LeftyP

"The Power Of Love" by Jennifer Rush. She had a really powerful voice and I did have a couple of her albums on 12" LP. She recorded some great songs but could not match the big one.

Not wishing to prolong the left handed v right handed debate that seems to have taken over this thread, but I've just tried to play my violin bass as a left hander. I am naturally left handed and do everything, except using a knife and fork, left handed. As I stated earlier in this thread, I was advised to try playing guitar (classical at the time) right handed. I am glad I did and it feels fine to me. However, this line of discussion got me thinking again so I gave it a go as a left handed player. I was all over the place! Allowing for the strings being upside down, I could not even fret notes correctly and the whole experience felt alien to me. I'm not sure that persevering with it would make much improvement as I had very little control over the instrument even without trying to fret some notes. It will be different for each individual, but if you have never played a guitar before (as in my case) then playing right handed eventually just seems normal. I was taught to use my knife and fork in the "conventional" way when I was young and that is normal to me. I do, however, cut bread and spread butter with the knife in the left hand and the soup and dessert spoons also go in the left hand. I move side plates and glasses around in restaurants to accommodate my left handedness and that can cause great confusion for the people sharing my table!

Well, I'm left handed and play right handed. When I first joined this forum I explained that it went back to when I was trying to learn to play the classical guitar. I had never played guitar before and my teacher told me to try right handed as classical guitars are braced to have the strings fitted in that way. He also pointed out that you don't find left handed pianos (although someone did post a photo on here of one!) or trombones etc. Plus, as I had nothing to unlearn, it wouldn't make much difference to how I progressed. I'm glad I took his advice. I cannot even attempt to play a bass as a lefty or even hold it correctly. I do everything else left handed (except using a knife and fork). Playing as a right hander has not affected my playing - I'm just rubbish anyway! Back to the plot about daft things some people say. I was chatting to someone at church on Sunday and I said that I would have to go and check my bass before the service as it was near a radiator and it may need re-tuning. Her amazed reply was, "Do you have to tune a bass?" I'm sure it was a genuine question and not a comment on my playing!

Now that brought back some memories of listening to Radio Sweden in the early 70s. I actually bought this LP!

I'm a lyrics person but they must be held together on a memorable tune. I like good thumping dance stuff (Motown etc.) but I like a song to have some meaning to it. Singer songwriters like James Taylor and Harry Chapin have written some wonderful poetic songs and Jimmy Webb is the past master. I can't stand songs that simply repeat one line over and over. Having said that lyrics are important I was blown away by this performance of Dutch singer Trijntje Oosterhuis I found on YouTube. There is a concert by her on YT where she performs Burt Bacharach songs (in English) and it is superb. I don't understand any of the words in this song (it's in Dutch) but it obviously moved fellow singer Tino Martin to tears. It is from a brilliant TV series in the Netherlands called "Beste Zangers" and the backing combo are really tight.

I'm not sure today's event qualifies as a "gig" but, hey, it was great! I play in our church band and today we had a church "away day". We didn't go far - from Carlisle to Keswick in the English Lake District. Door to door it is less than 30 miles. My drive took me up over the northern fells where sheep graze and wander across the road. I had to stop at one point to let a brood of peacocks wander across! The autumn colours were in full bloom and there was not a breath of wind as I drove along the shores of Bassenthwaite Lake into the small town of Keswick and our venue. Around 50 church members attended the event with just four of us providing the music. Our band leader played semi-acoustic guitar, the drummer just used a cajon, I played bass and we had one female singer. The day started with tea/coffee and pastries. We then played six songs interspersed with Bible teaching and more tea/coffee and cakes! We had all taken packed lunches and after eating some of us went for a walk along the shores of Derwent Water under a canopy of golden leaves. On return there was tea/coffee and more cake! While we were out some people stayed in the hall and watched a re-run of the England v South Africa rugby final. We then retired to another room and watched Toy Story 4 - brilliant. Then it was back to the main hall for a bulk order of fish and chips from a local "chippy", more cake, then home. That is what I call a gig!!

I'm sure I've posted pics of my bass on other threads of this forum but not the Short Scale department where it belongs! It's an Italia Maranello Cavo bass strung with La Bella flat wounds. Although short scale, it takes La Bella's medium scale strings perfectly. With a semi-hollow mahogany body it is fairly light at a smidge over 7lb (which is why I bought it), and I've been playing it for coming up a year next month. You don't see many around but I like the way it feels and it sounds good too - even with me playing it!

"Groovin' by The Young Rascals. The bass just sets the mood perfectly.

A few months ago we had a men's breakfast at church and I was in the hot seat in a Desert Island Disc feature. I chose my discs and one of them caused quite a stir. If I could only take one track with me to the desert island it would be MacArthur Park by Richard Harris. Many of the assembled men had not heard of it and were totally confused by the "someone left the cake out in the rain" lyrics. The whole 7 minutes 24 seconds of it is a symphony of metaphors from the pen of Jimmy Webb. The opening line; "Spring was never waiting for us girl, it ran one step ahead, as we followed in the dance", could have come from Lord Byron or Thomas Gray. Once you know the story of how it came to be written (and there are several variations on that theme) it all falls into place. The melody changes from delicate ballad to out and out rock with a full orchestra holding nothing back. The fact that it was sung by a 'hell raiser' of an actor, not noted for his singing, just adds to the enigma it has become. Every time I listen to it I hear something new and with such variations in pace and arrangements it never becomes predictable. Many people find it totally confusing but I love it!

Hello from a fellow church band player. I like your forum name as it is my big sister's birthday!

