TKenrick

[quote name='funkle' timestamp='1467283789' post='3082474'] The instrument doesn't matter. [/quote] [quote name='ambient' timestamp='1467214433' post='3082006'] It;s good practice to transcribe other instruments, not just bass. [/quote] [quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1467326116' post='3082942'] Try non bass music. [/quote] It seems that I'm in good company... In my opinion some more benefits of transcribing instruments that aren't bass are as follows: - Some musical devices that sax/piano players use regularly are a complete nightmare on a bass (consecutive 4ths, for example) so you'll come up against some unusual technical puzzles that you'll have to solve. - Depending on the range of your bass (and how masochistic you're feeling) it might be necessary to octave transpose some notes from a phrase to get them to 'fit' properly on the bass. The beauty of this is that your ear will start to dictate how you rephrase another musician's vocabulary and can produce some new ideas. - I once went to a masterclass with veteran pianist Barry Harris, who bluntly said that "bass players don't know enough about harmony". He's right. Horn players and pianists (and possibly 0.000001% of guitarists) are light years ahead of us harmonically, so getting to grips with their concepts can really help you break out of sounding like every other bassist. Above all, good luck!

[quote name='Light Grenade' timestamp='1467038211' post='3080662'] I'm really liking the look of the TKS cabs, especially at their price point. [/quote] The basic price of the S112 is hard to beat, but things do start adding up once you get into tweeters and colour options... Having said that, mine was still less than the price of a new Aguilar cab.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1466679916' post='3077811'] A pair of TKS Engineering S112's is a beautiful thing. Lovely tidy lows, natural mids and highs. Check 'em out. [/quote] I'd also recommend TKS - bought an S112 to pair with an Aguilar DB112 at gigs and just end up taking the TKS all the time. Wonderful sound from a surprisingly light cab. Lots of permutations available too.

I'd recommend anything that [b]you [i]love[/i] the sound of[/b]. Presumably you're transcribing to get new things into your playing and develop your own sound - this only really works if you're passionate about the music that you're transcribing. I spent a long time transcribing Miles Davis solos because people told me that I should listen to him, but I realised that I didn't really like his playing so the whole exercise was largely pointless. Much better to deal with music that excites you, regardless of what it is. One thing I will say on [i]what[/i] to transcribe: if you're looking to develop your soloing, avoid transcribing bass players. As far as transcribing rhythms goes... Your ability to hear and write rhythms is directly related to your ability to [i]read[/i] rhythms. Spending some time working on rhythm reading (Louis Bellson's Modern Reading in 4/4 is a good start, there's also an MI encyclopedia of reading rhythms which lots of people recommend) will speed up the transcription process. The good thing about rhythm reading and rhythmic transcription is that you can practise them anywhere - I keep the Bellson book in my bag and confuse other commuters by tapping away during train journeys.

In my mind there are two separate responses to the issue of 'how many strings do I need?' 1. The instrument itself is largely irrelevant, it's what you do with it that matters. Far too much emphasis is placed on the materials used to play rather than the playing itself - much like going to a restaurant and fixating on what sort of spoon was used to stir the soup. 2. At a nuts and bolts level there are some technical adjustments to make if you're switching between 4, 5 and 6+ strings, and moving beyond 4 strings can definitely reduce the amount of position shifting required. Having said that, staying in one position all the time isn't always the right thing to do - it depends on the tone that you want to produce from the instrument. It's also about matching your instrument to the sound that you hear in your head. Having been through 6-string and 5-string E-C phases I realised that (for me, at least) a high C string on a bass doesn't work and (to my ears) will only ever sound like a bad guitar. This may well be down to my playing, but that's a separate issue...

[quote name='Huge Hands' timestamp='1462966562' post='3047331'] It would be good to keep this thread open as I'm loving mine apart from this, it would be great to hear people's experiences of these instruments! [/quote] I have to say that I don't feel the same way about mine - I bought it to allow me practise arco stuff without disturbing the neighbours (ah, the joys of living in flats!). When I got it I found that the action was lower than my electric basses and it was way too easy to play. Bought some proper double bass strings and the tuners on the NXT couldn't take them so had to buy a set of hipshot tuners, then had to buy the end pin stand as the tripod one comes with the bass removes any possibility of movement when playing which IMO is an important factor for navigating the instrument. So having spent £400 on upgrades it feels marginally more like a double bass, but nowhere near the real thing. It makes an adequate substitute for practising but I'm reluctant to gig it - the output on mine isn't particularly consistent from string to string. Did one gig on it about a year ago and loathed it. I'd liken playing an NXT to drinking non-alcoholic beer; many aspects of it are similar to the real thing but it doesn't have the same effect.

