Doddy

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1316548106' post='1379606'] Nice one , I will drop you a text nearer the time and treat you to a pint what's it like in there and will an originals band be thrown out? [/quote] Ace. It's a nice pub...it won't be any problems being an original band.

I dig Richard Bona,but sometimes he's just too much like Jaco in both his tone and phrasing. I much prefer him when he's doing his own thing,like he was at Bass Day the other year where he was awesome.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1316547257' post='1379581'] PS I'm playing at the swan in Leek on October the 4th [/quote] I'll pop in then

I was looking at that Stingray earlier.....For some reason I knew you'd be interested.

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1316542403' post='1379481'] Edit: I wrote the above while the site was offline, on Saturday. Since then I have been looking and listening to samples... and I am leaning towards trying a pair of DiMarzio Model J on this bass. Yes, not exactly traditional... but it seems it has a bridge sound I would like. Has anybody got experience with these? [/quote] I've not tried the Model J,but I have the Ultra Jazz pickups in my main Jazz Bass and they sound great and are humbucking. They are definitely worth checking out.

[quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1316533283' post='1379315'] Sure, but a good book will go into detail about the relationship between notes in a scale and the relationship between one scale and another. You can find this stuff out easily. Its not difficult. The difficult part is being motivated and disciplined in your practise. If i was rich i might pay a teacher for everything - if not i would make a lot of effort to get the basics learnt first.[/quote] Unfortunately,too many people will look at a book and just see the pattern and practice that,believing they know the scale-which is even easier than actually learning the scale. You wouldn't believe how many people don't know that an D major scale (for example) contains F# and C#.

[quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1316531826' post='1379281'] For me paying £30 per hour to learn major/minor scales is not money well spent. I really believe you should have this in your locker before you start to pay for lessons. [/quote] It is money well spent if the player doesn't know and understand the scales. I've had people who come for lessons who say they know the scales but when questioned can only show you a fingering pattern and proving that they don't actually know the scales at all.

You could do something relatively simple like running scales and arpeggios going through the cycle in order,paying attention to the notes rather than blindly playing patterns...that's a decent starting point. You can then make that as difficult as you want by doing things like running through all of the diatonic chords and modes in each key.....similar to Jakes exercise in the other thread.

[quote name='max363' timestamp='1316362095' post='1376912']Hello Basschat, P.S. if you are wondering why I need this reality check - i got money, and dont know if i should spend it on travel/new bass or on bass teacher...[/quote] I think it's a very easy choice........You'll get far more out of spending the money on lessons with a good teacher than you will spending the money on a new instrument. If you want a new bass,great,but if you would rather improve as a player (which it sounds like you do) you're better off studying.

Just looking at the first four bars and each one contains the fourth note of the scale,so in the bar of Cmaj7#11 the fourth note of the scale has to be sharpened to keep in with the diatonic harmony as the IV chord is Lydian (#4). I don't really see what the argument(?) is about. Good exercise Jake.

Which version?

[quote name='fatback' post='1375793' date='Sep 16 2011, 05:57 PM']Don't you think that hearing in your head what you want to play over a chord is the main thing? If patterns are connected to the pitches, then the names surely don't matter too much.[/quote] Hearing in your head is very important,but so is being able to take it and play it on the instrument. If it's a familiar pattern.that's fine- everyone does it......but it's easy to fall into the trap of playing the same familiar licks all the time regardless of what you hear because your hands fall into comfortable positions. That's why I recommend practising scales and arpeggios over in over the whole instrument,from a single string up to inverted chords over the whole fingerboard.It's a lot of work,and I know a lot of people don't care about it,but it really does improve your playing.

[quote name='cheddatom' post='1375745' date='Sep 16 2011, 05:12 PM']Shep - what's the little yellow box with a nuclear symbol on? I've never noticed that before[/quote] WMD Geiger Counter I believe.

Pure awesomeness from Mike Keneally 'Baking at the Potato'

Just out of interest,here's Marcus' discography...not including live work [url="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/marcus-miller-p106023/credits"]http://www.allmusic.com/artist/marcus-miller-p106023/credits[/url] He's a really good clinician too...very entertaining and knowledgeable,not to mention great playing.

