XB26354

Fender stopped making the US Precision Deluxe in 2007. The twin jazz in that bass isn't like a humbucker at all, more like a slightly fatter bridge Jazz. It's also apparently the one used in the Roscoe Beck V.

Just bought Alan's precision deluxe 5. He was very patient with my indecision and a pleasure to deal with. I'd certainly buy from or sell to Alan again without worry. Mat

We don't usually use different ascending and descending versions of the melodic minor, normally when improvising you use the ascending form in both directions (although there's bno reason not to use it if you like the sound, but jazzers tend to think of the descending form as an aeolian mode). The Lydian dominant is just a mode of the melodic minor, and improvising a fourth above the root of a minor chord/key sounds cool (G in D minor is thought of as being one if the extended intervals, the 11th). It can also imply a sus sound, as in Gmin7/D. You could use any of the melodic minor modes, or D blues scale, or in fact any D minor variant. You do have to pay attention to how you handle the transition to and from the Eb7 chord though. G Lydian Dominant shares G, A (#11), C# (Db, the b7) and F with Eb7(#11) and E gives it an Eb7#9 flavour.

Just sold Manu my Matt Pulcinella 6-string. Very pleasant to deal with, would buy/sell again. Cheers Mat

NOOO!!! Interparcel are crap to N Ireland. I sent something to TheGroovyPlucker and not only did they not guarantee any delivery date, but they took 3 working days to deliver and charged me/us more than £100 for a non-existent "premium" service... Try TNT or even Parcelfarce - at least they can do next day.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='1033070' date='Nov 22 2010, 07:12 PM']I wouldn't stress about learning the so-called "floating thumb" picking technique. Hardly anybody uses it because it's an over-engineered solution to a non-problem.[/quote] It might be on a 4-string (although I know mcgraham uses it on a 4) but not if you've got more than that. I didn't even know it was called that and naturally developed it when I started playing 6-strings about 15 years ago. Doesn't mean it's not worth a go. I've got a guitar book by Ivor Mairants (who in addition to being a very fine classical guitarist was a pioneer of the "floating wrist" guitar technique, i.e., not rest ring or ring/little fingers on the top of the guitar). He was good friends with both Wes Montgomery and George Benson, both of whom, despite their very different styles, envied the fluidity and smoothness of Ivor's picking technique. The thumb anchor is comfortable and relatively easy on a 4 but I found certain things tricky to play. As soon as I got rid of the anchor (and got over the slightly unpleasant feeling of not knowing where I was) things became much smoother and easier. I also tend to play a little but lighter, which, depending on what your want to achieve, works nicely to fatten up the tone. Anyway, back on topic. Muting comes in various guises. By far the most annoying problem is a ringing low string. Low strings create a nasty rumble which you WILL hear in the studio (and the audience will hear onstage) and WILL muddy up your sound - fine if you want it, but what if you want to get rid of it? Again, as mcgraham suggested (I think), play the E, thumb on the pickup. Play the A, thumb on the E string. Play the D or G strings, thumb on the A string, with the fleshy part toward the hand lightly touching the E. As a final bit of advice, whatever you choose, make sure you are relaxed. Any tension will limit your technique and make your sound twitchy and uneven - something I learned from a drum teaching video, of all things!

Lots of transcriptions and reading practice! I've used Lucas Pickford's site for quite a long time - Lucas's transcriptions are good but some of the ones done by other people have some odd errors. I'm just finishing up transcribing the songs from the Nightfly and have come up with some quite different lines. One other thing that would be nice is, where possible, to put the chords in. I did a Yellowjackets track a while ago and learned more from transcribing the chords than I did from the bass line and solo.

[quote name='silddx' post='1026640' date='Nov 17 2010, 09:20 AM']Good work. However, you have not justified your remark with any explanation, rebuttal or theory of your own, so I will pay it no mind.[/quote] I was going to. In fact I wrote a long rebuttal based on a number of reasons, then realised it was in fact a waste of time because you can't change someone else's opinion. Even if they're wrong.

[quote name='silddx' post='1025606' date='Nov 16 2010, 10:41 AM']It's the same as what happened to the incredible guitarists of the eighties and nineties. They put mostly bland albums together as a way of guitar demonstration. And because there were so many guitarists in the world trying to be the same, the albums sold a bit. But where are they now? A few of them are session players, one or two are in decent bands making a living, some sell gear at trade shows and doe clinics and small club gigs for their long-standing fans. Survival of the fittest. The fittest appeal to a broader audience, possibly because they lead a different sort of life, possible more troubled as people, perhaps with slightly anti-social mores, or strange predilictions, or were just more connected with their world. But those things come through the music, and connect with people better. Anyway, i have rambled long enough, and some of the above is probably [b]bollacks[/b].[/quote] You said it!

I disagree. It's your opinion but I cannot hear this showing off of chops, I can hear decent composition, melodies that are not instantly forgettable and musicians listening hard to each other. No wonder he cleared off to the US...

I took Grade 8 years ago and got 97%. IIRC it included a couple of performances, some reading, theory knowledge etc. I still have the (very detailed) mark sheet. I didn't think much of it at the time (and it certainly doesn't mean I'm a great player), but I remember nailing it having been in the studio reading and recording all day prior to the exam. I think any exercise like this is worth it if you go into it positively as an experience. I actually got some gig contacts through the examiner... Back in my day there was no tab after Grade 5

Play slowly at first and make sure that you separate the dead notes from the plucked notes very clearly, as it's one of the best ways to get control (kind of like a drummer going from snare rim clicks to regular snare hits). If you don't use two or more fingers to dampen the string you'll get harmonics anyway. Listen to and watch Francis Rocco Prestia from Tower of Power - he tends to fret notes with the index and middle fingers and apply semi-damping with the third and litte fingers. Hard but very funky! For The Love Of Money by the O'Jays has one of most wicked plucked/damped parts. It's played with a pick - try playing fingerstyle. Most of the damped notes are on the G, 5th and 7th frets so you have to use whole hand dampening or it becomes a mess.