GuitarTart

I do mostly amateur musical work these days with a pit band. Mostly in one of six local theatres and I've got to know the engineers fairly well. I use a Variax bass and Line 6 Studio 110 amp as a monitor. The DI from the amp carries the tone and compression settings to the desk and I just ask for a flat eq on my channel with the volume adjusted to mix with the band. This seems to work for me. Last year when we were doing "Buddy", I set up using the P bass model but played the first half with the upright bass model. In the interval, the engineer (who is a musician as well) came backstage and asked how I had got the double bass mic'd up! Most engineers appreciate being told politely what kit you've got and what you would like to hear FOH and will do their best to accommodate you. Myk

Final performance of West Side Story last night and we just about nailed it after struggling all week with Mr Bernstein's nightmare score. Many of the audience didn't realise it was a live band playing as we were out of sight backstage so it must have sounded ok. This was my third time playing this show and I'm not sure if I want to go for four. Still, I've got Starlight Express and Copacabana coming up. Should be a nice change. Myk

I'm playing bass in West Side Story this week and having a nightmare with the score. When I did WSS 10 years ago, I couldn't read music other than key signatures. So I listened to recordings, went to every rehearsal and virtually memorised the show. I was complimented on my playing. In the interim, I've taught myself to read a bass line reasonably well though not good enough to sight read yet. This time round I find myself trying to play all the dots and losing my place when I stutter over a line or phrase. I am not enjoying it as much. It's not helped by the director/producer putting the band in the scene dock instead of the pit and we haven't got decent vocal foldback let alone a video link so we often have no idea what is going on. The optimist in me says it will be alright on the night but the musician is wishing I could remember everything I did 10 years ago. Myk

I used my recently bought fretless for a run of CATS recently, despite only having had 2 weeks to set it up and get used to the lack of bumps. Loved it and the sound FOH was awesome. The only reason I'm not using it for West Side Story soon is that I want the double bass sound from my Variax 700. Myk

Currently driving an old Vectra estate which swallows everything I've got. I've downsized my bass rig so I'm looking to get a Fabia estate next. I once got a full drum kit in a Renault Clio. Amazing what you can pack in if you load it right. Myk

They're probably too young! Brilliance like this comes with maturity and experience. Be patient and persevere. Myk

What perseverence !! I only managed 32 seconds before I was reaching for the mouse and the pause button. Myk

John Lennon was once asked if he thought Ringo was the best drummer in the world. His reply -- He's not even the best drummer in the Beatles. Myk

Can't remember what music we had (it was 1972 after all) I recall years later playing the wedding video backwards just to see myself walking out of the church a free man! I'm divorced now. Myk

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1370767071' post='2105181'] BTW I've never managed to get a Ebow to work with bass strings. [/quote] It can be done but it's going to take an up-rated field generator for the heavier strings and properly spaced guide channels to make it work as well on bass as it does on guitar. Sustained notes are ok but arpeggios are almost impossible because of the string gaps. Maybe we should petition Ebow to make a bass version. Myk PS. I've even used the Ebow on my Variax bass, which doesn't have mag pups, by starting the string vibrating with my little finger behind the Ebow. Fun, but not good enough for band use.

I've got the 2005 "Hell Freezes Over" DVD which covers their reunion. A lot of interviews and backstage coverage showing that they never did quite "Get Over It". The musical performances were spot on. So much so that they might as well have played the original recordings. It's as if Henley and Frey thought they had achieved perfection and didn't want anything changed. That said, I didn't find anything surprising in the tv program. Myk

1. Bill Wyman looked sooo cool when I was 16 2. The bass player in my first band was rubbish so I took over and learned on the job The bassist in my second band years later developed MS so i swapped when he gave up playing 3. I keep getting asked if would [i]mind[/i] playing bass for amateur musical productions. MIND ??? I like playing guitar and drums, but I love laying down a foundation for the rest of the band to build on. Myk

Hi and welcome. No sign of Mep yet ! Myk

I've recently bought a fretless and the sound/tone I would love to get is on Chris de Bergh's "Lady in Red". Not by any means my favourite artist or song but the bass line just does it for me. If I believed in the concept of guilty pleasure, this would be mine. Myk

And we mostly speak proper English although I suspect the spell-checker is a Yank! Myk

Hi Plampers. As a recent convert to BC, I'm sure you'll find this crowd friendly, supportive and slightly nuts, just like all bass players Like yourself, I've never had lessons on guitar or bass but I've watched and listened to a lot of very talented players and never been afraid to ask "How do you do that?". You don't say what types of music you are interested in but whatever it is, find some tracks with good bass lines and listen to them carefully and try to understand how they are put together. I use Riffster to slow down or change keys of tracks I am learning. If you are on a tight budget, there is Riffster Lite which has most of the features of the full version and is free. I'm personally not a great fan of "How to .." books. I prefer to watch the fingers moving and hear the sounds they produce. I'm going to check out the suggestions made above to see if any of them match justinguitar.com for the quality of free on-line guitar tutorials. Finally, there is a word for people who sit alone in their bedrooms playing with themselves, and it's not nice. At your embrionic stage, it's good to sit down with anybody who can bash out a few notes on a guitar, piano, nose-flute etc. and learn with and from each other. Finally, finally, don't forget it's supposed to be FUN ! Myk

