TimR

I have 23. I may buy some more from that list in particular Kate Bush's - The Kick Inside. I listened to sections of it in the car on my trips to the dump. They played some classic tunes (Singles) from the albums. Was quite a good run down. I suspect it is aimed at, and probably compiled by people of my age (43) and it's my station of choice.

That's crossroads! The guitarist and bassist are in the wrong band.

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1364929722' post='2032914'] ... performing ... [/quote] Indeed, we have a winner.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1364922212' post='2032699'] To be perfectly honest with you , I've got a little bit too much stage prescence . I've got it even when I don't want it , like when I walk down the street or go to the supermarket . People notice me wherever I go . It gets to be a bit of a problem , especially when this stage prescence is perceived by the local constabulary as grounds to stop and search me on a regular basis . [/quote] I think that's probably more due to the fact you bear more than a passing resemblance to wee Jimi Krankee!

I think I do. I'll echo the comment it's all about confidence. I've played with a singer who hadn't gigged for a while. She said afterwards that whenever she started to get a bit nervous she would turn and look at me and see me there smiling and looking relaxed and she knew everything was going to be ok. Unfortunately the two guys on the other side of the stage still look petrified, go stiff, stare at their fretboards or music and start making mistakes as soon as anyone as much as looks at us.

[quote name='The Hat' timestamp='1364760786' post='2030631'] I love most kinds of music but the reason I'm attracted to bass is that I love 70's funk, Jamiraqui, and my Norman Watt Roy and Ian Dury and the Blockheads. I've probably picked the hardest types to get into aint I ! [/quote] Yes. But you'll struggle to find musicians who want to play that type of music at beginner level. I was in a band before I could play bass. The guitarist taught me as we went along. He would show me what notes to play. We started with simple single 8th note rock tunes. We did our first gig at my mates party after about 6 weeks. Just pick some simple tunes from YouTube to start with. Learn them and look for some beginners. Good luck.

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1364256915' post='2024085'] That's correct, 2 fingers! SO much easier with 3 though! [/quote] He also has plenty of amplification and a very light touch.

What frustrates me in life and bass playing is that I'm fickle and hate routine. Some things I do stick to a routine - getting up and going to work, running on Wed, Fri and Sun. But that's more because I have to. My work isn't routine I'm reactive to changing situations. So music wise I'll join a band and immerse myself in learning all the material. I'll get really good. I'll do a few gigs then... There's hundreds of thousands of tunes out there. Gigging bands play 12 of them plus a few others. The audience want that but I would like to play 3 or 4 new tunes each gig and have a high turnover of tunes. I can do that but finding a band of others who want to do that, are flexible in their choices and willing to play tunes that they don't particularly like for a couple of gigs because their choices will get played is kind of frustrating.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1364150334' post='2022558'] That's online though, none in the laminated book of dreams! [/quote] Everything's online nowadays. If you know where to look, you don't even need to use the ladies underwear section anymore.

And relax... http://www.argos.co.uk/m/static/Search/searchTerms/BASS.htm

Regards setlist order. Pick an order and do couple of 'dress' rehearsals. ie play your songs in order as if it were a gig. You'll get a good feel as to whether songs sit well together. Regards 12 bar blues. They're usually fairly tedious and the way to lift them is to build from start to finish. Start the song with a simple bass and gradually add in breaks until the final chorus where you (and the rest of the band) pull out all the stops. Although don't over-do it.

Listen to the track. Moderately fast probably refers to the vocal and the 192 to the instrumental part. Unless moderately fast and 192 refer to the same passage, without seeing it it's difficult to understand.

I've only just got onto a PC to check out some of these 'heaviest riffs ever'. It seems to me that for bass players and musicians there seems to be a complete lack of understanding of the term riff. It's a basic musical term we should all be familiar with: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostinato#Riff Typically they're 1-8 bar phrases that repeat within the melody. That's why Sabbath et al are referenced as riff based metal. I don't think a lot of these 'heavy' examples contain any riffs, or none that I can identify. For something to be heavy or contain weight it also has to contain a lot of light or space and some syncopation so that the notes punch in all the right places. The bass and rhythm has to double or support the lead fully. Iron Man is a great example, is it the heaviest? Probably not but it has all the elements of classic riff based metal. Some of the Budgie stuff meets the criteria but not that heavy. Maybe some early Anthrax might hit the mark, anything of the Among The Living album. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pTRXboRhyI

I'm finding the older I get and the more bands I play in, the more people I meet who have played with poor to average bass players and really appreciate a good bass player. These are musicians who will spend their time auditioning, give you the time and information you need and will know by the time you've reached the first chorus of the first song whether you're going to cut it. If the rest of the band aren't smiling by the end of the first song, you're either not the one, or they don't know what they're looking for...

