tinyd

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1479302821' post='3175440'] A nice arrangement of 'So What'. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xakwGW9IBsI&feature=youtu.be[/media] [/quote] Really nice! Thanks for that

IMHO, a lot of creativity in general comes from working within constraints. For music, this is why different genres exist i.e. each genre has a certain set of assumptions about how the music sounds and is made. Of course, those assumptions change over time as the music evolves, but it takes skill (and time) for this to happen. But all of the great innovators who've really pushed music in different directions have always started with the same fundamentals as everyone else. Also, people tend to get very hung up on the melodic and harmonic side of music - rhythm and groove are at least as important. James Brown tunes tended to be relatively static in terms of chords, but what he did rhythmically was hugely influential. Similarly, a lot of pop tunes that I hear now use vocal phrasing taken from Jamaican Dancehall, even if the chord progressions are pretty standard.

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1478276806' post='3168138'] I can't think of any other tunes/pieces/cues with a 6/8+3/4 combination? [/quote] Not sure if this is quite what you're looking for but some Cuban tunes do a nice job of using both time signatures at once - Afro Blue by Mongo Santamaria is a good example. The conga pattern is 6/8 (or 12/8) but the bass line is 3/4. When you play it, you feel either the "1-2-3" of the bassline or the "one-and-uh, two-and-uh" pulse of the congas. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbE7jf_Hp5w

A quick update for anyone who's considering one of the J-Tone pickups - I used it at a full band rehearsal last night and really liked it. Nice even, predictable sound which is just what I'm looking for. I'd recommend them to anyone - even if you're pretty happy with your existing setup it would be a good backup and what would probably work really well would be to blend its output with another pickup or mic.

This guy is similarly interesting on some people's magic belief in expensive digital cables: http://www.mcelhearn.com/audiophile-hi-fi-journalist-defends-expensive-cables-admits-he-believes-in-magic/

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1477065207' post='3159665'] Saw Graham Day's instrumental band the Senior Service a while ago. They were excellent. It's a hard job to pull off though, The only thing I would say is the gaps between songs need something happening or they feel like very empty spaces for an audience with instrumentals only.. [/quote] Yep, good point - the changeovers between songs are important. If guitarist needs to fiddle around with instruments/pedals/his nose between songs it's a good idea to have a mic and to have a very brief chat with the audience - introduce the tunes and band etc.

[quote name='bassace' timestamp='1476978900' post='3158969'] That sounds very encouraging and hope it works well live. In my experience mid-range honk from piezos is often exaggerated. It can always be taken down with some mid reduction, that's when you hear it at home. But you might find that on a gig you need that mid back again and surprisingly you don't notice the honk. Funny that. The J Tone seems like a winner, especially now the Underwood seems to be difficult if not impossible to find these days. [/quote] Yep, I think it'll be good live - it would always be nice to have a true "my bass, but louder" tone but I suspect that achieving that would take considerably more money and hassle than I'm prepared to throw at the problem. Maybe if Brad Mehldau ever goes deaf and accidentally invites me on tour with him I'll be able to justify it But for now, I think that a solid working sound is going to make me happy.

Just a quick update - my J-tone arrived today and I gave it a quick go at home. I'm really pleased with it so far. Nice even sound, loud, not too much of that nasty piezo mid-range 'bark' and not fussy about exactly how it's placed in the slot. As @Beer described above, it has a slightly artificial tone but to be honest in a gigging situation this isn't an issue. I'm really looking forward to the next rehearsal / gig so I can see how it stands up. What I really like about the even-ness of the sound is that it works well up the fingerboard and in thumb position, whereas other pickups I've tried were very patchy in this regard. For it's £30 a complete bargain to be honest. Thanks @Beer and others for the recommendation!

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1476203284' post='3152294'] Yes, that's the one. I've seen more mixed reports about the other model with the red and green sides. [/quote] Thanks @Beer - I'm going to order one and see how it works out for me. Cheers

Big double Bass Pick up[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1476195923' post='3152182'] I had a Revolution Solo for a few years, so I've been able to compare the two on the same bass. It was a bit more open in the high end than the J-tone, but for some reason I could never get it evenly balanced across all four strings and it could come across as a touch harsh and scratchy on my bass (even running into a preamp). The J-tone has more thickness to the sound, is more forgiving with fitting and positioning and the "plug it in and it works" convenience of it is nice. I'm thinking of moving back to my AKG C411 contact mic for jazzier gigs as it gets a bit more of a woody tone, but I'll certainly hang on to the J-tone. [/quote] That's useful to know. I have the same 'balance' problem with the Rev Solo as well. One last question - is the J-Tone that you have the same model as posted above? (i.e. the "Big double Bass Pick up")? Thanks again

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1476193422' post='3152156'] Here you go then; [url="https://thechaosquartet.bandcamp.com/track/caravan"]https://thechaosquar...m/track/caravan[/url] This was recorded with the pickup running straight into my GK MB200 and using the pre-EQ DI output to the board. It sounds a little darker on this recording than it usually does in the flesh, but that should give you some idea. IMO it has kind of a compressed character and doesn't get the full acoustic character of the bass, but that's common to a lot of bridge-mounted pickups. [/quote] Thanks very much for posting that - nice playing! The pickup sounds pretty good as well - like you say, a bit "artificial" and compressed, but to be honest I'm struggling with my more natural sounding Revolution Solo pickup. When adjusted it can sound great, but live it's ridiculously sensitive to movement and having something a bit more even is what I'm looking for. Thanks again for taking the time to send that on.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1476181404' post='3151971'] I think there are some board recordings where I was using mine - I'll see if I can dig them out and send you a link later. It was a rough late-night performance at an event with free beer, so I've been a bit shy about posting them here... [/quote] That would be great @Beer! Not to worry about the recording, I'm with @TPJ - my playing sounds rough without the the fun of beer and late nights

