knirirr

Indeed - I recently bought something from him. Unfortunately it turned out have a small fault, but he seemed happy for me to return it. Currently it is in the hands of Parcelforce. I'm sure it's something he'll be able to fix so it can be re-listed (I spotted something else I'll bag instead).

Is that String Theory?

You're still doing better than I am! Selling things even at a loss seems rather difficult.

I've cheated for thumb position by putting a small black stick-on dot at where the 12th and 19th frets would be, but the rest of it is done by muscle memory. One of the fun parts of DB playing is not needing to look at the neck, so I am free to stare at iReal (or, if I can remember the changes, at the audience) instead.

I'm not sure about that - I've got quite a few free jazz albums and enjoy listening to them. Of course, I usually have to wait until my other half is out in case she complains of "oh no, not more Desolate Shore"... BTW, a couple of times I've seen arguments about free jazz break out on another forum, where things can get quite heated indeed. I failed to make clear that I liked listening to it and received some interesting abuse. Re your jams, it seems a bit off that there's no planning. Good luck getting a house band together and starting your own!

I suppose it would depend; an EUB could be anything from what is essentially a bass guitar placed upright on a stand to a double bass with no body, perhaps free standing, leaning against the player or even on a strap. The only ones I've tried are my current one (a DB stand-in with 41.5" scale) and a 5-string BG-on-a-stand with 38" scale which I had years ago but sold. In both cases I was able to find a DB teacher willing to assist me. My guess is that the Stagg bass being discussed on the other thread is very much like a DB. As it happens, a BG player who comes to the local jam told me he'd got one and was having lessons from a good pro teacher nearby.

There's a good chance that I'll be free to attend this, if no-one would mind me dropping in. It appears that there might be a chance to discuss EUB technique, so I could bring mine. Or a DB, but probably not both.

IIRC you're attending a bass bash and I keep being told that I ought to go as it would be a fun day out. If I do, and it would be of the slightest interest, I would be happy to show you what little I know (background: Jazz, plus grade 5 classical DB). I normally play the acoustic bass but have a DB-scale EUB, usually to take to jams or cramped gigs (the photo below shows how it works, on the improvised extended endpin).

Thanks. I've never much liked clatter from the open E, and there appears to be a bit of that. There's some buzz from the open G on a vigorous bow stroke. Perhaps it could go a little higher...

Thanks. Strangely, it sounded a lot worse when I was playing, and also when I played it back on the phone speakers.

Recently, I asked for a luthier to adjust the action on my bass, which involved some wood carving on the fingerboard. The action is now as low as some better quality basses I've played locally, and also as low as my EUB. But, I hear a lot of clattering and buzzing whilst playing which I find rather annoying, and reducing it means raising the action very high again. The luthier thought this sound acceptable for jazz, but I wonder what other people think. Therefore, I have made a few recordings of me playing some Gilbert Isbin pieces (rather badly, because I've had COVID for a week and it's still not gone) in case anyone wouldn't mind commenting: https://recorder.google.com/43fb1265-5969-4064-996e-7c20d26b1833 https://recorder.google.com/0b950f73-0d85-45a9-b6ef-ca5d44c94638 https://recorder.google.com/d95f9708-351b-4ab4-8c5c-04a853b12f22 Does that sound like a reasonable amount of string noise?

Here are two awesome ones just off the top of my head: https://youtu.be/0EOjl8ArXlI?si=l25xTVZ3lCF32k_D&t=116 https://youtu.be/_VEWZoA7Erk?si=wtzeQfYsLlHQGwwC&t=233 Anyway, apologies for bringing up the divisive topic of bass solos; unfortunately they are (1) often demanded by other jazz musicians at jams (particularly if one says "no bass solo on this one, please") and (2) are a great opportunity to feel bad about one's playing. That does indeed sound like something different, then. Sorry to hear that, and I hope you manage to find the solution.

I can't recall where I saw it, but I read something about how your ability to play and your taste/ability to analyze your playing improve at different rates. So, if playing skills exceed analysis skills you'll think you sound great, but if it's the other way around then anything you do will sound bad to you (I note that I'm often not happy with my own playing and wonder if this might be why). Another thing, which was told to me by a jazz tutor, was that during or just after playing a solo the soloist may well think it was rubbish as they will compare it with the perfect solo they were imagining in their head and couldn't quite get out of the bass. But, if they listen back to the solo a few weeks later when that perfect solo has been forgotten then it will sound much better. Could either of those things be involved here?

This reminds me of a local double bass player whose licence was revoked this year due to dementia. A friend bought him a Yamaha silent bass so he can more easily get a lift and still do gigs.

It does currently appear to be difficult to get gigs as a jazz quartet, except at certain specialist venues (usually in Oxford) and then there's a long waiting list to get in. Where other pubs might want jazz it's usually only as background music during meals etc. and telling them we play this sort of thing (apologies, don't have a good recording of our interpretation) puts them off. Outside Oxford the pubs do indeed seem to prefer duos. I have noticed a particular local duo being booked for "jazz matinees" etc. in local pubs even though they are really folk-type performers.