[quote name='Donnyboy' timestamp='1362339255' post='1998656'] I was a waitrose virgin until today. Shocker. [/quote] Nothing worse than getting taken up the cold aisle.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1362328238' post='1998422'] That's Lidl behaviour , Dave . I got most of my male escort work from women who frequent Waitrose - I can't afford [i]not [/i]to shop there . [/quote] My wife shops at Waitrose. I thought she was getting through the housekeeping money quickly!

Sounds more like self-destruction mode. He needs to up his game then not resort to blackmail.

Indeed. I'm sure that what most audience members hear in their heads is not what we're playing. In fact I'm fairly confident that even what our guitarist hears in his head is not what he is playing.

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1362237955' post='1997400'] The pub pays us direct (cash) and we forward £30 of the £250 to the agent. It'd be guess work as to why the agent/venue have ceased to want to deal with each other but it could be that the venue have considered paying venues 10% less and thus they are making a direct saving. [/quote] Well £30 of £250 is 12% and £30 of £220 is 13.6%. At least you know exactly what the pub are prepared to pay and possibly the pub don't know how much of a cut he is getting and may assume he's taking more. If he's fallen out with one pub that's not your problem. I would approach the other pubs and see if they're willing to go without the middle man first then make your call. If they're happy to go with you direct as they've seen you play and know what pull you have then you don't have any decision to make. I think the two reasons for the pub to go with an agent are 1) The agent can vet the bands and try them out in smaller venues before gambling on the better pubs. 2) if a band pulls out he probably knows enough bands that he can find someone to cover at short notice while the publican gets on with pub business. You've done 1. you just have to convince them you can do 2.

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1362237099' post='1997384'] Ultimately he is a part-time agent (not paying taxes on this income etc.) ... [/quote] I'm wondering if this is the crux. Do the pubs pay you and then you pay the agent or do they pay the agent and he takes 10% and gives the rest to you? If it's the later he'll probably be (or not!) doing paperwork and the pub may be having problems with their books showing money going to one person who isn't their employee etc. Have the pubs maybe caught on to the fact that they're paying 11% over the top of what you're happy to play for and think they'll get away with paying less.

[quote name='GarethFlatlands' timestamp='1362234910' post='1997344'] There are about 8 clavinova tracks on 'Superstition' so you have to really. I've got a keyboard with a lot of different usable sounds on it so we usually fudged any sounds we couldn't make ourselves. [/quote] As long as the keyboard sounds are not 'cheesy'. In my last band they keyboard player had thousands of sounds. In the end for every song we played we stuck to padded strings, hammond organ, real piano or electric piano. Everything else is was just trying to sound like the original and not quite making it. Loads of songs sounded so much better for not trying to copy the keys sound or playing brass on keyboards. You can get away with keyboard brass on a record because your eyes can't see someone playing the keys. Live though, your ears can't lie to your brain because your eyes are giving it away even with hundreds of pounds worth of brass samples.

[quote name='musophilr' timestamp='1362234383' post='1997333'] Not quite the same here ... they pick a song and then say it sounds sh*t and not as good as the record, when the record had keys & a brass section and all we've got is 2 guitars one of whom occasionally doubles on keys to fill in some harmonies but is by no means a keys wizard. Or they pick a really cheesey song and then whinge 'cos it sounds ... cheesey. I get very pissed off when I'm asked to play a guitar part or riff that is clearly non-trivial but there's no dots, not even a chord chart, and the available recording is some crappy MP3 from which you can't tell whats going on in the music anyway. I'm getting to the point where I'll tell them that if they want me to play something they'll have to give me something I can read, otherwise I'm not playing it. [/quote] The best solution is to record the song and take it away to listen to and see why they sound different. What are people putting in that they don;t need to and what are people not playing that needs to be played. I find often someone is overplaying a simple part because they find it boring which leaves no space for an importart part to fit in.

My biggest frustration is when someone says we can't do a certain tune because we don't have a brass section, or a strings section, or a drum machine, and doesn't understand why when we pick a tune done by a band with the exact same lineup as us it sounds wrong.

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1362233118' post='1997305'] Yeah, thats what I meant, although I was thinking more of more radical changes. The difference between Sinatras, and Sid Vicious's versions of my Way for exmple. [/quote] That's a concious decision to change the genre and feel of the song in the same way as I've heard metal bands doing very good versions of Britan Spear's - Hit Me Baby One More Time. With no sense of comedy. The song will sound different just by virtue of other people playing it and different instrumentation. You don't need to change much

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1362232073' post='1997288'] I cant see any other valid reasons. Except maybe a song thats just too personal, or say, with the name of an ex in the title. Part of the trouble is, doing a song your/your bands way aint what most covers bands are about. Which is a shame in a way, even real pap can sometimes be turned into good numbers. [/quote] I think bands seem to spend too long getting the song 'exactly like the original', when really, no matter how hard you try it will never sound exactly like the original. Therefore without consciously trying to make it sound different it will sound different and until you try a song you don't know how different it will sound and whether even it will sound good or bad. Having a closed mind is not what being a musician is about. Well, at least it isn't for me. If it was, I would still be listening and playing along to Iron Maiden's Live After Death album...