xilddx

I got a tatty Japan Squier short scale HB Strat for £26 a couple of years ago. Really nice guitar, I sold it on ebay for £117.

If you want to go places, you need a good pair of shoes. Only a fool refuses to wear shoes because everyone else does, or refuses a free pair of good shoes because they're made by a big company who likes to know how you use them.

Oh no very very sad to hear of this.

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1393372863' post='2379601'] Maybe I should have kept it simple like your Beatles thread Nige, "Noob seeks education" [/quote] I still don't get the Beatles mate. Nothing about what they did speaks to me or moves me. It has little to do with the music.

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1393371303' post='2379585'] Of course there are bands/artists that I'm really into (not fanatical) but they're a bit more niche, and tend not to be the sort that are universally lauded by music critics and the like. I looked online for bands with the most fanatical/cult followings. A few I don't know, but for most of the others, I may not be into their music, but I can at least understand why they have such a profound effect on some people. Not so with the examples in the OP [/quote] Springsteen spoke about working people in the USA, they felt he represented them. Rush got their break with Working Man, people identified with the lyrics. It can be as simple as that, one line in a song that resonates with a lot of people. You have to tap into common thoughts to be REALLY successful. Couple that with a good melody, or a certain sound and attitude and emotion, and people will respond.

Is there a band you're fanatical about?

It's brilliant Ad! Love the song too. It's all totally in keeping with The Jetsonics vibe. You really have your sh*t together, a proper package. I could hear it on the radio and I'd know it was you lot immediately. Top work!

Surely you are supposed to contact the police.

The gallery have some 70s Fenders. Tried a nice Pelham Blue one. Vintage and Rare has gone.

[quote name='bassbbq' timestamp='1392826928' post='2373193'] Just bought the above mentioned '83 Fender Jazz. Nigel is a trustworthy and dependable buddy. And now i have a very fine Jazzbass [/quote] Thanks Oliver, delighted your happy with it. All the best man x

From our private party show for the South African Defence Force at the South African Embassy last night.

Interesting London Zulu gig at the South African Embassy, playing an event for the South African Defence Force. We had a General and a Full Colonel singing and dancing on stage after they asked us to do a song with them, they sang the melody and we improvised it, it was brilliant fun and they had great voices! A lovely evening with lovely people (and lovely wine and food!). Many of these people had fought against Apartheid and I felt honoured to play for them and hang with them after, they were a really good laugh This is the Full Colonel (on the right) who sang a song with us ..

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1392909668' post='2374069'] I didn't see it but Nile Rodgers was on so it can't have been all bad. [/quote] He accepted Daft Punk's award and came across as a bit of a self-aggrandising knob IMO.

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1392907767' post='2374034'] Desperation? Old Age? Shame on you! I'll have you know that R4 is the dogs doo-dahs of intelligent broadcasting. Where else can you hear programmes about the lives of contemporary scientists (The Life Scientific), sociological issues (Thinking Allowed), ruminations on the nature of statistics (More Or Less ), environmental issues (Costing The Earth), arts and culture reviews (Front Row, ), moral issues (The Moral Maze), all manner of history (In Our Time), as well as the usual plays and comedy, news and in-depth analysis. And that's without all the regular music programmes. One about 12-bar Blues already this week and an hour-long appreciation of the life and music of Pete Seger tomorrow at 9pm. I may be old, but there's no desperation about my wall-to-wall R4 around the house. Give it a fair try and you may never buy a television licence ever again. [/quote] Bang on mate. It's all I listen to apart from R3 occasionally.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1392889430' post='2373779'] Quite. I think I'm just bored of it, 'cos it's already been done. [/quote] Yeh, by Elvis Presley.

You know, if you use the right equipment, you can make almost any bass sound like almost any other bass. A 4-band parametric may solve all your problems. The GAS you have for a Dingwall is not rational, you have no idea how they feel or sound.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1392847811' post='2373578'] So why did she hide it under that hopeless affectation? Genuine question. I don't really know any of her stuff - she might not always sing like that. [/quote] She sings that way mate. That's her voice. Most singers use affectation.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1392845624' post='2373540'] Ellie Gouding? Sing properly, pet. The silly voice just sounds daft. [/quote] Hey man, she has a beautiful voice. Can't say I enjoyed that performance though, it's like ITV stuck a mic in the middle of the room to record it. Crap.

