ZMech

Just heard these guys, and they're fantastic. Very much on the gospel/funk end of the spectrum: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1cskIan5Jw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1cskIan5Jw[/url]

[quote name='mrtcat' timestamp='1339094540' post='1683622'] says hitting softer [s]affects[/s] [b]exposes[/b] technique [/quote] I think this is what he actually means

Search out material on walking basslines. Coilte is right in that chord tones our the foundation of the bassline, so learning to walk will give you a good grounding in this. Check out Scott Devine's youtube videos, I'm sure he covers this a fair amount, or the major's lessons that's pinned in the subforum.

[quote name='Joshua Higginson' timestamp='1338807837' post='1679425'] Wow, thanks a bunch guys! Sorry I haven't been on for a couple of days, got back to a goldmine of ideas. Thanks for all of the ideas. I have a feeling that the metronome will be coming out more often! I'll let you all know how I get on ^^ [/quote] Good luck, I think all the stuff mentioned should keep you going for the next few years

Yup, it's a fun exercise video this, posted a link the other day to a Wooten tutorial video that goes through this kind of idea: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR9to6lbqTY&feature=player_embedded"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR9to6lbqTY&feature=player_embedded[/url] One comment though, is that 160 is a much better choice than 150 simply as it's divisible by 4 (and 16 for that matter, giving you once every 4 bars).

Same as ET, don't read BGM but their music is great. What's wrong with the article?

With performance arts I find that there are two main sides that you can develop, either the flashy side of things (crazy slap/tap/harmonic madness), or those qualities that the general punter probably won't consciously notice (timing/groove/harmony knowledge). So it depends which of those two sides it is you wish to develop, the icing or the cake. I think most teenagers (myself included) get too excited about the flashy side first, before realising that spending many hours with a metronome will benefit them far more as a musician. Therefore, I'd say learn to play walking basslines, as this will dramatically improve your knowledge of harmony and how to generate a complimentary bassline. Of equal importance is timing, so I'd say try one of the various exercises where you maintain your own speed whilst continuously halving the metronome, so that it goes from clicking on every beat to once every four bars. ([url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jR9to6lbqTY&feature=player_embedded"]A Wooten video about that metronome exercise[/url]) ([url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ilh4uMAdss8"]Scott Devine's walking bassline lesson[/url]) ([url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8QazNAZjhM"]A Ray Brown masterclass, where he talks about these kind of skills[/url], notice his timing and swing for his intro bassline) Hope that helps

[quote name='lockpicker1969' timestamp='1338235888' post='1671408'] i just cant afford the £30 a lesson [/quote] Can you afford to get carpal tunnel syndrome?

[quote name='lockpicker1969' timestamp='1338115524' post='1669710'] ZMech thanks for sharing scotts lessons . i am just starting to learn the double bass is there anything like this for the db around? [/quote] Not that I'm aware of I'm afraid. I'd seriously recommend spending the money on some lessons for double bass though, as the forces required from your hands are so much greater than those needed for bass guitar, and so good technique is vital if you want to avoid destroying your hands.

I went to one gig at The Astoria. Was disgustingly hot, made the whole experience more horribly unpleasant then shoddy mixing could possibly make a gig. I shan't miss it.

Well I've played for six years now. After the first four I thought I was getting pretty good. Then I discovered jazz...

[quote name='bigd1' timestamp='1337506662' post='1660935'] She really thought we would provide her with keyboards, she didn't even own any keyboards herself (although she could play) Looking back I think it is funny !!! [/quote] In terms of providing keyboards for an audition, I'd say the fault lies equally with both parties, since neither of them thought to clarify that the other understood what the situation would be. Not even owning a keyboard yourself though as a player is generally pretty strange, although very common with my mates at uni.

Kinda echoing the previous posts, but thought I'd write this anyway. [b]Albums[/b] I'd go with these four to start with as an introduction, they should be easily approachable: Miles Davis - Kind of Blue John Coltrane - Giant Steps Bill Evans - Waltz for Debby Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um Everyone would have their own version of this list, but it's the same four I've suggested to several mates who're all now into jazz so it seems to suffice. [b]Playing[/b] So start with just learning walking basslines. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ilh4uMAdss8"]Scott's lesson on[/url] this ain't a bad place to start. I've got a pdf copy of the realbook that I can send you if you want, just shoot me a PM. I'd recommend just picking some of the simpler songs to start with, just pick any that look easy, listen through them on youtube and try to play along. A huge amount of the songs are a variation on a 12-bar blues, and so really aren't that scary (trust me on that, I was in your position about two years ago). Best of luck

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1337593209' post='1662315']Bass monogamy doesn't (in my opinion) make a person a superior bass player, call me paranoid if you will but that's what this thread is starting to smell like. [/quote] I was thinking the opposite way, that your ability as a bassist is completely independent of the amount of basses you own/play, so why have more than necessary? I guess you might enjoy owning them and playing lots, but having a sonically motivated reason possibly is counter productive.

