Doddy

Because Jamerson, JJ Burnel, Pino, Tim Lefebvre, 'Ready' Freddie, and Scott Thunes all sound the same on a P Bass? He was also doing it in hit records over 40 years ago. Of course it's not new. Just no.

I agree for the most part, but I think a players sound is important. Will Lee talks about how he did the demos for Billy Cobhams Spectrum but didn't do the actual album because Cobham didn't like his sound at the time.

Don't let your feelings be dictated by the price. I bought a V7 5 string based purely on the Marcus connection, and it's a great bass. I've played it on a load of shows and a few recordings and it's never let me down. I've got a Fender Mexican Deluxe Jazz V which has been lent out since I bought the Sire. The Sire is a better instrument in both sound and feel, and the preamp makes it really versatile. I know some people complain about the hardware and the weight, but it's not an issue for me. The tuners are nothing special but they do the job, and personally I don't like super lightweight basses so the weight is ok with me. Let's be honest though, I'm not going to say that it's better than my F Bass or my Roscoe but I do think that they are one of the best Jazz basses under £1000 new.

Labella, I believe.

I don't think many people rest their palm on the bass. Most people will rest their thumb on the pickup or strings, but I find that resting your palm anywhere hinders the dexterity of the plucking hand.

I think 'the one' can only really be found after you've spent some time with an instrument. How many times do you see a new bass/amp/pedal day post, and then it's in the for sale section a week later? I'm not saying that you need to love every bass you touch and shouldn't try them out but every bass I buy does a few gigs before I decide to keep or sell. Sometimes 'the one' is not the fanciest, but the one you get used to over time. It's kind of like a relationship- it takes more than a quick fingering to know if it's right for you.

When talking session players, are you meaning studio players (which I assume), or are you also thinking about touring musicians? Just because there have been some players mentioned who, while they are obviously great players, aren't really getting studio sessions. That work still seems to be going mostly to the slightly older guys who have been around for a while rather than the hip new players, whether we're talking NY, LA, Nashville, or London.

I can't say anything bad about Bass Direct. I've always been treated well even when I haven't bought anything for a while. But then, I bought my Bergantino cab and Genz Benz head off Mark when he was still operating out of a barn.

These two are interesting choices because they have kind of built there own scenes rather than being typical session players. They both stick pretty much within their cliques, although I think Michael League branches out more than Joe Dart. As others have said, the session scene has changed a lot recently but if you look at the players who are doing the big sessions, it's still players like Abe Laboriel, Leland Sklar, Michael Rhodes, Nathan East, and Will Lee. Even the 'younger' guys who are busy are generally over 40- players like Chris Chaney, Tim Lefebvre, Sean Hurley and Jimmie Lee Sloas.

In what way do you want to improvise? Do you want to be able to play along with a band and come up with a bassline on the spot, or do you want to be able to solo over changes? For me, there are a few things I like to do to improve my improvising. The first is knowing chord tones and being able to play them all over the fingerboard, so that I'm not stuck in position. The next (and maybe most important) is ear training. It's a big advantage to be able to hear a pattern and be able to recognise the intervals, as well as hearing the differences in chord qualities. The other thing I'd suggest is to listen and transcribe. Listen at some of the great improvisers and pay attention to how they phrase and the lines that they play, and try to apply them on the bass. Horn players and piano players are generally more melodic than most bass players so It's worth listening to them and picking out lines. That way you are building up your vocabulary and it will all begin to work it's way in to your playing. Don't be afraid to play licks. Every great player has lines and licks that they often use in their improvising. TL:DR Ear training, theory, transcription.

I love slap bass, and if you want to hear some impeccable slap on a 6 string listen to Alain Caron. As far as I'm concerned he has the best slap technique anywhere. His fretless 6 playing is ridiculous too. Although if you don't like jazz or fusion, maybe you shouldn't bother.

As useful as frer wraps are, I would advise against this for now. It will be far better to get your muting together with your technique, whether that means using a floating thumb or doing something similar to what John Patitucci does. I love playing six string and used to play it all the time, but now I mainly play it when I know that I'm going to be soloing a lot and I want the extended upper range.

