Gman

It's definitely something that gets easier...it also helps if you can sing easily to start with. If you want to practice it's worth starting out with a simple song like 'All the Small Things' - just a straight 8 line with simple melody. Weirdly some tricky basslines are easier to sing over than a straighter part. Orson's 'No Tomorrow' was a tricky one for me...dead simple bassline but the offbeat bits crossed over the melody in weird places - not to mention that the chorus is too high for me to sing easily!!

[quote]Unfortunately it gets more complicated when you start chucking in relative minor keys, key changes and notes that people just decide to play sharp or flat for various reasons/styles.[/quote] LOL....think I'll stick with my magic ears and general blagging to get me through the rest of my bassplaying life!!

So if one is to count the number of sharp or flat chords in a song, that would indicate the key? Like, if there were 2 sharp chords and 2 non sharp chords that would indicate a key of C#? Hmmm, still confused and that link just confused me more! Maybe if I spent more than 2 minutes scanning through it, I'd understand it better? Or am I just the musical equivalent of the village idiot?

[b]Calling all 3 other prog rock bassists out there!![/b] I recently met up with a great bunch of musicians (guitar, keys and drums) who love to play prog rock covers - sadly I can't commit at the moment so I said I'd post an ad here to see if I could russle up any interest. Basically you should be into It Bites, Rush, Genesis, Yes etc etc and be able to play some reasonably tricky songs like 'Screaming on the Beaches', 'Kiss Like Judas', 'Tom Sawyer' etc etc. They rehearse in Basingstoke but travel from London, Southampton so being based in the south would be an advantage. They are happy to rehearse further north (Oxford area) if it means playing with a bassist. They're really nice guys and have a very diverse range of musical tastes, so if you're more into prog metal, it would be worth getting in touch. Please contact me via PM (or reply below) and I'll put you in touch. Cheers, Giles

I usually let the instrument inspire me to play improvised stuff. I reckon that if a bass is meant to be, you'll find yourself playing so naturally you won't even think about 'what' to play...you'll just play. That's of course if you can get over the sh*te setup or get the bass off the knobend sales assistant that is 'tuning it for you'! G

There is a lot of snobbery from bassists regarding pick usage...it's a much more valid technique than slap, tap or whatever the latest bedroom fad is. I play with fingers and pick depending on the song - and no matter what anyone says, there are just some songs that NEED to be played with a pick, either for tone or because you can push the beat slightly. If it's good enough for Sting, it's sure as hell good enough for me!!

Oh yeah... I was once challenged to a 'slap off' by the bassist that was replacing me...he went very quiet at the end of my turn. Ha ha ha.

I've been playing for 20 odd years - I can play most stuff BUT for me, it's always about the song and the groove. Drummers usually enjoy playing alongside me for that reason and I reckon if a band has a great engine, it'll sound good and go far. I can slap and tap but pretty much never do either in the gigs I do. I play with a pick and fingers depending on what's best for the song. I can tap my foot in time whilst playing...not many guitarists can!! G

Weird isn't it? There are quite a few shops where you walk in and are obviously interrupting their little clicky 'rehearsal' session! I remember going to Soundcontrol to try some basses, I had a budget of £1500. I remember thinking 'what a dick' when he said he'd tune a Bongo for me and then preceded to flash through his repertoire of licks. Having been playing for well over 20 years, I think I can tune my own basses thankyouverymuch. I walked out feeling cheated out of a decent buying experience. My wife and I were setting up a little home studio and wanted a PC, interface and various bits and pieces. It was only at Digital Village that we placed an order due to feeling like the other two stores were just selling us what they wanted to sell, regardless of whether it was right for our purpose. DV were the only shop that seemed to think about stuff and offer alternatives with reasons why they'd recommend a certain piece over another. We spend £2500 with them. G

Man, that's an awesome price! I still have the occasional play with mine and it feels like home!

Ah wow....I saw you guys many years ago at Woughton Centre in Milton Keynes. There were only about 40 people there but you still put on one hell of a show. I took some great pics as you guys were whoring about on stage! Glad to hear you're still gigging - rock on dude!! G

Awesome bass mate - I have one in blue! To be honest the stock pups weren't great - I replaced mine with Barts and an EMG BTC tone circuit to give it a bit more welly and control. As you'll know, if you do replace them with non Yam pups, they leave whopping big gaps round them...but it's worth it. Have you just got this...how much did you pay for it (if you don't mind me asking)? G

They should mean PL (public liability). PI generally stands for professional indemnity which is a completely different type of cover. Check out the usual: Musicguard, Liabilityguard, Allianz Cornhill, Hencilla Canworth.

