Doddy

6 hour rehearsals and only 1 gig in a year? I'd have left a long time ago.

[quote name='Pinball' timestamp='1346255146' post='1787084'] I was in PMT yesterday in Bristol and someone demonstrated the Roland V bass sythesizer. I'm sorry but all your pedals are obsolete and old fashioned. It replaces all your band mates, can do anything, make tea, make love you name it! [/quote] I've had one of the older V Bass systems for a few years,and as great as it is,it hasn't made any of my pedals obsolete.I still use a bunch of individual effects. Multi effects have never really done it for me.I like how I can tweak them easier than most multi effects,especially on the fly,and I like trying being able to switch out one pedal to try something else. I just find them easier to use,and generally I prefer the sound too.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1346182189' post='1786264'] If I recall correctly, according to Bass Player Magazine , the sunburst Jazz Bass in the the video did indeed belong to Jaco. The maple 70s P bass neck was a temporary substitute whilst Kevin Kaufman mended the original neck after Jaco had damaged it somehow . Its worth mentionig that Jaco had more than one Jazz Bass, and that this bass is not neccesarilly the "bass of doom". [/quote] According to this article,Jaco states that it's not his bass in the video. [url="http://www.ricksuchow.com/press-group-200.html"]http://www.ricksucho...-group-200.html[/url] Edit..I also read the article in BP saying it was Jaco's,but I'm more inclined to believe the interview with Jaco at the time of the video.

[quote name='zero9' timestamp='1346155556' post='1785854'] If you can play like 'Jaco', you'll sound like him . [/quote] No you won't. [quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1346168693' post='1786033'] Just fabulous and also illustrates the point - notice the Jazz has a maple necked 70s Precision neck fitted - Jaco says in the video it's to exercise/stretch his fingers - they already look twice as long as mine anyway! [/quote] It's worth pointing out though,as I said earlier,that the Jazz Bass that Jaco used in the video wasn't his. It belonged to Jerry Jemmott and was lent to Jaco for the filming of the video.

[quote name='zero9' timestamp='1346178651' post='1786206'] I'm struggling to find good examples of bass players who've adopted stagenames other than Sting (I've lived a fairly sheltered life ). [/quote] Lemmy? Jah Wobble? Gene Simmons?

I think that they still have some good articles,but it's still not as good as it used to be. It's still far superior to Bass Guitar Magazine though.

I alternate fingers pretty much all the time when playing on one string or ascending or whatever,but when I'm descending the first note is often raked.Why? Economy of motion. Sometimes alternating fingers isn't the best option. Alternating fingers is important,and pretty much necessary for speed (unless you use Chuck Rainey's or Bryan Beller's back and forth technique),but you don't have to be completely reliant on it. If you are playing chugging rock,then sometimes using one finger works better,but if you are playing some Tower of Power then alternating fingers will work so much better. Don't get too hung up on being strict with your alternation-learn it,then play however you need too to get the desired result.

[quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1346103449' post='1785420'] Joe Zawinul describes how he took him under his wing in Weather Report, only to see him spiral downwards in his later days. He became erratic and unreliable, something which seriously impacted on his ability to get work. [/quote] Interestingly,it was also Zawinul that helped get Jaco into heavy drug taking.

I never seen anyone use strict alternation all the time. Everyone starts raking when string crossing when descending,especially at higher tempos.

I know what you mean,but I still don't think that speed and dexterity exercises are particularly worthwhile. I think you will be much better of studying the musical content than just trying to play fast tempos.Even learning a line like 'What is Hip?' or 'River People' or something will be better for your dexterity and speed,even at slow tempos,because you are applying it musically. However...... If you are screwing up at tempo,then it's likely down to a couple of things... 1-you may not know the exercise well enough.In which case you go back and study it without worrying about playing as fast as you can. 2-If you understand the exercise and can play it inside out yet are messing up at higher tempos then you need to bring it back down to where you can play it and increase the tempo gradually. Don't jump from 75bpm straight to 100.Try 80 for a while....Then 85. If you struggle knock it down to 82....and so on. When Jeff Berlin talks about not liking metronomes,he says that it's because people tend to focus on the click,and not the musical content. I think that if you are concerned about pushing the tempo all the time,then you may be falling into this trap.

