Emma ReezaFRATzitz
Boss RC20-XL , Ernie Ball Volume Pedal
Korg DT-10 Tuner

I love my Genz Benz Neo-Pak head (predecessor to the shuttle). I found it to be more hi-fi sounding
than the Mark Bass LMII.
It's worth checking out the Genz Benz,it may be just what you are after

The Authorized Bootleg is good because it's a live album, Robben Ford and the Blue Line is good too.
Eric Johnson's Venus Isle is worth checking out as well.

Anything by Robben Ford and the Blue Line,Dixie Chicks Live,Leonard Cohen Live,G3 with Eric Johnson.
I believe he's got a solo album out too.
Roscoe Beck is a Monster Player

[quote name='iamapirate' post='595956' date='Sep 11 2009, 07:03 PM']hah, well he is. He's playing at grade 8 level, practical and at least grade 5 theory, not sure. he just doesn't have perfect pitch.[/quote]

To be honest if he's got grade 5 theory and grade 8 practical he should be able to hear roughly
what key he's in.
I haven't got any grades or perfect pitch but can hear the key quickly without searching for notes.

Peart could never swing-listen to his weak attempts on the Buddy Rich
Memorial Concert...it's shockingly rigid. And I am a fan of Rush.

Sorry to derail the thread Pete.

I'd seriously get a few lessons. Most guitar players who switch to bass
play bass like a guitar player,with incorrect technique and most of all,with
the wrong mind-set.They tend to not think as a support/groove instrument and
more as a root/riff chugger. Don't look at it as a simpler version of the guitar,
treat it as a unique instrument with it's own idiosyncracies. You will get more out of it that way.
I know it's a generalisation,but I've seen it many times.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='595867' date='Sep 11 2009, 05:27 PM']Well, I'm a proper Rush anorak, but since he got lessons from Freddie Gruber, he's completely lost the ability to groove. IMO.

Shame.[/quote]

Peart's technique got slightly better after lessons with Gruber,but he was always a very stiff player anyway.
For me, he was always much to analytical-every note perfect with nothing ever left to chance.

I've played with guys that have gotten bored and started playing broken triplet patterns
over something like brown eyed girl-that really grinds my gears.

You won't get the tone or volume from an acoustic bass guitar that you will
from an upright. You need a large body to project the low frequencies,hence the
size of an upright. An acoustic bass guitar will struggle to be heard over an acoustic
guitar.
The only Acoustic Bass guitar I've heard that had any decent volume was the Taylor,and
even then it was struggling against an acoustic guitar.

[quote name='3V17C' post='595734' date='Sep 11 2009, 02:59 PM']I also think that in certain professional situations you'll not be taken as seriously if you turn up with cheap and cheerful gear, regardless of what you can do with it.[/quote]

Maybe in a snobby band situation,but I did a show fairly recently where I split the Bass chair with Paul Westwood,who is arguably one of the
UK's most successful session players,and he was using a 5 string Hohner Steinberger copy-and played and sounded great.

Geddy Lee proving why he is the man!


[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwpGXfHmY-A"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwpGXfHmY-A[/url]

The New Bassman 12 is lovely.....especially with a flatwound strung Precision-
classic bass tone.

This is pretty bad......where's my chin gone???!!!!

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='595657' date='Sep 11 2009, 01:31 PM']I suppose I like my expensive gear because it's what helps me earn my living & there's a certain sound and feel I'm looking for. Which usually only comes at a price, unfortunately.

There's nothing wrong with cheaper gear, but I need to rely on something that is guaranteed to be of top quality and operate as it should every single time I pick it up to play it.

... And I have impeccable taste, LOL [/quote]

I earn my living from playing too,and love expensive gear,but let's be honest,you could do the job perfectly well on a simple
Fender.
Like I say,I love boutique Basses but they are not essential for a professional career.

It all depends what you want from an instrument.
I've got some lovely expensive instrument( Roscoe LG3500,'91 Tobias 6,Shuker Singlecut 5),
but my Fender Jazz is my workhorse. The build quality and tonal range is greater on the more expensive
Basses,but the Fender is familiar.
Many people seem to have an added 'confidence' when playing a more expensive bass-the
Bass gives them the inspiration to play.

[quote name='ezbass' post='595586' date='Sep 11 2009, 12:27 PM']Has he been using A basses long?[/quote]

Darryl was playing A Basses long before Lakland. In fact,the Lakland DJ bass was designed
by Albey Balgochian who makes A Basses.

[quote name='nottswarwick' post='595365' date='Sep 11 2009, 08:18 AM']Would that also be known as minor 7 flat 5? I was only talking about the triads, not an extended four note chord. Sorry.[/quote]

Yes half diminished is minor 7 flat 5.

if we're just talking triad then yes it is a diminished triad.

I'd stick with the 5.
You don't need to radically change your playing or anything-just play the songs
like you do on your 4 and only use the low B occasionally.
I think it'd be easier than taking one out strung BEAD and then finding
out that you miss the G string.

[quote name='iamapirate' post='595313' date='Sep 11 2009, 01:32 AM']No joke, an amazing keyboard player that I usually play with, to find keys, just starts chromatically up until he finds the key that rings int his ear! and I didn't realise this until he said it! I just thought it was jazz... [/quote]

He doesn't sound that amazing to be honest.

[quote name='nottswarwick' post='595238' date='Sep 10 2009, 11:27 PM']tait yes VII is diminshed.[/quote]

If we are being technical about it, the VII chord is actually half diminished,as to make it fully diminished would
require a double flat 7,(eg. C,bE,bG,bbB) while the diatonic VII chord only has a flat 7 ( C,bE,bG,bB).

Nice Transcription...although you missed the double stop just before the solo.