Staggering on

I have to be back here for a gig April 28 but other than that any time in April or May is fine as far as I'm concerned, but I'm only one person and have not set travel dates yet.Whatever works for the members is a possibility for me.I am flattered that you fine folks seem to be concerned about me-thanks for that,I hope I will be able to attend. Bob

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1506674168' post='3380276'] Sounds fine by me, and Bob will have time to tell us precisely when he's planning to be in the country. [/quote] Pick a date and if it works for me so much the better, but I am only one of many...whatever works for you folks,and if I'm lucky I'll be there... I'm pretty flexible. Bob

[quote name='owen' timestamp='1506618414' post='3380009'] Bob. What dates will you be in the UK? This is as easy a way as any to decide a date Ooooh,that's pressure! Two choices:April/May to catch the lovely British spring or September.Having been in the UK at both of these times I had fabulous weather and avoided the summer tourist crowds. No plans to visit any area in particular so now it's your turn to pick somewhere that will be interesting for me and convenient for you folks. Bob [/quote]

I am thinking about another trip to the UK in 2018 and would be interested in attending a bass bash-I've read about them and seen the pics on here.I play a Yamaha SLB 200 and have been a member here for a few years and an event like this would be a real high point in the trip so keep us informed re date/location,it sounds like a great time.If I actually get there it could be described as an "international" bass bash. Hats off to the organizers! Bob in Canada

My first gig was 56 years ago and I still remember the nerves, the thrill, the fun-especially the fun. And it is still fun because every gig is different and each one is still sort of a "first gig" until the music starts and the band kicks in and the whole world is the music-go for it and have a ball!If it's not fun make it fun or find another band.

I was trying to be a bit clever.I had just migrated to the EUB world having bought a Stagg EUB and as I'm getting pretty ancient and was having a hard time trying to play upright I thought it was appropriate.I have since sold the Stagg and moved on to a Yamaha SLB200 and now here I am Yammering on. Sorry...

[quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1503677332' post='3360277'] My comment was in reaction to someone saying that the suggested double bass wasn't suitable for rockabilly. I didn't realise double basses were genre specific, any more than a bass guitar is. Are they any good for metal? [/quote] Somebody please say yes(re metal) and let the good lines roll.....

[quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1503669146' post='3360179'] I don't know much about them, isn't a double bass a double bass? [/quote] Now you've done it!That's like a double bass player saying "aren't all those bass guitars the same?"Let the fun begin....oops,I see Dad has started already... Maybe you should also post on the EUB and Double Basses forum.

The usual two questions: Is it good for metal? Heft?

I tried the test again today, four days after my first go.This time I used decent speakers connected to my MacBook and my ears went backwards in time to the 40-50 bracket(I was at 61 the first time).Is there a device that can do that for the rest of my 71 year old body?

61 in ear age,71 in real(?)life.Hmmmm....I wonder how accurate the test is. I guess all those years of playing in bands,blacksmithing(anvils are loud),chainsaws, lawnmowers and power tools are really getting to me.Maybe I should get rid of everything but the music from now on and save what I have left.

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1501426220' post='3344584'] [url="http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/media/Just%20Stuff/Music%20and%20Musicians/Cutout_zpsfk4hq2l8.jpg.html"][/url] [/quote] I didn't realize you played lefty, everything else looks the same,dapper as usual.

[quote name='Dandelion' timestamp='1501179380' post='3343174'] Shame it wasn't banjos... [/quote] Steady now, some of us like them(gasp!) and even play them......now if it was accordions... Playing bass and also plink-plunking in Canada, Bob

I wonder if she can work from chord charts.Our classically trained keyboard player does that very well since she has a thorough knowledge of theory and has learned to "go with the flow" when things go a little sideways in a song.The hard part is getting her to relax and listen to the music instead of only reading it but she is a huge asset to the band.I'd definitely give it a try, nothing to lose.

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1500967670' post='3341303'] Fascinating! I always thought that song was far too hip & cool to have been written for Peggy Lee. I wasn't sorry to hear the last of Captain Smith & Pocohontas either ... [/quote] The original song didn't have the part about Romeo and Juliet and Captain Smith and Pocohontas,Peggy Lee wrote those lyrics for her recording and it is debatable if it was a good idea or necessary.It always sounds a bit odd to me.

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1500901206' post='3340928'] And, by a weird coincidence, I shall be playing Fever (complete with key changes) at the Ealing Jazz Festival on Saturday. [/quote] And I will be playing it at The Raven and Republic (restaurant/music venue) in North Bay Ontario Canada on Wednesday as part of their jazz night.I'll be using my Yamaha SLB200 EUB but will not be changing keys(singer's choice).Great song for bass and the Peggy Lee version has a simpler bass line than some(a lesson here?) and is at a faster tempo than most people expect, she keeps it moving. I'll be watching for that video bluejay.

