MiltyG565

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1363953592' post='2020020'] It looks like a super creative environment to me, I would have loved it at that age. [/quote] It really does. And you can tell it was, the album is bloody fantastic!

[quote name='JellyKnees' timestamp='1363947318' post='2019864'] What, like the Beatles? [/quote] ha, fair point!

Aw feck, £25 already?

[quote name='wombatboter' timestamp='1363944313' post='2019784'] Sorry but it would drive me crazy to hang around with these drug-orientated musicians however good the music might be... Two days in this environment and I would pack my bass and leave ...I'd rather work and play with other people who don't seem to be somewhere else in the galaxy. [/quote] Em, John was on doing hard drugs, Flea was smoking some dope, the others were clean. This is pretty much the end of their drug fuelled era. apart from John, he went really mad with drugs after this. I have this on DVD. It's pretty cool.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1363910569' post='2019589'] Perhaps, depending on what one takes '[color=#800000]the small amount of theory that a lot of guitarists and bassists know compared to most classical musicians[/color]' to mean. I still don't follow your equating the playing of the instrument (any instrument...) with theoretical knowledge. In my view (maybe different to others, as I've stated, and open to discussion...), music theory is independent of any instrument. One constructs chords from the same 'rule set' for brass, guitar, keys and choral work, albeit with different practical applicative limitations. A cadence is a cadence, whether in rock or flamenco. Transposing, construction of scales, the understanding and use of modes... the list is long. I can easily imagine a 'classical' oboe player being somewhat un-versed in chordal work. It wouldn't stop him playing correctly any written piece. It would surely handicap his career, of course, and, imho, he (she..?) would be a poorer musician, but the virtuosity of his playing is not directly related to his theoretical understanding. The opposite is even more true: a mastery of musical theory gives no guarantee of being able to play any instrument at all. The general term 'rock guitarist' (or bassist...) implies, to me, nothing at all concerning any knowledge of theory of music. Are there any Irish fiddle players down your way..? Do they need music theory to tear up any decent pub gig, or folk concert..? It's not quite apples and cauliflowers, but I consider the concepts to be very separate. As stated, I may be wrong, it has been known. The last time was around 1956 or so, I seem to remember... [/quote] My point never was that theoretical knowledge was linked to the level of skill any musician possessed, plenty of people who don't or didn't have much theoretical knowledge were still great players, and the same goes for people with a good knowledge of theory. Of course learning theory is independent from any instrument, but in classical, it's more in the foreground, whereas in in, it's usually an after thought. I am going to be a bass teacher soon, and i don't want any of my students to be as ignorant as i was for the first 18 months of playing bass. I'm not just basing this on personal experience BTW, I know a lot of guitarists and drummers that know next to nothing when it comes to theory. Like has been said before, they probably know it, without knowing they know it, but they haven't been taught it.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1363905014' post='2019456'] Will you two [i]please [/i]get a room? [/quote] Alright, Myke... can i have the number for your bass?

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1363903575' post='2019396'] ...but that was my point; badly made, I suppose. Learning scales and such is not, in my view, music theory. Maybe my definitions are different..? To play Bach, rote would suffice. To understand Bach (whether one can play it or not...) requires a knowledge of theory. I'm not going to fight long to defend my corner, though. You may be right. [/quote] So then what you are saying really is that even the small amount of theory that a lot of guitarists and bassists know compared to most classical musicians, you wouldn't even consider as theory?

[quote name='Myke' timestamp='1363903141' post='2019380'] This may be just me but when I first started getting lessons 2 years ago, the first thing I learnt was scales and other theory bits. This may be because it was part of a music course tho.. [/quote] That's probably why. I didn't learn scales for a long time. I started learning music theory a while ago, but had to stop getting the lessons because of the cost, but my bass teacher started teaching me scales because we were looking at grades. Still only at the very basic levels of theory though.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1363902623' post='2019353'] Good evening, Milty... I may have mis-judged your intentions here, but, as I read this, I would be inclined to disagree. 'Playing' an instrument, 'classical' or other, involves, imho no necessity to study theory. I would suggest that it helps, but is not necessary. 'Composing' is a very different affair; those that wish to succeed in symphonic works would best have a pretty solid grasp of theory (or be very lucky in their choice of notes, perhaps..?). Reading sheet music has little to do with music theory, I think. Understanding music theory does not imply reading skills, either. Just my tuppence-worth; no malice intended. [/quote] Of course you can learn a classical instrument without learning theory. I've met piano players who just learned by ear, but they weren't professional players, they just played a couple of tunes at parties or whatever. It's my understand that when you start learning piano, you will be taught scales and other theory that a lot of bass or guitar teachers just ignore. Classical music is very much based in "This is what we do, and we do it this way, so do it this way" where as a lot of rock was born from "Oh, what happens if i do this?". [quote name='Myke' timestamp='1363902856' post='2019364'] Nopes it my Yamaha TRB5. Do you like my attempt at fancy photography? [/quote] It is literally sexy.

