mikel

A lot of the drummers who the public think are poor, or merely acceptable, are some of the best to play with. Ringo, Charlie, John Coglan etc. They nail the groove and have the magic micro timing, a joy for any competent bassist. Chops and flash are nice but nailing the groove is the first requirement of a good drummer.

Record the next rehearsal on a mini recorder and send the band members a copy. Then contact and ask what they think? If they point out obvious deficiencies, and how to solve them, then all is good. If they find nothing wrong then walk away. Tuning has never been easier, even between songs, so no excuses.

Bass and drums are, in most instances, the rhythm section. It drives the band, and Its a partnership. If the partnership fails to lock in then there is no groove. Listen to some of the more basic bands, Its the locking in of the rhythm section that makes the music wonderful, despite the simplicity. If you cant feel when you are both in the pocket then there is something basic missing from your innate rhythmic ability. Perhaps this drummer is simply not that sensitive.

2 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

 

Because it is easier than driving round to all your family and friends and playing the same thing?

If they are family they would surely hear you playing. Any real friends would also know you play and have heard you play.

AWB tonight at the Tyneside Theatre. It was re scheduled twice, from 2019, first through a band illness and then through covid. Just glad we can finally see them before either I or they die.

On 04/11/2021 at 08:27, tegs07 said:

I see the sun is smiling on your morning mug of compassion today!

Kid looked overjoyed and made me smile. If her talent makes her and her friends and family happy that’s doing plenty.

Well quite, but if its all about friends and family why bother posting it on social media? If I had a quid for every "Wonderkid" that's been touted as the muts nuts I would have a few quid. As has been said, music is not a competition, and age has nowt to do with it.

Yawn. Most of these so called wonder kids do nothing with their talent when it matters. Something else will come along and they move on.

It happens with semi pro bands all the time. Shrug and move on. Different strokes etc. Don't take it personally, the other bassist might be a close mate of a band member or own a van to ferry equipment etc.

9 hours ago, Jakester said:

Some of you may have seen my post Rejection Dejection, where I detail how I may have talked myself out of a great gig. 

 

Well, round two has arrived - this time, where I didn't even get to meet any of the band before not getting the gig! 

 

As the kindly souls in my first thread noted, often the first time rejections come back to you if their first choice doesn't work out. 

 

And so that has proved - there was an ad up a while back which was a swing band looking for a bassist. (I know that's totally different to the other band - what can I say? I love playing different styles of music). I dropped them a line but I was told that they'd found someone. 

 

However, it seems that person didn't work out so they dropped me a line to see if I was still interested? I said yes - I don't think their standard was particularly high, which suited me as I was looking to improve my EUB playing without much pressure. I knew I could play the parts on electric bass at worst. 

 

Anyway, I'd managed to build up a bit of rapport over email with the person doing the recruiting (the singer, I think), when matters came rather swiftly to a head. 

 

I'd already told them I play in another band. She said they rehearse on Wednesday nights, did that work. I said possibly, though the other band I play with also do Weds eves when we're rehearsing so I may have to do alternates. 

 

That put the cat right amongst the pigeons. The singer had to go and check with the band leader whether that would be okay, and the response came back "no - wouldn't work due to split loyalties". 

 

I was quite surprised at that - I've managed to successfully play in multiple ensembles for many many years, and IME it's better to actually have a player there than none at all. I'd have been happy to rock up and work out with them when they needed a bassist and when not.

 

In all honesty, having listened to their recordings I do think I have dodged a fairly big bullet - anyone who can't really crack 'In The Mood' was probably not going to be much fun anyway! 

 

I get that they want someone committed but I find this "commit 100% only to our band" thing really odd. Variety is the spice of life - I'd go mad if I could only ever play one style of music. 

 

At this rate, I will getting bands I've never heard of get in touch to reject me before they even put up a 'bassist wanted' ad! 

 

I cant really blame them if you already rehearse on their chosen night, look at it from their perspective. And what about gigs on the same night, who would you choose to disappoint?

On 25/08/2021 at 09:54, greavesbass said:

Only 24 posts in 16 hrs about an absolute musical legend. Does the Basschat demographic apart from myself stop at about 18 or something? Talkbass has gone nuts and showing huge respect...

Surely as long as you liked him its all good. Not everyone is quit so keen to post simply because a great musician has died. I prefer to remember him and play his music.

On 15/07/2021 at 14:11, NHM said:

It takes time and experiment to find the best strings for you. If you can start by deciding whether it is rounds or flats, then buy a set and see how they suit you. Tension is a big issue with flats (my choice, I don't know much about round wounds).  You may have to try various manufacturers before finding the right ones. Don't pay too much attention to what people recommend as it is a very personal decision. Be prepared to leave a set of flats on for some time as they mellow out as they settle in, so you may grow to like them more after time (or not!). All very subjective, no right or wrong answers!

