xilddx

[quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1322237791' post='1448469'] Vinkhuyzen, AAE, van der Sluis, S, Posthuma, D and Boomsma, DI (2009) The Heritability of Aptitude and Exceptional Talent Across Different Domains in Adolescents and Young Adults. Behavior Genetics 39, 380-392. Abstract: The origin of individual differences in aptitude, defined as a domain-specific skill within the normal ability range, and talent, defined as a domain specific skill of exceptional quality, is under debate. The nature of the variation in aptitudes and exceptional talents across different domains was investigated in a population based twin sample. Self-report data from 1,685 twin pairs (12-24 years) were analyzed for Music, Arts, Writing, Language, Chess, Mathematics, Sports, Memory, and Knowledge. The influence of shared environment was small for both aptitude and talent. Additive and non-additive genetic effects explained the major part of the substantial familial clustering in the aptitude measures with heritability estimates ranging between .32 and .71. Heritability estimates for talents were higher and ranged between .50 and .92. In general, the genetic architecture for aptitude and talent was similar in men and women. Genetic factors contribute to a large extent to variation in aptitude and talent across different domains of intellectual, creative, and sports abilities. [/quote] So there we have it.

[quote name='bremen' timestamp='1322234889' post='1448403'] He'll be along any time now to ask us to take our tongues out of his arse ;-) [/quote]

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1322234407' post='1448391'] Well the way I see it that is that for the first 20 years they churned out album after album of mostly brilliant and varied material. Most bands/artists over that period struggled to produce one album that would stand up well against the top 5 or 6 rush efforts. And along the way they have brought enormous pleasure to millions and inspired a generation to pick up and/or improve on their respective instruments. Given all that I'm quite happy for them to have a "working retirement", having fun producing new stuff and going out to play it even if much of it isn't upto the standard of some of the old stuff. [/quote] I like your post, it has real warmth and spirit And I agree for the most part. However, how many more live albums, DVDs, repackaged box sets, repackaged/remastered CD/DVD box sets, anthologies, special edition box sets with original artwork, tour programmes, etc. etc. should one band put out?

[quote name='ShergoldSnickers' timestamp='1322232755' post='1448358'] Very clever bloke and he knew far more than he generally let on. When he did let on, was often equally deft at putting either side of an argument. A sort of Frankie Boyle with humour really. [/quote] That's the thing, I think he was as clever as he was mischievous, I miss his mischief, it was funny, and he brought out people's personalities which gave the meat and potatoes of the forum some very welcome horseradish sauce and helped foster the sense of community we value so much.

[quote name='frostis' timestamp='1322230089' post='1448287'] [sub]Sorry, silddx, but I can't agree about this statement.[/sub] [sub]I think that a bass solo can contain just as much interest, musicality and sensitiveness as any other instrument's at all. I love a good sax solo, I love a good guitar solo and I [/sub][sub]of course I adore a good bass solo.[/sub] [sub]As for Wooten's words, it is possibly true. But if the audience has got the possibility to see something really amazing (Tom Kennedy's shred, for instance), then they will surely like it. Of course not many bass players have got that capacity, so for the rest of us we will have to keep to the groove, just like VW says.[/sub] [/quote] Fair comments, especially the last point. However, as a solo instrument, the bass is pretty damn ugly, the timbre is terrible, the definition beyond playing 8th notes is crap, unless you have lots of treble and avoid the lower notes. That's why some folks are adding strings, playing chords and tapping with two hands, adding treble and chorus, just so their bass playing can sound more like a regular guitar. There are people who like to eat fermented whale blubber for breakfast, but they are few and far between.

[quote name='Len_derby' timestamp='1322228575' post='1448257'] Exactly. The reason why (IMO) most drum solos are excruciating is they dump the groove of the song in about 2 seconds of starting the solo. [/quote] Solo = 'Let me show you what I've been practising this week. I have manage to get VERY fast at it. I bet you wish you could do this too. Please visit nigelclutterbuck.com after the show'

[quote name='Panamonte' timestamp='1322124364' post='1446666'] Really looking forward to that - and nice to stumble across another member of the BC/BBC clan [/quote] You're BBC too? I suppose there must be a few of here! I sadly didn't get to see the programme

He is 100% bang on. The only people who like all that fancy widdly sh*t are other musicians who are probably a bit deluded. I really hate solo bass, EXCEPT, if it's grooving, same with drum solos.

