NickD

Oh of course, they stole it all from the poor working class Tommy, and hoarded it in lieu of losing the war... Still, when all that money comes back, Jacob Rees-Mogg is personally going to make sure it's fairly distributed among the communities in which it's needed most .. I mean that's obvious, innit? They've been dying to level up the north ever since it was destroyed by... *checks notes*... er, them.

Don't believe the unbelievers, it's grown on the sunlit, west-facing slagheaps of what was Manvers Colliery, between Swinton and Wath Upon Dearne! (Only kidding, after decades of neglect by UK governments, the Dearne Valley area was identified as one of the most impoverished in Europe, and the whole colliery site was landscaped and regenerated, mostly with EU funds. 🤣)

It's all just pitches and rhythms, do it on whatever lets you enjoy it the most, and switch when something isn't floating your boat anymore. I've had to play lots of guitar recently for some recordings, and I think it's improved my bass playing if anything. I can't imagine wanting to play anything other than bass live, but I'm surrounded by guitars, ukes, mandolins, drums and a keyboard.... They all feed into the same stream.

Nicely done!😎

I'd ask him what songs he likes, then figure out what's do-able from them. I don't think there's much that sparks interest more than jamming along to something you love in the early days. (Unless he says he loves Victor Wooten, in which case teach him Mustang Sally)

I'd recommend keeping a relatively expensive clip on tuner attached to the end of the headstock. After smashing the first 2 or 3 you'll find you're much more careful.

Nowt, nada, nichts here. I've not covered anything for years. Sitting down to play or record it never occurs to me to play anything by someone else.

It's a cool tune! Being a bit of a genius, I found the problem was solved by simply pressing play again!🤣

I have figured out a way of upping the average quality of submissions to this months comp.... by not making a submission myself! 🤣

Should have been longer! (Not a criticism, or advice, or anything... I just wanted that chorus again! 🤣)

Probably, but that's a luxury us mere mortals don't have... at least not this mere mortal. It needs to be logistically managable (ie, fit in my car), and I've written the new tunes with one eye on being able to get by as a 3 piece live. The 6 would be useful for that, but the extra weight and stretch is something I'd like to avoid getting into long term. It's all compromise I guess.

Oh don't get me wrong, its a corner I'm happy to be in. I did consciously avoid going further recently though. One track on the current recording was written on a sixer, then after it was done I had a think and replaced the part, to avoid having to take a sixer out for one tune. I love playing the six, but it's a seated gig only thing for me, and I'm not one for taking multiple basses to a gig.

For the sake of convenience, yes, I reckon I do. I've not had a 4 string since about 1990, and it's just how I play now. I don't think there's anything I've recorded, either for my own projects or for other things I've contributed to that I could play the same part on a 4, I tend towards low. Possibly I could faff around with multiple basses, different stringing/tunings, but why would I when one instrument will do the trick. I guess I've painted myself into a corner.

I think we are conditioned into it to an extent, but I guess listening habits can make a difference. Having grown up with Grunge (by which I mean it was my big thing early on in my bass journey), 7/8 is really natural to me, just because it was present in so many tracks I loved and learned at the time. Similarly 5/4, having that same 'clipped' feel works quite well in my head too. I'm guessing that kids who are spending their formative years playing Tool, Animals as Leaders, and crazy stuff like that will be much freer in their odd meter approach. Maybe it will all feel much more natural to them.

I'm sure they filmed that knowing it would cause musicians to grind their teeth! 🤣 The whole of 'Some Tales from the Rotten Shed' is brilliant. The version of Jibber and Twitch on there is phenomenal.... IMO of course.

Regarding the immediate problems, It's probably worth bearing in mind that Germany has just gone back into lockdown. Thomann just posted on FB that they're closing the store from the 16th. Obviously the online side is still running, but I'd guess everything there is pretty crazy.

Genius! Week 1 - Broadcast interview with Peter Hook & bang on about his signature model. Week 2 - Lose remaining bass custom.

I had a couple of Roland cables from Dave. Described as like new, and they were indeed. Easy, pleasant communication throughout, posted the next day and at my door shortly after. Thanks Dave!

I loved Thomann, but they've not been the source of bargains they were since the (obviously unrelated to anything) demise of Sterling that started in 2016. In a pinch, for little things I'll use G4M, GAK, or Andertons, and I've not experienced any customer service issues. For Drum stuff I find Drumshack in Sarf London great. Bass-wise, I reckon I've stockpiled enough to get me through until we're using the Euro, or I can escape, whichever comes first. For the inevitable GAS attacks it's the Basschat Marketplace all the way.

Ah well, I guess they do have a Christmassy effect.... My first thought was 'Jesus Christ'!🤣

Or you could take it just one little step further.....

That's brilliant.... again!😎

I'm not up for covers at the moment, writing, refining and recording is where it's at for me in terms of enjoyment.... Plus I don't like crowds, and playing originals tends to discourage people gathering. 🤣 But! We auditioned loads of guitarists a while ago, and while we saw some blazing players, the only one of them who learned the tunes properly, and had any idea of how to play in a band context had only ever played in cover bands. There's a method and a discipline that comes from it.