When you find a set that really suit you, you'll know as the instrument will have come alive!

Agreed, short scales appear, to my ears at least, to be more sensitive to string choice and gauge.

19 hours ago, Nicko said:

I'm done with the endless cycle of enthusiasm and disappointment followed by breakup of pub covers bands and have been in contact with an originals group.  I'm meeting them in a few weeks and they've sent me a few recordings of rehearsals.

 

I've learnt the basics of the songs but really don't know whether to try to learn the basslines note for note as played by their previous player or show a bit of creativity.  Whatdya think?

 

Play as written for the audition, it proves you can learn the parts. If you get the gig you could then discuss playing what you feel makes it better. When it comes to new songs then its down to you.

8 hours ago, knicknack said:

How often do you hear bands (even exceptional bands) covering Stones song well? They might be playing the parts accurately but there's always something missing. I saw the stones a few years ago by chance, not expecting to love them. Charlie kicked off the set and gave me instant goosebumps. He also made a ton of mistakes but who cares! 

 

I do think Steve is the absolute perfect dep for them... his playing on Keith's solo records shows a great match. 

Yep. To me the Stones sound is shambolic, for want of a better word. Keeping that feel without the whole thing falling apart is the real skill.

1 hour ago, Woodinblack said:

 

There is no way of telling who has the minority view.

 

I have never heard anything that CW is doing that in anyway seems better than even some of the drummers I have played with. He seems competant and ok, and obviously a lot more experienced than when he started where he was basically just in time.

I don't see how many drummers (let alone NP) couldn't do what he does at least as well.

 

I just don't care enough to argue about it in a 'my dads bigger than your dad' sort of debate like this one

 

Its not about better, or faster or more chops. Its about right guys in the right band at the right time. Charlie's drumming is an intrinsic part of the Stones songs and style, with a different drummer those recorded tracks would have been very different. Its about feel and beat placement and micro timing, not chops or technique.

35 minutes ago, thodrik said:

Charlie Watts has a very distinctive style and stage presence and has been an ever present fixture for the Stones for nearly 60 years. Yes, he could be replaced by any number of drummers to physically play the drum parts, but none of them would be Charlie Watts. Whether the new drummer 'is up to the job' will probably depend on how much a Stones fan or Charlie Watts fan you are. The average non-Stones fan or someone who goes to a Stones gig who kinda knows who Mick Jagger is and knows a couple of Stones songs from films and tv adverts probably really doesn't care who plays drums for them and won't notice a difference, while a diehard Stones fan will claim they hear a massive difference. 

 

Personally I hope Lars Ulrich gets the gig and brings his St Anger kit on tour. 

Every drummer is different and Charlie is no exception. The original Stones members insisted on Charlie being their drummer and Keith has said on numerous occasions "Charlies drumming is the bed I lie on" His style may be called simplistic but he swings like few others, his groove is bottomless and he knows when to push or pull the songs. Unique.

On 28/07/2021 at 07:39, skidder652003 said:

So my Pub Band did an album of original material last year and some of it is ok (IMO)

 

We play 3 of the songs from said album in the set, one goes down well, the other 2 are  "politely" received.

 

I'm getting  a vibe from one or 2 other band members that they would like to continue further down this path and perhaps don't quite see how our punters react as well as I do.

 

I'm not a fan of "pub" bands playing their own material, I think the punters like to hear stuff they know. I'm trying to diplomatically suggest keeping the originals to the festival circuit (I'm talking village festivals here!) and only really having 2 max of our better tunes in the set and working on more covers to keep the set fresh.

 

But still I'm getting a feeling of Mission Creep, that the writers of said material are really enjoying the process (and I get that) but it's not really helpful to what we are and have been for the last 10 years. We have a new member who has really raised our game ( a great singer) and it's really brought the band up another level (again IMO).

 

Maybe I'm afraid of change? If it wasn't for the singer, the Album would never have happened and there's talk of another one in the pipeline but our bread and butter is The Dog n Duck circuit and I'm nervous of spoiling that. 

 

Has anyone else had a conflict between what works well every week and the ambitions of other (possibly more ambitious) band members?

If you write songs how else is the gig public going to hear them? We used to drop a couple of originals into the set and after a while people got to know them and enjoy. As long as its not a 20 minute prog fest why not. I love pub bands who do something a little different, I mean, how many versions of Sweet Home Alabama do you need to hear.

16 hours ago, funkgod said:

it will indeed, as Beethoven and Carl orff is played today, music is here to stay in all its forms.

in fact one thing i recommend when i am teaching is start to write your own songs as soon as you can,

no matter how silly they seem.

