XB26354

I think your original post confused [i]rules[/i] with [i]music theory[/i]. I also think you are confused between the conventions that are used to describe music and the freedom we have to make such music.

Huh? You posed the question of "rules" in the first place, so why not answer your own questions? There [i]are[/i] no "rules". Theory is a way to document and order sounds that occurred first in nature (eg overtone series) and later through instruments (vibrating string or column of air). The history of music is a gradual acceptance of more and more dissonance. As I see it, "rules" refers to harmony or melody rules laid down in (classical) harmony books, like not using consecutive perfect 5th or octaves. In this case even "classical" composers have broken these rules. So, what is the point of the topic?

Not specifically about a jazz bass but I never played a bass with a maple board and a low B that I liked. Someone mentioned that the density of the fretboard does something to the way the lowest frequencies sound. I've owned Deluxe Jazz 5, Sadowsky MV5, Stingray 5, Dingwall ABZ 5 and played tons of Laklands, NYC Sads etc and not one of them had a B that had the same timbre, sustain or clarity that the other strings had. Maple definitely changes the tone all other things being equal, by a pretty small amount to my ears, but adds a bit of "clank" or attack to the note. Wenge is my board of choice - I've had it on so many basses and it adds that low-mid growl and deep punch that I prefer - admittedly to a very small degree, but I can hear and feel it.

I once played in a jazz function band where we had free improvised numbers. We could all play well, read etc and got a lot of corporate and Christmas gigs with some of the more upmarket firms. Even though I think the standard of music we made was pretty high, every improv number bombed without exception (although strangely playing St Thomas straight afterward got a rapturous reception!) I could probably drop into a totally improvised situation but it doesn't really appeal to me, not because it would be too hard (which is very possible), but because it has limited appeal to an audience, unless it is in between more familiar bits - people just love something they recognise, whatever the genre.

... just as every musician tries to do, regardless of what theory knowledge they have. I tend to equate it to an artist with colours on their palette. Some very fine artists can produce stunning works with just red, blue and green. However, it would be a dull world if no artists knew how to paint with all the other colours. There obviously is a place for musicians with no formal knowledge, just as there is for those that have learned the academic side (which tends to appear in most walks of life, including the arts).

I'm not familiar with the book in question, but bearing in mind all the learning material out there (plus YouTube and of course, Basschat), surely there is a better resource than a For Dummies book, even if it is well written? In my experience, if you sort out the plucking hand early on you save years of wasted effort later trying to unlearn and relearn. I speak from experience - at some stage, if you have inefficient technique, you will run out of "speed headroom". In pure physics terms it would be hard to play a note on one string and then immediately a note on the next lowest string more quickly with two fingers than by raking, but if not done carefully and cleanly you can lose control. I would get a couple of lessons with a good teacher to look at plucking hand techniques, as things aren't usually so clear-cut as they are with the fretting hand. One finger, two fingers, three fingers, four fingers, use the thumb or not, rest strokes or not, floating thumb or not, rake or don't rake? Or a combination of several, depending on what you play? If you can find out what works for you and enables you to play accurately and quickly with good tone, then you've answered your question. With regard to emphasis, try playing the loud notes at med-loud volume, but make the quiet notes really quiet. It helps with control and to get more dynamics in your playing. Also try lines starting with the index and then starting with the middle finger (assuming two-finger plucking hand technique) - it helps to even out your plucking so index and middle sound the same (when you want them to).

I think you'll find he was quoting Charlie Parker - "learn the changes and forget 'em". The basis of this quote is to know the information forwards, backwards and upside down until you don't have to think about it. Then you can just make music based on what you hear.

[quote name='Bilbo' post='894443' date='Jul 14 2010, 09:37 AM']This may help (bearing in mind XB26354's alterations to my chords) [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=59948&hl=walk+between+the+raindrops"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...n+the+raindrops[/url][/quote] Do you know, I think The Goodbye Look is the only track I've never seen a transcription for. Lucas Pickford doesn't have it and I think all the other tracks have been posted here at some time or another. hmmm afternoon project looming!

