Len_derby

If there’s no more than six in the band you can rehearse outdoors! 🙂

Most definitely Al. Also, for a lot of us the home environment we’re in makes it hard to put quality playing time in. We’ve got three adults in the house. Two are working at home, I’m mostly retired (still do a small delivery job that takes me out the house about 4 days a month) and I’ve taken on the cooking, shopping and keeping an eye on a few elderly neighbours. I’m not doing too bad with the bass playing but my criteria of success these days is if I’ve got to the end of the day without opening a bottle of booze! Unprecedented times, for most of us.

I do the cooking in our house and I know when I haven’t been playing enough. That’s when I need the oven gloves!

Good idea Paul, but I know that Andy has already made him at least one bass! 😂 As a client and local friend of Andy I got the chance to see it. 👍

I think it eventually got back to James Ryan, who was the mastermind of the whole project. I believe he sold it to add to the money made by the relay. I can’t remember what James’ user name is but I’m pretty sure he hasn’t posted for quite a while.

Yeah, music is brilliant. Fundamental to humans. Only yesterday I was looking at a picture of a bone flute from the middle Stone Age. Thirty thousand years old I think. The speculation is that things like drums and simple stringed instruments existed but have rotted away. Music making won’t die, but it will certainly change. The current political and economic problems that cause barriers will eventually become blips in the flow of time. Of course, I know that is no comfort to people whose livelihood is threatened. I think our discomfort stems from the fact we’ve lived though unprecedented musical times when, fuelled by the Rock and Pop explosion and the first generations of recording technology the ordinary Joe and Joanna could make a decent living out of performing music. My feeling is that the golden age is over and music making will return more to the way it has been for most of recorded history. A small group of elite musicians will make money. The rest of us will, if we’re lucky, be musical servants of the elite (such as low-paid orchestra or band members or tech crew). Most of us, if we want to play music to an audience, will be doing it for free, the tip hat or supper; performing for communal or ritualistic reasons. The caveman or cavewoman flautist would be nodding their head wisely ‘welcome back man’. Anyway, the lock-down blather is over and in the spirit of the op my most memorable musical events that I’ve participated in are as follows. Firstly playing at the funeral wake of a friend. Secondly, when I was a TA in a primary school I coached a group of novice pupils to perform a musical concert for their families. Both unforgettable in their different ways. Only one involved alcohol. I’ll leave you to guess which one.

Thank you 👍

Sorry to seem dense - but I am. When you say interface, is that a physical thing? I’m a complete recording novice but intending to get into it.

Yes. But could you imagine how frustrating the first rehearsal will be if you’re the only one who remembers how the songs go? Or, is it always like that? 🤔

I agree with spending money on concerts. Ticket prices for big names now are eye-watering. Regards downloads and streaming I might be wrong but I’m thinking of my own experience of buying records in the seventies when I was a teenager. It just feels like the price of an LP represented a bigger slice of my income than downloading would be now. It would be very interesting to see how the real price of buying music has changed (if it has). The idea of streaming from the internet would, of course, have been a sci-fi concept back then!

Making music is such a fundamental human activity that I don’t think it will ever stop. However, how and where it’s done will evolve and change in ways that we probably can’t predict at the moment. I think, though, that it’s going to become even harder to make money out of playing it. Particularly if we hazard the guess that ticketed or otherwise paid-for live events are off the cards for an undefined period. As for recorded or screened music I’ll use the example of my daughters as consumers. Anyone born after, say 1990 has grown up paying nothing or next to nothing for downloaded or streamed music. The genie is out of the bottle. So, I think there’s going to be some lean times (years?) for making money from music, music isn’t going to stop.

My initial thought that this price was driven by the recent upsurge in interest in short scale basses. Then I saw on FB that someone thirty minutes walk away from my home is selling a barely played all black Ibanez TMB 30 plus strap for £120 ono. Must resist....

Is he one of those kinds of people who don’t like you using their toilet when you visit? 🤣 I’d quietly break off communication with him and let him make any moves towards friendly reconciliation. Who needs any more negativity in their life at the moment?

This thread is a really useful discussion of a specific subject that is critically important for our ‘business’. Please, let’s not get it locked by the mods because of it descending into another bun-fight.

Dink? 🙂

Another very satisfied HB shorty P owner here.

It just goes with the territory. It suits me, I’m not good-looking and I enjoy being anonymous. I don’t think even top-class bass players are generally recognised by the listening and watching audience. If they are, it’s because of their status as singer or front-person. Like Macca, Sting etc. I’m a firm believer in the wisdom of Martin Ace, long-time bass player for Welsh rock band Man. “If you’re bothered about being overlooked, ignored or misunderstood you’ve probably chosen the wrong instrument.” Look at it this way. If the audience don’t notice we’re on the stage surely they can’t put any mistakes down to us. 😂

Yes, it feels like a watershed moment.

Only one thing so far, a book. It’s had some very good reviews.

Ooooh, good call. I’ve seen them about a dozen times over the last thirty years and i don’t think I’ve seen the same line-up twice. The current bass player, Dave Sturt, is a member on here but I’ve not seen a post from him for a while.

Man

Well, here’s some drumming. Rejoice by Tony Allen and Hugh Masekela. Afro beat Jazz.

I second this as a choice. I was very impressed with mine. Don’t be mislead by the low price (£79 + postage (before Jan 2021 though)). If you’re anywhere near Derby you’re very welcome to come and take a go on mine.

I love it when a story ends well, both the move and the new bass. Don’t we need a few more!? Thanks for the photo as requested. Ironically, we had sunshine too - only it was -1 degree with a hard frost. Enjoy the Hofner and France.

I’ve used one for the last couple of years. I don’t use any pedals so it makes set up and managing floor space a lot simpler. I do like to take it off once I’ve tuned up because I think they look a bit ugly. But, sometimes I forget, and d’yer know what? No one, in the band or audience, has noticed or said a word. And the gig fee had been exactly as expected. What Philistines.🤣