lozkerr

Exactly the same here. The five-string is much easier than the four, as I find for most songs there's very little jumping about needed. That helps a lot, especially when I'm singing at the same time. There are a few songs - some Smiths songs, Bowie songs and Back On The Chain Gang spring to mind - where the four-string fingering is simpler because the basslines involve playing open strings and then immediately fretting them, but being able to whizz across the fretboard rather then jumping about to find notes makes life so much easier, even with songs that use all five strings.

No! I'll give it a listen. Thanks!

I've thought about this from time to time, and I'd probably go for Arrival: Highway To Hell - AC/DC Reflections: Sanctuary, by the Passions. The album version. Departure: End Of The Line - the Traveling Wilburys.

Giving it laldy with the punk band last Saturday.

First gig with the punk band at Legends as part of a two-day fundraiser for Girls Rock School. Short set, but the punters liked it!

@Acebassmusic nailed most of what I was going to say. Yes, scales, arpeggios, modes and theory can be seriously boring, but a grasp of them all is pretty much essential if you're going to progress. Switching to a four-string will pull you out of your comfort zone and make progressing that much harder. Don't beat yourself up. The only thing I would add is learn to read music. I don't mean having to become one of those nauseatingly talented people who can glance at a page covered with so many dots that it looks like a spilled ants' nest and instantly give a virtuoso performance. It takes years, sometimes decades, to be able to do that. What it does mean is seeing notes on a page and being able to translate them into your most comfortable fretboard position instead of blindly following fret numbers. Almost every tab on tinterwebz will be written for a four-string, with detuning instructions being added as needed. The only person I've come across who has done five-string tabs is Becky Baldwin, and even then she only does them for songs she plays. You don't need to detune or fit a Hipshot to a four-string bass - on your five, you have Eb/D# right there on the fourth fret of your B string and low D one fret below. Why make things complicated and mess up your fretboard patterns when you already have the notes to hand? A simple example is CCR's Up Around The Bend. The verse is a four-bar phrase, repeated once. The last two bars need a bit of jumping about to hit all the notes on a four-string, and the tab will show that, but on a five you just need to drop down to the B string to find all the notes you need without changing position. A four-string tab won't tell you that, but knowledge of the dots and where they are on the fretboard definitely will.

Can you switch between four and five strings, though?

Same here. If I try to play something on a four-string that I already know, I inevitably start one string higher than I should. I have to stop and think what to do, as I've become so used to the fiver. That's caused me a few problems lately. I help teach the bass class at Girls Rock School Edinburgh, and as that's aimed at complete beginners, they naturally use four-string basses. One of last term's songs was I Love Rock 'n' Roll, which I also play in my 80s covers band. I had to spend some time hammering the four-string fingering into my soft little head. It then took root, and when the song came up in rehearsal with the covers band, I managed to royally f**k it up. Had to spend several practice sessions undoing the damage. I genuinely admire those folks who can effortlessly switch between the two.

Similar here. I own the PA and lights, although my elderly Peavey mixer is usually replaced by the Behringer XR-18 another band member has. I keep the Peavey in the van in case the Behringer decides to sulk, which it has done once or twice. For me, it's a no-brainer. If we're playing somewhere where PA and lights are provided, I just rock up in my own car with backline, unless that's provided as well, plus pedalboard and basses. If we need the PA and lights, everyone chips in for the van hire. It's worked well so far. And if it all goes tits-up, I will still have a complete PA and lighting rig to use with my next band.

Eden WTX-264 head with Sennheiser headphones and a Boss JS10 plugged into the aux in to provide looping, speed control and a mic channel for practising lead and backing vox. On stage, Eden WTP600 head with Eden 210 and 118 cabs. A stand-alone IEM rig based on a Shure wireless system protects my hearing.

Right now, I'm listening to the Lumineers playing at Edinburgh Castle. They're not a band I was familiar with before tonight. That might have to change. They sound fantastic!

None. I never touch booze before or during a rehearsal or gig. Happy to have a few small sherries afterwards, though.

For me alone, riff and chorus of Pretty In Pink, as it uses all five strings. For the whole band, it depends on the set, but Whole Of The Moon and There Is A Light crop up quite frequently.

+1 for both the above. A pure sine-wave inverter will cost a bit more, but you shouldn't get dirty mains voltage going into your amp. And definitely get a domestic battery. Back when I used to mess around ditch-crawling in narrowboats, I learned the difference between domestic and engine-start batteries very early on. A chandler or motorhome supplier should stock the right type.

Same here. Two songs where I really have to concentrate are Dignity and Purple Rain. Basslines are dead easy - lots of full notes - but getting the timing right is crucial.

We're having fun and games getting that one up to gigging standard. Most of it's a simple shuffle, but the keyboard solo is giving problems - bass and keys are drifting apart. But we'll get there.

"Hi! I'm Eric Clapton and I'd like to welcome you all to our testimonial Rock Against Racism gig!"

I do some - the grunts on Back On The Chain Gang, the outro 'la la la la lalalala' on Don't You Forget About Me, the chorus of Teenage Kicks, 'hey man' on Suffragette City, 'too high, too far, too soon / you saw the whole of the moon' - but that's about it. It does beef up the sound for definite - more than I thought it would when I started. During lockdown, I took lessons on Skype on singing while playing bass and followed that up with vocal coaching when I realised my singing voice had gone to pot. My main band has two great vocalists, so I'm keeping the BVs to a minimum, but I am toying with putting together a punk band doing 1970s covers where I sing and play bass. I've been told by more than one person that I have a death stare that would intimidate Lemmy... it would be fun to put that to good use!

I might point out here that Cassandra was always right...

Two here as well - a main and a spare. Haven't needed the spare yet, but Sod's law dictates that the only time I will need it is when I've forgotten to bring it.

Tricky one, this. I'd probably go for 1977 - 1986, but I really liked the Britpop years as well.

I really want to learn how to play bass guitar with my DB bow now. What a load of claptrap.