I'm seriously considering getting one of those J-Tone pickups but I can't find any sound clips anywhere - if anyone can point me to any sound clips or videos I'd be most grateful! Cheers

Here's another one that I was introduced to by Classic Disco Mastercuts:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Zg8s00u3hQ

I always liked this one - great bass line. I think I first heard it on one of those great Mastercuts compilations:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_cpZ49T07o

[quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1461165868' post='3032077'] If you want to learn how to play jazz standards, the best way is to ignore web pages that say you need to learn hundreds of tunes and just get with some like-minded people who want to do the same thing. Learn a tune a week and by the end of the year you have a setlist for a two hour gig. [/quote] I'd agree with this approach, it worked for me. From a jazz bass player's point of view, 'learning a tune' also means playing walking basslines. If you don't have much experience with this I'd recommend learning to walk as well - there are some good books on this by Ed Fuqua, Ed Friedland and Jay Hungerford that I've found useful.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1459848861' post='3020143'] Also, the style of bass playing was changing and PC didn't move with the times so got left behind. [/quote] I think that this is a good point. Bass playing is subject to fashion as much as other musical styles and when Miles formed the second quintet that included Ron Carter this became the sound that a lot of people wanted, especially as the change was so quick. I still find it amazing that there's only 10 years between Relaxin' and Miles Smiles - both fantastic albums but very different. For me, Ron Carter and Jimmy Garrison are both examples of great players who, while arguably not absolutely first on the list of "bass players' bass players" have been instrumental in changing the way that a jazz rhythm section sounds.

[quote name='mtroun' timestamp='1458984914' post='3012557'] Yeah, I see what you mean. Though keeping a form isn't easy and a lot of even quite decent horn players get lost in forms because they are used to someone else doing it for them! I think when we talk about technical expectations, bear in mind how ridiculously easy it is to play fast on a saxophone. The challenge isn't in the execution but in coming up with the content! [/quote] +1. From my limited experience of playing with other musicians, keeping time and following the form of a tune are very underrated skills. I've seen some "name" acts where the timekeeping has been a bit suspect. My pet theory is that rhythm is often treated as secondary, both in formal musical education and when people are learning more informally, but I have zero evidence to back that up

[quote name='Scott S' timestamp='1402907207' post='2477645'] Yep, I couldn't agree more, mate. I mean, if you can play the solo from Comfortably Numb then Nile's metronomic "chicka chicka" I Want Your Love verse rhythm playing will be a doddle, right? [/quote] +10000 I was listening to Thinking Of You by Sister Sledge the other day and it occurred to me that it was one of the greatest guitar riffs but I've never personally heard a guitarist play it.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1454928320' post='2974171'] There are also solo sax versions like this one from Branford Marsalis (I love this one - tried transcribing it for bass but it got too hard) [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QC8Bmf_KRA[/media] [/quote] That Brandford Marsalis versions is great, I hadn't heard that one before. This is a really nice Joshua Redman version that starts off solo and then the band come in:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbmEiC7CRss

[quote name='Wonky2' timestamp='1453991978' post='2965083'] Yes, i think my minds made up on the rev.... Cheers guys Has anyone considered a bead of super glue to one (just 1 side) of the bridge wing to secure it ? If carefully glued at one point it would allow for differing expansion rates of the two woods (bridge and pup) can see the it would interfere with pups ability to "breathe" it just fix on one leading edge ? Anyhoo, do any of you users of the rev use a pre amp ? Im using a lil mark 3 with balanced input ? ( impeadance is something i have yet to undrrstand !) [/quote] I don't think it's a good idea to glue it in place but I wrapped it in masking tape until it fits snugly, then once I found the "sweet spot" I marked the position on the masking tape if you see what I mean. I've tried a Platimun Pro preamp but to be honest I get better results going straight into my GK MB150 combo - it takes a lot of EQ fiddling but I have it set up pretty well to avoid that nasty boomy, middle-y sound that you get with piezos.

[quote name='Wonky2' timestamp='1453972925' post='2964725'] Anyone used the Upton pup? [/quote] I have an Upton Rev Solo 2 - I like it a lot, it's pretty natural-sounding compared to my previous BassMax. It's incredibly sensitive to how you position it in the bridge slot though - literally a millimetre to the side and the sound completely changes. I bought it second hand from another basschatter so I can't help with how to get one in the UK, sorry

I think learning from books is a good way to go, especially if you're "time poor". If I were you, I'd start with the walking basslines book first - the notation is easier to read as it'll be mainly quarter notes plus you can learn an awful lot about moving between chords even if you don't ultimately want to play much walking bass.

[quote name='72deluxe' timestamp='1452165210' post='2947112'] Ah so whilst learning the rules, I am also free to ignore the rules if I want to sound "clashing" or "add tension"? That doesn't really help encourage learning the rules! [/quote] I think that learning rules so that you can (selectively) break them is a good way to look at it - IMO most great music happens at that boundary between the 'rules' and whatever else is going on in the brain of the musician. Too far one way and you're listening to an aimless mess, and too far the other way and the music is safe and uninteresting. What's great is that we all have a different idea of where this boundary lies.