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hi Alun 5....

Cool KP I saw AJ at Ronnie's and it was incredible - the best I have heard Mike Stern and Dave Weckl was off the scale - the band killed it and I personally think AJ was a total inspiration for the whole band - he played brilliantly as well, his solos were so musical and surprisingly technical, he was flying about all over the place - and it's well known that AJ isn't the biggest fan of taking bass solos for the sake of it - a brilliant gig all round - they even did an encore - unusual for Ronnie's. I know what you mean about the Passive thing though - I'm going to have mine so that I can run it both passive and active - just so when the batteries die it's still playable - and for the passive tone as well. Your bass looks great too man. M

[quote name='EdwardHimself' post='31728' date='Jul 14 2007, 12:56 PM']wow 33" scale and 26 frets, hope u don't have fat fingers![/quote] Well I'm not exactly Mr Sausage fingers - my hands are quite small actually - but the 33" scale will make playing a lot of the low-end stuff that I do on gigs a lot more comfortable, I have 26 frets on my 1990 Thumb bass so I'm used to those dimensions - the slightly shorter scale just makes life even easier - I played a Matt Garrison Impirial Fodera and the 33" scale is actually really cool - it just makes the bass feel more compact and the neck scary fast! Cheers Mike

She's all done - page four for pics of the bass - and I just sorted out these pics today - it really is amazing - and she should be at the BASH in a couple of weeks - there's also a short first 'road test' video for your enjoyment - so silly noodly slap and finger style sounds to show off some of the tones: [attachment=6622:front_long.jpg] [attachment=6623:front_close.jpg] [attachment=6624:pups_close.jpg] [attachment=6625:back_close.jpg] [attachment=6626:headstock.jpg] [attachment=6627:top_down.jpg] Here are the specs again: 33" Scale Ebony Board 26 Frets Maple neck with wenge stringers Ash body Buckeye Burl top wood - front and back Demeter circuit Nordstrand pups Ramp Piezo Bridge (Ghost system) Red LEDs on side of neck Black Hardware Active/passive capability Gloss finish... Mike

Thanks guys - appreciate the criticisms and yes the drum track sounds a bit lame, though it did sound OK when I was jamming to it - next step is to record a new tune with some of this stuff - a video is always the 'lazy' option...i.e. it's far too quick and easy - recording takes a lot more time. Anyway you are all very kind, basically I find it interesting when I improvise that sometimes - like on this vid - the ideas just 'come out' so that while I am thinking through a line or chord change - the actual end result, i.e. the notes, just appears without too much thought... that's the goal anyway, to stop thinking and just play. Thanks for watching - I promise not to post any more vids for a while - just like getting some feedback on things I'm working on. Cheers Mike

hello Just made a little vid from the 'shed' today - I hadn't played my fretless for a week and I got a little inspired by the new strings I put on it - and this is what came out - a 3-chord sequence going F-, G#- and B7 from a tune I wrote called Kitson - I've been working on my 4-finger grooves as well - let me know what you think. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqZo-NJzf6U"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqZo-NJzf6U[/url] Cheers Mike

[quote name='ped' post='30650' date='Jul 12 2007, 11:55 AM']Wish he did What Is Hip fingerstyle though! Would have sounded much better in my opinion! Does he HAVE to slap everything?![/quote] I agree the slap-everything with Miller is a little much - but wait till you hear this - it's f-ing awesome and sooooooo funky - I'm listening to it now very loud and it's rocking - he grooves so hard on the TOP tune and the slap is so in the pocket and grooving it's pure Marcus magic - honestly, it's utterly wicked...and his tone is just, damn fine! Ouch. Mike