I'm usually on here defending the BRITs against those who say pop music is sh*t, but I'll be the first to admit that tonight is depressing. Appalling production from ITV, James Cordon comes over as a massive prick, and even Beyonce couldn't lift it, what a boring song and performance. Looking forward to seeing Ellie Goulding and if she can be the diamond in the dogshit.

Sounds like you are finding little excuses to buy a new bass Otherwise you would have changed the pickup or put a John East pre in it or summat. I've massively GASed for a Dingwall in the past too, but I have absolutely no thoughts of one now.

You need to find out what you consider to be 'improvising'. What does it mean to you? Why do you want to be a great improviser? What do you think you will achieve? Improvising is the result of other stuff - your imagination, the music you hear in your head, and the acquisition of the skills required to execute the music in your head quick enough to please and delight you, and hopefully the people around you. But really, you have to hear it in your head first, that's the real you. As Jake said to me, you have to play what you sing, not sing what you play. Please don't neglect rhythm, space and time signatures, and playing with the feel - pushing and pulling, tension and release. You can still improvise beautifully with these often relegated elements. You don't have to be able to fly all over the neck to improvise, you can play a simple melody and imbue it with emotion by repeating things, leaving space, little fast bits, slow bits, messing with polyrhthym and timing, and intervals. Then there are all those physical techniques that help you express yourself - you have to have something to say right? Getting all that visceral power out, putting your own personality into all the sh*t that inspires you, the sh*t that comes out your bass cabs. Hammer-ons, pull-offs, legato, slides, string skipping, cross-picking, fingering methods, using the thumb, slapping, tapping, which fret and string for a particular note, where you hit the string, switching from fingerstyle to pick, switching pickups, using effect pedals .. Improvising is MUCH more than melody and harmony, it's everything, every nuance that means something to you or came from you. Listening really is the key thing, like others have said. You need inspiration from many sources. And it's not just listening to music, listen to people, listen to machinery, listen to your own surroundings. Think about how music, and everything else, affects how you feel. Then try to find out why. You may not find out but it's the thinking about it that's important. Then, somehow, you have to learn how to get all that sh*t out of your fingers at the speed of thought. And really, it doesn't matter how much you know about theory and techniques, it's about balancing what gives YOU a buzz with what is musically empathic with the rest of the ensemble, and the audience. Be true to your personality, put time and effort into acquiring the tools you need to be happy playing and developing taste and judgement. There are very many ways of learning this stuff so do what fires you up with the help of someone more experienced who you resonate with.

I watched a bit, but I found it didn't interest me so I switched off. No disrespect to the Gwizmon, but I don't really dig what he does. I always hope peeps with those kind of very high skill, experience and knowledge levels would really push the boundaries and execute some really beautiful music that has finesse and panache - lush harmony, gorgeous melody, punch, drive, power, saturated with emotion - but everything he does sounds mundane and unimaginative to my ears. And I have a deep aversion for his scat singing, there's something very weird and uncomfortable about it for me. He does talk sense though, he seems like a good mentor.

Most amateur bassists think there's always a better bass around the corner from what I've seen on here. Tastes change, requirements change, skill and knowledge improve. There's a love of new shiny sh*t to consider. I thought I had a bass for life with my Warwick ChromeTone, then I sold it for a '83 USA Jazz which blew me away. I just sold that and bought my mate's Fender Japan Power Jazz to free up some cash for car repairs, and you know what, I love it. And I just found out that for some reason, when I tune Drop D, the E string's tension and playability is better than any bass I've had, it just works, it doesn't feel slack or rattly at all, no idea why. It's things like this that can make a bass a stayer. I think you have to play a bass to know if you connect with it, and then you have to play it a while to find out if that connection becomes solid. It can be a long journey. If you find yourself playing THROUGH the instrument and not ON it, it could be THE ONE, for a while. Two things I do know is that I would NEVER commission a custom bass thinking it might be THE ONE. Not a chance. The other is that the more I play the less I give a sh*t about my instruments and buying new ones. As long as it looks good, feels good, and is reliable and well made, then that's enough.

Great stuff Chris! Congratulations!

Oliver just bought my 1983 USA Fender Jazz. It's been a swift and pleasant experience and totally hassle free. Oliver is a very nice guy to deal with. Thanks Oliver, I hope you love the bass as much as I do. Cheers, Nigel x