LeftyP

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.

LaBella make strings especially for the Hofner bass.

The Emporer's New Clothes springs to mind. Some people will be taken in by any con artist in the name of art.

I wasn't popular with our music teacher. It was in the 1960s and the Beatles & Co were changing the music scene. She was a classical music fiend and condemned pop music as being repetitive with the same line sung over and over again. I asked if she meant "rather like the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah". For some reason that didn't go down too well!

Music at my secondary school was more like a history lesson. We learned about the lives of Mozart etc but never saw a musical instrument!

I bought my first bass from my guitar teacher. It was an Applause semi-acoustic short scale. It had a rounded back made from some sort of plastic type material and was the cheaper version of their Ovation model. It was OK to learn on but the body was a little too deep for comfort. I didn't know it was short scale - I thought all bass guitars were like that! I sold it and bought a larger acoustic bass (can't remember the make - might have been a Washburn). It was huge - about the size of a 'cello! I almost had to put it down and walk to the end of the neck to reach the low F; OK, I exaggerate a little, but only a little! That went and I moved to the other extreme with a Tanglewood version of the Hofner violin bass. Being a Beatles fan I liked the look of it and it was very lightweight. When the Christian music band I was in came to an end the Tanglewood sat in its case for several years until the band leader at our new church asked if I played anything. His eyes lit up when I mentioned that I used to play bass and I quickly dusted off the Tanglewood and began to get back up to speed. Once I was back playing I decided to upgrade and bought a Chowny SWB-1. As has been mentioned in some posts above, the Chowny is a lovely bass and I did like it a lot. The problem was the weight of it - nearly 9lb if I remember rightly. I have lower back issues and the Chowny was not kind to my spine. I tried all kinds of straps but to no avail and, very sadly, it had to go. If it had been around the 7lb region I would still have it because it really was a nice little bass. If you fancy one don't let my back issues put you off. I had a local guitar tech make me a new truss rod cover because the Chowny one looked too much like a Rickenbacker! I now have an Italia Maranello Cavo hollow body short scale bass weighing in at just over 7lb. It has neck dive issues, even though I swapped the standard tuners for Hipshot Ultralight ones. I'm currently trying various straps to compensate. Like the Chowny I bought it from the internet as they are pretty thin on the ground. I don't usually like chrome fittings and much prefer a natural wood finish but I've learned to like the 'bling' of the Italia. I have it strung with flat wounds and it sounds fine to me. I still have the Tanglewood violin bass as a back up.

Well, I took your advice and bought one of those little strap things - £3.60 including postage! Guess what - it works! I had thought about trying one before but you gave me the push. I have tried various straps with it and have finally been able to use my narrow Hofner style strap. I always thought that the 4" wide leather one was out of keeping with my style of bass - Italia. Neck dive has gone and the bass sits well on my body. It is taking a little getting used to and positioning the bass correctly but it does work very well. Many thanks for your suggestion.

I have thought about trying that but I don't want to look like a folk singer! I still may give it a try as no-one notices bass players anyway.

I have one - 4" leather but that doesn't stop the bass being neck heavy.

There have been several posts across this forum dealing with the weight of bass guitars. Those of us who have back problems prefer lightweight basses to ease the strain on the old spine. My bass weighs a tad over 7lb but has quite a problem with neck dive (even with Hipshot lightweight tuners) and this places most of the weight pulling on my left shoulder. It came to the fore when I wore a shirt that had a smooth, almost silky, sheen to it and the bass constantly wanted to slip headlong towards the floor. As an experiment, I attached a bag to the end strap button and gradually added weights (CDs to be precise) until the bass was pretty well balanced. The result was quite an eye opener. Despite adding just under 2lb to the overall weight, the extra mass was distributed over a wider area and the neck dive had gone. It was much more comfortable to stand with the bass around my shoulders, even though it was heavier. If, like me, you have back problems the overall weight of the bass (within reason) may not be the main cause of your discomfort. Try to find an instrument that is more balanced across your body and you may find it helps.

AH Beste Zangers! One of the best TV shows ever. Plenty to see on YouTube.

I signed up for some but I will want more than one set - probably four sets as I like to have some spares and I have two bass guitars.

