thepurpleblob

I discovered the other day that I really like the Ting Tings, thus disqualifying me from having an opinion I think the danger of being any kind of musician is that it takes the fun out of listening to music. Who cares if the artist is "original", "authentic" (whatever that means) and so on? If you like it, great. If not there'll be another one along in a minute. Mr Mars is earning a living (probably a good one) in the music industry so good luck to him!

Oh.... I was just thinking this. If I find a bit tricky or too fast or just get my fingers in knots... I have a careful think if there's some other way to play it. That is a fingering pattern other than the first one I thought of. This can make all the difference!

One of those "slowing down" programs for the computer is a good investment. You can isolate the hard bits and play them at reduced speed.

It depends. Is the part something that has to be 100% right (or thereabouts) or will a reasonably facsimile do? Do you have a deadline or will the band wait until you've got it? My band currently wants to do Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick. They're probably just taking the p*ss out of me. Let's just say I'm getting there!

Bass guitars have a tone now?

Jam sessions have never, ever appealed to me. You're not helping

Good enough for what? I'm good enough to play in the band I play in and the band gets gigs. I'm not good enough to turn up to any gig situation anywhere and be able to handle it without breaking a sweat.

I'm not down that way very much (most men visit Howard Street as there is a well known "quick in and out" business suit emporium and I am a scruff). In my head, they've been there for a few years now. Never ventured in...

There's a Polish dude who regularly busks in Glasgow. I have the same bass. There is where all similarity ends! I have no idea how to embed a youtube video unfortunately...

Did I mention I recently bought a brand new USA Lakland? I definitely (now) do not have 2K burning a hole in my pocket. The nature of my work is that this occasionally (very occasionally) happens to me and I have some cash to squander. Normally it goes on (sensible in my case) IT equipment but I do have the odd splurge.

Cheap aluminium flightcase. Back when I had loads more gear I used a couple of Samsonite duffle bags. I got them super cheap - but they are indestructible.

Are we talking covers? It takes a reasonable amount of effort to learn a full set. With a bit of experience, you can do it in a weekend but the experience really is knowing what you can leave out. The trick, I think, is to keep it moving. It's VERY easy to get stuck practicing the same five songs. Having said that, I now avoid startup bands like the plague. I'd much rather join a gigging band.

"first to see will buy"... "no offers"... and all those other things you wouldn't put in an advert for anything if you thought about it for two seconds.

It depends... some of these things have a strict "you will use the backline provided rule" and you might have to put up with that. It's guitarists who usually get all upset about this. While I quite like the idea of walking in with just my bass and a strap I've had some variable experiences. Usually the problem is not being able to hear yourself.

I've ordered a selected of the suggested picks. Luckily, it's one of the few things in this game that's cheap!

Muting for, I suppose two reasons. Firstly, to stop the thicker strings buzzing when you play the thinner ones. Secondly, to stop it sustaining too long. So there's only one note at a time. Fingerstyle, I mostly move my thumb up and down. The pick thing... the impact of plucking the string makes it move between my fingers so that within a few plucks I loose it. It's almost certainly bad technique but I'm struggling to get by it. Despite all the swearing!

Makes sense - but, say, if I am playing on the D string... what's muting the E string. My pinky isn't going to reach back there and it'll really buzz. Sorry if this sounds obvious/stupid to people!

Advice needed! Some background - I've been playing for about 20 years but always fingerstyle. I've rather oddly not come to bass via the normal step of playing guitar - I have never played guitar - I was a classical percussionist (someone has to be). So, I've never used a pick. I decided to give it a go on the grounds that it would be a useful extra technique. However, I haven't a clue what I'm doing and, so far, results have been terrible. Some specific issues... Picks are hard, shiny things. How do you keep it between your fingers? No matter what I do it falls out after a few picks. I get it that you hold it between your thumb and the side of your finger - but what do you do with the rest of your picking hand? Everything feels awkward. The big one - how do you mute? It just sounds an awful mess right now. Muting seems quite natural fingerstyle but I have no idea how to do it with a pick. Help appreciated

They Beyer's are high impedance headphones and I think there has been some discussion of those Saffire things giving a relatively low output for headphones. I think you might be disappointed with the resulting volume. The quality will be pretty good I expect. They also do 770s which are 80ohms and might work better (i.e. be louder). The headphone output on the Genz Benz is connected to the main speaker output via a couple of resistors - so will probably be louder but have more distortion. Cheap headphones are usually low impedance to work with (primarily) portable headphones and expensive ones high impedance to give better quality but work with a proper headphone amplifier. It's a bit of a minefield. You can always buy a dedicated headphone amp (line level signal from whatever you are using) but you can easily spend another 200 quid on one of those. Ultimately, you're going to have to try it.

I've owned a couple of precisions but never really bonded with them - but that's not the point. Whenever I play one I'm always surprised by the massive sound you seem to get. Makes a mockery of active instruments are somehow louder. If that's what you are used to then almost anything is going to sound weak. Having said that, I've been impressed by those Yamaha basses so maybe just put the P-bass away for a while and stick with it. I take it you have checked that the Yamaha isn't broken? Stranger things...

Get some headphones. You can be as "in the right" as you like but there's nothing worse than having a massive fallout with your neighbour. Somebody has to be the big man... ...or buy a detached house. That's what I did when my neighbours selfishly had children and complained about the slightest noise after about 6pm.

I've never been hugely fussed - except I know I don't like Rotosounds. They have a really corse finish that puts shivers up my spine. Not in a good way!! I've been using SIT strings for a while and get on well with those. They're a bit tricky to get in the UK though.

It's a good question. I was going to say "never had one". But you're right... you get asked all the time "what sort of music do you play". I normally real off some example artists but maybe it is a good idea to have a basic "theme". More thought needed!

I've been in a few bands and (for the ones that actually played some gigs!) my "commitment" eventually became an issue. I have a demanding job and regularly playing multiple gigs at the weekend has never been an option. The late nights are just too tiring. While people are happy with that starting out they can change their opinion as the band becomes more successful. I got sacked from a band I started on the basis of "rule no 1. no more than one gig a week" even :-D I'm am now in a band with a bunch of very experienced older guys - for the first time, I am the youngest in the band in my mid 50s. Some of the music choices are a little "old fashioned" for my tastes but I'm working on it. It's never been about the money for me but it's always nice to make a dent in the expenses. I also believe that it cements a professional relationship between the band and the venue to charge a fair price.

I had to look that up... which shows you my very limited knowledge of The Who