[quote name='fatback' post='1375585' date='Sep 16 2011, 02:38 PM']At the risk of being shot down, I'm not sure learning the names of chord tones by rote is any use whatsoever. Learning the intervals is far more important. If you know your scale intervals and you know how to make those intervals on your bass, you'll hit the right notes for any chord. If it takes you a minute to think of the name of the note, so what. If you keep practicing scales all over the fretboard, you'll get the names of notes eventually anyhow. I found the single most important bit of learning I ever did was to study how scales worked. As I think Bilbo said, everything follows from there.[/quote] My reasoning for actually learning the notes instead of just the intervals and how to make them on the bass,is that it becomes very easy to play the intervals via patterns and shapes and with no understanding of what you are actually playing. It's the same with just blindly playing scales-it's very easy to just play a generic fingering pattern. If you know what notes are used to construct the scales and chords you will have the entire fingerboard at your disposal and won't be locked into playing in position.

I kind of agree with Bilbo about learning the scales although I find chord tones to be more important,especially as a bass player. It's easy enough to learn the notes in the triads,even if it's by playing a familiar shape (which I'm guessing you can do) and pausing to identify the notes being played. The downside of this is it is easy to make mistakes-for example the 3rd of B major is D# not Eb. This is where knowing the whole scale helps as you can see how the scale degrees work.In this example a B major scale would be B,C#,D#,E,F#,G#,A#,so the arpeggio would be B,D#,F# (1,3,5) Try starting with a C major scale/arpeggio and then move through the circle of fifths-G major(1#), D major(2#),A major(3#) etc.

Tough one. My old teacher bought an absolute beauty for £800 a couple of years ago-it was about 50 years old. I don't know what's a good new one for that money,I always look at the secondhand market when I look for an Upright.

[quote name='chrismuzz' post='1373815' date='Sep 14 2011, 09:50 PM']A couple of people have come to gigs just to see me play before. Proof that as far as taste is concerned anything is possible [/quote] Parents and/or Girlfriend don't count

[quote name='fender73' post='1373670' date='Sep 14 2011, 08:27 PM']His playing in this clip [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_N7ZlP-d14&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_N7ZlP-d14...feature=related[/url] is terrible[/quote] I've just got around to watching that clip. I don't hear any terrible playing there-sometimes his intonation is a bit off,but he sounds pretty on it in that video.

[quote name='charic' post='1373713' date='Sep 14 2011, 08:52 PM']Shuker singlecuts kinda do it for me.. I'm unsure whether I want a singlecut or doublecut though!!![/quote] I love my Shuker Singlecut.

His album 'Le Band' blew me away when I first heard it,as did 'Rhythm and Jazz'.His live album and DVD is really cool too. As well as his solo stuff check out his work with UZEB and his sideman work with guys like Frank Gambale.

You don't get the gigs with artists as diverse as Dizzy Gillespie and Jethro Tull (amongst many others) if you aren't any good.

[quote name='martthebass' post='1371672' date='Sep 13 2011, 12:39 PM']To coin a phrase, I think the OP 'lit the blue touch paper and retired' on this.....[/quote] Nah,I've just been away from my computer until now and it's a pain to post on my phone. Wow,this thread has gone in a completely different direction hasn't it? Like I said I love gear and I've got no problem with anyone buying anything they want,but I often get the feel that a lot people (in general) find the instrument to be more important than what is played on it. I think ZMech hit it really well-it's a lot easier to feel good and inspired by buying new gear than by spending time practising something new.I think it's it's all too easy to look at the hippest new gear and think that if you buy one then you will find it easier to play and sound better and so on and swap and change instruments all the time looking for that special 'something',rather than buying a decent instrument and become really familiar with it.

[quote name='witterth' post='1372409' date='Sep 13 2011, 07:41 PM']well Ken, very nice for you and good luck! LA? eh did you tell us that just to upset/make us Jealous,or simply show off? it worked .( really, though, good luck and I hope "universal studios" & "waterworld" on Orlando Drive is all you hope its gonna be )[/quote] Just stating that that's the reason I won't be going-no showing off intended.(and it's to work not holiday) About the Ken thing.....where did you think the nickname from? As regards to Bass Day,I can kind of understand the price increase because I've heard rumours in the past about how much it costs for Marcus....But,a few years ago he did a great clinic at PMT in Manchester,where he did a long Q&A and brought his band along and it was free entry.