risingson

[quote name='SteveK' post='521334' date='Jun 23 2009, 12:15 AM']I really don't want to labour the point here...but, I suggest that Leland Sklar is successful [i]in spite[/i] of his bad technique not [i]because of it.[/i][/quote] Oh of course... I just think there is no substitute for good musicianship, whereas there is probably quite a lot to say for a good musician with unorthodox technique. Jamerson used one finger to play on his right hand, and the man is now bass personified.

[quote name='51m0n' post='521245' date='Jun 22 2009, 10:33 PM']Please bother to write in English not text speak.[/quote] The guy is a youngish kid, give him a break. People use text speak sometimes. Skillbass, everyone starts somewhere, but I think based on your initial comments you need to be careful that self-confidence isn't confused for arrogance. It's easy to be competitive at you're presumed age, but do some research into your instrument and note that most of the big guys that you might aspire to be like are generally guys who take stock and play supportive roles. You do that, practice hard and I'm sure you'll be a good bassist. Advice and support from your dad is great and a cool ego-boost, but try your best to learn from fellow musicians and by yourself too, be your own person. Get yourself in a band I would advise would be the next step for you, learn about band politics, and how much girls like good bass players It's all well and good being a bedroom player, but being in a band will get you learning faster. Get in a big band if you can and get your music reading together, that's also an invaluable skill. And most of all just enjoy it Liam

Bakithi Kumalo learnt how to play the bass that way! He still does it from time to time when he plays with Paul Simon, until Paul turns around to look at him and he'll quickly switch back!!

[quote name='Josh' post='521038' date='Jun 22 2009, 07:16 PM']Didn't know teenage bassists were so naive.[/quote] Hook, line and sinker I reckon!

Standard gauge for me! I think personally I can hear a difference in string gauge, but I don't think you're audience will notice

[quote name='SteveK' post='520757' date='Jun 22 2009, 02:13 PM']If Bay Splayer only wants to "get by", then, I'm in agreement...hopefully, he wants more than that.[/quote] You missed my original point a bit, which is that if he's happy currently, then no amount of forcing anyone to play the way they prefer because it's kinda fruitless. Plenty of good players out there that have irregular technique.

Hoho, this has got to be a windup. What's nice though is that people are actually replying with genuine answers because he's actually brought up a reasonable topic

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' post='520815' date='Jun 22 2009, 03:09 PM']My first tip would be: compliments don't count when they come from your friends or family. I think that session work would be an excellent way of finding out, from an impartial source, how good you are. S.P.[/quote] Agreed, even if I do also sense a windup. I like mum and dad being complimentary about my playing at gigs and stuff, but they're hardly impartial judges now, are they. You only have to look at some of the hopeless talent on recent TV shows to see the affect of parents having absolute faith in their children, blind sighted by their love for their kids.

Looks wicked! Pickups look great as well.

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='517811' date='Jun 18 2009, 08:43 PM']There are certain bass parts that seem quite easy to play, but when you actually learn them they just don't sound right, no matter how long you study them. For me, a prime example is 'Sex Machine'. A few simple notes, but you try to make it sound and feel like Bootsy...impossible. Another one is Steely Dan's 'Kid Charlemagne'. I've been playing this song for 12 years, and I've studied it note for note, but I can't for the life of me get it dead right. The feel is unbelievable - funk/reggae. Chuck Rainey freely admits it's probably his finest moment. Anyone else have an example of this phenomenom?[/quote] Both the songs you mentioned definitely have the stamp of the respective bass players on them, and are both really hard to cop! Sex Machine is pure stamina, and Kid Charlemagne is literally something else...

I'd disagree with everyone that has told you that you're limiting your technique by not using your middle finger, simply because if you're happy enough with using what you've got already then why does it matter? If you can get by, then it's fine. Leland Sklar, session ace with the likes of James Taylor, Toto, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton and countless other people never uses his pinky ever and claims to have awful technique, and he was/still is one of the most sought after session aces on the planet.

Actually the more I think about these things, the more I really want one!

Lennon and Harrison made good use of them during the latter years of the Beatles, especially the stuff MacCartney didn't play on.

His bass playing, if I'm completely honest, bores me. His music however, along with Aphex Twin and the Boards of Canada also on the Warp label, is some of the most inspirational music I've ever heard

Marcus sounds heavily Jamerson influenced on the track itself. The Nightfly is still used by some producers to check monitoring systems in studios, simply to prove what could be done with a record back in the day in the hands of a good production team. It's hard to fault any of the bass players Steely Dan or Fagan have ever used, especially Tom Barney and Freddie Washington recently. I am a HUGE Steely Dan fan, but I do find their recent production sounds too clinical to my ears. Plus, I find it way to muso for me at times... it might sound ridiculous but it's almost like Fagan and Becker try a bit too hard sometimes.

I used one live once, in a drop key for a very heavy outro which relied heavily on open strings which the guitarists had and I didn't. Not the most practical thing to do in the world though. I heard someone saying a while ago about McCartney using one with the Beatles, but I don't know how true this is.

