ambient

No problem. The higher diploma is the Btec by the way. They also accept passing it as being sufficient to gain entry to the Bmus.

I did the ICMP higher diploma, and then the BMus. Both are excellent. The higher diploma is essentially the same as the first year of the BMus. I did audition for BIMM, and got an offer. A friend of mine did 2 years at BIMM on their BA, he transferred to ICMP for his final year, and he says that ICMP's course was far a far, far higher standard. I owe ICMP a lot.

You don't say what the interval was between the original offer, and then the text saying the regular guy can do one. Personally I'd thank them and do the one. If there was quite a period between the original offer and the next text, then I'd diplomatically mention it to them, say you've turned work down in the meantime. Why fuss, and fall out with them though?

I would just drop them a polite email. You don't really want to fall out with them. A similar thing happened to me a couple of years ago where a track of mine was used on something that ended up being sold as download without my permission.

Joe Frasier by Jeff Berlin for an exam. I have to admit to approaching it with the wrong frame of mind. I don't like his playing, and that annoyed me. He seems to be of the mind, why play two notes when I can play eight, oh there's a space, there, I'll stick four notes in.

You may encounter problems with timing. Just because you're playing to a click doesn't necessarily mean your click will be perfectly in time with your friends. It only needs to be a fraction of a second out, but over the course of a couple of minutes it'll start to get noticeable.

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1487786943' post='3242934'] Lee Sklar had a switch fitted to one of his basses used in the studio for that same reason. It isn't wired to anything inside the guitar but he claims it gets the same result that you described. [/quote] Yeah I think he calls it his 'producer switch'.

I read somewhere about some top American session guy at a recording session. The producer kept saying, no that's not quite right, maybe try it on a strat. So the guy got up and bent down behind him, sat back down and started playing again. Same thing from the producer, this time maybe try a telecaster, so whoever the session guy was stood up and appeared to be uncasing a different guitar, sat back down and started playing again. Still the sound wasn't quite right, better but still not quite right. So he again suggested a different guitar. Whatever the next guitar was the producer liked it and was happy. The session guy actually only had the one guitar, he was just altering where he was playing each time. Moral of the story, it's not the instrument but how you play it that matters.

Cinematic rock might be something like Mogwai. They featured with the Kronos quartet on the soundtrack to the fountain by Clint Mansell.

I've never ever been told my bass doesn't fit. I did loads of gigs a few years ago with a Free tribute band, my bass at the time was a 6 string Zon. They were more concerned with my technical ability than what bass I was playing.

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1487753068' post='3242350'] In my case, I had arranged the courier, but won't be doing it again. I went up to Leicester last Sunday to meet a Basschatter from Leeds who bought a synth from me, and am going to Birmingham next Saturday to meet someone from Chester who I have just bought a bass from. Bit of a hassle but better then stuff getting damaged. No experience with rip offs, no one has ever tried anything like that with me. [/quote] That's what I always do. I've been all over the place over the years, but have never had a problem. I've bought and sold basses in no end of railway station car parks, tube stations and coffee shops . You'd be amazed at the savings you can get by booking the train a week or so in advance. I always use national rail enquiries for the tickets.

Focusrite Scarlett is pretty good and easy to use.

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1487713882' post='3242160'] Anthony Jackson. It don't get any better musically wise. [/quote] For normal playing then AJ is my definite favourite. I was extremely fortunate a few years ago to see him with Mike Stern at a masterclass at my old uni. Absolutely fantastic. Steve Lawson for non-normal playing .

Steve Lawson or Michael Manring,