Here's a nice jazz example - makes a change from the many notes we usually have to play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5bq_vRMskM&list=RDj5bq_vRMskM&start_radio=1 There's a faster version with violins &c. which is better known, but I think I prefer the one above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER8Q504Vro8&list=RDER8Q504Vro8&start_radio=1&pp=oAcB

Today's gig was at the street fair in Charlbury, doing the usual jazz-ish originals. A strange gig as our sets were between those of singers/acoustic guitarists doing covers in the beer garden of the pub on the other side of the street. We could hear but not see them, so we had to be ready to go at the appointed time as soon as applause was heard, just in case they slipped another song in. They were similarly ready when we were playing. A video of some of our performance is available, though the intro was missed as the person filming was trying to move out of the rain. As the video shows, some kitchen sink/shelf units were out in the yard where we were performing - apparently the venue was undergoing some refurbishment. These turned out to be a convenient place to stash my bass bag and amp cover when not playing.

A fictional character, but the actor was a musician.

Indeed; the "woke jokes" in this case, as far as I can tell, remarks about the woke things this chap doesn't like rather than jokes that are woke.

When I wrote that I was paraphrasing something someone said to me at a recent jam: "I was at so-and-so's gig during the week and he made another of his unfunny woke jokes [eyeroll]". I should perhaps have quoted the phrase, as you have done. What I heard was an announcement between tunes which was something like (from memory): "There's this bloke I know who says he's a woman now! What's anyone supposed to do about that sort of thing, then, eh? What am I even supposed to call him? Him? Her? It?" I got the impression this was supposed to be amusing, but didn't find it so.

There have been some interesting answers here. One thing that keeps cropping up (or so it seemed to me) is the difference between whether you're meeting friends to do a thing, or going to do a thing which happens to need other people (e.g. work). If it's like work then I can work with unpleasant sorts if they can manage to behave in a cordial manner when at any work related event. As it happens, I recall a colleague who did once make some dodgy remarks to another colleague about racial purity when he'd had a free drink too many in during the social at a conference, but he had the good sense to keep his mouth shut about that sort of thing. He only let it slip that once and I heard about it second hand. Luckily he found a better opportunity elsewhere. So far I have avoided any of this in bands (fingers crossed), though it has cropped up from time to time when running a martial arts club. Normally having "the talk" with anyone who says anything naughty and explaining to them what's required of them whilst they're training (or having a quick pint with colleagues afterwards) does the trick. That sort often move on when they realise that they won't be accepted if they speak divisively. I do know of a chap who was chucked out of a club run by a friend of mine in another city, but that was because the ejected member turned out to be one of the leaders of an extremely dodgy neo-nazi organisation. He was unmasked when he agreed to be interviewed by a journalist and gave them his mobile number. This was on his work website, and the journalist simply searched for the number on Google... One other thing - there's a player on the scene here who is notorious for making unfunny woke jokes* during gigs. I saw him play in the theatre near where I live; he made such a "joke", and was heckled from the balcony until he shut up and played the next tune. * i.e. comments about silly woke people which are meant to amuse the punters.

Yesterday I took a trip to the physiotherapist with both DB and BG. This revealed that part of the problem is when playing BG (or guitar) seated; the position of my right shoulder is drawn backwards such that it causes pain to go down the arm after a few minutes. For the moment, practicing standing up will be required until I can work out a good seated position, perhaps with a proper stool (something that can fold to go to jams & gigs).

Thanks for the replies. For some reason I didn't get any notifications and only spotted them whilst browsing. This could well be something other than bass (I certainly spend plenty of time on a computer) but it's currently not clear what.

Indeed, I am currently in the queue to see a specialist at some unknown time in the future. I might drop in to the local physio again, just in case. Good to hear that the gym worked for you!

I hope this is a suitable place to post the following; I think it is probably related to DB playing, though there may be other factors. Currently, I'm having a bit of trouble with both elbows; pain in particular when having the elbows bent for a few minutes, e.g. the right elbow when playing a bass guitar, and also some general fatigue and loss of grip strength in both arms making it harder to play upright for longer periods. The local physiotherapist thought this was all in the forearm causing referred pain to the elbow. Unfortunately, the exercises they recommended have not helped. I contacted my GP but there will be a wait for any further assistance, and it's unclear how long. Perhaps the DB is the cause, given that it's a repetitive activity that will give the hands and forearms a lot of work. I've already got light strings (Evah Pirazzi) and I'm not sure what else could work. A week or so ago the local luthier had a look and told me that what was needed to reduce the tension was shooting the fingerboard so they could improve the action. This made the instrument a little easier to play but produced unpleasant buzzes and rattles. Reducing these requires raising the action again... In any case, whatever it is is making double bass more tiring to play and guitar (bass or otherwise) painful. When I had lessons I don't recall any issue with my technique, though I might book another lesson just to check on that. Perhaps it needs someone with relevant medical knowledge to take a look at my posture, though. Has anyone else experience elbow issues like this? Do you have any thoughts if so?