bonzodog

I simplify the bass line when I need to sing (I do backing vox on some songs and lead vox on others) and then go back to the correct bass line in between lines. We cover 'Should I stay or should I go' which has a great bass line in chorus but is still easy to sing as walking parts are between lines.

Its just plain rude to plug into an amp without asking, unless they were kids and a bit naïve. Simple answer is, as has been said before is the organiser to sort it all beforehand. We are playing tonight and there are 5 bands on, with us being 4th on bill. The organisers have already set up back line and we've been told to just bring guitars and FX. This does however have a downside as I have no idea what amp I will be playing through and we have been told we must not bring our own amps,

I think unless you have software or are a real expert you rarely get a bargain. I have bought several items from ebay and sold a few and I cant really say I've ever had a real bargain either way. Like previous posters I have seen products go for pretty much the new price from a shop. I think ebay is becoming too sophisticated to bag a bargain unless you fall lucky. I still look at the local newspaper adds and you can get some real bargains there. Best deal I have had for a long time was buying an amp off here

Best system I have is in the car, and as I drive for a living that's the only time I listen to music. As with previous posters I too have 2 kids and a wife, all of which have about as much interest in my music as I do in their obsession with every soap that's on TV. However I am considering going back to vinyl and building my collection up again.

I am planning on doing something similar in the Midlands and have already done a few trial nights with mates' bands. There are dozens of pubs with big empty function rooms just dying to be used. They will give you room for free and just take on beer takings. My plan is have genre specific nights and then have 5 bands on, mixing it up with original and covers bands. Each band is allocated a number of tickets and they get 50% of the total value of what they sell. The balance is paid to us. Anyone who pays on door is asked who they have come to see and then they are allocated to each band. If you target young up and coming bands they are always keen to gig and will usually bring all the family and friends. Put them on with some established bands and you can get a full house. We charge £5 per ticket and room we are planning n using holds 200 people. So far, both trial nights have sold out. We are having to hire PA at the moment but the intention is to buy one in the long term

Just been and collected a Crate combo from Mark (Tredders). Very happy with purchase and looking forward to giving it plenty of use. Mark was a top bloke and a real pleasure to deal with. Even made me one of the nicest coffee's I've ever had!!!!

+1 on just focusing on the root notes for this gig. If its going well and you relax a little then you can venture out, but best to get through first gig keeping it simple. Good luck

Awesome song and video, especially like the guitar melodies and vocal harmonies. Good luck

I've always had it for bands I have been in. As has already been said its so cheap (£50-£80 per year) its worth it as more and more places insist on it. You may not even know till you turn up, get the gear out of the van and be told you can't play unless you can produce a certificate. Like the previous poster, PAT certificate is also good to get (Portable Appliance Test). Most electricians will come round your house and test your gear for about £25.00 and give you a 12month certificate. Or you can buy your own testing equipment.

done

I have played bass in a duo along to backing tracks and also in a previous life sang around the clubs to full backing tracks and hated both. The main problem is you are tied into the backing tracks layout and therefore can't add an extra chorus for example, I you fee like it. Plus I would imagine it would be a nightmare for your drummer. I have only worked with backing tracks containing drums, but to have to keep in time with a backing would be hard for a drummer. You also have to think about what format you use. In a large room MP3 quality sounds pretty naff in my opinion. I would be inclined to leave the keyboard bits out unless you take on a full time player. I played bass in a Jam covers band once and we didn't bother with the keyboards, just bass/drums and guitar and it sounded fine.

Rock band I played with a while back used songs from the film 300. Have a listen to some samples because if I recall you could use just about any song off the album [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack-Version/dp/B001F5VKZI/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366396629&sr=301-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack-Version/dp/B001F5VKZI/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366396629&sr=301-1[/url]

Hello everyone. I played bass in a rock band when I was in my teens, and then moved over to lead guitar up until recently. I was asked to start a new rock/punk covers band and as the other guitarist was so amazing I offered to go back to bass.......I cannot believe what I've been missing. Playing bass again feels like I have come home and its brought back memories from playing as a kid. Just wish I had stuck to bass all along now. Bought myself an Epi Thunderbird Pro as I have always loved the look and sound and am currently on the look out for an amp for practise/small gigs/DI to PA, but needs to be fairly light (on going back problems) in region of £200. Hope to be a good contributor to this site and a long term member. Cheers