Bassfinger

Until recently I smoked a pipe, and at an open air gig last May was playing and puffing. Helped me concentrate while playing My Sharona. I had to quit alcohol - not that I was ever a heavy drunker - when a fairly serious liver problem was discovered during a medical last year. Decided to go the whole hog and quit the pipe too. I now drink a lot of Fanta zero and suck a lot of sugar free mints!

Tre has thr hardest job in rock!

For me it would be Mike Dirnt. But having delved deeper recently into his playing I am pleased to say I am wrong. He dang good!

Might be worth a few shekels on a few lessons with a decent tutor. They'll look at your natural tendencies, whether you tend to stroke the strings downwards or more sideways, positioning, etc, correct any deficiencies and encourage any strengths. My technique is a bit odd as I can't feel fingers 3 a 4, and as I could already finger pick on a guitar (proper lessons as a teen) I re-learned that skill and improvised a technique using my thumb and first two fingers, using my useless fingers to steady the playing hand against the body, a la a bass playing verson of Mark Knopfler (with the same amount of hair.) While it works very well a few lessons with a tutor had me altering my hand position to give a more apoyando inward strike on the strings with the fingers, gives more control, less unwanted noise and buzz than the more sideways picado stroke id been using for those. It's a chronic bodge, but my tutor (hi Cesar, if youre on here) honed it into something quite useable. I'm closer to a picado stroke with the thumb, but that's the limit of the biomechanics of the digit, and the thumb only comes in on E where the difference in tone is least noticeable. Because off my physical issues I play pick about 50% of the time, and fortunately I'm mainly a rock bassist and love learning the different techniques for that too, picked a few strokes and edge playing exercises up from him for that was well.

Heaven and Hell. Nothing radical, but the bass line trips along just so and seems to propel the whole thing along perfectly.

And on the drive home it looks to any passing copper as if you are indeed wearing your seat belt.

Green Day, Whatsername. The band have talked about doing this, and have suggested I might do guitar on this one. That isn't decided yet so I'm just listening to the song and absorbing it and I think I've figured out the various guitar parts and bass without resorting to sheet music. As an aside, its a great song. Simple, but very cleverly written. The studio version is beautifully produced, and BJA's vocal tracks are superbly layered.

I have. Used one for for gigging for about 6 months following shoulder surgery, went backcto a regular strap once id recovered sufficienntly. They're good if you don't mind putting a strap nut on the lower horn. I compromised, used a Harley Benton, but might have thought twice about doing so to my 4003s. You have to keep the adjustment short so the instrument is close to your body, else when you're hands off it leans outwards alarmingly. Not a big deal, but may preclude you from punk bassist antics with the bass rohnd your thighs. The only downside for me was that I wear my bass a touch higher than many folk and the system wasn't really good for that so I had to lump it, but if you're not Phil Lynott you should be OK.

It's like cars. To my mind, "low mileage for year" = "high mileage, but im trying to put a positive spin on it."

I have one. It never really tugged my rug. I only really used it for songs where hitting the octave instead of the low note doesn't sound quite right, and there arent many of those, at least to my ear. I guess I'm a bit old fashioned (says the man who still wears a top hat and rides a penny farthing.)

Zaphod Beeblebrox?

Although back when those acts were contemporary he was mentioned all the time.

They need a tiny fraction, like the width of a sheet of paper, filing off one side if the plate in two of them. Two or three seconds on the bench grinder and another moment polishing the edge with 600 grit and it was done. They are very positive in use, very stable. It sounds fantastic, is light and comfortable, feels good in the hand, looks good. Very difficult,t to find any legitimate criticism. It's my backup bass for gigging, and the bass I reach for when it's time to get gnarly and rocky.

The HB MB4 is a fantastic bit of kit. Wilko tuners and Warman pickup only add to the range and deliver a lovely tone at one end and a ballsy rock snarl at the other. Me and our rhythm guitarist have a bit of an HB fan club going between us.

I've never experienced it, but I torque the screws to manufacturers figures rather than simply eff'n tight like most folks are inclined to.

Our drummist got interviewed in the local chipwrapper last year. They didn't choose him to interview for a profile on the band because he's the most interesting band member (that would, of course, be me, the bassist) but rather because he's the only one of us that doesn't speak in grunts and punctuate each sentence with a small fart. Parp.

I'm sort of in the middle. As a young sprog I had proper piano tuition, so can read music to a useable, if not supreme, degree and have a moderate grasp of theory from the lessons I endured (seemed like torture at the time, but nearly half a century on I wish id paid more attention.) But as a practioner myself I have learned never to underestimate a good musicians infante understanding of, and feel, for the subject, even if they couldn't necessarily vocalise it to answer a question. They know what sounds good for any given structure, timing, or progression. Good authors read a lot of books, and good musicians listen to a lot of music. All the theory knowledge in the world won't on its own make you a good musician or songwriter without significant time spent playing and listening as well. Radiohead likely know that for good musos the needle doesn't reside at one end of the scale or the other, but sits somewhere between the two extremes. The harmonious balance of musical ying and yang, if you will.

Last year our mob were asked by a punter to do Airport by the Motors, with two days to go. I sort of knew the song so had a quick play and thought I had it pretty good. Sounded good on the night. Afterwards I downloaded the music and I was miles out. A simple bass line but some nice little mini frills at the turn of each section.

It's easy to learn RHCP stuff. Flea never played any bass line remotely the same way twice, so I provided I'm moderately familiar with the song can trot out any old sheet and no one is any the wiser.

Indeed, and the transition models even less so.

My favourite. Mint = damaged in some way.

The great man said words to the effect that Jaco wasn't a musician, he was a dilettante.

Jaco. Personally I think Lemmy summed his playing up very well.

Nope, defines the figuratively, as in reference to a metaphor.

Some kind of reference to the gun safe and fetching my keys.