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1322214714' post='1447935'] I thought The Big Beef Chief was a disruptive knob for the most part if truth be told, I didn't find him amusing, more controversial for the attention seeking hell of it and I didn't care much for his presence at all. But that's just the colour and thread material of my stitch in the rich tapestry of life, isn't it? It happened to clash with his. [b]I am usually pretty disappointed with the people I find on the top of pedestals.[/b] [/quote] I'm not sure what you mean by this. Disappointed with Nelson? Phil Lynott? Or do you mean the self build pedestal?

I just bought the new issue and had a very swift glance. I can see a few changes already, and I don't mind the new paper at all. I'll have a good read later. And thanks again Ben for your replies above.

Fantastic response Ben, thank you! Glad you're thinking of featuring more diverse players, especially roots players. I think a few of us 'normal' bassists feel under pressure these days that if we can't sightread and improvise upper register extended chords over II V I progressions we are somehow less worthy as bassists than Anthony Jackson and unlikely to get good gigs. The proliferation of interviews with highly technical bassists in the Jazz Funk arena seems to compound this. I think we should celebrate our diversity rather than suggest there is a blueprint for the ideal bassist, which is what I seem to get from the bass publications, but not nearly so much in the guitar mags.

[quote name='SteveK' timestamp='1322181942' post='1447783'] I'm sorry Nigel, I know you liked him, but the guy didn't know how to behave. Re: the linked thread, I don't see what's funny about his opening contribution to the thread, or this comment in the same post, Was this in reply to a sexist, racist. homophobic etc post? No, it was in reply to a fairly innocuous post about... (surprise, surprise) bass guitars. I didn't read the rest of the thread, but it's hardly surprising that it was locked. I'm not sure his 'nose for bullshit' was any keener than the next person. I think he saw an opportunity for a good scrap, lobbed his hand-grenade and, IMO, relished the fallout. My memory of him is of someone obsessed with Carol Vorderman's backdoor activities. We all like a laugh, but it did get tedious. BC is just a little bit more grown up without him. [/quote] Yeah, a big part of me agrees with you, but I think that although most of us wish we had a lovely Utopian society where everyone is polite and respectful of each other, that's usually because of fear of physical danger or loss of wellbeing. However, life isn't like that and human nature being what it is, we need a bit of entertainment and a way of letting off steam, living vicariously, or sharpening our intellect and challenging our own perceptions and egos under pressure. I can't remember seeing a film in which everyone is polite, we like to see or participate in conflict from a safe distance. This forum can be like that sometimes. And like it or not, we are all children under this mask of adulthood. Basschat seemed to be more playful a couple of years ago, I sort of miss that.

[quote name='bencooper' timestamp='1322151325' post='1447290'] Hi Silddx, Thanks for the kind words. I will try my best to catch those proofing errors. In my experience most of those tend to be when last minute changes are made "on screen" to something. I know how frustrating they can be, and they do leap out at you when you're a reader. The only thing I'd say in the magazine's defence is that I've yet to see a magazine that doesn't contain typos, layout errors etc. Not that this is an excuse, just that they do happen - but I'll see what can be done about tightening things up. As for the reviews, well you probably better not look at the star ratings in this issue...but what I will say is that I won't give out 4 stars and 5 stars to just good-enough basses - and I think that in this issue all the product deserved their respective ratings. As for blandness, do you mean they weren't critical enough, or that the writing wasn't lively enough? Glad to hear from you! best Ben [/quote] Thanks Ben. With reviews, the prospective audience for a particular quality of bass never seemed to be considered. So you would have the same level of critique and information on a £3k bass as you would a £79 P copy. I saw a review of an expensive Yamaha (BB3000 I think, the one that apparently weighed 15kgs lol! [it was the weight with hardcase that was given] ) for instance, and there was a photo of the bridge with a caption that said [i]'The bridge is adjustable for height and intonation'[/i], well yeah, I hope so on a £2k electric bass! The reviews should be tailored to the market more carefully. We don't need to know that the bookmatched bubinga drop top looks really pretty with its swirls and patterns. We can see that in the photographs, and I might think it's looks horrible. I think people want measurements, nut width, neck depth and width, action, string spacing. Impressions of tone should be agreed across the board so reveiwers describe the tone more accurately. I think readers read reviews for pleasure as well as for prospective purchase and comparison, so entertaining writing style is desirable too. Interviews seem ok, but Mike Flynn really sets the bar for me. I thought that as soon as he started writing for BGM, before I realised he was [b]a[/b] Basschat member! I know these things are hard to get right mate, and you can't please everyone. Some quality control on the proofing would be a great start. All the best, Nigel