Hey - sorry if there's another thread about this somewhere but I just got a review copy of the new Miller album 'Free' and it's pretty darn funky. Bit more in the funk vein than most of his more recent jazzy albums and in places it gets a little too R&B for me but his playing is sounding amazing - and the killer cover this time around is his version of Tower Of Power's 'What Is Hip' which instead of finger picking he slaps like a mutha - 16th note slap all the way, with a pocket so tight it hurts. Corrin Bailey Rae crops up on one tune and she sounds good, and there's an interesting version of 'When I Fall In Love' which he does as a funky fretless thing - it works well. Elsewhere it's lots of very tight, precise slap that really shows off his amazing phrasing - very cleanly exectuted lines - with a few eastern and asian flavours creeping in to the mix - overall it's very good but a little different from what he's done before - if you are a fan you won't be dissapointed. [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Free-Marcus-Miller/dp/B000QXD3CS"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Free-Marcus-Miller/dp/B000QXD3CS[/url] Hope that's of some interest to any of you slappers out there! Cheers Mike

In my humble opnion Alain Caron is the cleanest slapper on a 6 string - his tone is much nicer than The Budda's as well - he uses a pretty straightforward technique - he bascially does a down-stroke with the thumb then does an up-pluck with his index finger, meaning he can play very clean 8th notes - he then adds in double plucks for triplets and to crate different accents in a bass line, he also double thumbs - catching the string with the back of his thumb on the upstroke. Plus he does some normal slapper things like bouncing his thumb plus some left hand damping / patting on the neck. This is a great video of him playing 'Slam The Clown' which is slapped throughout - you can clearly see how he uses the alternating thumb and index - plus he seems to play very lightly - it's all a matter of training those damn fingers to do what you want them to! His technique is so clean it's not about speed just the clarity of his execution - that makes his sound so good - he's a tasteful bastard as well...damn! Cool Vid [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkOYGlI-zoo"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkOYGlI-zoo[/url] Hope that helps Mike

Hey chaps I've been doing the ol' 4 finger picking for a couple of years now - well 3 fingers plus thumb - and I've got it fairly tight now - I can comfortably lay down a steady 16th note pattern at some medium to high tempos - as well as work it through some single note lines. Matt Garrison and Dominique Dpiazza are the true masters of this so I'm always checking out the new stuff they do - but some of you might want to have a look at a couple of things I stuck on Youtube: Funky bass jam - with some 4-finger breaks in it: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCHMqajchDM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCHMqajchDM[/url] This is a demo of the right hand stuff I did a while ago as well - I have it much more in control now and yes this defiinitely goes out a bit in places, but it shows the whole action of thumb, index, middle, ring - 1,2,3,4 quite clearly. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1_P9jnFC2U"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1_P9jnFC2U[/url] While I can play lines with this stuff I normally use just two fingers for 99% of everything else I play - but this is definitely a cool thing to have in the bag and is actually a lot more versatile than just for speed, playing chords and string crossing are just two of the benefits. Any thoughts or tips gratefully received - hope some of this helps. Cheers Mike

Just a real quick +1 on the light approach to slapping - this essential for many reasons Luke already outlined well - and yes Mark King may go for broke at the top of his solos but watch how he plays during a song - it takes a of stamina and precision to slap like that for 5 - 10 minutes and if he was bashing his bass full on he'd soon run out of steam. Here's a Youtube link to Alex Car who works at the Bass Gallery - he's a great slap bassist and you can study his technique well from all his very cool clips - he's nailed this style perfectly: [url="http://www.youtube.com/user/alexcar66"]http://www.youtube.com/user/alexcar66[/url] Hope that helps - remeber practice makes perfect! Patience helps too Mike

Just got sent this by a friend - well worth checking out - quite Manring-ish - very mellow and tuneful too - and damn clever to boot! [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddn4MGaS3N4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddn4MGaS3N4[/url] PS I had a great Glastonbury - I'll try and wite a little something soon - lots of work to catch up on! M