Brilliant album. IGY is my favourite, only AJ could have the audacity to not play on the one. Green Flower St is an awesome groove and New Frontier is a masterclass in note placement. What else can you say - AJ, Chuck Rainey, Marcus, Abe Laboriel and Will Lee on one album. Then there's the other musicians - Greg Phillinganes, James Gadson, Jeff Porcaro, Randy and Michael Brecker, Valerie (of Ashford and) Simpson, Larry Carlton, Ed Green, Steve Jordan and Steve Khan. Strange he never toured or followed it up.

I firmly believe that limitations are in people's heads. I had a long argument about reading and theory on here with someone long ago. In the end you can reach a destination by more than one route. You can choose to learn theory and read music or you can choose not to. Depending on your goals you can be successful either way. If you can't feel it and hear it as a part of you, the printed page will not help!

It's because the Aeolian mode has a minor 6th degree (eg C-D-Eb-F-G-[b]Ab[/b]-Bb-C). This is a semitone clash with the 5th of the scale, which is one of the most stable intervals (and right after the octave in the overtone series), and also a chord tone for both triads and 7th chords. As the Dorian mode has a major 6th degree (e.g. C-D-Eb-F-G-[b]A[/b]-Bb-C), it tends to sound better against a straight minor 7th chord. There is of course a semitone difference between the major 6th and minor 7th (A-Bb), and this is slightly dissonant (as is playing a major 6th over any minor chord), but less so than a minor 6th against the 5th. The one place the Aeolian tends to be used is in a VI-II-V-I progression (e.g., Am7-Dm7-G7-Cmaj7), because if you look at the modes of the major scale, the Aeolian is the sixth mode (A Aeolian in the key of C), so fits the VI chord (Am7 here) well. The Aeolian is not wrong, just a little more dissonant over a given minor or min7th chord.

The basic areas to master are (in general order of importance); 1) Timing and feel - without this you'll struggle as bass is fundamentally a rhythm instrument. 2) Ears - you need to be able to hear what music sounds like and see it on the bass. 3) Technique - if you can hear the idea but you can't play it, you'll have problems. Technique is purely a means to an end - to allow you to have the freedom to execute what you hear. 4) Theory and reading - not essential but very helpful both for self-education, and in the professional world of theatre, musical and the handful of pro reading gigs there are nowadays. If you want to be versatile and play lots of styles then try to listen to as much of the music in those styles as possible. With most forms of music and bass playing the answers are in the music you listen to. If you're at all serious about points 3 and 4 then I'd recommend a decent teacher, to save potentially years of wasted effort learning, unlearning and relearning stuff. If you just want to rock out better then get in a decent band if possible and play with better musicians so you can learn from them. Ultimately it's about what you really want from bass playing. You don't need all four to be successful, but without good timing and feel, and good ears, you may struggle to improve. You mention targets - these are best worked out and set by a teacher as someone needs to see exactly how/what you play, what you're good at and what needs work before suggesting anything.

I don't think moving it from 3/4 to 4/4 helped either.

What are you getting stuck playing? I hesitate to suggest learning some jazz, but, maybe learn some jazz? The reason is that the familiar chord changes are there, but substitutions and variations introduce chromaticism, which may get you out of your rut. Try learning tunes like Body and Soul and Chelsea bridge, as they're in tricky keys for piano. Or even So What (Eb minor is always a blast on piano). Then there is the old adage of playing everything in all 12 keys - perhaps take things you know and transpose them round the cycle of fourths (that is C-F-Bb-Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-B-E-A-D-G and back to C in case you don't know).

I'd be happy to have 1) A decent description 2) A photo or two 3) The seller's location 4) The price It beats me why some people bother, I mean, can you put less effort into a [b]sale[/b] thread?

