neilp

No-one seems to have mentioned the "playing". For me that's what it's about. I love playing music in front of people. yes, the process of coming up with original material is very satisfying, but so is the process of rehearsing a chamber music program of music that's been around for hundreds of years. How far does that crescendo go? Should that staccato be off the string or on it? How much slower should that rall get? No-one has ever played that piece EXACTLY like that before, and then you get to show an audience the fruits of your labours. Why is it easier to get paid in a covers band? Because they draw bigger audiences. Simple as that. I don't care, I love playing music. And FWIW, I think "Don't Stop Believing" is a great song. Of its time, granted. People want to hear it, so I love to play it.

In all genres that I participate in - pop, rock, blues and classical - I like a good dollop of audience engagement. Even in classical chamber concerts we talk to the audience. A bit of chat and banter makes the whole thing a much more personal experience

Couldn't get down to three, sorry Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin 2 Paul Simon - Graceland Jeff Beck - Wired (closest to jazz I can get!) Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town (could have been any one of 10 or so) Kate Bush - Hounds of Love Heart - Bad Animals No reasons behind any of these, just what comes to mind Oh, and can I have some Beethoven, Bach and Mahler, please?

Springsteen. I'm a massive fan, seen him do it to audiences all over Europe. It's not a musical thing. It would be a really easy gig, and to see him do his thing close up would be fantastic

I'll probably be at the Purcell School too, other commitments permitting

Bassfest is in my Manor, I run a monthly thing for aspiring classical bassists called the Bass Army at St Johns. It's a lovely place to play, you should all come. Any local players who haven't yet been sucked into the Bass Army, PM me and give it a go. We have a lot of fun.

In all fairness, the vast majority of what you call "classical" music is far and away more sophisticated and technically interesting than almost all pop/rock music - including prog, jazz/funk, whatever. Whether that makes it superior is an entirely different and fruitless debate

No, but if it doesn't appeal to you, or touch you in some way it doesn't make you a bad person. I understand Jaco's talent, skill and influence. I just don't enjoy what he did with it.

Folk who truly understand the harmonies in "Das Lied" don't generally feel the need to take to the internet to prove how brilliant they are. Music is music, yes, but the enjoyment of it and how you personally rate it is entirely subjective. I know an internationally renowned violinist who has more education than all of us put together who loathes Mozart. I don't understand that, but what makes her wrong?

I think you'd struggle to justify a wooden bow over a carbon one up to about £1000, above that you'd have to choose carefully but could find a great wooden bow. Over about £2.5k wooden bows will be the way forward. Andrews bows were £3000 when I bought mine, nearly 2 years ago. Really beautifully made and worth every penny, IMHO

For what it's worth, I think Ringo was a cracking drummer, I love Lennon's songwriting, and I think "twee" is the perfect word for McCartney, except that maybe some of his songs sound creepy because he is a bit creepy? Shows how different we can feel about things and still not be wrong!

This all makes me laugh. How many of you guys would complain about pointless threads if the OP posted an opinion you agreed with? It's a debate, nothing wrong with a debate. Purely opinion. State your opinion, be prepared to back it up if you need to, and respect other people's opinion. It's all a matter of taste, no one is right or wrong. That doesn't mean it's pointless though. The discussion has made me go back and give Jaco another listen (no change in my opinion), and also dig out the Japan (forgotten how interesting and individual MK was). That's a good thing, so thanks....

I've used Bel Cantos for a while. Very nice strings. For orchestral playing, Flexocor Originals are also very nice, dark and smooth tone. I've recently put a set of D'Addario Kaplan Light on Meghan and I have to say they are absolutely fabulous. Bright and lively without being too in your face, lovely fundamental and easy buttery feel. It all comes down to what suits you and your bass.

"Without Mozart there would be no Beethoven" Really? Beethoven would have been as great as he was regardless. Without Haydn He and Mozart might have been lesser, or different. The greats take from what went before, but don't depend on it. I'm not a Jaco fan at all, but I will happily acknowledge his talent and technical ability. I just think he wasted most of it

Carbon bows, even the very best, can't yet compete with the best wooden bows. In every way, my Andrew McGill bow is streets ahead of anything else I've ever played, and certainly no carbon bow I've tried gets close to the depth and complexity of tone, or the reaction off the string. Having said that, a carbon bow in the lower (sub £1k) price range is a genuine contender, and they SHOULD be far more consistent in sound and feel than wooden bows. I'd say a carbon bow in this price range would be a good bet. Mine is great, I don't think you could beat it for the money.

"Pernambuco" and brazilwood are actually exactly the same species of tree. Pernambuco is a region of brazil where the best bow wood traditionally came from, and these days tends to be used as a label for the best quality wood, and is covered by CITES, so REAL Pernambuco is pretty hard to get and very expensive, so be wary of cheap bows claiming to be pernambuco.....

I know several bassists who do the same thing. I don't recommend that course of action as cheap bows will hold you back considerably, and if you keep buying cheap bows you will lock yourself into a style and manner of playing that accepts a complete lack of help and response from the bow. Spend a few quid, get the bow you buy rehaired at least once a year (£65 is about the going rate} and enjoy the help and encouragement you'll get from using a good bow. Using a sub-par instrument makes it so much harder to make progress, and the bow is 50& AT LEAST of the playing experience

Depending on your budget, really. If you have, say, £1000 to spend you can probably call someone like Thwaites and get a few bows sent on approval, although that might be a bit low for them to have much choice. To be honest, I think below £1000 you might be best off looking at carbon fibre bows. My second bow is a CF from The Contrabass Shoppe, cost me about £400 and it's great. You need to try some, as already said. Ideally try bows that are actually for sale!

What is it with people insisting on noodling away during set up? It gives such an unprofessional impression. All the bands I play in do things the same. Set up, sound check, switch off until we're ready to start. No unnecessary noodling. Same in the classical world. No noodling, no noise apart from tuning.

I don't know when he's next in Wells, but David is doing a workshop in North London on 15 April, and a Bassfest in August which will be in the South East. Watch this space - I'll let you all know when we have more info

If you do go, I promise you you will be astonished and humbled by the skill and musicianship of young bassists these days. The standard of playing has increased hugely from when I was at the Junior RCM all those years ago, and I suspect the standard of playing that got me my Performing Diploma would be nowhere near good enough today. Go if you can, and prepare to have your eyes opened wide...

The Elgar book is one of 3 volumes he wrote about the double bass. I have that one and one of the other two. Can't recall the titles off the top of my head, but I'd like to complete the set sometime

For shame! Peddling outdated concepts such as "teaching" and "good technique".....

It's fine by me. Ever so slightly dissonant, but I suspect that;s deliberate to emphasise the key change. I your ears really can't tolerate that level of dissonance, I suggest you stick to Stock, Aitken and Waterman. It's the spice that makes music, IMHO

Good old Gary...