ambient

Anything by Queen really.

For those into producing Plug-in Boutique have some very nice plug-ins for some very silly prices.

Cycling '74 have some very good offers. I just took out a student one year subscription on Max MSP for £30. I usually ignore Black Friday, I'm not one for buying something I don't need, just because it might, or as is often the case, is not discounted. In this case I was going to subscribe anyway.

Give them a phone call, if they say yes, get it in writing. In my experience insurance companies are very good at getting out of settling claims.

There was a tutor on my BMus course who kept making stupid comments about me playing a 6 string bass. You just ignore these people, if you’re happy playing what you play, how you play, then that’s all that matters. The problem is, novice players take notice, and end up spending money they don’t need to spend.

Never be envious, enjoy what you do. That’s all that matters 😁

Make sure you drink plenty of water, sipping it, not slurping it down. Turmeric and black pepper capsules are pretty good I believe, as is Glucosamine.

Definitely. Cassettes are extremely popular too. I’ve released two cassettes, one through my own label, the other through another label that only releases on cassette. What I did with CDs; to help keep the price down was have some CDRs printed with really nice artwork. Then I just burned onto them whatever was ordered, as and when. That works well if you’re planning subsequent releases. I bought some quality recycled card wallets, and designed an artwork stamp that I had made. People seemed to like the recycled and handmade thing.

Of course in my opinion, also though through my experience, which can’t be disputed because it’s happened. Making the decision to concentrate on playing solo, composing my own music, and having artistic freedom over everything I do has paid off. I could have continued as I was, playing for whoever would pay me, for example I played on a cruise ship one summer and absolutely hated it. I’m now much happier, and satisfied.

I play solo. I played in Paris two weeks ago, I’m in Stockholm in three weeks time. Last year I played in Holland, Paris twice the year before. Many in the UK too, including one with one of my biggest influences Steve Lawson. I got so fed up with band politics, I’m also not particularly people orientated either. Solo is much more artistically rewarding too. I do the occasional collaborative thing, gigs and recording, I’d never join a band again though.

Reason 24 why I don’t bother playing in bands.

An Apogee Jam. It’s designed to be used with iPhone and iPad.

A quiet verbal count from the drummer is what I’m used to, though most people I play with have a pretty good sense of time. It’s communication at the end of the day, asking is this about right?

Surely the drummer should just count in, communicating the tempo to everyone else, even if he doesn’t actually start the song? Or am I missing something? It’s surely one of the basics of playing with an ensemble.

Yes, it’s great for that. I’ve used mine all over the place recording sounds for my PhD portfolio. They have a small amount of self-noise, but that’s only really evident of very quiet recordings, for bands and cityscapes it’s a great recorder.

I don’t understand that comment tbh. Whilst undoubtedly he has amazing solo ability, he also has phenomenal groove. I really don’t understand the guitarist analogy.

Some of the synth sounds haven’t aged too well. If you get past that though, there’s some beautiful melodies, grooves and sublime playing.

He grooves like anyone on this record. No disrespect at all, but it’s the bass as a function thing that I’ve never personally got, possibly why I don’t refer to myself as a bass player. Each to his own though, like I said earlier.

He turned bass playing on its head, but each to their own. I dislike any number of bassists, songs and bands that, as a bassist or musician I’m supposed to like.

The blues scale and harmonic minor are quite some way apart. I find inspiration from sitting doing nothing in the middle of a forest or by the sea maybe. I often find that inspiration comes when I’m tired, if I go to bed thinking about something; maybe a piece that I’m working on, or some writing, then I will usually wake up halfway through the night with an idea. I’ve taken to sleeping with my iPad next to me. I use an app that I can write notes in. The subconscious I think is the most creative of elements.

can’t you send it back?

If you want recording quality even approaching OK, then don’t bother using a phone. Get a Zoom H2N, they’re great for the money, and quite small and unobtrusive. I’ve used one all over the place doing field recording for my PhD.

That’s good then. I had a bass a while back that had originally been a fretless, it had been converted to fretted. They’d done a great job, but the dots were in the wrong place, which made it a little odd to play. Overwater basses are great, I don’t blame you for wanting to keep it.

Does it have side dots? They’re likely to be on the fret, rather than in the centre. Why not just sell it?