crompers

So I had my first lesson last night and it was great, we covered warm up, some notation stuff, some scales, timing and playing with a metronome and then some ear training and transcription which was very handy as I had no idea the techniques people use to work stuff out just from listening to records. He seemed pretty impressed I'd learnt pretty much all the notes on the first 5 frets and my major scale. I can see this working out, guy is around my age and can well imagine going for a pint with him/we have similar tastes in music. I can totally see the attraction in having someone to tell you when you are doing well and what to work on next, worth the money IMO. I know people on here have been playing for years who probably never did have a tutor, just wondering whether you wished you had or you think you have developed better as a player for not having one (for whatever reason).

[quote name='project_c' timestamp='1490782484' post='3267874'] I posted about Thundercat here a while ago and got shouted down by some old people who thought he was crap. Gotta love those ageing 'baby boomers' and their distrust of anything that's less than 65 years old.. Thundercat is a one-off, he is a legit virtuoso but he also appeals to a whole other demographic who are into electronic music etc. We need many more like him if we want the electric bass to have a role in music in the future. When people talk about the value of old instruments, it's easy to forget that those old Fenders are only valuable because they link to an era of music that had a big impact on people. Without lots of new guys like Thundercat, the bass will fade into insignificance very quickly. So in terms of electric bass he is more important than many people think. [/quote] He is a fantastic player, even if the music isn't your bag not sure why anyone would deny that. Sometimes I have trouble telling what is bass and what is synth/drum machine, very original sound.

Can you get a good mids growl with the QPs? considering changing pickups myself

Pallbearer 9th April, had a listen to the new album today and decided its got to be done.

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1490688998' post='3266975'] I have found, over the years, that we always start at a decent enough volume, but as the night goes on, I feel as if I'm listening to a wall of noise. The desire to turn up to be heard is almost unbearable. I have asked the others have they turned up and they are adamant that they haven't. I've since found out that our ears, when faced with prolonged loud noise, will try to protect themselves by blocking out certain frequencies. This makes for a weird sensation of mud in your hearing, which is hard to play through. I have concluded that A, we are too loud to start with and 2 , monitors are a must! [/quote] Years of going to watch wall of sound doom bands has confirmed to me that this is true, even when wearing ear protection

Cigar Box guitar. Leo hadn't even invented the Bass when Robert Johnson was gigging juke joints

Everything has its place I feel, I enjoy intricate musicianship as much as the next man but I also enjoy emotive music that is little more than pentatonics and massive amps. Indie not so much but each to their own.

[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1490192596' post='3263090'] It's a great place to start, or take a look at the Fuzzdog kit offerings, there's a LOT on there, but each kit has a full walkthrough etc. Their Muff gives you all the options to build whatever era of Muff you want (it's just component changes really), although I'd stick with a Green Muff if it's for bass: [url="http://shop.pedalparts.co.uk/Big_Muff_Pi/p847124_6674585.aspx"]http://shop.pedalpar...24_6674585.aspx[/url] The thing with DIY stuff is that you can build something, and then be like "oh what if I add cheeky clean blend....and some oscillation....and a mids control", there's a LOT of mods for a muff. I'd say for the music you're citing, a straight green muff will be fine though....you can always build more Si [/quote] Looks good cheers, may well jump on this come payday, will let you know how it goes if i do!

I have soldered before but not extensively, I just want a good sounding fuzz pedal that will give me something reasonably close to Queens of the Stone Age / Kyuss / Truckfighters / Sleep. I like the idea of putting it together myself and its cheaper. Any other suggestions?

Has anyone attempted one of these big muff kits? https://www.musikding.de/Der-Muff-Green-Russian-Distortion-kit wondering what it sounds like and how difficult it was to construct?

I don't play in bands but I have a lot of friends that do, to me it seems like the people who enjoy it most are the ones who view it as an after work hobby. Then there are the people who don't recognise that the music industry has changed, getting signed and making vast amounts (or even more money than your mates who work in a bank) is more or less a thing of the past. The bands that aren't Coldplay and make a reasonable sum have to be prepared to be touring constantly from what I can see, and that is not an easy life.

Good band Kvelertak, you're sure to enjoy them.

Link please!

Thanks for the advice, its quite difficult starting out to know what other people do and what is normal! If you watch someone else playing it just looks like they are using grip and you cant see the pressure being applied by the arm. Hopefully just a strain and I'll be back on the bass next week.

[quote name='grunge666' timestamp='1489759214' post='3259560'] Are you taking Statins?? They can cause/contribute to point pain. [/quote] Nope no Statins, just beer and an occasional visit from mary jane

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1489758614' post='3259546'] This could be the cause of your problem. Try breaking up the practice time into one hour sessions then take a break. This is beneficial for both brain and hands/wrists/fingers alike. Incorporate playing [u]without[/u] the thumb behind the neck for a couple of minutes, just to get an idea of how much ( or little..) actual pressure is required to fret a note cleanly. Do this, briefly a few times during the course of your practice, until the fingers "get the message" about how much pressure to apply. [/quote] Sounds like solid advice. I'm going to wait until Monday, see how it feels and if no better will get an appointment with the GP, if it is better I'll start doing the above.

[quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1489757163' post='3259530'] What age group are you. ? Is it just the one knuckle ? Athritis usually happens on both hands i was told. Its rare to get just one knuckle. Does the joint feel warm to touch compared with other joints in other hand. ? Any swelling or lumps of the knuckle area, ? Have you overdone your playing technique by holding down too hard ? Have you been doing anything else that would possibly cause a joint injury ? (won't go into detail there ) If worrying you that much go see your GP. He will check the hand joints and take blood sample which should confirm either way. Hope this helps but would def suggest GP visit to confirm Dave [/quote] I'm 32 It is the whole of my index finger really but particularly the middle knuckle, its also feels a bit weak and making a fist causes pain. Nope not warm to touch, no swelling or lumps. Up to the last few days i was practicing a lot, say 2 hours a day and yes I was using my grip in particular to fret, then I saw a video by Scott the other day where he explained that he uses the whole of his arm to pull back on the neck which was a bit of a eureka moment. I've been trying to correct my technique accordingly but I find it quite counter intuitive.

So I've been getting some pain in the joints of my fretting hand, mainly the first knuckle of my index finger. Ive stopped playing for a few days and its still hurting, I'm worried I've done something permanent or I have arthritis. I know my technique hasn't been great and I've been trying to correct that, only been playing a couple of months. Help?

Not my bag (and a bit miffed about him taking the Sunday slot at Glasto) but fair enough he writes his own songs etc etc. I do agree there is a lot of hype about him at the moment as if he was the first man to ever write a song but meh, I don't pay too much attention anyways.

I was happy to pay for sabbath because it was final tour etc (and SABBATH). Metallica are money grubbing bar stewards and any love I had for them has sadly dissipated over the years.

Jurassic 5 have some great bass lines

Lovely stuff

Not sure whether this should go here or in effects, feel free to move it. So I just purchased the above as an ex display from GAK for practice and jamming with friends, got a good price. One thing I'm not so sure about is the AppTek feature which allows you to use an iOS device to EQ and to add effects. As above is there a way to use this in Android or is it truly iOS only? Its not essential to me and I still feel like I got a good amp for the money, just wondered whether there was possibly a way for me to use it and Google is offering me no answers.

Picked up this Jazz yesterday! Little bit rough round the edges but I don't mind that. Plays really well and so much easier than the five string. Apparently its an MiM neck with a squier body. This thing rings like a bell, makes a lovely sound.