risingson

I've had to deal with this recently as well. On the one hand, you're the bass player, so it's up to you to make the informed decision as to what will work best for the song you're playing. This includes how you approach the song, fingers or pick, and so on. On the other hand, try and take yourself out of the picture and understand where the rest of your band are coming from. Is your decision to not use a pick due to stubbornness or a prejudice against pick style playing for example, could the song be lifted with the use of a pick of some kind. Finely tune between these two schools of thought and conclude whatever is the right thing to do for the song! If you disagree with the rest of your band mates, then be diplomatic about it. Equally, try and take any ego out the equation also (not suggesting you have one at all, just talking from experience I guess!).

Any decent bass manufacturers going to be there MB1?

Hi Leemarc, welcome to the forum! You obviously need to dedicate a lot of time to both techniques to be considered proficient. I dedicated a lot more time to playing fingerstyle because I believe the technique of slap bass has become redundant in modern day music, and fingerstyle will always be the more prominent style of playing bass with the kind of music I regularly record and perform. Equal importance should be placed on pick playing as well nowadays, as I think for many bass players who work hard on getting their technique down, pick playing is often an afterthought, and it shouldn't be because it accounts for a lot of what goes down on modern recordings. Just my 2p!

The site works totally fine for me Ped (and other admins). Took me a while to get used to the new format, but it's hardly rocket science, and now I'm used to it I think it's pretty functional overall... nice job. The points system is kind of neither here nor there. I do think that some might use it to pursue vendettas though and maybe tip the balance of reasoned debate the wrong way - just because one opinion is less popular doesn't make it less valid etc. Equally it might make people think a bit more about what they post before they post it, and that's got to be a good thing on a communal forum. Time will tell I suppose!

I don't think I do anything too out of the ordinary. Or maybe it's that people are afraid of telling me about some of my weird dance moves!

[quote name='Fantobass001' timestamp='1321385724' post='1438618'] Oops, i've been given a -1 point ;-) I apologize for having offended a Mark King fan. I love Dune Tune though ;-) [/quote] That's okay, I tipped you back in the right direction because unlike the person that gave you the minus point, I realised it was just a joke and laughed! I'm also looking into the RH750. I've been an Eden user for almost 3 years now and whilst I do love my WT800 and 410XLT cab I do believe it's time for a change. I had the pleasure of using one of the RH450's + 2 x RS210's at a gig in Sweden, but I didn't get a chance to really get a feel for it as I was far away from it and playing to nearly 10,000 people in a big arena with most of my bass coming from my monitor mix... I'm not bragging either, believe me I would have been much happier stood next to the amp. From what I heard of it I really liked, my only worry was that it might not have enough headroom so I'm looking at the 750 instead.

I've not tried one but I'd certainly love to, although the aesthetics don't grab me very much. I've heard a few now and quite honestly they sound outrageous. Really very nice indeed. Resale at JTUK mentioned would put it in the category of some other rather nice and ultimately more popular ultra-Jazz's, namely Sadowsky, probably the likes of Nordstrand also.

[quote name='bremen' timestamp='1321364325' post='1438217'] Any top tips for someone who's been playing fingerstyle for (mumble) years and wants to try a pick? [/quote] Yes Breman! Try and play what you would regularly play with your fingers, but with a pick instead. This sounds a bit obvious but a lot of people only reach for the pick when they're playing the driving 1/8th notes, whereas if you familiarise yourself with lines you already know then it will make the whole process easier. I would say this was the best way of subconsciously developing the ability to accent the right notes at the right time as well, as you'll find when you start practicing with a pick that upstrokes don't have the same attack as your downstrokes. Crossing strings can be tough too, another reason to practice what you would usually with your fingers with a pick instead. Listen to the Beach Boys, Carol Kaye manages to be incredibly melodic whilst playing with a hard pick and I can't really think of a better example of pick playing than what she recorded on 'Pet Sounds'.

I mostly play with my fingers and my thumb, but increasingly I play a lot more with a hard pick too, it's just a sound that just works so well. On my new album I used a pick on one or two tunes to try and emulate Carol Kaye's tone on 'Pet Sounds', loads of reverb, short delay, all played through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe amp and with a chunk of foam stuffed in under the bridge of my bass.

My older sister was a bass player long before I was, so when I was young I was forever listening to her playing along to Chili Peppers stuff at full blast in her room. It was this that eventually inspired me to take up bass 10 years ago, so actually I have a lot more to thank Flea for than just his great music... if it wasn't for him, I might not even be still playing! Every Friday, I used to come out of school, get on the school bus with my Walkman on and blast out BSSM as loud as I could turn it up to get hyped for the weekend. Brilliant! After One Hot Minute I kind of stopped listening to them, although Californication had some great songs on it. But as for BSSM, it's not just a bass player's album, it's really just a great album full stop. In fact I'd easily put it up there with one of the greatest albums of all time, no question.

I don't like this kind of Dubstep at all but I must admit it was very impressive.