Not a bass album as such, but I've just been sent a double CD compilation of country songs by Brenda Lee. I must confess to not paying much attention to "Little Miss Dynamite's" song book but this is a very interesting collection of 50 tracks. What has struck me about the album is the bass playing. Just about every song is augmented by a melodic yet subtle bass line that really gives each track depth and feel. The bass is not overpowering or dominating and there are no 'over the top' solos or slapping but the whole compilation is a lesson in how to use the electric bass to enhance a song.

OK, here we go but culling them down to 10(ish) was hard! In no particular order; A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles. My favourite fab four album. The Collection - ABBA. There has to be an Abba compilation in there. Like To Get To Know You - Spanky & Our Gang. A musical extravaganza from a unique band. Fotheringay - Fotheringay. Nothing more to say. The Song Remembers When - Trisha Yearwood. Superb modern country singer and the title track is a beautifully crafted song. Best Of Burt Bacharach Live - Trijntje Oosterhuis. Dutch singer who does the Bacharach catalogue proud - find the concert on YouTube. Just The Right Sound - The Association. I was a teenager in the sixties and The Association were one of my top groups. Ahh, nostalgia ain't what it used to be! Prayers of the Saints Live - Sovereign Grace. A Christian songfest with some great lyrics and vocal performances - especially from the girls. Sojourner's Song - Buddy Greene. Another Christian album by a great singer songwriter. If there's room, and I'm cheating here; A Carpenters box set and the Reader's Digest 6 CD set of 25 years of Motown. Please sir, can I have some more!!!!

I must confess to being late to the party with this band. The name put me off - I thought it was a rapper! Some cool stuff here.

Another vote for Maruszczyk straps. Only problem I have is spelling the name and getting the pronunciation right!

When I began playing bass in our church band last year, after about a 12 year lay-off, I received a great compliment. I will be 69 in October so when an attractive 17 year old girl came up and called me a "Super Cool Bass Man" I don't think that will be topped!

One of the problems of owning an unusual bass guitar is finding a suitable case or gigbag for it. My bass is an Italia short scale model which is too short for the usual bass cases and gigbags but too large for guitar cases/bags! Not having much in the way of music shops in the area I trawled the internet after measuring my bass to find a bag to fit. Enter the TGI Extreme Series bag for short scale basses. I found it on Bass Direct site and the dimensions seemed to match what I needed so I placed the order late on Monday evening and it arrived on Wednesday. I think the measurements on the website were external because, on paper, there should have been just enough room to fit the bass inside. As it is the fit is snug to say the least. I have to place the bass in neck first and then gently ease the body of the guitar into the other end. I think once the ample padding has settled and the bag softened it will be perfect. The bag is very well made and offers a lot of protection. The photo of the outside of the bag shows a reflective strip around a pocket - just big enough for A4 paper. The other photo's show just how neat a fit the bass is when placed into the bag. The bag has a side handle, two nicely padded shoulder straps and a small handle on the back of the bag plus a large rear pocket. All in all, I'm very pleased with the bag and the service from Bass Direct.

I won't criticize people who choose to boycott Amazon, even though I use them for most things I'm looking for. Their working practices are not the most ethical but the tax situation could be sorted by the government if they really were concerned about it. As for the working conditions of people directly employed by Amazon I would suggest that in the UK and across the EU there are laws to protect workers against exploitation so, again, the governments need to step up their game. Why single out Amazon? I can't defend them, but if you are really concerned about workers conditions then don't buy anything from China or some other far eastern countries. If you own anything from Nike or Apple, check out the reports on the internet about how their workers are treated. Do you know what conditions are like in the factory where your bass guitar was made? Many "name" guitar brands are made in the far east; China, Taiwan, India, Indonesia and South Korea. They are made there because of cheap labour and Cort guitars have not exactly covered themselves in glory concerning their treatment of workers in the past. I have no reason to believe that Cort are any worse than other manufacturers. I think things have improved somewhat but my own bass was made in South Korea by Mirr Music and I have no idea what conditions are like there. Taking a pop at Amazon is easy, but if you buy the same product from another dealer, it still will have been made in the same factory and under the same conditions as a one bought from Amazon. Business is designed to make money and profit is king the world over. Workers have always had to fight for better conditions which is why unions started. Fight on and make your stand but it is easy to be selective and take the easy option of hitting the obvious target.

I think you will find most hotels and food outlets match your opinion of Amazon. Not to mention products made in the far east. I know of one national outdoor activity shop that uses zero hours- min wage. You don't know how many high street treat their staff this way. Much of what I buy from Amazon actually comes from independent dealers who use the site as a shop window.

We have some of these at church as they take up less floor space. I play bass in the band about once a month and we only get to run through the songs together about 45 minutes before the service. The line-up of musicians changes each time and there are always songs we haven't played before or for some time. The band is tucked away in a corner so most of the congregation can't see us. If I was in a gigging band and playing the same set night after night I, hopefully, wouldn't need a music stand but as things are it's a great memory replacement!

They already have - just don't look at the price!

I have a Tanglewood copy of the Hofner violin bass that weighs in at 2.63Kg (5.80Ib) and an Italia Cavo bass that tips the scales at 3.31Kg (7.46Ib). They are both short scale and have hollow or semi-hollow bodies. I have back problems and find the Italia is about as heavy as I can cope with. The Tanglewood RVB-2 was bought about 12 years ago for under £200 including a very good hard case. If weight really is an issue the violin basses are worth considering. Not everyone likes the look of them but I do!

He doesn't sound like a team player. Would you really want to be stuck in a lift with him?

Any Johnny Cash song; root and fifth, anything more is showing off!