Spoombung

Different instruments have different cultures, don't they? Violins, cellos and flutes and other orchestral instruments are usually introduced to the child by the parent. The parent then anxiously frets and worries about finding a decent academic teacher in the same way they worried about finding a good school. An involment with Guitars and drums tend to be prompted by a more complex peer group/ social situation, not by parents...unless you've got a modern, guardian reading parent that insists on taking the whole family to Glastonbury every year. The cult of amateurism is preserved and you get Scouting for Girls.

This is an interesting topic. My 11 year old son showed an interest in the drums this year and I managed to borrow a kit for him. Next thing I know he's learning all the drum parts to the Everything Everyhing records. The school also offers lessons which is handy. Before that I tried to interest him in guitar and bass obviously (as we have those around) but he told me in no uncertain terms to stop bothering him and that he wasn't interested and I should butt the hell out of it. It's difficult to judge.

[quote name='urb' timestamp='1377676720' post='2190097'] Biog: [url="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/marcus-miller-mn0000673114/biography"]http://www.allmusic....73114/biography[/url] He's made a few records too: [url="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/marcus-miller-mn0000673114/credits"]http://www.allmusic....0673114/credits[/url] [/quote] Well he's versatile, I'll give him that. Wow, Impressive list...and several things I like on there too.

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1377612055' post='2189366'] i dont think you need to be curious to see why bass players regard Marcus Miller so highly. [/quote] You mean because I should know already? It's certainly not obvious to me what makes him 'great'.

Yeah of course! I'm just curious to see why bass players regard him so highly. I've met a lot of bass players who love his style.

There's a bit of Stanley Clarke in his sound - I can hear that, however I don't think playing with a scooped sound on a jazz bass means he invented a genre, surely? There were always people doing that.. including Stan Clarke.

Well I've had a good listen but it doesn't appeal to me, personally. its all well played I suppose but he has a generic slap sound and writes rather ordinary jazz funk compositions. Is there something he does that stands out from other bass players that I've missed?

I must get around to listening to him properly as I don't really understand why he gets so much praise.

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1368747961' post='2081162'] Thread revival as I have just discovered the quite wonderful 1988 album 'Tauromagia' by Manolo Sanlucar (featuring a very young Vicente Amigo). Cited by some as possibly the finest ever flamenco album, its utterly stunning. Here are a couple of my favorite pieces from it [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj2Vy-2OmlI[/media] [/quote] It's been a while since I heard this album. Drenching superb music like this in a swimming pool of digital reverb is a CRIME in any decade!

More from Gades and Hoyos from an old TV show. [i]Amazing[/i] dancing! [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTVqfCPq_CE&feature=share&list=FLanBBuQuTco1aSaAqkwt9Mw[/media] Some great amateur footage from a club: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XlAWd0E7ss&feature=share&list=FLanBBuQuTco1aSaAqkwt9Mw[/media]

[quote name='witterth' timestamp='1376827384' post='2179517'] has any one seem the episode of the Simpsons where Homer designs a car that bankrupts his brothers business? some thing just reminded me of it. [/quote] Yeah, I remember that. I'm no Homer! I [i]would[/i] modify the design slightly if I had to do it all over again, but on the whole, I made some really good decisions with the design and I play it much more than my other basses and it suits my band. Thanks BigRedX for your comments, BTW.

How about this one? Making good use of it with my little beat combo, Prescott....

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1375527818' post='2162504'] Surely that's a matter of sample size rather than any inherent issue with five strings though? There are fewer players using five strings, and they haven't been around for as long, so most of the influential stuff we all remember was done on a four string. But that doesn't mean that someone couldn't come up with a memorable line on a five string. [/quote] Okay higher notes then. Bass lines poking in to the upper octave melodically now and again make a more memorable bass line than anonymous B - string rumbling.

4 strings. There are NO memorable bass lines on 5.

Because music (any music) sounds perfectly fine without bass instruments. Adding a baseline is usually the easiest way to ruin the harmony and make music dull and uninteresting. We have masses of boring Rock bands here in the west and a catastrophic cloud of unimaginative musical thinking. What's so good about that?

Dunno about Pino but every time I hear a Paul Young song in a shopping mall I RUN for the exit.

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1374431180' post='2148652'] Should they proceed to compound this solecism by inexpertly confusing matters of taste with matters of essence, they fall off the conveyor belt of opinion into the hopper marked 'Ignore the old fashioned way.' [/quote] Impressed! You put that very well.

Big fan here. This is one of my faves: http://youtu.be/WAezJqZYHkU

Tonight! Serious BASS ACTION from both bands. Prescott on at 9pm

[b][size=6]Tomorrow![/size][/b] Should be good from a bass point of view!

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1373120556' post='2133936'] Cheers Kev, spookily it turns out my guitarist (Luke) played in a band with your drummer (Frank) for 7 years and went to college together! [/quote] Really? I'll ask him about that. ...any dirt on Frank?

Your always playing the same night as me. Good luck with the launch!