LeftyP

OOH! the delicious Reba. I have most of her recordings and just love the way she can roll words around her tongue so that they take on completely new sounds. Her version of the Everly Brothers' "Cathy's Clown" is a prime example.

It's true that most non-musicians do not notice the bass player - or even the instrument! To most, it's just a guitar. My wife has a similar problem. She plays principal oboe in our city orchestra and has lost count of the number of compliments she has received for her clarinet playing!

This one's worth watching just for the facial expressions! I do remember a slow, soulful, version of this song back in the day but cannot remember who did it. I'll keep looking. Then just when you think it couldn't get any worse!

Love the Beatles early stuff but never got into Sgt. Pepper and thought Abbey Road was a bit of a strange mix. As to covers; Joe Cocker - obviously and the Stevie Wonder track already mentioned. Top of my list is "Ticket to Ride" by the Carpenters.

Same here. I have written many poems/songs over the years and can't remember any of the words! I can also sing along to loads of songs but ask me to sing them without the record and I'm stumped. There is one song that I know all he way through and that's "King of the Road" by Roger Miller.

Although I am a lefty, I play as a right hander.

I've thought about getting a five string because some of the songs we do at church drop below my E string. I usually just play up the octave and no-one is any the wiser! I need a light bass and am used to playing short scale so finding a cheap five string that matches those requirements will not be easy. "Up the octave" it will be then!

Pure Magic! I'm so glad I was a teenager in the 1960s when The Fab Four and Radio Caroline changed the music scene forever in the UK. Loved the Beatles and still enjoy their early recordings. I could never get away with Sergeant Pepper but prior to that they could do no wrong. I shall look forward to the film.

It's a long time since I have sat down and listened to a CD all the way through. However, prompted by a post I made on another thread, I dug out my copy of the Fotheringay album and sat for 47 minutes transfixed. I bought the vinyl LP back in 1970 and went to Newcastle to see them perform. The album was very rarely off my turntable and I purchased the CD copy when it was released. It is a few years since I listened to it but the wait was worth it. The end of the 60s and start of the 70s brought us the "Folk/Rock" era, with Fairport Convention, Pentangle, Fotheringay etc taking the popular music scene in a deeper direction. Sandy Denny had a wonderful voice and the whole ensemble worked very well together. A great album by a talented group of musicians.

For me it has to be Fotheringay. I saw them at Newcastle City Hall in the very early 70s and was totally blown away by their tight, but natural playing. Sandy Denny on lead vocal was in front of a superb group of musicians. Trevor Lucas on Guitar, along with Jerry Donahue with some great bass work from Pat Donaldson and spirited drumming by Gerry Conway. The night lives long in my memory.

Just out of curiosity, I contacted Tanglewood UK to see when and where the violin bass was made. They replied very quickly and said that they were made in China between 2002 and 2014. I bought mine about 10 or 12 years ago and still enjoy playing it.

I have tried that and it certainly improved the balance of the bass but I found that the strap had a tendency to slip off my shoulder and down my back as I was playing. I mentioned in another post that the balance of the bass has as much to do with the feel of it as the weight. My bass is a light weight, hollow bodied Italia but I have been using my old Tanglewood copy of the Hofner violin bass lately because my back issues have resurfaced. Short scale and light weight is the way to go but watch out for neck dive as it does put extra strain on the left shoulder.

Further to my earlier posting; My lower back problems have returned so I am using my Tanglewood violin bass more. It weighs in at 5.7lb - 2.4Kg. Taking a close look at it, the body is put together very nicely and the finish is good. The tuners, bridge and electrics are a little down market but they do their job. I understand that Tanglewoods used to be made by Cort but there is no indication on my bass as to who made it or in which country. It really is a well made (for the price) bass guitar. I have been looking at genuine Hofner violin basses, made in Germany, which look really nice, but would I notice that much of a difference in playability and tone? If you have a German made Hofner, I'd like your opinion.

David's dad was the actor Jack Cassidy who was one of the best "villains" in the TV series Columbo!

I have an Italia Maranello Cavo Bass which has been featured on various post on this forum. It's short scale with a semi hollow body and fitted with LaBella flatwounds. I really like it as it is fairly light and easy to handle. Sounds good too! One slight problem with the bass is neck dive. Being a semi hollow body, the headstock acts like a pendulum and causes the neck to drop. I changed the tuning gear for Hipshot Ultralights but the neck dive is still there. I think if the front strap button was placed closer to the neck joint that may help a little. As it is, when I wear the bass, he strap leaves the button at an angle (I like the neck to be fairly upright) and even the BC strap locks are forced off. Other than that it is a cool bass.