[quote name='Myke' timestamp='1363902471' post='2019344'] Okay.. Just reread that, may have got the wrong end of the stick. [/quote] Is your avatar an Ibanez Ergodyne?

[quote name='SpaceChick' timestamp='1363901927' post='2019329'] But the force is strong with me I think having been classically trained in my youth has helped me as an adult joining the wonderful world of being a bassist? [/quote] Possibly. Knowing theory certainly makes it a lot easier than having to try and figure it all out from scratch.

[quote name='Myke' timestamp='1363901652' post='2019320'] So as the electric bass isn't a classical instrument, we don't learn any theory? [/quote] Putting words in my mouth. That's not what i said at all, and you know it. [quote name='Myke' timestamp='1363901652' post='2019320'] And I feel the same about you [/quote] CURSES!

[quote name='SpaceChick' timestamp='1363901449' post='2019310'] I didn't hang out with the wrong sort of people until I joined Basschat [/quote] Basschat is like duck tape... it has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together.* [size=1]*may have previously been a star wars joke about the force.[/size]

[quote name='machinehead' timestamp='1363896212' post='2019179'] hahaha. Reminded me of a "for Sale" a few months ago on Belfast Gumtree. Someone was selling a 6" pink oboe..... the description was halarious. it didn't stay up for too long. Frank. [/quote] There was a Ford Ka on it a year or 2 ago that had obviously been burnt out, there were firemen standing around it in the picture, but the description said things like "Recently fully washed by professionals" and the like. Was worth a laugh.

[quote name='Wil' timestamp='1363891400' post='2019073'] I really liked it. Some lovely analogue synth sounds, interesting glitchy beats, some nice melodies. It sounded very much to me like a more electronica focused King of Limbs, and I think I probably prefer it to that record. It's not nearly as dark or as varied as Kid A, IMO (although I think Kid A is a splendid record it's also a very heavy listening experience for me, this was far more accessible and quite pleasant to have on in the background while I was pootling about doing other stuff). [/quote] I completely agree, the sound is very accessible. and not at all distracting or needs a very involved listener.

[quote name='Stan_da_man' timestamp='1363888027' post='2019008'] The album sounds like a Thom Yorke side project to me - parts of it sound like Kid A (ish) and this just goes even further. Thumbs down from me I'm afraid. [/quote] It pretty much is a Thom Yorke side project. It's very Thom Yorke-esque.

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1363884565' post='2018938'] Just because you don't need to know all the theory to be able to play it, doesn't mean there isn't any behind it. I can't read music past a very basic level (which I only learned for learning to play the Penny Whistle) yet I used to be able to play Fur Elise on the Piano, does that mean Classical music is ignorant of theory? I remember the chap who did the orchestra parts for Metallica's S&M album being surprised at just how steeped in theory Metallica's music actually is, even though the band were unaware of it. Though I believe Cliff Burton did know, which might explain a lot. [/quote] Obviously any western music ever played conforms to the theories of western music, but learning it and knowing it are very different things. Of course there is theory behind music, but i wasn't saying anything like that. What i was saying was that a lot of rock musicians, especially in the past, didn't have much knowledge of theory, not that they didn't know any at all. Obviously, learning theory comes when you start learning a classical instrument, because it's fairly useless without that knowledge unless you just want to play a couple of tunes at a party or something, but as part of an ensemble, as most classical instruments are, you need to know the theory. [quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1363886274' post='2018977'] I still recon anyone who's made a success of a career in rock DOES know a good bit about music theory. It's just not "Rock 'n' Roll" to admit to it. I can't believe many of the greats are, to quote Woody in Toy Story; "Falling with style" [/quote] Quite a few did/do know music theory, to different degrees, but quite a few know/knew next to none. Flea had very little understanding of music theory until the early 2000's, and by that stage, he was playing music for 30 years or more. John Frusciante on the other hand knew quite a bit of music theory by the time he joined the band when he was 18. Both are fantastic musicians in their own right.

