Dan Dare

I enjoy giving the old tonsils an occasional run out, but only do it if it's needed.

I wasn't thinking of yelling "You plonker" and glaring. More a raised eyebrow kind of deal. Only half of them felt differently to me and it wasn't a matter of life or death, fortunately. The keys player always gives them a note if needed (say where there is no intro to lead them into it), so that hasn't happened yet, touch wood.

Interesting conversation in the band the other day (no rows or fallings-out, but differing opinions). Thought I'd ask you lot. What should the policy be if someone makes a mistake whilst playing? It's inevitable that mistakes happen from time to time - the question is how to cope with/minimise them. In this case, our singer started another verse, rather than a chorus. I went with her, but a couple of the guys tried to stick to the arrangement. We rescued the situation, but had a discussion afterwards about what to do if it happened again. My thinking is that if one of the musicians makes a clam, the band should plough on and let them realise and correct (with a few pointed looks, etc to make them aware). Very few people in an audience are going to think "That bass player dropped a clanger" or "That guitar player got it wrong". Most aren't likely to be musicians and, crucially, the main focus is on the singer. However, if the singer makes a mistake and the band doesn't go with it and leaves him/her high and dry, people will think "the entire band screwed up". It makes sense to me that one should adapt on the fly in order to escape the situation gracefully and as unnoticeably as possible. Others felt the arrangement should be adhered to no matter what. What are your thoughts?

Of course not. We're all stupid, apart from you. As for your being "being uncaring and being some kind of tool that wants to put people in their place", you said it.

Do you not see the inconsistencies in your position? You express sympathy for "those poor sods re-mortgaging from 2% to around 6% over the coming months", yet argue against pay rises for them. I am quite happy with my income. I have the good fortune to own my home outright, have a couple of pensions and a decent amount in savings and investments. I am able to survive comfortably. I am not certainly calling for increases for "middle managers, senior IT staff and the like" and never did. You state you "fully support pay rises for those on lower tier paybands" and then say that "a few % payrise is not going to touch the sides on a tripling of mortgage debt". The logical conclusion to that is that those low-paid public service workers need substantial increases. And yet you oppose that, from memory of the previous exchange on here. I too would rather we had a system that is closer to that in France (although they are not without their problems). The consequences of Brexit make that highly unlikely, sadly. So where do we go? People who are lower paid have to survive and they need substantially more income in order to do so. How do you suggest we square that circle? "Insults"? Care to elaborate? Either I'm unaware when I'm insulting people or you are extraordinarily sensitive.

My word. Have you been seething about that for all this time? Where your argument falls down, of course, is that those we were discussing - rail, public service workers and similar - have not had a pay rise for at least 4 years. So it can't be pay rises (theirs, at any rate) that have caused the present spike in inflation, can it? I get it. You, like me, are a middle income earner. You wish to preserve the distance between you and those at the bottom of the heap. Fine, but just be frank about it.

Really? Can't say I remember. How is what I say above (that we have to recognise that money is tight for many and accept that we are likely to get less for what we wish to sell) relevant to that? If anything, I am agreeing that inflation/the reduction in the purchasing power of money is forcing many - whether buyers or sellers - to cut their coat according to their cloth.

This. The market decides, as always. If you don't get a bite on something at the price you're asking, you can either keep it or ask for less. The market is, of course, completely dependant on the state of the economy, but we have to operate in the world we live in, rather than the one we'd like to live in.

I wouldn't go that far. Whilst it's true that some bands do advertise, many do not and recruit through friends, contacts, etc. Chris's point about putting oneself about is very valid. It's especially true if one has lost touch with the scene (as the OP has) due to family/work commitments and so on. Where you live has a bearing on how easy/hard it is, too. I retired and moved out of London early last year. I was quite well connected in the Smoke and never found a problem getting gigs. I had periods of playing for a living and periods of combining playing with a day job over 40 or so years. Out here in the sticks, it's a very different story. It's taken me a year or so to find something decent and I had to answer quite a few ad's, go to auditions (many of which were as the OP describes), put myself about (go to jams, sessions and so on), etc because nobody knew me where I live now. I finally met a couple of guys who had been part of an established band which had split. They were looking to re-form with new personnel to replace those who had left. Once I was on board, we had to find a couple more members. We're up and running now, but it took time and effort. That's the point most are emphasising above. You'll be very fortunate to just be able to drop into something good in two or three tries. Persistence is the name of the game.

I like Chromes on my J and PJ, but use LBs on my P bass. The higher tension means you can run a slightly lower action, so playability compared to my other instruments isn't an issue. Not that I ever play anything fast/tricky on them...

Rather than hope to find a ready made band (where others have done the hard work in getting it off the ground), why not get together with a couple of like-minded souls and start your own? You'll be fortunate to find a situation you can simply slot into. Sure. it happens, but probably not most of the time.

And SOLD AS IS - NO RETURNS. Why am I not surprised?

Tbf, some of the stuff that has won the Turner is no better than his efforts.

Two. One tuned a semitone down. Our singer has a penchant for Eb and I want the root available.

Different tools for different jobs. I have both.

Me.

Good advice. Fingerboard gunk is dead skin, grease and associated detritus. Rubbing alcohol/surgical spirit is a mix of water and isopropyl alcohol and some contain oils, so best avoided on bare wood. Just use isopropyl. The alcohol will help dissolve the grease and will evaporate without leaving a deposit, which is why wet wipes and similar are best avoided. Many contain things like lanolin. The various gunks sold as fingerboard treatments are similar in that they contain oils, etc. Best is to get the board clean, dry and grease free and then rub on a little (only a few drops needed) lemon oil, which is non greasy. if the wood needs it. Buy lemon oil from health food shops. It's much cheaper than getting it from music shops.

He managed to Fender them off

I hope to find my sound one day. I just have to remember where I left it. It's great getting old.

When I use a pick, I like a medium - .73 to 1mm - one, too. I find playing with a heavy pick a bit like using a chisel. A slightly thinner one accentuates the twang/click (which is why I use a pick on a bass).

Not really. Look up "moonshine" or "poitin" on Wikipedia. They're examples of home-made alcoholic spirits. Most countries have their versions, usually distilled using local crops or produce. What is the Latvian version?

You can confide in us. We won't tell anyone.

So far, I haven't got any worse...

Yes. The FR800, a Big Baby with onboard power amp.