lozkerr

4 hours ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

Decide which version of the song you want to use as a template.

Decide which key you want it to be in.

Send it to me and I’ll pitch correct it for you if you’re not able to.

Thanks - I appreciate the offer! I'll take you up on that if we can't reach a decision between us.

1 hour ago, ambient said:

Just pick a key that you’re both comfortable with, and learn it in that. If you have to change if when you get a singer, it’ll probably just be a case of moving up or down a fret or two.

I've had a quick confab with my friend, who's the singist, and we're going to run through it and then decide on the key. You might be right about the original being slightly out of tune - both Eb and D sound close but no cigar. The phrasing and rhythm's OK, which is the main thing, so going up or down a fret shouldn't be too much of a problem. Thanks also for the sheet music - I hadn't come across that site before!

Hi everyone,

After some more less-than-impressive encounters with the world of JMB and wannabe Simon Cowells, a friend and I have decided to form our own band. First rehearsal is on the 16th June, and we have fourteen songs to learn. One of them is Pretty In Pink. And it's doing my heid in.

The phrasing isn't difficult - I've cracked that OK - but I just cannot seem to get the right key. I've found some bass covers on YouTube, but it doesn't help that there appear to be several versions of the song out there and they all sound subtly different. At the moment I'm playing it in E flat major, and it sounds right-ish. The ish is what's irritating. Mr Google suggests it's in D major, which again sounds slightly odd. Or it could be senility setting in.

Does anyone cover this song, and if so, what key do you play it in? I know we might have to alter it to fit our singer's voice, but I would really like to know what key the original is in.

Many thanks,

Laura

39 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

never seen that Jack Reacher guy. Maybe i should watch just in case i ever get infected and have to use a plectrum.

Sorry, n00b question - what is this 'plectrum' of which you speak? 😉

For E's and wizz?

Nice! I enjoyed that. Out of interest, how many cameras did you use?

The only one that lives there constantly is Snap's Welcome to Tomorrow. It's cheesy Euro electro pop, but it has a nice chilled feel to it.

14 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

Its also brought back some fond memories over the years of people i used to listen too that sadly are no longer with us. 

Indeed. I was going to post the Dead Rock Stars Top Twenty to lighten the mood, but after looking at it, maybe I won't. I'm just running my eye over part of my vinyl collection - lots of singles in an ex-shop display revolving carousel - and I can see a dozen records made by people who have gone. At least we can still enjoy their music.

This thread's got me thinking about musicians who are still with us but whom I'll be gutted to see precede me. I know I'll mourn Vangelis (76) and Jennifer Warnes (72) in a big way when their numbers are up.

1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Terribly, terribly sad, but dying saving one of her kids? She's a real hero.

True. But the boat shouldn't have been there in the first place, AIUI. 

Kirsty MacColl. Awful way to go.

9 hours ago, NancyJohnson said:

If I were starting over now, I think I'd just get a bit of ply cut the size of my cabinet, cover it in heavy duty black felt and screw in some of those bigger nylon/polypropylene wheels.  Portability and the luxury of being able to dispense with them after use. 

I'm thinking about doing that myself. My Eden combo and cab weigh a ton - I'm sure the drivers are cast from depleted uranium. At the moment, I have a dolly I bought from Machine Mart, but even with ratchet straps holding the gear on, things have a tendency to slide about. I'm thinking about a dolly with raised sides to keep things in place, with decent-sized wheels. At least until I can afford roadies 🙂

What @Staggering on said. You've got what it takes. Very well done!

8 minutes ago, gjones said:

Not any more it isn't. It went bust.

I'm sure it'll reopen as yet another tartan tat shop before long.

1 minute ago, Thunderpaws said:

Red Dog music in the Grassmarket too. 

Sadly no more - it shut down a few months ago.

Guitar Guitar at Corstorphine is worth a look. Nice selection of basses. The 26 bus goes past the door if you don't fancy driving.

Closer in, there's Rae Mackintosh on Shandwick Place, but it's a Musicroom branch. Loads of books, beginners' instruments, no basses. There's also Scayles on Nicholson Street. Much smaller than GG, but might be worth sticking your head in the door if you're passing.

38 minutes ago, basslass said:

I did a Version of Ennio Morricone's Ecstasy of gold. What do you think? Cool or blasphemy?

Very cool. I enjoyed that! Thanks for posting it.

1 hour ago, Dan Dare said:

Good luck reading charts in the average dark gloomy boozer where the typical jam takes place...

Good point. That's another reason to circulate them in advance.

1 hour ago, Phil Starr said:

I've got a set list for god's sake. Is this too controlling?

I'm going to try and have chord and lyric sheets there, people can take them away and learn songs if they want or join in and at least know what key it's in.

Sounds like you've really thought this through, and hopefully it'll be a winner. I'd deffo rock up if I wasn't 500 miles away.

One suggestion though - you could make the set list and chord charts available in advance, rather than hand them out on the night. That would give people the chance to have a noodle in private before turning up to play.

Best of luck with it!

The Eden EC8 might be worth considering. It's got quite a punch for a 20 watt amp, and the low end sounds nice and full. There aren't many bells and whistles on it - aux in, cans out, plus controls for gain, tone and enhance is yer lot - but it does the job very well. It wipes the floor with the Fly 3, IMHO.

1 hour ago, Frank Blank said:

I got my first job as a roadie for Rubella Ballet.

There's a coincidence! I was listening to a couple of RB songs earlier - Ballet Dance and Newz. The sentiment behind Newz hasn't aged a bit - in fact it's got stronger, if anything. I gather they're still going - do you keep in touch?

Welcome, Bill! I was in my fifties when I started, too! It's never too late!

I've started working on a very large personal set list - 140 songs across several genres. The plan is to get them to a stage where I can record some showreels and stick them on YouTube before chasing round trying to find another band. I've had another couple of tedious experiences with JMB numpties, including one who thought that Dakota would be too 'challenging' for me before disappearing into radio silence.

Anyway, after I'd got over my sulk, I did a bit of soul-searching and decided to build up a decent repertoire of songs I like. I'm doing them in groups of twenty, with a mix of easy and hard songs in each one. Some of them have to be done by ear.

If something turns up in the meantime, all well and good. But for now I'm concentrating on things I want to do, rather than scrabble about looking for yet another wannabe covers band.

Aye, I am still a wee bit peeved. But I'll get ower it! 

2 minutes ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

Also, any Status Quo song. The notes are easy enough to learn, but playing them in the right way is quite a challenge. Is the word "swagger"? 

'Forceful' is how I think of it. Really give it some. Seems to work for me.

I'm In Love With A German Film Star. This is about as basic as it gets - two bars each of quavers in B - G - E and repeat, but I always lose count somewhere. It's probably because it's so repetitive, but it annoys the bejasus out of me.