Yes, i've decided to review something again, and this must be a positive sign So i've been listening to AMOK which is a brand new album released by a collaboration of successful musicians, fronted by Radiohead front-man, Thom Yorke. "But Milty, who are the other guys! WHO!?" I hear you scream. Well, i'll tell ya, right after i look it up. The bassist (I know my market ) is Chili Peppers low-ender, Flea. Don't get too excited though, this is not the normal kind of Flea sound, so if that's what you want to hear, you could be disappointed, but more on that in a minute. Also in the collaboration is Chili Peppers and Forro In The Dark man in charge of ethnic percussion, Mauro Refosco, English Producer for Radiohead, Nigel Godrich, and American drummer, Joey Waronker. So those are the atoms, now let's look at the nucleus (the music) The first track on the album is a song called Before your very eyes, which as soon as it starts, you can hear the very obvious african influence, with a very clean guitar a steady beat, with other percussive sounds more in the background. The bass comes in around the same time that Thom starts singing and it takes on this very abstract, ethereal sound, which is very much the theme of the album. Don't expect any flashy bass playing, or flashy guitar for that matter, because all the flashy bits come in, in a big swell in the middle, played on a synth. It's a very beat lead song, with the vocals used to give that other-wordly feel, the bass to pin everything down, and the synth for the show-offy kind of stuff. Everything is very locked down and what i would call linear. I'm no expert, but it sounds to me like it has been very well produced, with everything in it's place as it should be. There are also a lot of sounds sitting very low in the mix from the middle of the song to the end, which contribute to the ghostliness of it. Personally, i think it was a great choice for the first track. At points, you would be forgiven for thinking it sounded like something you would hear in a club (and you will likely think that a few more times through the course of the album) but i think it's a great song. Default was the first single, which was released in 2012 (at the end of 2012 i believe) and is the second song on the album. This is a much darker song, to me, than Before Your Very Eyes, but it's in much the same vain - quiet to start with, with instruments slowly being introduced. Very much lead by the beat with effects and treatments giving a very cold, dark feel to it. It builds a swells into the chorus, which can get pretty trippy feeling at points. Thom vocals have many layers to them, and linger around, and almost surround and fill your head. A pretty cool song, but fairly dark. Ingenue. This one starts with this quite odd riff, which is played on a synth, which again, has other layers built up on top and other instruments come in as the song goes along. Expect this, it's pretty much the structure for the entire album. The bass on this one is a little more interesting. The lines have a lot of space in them, but are played with more. There's a sound that plays pretty much throughout the song, which sounds like a leaky pipe dripping in to a half full bucket in an underpass. There's a bit of an odd moment, where it nearly sounds like 2 different drum tracks have overlapped, and you get this odd clash, but this lasts just a few seconds towards the end. It seems like a more relaxed song than Default and Before Your Very eyes, but still has that darkness and etherealness. Very moody. And now we come to a song called Dropped, which just starts like many a pop song where it comes to synth. The drums at the start sound like somebody has rolled the tone knob off on them there are definitely a lot more sounds used in this for texture than the previous tracks. They can get fairly annoying, as they are pretty high up in the mix, and creating this surround of odd noises. As this song builds up, it does very much feel to me that it's too busy. There's just too much going on with it to make it very listenable to me. A fairly odd song (but they are all fairly odd). Unless is another pretty dark song, conforming to the theme of the album. The lyrics are fairly unintelligible, but give a great effect. The vocals continue where the lyrics don't, where it's mostly mindless yammering to achieve that ethereal sound again. Some fairly disgusting synth sounds make a brief appearance during the chorus (or what can be assumed is the chorus, not of the songs really have a definitive chorus/verse section or pattern). Alright, so if there is a song on this album that a bassist would like (For the bass in it) it will be this one, Stuck Together With Pieces. It has a pretty cool little riff which gets it going. the bass is sat fairly high in the mix in this one, driving the song. We get an appearance from some guitar as the synth swells up, and the guitar is pretty modest, and really nice sounding. Don't expect to hear any mad effects on the guitar. As far as i can tell, there's just some overdrive to give a more valve distortion sound, but it's not that heavy. The lyrics are more intelligible, with some actual backing vocals. The song fades out in quite a nice way. Judge Jury and Executioner. This one sounds like it was recorded in a London Underground tunnel. It's got a very distant sound at the start that nearly sounds like a train rolling past in the distance. Backing vocals are the first vocals we hear in this song, oddly enough. Again, they sound like they were recorded from 100 metres down a tube tunnel. The bass sounds like a mic was shoved above somebodies adam's apple to be recorded. I'm not picking issues with the recording, just trying to describe how it sounds. Nothing else much different from the other songs really with this one. It was the second single to be released from the album in early 2013. Track 8 is called Reverse Running. This starts a lot cleaner, with out as much of the distant sound to it. Vocals are clear and can be made out. The bass is fairly simple, and just tying together the percussion and synthy sounds really, and keeping the progression in place. It then gets odd, and kind of glitchy. At a point, it sounds like a skype call that's broken in the middle of somebody talking. It disappears after a little while, and things come back down to how they were. More guitar in this one, which is just a simple little thing which just loops for the entire song pretty much. Don't listen to this song while in a park on a nice sunny day, because you will think you are being attacked by bees, because that is what it sounds like near the end. The final track of the album is AMOK (and thus brings us full circle) What can i say? It's pretty similar to the rest of the songs. The background vocals are definitely more constant, and sound a bit like a ghost in a cathedral. Again, bass is fairly simple. We hear some piano chords, which sound very minor. This 13bit, 1990's computer game sound comes into the song, which blurs over the piano chords. Well, everything kind of melds together at this point, before a very abrupt end where a few of the instruments die out very fast and leave just the piano and bass, which don't hang around for very long. So, that's it. It's pretty cool, and i like it. It's abstract and dark and distant, which is cool, and i could definitely listen to it for a long time. If you like your songs more upbeat and poppy, or more straight out rock/heavy metal, it's probably not your kind of thing, but who knows? I can't say i've listened to many songs or albums that have this kind of ethereal feel to them, so i couldn't really give it a rating, because i would feel like a bit of a fraud, but suffice to say that i do like it. I find some of the sounds used a bit annoying at points, which would probably be the low points of the album in my opinion. The high points would be when all the instruments come together, but it's not in a big mash, they have their own separate space to work in and make it sound good, and they do. There are genuinely parts of this are very interesting, and while the individual parts might be easy to master on their own, i would dread trying to bring them altogether. That's my review of the new album from Atoms For Peace, which is called AMOK. Please do give it a listen and say what you think! Milty.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1363881729' post='2018869'] Well I was implying that he'd had his tabs removed but I was far too subtle, obviously. [/quote]

