Bassjon

I think the problem with my first time was I was told 2 minutes before we went on stage for the first time 'its a big stage so you have to fill it by moving about'. Good job I brought my spare pants! But once I decided I was going to swim rather than sink it felt better and I'd rather do that than small pub stages where the bassist gets the least amount of respect. At small gigs heres what I find happens: 1) I help to get all the band gear in. No-one will help with the bass amp - I have to ask politely for a hand. Not sure why as its part of the gear! 2) As soon as the bass amp gets put in place it immediatly gets disrespected ie - drummers lean the cymbals against it, guitarists put their keys and coat and drinks on it. I would never do that to someone else's gear! Thats why I prefer bigger gigs/stages - more respect for the bass player!

I have just started playing on bigger stages and I got stage fright the first time! I am still getting used to it, it definately takes time to fill the void but I think once I have the knack I will prefer it. Anyone else got stage fright on a big stage and what did you do?

well wilton is a very talented man.

I Want You Back - Jackson 5. That bass bit in the middle. its arpeggios, fast starting on an 'off' 16th note. Hard to get the feel right. Other than that yes Iron Maiden stuff is very hard to keep up the dexterity fingerstyle over a whole gig

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1422911229' post='2678360'] Some people will happily do this. We've shipped things and also taken deposits on things for payment at a later date. A few retailers / manufacturers will knock a bit extra off towards the end of the show because they don't want to drag things home with them. [/quote] Thank you. I'll make sure I stay to the end, just in case!

I play in a band where Ihad to learn over 20 Motown Jamerson lines in under 3 weeks. That was stressful because I wanted them to sound 'right' which meant becoming Jamerson pretty much over night. I simplified a few little bits but now I realise the greatness of a beautiful bassline and always try and transcribe it close as i can then put my own spin on it. I wouldn't dare stick to root notes on that kind of stuff because all the character of the song is in the bassline.

^ Good to know, I'm starting to despair at the lack of info on the official website. If I buy a bass there do you think I can ask to have it shipped to me so I don't have to take it on the train with me? Anyone know if that's a possibility?

[quote name='SpaceChick' timestamp='1422427352' post='2672425'] People only notice the bass when something goes wrong or it stops. FACT! [/quote] Totally true! I was playing a gig once and my jack lead died. I went from being invisible to have a crowd of pikeys jeering at me in about 0.0004 of a second!

As long as the groove is there I would say it doesn't matter.

we need dUg Pinnick there with his new range of Tech21 gear : )

nice! smooth tone

Can you buy stuff at the show? I'm after a new bass.....

cool stuff. how the hell does he play songs tuned that low (A, I think?) with 4 strings??

They must be. Its a bit unfair these slow announcements. I've bought my Saturday ticket but would rather see Stu Hamm who has just appeared for the Sunday. Poo. [quote name='BassAgent' timestamp='1421623256' post='2663468'] And with Stu Hamm they've added another more or less extravagant player [/quote] I was thinking the same thing. Why are there no guys from contemporary bands? I'd be really interested to hear from the likes of Chris Batten (Enter Shikari) to hear how he holds down that low end in a band that jumps between hardcore and EDM. Or Billy Gould from Faith No More y'know?

Stuart Hamm has FINALLY been announced for the Sunday - 2 weeks after BGM broke the news.

Soulwax - they were great

Gotta love John Taylor, great bassist!

never heard of him before but he is seriously good! Thanks for the link

cool. i like the song he's doing aswell

I used to play in a band that just opened the book at a page and followed the chords. This is not the best way to play because you are focusing on getting the root notes correct rather than hearing the band as a whole and playing what's necessary. Get a book of the songs and play them with a metronome. Once you start remembering the changes you are free to come up with bass parts.

Doesn't he have perfect pitch aswell? I read somewhere he went to bed and listened to tapes of intervals in his sleep to learn them! Now thats dedication!

how the other half live..... very nice. I just need to get that Phil Collins gig.......

Haha! yes, i guess it depends on the musical situation. Orchestra pits, TV show bands, theatres etc I will retract my statement on but if you were replacing Flea for a gig.....

I can do a couple of hours before my brain won't take any more in. And I'm sorry but music stands on a stage ARE lame. Who wants to see some guy reading dots at a gig? If you're reading off a sheet you aren't in the moment of communicating music with other humans.

Feel your pain bro! I've got the exact same thing. Theres no way I'm going on stage with an ipod and music stand in front of me (lame beyond belief) so its a case of: - Learn the basic chords to the songs - don't worry about the fills for now unless they are integral to the song. - Get a setlist from your bands and play through all the songs like they will be live - When thats done keep going over them - a set at a time. If you must cheat write any hard to remember bits or cues on the setlist next to the song. - Practice them every day. after the first gig or 2 the pressure will be off and you'll never have to do it again!