Hey chaps/ladies Some of you may have read my Richard Bona piece in BGM recently - well he's back in London in about three weeks time: Wednesday 18 July 7.30pm THE LORD MAYOR'S APPEAL FIESTA sponsored by Citi Email text: [b]RICHARD BONA and BASSEKOU KOUYATE & Ngoni Ba - A concert in aid of The Lord Mayor’s Appeal Canary Wharf Arena Admission free[/b] Cameroon born bass guitarist, singer and songwriter Richard Bona will be headlining the Lord Mayor’s Appeal Fiesta on 18 July, with Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba from Mali. As part of the annual two-week long Canary Wharf Galas, the Lord Mayor’s Appeal Fiesta will raise money for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal 2007 which is dedicated to raising funds for cross-border learning under the banner ‘Sharing Skills, Changing Lives’ The appeal will benefit the following four charities -VSO, Mansion House Scholarship Scheme, The Guild of Educators and King Edward’s School Witley. The concert will be compered by DJs Rita Ray and Max Reinhardt, co-founders of the legendary Afrobeat club night The Shrine. The event is sponsored by Canary Wharf-based financial services company Citi. Acclaimed musician Richard Bona is renowned for songs that bubble with Latin and African influences. He will be making his only UK appearance of the year at the Fiesta. His latest album Tiki was given four stars by The Guardian -critic John L Walters said “it's music that makes you smile, moves your feet and touches your heart in ways that more celebrated music personalities can only dream about.” Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba are making one of their appearances in the UK, before they play the WOMAD festival at the end of July. Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba are Mali's first ngoni quartet and the first band to focus on the ngoni, an ancient traditional lute found throughout West Africa with a history that goes back to the days of Soundiata Keita. The Independent called their debut album Segu Blue “a sure-fire contender for 2007's world music album of the year.” The concert is free to attend and begins at 7.30pm in the Canary Wharf Arena. Advance booking isn’t necessary – just turn up on the night. For more information visit www.vso.org.uk ENDS Hope to see some of you there - if I can make it Aaaaaaah - off to Glasto tomorrow - MUD alert! Will report back next week... Mike

Soweto is amazing - seriously go and see him live - he's a monster sax player and his rapping is cool, extremely articulate and funny - and so smart he makes the likes of 50 Cent look even more like the ignorant f***wits they really are. I used to play gigs with Soweto when I lived in Oxford about 8 years ago - he was a badass then too - he's playing at Glastonbury on the Jazz World stage - the BBC 'might' film it - but then again thy normally just film all the main stages and ignore the smaller stuff - Soweto deserves a much bigger audience - he's unbeleivably talented. M

Hey Just thought I'd start a little Glastonbury thread - I'm going (I'll actually be writing for the official website, reviewing stuff0 and just wondered if anyone else might make it? There are some pretty great bassists playing there - Tony Grey with Hiromi, Squarepusher doing his solo laptop thing and Kevin Glasgow will be in the Jazz Lounge - I'll report back - hoping to get in some jazz jams in the Jazz Lounge myself with any one who wants to get funky in the early hours -0 also hoping to drag Tony and Hiromi over for an impromptu set but that might be tricky - here's hoping the weather isn't as nightmarish as it was last time! Cheers Mike