Hi Guys. Back again after a few busy days. I didn't expect to be still receiving replies after nearly two weeks. You lot are really friendly ! Not sure it will go to 5 pages though. I was a bit shy about naming the shop as the person said they had had a bit of a disagreement with BC in the past so it was a personal recommendation rather than a company endorsement from GAK in Brighton. He didn't say what the fall-out was about and I didn't ask. In this type of situation I think it is better to build a bridge and get over it. As for my avatar, CATS has finished now. I work mostly with amateur groups and they tend to have one week runs of their shows because of the cost of hiring theatres. I could have a Jet or a Shark as I'm rehearsing for West Side Story at the moment. Last time I did it, I printed a T-shirt for each of the rival gangs and wore them on alternate nights. Later this year, I'm playing for Starlight Express so maybe a steam loco or TGV? Then Copacabana early next year - maybe a scantily clad showgirl? At this rate, I would be changing my avatar every couple of months and I get confused enough as it is. Myk

I guess I'm lucky. These days I play almost exclusively sitting down in an orchestra pit so the weight of my Variax bass isn't a problem. However, if the pit isn't lowered out of the audience's eye-line you have to sit still so as not to be a distraction, leading to the well-known "Numb-Bum Syndrome". Still, most shows are two halves of about an hour with twenty minutes in between to restore the circulation. If I know the theatre has crappy seats for the band, I take my own comfy chair with me. Myk

When I go to a restaurant, i don't want to see all the packets and wrappings the ingredients came in, just nicely presented food on the plate. Same on stage, keep the cases and bags out of sight, either backstage or locked away in the car or van. Definitely make eye contact with the audience. Half my buzz comes from audience reaction. They won't react if you pretend they are not there. Or they will react by pretending you are not there. No buzz. Gaffer tape. Wonderful stuff without which most theatres would fall down. But please don't stick it all over my leads. It takes ages to remove the gooey residue. Velcro ties are great for keeping bundles of leads together and tidy. I have leads in a variety of lengths and use the shortest ones possible in any given situation so as not to have yards of spare cable waiting to snare the unwary. I also use white mains leads where possible so they are more visible. When I played in bands, we always had a choice of two or three sets of stage clothes so that we could dress appropriately for the venue eg smart suits for posh do's. Even our more casual rigs were themed so that it was obvious that we belonged together as a group. I'm not saying the clothes made us play any better but they made an impression that got us a lot of work and many repeat bookings. It comes down to attention to detail. If you are prepared to put as much effort into your band's appearance and stage presence as you do to your sound and playing, you will be all the better for it in my opinion. Myk

Nicely played sir and thanks for reminding me what a great bass line that song has. Always good to hear a melodic bass being played up the dusty end. Never was a great fan of prog rock or any other genre for that matter. Individual songs/tunes, well crafted and well executed with an unexpected or unusual element do it for me every time, regardless of their style or era. Must see if I can find the dots or tab for LITP now I've had the chance to hear it again. Incidentally, I was playing in a band in South Wales when it came out. We thought about learning it then realised we didn't have a flute player !! Myk

I've just noticed that my status has changed to "No Longer a Newbie" So thanks again for the warm welcome and I look forward to meeting you in the discussions. Myk

Thanks for that. I noticed a couple of weeks ago when I was familiarising myself with my new fretless that my thumb seemed to be floating and hardly ever touched the back of the neck. I tried forcing myself to use my regular thumb-at-the-back guitar grip but it felt wrong and uncomfortable. I decided to concentrate on what was happening at the front of the neck and let the thumb look after itself. Problem solved. When I look, I see that my thumb is usually pointing at the headstock but is ready to apply pressure if needed. Thanks again for the video. Myk

If it was easy, anybody could do it. It all comes down to practice and repetition. I don't understand how muscle memory works exactly but I know that it does work. Practice your bass lines enough and they will become automatic, allowing you to concentrate on the vocals. There's nothing as satisfying as knowing that you've added another dimension to your band's sound by being able to play and sing at the same time. Good luck. Myk

Thanks for the info guys. I'll probably try the D'Addario set first because I have them and like them on my other guitars. I'll keep the Picato's in mind though. Myk

Twigman, I'm going to be tearing off the Cleartone "treated" strings that came on my new fretless. The "treatment" seems to consist of a thin layer of black stuff that came off on my fingers in the first week of playing. I'm thinking of half rounds as a way of reducing string whistle while still keeping a degree of sharpness. I've never used half rounds on a fretless before and wondered what make you used that impressed you so much. Myk