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FDC484950

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Posts posted by FDC484950

    Help required with... well, quite a bit of it!

    in Theory and Technique

    Posted

    Don’t abandon shapes entirely. Whilst it’s good to know the theory behind what you’re playing, it is very important to be able to relate the shape of something you play with the sound it makes. Like it or not, the bass and guitar are played with notes on a grid, often in several different places. This is not like a piano, which has one, and only one, place to sound each note. “Learning” the fingerboard is partly matching up the fret location with the sound. So I can play a G at the open string on the G-string, the 5th fret on the D-string, the 10th fret in the A-string or the 15th fret on the E-string. Notice a pattern? So the fingerboard is geometric and repeats. They are all exactly the same pitch (well, maybe not exact, but that’s for another conversation!), but the different string length and diameter provide a different sound. Whilst it’s great to know that, for example, CEGB is a Cmaj7 arpeggio, it’s just as important to hear the sound it makes, and relate that to the shape on the fretboard. Learning the pitch alone will not give you the tools to play something in the right place to get the sound that you want. 

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    Bass Direct

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    On 22/06/2018 at 08:53, mrtcat said:

    Wow. No biggie, I recognise your tone from some of the "sales assistants" in multiple shops that ultimately went bust due to lack of customer loyalty as a result of awful customer service😁 

     

    Nope, they disappeared for any number of reasons, not least that spend on musical instruments went through the floor, poor financial management, not stocking (or being able to get enough credit to stock) what customers wanted or would sell in enough quantities to keep the business afloat, customers wanting a discount on everything, cutting into an already tiny margin, and finally, box shifters on the internet undercutting at rock bottom prices. Bass Direct may be different in that it specialises in a narrow area and there are few bass shops in the UK. Flouncing out because you thought you got poor service and telling everyone about it on here, rather than dealing with it there and then benefits no-one. As you’ve been a customer there before and “spent £5K” there, surely you’ve built up enough of a relationship to sort out such an issue?

    Bass Direct

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    13 minutes ago, mrtcat said:

    They know and recognise me as someone who has spent a lot in there over the years, probably £5k to date and I've also sold stuff to staff. It was reasonably busy but it's not a customer's job to convince a shop and it's staff that they're worthy of being welcome. Everyone is a potential customer when you are running a business whether they spend today, tomorrow or years down the line. If they're having a bad day then they need to be professional and suck it up a bit like the rest of us in our professional lives.

    I think we’ll agree to disagree on this one. I recognise your tone from some of the “customers” I had the misfortune of encountering.

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    Bass Direct

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    On 19/06/2018 at 07:50, mrtcat said:

    I dropped in on my way up the M40 last week. I needed strings but also had £2k in my bass fund pot so thought I'd check out what toys they had. They had the strings I wanted but seemed so keen to usher me out of the door that I didn't even look at basses. Instead I've spent most of it on here lol.

    I love the idea of the shop and have had great experiences there before but it just mystifies me how the service can be so up and down. 21 pages of divided opinion and still going says it all really for me.

    Did you think to tell them that you were interested in a bass? Looking from the other side of the fence it is sometimes hard to tell the genuine customers from the (many) timewasters who will take up your entire day and spend £20 - or nothing. I’ve worked in a music shop, albeit a long time ago, and the ratio of reasonable/chocolate starfish customers was about 10%/90%. If you feel you had poor service tell them there and then - the worst that can happen is that they’ve lost a customer. Maybe the guy/gal was having a bad day?

    • Like 1

    Anyone a member of Scotts Bass Academy?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    On 16/06/2018 at 11:20, Burns-bass said:

    The videos look good (the ones I’ve seen). As someone who was a teacher before, results are all about the effort you put in. It’s a platitude, but it’s absolutely true. You can’t get the most out of these things until you’re doing one or two hours of solid, focused practice every day at least. And simply watching a video once isn’t enough to internalise a concept.

    The only slight gripe I have with the courses promoted by some bigger agencies and organisations is that they sell a dream that doesn’t exist. There are few studio jobs anymore, and there are a whole host of name session players already on the books. Touring musicians aren’t as in demand either so we’re churning out more and more pro-level players with few opportunities for them to make a living.

    It’s not Scott’s fault and this isn’t a criticism levelled at him as his courses are targeted at players of all ages and abilities, but apart from the odd success story I’ve met lots of incredible musicians that haven’t found a route into the industry and we’re training hundreds more.

    Anyway, a lesson with a pro player in Bristol where I am is £35. That’s money well spent. If you’re in the sticks or haven’t got a great teacher nearby, then I think this is a worthwhile substitute. But the first opportunity you get head out and play with others, because we really don’t need any more bedroom virtuosos who can’t hold down a groove.

     

     

    This is very true, and not something many players find out until it’s a bit too late. I got out of the “industry” when I saw how things were going (no radio or jingle jobs anymore, major London studios closing down one after the other). However, I believe by not needing to earn income from playing music, you’re freed up to a) be able to afford decent gear and b) pursue musical excellence and play music with musicians you like. One of the worst things about being a “pro” player was the awful novelty gigs, playing styles and genres I didn’t much care for and having to rely on teaching in order to survive, rather than because I really wanted to teach. To his credit, Scott certainly has a great deal of enthusiasm for playing and music!

    • Like 1

    Chris Dave Trio...Erm..

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    In terms of a band situation I’ve never been a fan of bass, drums and sax. Without a chordal instrument everyone is just outlining the harmony. The original clip posted is, I’m sad to say, something that only the people playing it could possibly be getting anything from. I’ve got no problem with fairly dense improvisational  music but it’s got to be really well-played (no technically but musically) and ultimately has to say something (e.g. some of the earlier Tribal Tech was quite film soundtrack-like). This didn’t do anything for me I’m afraid.

    Anyone a member of Scotts Bass Academy?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I’m sure this will be a great resource for bass players starting out or struggling to improve, but speaking as someone who was a pro player and did studio sessions etc I’ve not seen anything from the free videos on YouTube that would want me to sign up. I’m lucky enough to have a pretty good ear (and worked on it a lot) so all my lessons came from my music collection, and playing with musicians who were much better than me. I get the feeling that the money may be better spent with a good teacher - but appreciate that they’re not always easy to find, and can be harder to vet as to their knowledge and ability as a teacher until you’ve spent a lot of money. Then again if I were a beginner now, this would probably be a lot better than some of the learning resources I had when I started!

    • Like 1

    Yamaha TRB 6 ii

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    Follow the cables from the jack socket -looks like a connector into the circuit so if you can source the appropriate replacement, no soldering needed. I had one exactly like this once, nice bass but very, very heavy and the neck was thick, which made it tough to play. 

    Signs a luthier's off ones rocker

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by FDC484950

    7 hours ago, kodiakblair said:

    In the $35K Presentation II but not in the plain old Presentation.

    http://www.fodera.com/anthony-jackson-presentation/

    http://www.fodera.com/anthony-jackson-presentation-ii-2/

    I think you may be slightly mis-reading the text. In other blurb and in interviews with Mr Jackson a single truss rod placed in a proprietary location is mentioned (whatever that means). On a more obvious level, the pics in the first link show a truss rod cover at the headstock end...

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