Staggering on

Speaking of disco, we had a singalong version of Mama Mia on TV here in North America last night with the words going by at the bottom of the screen.I knew they had done this with the Sound of Music at live performances and in cinemas and on TV but the Mama Mia singalong was new to me. Is it making the rounds in other parts of the BC world? ...I didn't watch much of it...

Thanks Geoff,your lessons and videos were a big help when I got my EUB and now I'm reviewing some of them as I work on proper techniques for the DB...and having lots of fun too!

Back to your room sir!How dare you. It would have to be very cold and it would be the last last piece to go into the stove.

I wondered if anyone would pick up(oops, sorry about that) the wood shedding image and I'm not surprised that you got it first.

I blame BC for this!After attending the BC double bass bash in April I developed a serious case of GAS and this is the result."Marilyn" is blonde, curvy and has a sweet voice and I couldn't resist her. She is an Engelhardt Swingmaster ES 9 that was purchased from Gollihur 10 years ago and has sat virtually unused since then and is in absolutely mint condition.To make it even better, she came with all the paperwork for her and a K&K Double Big Twin pickup,K&K Pure preamp, an Ingles stand,German bow, three types of rosin, quiver,mute and several books including an untouched Simandl.She was dressed in a lovely green like new Gollihur bag.I also got the original almost new Thomastiks that the bass started life with, she is currently strung with Correlli 370 F strings.The original owner has been playing pedal steel in country bands and just wanted to get rid of the bass because he wasn't using it. I am still tweaking the preamp and my amp to get the sound I want(I play jazz standards in two bands) but it is certainly fun and I am also enjoying trying out my woeful bow technique. She came home with me yesterday after a 13 hour 994 km road trip to pick her up.It was a long day but in Canada drives like this are a fact of life. I'm still not sure why I did this at my age(72) but I plan to have fun with her.I have a gig tomorrow night but I will use my trusty Yamaha SLB 200 EUB and save "Marilyn" for another day. Thanks again for that great day in April,it was just what I needed to make me pull the trigger and join the "real" DB world.

Agree.Even in our jazz quartet it really lets everyone hear exactly what the other players are doing when the drums aren't at the rehearsal.It is also a good situation for us(vocals/keys,horn player and me) to work on new songs and try some ideas without boring the drummer with endless repeats.I have a bad habit of speeding up and without the drums I really have to concentrate to keep things steady and that is a good workout for me. This is in no way being negative about drummers,ours is a great player and is very sensitive to what we are doing.

So this is the bass we heard about at the April double bass bash! I wondered when you would finally get it delivered and I have been waiting for the pics and I must say it looks fabulous.We are all waiting to hear it. Well done, now more GAS for the rest of us.Aluminum(Canadian spelling) would be great in our climate.

Saw a Canadian trio,The Jillian Mckenna Project a couple of nights ago and was very impressed.Awesome keyboard player and a fine drummer were working with Jillian who is a bass player and they played some standards(swing and bebop) and some of her original compositions.She is on several sites if you Google her. It looks like we have some bright lights in our future since Jillian and the drummer are both only 23,which is a depressing 49 years younger than I am.Watching her play is an exercise in frustration and inspiration for me but I must admit I came home and played for a while after the concert.A guitar playing friend who was at the show consoled me by saying that I play bass just like she does,"one hand up here and one hand down there."Hmmmm... I guess my point is that there are some really good young players out there but in my very rural part of Ontario(4 1/2 hours from Toronto and other music hot beds) I don't get to see them very often. Anyone over there seen any young talent lately?Is the jazz bass world alive and well? By the way,I'm still feeling the good vibes from the double bass bash in April,thanks to all of you who were there.I have had a great time showing the pics and trying to explain what the day was all about although I get a few strange looks as I get all pumped about it.

Geoff at discoverdoublebass was a good start for me.

It is probably something like the stand Upton Bass(USA) sells, it's on their website.

What an awful predicament to find yourself in.I have no advice or suggestions but your post has made me and the rest of us on BC doubly aware of how fragile we are and how lucky we are to have music and playing bass in our lives.As has been mentioned, most of us are part timers but for a person in your situation it means no music AND no income which makes matters very serious.I hope you find some relief from the pain and can get back to playing bass soon, we all know how important making music is for us financially, mentally and spiritually. I have a few creaks and cracks but at 72 I'm still gigging and I can't imagine not being able to play.With luck you will get this resolved soon and can get back to work. Good luck and keep us informed.

Your face says it all...what a show!Are we having a good time? Where's the next gig...

I saw it at the bash and am glad you were able to make a deal on a lovely bass, but that was an odd looking endpin, the new one looks nicer and is adjustable...great!

Does he/she have a good DB stand?The Bass Bar stand is highly recommended and is discussed in a recent thread in the EUB and double bass forum on this site, it seems to be ideal for those who play both DB and EB and need to switch easily.There are other stands too. What about a bow,you can spend little or a lot on these. A case/gig bag/wheels(bass buggy)? I'm done.Good luck.

Finally a magazine for people like me.Subscription info please.

Careful,we're a sensitive lot...

Like many of you I've played so many hot gigs none really stands out but I remember the coldest one. I was playing(depping) tenor banjo(!) in a Dixieland/trad band called Professor Futz and His Band Of Nutz who played gigs wearing clown costumes.It was a strange band and the costumes were part of the "schtick" but the players were legit musicians, many of them played in the Toronto Symphony.This gig was an outdoor strolling gig at the Toronto zoo in February in the mid 1970's and the temp was -21or -22(I can't remember but it was COLD).We were all wildly out of tune and the valves, slides and keys of the wind instruments would freeze so the trombone player might be stuck in first position and that sort of thing.We would play a few songs and then go inside to warm up and return to the cold for another few songs.It was crazy but we got paid.I played the intro to the first song on banjo in the key we had agreed on(C) and when the band came in I thought they were fumbling around a bit.At the end of the song the trumpet player asked why I had played it in C#.The cold had shrunk the strings so they were a half tone higher, it made the rest of the gig pretty interesting and one I won't forget.

Works for me on my Yamaha EUB too, easy to apply and remove or touch up as required.

Thank you all for a great day and thank you bluejay for the photos.I saw this post as I was leaving for Heathrow to fly back to Canada...what a good way to end my trip.It will be good to get home and play my bass(rehearsal Sunday!) and try to learn to live with the GAS that I acquired at the bash.

Well I had great time at the double bass bash today! Thanks to Brother Malvis for organizing the event and to all of you who brought basses and let us all try them out.After seeing and playing Roger's Kolstein travel bass and Audrey's Emminence I have a serious case of GAS. Nice day,nice basses,nice people...perfect day. Special thanks to Bassace for the ride to the bash. Bob

Speaking of stance, I love the sound of my EUB(Yamaha SLB200) but I LOVE the stance I use when playing upright, it makes me feel like a "real" bass player...you'll know what that means if you play any upright EUB or DB.Heaven.

This is starting to look like a really good day! I'll be there but my SLB200 will be sitting at home in Canada. Bob

As I suggested earlier, check out the Double Bass bash April 14 near Bicester,there will be some EUBs there.See Events forum for more details.