Oh, and I'd take Zender's 'Chrome Ender' Gozilla bass, Pino's faded Fiesta Red P-Bass, or Sting's old P-Bass as well.

[quote name='skankdelvar' post='515397' date='Jun 16 2009, 03:47 PM']Andy Fraser's Gibbo from 'Alright Now' and [b]whatever Entwistle used on 'My Generation'.[/b][/quote] [url="http://www.vintageandrareguitars.com/web/our-catalogue/Fender/Electric-Basses/item/5887"]http://www.vintageandrareguitars.com/web/o...asses/item/5887[/url] All I know is that it was a Jazz bass. Could be it.

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='514668' date='Jun 15 2009, 08:04 PM']No offence taken but its easier said then done. First off thats the going rate so we arent getting ripped off or anything like that. We still go home with around £100 each, thats still more than i make per day in my day job. 25+ gigs a year still adds up to some decent money. If we gcould do weddings every week we would but we dont get offered that many so yes, money has to come form somewhere. Look at the amount of bsas player on this site that get all excited becuase they have a gig coming up three months down the line etc. Some would jump at the chance to do even a pub gig and make a bit of money so who are we to turn regular work down. I really do want to get paid more but the money isnt in the clubs. quite a few are closing down as the mebership is going down. And i dont hate this sort of gig either. We can look on them as a paid rehearsal.[/quote] That's fair enough, and I know the feeling about the paid rehearsal. Money for us is definitely in private gigs. My idea this year for our band is that we can afford to be taking lower paying gigs on weeknights, but Friday Saturday we look towards taking more, and ideally more on weeknights if possible, which means residencies, agency bookings etc. I think if you travel as well then there should always be a gig for a band. You can drink the river dry if you want to make money as a band but only rely on local gigs.

That's cool, I like it when companies value their customers like that. I need to bulk-buy about 3 or 4 sets of strings for touring, I'm debating D'Addario over the usual DR's. Decisions decisions...

But if they weren't giving you a decent deal, why bother at all dealing with them? I understand completely where you're coming from, and I know money has to come from somewhere, but surely there has to be a better deal coming in from somewhere else. Sorry, not trying to be argumentative, just curious is all.

My EHX English Muff'n is completely brilliant. Got it off Tayste the other day and it sounds superb.

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='514617' date='Jun 15 2009, 07:23 PM']When we first started doing the social clubs we were getting more than we were in pubs at the time. After a few months we started asking for a bit more and for about 4-5 months got no work, from any off them.[/quote] The places we play (and I don't mean to sound arrogant by this at all), we as a band pull the biggest crowds. I think the venues we play understand that to lose us would mean that all those people that know us and turn up for gigs won't be there anymore. It then becomes a position in which you have the ability to bargain with bars and alike... and that's not to say you should be greedy about it either, just realistic. Anyone can have that sort of bargaining chip if you're in a band that can pull a good crowd. [quote]I'm just glad I'm only in a 4 piece band.[/quote] Tell me about it... up until 3 months ago we were a 6 piece!

[quote name='bassicinstinct' post='514561' date='Jun 15 2009, 06:24 PM']I do tend to "get on my soapbox" a bit on this subject. In my experience, a band doesn't have to do too many gigs for £500 before they "become" a £500 band. It's not too bad if you remain ever conscious of it and vigilant about it, but it is horribly easy to drift into that situation - and many bands do. It seems fairly obvious to me that5, if a venue can't or, more likely, [b]won't[/b][i][/i] pay you what you consider you are worth, they won't be booking you and they should be looking at cheaper bands. I don't see that in any way as a failure as you will only ever price yourself out of a market you probably don't want to be in anyway!![/quote] I would agree with this a bit, although I think that if you're vigilant enough as a fledgling band then £500 is a fairly good starting off fee at a small club or pub venue. You just need to make sure you take on the private gigs off the back of public gigs at a more reasonable price for yourselves. We make a point of going out once or twice every month now and playing a slightly lower payed gig at a public venue for two reasons: 1. it's fun, and 2. it gives a chance for clients to come and see us perform and decide if they would like to book us. This is usually to our benefit, as they've heard of us through word of mouth and almost definitely book us anyway. From then on, we charge a fixed and competitive fee, and will add excess for travel, food, and accommodation should it apply. If the overall figure is considered too steep for a potential buyer, then we might consider doing the gig for less money should we not be particularly busy at that given time (a rarity), otherwise, that's it, and we'll politely tell them that they can't afford our band. Like it was mentioned, the business from people who can't affod you is expendable, at the end of the day you need to be a bit mercenary if you want to make money somewhere. Generally we have tapped into a market of 'word of mouth', that is to say we're pandering to an audience that we will almost 70-80% of the time get at least one booking off of, otherwise more.

It's been a while since I listened to Good Times, but it does sound just like a Stingray. Odd that MM would get mixed up. And apparently, after some research, all the old stuff, i.e. 'Dance, Dance, Dance', was a Fender Jazz! Puzzling