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1465161862' post='3065802'] Bobby Vega; nuff said. [/quote] This. Also, Anthony Jackson. And Steve Swallow (plays jazz with a metal plectrum and has an [i]incredible[/i] sound) My take on the right hand is that the decision of fingers/pick/thumb should be made on the basis of tone (and attack) rather than what your technique obligates you to do.

Bargain! I work near that shop and have often walked past and avoided going in because I know that the price tags will make me laugh/cry/assault someone. They've also got a custom shop [url="http://www.ebay.com/itm/FENDER-JACO-PASTOURIS-JAZZ-BASS-EX-PINO-PALLADINO-CUSTOM-SHOP-TRIBUTE-/391466045878?hash=item5b2531d1b6"]Jaco PASTOURIS bass[/url] that's also ex-Pino, a mere £4k!

Hello from another Teddington basschatter!

If you'll excuse the self-promotion, I have a website/blog with a number of free transcriptions that should yield a few things for reading practice: [url="http://www.freebasstranscriptions.com"]www.freebasstranscriptions.com[/url] I'd second the Jamerson Book, and also suggest looking at Anthony Vitti's [url="http://www.anthonyvitti.com/home.html"]Fingerfunk Workbooks[/url] and his Sight Reading Funk Rhythms book - they're pretty intense but if you can get through them then you'll be able to read pretty much anything!

Definitely one of my favourite albums (and recorded bass tones) ever, stays in my glove box permanently for the drive home from gigs. Poogie Bell's kit also sounds amazing throughout. Has anyone got any pointers for other albums with Hubert Eaves IV playing? I did some digging a few years back but couldn't come up with much more than a couple of smooth jazz albums...

After a bit of googling you could probably 'acquire' some pdfs of various Real Books which would be a good starting point. iReal Pro is ok but I'd suggest getting hold of Real Books (by whatever means) as they have the [i]melodies[/i] to all the tunes as well. One thing that hasn't been mentioned is LISTEN TO RECORDINGS OF THE TUNES THAT YOU WANT TO LEARN. Get off the page (or screen) as soon as you can and actually turn the charts into something musical - find 3 or 4 recordings of each standard that you want to get your teeth into and compare the different ways the melody and harmony can be interpreted. This will give you a much better insight into the music than looking at chord symbols on a chart. The real books will get you close to the changes being played but I'd always advocate transcribing recordings to get deeper into things. Long winded, yes, but much more beneficial.

Just added some new transcriptions: Marcus Miller on Chaka Khan's 'So Naughty' Killers - 'Somebody Told Me' Willie Weeks on Donny Hathaway's 'What's Going On' There's also a play-along video for 'What's Going On' here:

Thanks guys, will check those out.

Managed to find a Gator soft case for £29 that apparently makes a good replacement so have gone with that!

The zips on my Pedal Train Jr soft case have both broken, does anyone know of any suitable replacement options? I spoke to a couple of retailers and apparently Pedal Train don't sell the cases separately, the only case I've found so far is by Mono and around £100 - I'm reluctant to spend that much!

Does anyone have recommendations for beginner method books for children (10-12 years old) starting double bass?

[quote name='Joebass' timestamp='1455884506' post='2983266'] Thanks! I've got that video - It's good, but nothing in there that you can't learn from transcribing some of his solo's. It's his accuracy that blows me away. I've seen a lot of his solo's at NAMM on YouTube - flawless playing, every time. [/quote] Agreed - the only really insightful thing in the whole video was to hear him say that almost all of his technical development came from transcription rather than any specific exercises. And yes, his level of accuracy is terrifying!

Lovely playing, and always great to have more Hadrien stuff on here! As an aside, have you seen his instructional video on My Music Masterclass?

Whilst at music college I remember being given some sage advice: 1. Be early 2. Be skilled* 3. Don't be a dick This is all that matters. If you show up in good time for whatever it is you've been booked to do, know the music in more depth than anyone else there and are generally a pleasant human being then you'll never be short of work. Notice that there's no mention of gear anywhere. [b]Nobody apart from other bass players cares what gear you use[/b] as long as it works and you make the music feel good. *The skill set that you need depends on the circles that you wish to move in. If you make a living doing pub gigs then you don't need to read, but if you want to get booked for theatre stuff then you won't get far without being comfortable with dots.

DeLa plays some great stuff on this acoustic version of 'No Such Thing': [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbJs93OsV8Q[/media] FWIW I much prefer the first 2 Mayer records to anything he's done since, he sounded much better when his head was only half way up his own arse....

Here's what I heard: [attachment=208466:When Will My Life Begin.jpg] As for the E/F... it seems that whoever wrote the chord chart doesn't have any ears. E major over F would give you a chord of F E G#(Ab) B(Cb), which sounds like F diminished with a major 7 in it - pretty 'niche' sounding and unlikely to crop up in a Disney tune...