I traded my TE SMX rig in for a nice lightweight Ashdown ABM 500 2x10 combo and it's great for rehearsals and small gigs. I can carry it on my own, it fits in the boot of my Mazda 3 and sounds great. Loud enough? Definitely, I did a gig the other week with our loud drummer, his kick was mic'd and I was on less than half volume! And it didn't fart in the slightest - wicked little thing, it is. Oh and it has a nice valve drive, so so compressor and reasonable Octaver built in. G

That was one of a many 'Ten Feet Tall' bands....or as the dopey DJ called us the other day "Ten Feet High". There's another Ten Feet Tall that play death metal.

I hooked up with a guitarist once...guy called Bernie - he used to demo Washburn guitars at shows. Now he could do all the sexy legato Holdsworth stuff...man I was blown away, I was soooo freaking excited!! That was until a guitarist mate asked him to play a simple rhythm part and he just couldn't do it (it was so simple, I could have played it), he just kept cocking it up. So many of them spend hours working out every permutation of modes on the fretboard and don't bother to learn any chords or how to play a chuggy rhythm. Another band I was in the guitarist had clearly learnt to play from watching 70's pornos. Every time we had a jam the same old porno 'waaaah wocka wocka wack wack wocka' came out. It only varied from song to song by the amount of flanger on it! Guitarists...can't live with em....can't live with em.

[quote]I think they charge a fee for updates as well. Another problem caused by GAS.[/quote] Musicguard will charge for any increase in the total sum insured but won't charge any admin fee (unless you phone up). You can make changes online at any time btw - just click the 'amend your policy' button and login to your policy. The 'best' insurer is the one that covers your gear on the basis of how you use it. They vary greatly and it's not safe to assume that because A covers loss that B will to (or to the same extent). So best to phone if you're unsure and ask the questions "will it be covered if blah", "will I need any special security measures"...that sort of thing. The only company I would recommend avoiding are E&L - cheap, crap and notorious for not paying claims that are covered by the policy wording (they just mess people about until they give up). I used to work for Musicguard and like any insurer, they'll pay out if they have to. If you do anything that gives any insurer room to wriggle, they will...it's how they make their money. If you ever feel that you've been shafted by an insurance company, follow their complaints procedure and escalate to the Ombudsman. They will generally find in favour of the customer if there's any doubt. I'd better run before they all put a hit out on me!! G

Hello all, Thought I'd post a belated intro (previous posts were re the shipping of Reuel (Incx) bass to the Phillipines. My name is Giles, I'm 38 and live in Coventry. I started playing when I was 15 and have been in a few bands - a Cardiacs influenced band called Ad Nauseum and then later a covers band called Ten Feet Tall (playing mostly in the Midlands). I currently work as a freelance web & graphic designer and also do copywriting, photography and e-marketing. I have a lovely wife and even more lovely 6 month old daughter called Bailey. Indy the cat completes the clan. Generally I'm into neo progrock, rock, funk and pop stuff. I recently treated myself to a new bass - it was a close thing between a Bongo and the Thumb FB...the wife hated the look of the Bongo, so that stuffed that! Right, I think that's suitably dull and boring....on with the fun stuff!! Giles

We used to do Big Spender with a male singer (he didn't change any of the words so it ended up sounding dead camp). Currently the most obscure song is 'Love it when you call' by The Feeling - a tricky little one to get all the bvox right and play that riff at the same time. G

What gets my goat more is when bassplayers slap during soundchecks and then don't do a single slap all bloody night...what's that all about??? I've seen quite a few semi-pro's do this that should know far better. Kind of defeats the object of a soundcheck surely? The worst example was at the Robin - a blues band were headlining and the bass player slapped his way through the soundcheck, then completely changed his sound and playing for the actual gig....the pillock! Personally, I find it hard to find songs that it actually fits and works well in...but then I play for the song and not to impress. If people get up and dance, I've done my job. G

Thanks to everyone on BC that contributed to the shipping costs. We have £303 in the fund, so should be good to send Reuel's bass by super quick, UPS/Fedex delivery. I'm picking the bass up tonight from Steve - I'll have it on it's way to Reuel within a day or two. I must potter by more often and make myself more acquainted with the good folks here. All the best, Giles

Hello all, Crikey...this is my first post on this forum! Shame about the circumstances but.... Thank you all for your contributions to the shipping fund...you're all a jolly good bunch! I personally can't believe how everyone across Basschat and the Warwick forum have pulled together on this - it really is a fantastic display of brotherhood. As I type this the fund stands at £178 so we're well on the way to a super fast shipment to the Phillipines. Please feel free to contribute, if you haven't already, any spare will either go to charity or will go to Reule. Thanks again, Giles (Gman on Warwick forum)