FDC484950

In defence of Mr Newfoundfreedom, whilst it is very well-played, I kind of agree that it doesn’t do anything for me as a piece of music. This is where good composition separates a good piece of “music” from mildly aimless noodling. I don’t agree that it is self-indulgent, however; it’s quite restrained from a widdle point of view

Isn’t that an active MusicMan?

No pop-ups here Ped, looks OK.

His technique is very much an individual choice; I gave it a shot for 6 months solidly and got nowhere with it - the third finger to me just doesn’t have the independence (at least on my hand). As I understand it he played like that from day one, so it probably came naturally. I’d expect plenty about articulation and dynamics, and damping with the plucking hand, as it goes a long way to explaining his super-clean technique, plus his fingerboard harmony approach (which is largely based around the 4+2 fret “box” and viewing harmony as shapes on the fretboard).

Practice with something to reference - one other instrument (so get a keyboard and play single notes, then play along with it playing various intervals - start with octave, then 5th, 4th, 6th, 3rd and finally 7th and 2nd) or an open string. Your ears can lie to you if you initially try to reconcile one fretted note with another, so it’s important to get used to playing with a reference point you know is in tune. It’s partly muscle memory and partly ears. Also, don’t underestimate a consistent fretting hand method - so shift up and down with the same finger and get used to playing a phrase starting on your first finger, then 2nd finger, and finally 4th finger (of fretting hand and internalise the shape, and consistently placing fretting fingers in the same place relative to fret lines (or with ears if unmarked). Hearing whether you’re in tune or out of tune is easier higher up on the neck so it may be better to start at the 12th fret rather than the 1st fret.

I do agree with you. I don’t like the fact that posts got to the top with no update, and as you say, many threads have lots of “invisible” bumps. If the item for sale is rare, unusual or it’s provenance may be in doubt then a bit of debate/clarification is fine. If it’s a bog-standard mass-produced bass, what is there really to say? “Nice colour”? 😉

Personally I don’t really see the point of saying “Nice looking bass” on a US Standard P-bass ad, for example. It’s a mass-produced instrument with a limited number of colours. I also don’t feel like making the type of slightly disingenuous posts I’ve seen that are of the form “if only it had X strings/was orange/was less than 10 miles from me I’d buy it in a shot”! Then there are the weird and wonderful instruments that to me look awful. To be honest there not a lot I could say (other than “yuck”!) The challenge is when you see something that is clearly way over any going market rate. They’re often from our European cousins as U.K.-based sellers generally have an idea as to market rate. Then again, the price may be competitive to other European cousins (in Euro). On other forums I frequent (not musical) there is no restriction on commenting on price and it ends up like the Wild West, so its a good and respectful rule that it’s not allowed on Basschat. In any case, for most sellers, deafening silence will usually prompt a price drop

Fixed.

What, you mean like “3 fretless fails I see everyone do”, followed by step one (Intonation), and a demo showing how it should be, where half the notes are out of tune 😃

Simandl method has you read shifting positions. It starts with a semitones and end up at an octave in the one string (or maybe even more, can quite remember). It’s a great exercise for muscle memory and you can over time ‘feel’ the shifts - but it’s a lot easier if you stay on just the one instrument as it does feel different on different basses, even with the same scale length. This takes care of the shifting bit; treat the learning to read and the playing without looking separately and then being them together. it just goes to show how superb string instrument players are - they play an unmarked fretless from day one!

I hear you, and I agree that in the grand scheme of things it’s not expensive. It is however not £12 for a personalised, one-on-one lesson, but for (correct me if I am wrong) a pre-recorded “masterclass”. Nothing wrong with that, but with someone who is quite “niche” like Gary, maybe the £70 or so he charges for a private lesson may be money better spent? And as it would be with him, maybe that would focus the mind to actually get something worthwhile out of it. There are plenty of GW videos about teaching and playing on YT already, and as others have said, his original 90’s video plus the Fingerboard Harmony for Bass book (and his website!) cover much of his approach.

Not if it’s a Warwick 😁

The important point here is that you can pay up to be a lifetime member, but this course costs a significant amount on top of that subscription fee. I think this highlights the inevitable business model he has to follow. The target audience is small, and so what do you do to generate more income when most of your target audience has likely already signed up as a yearly or lifetime member? I imagine the site would be good for someone with the time, dedication (and money) to learn everything there is to be had, but (as Michael League says in one of the free videos), the real lessons to be had are in going out and playing with musicians that are much better than you, and learning how to develop groove and feel. That said, if I wanted to learn to play fretless bass better, Gary would be someone I’d seek lessons with, because his touch, tone and intonation are impeccable.

