ML94

Hi guys I just thought if put out my first recording to this classic track. Minor errors here and there but the groove carries on. Would love feedback as I'm going to be recording more songs to improve my playing from all the feedback I get. http://youtu.be/OtdqaJOG_lQ

[quote name='yepmop' timestamp='1378419171' post='2200196'] Wow - I (had) trouble with that one recently and this was your first!!! I doff my hat to you sir! [/quote] I was steered in the way of Motown/soul and funk. It also sounded way better than what's in the charts at the mo. perseverance paid off ! Although it was annoying !

My first song I learnt throughout was 'ain't no mountain high' - Marvin Gaye version. As you can imagine it was very frustrating learning a line like that and having absolutely no technique! I then gave Louis Johnsons 'Stomp' a go and loved the slap part, when it eventually fell in place. It was a frustrating 6 months !

HI Guys, Once again I have a question about theory but don't know if this is the right section. I've just ordered this book and wanted to know what experiences you guys have with this book. What am i supposed to expect from this book. I've been reading around and a lot of people say it's worth putting the effort in as the results really show in your playing. Is this true? Just an over-view would be great and just a couple of points about the book and how it's helped you. Thanks Guys Manraj

You know that 2 minute thing actually makes sense! When I started out I used to slap the bass all the time :| As I started digging into jazz, theory and ear training I've recently noticed that my 250BPM triplets have taken the toll for it . Joking aside, I think a well rounded musician is what gets hired and getting everything to an equal level is what I'm going to be thinking when I practice now. Cheers for the video !

I'm looking for a tutor who can expand my knowledge of the bass as well as the theory side. I will be applying for music college this year so really want to be the best I can for those auditions. Genres that I would like to study are improvisation, jazz, harmony and just in general linking these all.

Maybe a lot of Anita Baker? For me she does the gospel AND some of the progressions are complex!

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1376994417' post='2181872'] Moondance does go somewhere. To hell in a hand-cart This is a massive question, ML94. Walking lines are one of the ose things that take a minute to learn and a lifetime to master. I have been working on walking lines for 30 years and still struggle somedays. Really struggle. I think the simple answer is 'many things'. Firstly, impetus. You want your walking lines to add impetus to the music, to fulfil the roll of making the music swing (in all senses of the word). You need rhythmic strength but you also need to consider whether you want to add interest rhythmically. One of the things I learned from listening to 100s of hours of Paul Chambers was that, when he walks, his lines are made up almost entirely of quarter notes with very little in the way of fills and kicks along the way. Someone like Rufus Reid is much morelikely to stick in triplets, fills, double stops etc whereas Scott LaFaro etc will tear up the rhythm and play anything BUT the quarter note (not really but you get the point). In short, making the music move is an important part of walking but the way you do it is determined by [i]your[/i] musical choices and by the needs of the music you are playing. Harmonic movement - You want your lines to spell out the chords som the listener and soloist alike can follow the form. This is, however, balanced against the need to create interest - a consistent spelling out of arpeggios is 'correct' in theoretical terms but gets boring very quickly. So, it is a case of maintaining a sense of the harmonic structure without slavishly dictating it - that is the 'art' of it, the bit that takes a lifetime to master. As does the element of tension and release. You can use you lines to create massive tension (the most common way of doing this is playing a fourth below the root of a chord, say, on the last 8 bars of a 32-bar chorus of 'rhythm changes'). YOu can follow the soloist rhythmically, or the drummer or play against them. There are lots of ways of doing it and most of the methods are simple but, as with the harmony thing, it is the musical application of these concepts that takes a lifetime to master and which defines [i]you[/i] as a player. You also want to create a little artwork of your own so that your lines have an internal logic and an arc that reflects your intentions. This is particularly important when playing modally. 150 bars of Dm is both the easiest thing to play and the hardest. Keep it interesting, keep it real. It's a life's work. [/quote] I'm just starting my musical journey. I just was asking around so I know I'm studying the right things to try and create nice flowing lines. I totally understand where your coming from, I think apart from woodshedding I actually need to listen to some more. Any recommendations on what to listen to ?

What gets me is starting from a root and then trying to land on the nearest harmony note of the next chord eg 3rd, 5th. Ay excercises that would help me with this. I feel as I've hit a brick wall as my head dosent react as wick to the chord as quick as I want it.

As my question says, what is it when your listening or playing you can say that's a nice walking bass line? Theory wise, how do you approach connecting different chords without being too repetitive ?

I have a 2012 American Jazz. Since then it's been the best bass I've had! I did play 6 of them in guitarguitar before choosing the 'one', but can you blame a guy ?

I did get it set up about a year ago. Do basses need regular check ups or is this just a one off case ?

[quote name='geoffbyrne' timestamp='1376864654' post='2180223'] You don't have a 20 fret neck on a 19 fret body, do you? G. [/quote] It's a standard fender jazz (American) made in 2012.

Okay so I just checked the tuner and it had tuned a little sharper. I also used one on my ipad which also said it was alright, bang on. I now tried one on my iPhone called chromatuner or something like that and have tuned it half step down. I've played with it for about 20 minutes not but because I'm a paranoid nutter it's not going to sound in tune untill a new day dawns !

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1376848659' post='2179935'] Me too. My mini-headstock tuner can be set so that A = something other than 440Hz. Worth looking at. [/quote] I'll definitely check that out now mate

Am i correct in thinking that each fret's tuning is not going to be perfect but it's got to be close ? Atm, I'll get at the 12th fret on the D string -16.6 cent. How much is okay ?

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1376848355' post='2179928'] But what's the device? iPod? CD player? Record deck? [/quote] ipod,iMac,iPad

[quote name='Jimryan' timestamp='1376847776' post='2179906'] Intonation? [/quote] That's what I thought but i sat there with a tuner playing each and every note and to my suprise they were all in tune. Not perfect. But in tune. [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1376847848' post='2179908'] What are you playing the recordings on? [/quote] Just through my amp with an auxiliary cable

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1376846586' post='2179877'] Have you checked your tuner hasn't been reset half a step up? I played a gig once where the guitarist had managed to to do this. It wasn't the best on-stage sound, but something sounded definitely off all the way through the set. Our drummer kept asking us the check our tuning as from where he was sitting it was seriously rank, and we both checked our tuners and reported that we were perfectly in tune (just as it turned out not with each other). It wasn't until the rehearsal the next week that it became apparent what had happened! [/quote] I'm using one of those snark clip on tuners. I don't think they can reset to a half step but just to be sure I'm putting in a new battery right now

Hi guys I've noticed today that whatever song I play is a half step down from the original. Normally I would play smooth operator in D minor but I've had to take it down half a step. I thought that it may have been a rubbish recording so i tried another and another and another song. Same thing happens with all of them. I've used numerous tuners and have got them almost perfect E,A,D,G but still I have to play for example, Daft punk's get lucky in Bb minor rather than B minor. Is there something wrong with the bass ? I think it's worth mentioning that I've recently been fighting the flu (yes in Summer!) but I wouldn't have thought that my ears would DETUNE ! I'm getting quite worried now as I don't know if it's my ears or the bass ! EDIT: I've played the same songs on piano and its not my ears. Thank god for that