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1322150727' post='1447280'] Must admit, I never really understood why Geddy is so highly rated. As a fan, the OP can't remember the last great bass line he put out. As a non-fan, I can't remember hearing a Rush track and thinking 'Wow, that is some great bass playing and/or songwriting'... [/quote] He's highly rated because he can play fast and sing at the same time while navigating some difficult arrangements. Rush are innovators and in a class of their own, they used to write some incredible music. However, what Geddy plays, while being fast is actually not very complex or difficult, it just takes good technique, stamina and a good ear. It's not compositionally amazing bass or anything, a lot of it is boxes and patterns.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1322149654' post='1447268'] There's just no [i]melody [/i]in the lines anymore. Come on, Geddy... sort it out! [/quote] Or harmony. Their songwriting is very poor these days. I don't like his vocal melodies, the awful mixing and mastering. There's no sweetness to their songs anymore, no energy, no beauty. They seem to have so little to say. I got the latest Time Machine live CD last week, I can't listen to it. Even my old favourites sound so tired. You have no idea how much it hurts me to say all this. I've grown up adoring them.

The Analog Kid has immense power and energy, so does Digital Man. I don't think he's done much of any real note since Hold Your Fire.

[quote name='bencooper' timestamp='1322145492' post='1447182'] Hello everyone, I'm Ben the new Editor of Bass Guitar Magazine. Not sure if I should resurrect this thread, or if I'm just asking for a kicking... In answer to Jondeeman's query as to why all the lefty stuff, it was simply a case of logistics for that issue. I was in a position where I had to get some basses reviewed quickly, due to issues with the handover from my previous magazine and Bass Guitar Magazine (something I won't go in to here as it's lengthy and far too boring). It was just one of those times where things didn't run entirely smoothly and so I had to review a load of basses myself. You'll find that from next issue this isn't the case, and that left handed basses will crop up in a more proportional manner from now on! I'm not about to go more niche and make it Left Hand Bass Guitar Magazine Anyway, I hope that clears this up. It wasn't some kind of political correctness gone mad (sorry to sound like the Daily Mail), it was just out of necessity. best Ben [/quote] Hello Ben, good of you to join us! I was going to have a look at BGM but WH Shith still have last month's with Michael Anthony on the cover. When I used to buy the magazine regularly it usually hit the shelves around the 20th. Also, do you have any plans to improve the quality of proofing the mag. I used to subscribe but the colossal amount of errors in the type and photos, even the music notation just put me right off. Almost all the reviews were 4 star too, and rather bland. Nick improved things a bit but there's still lots of room for maneouvre IMO. Anyway, very best of luck with your new job. Cheers!