Skankdelvar summed it up perfectly with “90% of musicians/bands are numpties”. It seems to be a sad fact that someone (anyone) can take up an instrument, bang out a few songs and suddenly they’re a subject matter expert on their instrument. They’re really not! In my experience, this level of delusion about ability goes hand in hand with an inability to listen to other band members, both their opinions when talking about the music, and when playing together, and a big dollop of pride and arrogance to boot. Two of the rarest and most prized attributes for a musician are the ability to listen, and to be open to compromise. I’ve played with musicians who were clearly head and shoulders above me in all departments so I kept quiet and learned (even when they were wrong). I’ve also been in auditions where the band hasn’t got a clue, and they’re tough because there may be just enough reasons to persist with the band, but you just know all of the reasons above will irritate the hell out of you! When I played professionally, the higher up the job (e.g. recording sessions, touring, theatre pit work), the more likely you’d find less (or even none) of the above. The erosion of this work is why I gave up playing live - I didn’t want to schlep to auditions with all of the above anymore As to timing/tone - I agree with others that there’s a time, place and way to criticise. Just because someone appears a bit unwilling to listen at audition, doesn’t mean they’ll be like that once you get to know them. Being in a band is teamwork and like a job - if you can’t get on with other people and compromise it isn’t going to work out. Equally if the same applies to a band you are established with, then consider whether it’s time to move on. Life is too short, and all that...

Me too, I’m getting a Virgin spam ad pop up on first browse to Basschat on mobile. No, not down to my browsing tastes!

I think the only crumb of comfort the OP should take is that they admitted they posted it down the wrong chute. That may be enough to get some leverage from them. Goods sent by a courier can range from no value to very expensive. Couriers have a basic level of cover but this should not be considered to be insurance unless it covers the value of what you are sending. For example, Special Delivery covers up to £500 (I believe) by default; if you send something more expensive than that you can take out enhanced cover. ParcelForce offers £25 standard cover - make of that what you will as to the cate and attention they take with your parcel! Anything above the basic level of cover relies on their goodwill - and I’ve not seen much of that in the transit goods industry. It’s also far better to buy directly from the courier rather than use an intermediary like Interparcel - your legal contract is with a different company, and not the one who lost your parcel. My experience in this situation is that they just don’t want to know, UNLESS you have taken out cover to the appropriate amount. I ALWAYS insure goods via courier to their full value and won’t post if that level of cover is not available. Think of 3rd party motor insurance - it is basic cover and some think that means you’re “covered”, but if you smash your car up you’re not covered, that’s why fully comp exists.

Pedulla first for me. That tone would work nicely in most pop and rock and would cut like a knife with a pic. 2nd place to the Stingray (who’d have thought?) and the MTD Super.

Define “better”? Or are they (as in the other bass players you mentioned) better because you “can’t stand him or the Beatles”? Would any of them made the Beatles music “better”? Edit: thought I remember your previous comments! Can’t help but thinking that this makes you a bit unbelievable.

Whether anyone on here considers him to be terrible, or conversely the god of modern pop bass, it makes not one jot of difference. The music is there as is the evolution of bass playing and has been captured for posterity. These “Is [insert player name here] over-rated” threads smack of boredom to me.

Also based on previous experience I would always buy full insurance for the goods as certain light-fingered staff know when something has basic cover and such items often mysteriously “vanish”!

It may pay to read what the contract actually says, regardless of what you may think about it. I absolutely agree that they SHOULD accept liability, but it’s a legal contract and depends on wording. It’s transit cover and comes into play if an item is lost, stolen or damaged. The fact that they are saying it’s out of their hands doesn’t bode well; hopefully they’ll do the right thing. Its also worth pointing out that the OP paid Interparcel to deliver the goods, not Parcelforce.

If you haven’t added insurance to value of goods then you’ll only get back what the standard cover included. Whether it is entirely their fault or not that is what they will pay out on. Personally I would not send anything with them, but obviously you are where you are. I’d do my best to put pressure on them to cough up as it was their mistake - but I wouldn’t hold out much hope

Setting aside ability (or lack of), the fact is that many musicians believe they’re a great when they’re not, and have an equal amount of arrogance and pride preventing them from seeing the truth. Many players also fail to practice enough to be able execute what they’re trying to play. And if you’re not listening and playing for the music then it’ll sound crap, and one player like this in a band makes for awful music. As to needing time to get used to another musician - the better they are (and you are!), the quicker the groove starts working. The best drummer I ever played with was on a recording session - we did one run-through then recorded the whole track in one take - and (imho!) it sounded great. I can clearly remember that it took about 2 minutes to adjust to his playing - and from then on it was just perfect.

I was a pro many moons ago and made a decent living, gigging, touring, doing studio work and teaching. I gave up on a career about 15-odd years ago and now don’t gig, and rarely play. I can easily say I’ve “called it a day” but I still really enjoy playing bass for my own pleasure. I wouldn’t look at things in such a black-and-white way - I find playing bass a great stress-buster and any playing you do on any instrument makes you a more rounded musician. Keep playing - even if it’s only occasional

I have an early 2000s SR3006e with USA passive Bartolini pickups and the stock varimid eq. This bass sounds fabulous on neck, mixed or bridge. I’ve also owned a good few basses with both Bart pickups and preamp and don’t ever remember them sounding sterile. Funnily enough this is exactly what has put me off Dingwall basses in the past - try as I might I’ve never been able to get on with the tone, and I’ve played an ABZ, AB1, AB2, Z3 and Prima Artist (and the nicest one of the lot was the cheapest ABZ!). Maybe it’s the pickup selector, but I found the basic tone didn’t speak to me at all, flat and uninspiring. I also found that despite the very long B string, although it feels very tight and the sound is very clear, it just doesn’t sound “right” as a package. Maybe I just need to find the right one. YMMV etc...