risingson

I'm a big fan of Warp, particularly the Boards of Canada. Squarepusher's stuff is best I think when the bass is sunk in the mix, I'm not mad on the bass playing itself but the sum of the parts is brilliant. Much prefer his older stuff, him and Aphex never cease to amaze me with their music.

There's a lot of stuff that dictates whether or not you 'take care' of your gear, I think what it usually comes down to is the type of music you play, the image you wish to project and finally, just the kind of person you are. Me, I like my gear relatively clean looking, that's just the kind of person I am.

You know I'm a big fan of these BB. Not particularly well known even in the U.S but they are killer basses, and the guys in Rudy's are really helpful.

You know I'm a big fan of these BB. Not particularly well known even in the U.S but they are killer basses, and the guys in R

RIP, huge Beastie Boys fan, I knew he had been ill but I didn't see it coming.

[quote name='MuckedUpFunkies' timestamp='1336082636' post='1640804'] I assumed so I'm just wondering if zoning out (even if not completely) might help the groove feel more fluid though? I know from experience that a group of over concentrating performers has the potential to create a rigid feel which can ruin a song IMO. I suppose the potential to make serious mistakes outweighs the feel of a piece of music? [/quote] It's like riding a bike, isn't it, once you've learnt how to ride there's not always a conscious stream of what your body should and shouldn't be doing in order to keep you balanced and propel you forward. It becomes second nature. If you practice hard enough and are inherently musical then you can afford to keep concentration on what you're doing to a minimum whilst maintaining a bass part that heightens the feel for the rest of your band and the audience.

[quote name='MuckedUpFunkies' timestamp='1336081014' post='1640762']So my question is do you ever zone out during live performances and what are the results? [/quote] Usually disastrous!! I think its fine when you're sat at home playing along to something, the original Watermelon Man from the Headhunters' album does have that slow paced repeating groove that it can be easy to zone out with. Live though I need to be on the ball, otherwise the ball might get dropped! It gets so much harder when you've played a song a thousand times over because you get complacent. I always try and stay alert to the pulse of a tune, not so that the music feels stiff, but so that I know what's going on etc. I know what you mean with the zoning out thing though, and I do do it... I hate getting interrupted when I'm practicing for this reason because I feel like my own little musical space has gotten broken into! That's when you know you're feeling music as opposed to actively concentrating.

One of those rare occasions that I'm blown away by the sheer complexity of technique and breadth of musical understanding from a bass player. Anthony Jackson hits the nail on the head with an impossible bass part that always reminds me of who I think is probably one of the best bass players of all time. Check it out, even if the music isn't your thing, it's really just a showcase of how far someone has been able to push the envelope of bass whilst retaining such a strong musical identity. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GkNoC6nUx4&feature=related

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1336071641' post='1640578'] ...featuring my mate Pete on the fiddle. He's probably the best there is right now, and he's got the world at his feet. The jammy get. The other guitarist is Rufus Miller, Dominic's young'un. [/quote] Congratulations to your friend, that's a great gig! I might have thought that a bit of nepotism might have played a part in that younger lad's appearance. Not that he shouldn't be there either though, clearly he was keeping up and he's definitely from the right stock... Dominic Miller is an unreal guitar player.

Cool stuff, Vinnie is great. Who's the lad on acoustic to the right? A relation of Sting or Dominic Miller's perhaps? Seems very young!

Not nearly as much as you'd think. Sure if you compare it to a documentary about the Beatles perhaps, it's not going to garner the same level of interest. But plenty of people are aware of Jaco Pastorius and the music that he made. Not just bass players, but a wide cross-section of people interested in music.

[quote name='horrorshowbass' timestamp='1335798271' post='1636165'] sweet! just out of interest Grand Wazoo, what didnt you like bout the book? [/quote] I don't know about GW and why he didn't like the book, but Bill Milkowski apparently took quite a lot of liberties in describing Jaco, a number of half-truths and inaccuracies according to the Pastorius family. Luckily I think the main film consultants are the family themselves which should shed a bit more light on his personality from those who knew him best.