I played guitar and banjo in bands until I was in my early 40's and then got asked to play bass in a band who had lost their bass player.I bought a bass and learned a few basics(I can read music) and pretty much jumped right in and learned on the gigs and a few rehearsals.Thirty years on(I'm 71) I'm still playing in a couple of bands and gigging up to about 4 times a month and I am still working at my job more or less full time as well as gigging and rehearsing.I play EUB most of the time but still play some bass guitar. Go for it, it can take you down a wonderful road!

https://youtu.be/oysMt8iL9UE Henry Mancini's theme from the old Peter Gunn series,I don't know if it was available in the UK but we watched it here in Canada and every budding guitar and bass player tried to play it.The best version is the one that was used on the show but everyone from the Ventures to Duane Eddy had a run at it. ...and yes,I managed to get some of the notes on my first guitar when I was 14...ooh that was a long time ago...

I guess I'm a bit of a "belts and braces" guy and always worry about things.I play my Yamaha SLB200 EUB in our jazz quartet but I always take along my Yamaha RBX750A bass when we play gigs.It's easy to carry around in its Fusion gig bag and is quickly available(tuned and on a stand) if anything goes out on the EUB.I've never had to use it but EUB's are a bit more delicate than the average bass guitar and having a spare bass just gives me peace of mind.I'm just packing both of them into the car right now to go to a gig tonight.

I still think I'm 33.Unforunately I just turned 71.Weird how that works.How did I get here already?

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1495808084' post='3306791'] Sounds like a good choice. It always kills me when people here on BC complain about songs that people in an everyday audience actually like enough to sing along to and get up and dance. Maybe we should all play really obscure jazz that people hate so we can go off and smirk at how much cleverer and musically hip we are. Of course, our audience would end up being just us playing to/with ourselves . . . 😂 [/quote] As above-give 'em what they want, they're paying for the band.Some people want to hear originals or something obscure but most want/like to hear things they know and can hum/dance/sing along with. My band is basically a "jazz standards" band but depending on the situation we will play anything from jazz to old rock and blues to waltzes and latin dance music and sometimes "wallpaper music" at banquets and receptions.We play lots of the stuff WE want to play and and fill out sets with "crowd pleasers".When playing some small venues we sometimes hand out copies of our playlist(over 140 songs on the list and that doesn't include our "dance" stuff) and let the audience choose part of the last set-fun for them and it keeps us on our toes.The jazz gigs are fun but so are the others, you've got to be flexible.If you're not enjoying what you play get into a band that suits you and find or build a new audience for your music.

If you have ever played double bass you know the answer to the question.

"Something proper about it" is the perfect description of the feeling I get when I'm on upright.I guess that's what I was trying to say in my earlier post when I said I feel like a "real" bass player when I'm playing an upright.Thanks for that,I'll use it.

Ah,the seductive power of the upright! Like you, almost 60 years of guitar and EB and for the last three years EUB(Stagg at first and now Yamaha SLB200) and now I feel like a "real" bass player, oooh that might offend someone. I still play a few old rock and blues tunes on EB but the upright is my go to instrument-it is so much FUN to play.It is a lot of work at first and physically tougher but I am a convert and it sounds great in my jazz standards quartet and gets a lot of interest from other musicians.If I had a bigger house and didn't have to worry about the crazy climate here in Canada I would go for a double bass but for now the EUB is the answer for me. Glad it worked out for you, have you tried it with the bow-another whole world there.

Here's a Canadian response. In the late '70's I played a strolling gig in February at the Toronto zoo.I was playing tenor banjo as a dep in a Dixieland band that wore clown costumes so it was a pretty strange gig.It was made worse by the fact that it was -20C (really)so we decided to play a few songs outside then hustle inside to warm up before our next foray into the cold.Fingerless gloves and several layers including long johns made it a bit better but it was very cold. We tuned up inside,went outside and the leader called a song and key and wanted 4 bars on the banjo as an intro so away I went.Ithought the horn players,all very good musicians, seemed to be having a hard time getting the song rolling but it eventually worked out by the end of the song.At that point the trumpet player asked why I played the intro and the song in C# instead of C.Turns out the couple of minutes of cold air raised the tuning of the banjo a half tone,which made for a very interesting gig.As each song was played the horn players had valves freeze,pads on the sax freeze shut and the trombone froze solid in first position between songs.They had a tough time playing songs with more notes missing as the song progressed.Not a fun day but we got paid,but it was COLD.Haven't played below freezing since then and don't plan to.