That's the first I've heard of him. The first video needs a melody on top of it,first of all. The second video isn't blowing me away either. Sure,he's got technique but the band video was seriously lacking in any feel. Of course,I may be wrong-but I'm not hunting for more videos.

I'll be honest,I pretty much never use a metronome for my own practice. The only time I do,I have it set so that it clicks on 2 and 4 to simulate a snare drum. You say that you increase the tempo after you've run through the exercises a couple of times,or as best as you can? This,to me,isn't a good way of doing things. Don't try and push the metronome up if you are not playing the exercises correctly. Speed and dexterity will naturally develop the more you play.It is more important to be playing accurately and correctly. I feel that it is much more important to study musical material than speed exercises. There is no point being able to play fast if you are making mistakes.

Hello. I've recently returned home after quite a long spell gigging away and am now accepting new students. I am based in North Staffordshire,just outside Stoke on Trent,and in close proximity to South Cheshire (Crewe,Macclesfield,Congleton). I teach all aspects of the instrument from the absolute basics to more advanced techniques and concepts. Just some of the things that I offer are... Aspects of the bass-The basics of the instrument,including the notes on the fingerboard Technique-from holding the instrument to double thumbing and tapping. Reading Music Theory-from basic chord tones to advanced harmony and modal studies. Musicality-All the technical and theoretical exercises will be applied to musical examples. Styles-Jazz,Pop,Rock,Country,Disco,Metal and more. 4,5,6 String bass guitar-fretted/fretless,Double Bass,Synth Bass. I can also offer both Rockschool and RGT grades if required. For any more info,please feel free to get in touch. www.pauladamsbass.co.uk www.facebook.com/pauladamsbass

Well.....that guy is a complete tool!!

I put a set of DiMarzio Ultra Jazz pickups in my Jazz,and I think they sound great. I like Bartolini too(I have them in my Tobias and Roscoe),but I find them to be smoother sounding than the DiMarzio's. I wouldn't call swapping one for the other an upgrade,they are both excellent pickups.

[quote name='spongebob' timestamp='1346059364' post='1784508'] I watched his video on Youtube yesterday (Modern Electric Bass) released, I believe, in '85. His playing is just amazing....was his downfall that quick? [/quote] I love the Modern Electric Bass video,but he was already very low when it was filmed-even though Rob Wallis and Paul Seigel from DCI tried to clean him up for a few days before filming. He plays great,but he was still past his peak at that point. I'd recommend listening to the tracks '4am' by Herbie Hancock and 'Mood Swings' by Mike Stern. For me,this is some of his best playing. The Michel Colombier album 'Dreamland' album is great too. Most of all though,I'd say listen to his big band-It shows off his playing and compositions. Check out 'The Birthday Concert'. As other's have said,his Biography is an interesting read.

[quote name='D.I. Joe' timestamp='1346065957' post='1784678'] From my experience, the Warwick sound is usually bad slapping and pointless fretw**kery! [/quote] I think you'll find that that has absolutely nothing to do with the bass and everything to do with your opinions of the players.

I've always had a strange relationship with Warwicks. Back in the late '90's they were kind of my dream bass,so I bought a 5 string,bubinga Corvette(my first 5 string bass) I loved it and played it for a few years and just got bored of it and traded it in. I tried a bunch of Warwicks over the years but never got on with them..but at the beginning of the year I played a jam on a friend of mines Corvette Proline (one of the German ones) and loved it.It played and sounded great-So much so,that a few weeks later I bought a German made Streamer LX. I've since done about 130 gigs and a few recordings with it this year already. I love it. I don't know if they are becoming cool or fashionable again,but I'm really digging mine.