[quote name='bassjamm' post='15002' date='Jun 10 2007, 12:08 PM']Thanks Mike, (yeah it's me, Jamie) That's cool, mine till has a bit of a bow in it...i was thinking of getting it set-up though, i think i'll take it down to the Gallery, they did an awesome job on my Fender Jazz!!! I've got my Smith strung E - C at the moment, and i've set it up and adjusted the intonation for it, and quite simply, it sounds amazing, and it's insane how nice the high C sounds, and it's so useful!!! I did try it on my fretless, i found it a little thin, but then again, i didn't really give it much of a try. I really love the options the high C offers, but i can't afford to keep the F Bass, Marleaux, Smith and Jazz...the Smith and Jazz need to go, dispite how much the Jazz means to me, and how great the Smith is playing/sounding! The plan is to sell them both, and then next year get a custom bass that's either 6 string, or 5 with E - C, and fretted. But the idea behind the E - C on the fretless was that it would sound unique in a sense, and there aren't that many 6 string fretless players about! But would i miss the low B...that's the question! I think i would, but i've got on with the Smith without the low B, it's a different beast to the Fretless though... Hmm, i dunno. Thanks for the info though my friend...really digging the whole jazz thing at the moment, working no end on my jazz harmony and jazz chops!!! J[/quote] I hear all that - I know that high C on a fretted bass does sound wicked - but my fretless just growls sooooooo nicely on the low end I would definitely miss the low B - anyway post some jazzy noodles - be good to hear your progress. Sounds like you have one too many basss... - having seen Tony Grey on 6 string as opposed to a E - C Fodera, I thought he had a much better balanced sound, he's an amazing soloist, but the fact he could dig into those low 'pocket' bass notes really added a huge bottom end to Hiromi's overall sound - if you get a custom I suggest you go 6 - but I reaaly think the bottom end is very end important too - as Laurence Cottle once said to me when I asked him why he didn't string his bass E - C - he simply said "well, it's a bass isn't it!?" Cheers Mike

[quote name='bassjamm' post='14878' date='Jun 10 2007, 12:43 AM']That's cool Mike...so your notes don't get choked up the fingerboard then? I'm guessing you must have to have your neck dead straight for this then yeah? I've had mine taken down, but the action is still quite high up the neck...i'm thinking of getting it strung E - C as well, but i'm not too sure on that one yet...i reckon i'll get it set-up somewhere though...can you recommend anyone who does a nice job of fretless basses? And what do you reckon to the whole E - C thing...i'm loving it on my Smith at the moment, but i don't know if i'll miss the low B on the fretless or not...hmm!!! J[/quote] Hi Jamie (it is you right?) Yes the neck on my bass is dead-on straight - if your's isn't definitely get it set up, I think a fretless neck is like a fretted on in that every 'fret position' should be perfect for intonation - the one thing that fretless finger boards can suffer from is dead spots - I don't have any on mine thankfully. So you should aim to get it some that you have total consistency across the entire neck low to high. As for E - C I have tried that on my fretless and unfortunately I hated it - but for my own reasons. My bass is already a very light instrument - the African mahogany is very light and aside from the ebony fingerboard that's the only wood on the bass - and that combined with light strings when I strung it E - C it just 'felt' wrong. My thought on the main reason for going E-C on any bass is that it's great for playing chords and extending the harmony (a la Matt Garrison/Janek G etc) but in all honesty every time I listen to Gary Willis his rumbling B string is totally inspiring - plus when I play my fretless in my band I love hitting those lox Ds but also playing low A on the 10th fret position - and when you have 6 or so songs in A minor that's handy! I also love the way a B - G 5 string just feels really balanced - there are plenty of 'new notes' to discover within the confines of a regular tuning it just boils down to practice and playing lots - but let us know how you get on - I'd be interested in how you find it. Cheers Mike PS Give the Bass Gallery a bell regarding a set up - failing that the Bass Centre are good for repairs/set ups

[quote name='bassjamm' post='13730' date='Jun 7 2007, 06:43 PM']Sounds cool man!!! Really getting into playing fretless at the moment...how do you have the action on yours?[/quote] Hey thanks people - you're most kind - and I have my action very low - one guy who played my bass after he'd been playing his Japanese Jazz bass said "forget low action - this is no action!" - but hey it works for me and helps with getting a really long sustain - the ebony board really helps as well. Everytime I need some technical inspiration I listen to Gary Willis as his touch and ability to pull notes out of the finger board and attack them from every conceivable angle is just astonishing - he is quite literally the man on fretless these days. Thanks again for checking this out - much appreciated Mike

Hi Peeps A little vid of me attempting to play over a set of changes from a Gary Willis tune called 'Speak' and goes through these changes: Bm7 Gbm7 - C#m7 G9 - D9 Gb7 - Abm7 Abm7 - Bb7 Fm7 - Cm7 Am7 - F#dim C#m7 - Dm7 Dm7 It's a wicked sequence but it's taken me a few years to start to really get my head and fingers around it - I stuck the chords into Band In A Box today - let me know what you think: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3xDyj2Fk5M"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3xDyj2Fk5M[/url] Cheers Mike