[quote name='apa' timestamp='1335795308' post='1636112'] And no Neither Moon nor Entwistle were sloppy. [/quote] I think they are in a conventional sense. But don't get me wrong, being a tight player isn't what makes great music as I've mentioned a lot of times before on this forum. Actually a lot of the times I find the opposite. And I think the clip is great, he was clearly a very melodic and musically in touch with what was going on.

I think it's sloppy, totally mad technique, a pretty nasty tone as well... And I love it. It's totally unique and also incredibly melodic. I'd never dream of playing my own bass this way, but it completely works in the context of the track.

Looks like a Jaco Pastorius film is happening, check out a few behind the scenes shots of one or two players like Flea and Robery Trujillo getting interviewed on the official Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/JacoTheFilm.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1335705823' post='1634754'] I only ever played through TE gear a few times but didn't particularly like it. Besides which I always felt it looked slightly radioactive. [/quote] Agreed on this. Whoever came up with the aesthetics of the Trace stuff needs a good talking to from the guys at Aguilar.

[quote name='Linus27' timestamp='1335473796' post='1631948'] I wonder if people's opinions would be different if they had heard this on the radio rather than having the visual as well. I think some would be saying thats its a nice cover of the song. [/quote] They've clocked an opportunity to do something that they obviously love, and amongst musicians their technical and theoretical skills are obviously hugely impressive. Kind of like a contained viral sensation, so the visual aspect of it is just as important. Like all sensations though, the immediate 'wow' factor gets lost quickly, I think this is probably what's happened here.

Don't get it. I understand why people like worn in guitars, but if you're dead set on something like this, well a Mexi Strat is £500, and paraffin + lighter = no more than a fiver. Sorted.

I used to play in drop C with a post-rock band, and I've used Eb Ab Db Gb for one song on our first album which leant itself to some open string playing. I don't like altered tunings much though, and to be honest I've never found myself limited by a 4 string as I've got an octave pedal. I've worked on knowing the notes on my fretboard and once you get it properly drilled then there's always more than one way to play anything, open string and positions alike. I'd like a 5 string soon so I can extend my playing out a bit, that will set me learning again.

^^ absolutely beautiful, Rick.

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1335348272' post='1629529'] Well, sort of, I'm not, but Maz Totterdell who I play for in her live band is being played on Fearne Cotton's show today. This is a good thing, except... I am listening to it, and I forgot how annoying Ms Cotton is, hurry up and play the song so I can go back to 6music.... Still cool though. [/quote] I don't mind her. I think she does a good job, she's engaging and enjoyable to listen to in a sort of 'on in the background' sort of way. She knows naff all about music though! But then that applies to all the prime time DJ's on Radio One. After 7 Radio One usually gets a bit better music wise.

[quote name='Ruiner' timestamp='1335377838' post='1630245'] At first I thought this was an elaborate joke. Then I read it and thought it must be serious. Then I saw the user name and I'm confused again [/quote] Anonymous tipster perhaps? Anyway. I've gone from being in a 5 piece, to a 6, to a 4, and then back to a 5. Generally I like to have a keys player and one guitarist. I don't mind two guitarists but I often find I don't get enough room to stretch out and things can get cluttered unless very well coordinated, but I'm lucky to play with some incredible musicians so its rarely a problem. I would say 4 is my preference. 3 is cool too, although your workload effectively doubles because there's so much space to be filled. I've played with big bands, 8 pieces, 10 pieces, I'm always cool to try out new things depending on what the music is.

[quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1335300125' post='1629067'] In America, I'd say the industry standard 6 string bass is without a doubt a Ken Smith 6 string. It was practically a prerequisite in the US Gospel scene for nearly two decades, until other luthiers like MTD came into fashion. [/quote] I think that's true, although I've seen a lot of TRBs popping up too, probably due to their affordability next to KS's. Here's a decent example, incredible player [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9dwi52Ra0s&feature=relmfu[/media] [quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1335300450' post='1629074'] TRB's are great, but I would have thought that the Pro's choice would be either a Ken Smith or Roscoe. [/quote] The pro's choice is whatever works I think, price shouldn't come into it. Abe Laboriel Sr. has been using TRBs for years and he's up there with the most recorded bass players in recent history.