Its the only thing you can leave  here when you are gone, keeping your name alive FOORRRREVVVVEEEERRRRRRR 🙂

some one in the future will deffo look as too where it came from 🙂

untill the earth is sucked into the sun, or the Rothschilds finish us all off first 😞

/\ this. Write your own music. Regardless of weather you perceive it to be hopeless, just do it, leave something of yourself behind.

10 hours ago, tredders said:

I’m in Dallas with work for the next 3 months and spotted a Guitar Center on my drive back from the supermarket today, so thought I’d pop in.  They didn’t have a huge selection of new basses (although there were a couple of nice vintage P and J basses high up out of reach in their Premium section), but I sat down and grabbed a few to try.
 

First one was a Yamaha  BBP34.  I’m a big fan of Yamaha basses and this is one of their relatively high end models (I think it was $1499).  Played it for a couple of mins and it did absolutely nothing for me - I was quite disappointed.  I couldn’t have told the difference between it and a $250 bass to be honest.  Finish was fine but the setup was lousy, and it just felt disappointing. 
 

Next up was a Fender American Professional II Precision.  This I absolutely loved, and it instantly felt comfortable.  Great sounding too.  Neck was very comfy - slim front to back but traditional P bass but width.  Setup nicely straight out of the box and surprisingly light.  This was up for $1500, and if I was in the market for a P bass (haha, which is pretty much all the time!), I’d definitely be considering one of these. 
 

Finally, and probably the most surprising to me, was a cheapo Sterling by Stingray SUB.  Sticker price was $299, and I had very low expectations from it.  Bear in mind that I’ve owned a couple of “proper” Stingrays in the past and have never really got on with them.   Well, I plugged this in and was blown away.  Build quality was great, it was setup nicely and neck was slim and frets were very well finished.  No dead spots, 2 band eq worked perfectly, and it sounded great!  All for the equivalent of £218, in a choice of a few colours (including a really nice powder blue which is actually called chopping blue for some reason).  Quite taken with it, and I think I might grab one for the time that I’m out here for, and then donate it at the end of the trip to a local music group or something.  Ordinarily I wouldn’t have given a cheapo bass like that a second look.  Just goes to prove something we probably all know - you don’t have to pay a fortune to get a decent bass. 

Careful. It could be that the one you played was simply a coming together of all the good components and body/neck in one lucky bass. Try the others if you are after a different colour. Good luck.

Not sure who said it, but: "Its rock and roll, there is no right or wrong way, just your way".

In sessions a lot of the music is as written, or as the main performer or producer demands it. Not sure how much is open to musicians interpretation. Band composed stuff is different.

Same problem here. Singers? Dont get me started. I firmly believe that most of the wannabes in the semi pro world think singing is the easy part and all you need is a microphone, or not even that. Turn up at a rehearsal space and the PA and mic will be provided. The number of "Singers" we have auditioned who have no gear, not even a mic, no idea when to come in, no phrasing or dynamics, or indeed couldn't carry a song in a bucket is astonishing. All I hope for is the basics, have at least your own mic, learn the lyrics and sing in tune. You dont have to be Billie Holliday FFS.

On 23/06/2021 at 22:15, 40hz said:

Turning Japanese by the Vapors. Always makes me cringe a bit.

Oh please. You won't go blind you know. As Billy Connoly said " ill stop when I need glasses".

26 minutes ago, thebrig said:

I could be wrong, but surely these lyrics are only asking, Would you choose to walk or stay? I really don't see the connection with amputees.

But, saying, I would rather go blind! is a statement that they would choose to go blind, which to my mind is a terrible thing to say.

Surely its a statement of absolute distress at the thought of losing a lover. Its not a statement of fact. People say and do odd things when they are in love. Or was Tom Petty actually having his heart dragged around? They are songs for goodness sake, and if they bring to the public's attention something awful that happened in the past, Brown Sugar, then kids should know about it.

22 hours ago, meterman said:

I’m surprised nobody has posted this yet:

I’ve never been a Led Zeppelin fan at all but the drums, and the production, on “When The Levee Breaks” is as good as it gets, IMVHO. It’s the only Zep tune I can listen to, I just zone in on the echoed drumming and the distorted harmonica playing. Superb.

Rock, and indeed Roll. Talk about heavy. Nothing since comes near for extremes of light, shade and space in a Rock song.

21 hours ago, tegs07 said:

So is the secret to success be a solo artist, keep costs to the minimum and use digital platforms to reach your audience?

Its never been easier to make and record music without a commercial studio, and if you use a digital platform its out there. Gigging, and reaching a big live audience is another thing entirely.