progben

Being a thrash kid growing up, a lot of it is rhythmic for me. I love when drums switch from fast snare/hihat patterns to half time. Lyrics rarely carry any weight for me and the beauty of the vocal is often exclusively in its timing and delivery. I also really love cross rhythm/polymeter etc which is used widely in a lot of styles of music and goes a long way to explaining why my love of Meshuggah, Rush, and contemporary pop coexist. I agree with KingPrawn that its based on a set of ever-evolving triggers, a lot of which were set up when we were young & due to our exposure to or interest in different songs.

I think in an originals "make it big" situation, the only musical talent you need to possess is being able to confidently play your songs each night. The other talents you'll need are much wider and far reaching (as Blue has touched upon), and not limited to, critical thinking, PR, marketing, accounting, graphic design, tutoring, good business sense, web design and probably a whole lot more. Obviously you can be a perfectly good, nay great! bar band and just focus on being an awesome bassist, but I strongly believe that the instrument is just one skill you'll need on your journey toward Originals Stardom. As for passion, you'll definitely need some of that, if not for the bass then for the project in general. Remember, a lot of the legendary players are so because they did things 'wrong' and developed their own style. Not a bad idea to do the same! Apologies for the long reply, great topic Blue.

There's some crossover for sure. The main reason I'm part of my current band, though, is because I've always appreciated the songwriting of our bandleader (who Ive seen play in numerous bands since we were kids - everything from hardcore to black metal). It's been great to be involved with it on a musical level this time rather than as a spectator. I'd say the main reason I'm still part of it is because of how much I love the people I write and perform with rather than the music though. My tastes are too eclectic to satisfy with one band

I'm in an active band so naturally we gig a fair amount, although it's probably the thing I enjoy least about being in a band (apart from the organisational hi-jinks) My passion will also be in creating music first and foremost, especially in the studio. I find that the idea of playing live is great, but once I'm up there, it's all autopilot (except for when something goes wrong). The whole thing flashes by in a second.

[quote name='leschirons' timestamp='1509716351' post='3401140'] You could well be right. I had an Aria Pro ll six string. Stupidly sold it. Most playable and sweet sounding 6er I'd ever owned and cost peanuts compared to all the others. [/quote] I've heard a lot of people speak highly of them. I guess the allure of higher $$ instruments persuades people to move them on. All I know is that I haven't played anything better yet, and for the £250~ it set me back, I owe it nothing! Good luck finding another Aria 6er!

I've only been through a few but have settled on my Aria Pro II (SB), 1980's MIJ. The playability and tone are both superb. Come to think of it, my only problem with it is that it's sunburnt, but pah, who needs aesthetics. Overall, I don't think I could find a better bass for general use, even at a much higher price.

I think some people will notice and some people won't (both small and large mistakes). Some people in the crowd have a good ear and others don't. That said, the [b]'we are/I am good enough' [/b]mentality is very dangerous to have - and that's not just relative to technical performance. A musician (hobbyist or professional) should always be looking for ways to improve [i]something[/i]. For eg, I play bass in a band and practice often, but I'm also invested in thinking of better setlists, ways to enhance the stage performance, marketing ideas, shirt designs, how to best approach fans after the show, and finding good people to surround the band with. I agree with Blue (as I understand him) that despite what people do or don't notice, it'll only help you if your standards are much higher than they 'need' to be.

Looking at it from a business perspective, and given a $100,000.00 budget, I think starting a rock band would be very far down on the list of projects advisable to invent in. The market is extremely saturated by bands (both covers, and originals) and the glass ceiling you will inevitably hit is, for the most part, dictated by luck and the fancy of the higher ups. For example: there's a million Ed Sheeran's out there (some far more capable than him and with better songs) and yet he's making millions and they're not. Why is that? My advice would be to invest the $100,000 into a more viable business, unless you can afford to take the chance.

Nice to have another Mastodon fan lurking around! I dug out Crack the Skye this morning for the first time in ages - great record! As for the first bass situation - it does all depend on personal preference. Although if you don't mind buying second hand/inheriting something with some wear 'n tear, you're bound to find something you like for not much money. I'd say go into a store and decide a few key points (namely, amount of strings, passive vs. active, string spacing, neck profile, pick-up config) and then your decision should be a lot easier and you can get better recommendations from the forums too. Personally I love my 1980's MIJ Aria SB Special and would highly recommend it!

Bought an Aria bass from Martin a couple of days ago. Top bloke and great transaction! As others have said, highly recommended

[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1480344546' post='3183535'] Absolutely, although I was certainly a member here before I started at Focusrite But in any case, always happy to field questions etc! Cheers Si [/quote] Those Focusrite interfaces look great. Are they compatible with Windows PCs or is it Apple only?

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1482320655' post='3199495'] Can't help feeling that print media is doomed. [/quote] Very true. The main reason being that print advertising isn't value for money now Facebook has a monopoly. To be honest, it's been a long time coming and the "pay for coverage/ratings" system of these mags needs to be buried along with the out of date philosophies of major record labels. Every cloud.

That most people aren't out to help you, but that the ones that are, are indispensable.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1482143631' post='3197901'] When we had the cab and the amp shoot outs at the SE bass bash, same amp for each cab and all amps set at noon, with one player demoing the lot they all sounded more similar than different. There were amps and cabs that I wouldn't have looked at twice (going on reviews of others) that sounded pretty good to my ears. In a band setting the differences would have been even less noticeable. OK, everyone will EQ differently and have different sounding fingers, but the most important difference between all of us is [i]what[/i] we play and [i]how[/i] we play it. I've been told I make all of my gear sound like me. Even though I think each bass is different, to the others they're not. To anyone looking at a oil painting, it doesn't matter what paint or brushes the artist used. [/quote] I agree, but to someone who paints regularly, it might matter more and to the painter, I'm sure it was an important consideration.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1482116379' post='3197781'] We'll you have a point, to a degree. I gig around 9 different basses, the only one with a distinct sound of it's own is my German made Hofner Club bass. Blue [/quote] That's surprising to hear, Blue. All the basses I've owned/played seem to have very different natural sounds and characteristics. I currently use a Warwick Dolphin and a Yamaha RBX and theyre so different that they end up getting used for seperate genres of music.