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1346026029' post='1784327'] There are a lot of different sounds on Jaco's recorded work. Desirable as the Jaco signature Fender Jazz is (I'd love one!!) I would not expect to be able to get the sound, say on River People, just using a passive Fender Jazz bass. Jaco's playing also has a lot to do with it. I find my fretless Stingray to be more in the ballpark than a couple of passive fretless Jazzes I've played. I guess it depends what part of the sound you're hearing - I know people get very esoteric about pick up spacing, replacing pick ups, bridges etc etc etc but I really do wonder whether this has as significant an effect as the skill and technique of the player? [/quote] The thing with 'River People' is that for the most part,Jaco's bass is being doubled by Zawinul. I think you've hit the nail on the head though...Jaco's playing had everything to do with it. He just used a Jazz Bass going direct in the studio-nothing special,yet he had a sound that was recognisable as being 'Jaco'. Anyone else playing his basses would have sounded different-check out the video of Will Lee,Victor Bailey and Victor Wooten playing on the 'Bass of Doom'.Sure it was rebuilt,but none of them sound like Jaco did,whereas on Jaco's video,he still sounds like him on both the Fender Jazz and the Rivera (both belonged to Jerry Jemmott).

I'm just going to add another update on this. I recently flew from Manchester to Miami (via Atlanta) with Delta,and once again I had no problems taking my bass on the plane and putting it in the over head storage.

[quote name='rob hayward' timestamp='1345910228' post='1783041'] mustang sally. fecking hate this tune and I'm a soul kind of bloke. rubbish. it's 12 bar blues. yawns. [/quote] No it isn't. It's a 24 bar phrase not 12.

I've had the EBS Octabass for years (the old style without the switch) and it's a really good sounding pedal.However,the OC2 is one of the few pedals that I take to nearly every gig. Sure,it has it's little idiosyncrasies and glitches but you can't beat it's 'synthy-ness'. It sounds great,especially with the direct signal either really low or off. The OC3 just doesn't behave quite the same either.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1346010068' post='1784110'] IMO if you are able to play a piece of music with any real passion you must have enough of an understanding of how the music works for you to be able to create your own too. [/quote] I don't agree with that at all. It is totally possible to play with feeling and passion whilst not having the desire or inspiration to create your own music. People do it all the time. There are loads of great singers who put a lot of emotion into the songs they sing,yet the songs were written by someone else-just listen to some of the great music that comes out of Nashville,for example.

[quote name='wishface' timestamp='1346008361' post='1784080'] The way that john pattituci mutes is the way jaco does and my hand doesn't bend that way. You need big hands to make that technique work without compromising the movement of your plucking fingers. [/quote] You don't need big hands at all...I have normal sized hands and do this all the time and there isn't any compromise to my plucking fingers. All you are doing is moving your anchor point,which gives less strain on the hands and wrist,and then rather than tucking your remaining fingers into your hand you open them up a little to touch the strings.There is no need to contort your hand or wrist-in fact you can keep them straighter than if you anchor your thumb in one point.

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1342448786' post='1735186'] Re. dropping the fifth... here we get in the territory of "if it sounds right, it is right". Everyone agrees that a plain C chord contains C E and G. Does Cmaj7 include a G? You decide. The further you get into this, the more you may find that "naming" chords is perilous business, and that the only way to accurately comminicate what you mean is by spelling out the individual notes... then letting others argue about what it's called! [/quote] What you are basically referring to here is chord voicings rather than chords themselves. A Cmaj7 chord does include a G (C,E,G,,however playing the full chord on the bass can sound muddy.So,the fifth is often dropped because in straight major and minor chords it isn't a defining note of the chord.You'll notice that when you play a root and fifth together (power chord) there is no major or minor harmony.That's why a lot of double stops are played as root and 3rd (or 10th)-it defines the basic harmony.The seventh does the same-it says if the chord is maj7,min7 or dominant7. The fifth only really does this for augmented and diminished chords. A five or six string will allow you to play wider voicings and intervals,but you can play any form of 7 chord comfortably on a standard four string.