Bear in mind that the "budget" versions of these two manufacturers are quite different. The Combustion series is made in China to Dingwall's specs but ime is very much a factory-made feeling bass. The Metros from Sadowsky are pitched at a significantly higher price bracket and are pretty much hand made. If Roger Sadowsky recommends buying a Metro over an NYC if you don't want a custom colour or fancy top then he must have complete confidence in them. The Gallery currently has an M5-24, Hybrid PJ5, and a Dingwall Combustion. Also check out the Canadian-made ABZ - a little more expensive than the Combustions, but feels different class (light as a feather too). If you can get to London it'd be worth paying a visit to make your mind up. Personally speaking I would go with a Sadowsky Metro (and I'd choose the Hybrid PJ5 because it is more versatile than the Modern) as they look the business, and the brand has a more popular profile than Dingwall, so should you tire of it you'll find it a lot easier to move on without losing too much money. EDIT - just realised you were talking about the NYC and the Super J. Well, NYC models are going to cost you around $4000 plus duty and VAT, and the last Super J that the Gallery had in was £2775. Great basses of course, but I'd buy a Metro and spend the rest of the money on a nice holiday

George Benson is the man for that (as in scat with soloing) - absolutely brilliant (esp early days) and very musical.

Just undo a couple of screws in the boiler room - should sort you for an afternoon...

I hate to trot this one out in this kind of debate, but the value of anyone's opinion on a subject is related to their knowledge and experience of the subject. As I don't personally know the vast majority of Basschatters I take most people's opinions with a large dose of salt (including my own!) Likes and dislikes are by nature a very personal thing, and aren't really worth arguing about, as no-one is likely to change the opinion of someone with a differing view. However, check out what he has played on - [url="http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:gifwxqtgld6e~T4"]http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&a...gifwxqtgld6e~T4[/url] - yes, 8 pages of credits going back 30 years. If he didn't groove or satisfy other peoples' need he would not have had such a long career. You can say the same about Will Lee, Chuck Rainey, Freddie Washington, Anthony Jackson, Abe Laboriel, Neil Stubenhaus or any of the top studio guys from the 70's that are still active. They're from a different generation, but have had careers that guys like Janek and Hadrien will never be able to match due to the changes in the way that music is made over the last 30 years. It's also great that guys like John Paul Jones, Geddy Lee, Geezer Butler, John Entwistle et al played in basically one band for most of their peak period. It's a different approach but I don't think anyone can say that one way of making music is better than another, just different. Personally, I'm not a big fan of MM's solo slap groove smooth jazz records, but he [i]can[/i] groove. No-one plays with all those artists without something special.

+1, they're nowhere near the US models in terms of looks, tone or build quality. Love the Tobias/MTD shape though.

I'd recommend the Latin Bass Book. It takes you from a basic clave (breaking the "western" dependency on bass on the one) through to some quite obscure and tricky South American styles. It has tons of reading practice and 3 very good CD's with all the examples you need. A lot of the early examples go on for quite a while, which is really helpful when learning to play tumbaos and unison rhythms. Yes, it is not cheap, but out of all the music education books I have ever purchased, it was one of the most enlightening and useful. The Real Cuban Bass is an English/Spanish history of salsa and other styles - a good read but not really practice, more as a reference book. The Salsa Guidebook for Piano and Drums - a very useful "band" book, but like Brazilian Music Workshop, not really geared towards bass. Great for appreciating what other instruments play. Funkifying the Clave - good once you understand salsa pretty well, but not a "learning" book on latin music as the original examples are a bit brief imho. Of course, it depends how much you know about latin already!

Where is it buzzy? 1.) From 1st to 5th fret - nut is probably cut too low. Get the nut built up or replaced. 2.) Around the 5th-15th frets - neck is too straight. Adjust the truss rod. 3.) At the top of the neck - not enough clearance. Raise the action (and straighten the neck if necessary).

Just bought a Toby Pro 6. Arrived very quickly and the packaging was totally bombproof. Exactly as described too! Mark's a great guy to deal with and I wouldn't hesitate doing business again!

That's happened to me more than a few times. I put it down to a flaw in the design and replaced them with oversized normal buttons.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='883119' date='Jul 1 2010, 04:03 PM']Probably the first time it's been played without nonsensical widdling.[/quote] Total crap mate.