I dropped my MacBook last week and it stopped working, so it's in the Apple Store being repaired. I've had about a week without being able to see Basschat at weekend or evenings. You know what I did instead? I dug out a Bass Builders book that I bought and barely looked at, Fingerboard Harmony by Gary Willis. I have been studying for about an hour a day, and I have made great progress, I can see basic major, minor and augmented arpeggios all over the fingerboard in any key already and have started making connections and recognising patterns after a few hours. It's given me a lot of pleasure and I feel very encouraged. I'd also started to post a lot less and now I feel even less inclined to. I freely admit to missing the greatly entertaining fiery arguments on the BC of old. One of the first I saw was this one, I was hooked on BC from then on, and you know what, BigBeefChief was what made it so entertaining for me because he really was funny, and also had a great nose for bullshit. It was locked eventually of course [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/23404-students-squire-almost-as-good-as-my-mia-fender/"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/23404-students-squire-almost-as-good-as-my-mia-fender/[/url]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1322141932' post='1447081'] Depends entirely on your finger and pick techniques. When I play with a pick it sound completely different to when I play with fingers which is one of the reasons why I use both styles. [/quote] Same here.

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1322070625' post='1446206'] quote>>> I however detest solo bass on almost all occasions, the motives for doing so are very rarely musical. so exactly what are Victor Wootens motives for playing a bass solo... hes not very musical and hes doing it to show off?... [/quote] Wooten is clearly extremely musical, as is Manring. But if one has that level of technical skill, there is sometimes a desire to explore technical possibilities within a framework where the musical element is secondary. In addition, extreme technical displays are crowd pleasers and people being what they so often are, a display of great ability gains credibility with an audience. I stand by my opinion that motives to play solo bass are not often primarirly musical.

[quote name='bremen' timestamp='1322135076' post='1446896'] I've been misreading your posts all this time. I thought they were generally humanist, rational and eloquently called 'bullshit' on the 'hang-em, flog-em, bring-back-national-service-for-nonces' faction. [/quote] You haven't misread them at all mate. But thanks

Like Pete I am finding that when I have a look at Basschat, I find it of less interest than I used to. But I think this is because of me much more than the forum. Basschat has always been distraction therapy for me, I've leanrned an enormous amount about bass playing and equipment, enough for now, and any help I can offer is usually given by others before I get a chance. Also, so many questions have now been answered that a quick search is all that's necessary, so it's more of a wiki than a forum in the bass related areas. Off Topic is my favourite place because I'm an opinionated, judgemental, argumentative, self-righteous, vain, passionate knobend with a dim view of humanity and it's behaviour. Off Topic is a place for me to stimulate and satisfy this base, needy side of my my personality. I think there's a good few of us on here that have similar attributes. However, after a while we get to know, respect and like each other, and arguments become tamer. I think new members notice there is a strong community and many possibly feel less able to come in shouting than some of us may have done during the forum's infancy, I imagine it could look quite intimidating in OT for some. I also think that long familiarity with the forum means it's not the social delight it felt like when you first join. I looked at OT on the date I joined and it seemed so much fun back then, a revisit last week showed it was of the same, or of even lower, level of interest as it is now. It's me who's changed, much more than the forum has. It's a fantastic forum. I do think fiery topics get locked unnecessarily from time to time through overzealous moderation when they would have levelled out through self moderation, and although I personally find that extremely frustrating, it happens rarely. Long live Basschat.

[quote name='jakesbass' timestamp='1322039115' post='1445610'] He's a nice player, but I find melodies like that on the bass a bit unpalatable (I think it's a register thing) where as this: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNxiE1edUNg[/media] This guy does a few Jackson things, and I think he really captures the vibe [/quote] Very very beautiful. Some of that gave me the shivers. Why would anyone think a bass can do something like that and sound beautiful? It will never sound as beautiful and sweet as a guitar. Bassists should be youtube exhibitionists in what bass does best, not try to emulate other instruments they can't come close to. The only real solo bass I thought was really lovely, and emotionally played was something Kevin Glasgow did.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1322059489' post='1445992'] I'm glad somebody else thought that as well. I thought there was far too much fret buzz & general clankiness as well. [/quote] I generally thought it was quite well played but very unpleasant as a listen. I'm not sure why someone of his apparent stature would put something like that up. Having said that, clearly some people enjoy that sort of thing. I however detest solo bass on almost all occasions, the motives for doing so are very rarely musical.

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1321970352' post='1444909'] Really enjoy his playing...... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or8M3C6GuCs&feature=related[/media] [/quote] I found it unlistenable due to the awful level of reverb on it. Is he sponsored by Lexicon or summat?