[quote name='SpaceChick' timestamp='1363822174' post='2018341'] He's kissed my cheek [/quote] Nope, no he didn't. Definitely not. Hang on, was it televised?

[quote name='WHUFC BASS' timestamp='1363878005' post='2018796'] ... and his knackers. [/quote] Nope, he's just a massive set of knackers

[quote name='Myke' timestamp='1363734799' post='2016916'] I agree with the piano part but I don't agree that Rock is 'ignorant' of music theory. At all. I bet almost all of rock musicians know music theory, maybe not to the same level as classical players but enough to get them by. This in itself doesn't make them ignorant. [/quote] mmmmmmmnah. I think you are wrong

[quote name='SpaceChick' timestamp='1363787424' post='2017582'] I've been on stage with Derren Brown, FACT Sorry Jess, thread hijack! [/quote] Well, yeah? He retweeted me and replied to me on Twitter! so, NURRR!

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1363784865' post='2017533'] One of Aberdeen's two music shops: wall of Fenders (and Squiers): Wall 2 of (mostly) Fenders and Squiers I count 5 non-Fender products on two walls. Definitely a "wall of Fenders". The only thing in those two pics that's even remotely interesting to me is the Yamaha BB424. You see what I mean? It's pointless me even walking in, given my preferences. There is another wall with some other stuff like more Yamaha guitars, Gretsch stuff and Schecter, but it's all guitars. [/quote] I don't really see the point in that tbh. So much stock of all the same brand, and lets face it, if you are going to buy a Fender, you are going to know how it plays and why you want it before you walk in to a shop. I don't think my local would stock that many Fenders, even if it was financially viable for them.

[quote name='jessicaRabbit' timestamp='1363784095' post='2017506'] You shouldn't have said that. It might have gone idly by without being noticed Thanks for the welcome everybody, this seems like a really friendly site. Tried playing my old bass not long ago and it's so out of tune. Ugh. Feels like I'm starting all over again. Oh well, maybe a new bass, tuner and amp will get the fires going. Also, Milty, Derren Brown is a legend! [/quote] Too right Derren Brown is a bloody legend!