probablypike

[quote name='Kirky' timestamp='1458977060' post='3012495'] Of course the reasons are many and complex, but anything that celebrates them and potentially inspires more is a good thing. [/quote] This. Music journalism aimed at musicians is awful for excluding women. And that needs to change. One magazine that is doing amazing things is She Shreds. Check them out over here: http://sheshredsmag.com/

I've only tried the swollen pickle of the three listed above (the special edition one with extra internal pots on the outside) and you can get a massive range of sounds from it. I'm definitely interested to hear how yours both turn out though. Good luck.

Similar to Bristol's suggestion, you can pluck multiple strings at the same time using your thumb, first and second (and third) fingers to get a solid chord sound, too. Sometimes you see people using their thumb in a strumming pick sort of style that brushes over the top of the strings. (I can't do it for beans, though, so I can't personally vouch for it.) It all depends on what kind of sound you want to make, really

For the last couple of weeks I've been weighing up whether learning to read could be the next big challenge on my musical horizons. With this in mind I ventured out to Birmingham library. (I'd already had a look at their music section, but never before with the specific intention of scoping out some reading material.) What I found has pushed me off the fence and into the mindset that I'm going to give this reading lark a real shot. There was loads of material. Bach's Cello suites, Mark Levine's big jazz theory book, musical scores and just about every variety of Real Book you could ask for. The audio section is great too, so you can pick up a cd to take home to practice to. If anyone is ever looking for some theory books, sheet music or anything else of that nature, be sure to check out your library.

[quote name='Cyrene' timestamp='1457572018' post='2999838'] GY!BE's Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven is the apotheosis of all double albums in my opinion. [/quote] Yes! Which is strange for me, when I think that some of their other stuff could be slimmed down a little. Funny how the benchmark for double album has changed length-wise since the dawn of the cd, too. I've also got to mention Kamasi Washington's album from last year. Huge piece of work, but a joy to listen to when you have time.

I've not personally tried it on bass, but for the money and the generally great reception it gets, the Hall Of Fame mini (or the full version) could be worth a go?

The worst experience of this I've seen was when I went to see Mastodon at a festival. Great set, everyone was having fun, but there were a couple of *ahem* people in the pit actively trying to start fights with people. Most people ignored them, until the end when one guy just took them to the floor. Nonetheless, this kind of behavior isn't welcome. No one wants to see it, it's dangerous and it can ruin a good set. It stops people having fun-and isn't that why we're there in the first place? Wonder if you can guess which festival? (It's this kind of thing, as to why I haven't been for a few years.)

Lots of headless hate going on. Thoughts on this https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=Yklz-D-2UAc ? I know they're not basses, but strandberg make some beautiful headless guitars too. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pd_mWVMda-E (Pushing the Tesseract in this post aren't I?)

I've got some Sennheiser headphones (can't find my model in their current catalogue, I'm afraid), and can definitely vouch for the company. Having tried a few pairs of theirs in the past, I can happily say that you get good quality, and a decent price for the product. That being said, I don't really do any mixing or mastering, so I can't comment on that front.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll have to start using a timer so I don't lose track of time, and give my hands a rest. [quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1457271659' post='2996880'] +1 to this. I'd also consider if your technique is questionable. You say your wrist aches. Do you play with a bent wrist ? If so, this could be a contributing factor. [/quote] The left hand technique was my first thought, too, but I honestly don't think I can get my wrist any straighter without it having a negative impact on my ability to fret. [quote name='DBerriff' timestamp='1457259955' post='2996718'] All the above and I find a sports sweat band around my wrist helps. [/quote] Sounds good! I'll have to get a [url="http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTAwWDUwMA==/z/Nq0AAOxyY3ZRoLTs/$(KGrHqYOKpMFGUYQoLTiBRoLTsV0)g~~60_1.JPG"]headband[/url] too.

I've been practicing for longer periods of tine in one go than usual recently, and although I warm up by stretching my hands and slow fretboard work, my hands have still been aching more than usual. Not cramping up, just a gentle ache in my wrist. Do you guys find that bo matter how much you warm up, you still reach a point of aching? Have you ever had serious problems like RSI/CTS even after warming up? Looking forward to your replies. Alex

I'm surprised so many people are vouching for the tc clip-ons when you can't rotate them. I got a little orange thing by Fender thrown in when I bought my bass, and it does the job for me. Fully rotatable, too.

Brainfeeder delivers yet another cracking album, right? Miles Mosley on upright has some great lines on there too. There's one solo in particular (on Re Run Home I think), which I assumed was a joint effort between Mosley and Thundercat, but it was just Mosley using a wah on the second half. SO GOOD.

I can vouch for Sennheissers,too. Whichever ones you go for, they're going to be good value. Always good quality.

I've just picked up the album Pillars Of Ash from Black Tusk (released Jan 29th), and I just had to post a thread as a recommendation. I can't remember the last time I listened to an album for the first time, and instantly had this much fun. On the CD packaging, it said for fans of Mastodon, Baroness, Kylesa, Skeletonwitch and Motorhead, and that's a pretty fair statement. They're only a three piece, so the bass really has a chance to come through. There's moments where it really sounds fantastic too- nothing too flashy, just great simple rock riffing. Any other fans out there?

On the other hand, if you didn't want a pure octaver effect, Earthquaker have got some seriously cool octave-based effects that are a bit more left-field. (As well as a simple octave up pedal.) http://earthquakerdevices.com/cart_product.cfm/cat/13098

I've not got much experience myself, but I've had the same search myself for a long time, and from what I can tell the POG always seemed to be the best option.

Ok great, thanks for the advice. It just didn't feel quite right stuffing a few matches in my bass. I'm feeling much more reassured now though.

Not a very "technical" issue here, but I was hoping I could get some second opinions. The strap bolt screw at the bridge end of my body has come loose, and so the strap bolt has come clean off. This happened ages ago on my neck side bolt, and the advice from my local shop was to stuff some match sticks in and screw the screw back in. I wasn't very comfortable with this so I brought my bass in and they did it for me- it was good as new. This is a simple fix, so I was hoping I could get some reassurance about screwing the strap bolt back on myself. Thanks very much for your help. Alex

I've got one of the little Roland Cubes and it's been perfect for me. As another person who knows very little about amps, it's easy enough just to plug in and play with headphones.

I'm guessing I'm massively overlooking a few things here, but could it be argued that there's no point in amps over 500w? If you need volume/clarity that a 500w can't deliver, then surely the venue for that kind of gig will have a decent PA, so DI is just needed. (Then either decent monitors would be available or your 500w would suffice for on stage.) Obviously peace of mind and outdoor events are two reasons why I'm wrong, but on 9/10 occasions you'd be fine, right?

Ahhh great, okay. Thanks very much for clearing that up. It all makes more sense now. I think looking at melodic minor scales might be my area of study. I'm guessing that'll help me out with relative keys too. RE: Eric Taylor. That's really cool, that little pink book seems to be everyone's first recommendation. Where were you at uni then?

I've got a Ditto looper, and it's perfect for me. Small, simple and a long loop time with unlimited overdubs- but it doesn't sound like that's what your after. Bit of a left-field suggestion, I know, but the Line 6 DL4 is a classic delay, but also has a loop function. Might be another option? This [url="http://looperpedalreviews.com/"]site[/url] might be worth a look.