Nicko

Here it is guys. When I saw the image I initially thought it was Baker Street - a station i used for my daily commute for a few years - but it's obviously late at night and I don't work late so the only reason I ever saw it like that was when I'd been for after work drinks. Tech stuff - as usual. A Fender tele was used for both guitar parts - lead using a Mesa Triple Rectifier and rhythm using a Marshall both simulated in Amplitube The lead guitar has a tough of delay added which is synced to the BPM and seemed to tighten it up a bit (yes I know it's still a bit loose). I've not used this idea before but it seems to work). Squier CV Precision again using Ampeg SVT simulations in Amplitube. MT Power Drums, keys from Xpand II and some dodgy vocals by yours truly. BVs are panned hard left and right on separate channels with different eq but are just copies. I had a bit of trouble with tuning - I think because the temperature has been up and down like a whore's drawers the last few days but hopefully sorted in the final mix.

See my recent thread on your recording method. I get this every month. This month is nearly done - and it's a cracker.

I'm about the opposite. I tolerate playing gigs as a necessary evil of being in a band that doesn't simply drift along.

If it's plugged in it really should be played standing up and loud enough to hear through the soles of your feet.

I've always hated the way that the jack socket on a Fender Precision is on the front. I tolerate a straight jack into it because all my other kit has a jack in the correct location, on the side of the lower bout.

This may be a bit heretical but I never really enjoyed David Bowie's stuff that much - perhaps it was the theatre of it all that put me off. I'm now appreciating some of the nuance a bit more and appreciating how brilliantly written (at least some) of his songs were.

He should love me more. I completely forgot I offloaded an Ashdown Mi10 in April. So I'm +5 😀

I was a long time guitarist before switching to bass. I tend to think of guitar chord shapes on the fretboard of my bass which is helpful in picking out chord tones. My time playing cornet in a brass band was utterly useless in helping me play bass.

Finally finished the planned offloading of equipment and I'm now +4 for the year. Fender American Special Precision sold in February Markbass Blackline 250 turned out to have developed a fault and was given away (technically I sold the soft carry case and included the amp for free) in July Markbass 102P traveller was collected today I must say that the BC marketplace is an absolutely fantastic way to trade. All the people I've had dealings with have been thoroughly decent and there's been no messing around at all.

If I was doing stuff for anything other than a bit of fun I'd agree, but there is a limit to how many versions of the instrumentation I can lay down, and how much time I can spend polishing the monthly turd. If I carried on until I thought it was the best it could ever be I'd never actually end up doing the final audio mixdown.

I can't wait for the oud, saz and bazouki to make an appearance - presumably something written (or hummed) in phrygian.

You should always improve your technique and know how to play across the whole fretboard, using as many strings as you have. I don't think anyone here would state otherwise. Whether playing all those notes is really effective for the instrument's role in an ensemble is another matter. Some band structures and songs permit more notes than others - some of Flea's work in the RHCPs is an example where he not only plays lots of notes but in some cases includes two or three different bass pats at the same time. Sometimes he chooses not to play anything and that's just as effective..

I think writing and recording as a band would be entirely different for me too. Firstly I'd expect the other musicians to be vastly superior in ability and technique* to me so once I'd got a rough idea it wouldn't make sense to restrict the various parts to what I can do rather than what they could do. The only time I've recorded as a band in a studio we basically did it live because none of us were experienced in playing the songs in isolation - I'd have missed the changes without having the other members doing what they normally did. *I'm competent at playing guitar - no more - and use a few techniques that others might find unusual.

I always wondered how your entries to the monthly comp were posted so quickly - now I know.

Glad to hear it's not just me.

The playing and techniques seem to be very similar to the stuff that Joe Satriani and Jennifer Batten have been doing for years, with the addition of some slap bass. I find all those guitar virtuosos technically brilliant but for the most part unlistenable and the only saving grace for this bass part is its short. When I took guitar lessons Midnight by Satriani was virtually a set piece for the exam for one of the levels (level 6 IIRC) if you wanted to demonstrate your proficiency in right hand tapping technique. Personally I think it's a technique that should be used sparingly if it's not to become an exercise in showing off. Thew tapping part in EVH's eruption is the only part of it I can play (he only taps with one finger of the right hand) and is my go to show off bit for playing in guitar shops.

Just wondering if mine is the norm, or if others use a different approach. Basic bits of the song lodge in my head, or I'll have a verse and no chorus. Write some lyrics if using a vocal Lay down a simple drum track (basically select a pre-programmed beat and set a tempo) I record a rough version of the main theme, guitar* and bass ** I record a rough version of the chorus, guitar and bass, or plug away endlessly until I find one if the song needs it Put a vocal over the main theme and chorus Cut and paste the rough versions into a song format Add the vocals over the rough song, writing more or rewording to fit Re-record the guitar parts - if I get it bang on on one verse and chorus I might copy and paste it that over to all the verses rather than play the song all the way through. Sometimes I have to tidy up the transitions and sometimes the rough version is good enough. Lay the bass down - in the same way - very occasionally I'll play all the way through and put in variations. Spend a bit more time trying to get the sound I want - always finding it elusive. *** Edit or re-program drums Mix Seek assurance from Mrs Nicko that the mix is OK, and that the whole thing isn't complete pants. * at this point I get stuck for hours trying to find the right sound for the guitar and to a lesser extent the bass, Often I settle for something that isn't what I want because I cant get the sound I think I want. ** sometimes I lay down a bass idea with a guitar rather than a bass especially if a melody idea ends up sounding better as bass. *** by the time I get to this the song has taken over my brain like the worst earworm ever and I can think of little else. I convince myself it's actually good even if it isn't.

As someone who dabbles in songwriting and have access to DAWs that are capable of doing the low stuff, I find physical instruments are still more versatile and being a reluctant keys player it's easier to compose on a bass than on a sequencer. A look at last years biggest selling albums also shows a healthy dose of traditional instrumentation.

Firstly I never said that there is no difference between those two tax scenarios. Secondly, any view I have on tax is nothing to do with my view on what makes a good band. Thirdly I'm entitled to an opinion on the importance of members of a band whether I am experienced or not - in the same way that you have views on tax when you have both no experience and no insight. I wasn't aware that amateur musicians on this forum were restricted to commenting on certain subjects. However since the OP is asking about PA set up in a pub perhaps it's you who are on the wrong topic here? Fourth if you'd been bothered to understand the point I was making it was that a band consists of a core of members - on rare occasions there is a single member that defines the band. In some cases the peripheral members are dispensable but this is not the majority. Lastly if you want to enter a discussion on anything I suggest you don't start a reply with "WTF are you on about"

I'm not. I read your post and it was clear you were basically talking about either the vocalist or - and I quote - occasionally there might be a star guitarist/instrumentalist. Your suggestion was that the drummer, bass player and other band members were disposable. Nuance is the argument of someone who posts something that is utter nonsense. Either post what you mean or accept that when someone points out the inconsistency suck it up.

I was simply responding to the suggestion that the frontman is the be all and end all of a band. In all the examples I gave the driving force isn't the frontman at all - with the possible exception of the AC/DC.

There are a number of examples that completely disprove this, Iron Maiden AC/DC Black Sabbath Deep Purple Genesis Pink Floyd Maybe things are different now.

A distant echo, Of faraway voices boarding faraway trains?

Closing Time - Semisonic

I would say it depends on what they want to play. If they are reading dots and therefore playing parts that are composed in standard tuning the the original finger positions would not be available. There's a reason why pentatonic scales for example are popular in guitar based music - it's because the scale tones are naturally under the fingers with the tuning of the instrument.