I've got my technique together, but I still have the Gruv Gear ones on a couple of my basses. Most of the time they sit behind the nut doing nothing, but they come in handy if I'm doing any tapping or playing upper register chords, especially when recording because all the unwanted overtones and sympathetic vibrations are magnified. If you don't do that kind of thing, then they may not be for you, but they definitely have their place.

I bought one of these years ago when I was playing on ships and couldn't take a stand with me, and I still use it for small gigs. They do the job, but it's best to rest something on top of it to stop it slipping over. It's a handy little thing to have in your gigbag .

If you just want a book on reading, I'd look at either the Jeff Berlin one, or Janek Gwizdala's.

I guess it depends where you are in your abilities when you get the book. If a beginner works their through that book, by the end they should be able to read to a certain level. If you can already play and you pick the book up, it's tempting to skip over the 'easy' stuff and miss things. If you wanted a book to learn to read, there are other books I'd recommend.

Possibly the best beginners book available. It will get you learning the notes, scales, arpeggios, reading, slap, and puts it all together in a musical way with playalong tracks. I use it all the time for teaching. Plus it's spiral bound and sits flat on a stand. Bonus.

Apart from the body wood, the expensive fancy top, and the neck wood?

You'd be surprised how many 'name' players are willing to give occasional lessons usually, and with touring work gone there might be even more who will give online lessons. I've asked a few guys in the past about lessons while they are on tour. Some happened and some didn't because of scheduling, but still lead to hanging out for a bit after a show. Only one person has ever given me an outright no (which was surprising based on his reputation). You just have to ask. What's the worst that can happen?

A lot of people do. I generally use one finger per fret from around the 5th fret, although I don't do it strictly- I always play octaves with my first and little fingers. The suggestion to reduce pressure is a good one too. A lot of people grip the neck hard and almost squeeze the strings. I look at my thumb as a being a pivot point rather than a grip, and can actually lift my thumb off the neck and keep playing. You don't need to press the strings hard at all, especially with a low action.

It's difficult to say without seeing your left hand technique, but keeping a good hand position (whether thats playing one finger per fret or using 1,2,4 fingering),and not allowing your fingers to lift too high off the fingerboard will help with dexterity. As far as exercises, I like to play 2 octave arpeggios in different positions, and scales in different patterns (I like 3rds and 6ths), and in different groupings. There are tons of ways to increase dexterity with scales and arpeggios. Speed will come with practice.

A lot of people liked those old Trace Elliot amps, and there are still a lot knocking about. I reckon that a lot of older players would jump on a lightweight Trace amp that sounded like the old ones, even if only for nostalgia. Would a class D power amp change the sound? I've no idea. To be fair, I couldn't tell you what the Trace sound was. I used a combo early on, and it sounded great. The only reason I didn't get a full rig was they were too expensive at the time. I don't think that there is a lot of brand loyalty anymore. People are always looking for the next new thing and older style, but modern, gear is pretty trendy right now. I'm sure Peavey have done their research, but I lost a lot of respect for them after their episode of Undercover Boss.

I think the reason why nobody wants the old Trace Elliot amps now has nothing to do with how they sound. Most of the players who remember, and used, the old amps are now around 40+ and want lighter gear. How many times do you see posts talking about wanting basses under 8lbs, or small lightweight cabs? The old Trace stuff is heavy. Younger players are generally unaware of the brand because they have come up at a time where companies like Mark Bass, TC Electronic, Ashdown, and even Hartke have been popular. None of the hip players use Trace Elliot now. Amps like Trace and SWR aren't even on their radar. I think if Peavey were to bring back the old Trace preamp with a class D poweramp, they would be onto a winner. The older guys (who are a massive market) would buy them because they want that sound, and younger guys would become aware of the brand and it's legacy.

Some bandleaders will form a minus sign with a sideways finger on the other other. Generally though, on those sort of gigs it's expected that you'll be familiar with the repertoire ( standards, classic pop tunes, and so on) so the bandleader can point one finger down and the band will know if it's in F or D minor. These signals are generally used for a scratch band with no charts or arrangements, when songs are being called on stage.

I think that as long as you don't have your bass in a super low or high position, it shouldn't make much difference really.