All my favourite singers are female so where do I start? Some already mentioned are Sandy Denny, Dusty Springfield and the wonderful Karen Carpenter. I like most types of music so can appreciate the delicate tones of Nanci Griffith and the powerful vocals of Tina Turner. If you were to make a list of the top ten female vocalists I doubt Nanci Griffith would be anywhere near it but she can put a song across with emotion. I could listen to Trisha Yearwood all night and, back in the day, had every record Cilla Black recorded. Cilla sang some wonderful songs tucked away on her albums. If I could only have a "boxed set" of one female singer then it would be Karen Carpenter. Her voice was unique and the material she covered with her brother Richard is so well produced and easy to listen to. Then again I love; Paloma Faith, Duffy, Reba McEntire, Trijntje Oosterhuis, Barbra Streisand and many more. Of course, it's not just the voice that counts, it's also the choice of songs. I appreciate some good singers but don't listen to them because their choice of material is not to my taste.

Oh yes, I have a copy. Classic stuff!

My wife plays oboe in our local orchestra. She has two oboes. One is the student model she learned on and it took her through music college but then she bought a 'pre-owned' better model that she has used for longer than we have been married (28 years). Most of the other orchestra members have violins, cellos, trumpets etc that they have used for decades. Is it only bass/guitar players that feel the need to constantly acquire more instruments? I can understand a gigging bass player having a couple of back-up instruments, for those occasions where the local drunk falls over and snaps the neck of your main instrument, but for most of us 'one and a spare' would seem to be enough. Of course, you can never have enough!

Sad to hear about the clubs having to close because they will have a knock on affect for suppliers and entertainers as well as the clubs' contribution to the local council coffers. I think this covid situation has highlighted how vulnerable many businesses are these days. When major, high street names go into administration after a few weeks of lock-down and holiday companies going under, you really have to ask if they were being run correctly. I do suspect that some big names have used the current situation as an excuse to shed labour and cut costs and that 'administration' has be used as a way of avoiding paying debts. Small family businesses often work on very small margins and don't have the capacity to weather a storm of a pandemic, but you would think that national chains and global companies would have enough 'fat' to survive. The market has probably changed more in the last three months than at any time in recent years. Whether it will return to "normal" is any one's guess.

That was amazing. I don't have any recordings by any of the 2019 artistes and couldn't name any song by them. But I have plenty of Beatles, Carpenters, Elton John and Bee Gees plus a load of albums by Garth Brooks. I hear that Elvis sold more records after he died than when he was alive. Michael Jackson's death may have boosted his sales and Freddie Mercury's for Queen. It just shows how tastes change - which is a good thing.

It really depends on the type of music being played. The old Motown and soul music recordings would be nothing without a good thumping bass line but that style doesn't suit every genre of music. I like melodic playing (not that I can do it) like McCartney. A bass line that compliments the song but does not dominate it. I just don't get the bass players who come to the front of the stage and try to cram as many notes in as possible with a "look at me" attitude. It's very clever and way above my skill level, but after about 20 seconds, I'm wondering where the tune has gone and where the song is. I play in a church band and my job, along with the drummer, is to make sure everyone - including the congregation - keeps together. Hitting the root notes is paramount and, depending on the song, the odd little arpeggio can add a little colour. It's horses for courses but I must admit that "less is more" suits me as I can't play much more!

I don't wish to hi-jack this thread but as we are "church people" here........ Two church friends were due to be married in April - then the lock-down happened and weddings were stopped. They have not been living together and have been able to keep in touch via technology and 'just bumping into each other in the supermarket'! Today, they were married after getting 48 hours notice. Some of us from church went to wish them well and stand outside the church but as there were only about 20 or so of us we were invited inside to be part of the ceremony. I was not dressed up for a wedding, but then none of us were! The bride and groom were though! There was no music but the vicar made the event very special and the whole thing added a very spiritual dimension to the afternoon. Some people spend thousands on weddings but this intimate marriage really focused the mind. Hopefully, once the Covid stuff has subsided, we can hold a party for them at church. It was a privilege to be a small part of it.

I tracked mine down at Richard's Guitars in Stratford-upon- Avon. I had to buy it via the internet without trying it but they weighed it for me and set it up well. They were the only place I could find one.