julietgreen

Yeah but maybe we played it badly! And then we play bloody Guns N Roses, Sweet blah blah... and everyone loves it.

Re the earplugs: I've got a great pair of 'musicians' earplugs' that work brilliantly [i]when I'm not playing.[/i] In spite of the claim that they don't change the sound quality, just cut it down, I really find it difficult to play with them in. Perhaps I just need to get used to it.

We did that, but it seemed to fall pretty flat with the crowd so we dropped it. 'No-one Knows' is quite fun to play.

Cracking tune though.

Well I'm still struggling with 'Woman' by Wolfmother. But that could just be my lack of experience.

Is this a happy ending then?

My muso circle is a really a set of interlocking circles in which every member is in at least one other band. As part of a horn section, I'm also pimped out to whoever wants a bit of brass (!). We don't care, as long as when a gig is booked and everyone agrees they're available, they don't cancel in favour of another band.

You done the obvious Facebook thing?

Some good gig advice. I suppose marrying a woman is much easier these days. Not sure what my bloke would make of that, even with the small hands. I think if I'd add something, it would be to remember to check that you've retuned after a drop D! Arg. I like the idea of different colour leads but getting to the front isn't so easy. We all know that one guitarist takes up half the available space.

Even as a mediocre sax player, there are lots of useful tips and tricks on playing reeds I've picked up over the last twenty years or so. But I'm pretty new to the world of bass; I'm sure some of you veterans (and others) have some great tips for bass playing. Care to share?

[url="https://www.hilltopfarmshop.com/fillthehill/"]https://www.hilltopfarmshop.com/fillthehill/[/url]

Note - my band, Semillon is playing - not our tribute band 'Semillion'! Sigh...

Lots of other good stuff too.

I play bass in a band where at least 3 of the other musicians would probably be more skilled at it than I am, but they're playing drums, guitars or keyboards. I have sometimes had those crises of confidence and wonder how I can keep fooling people into thinking I'm 'the bass player', but I took it up for fun, and occasionally the punters (yeah, ok, what do they know?) come up to me after a gig and compliment me, so I know I'm fooling some of the people some of the time...

Oh yeah, and I bought myself some rock cuffs. That's helped!

Yep - and from ANOTHER sax player. Wonder why we're all turning to the dark side.

Hi there. Also a fellow sax player here, also having a lot of fun on the bass. I was asked recently (by a percussionist) if playing the saxophone was difficult. Of course it's bloody difficult - it takes years of practice to make it sound passable as an instrument! A bass sounds pretty ok, the first time you pick it up - but then the work really starts!

You're not the only one, mate! It's slim pickings for good, uptempo ballsy rock in the 21st Century. I keep looking and listening. With a female lead, we do a few Pretty Reckless, and we quite like them. Biffy Clyro and Foo Fighters are among the few still rocking with gusto.

Well if you're around and you like quite heavy and sometimes cheesy rock covers, come see us at the Swan Hotel, Alcester tonight 5th July. And do come say hello.

Female fronted, so to speak.

J

We always do this same thing with the bass and guitar cabs. I like to stand away from the backline, and this way I have half a chance of being able to hear the bass, wherever I'm forced to be (guitarists take up a lot of bloody room!).

I might let her have a go on my bass if she asks nicely...

Our second outing at the Copperpot, presumably back through popular demand!

Rock in a frock.

J

It's our other guitarist's fault. We're exciting but not that exciting.

There I am with my band, Semillon.

There's something about the processing of notes which for me doesn't seem to pass the memory part of the brain. Straight to fingers - rather like touch typing - or not remembering directions when someone else always leads the way. Although it's exciting to get a new piece of music all written out and be able to play it straight away, I now find it something of a nuisance and would probably trade for a really good memory and a great 'ear'. I hate having a music stand on stage and it's not appropriate for the bands I'm in. I'm relieved that the processing of basslines is different - maybe because it is more visual - and I don't have to have any crib sheets. But I can't join in and busk along with stuff I don't know.

I play for 'Semillon'. Yes, it's intentional. Rock covers with female lead vox (not me).

As a musician, I'm not much of a musician. Here's my confession: as a sax player, I know I should learn the music by heart and not rely on the 'dots' but that only works for me if I've never seen the dots. Once I've seen them, I find it almost impossible to remember without looking. As a bass player, I can remember, but I learn the parts without much thought for the theory, in spite of that DipMus from the OU. I should know what to play because I should be able to hear what those guitarists are doing and I should be learning to improvise by committing scales to memory and spending serious time working out lines through the chords. And as for looking at TAB - Everyone knows that's a sin! I hang my head in shame (and because it looks better).

If you are require to play a range of tunings, e.g. standard, 'drop D', detuned by a minor third, etc. do you opt for quick retuning during a gig or do you opt for multiple basses? Or do you just use a massive instrument with loads of strings?

I'm still new at it and so commit to memory by a combination of patterns and 'singing' the bass line. I know if I can't hear myself play I'm much more likely to make mistakes. I also know that if I can't hear the rest of the band, particularly the vocalist, I can forget what I'm doing, so the direction of the music must have a major impact.