Well, that was a fight! I'm not sure if the strap buttons on my Italia are larger than normal but it took a lot of wrestling to fit the strap locks. I think the thickness of my Levi suede strap didn't help either. Anyway they are on and there they will stay! Thanks for getting them done. The angle of my strap, when I play the bass, often springs the softer rubber locks into outer space. These should stay put.

My main bass is an Italia that cost around £670 (list price around £750) a couple of years ago. It was an upgrade from my Tanglewood violin bass which I bought 12 years ago for under £200 - including hard case. I got the Tanglewood out today to give it an airing and rally enjoyed playing it. It's light and built down to a price but I love the Hofner violin shape and it feels so easy to play. I have often wondered whether a genuine Hofner violin bass, made in Germany, and costing nearly ten times as much as my Tanglewood, would be so much better. I don't suppose the average punter listening in a club or (in my case - church) would be able to tell the difference. Let's face it many folk don't even, consciously, notice the bass!

Don't forget Fotheringay.

I've worked in local radio for decades (yes I'm old) and, before the days of emails and texts, used to present a record request show. It gave me the chance to listen to a very wide variety of music. Glen Miller, Matt Monro, Vera Lynn and Cliff Richard rubbed shoulders with Status Quo and the Rolling Stones. As a result I think I have an appreciation for most genres of music - with the exception of really heavy metal and Rap. One artist who was not on my radar was - wait for it - Barry Manilow. I had the original recording of "Brandy" and when Bazza changed the name to "Mandy" it did not sit well with me. Then I met my wife who is a huge Barry Manilow fan and she dragged me to several of his UK concerts. The guy puts on a great show and I can now appreciate what a skilled song writer he is. Incidentally, being one of a hand full of blokes in an auditorium full of screaming women is an experience not easily forgotten!

All my favourite singers are female. Karen Carpenter and Sandy Denny have already been mentioned and I could fill a page with more. There are some singers who may not have the purest voices but can deliver a song well. Nanci Griffith would not be placed in the top ten best female vocalists for the quality of her voice, but she can put much emotion into a song. Louis Armstrong's voice is far from perfect but his recording of "What A Wonderful World" is the one by which all others are judged. I love Trisha Yearwood's voice. She could sing her shopping list and I would listen to it! "The Song Remembers When" is just a perfect song.

I find much of the contemporary Christian music bland and predictable but the songs produced by Sovereign Grace and EMU fill the bill very well. To me, black Gospel is very wearing and over-the-top. The same line, or even word, yelled over and over just leaves me cold. Of course, a lot depends on the culture of the church members, some of whom may not feel confident in their singing. We should also remember that, in church, we are there to enable the congregation to worship. We are not "putting on a show" or backing professional singers. I would argue that providing a subtle foundation for a song is more important than showing off your latest licks and takes just as much skill as filling every bar with as many notes as possible. Don Moen has a good video on YouTube about 'overplaying' on worship songs.

We are still playing in isolation and recording our individual parts onto our smart phones so that someone can piece them together for the YouTube Sunday broadcast. Our desk top computer has Bose speakers which really bring out the bass. In fact, when watching stuff on YouTube, I have to ride the volume as music always comes over much louder than dialogue. However, I listened to one of our church band songs via a lap top and could hardly hear the bass at all - and I was listening for it! I suspect that many of our viewers use either lap tops, tablets or 'phones and don't even notice me!

From "Don't Rain On My Parade" But whether I'm the rose Of sheer perfection Or freckle on the nose Of life's complexion

"Celebrity" has taken on a very broad meaning these days. Years ago, when we only had two or three TV channels, everyone tended to watch the same programmes - like Morecambe and Wise getting around twenty five million viewers for their Christmas show. Now, with the plethora of channels, Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube and all the social media outlets, we are all watching different things. From the list given, Gary Sinise is the only one I really recognised as I have seen him in the TV series CSI New York. Even then, without a picture of him I would have struggled to place the name. I have heard of a couple of others but have never seen them in anything. I don't watch films (apart from Toy Story with the grandkids!) and very rarely watch TV these days. I follow my interests which include bass playing (obviously) cycling, winter sports and music (mainly modern country and Christian). I could not name one current footballer, cricketer or rugby player. I would probably recognise a name or two if you were to mention them, but off the top of my head I could not name any. I could list loads of professional cyclists, skiers and country music performers that most people would not know about - that's where we are with a fragmented media. I see the names of "great" bass players mentioned on this forum and rock and metal bands but they mean nothing to me as I don't listen to that type of music. Never assume that everyone knows who you are talking about. The main stream media seem to manufacture "celebrities" by the dozen. They get their limited fifteen minutes of fame on some 'reality' show then fade from view. I'm happy in my own little world!

The song is a Christian chorus called "Give Thanks". I have seen this video on Christian music websites and I think it was done deliberately to poke fun at some church musicians.