TKenrick

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Could you post the set list? I'm sure that lots of BCers will have charts knocking about for most standard function repertoire. As far as other advice goes... Listen to the tunes as much as you can (you can do a lot of mental practice during commuting time or other situations where you have 'dead' time but no bass). Make sure you have a chat about intros and endings of tunes as different bands have different arrangements and it can save a train wreck or two if you can clarify these in advance. The next one will be easier, I promise - there's very little variation in repertoire between most generic pop function bands so you'll pretty quickly develop a decent working repertoire and be at the point where playing 'Valerie' for the third time in a weekend brings you out in a rash.

He did a tour earlier in the year with a live band: [media]http://youtu.be/kX9QE6OBvoY[/media] One of the UK's more underrated bass pioneers IMHO, this used to be a favourite of mine: [media]http://youtu.be/3mjoV2BT1WQ[/media]

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1472156524' post='3119029'] Not necessarily. Notes, and rhythm are common to all instruments, pianists, trombone, bassoon, tuba, cello, double bassists would all read bass clef. My second year at uni, my reading class lecturer was a pianist. In fact it was a violin teacher taught me to read music. [/quote] Whilst I agree with this in principle I'd lean towards getting guidance from a bass player in the early stages as positions aren't immediately intuitive (well they weren't for me, at least). A second year degree sight reading class is, as I understand it, not the same scenario as the OP is describing so it might be worth 'checking in' with a seasoned reading bassist while this stuff is still new. Fretboard knowledge is a vital aspect of sightreading which also affects the number of positional options that you might have for any given part. FWIW I wholeheartedly endorse studying with non-bassists, as our kind tend to be musically [s]retarded[/s] restricted in many departments (harmony, soloing, ear training, articulation, personal hygiene etc). Back on the subject of reading... I found it helpful to work on pitch and rhythm separately, otherwise it can be like trying to rub your stomach whilst patting your head. There's a good page on [url="http://garywillis.com/pages/lessons/read.html"]Gary Willis' site for pitch reading[/url], and there are a few rhythm reading books about (I used [url="http://www.freebasstranscriptions.com/2014/11/17/unorthodox-instructionals-part-3-getting-even-with-drummers/"]Louis Bellson's 'Modern Reading in 4/4[/url] - not very exciting but very effective).

Here's a warts-and-all video of a live recording of a Wayne Krantz tune called 'Is Something I Don't Understand Yet' I did for a friend's PhD project: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQESzfkgSBw[/media] Gear: Nordstrand VJ5 into Noble Amps DI/Aguilar AG500

I have two contradictory thoughts on things like Yousician: 1. I can say with almost 100% certainty that every single musician that inspires me did not learn by using an app. How is a machine able to teach me something that is a uniquely human endeavour? From what I know of Yousician it seems to be one level up from Guitar Hero - reducing the craft of learning a musical instrument to a dumbed down, 'painting by numbers' approach. 2. If it's the only thing that has inspired your son to pick up the bass then go with it. My 'day gig' is teaching children and the most important thing is to engage them and keep them motivated - this will make playing music and practising an instrument habits that stay with them as they grow up. If the app is a 'way in' to learning the bass then he can always move on to other (IMHO more legitimate) ways of learning later on. I spent a decade learning music the wrong way, but it kept me engaged as a teenager - if my first teacher had forced me to practise a lot of the things that I actually [i]needed[/i] to work on when I was 15 then I probably wouldn't have stuck at it. So... the purist in me screams AVOID! at Yousician or similar [s]games [/s]apps, but my inner teenager says it's not such a bad idea.

Bought a Boss BF-2 from Martin, it arrived quickly, well packaged and the pedal is in amazing condition. Excellent comms and a great guy to deal with.

[quote name='DanOwens' timestamp='1468259424' post='3089668'] What was your favourite and why? There's a few there that I thought were quite dirty and I'm after clean. Can the Sansamp and the Aguilar do clean? [/quote] My favourite is the Noble, because it gives a really quiet, clean signal and engineers and band members always make positive comments about it. I can also take a small solid state head to a gig and run it through the Noble to make it sound like a tube amp without the backache. Apparently it's comparable to the REDDI but I don't have any experience of the latter so can't comment. I always ran my Aguilar completely clean, it does that fine and the ability to switch between two sounds is useful. They're well made and I never had any problems with mine. Might be worth looking into a Radial JDI or ProDI, both of which are used in a lot of venues.

I remember having an issue with the DI on my LMII years ago - opened up the top and one of the cables had come loose, fixed in 30 seconds! It might be worth a look inside to see if there's anything visually suspect going on. As far as plan B goes, I've had good experiences gigging without an amp using the following DIs: Radial Tonebone, Sansamp BDDI, Aguilar Tonehammer and (most recently) the Noble DI.

[quote name='JuliusGroove' timestamp='1467412974' post='3083607'] Well then I'm follow up, how do I get my harmony chops together! [/quote] There are a couple of good books out there, but as someone who is guilty of repeatedly buying books and never doing anything with them I'd strongly recommend getting 1-on-1 lessons with someone local to you. Ask around and find out who gets recommended near Brighton - whilst it's true that you can now have a Skype lesson with pretty much anyone you want I've found that being in the same room produces greater rewards than the virtual thing. If you're willing to travel then London will give you lots of options. [quote name='funkle' timestamp='1467283789' post='3082474'] Tom has given good advice as usual. Keep in mind he's a pro; I'm commenting as an amateur/semi-pro (my day job is in something else, but I have been to music school, can read music, arrange, analyse charts, etc etc. [/quote] Thanks, Pete, but I'm keen to point out that 'being a pro' doesn't really mean much. There are lots of full time musicians who know very little about anything but manage to make a living from playing, and there are absolute monsters who hold down a regular 9-5. Every piece of advice in this thread (and many others) is equally valid and everyone's experience counts regardless of how they make a living.

[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!