Hey fellas There are quite a few of us BCers in London - getting a good crowd shouldn't be a problem - nor should finding a venu near a good pub in London - I've wanted to go to the bashes but it's been very difficult as I don't drive and just haven't had the time or opportunity to attend one so far- and the thought of getting on a train and heading to some road-side venue is slightly daunting for me - at least public transport is plentiful in London too. The Water Rats is fairly central and a venue we could at least make some noise at - let's find somewhere and do this thing! Maybe The Gallery would be up for hosting it... I may have to run it past Alex and the boys. Mike

My personal approach is to take each day as it comes with my playing - some days I'll amaze myself, others I'll put the bass down in disgust - for me playing is all about mind set, energy level, being in the mood and responding to my surroundings - I can turn up at band practice and feel awful after a long day at work, only to leave feeling 'centred' and happy again having played some good music with my band. I've said to myself and other people asking advice that you must look at your playing and development over a long period of time. Nothing of any value comes in an instant - maybe a lottery win does - but the reality is anything that is really worth achieving takes a long time to develop but ultimately the rewards are much greater if you really work at your 'art' as the end result will have far greater depth than something that is just a quick fix... I've certainly got obsessed with too much technique in the past but now I'm much more interested in the 'musical' content of what I'm playing as opposed to how fast I can play. Striving to improve the choice of notes I play and how I select them, and writing songs as well, is what I'm working on now, song structure and arrangement are what I'm also interested in. I know that I can improve every area of my playing so I continue to try and do this slowly but surely. The ultimate goal for me though is still being able to interact and communicate with other musicians more effectively - my favourite thing in the world is playing a great groove with a great drummer - and making the whole song and band come alive because of the way the foundation of the sound is working. I just think try and be yourself - not anyone else - play what you like to play and get as good as you can at it - keep an open mind but just do your thing, the only person you should really try and please if yourself - and if you think you need to practice some more then go and do it - if you don't, don't - it's really up to you. Mike

[quote name='Super_Mario_Bass' post='9978' date='May 31 2007, 04:25 PM']whats that background sound in vanishing point? sounds awesome when the groove comes in [/quote] Cheers mate - it's a looped Fender Rhodes sample - I worked out some chords that worked with the key - sort C minor - then fit them to work with the sample - glad you like it. Mike

[quote name='Super_Mario_Bass' post='9814' date='May 31 2007, 12:14 PM']Beautiful. I knew i was gonna like it before i even heard it as i absolutely adore it when people use ambient/nature sound as a backdrop. The Mars Volta do the same kinda thing on "Televators" (only on the album though I think) is garageband easy to use? like.. very easy for stupid people? thankyou [/quote] Garage band is very easy to use - get yourself a half decent USB or Firewire interface to run your bass into the computer and then off yo go - the chordal bass part on this recorded direct, the Thumb bass has new strings on so the sound is good and clean... really glad you dug it - I can hear a Brazilian vibe bubbling away - could make a nice tue for one of my bands. Also you should be able to stream the song as long as you have Quicktime installed - if not I stuck it on my Myspace page - [url="http://www.myspace.com/flynnbass"]www.myspace.com/flynnbass[/url] Thanks for checking it out M

Just made this tune up this morning - just two basses and some birdies chirping to get you in that mellow summer mood - I'm loving having garage band working again! I recorded this in an hour. This is a rough demo - I'll make a better version soon... [url="http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=64508"]http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=64508[/url] Cheers Mike

[quote name='jwbassman' post='8921' date='May 30 2007, 12:20 AM']Hi Mike Bass solo has a real cool vibe to it, but you need to get a better drummer John[/quote] Yeah man I agree! Thanks for checking it out Mike