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1337590936' post='1662266'] Turning this argument on its head - all basses project the same level of mediocrity when I play them, so I can have as many as I like and take whichever I like to the gig, no-one's going to notice, and no-one (apart from the small subset of society that is bass players) is going to care as long as they can hear/feel it. Making a choice of which bass to play steals maybe 30 seconds from my day. I don't sit there for hours pondering it [/quote] Lol, yup, that's kinda what I had in mind with my ending of 'e.g. actually practising'. I wonder what would happen if you compared the amount of hours salary you spent on a bass to the amount you would improve if you spent the equivalent hours on focused methodical practice sessions and maybe a couple of lessons. I know it's not a fair comparison since you would have spent the time at work anyway, but still.

I think the cure is to only own/use one bass. Having excess choice is counter-productive as it'll just lead you to wonder whether you've made the right one for a gig. I can make my spector work perfectly fine for most genres, and whilst I've played nicer basses, none of them would actually make a significant difference to how I sound to the audience. Once you accept this truth, it becomes much easier to move on to focus your attention on important things e.g. actually practising.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1336737277' post='1650197'] I think ES is a pretty rounded musician (albeit not the genius everyone suggests) but the 'cute'/glamour thing really p***es me off. I wish that record companies didn't do that and I wish the female musicians didn't allow it to be done to them. Its only a matter of time until she puts the bass down!! If they can play, let them play. Leave the eye candy to MTV. [/quote] I'm not sure I fully agree with this sentiment tbh. Any music performance is just that, a performance, and so inevitably includes a visual aspect. Surely it's therefore inevitable that a musician that's fun to watch be it due to appearance/presence has more appeal than a bored looking equivalent? Whilst I don't think the overblown application of this mentality is beneficial e.g. in pop music, it's not surprising that Esperanza's looks add to her success, and it's probably idealistic to think it should be otherwise.

Go on Dragon's Den, see if you can get one of them to pay for it

This rhythm section does strange things to my nether regions. Sooooo sleazy. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVy5yOs0NSA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVy5yOs0NSA[/url]

[quote name='BassInMyFace' timestamp='1337161007' post='1656301']Boom! Its all about [s]tessellation[/s] [b]tetris[/b]. [/quote] Corrected that typo for you

Despite that I don't every have to play dub reggae, going through and learning all the basslines from Below The Basslines by Ernest Ranglin definitely helped build my feel, and appreciation for nice spacious phrasings. Am liking the lists so far though, think I need to stop neglecting the James Brown lines.

Unless I missed a post, I'm surprised that there were so many suggestions of which bass to buy without anyone saying to just go have a taster lesson first. I had two lessons before deciding to buy a DB just to check that I got along with the beast before I put down the money. Fumps, if you haven't bought the bass yet try and find a teacher local to you who you can spend an hour with. It might cost you £20 or so, but it'll help you make your mind up!

Just a couple of follow up questions. Are these gigs always at weekends or are they often on weekdays? Do you often end up staying overnight near the gig location? And lastly do the children ever end up missing school to come with? Just as these answers quite significantly change the impact of their parenting decisions.

[quote name='fatback' timestamp='1336597155' post='1648314'] I can hardly bear to watch her she's so gorgeous and brilliant. I mean, mostly I'm quite content with life. But girls this beautiful and talented shouldn't be allowed. No, not at all. I'll watch it, of course. And thanks for posting (not). [/quote] I know exactly what you mean. Watching her play is almost disheartening in a way, or it would be if her playing/singing weren't so great. Hope you enjoyed it.

Am currently about half way through this, and loving it. A concert of Esperanza Spalding and Madeleine Peyrou, 54mins total. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZW98IBWpiU&feature=fvwp&NR=1[/media] Edit: That's probably the worst preview frame possible