As a bass player, I do what needs to be done to get a song working. If that means not playing a bassline at all or even playing one note every other bar, then so be it. It is a recent revelation that I have had in light of me becoming more of a songwriter and guitarist. I'd prefer my role to be a pivotal one and have some artistic license, but when you're working with 4 other people there just has to be a point where you compromise. On the other hand, when I write songs for my band, it's different. I usually have quite a good idea about what I'd like stuff to sound like, and if I have very specific harmonies, choral voicings and melodic parts that I have written then generally I would want them played how I wrote them in the first place. I am however open to other band members trying ideas out on top of what I have written if it compliments the song well. Sometimes you just don't know when someone else's idea will fire off an unused part of your songwriting brain and get you really inspired. Other times, writing by committee just doesn't work and can mean that you come to blows because of conflicting ideas. Like I say, it's just about having that compromise.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1320885284' post='1432896'] The electric bass is not a solo instrument, IMHO (puts on crash helmet and gets in cupboard under stairs). [/quote] Agree and disagree. Age old argument of course, but I'll be a bit of a knob and say that technically, any instrument is a solo instrument, up to and including the spoons if you fancy it. There are no limits, but on the flipside there is a limit to taste, and that's usually the first thing to get discarded when a bass solo happens. I think the player has to be phenomenally good for a nice solo to occur, melodically and harmonically informed, and just all round a great musician.

I've played with a guy in the past who has players come in and out of his band, depending on their availability and who's around at the timeetc. He usually offers solos to his bass players during tunes, but I always hated it because he caught me so off guard whenever I was playing with him! I ended up doing a crazy solo over 'Senorita' by Justin Timberlake one time (quite why we were playing it I can't remember, it was just in the set I was given) and I just didn't see it coming, nor was I offered much choice as to whether I could say no! Soloing is fine, but it's not my thing at all, I much prefer sitting on the groove.

I've been messing around with foam under the bridge of my bass all week in the studio trying to replicate Carol Kaye's tic-tac bass sound on Pet Sounds for one of or tracks (even though she placed a piece of felt over her strings as opposed to under the bridge). I regularly palm mute and use a piece of foam under the strings for recording and live, but I wanted to try it out with a pick. I ended up recording through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe amp and wth the spring reverb cranked, it sounded fantastic!

Great choice on the Donnie Hathaway tune. Slow songs? This springs to mind, don't know why. It's one of my all time favourite Radiohead tunes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbKQPqs-cqc And so does this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN9n1bAahg4

I know Victor comes up a lot on bass forums and I think the guy is technically amazing, if not my cup of tea. I tend to turn off when he starts talking about God too, again nothing personal, just not a practicing Christian. But more impressive than any of his technique I always find is his outlook on music is incredibly inspirational. Rightly so should he revered as a bit of a legend.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1320695223' post='1430238'] If you want something I consider a cool riff then Chris White's line in The Zombies [i]She's Not There[/i]. I only say that one really because I was playing it yesterday. [/quote] I love that bass part, it's just so... 60's. It's like a line that Carol Kaye would cut. The Zombies are completely underrated, their vocal harmonies were always so good too.

sh*t, not good at all, literally one of the all time greatest studio bass players a big inspiration to me!

[quote name='bremen' timestamp='1320685496' post='1429998'] You get bored with one, you can get refreshed by playing another. One with flats, one rounds. One with frets, one without. One tuned EADG, one BEAD (or your favourite metal-friendly/horn-friendly variant) One black one, one white one... ...and one with a bit of shyte on. [/quote] +1, all these things. I've (stupidly) only got one bass at the moment after I got rid of my P-Bass earlier in the year and I'm already starting to be wound up by it as I'm in the throes of recording a new album and some songs just demand a P-Bass sound.

My year has been great. My band have released our debut album, of which we have sold nearly 1000 hard copies and as yet an undetermined amount on iTunes and on other online outlets, and we've just finished the meat of the tracks for our second album which we intend to release on the 1st January 2012. We've gigged the songs up and down the country and over in Sweden, with great reception from many people and have garnered some attention, hopefully with this next album we'll have a bit more, fingers crossed. Life is very good for me right now and I'm tremendously grateful!

[quote name='BurritoBass' timestamp='1320170638' post='1423309'] Apologies to the mods if this should be in a different section, but my band has a gap in our gigging schedule and will be around Liverpool on Friday 11th November. We'll be available to do some stripped back acoustic Americana show. Not massively bothered about any fees, just so long as we can pass a hat around AND we're not just playing to just the bar staff. We're up playing a big Americana festival the next day before going on to Leicester so will be at a loose end. If not Liverpool, anywhere nearby would be better than not playing Can anyone help? Either with support slots, venues to try or any pointers. Cheers in advance [/quote] Hi burritobass, you're best looking for your gigs down the Mathew Street side of town, either at the new Erics bar, Rubber Soul, The Cavern Pub or indeed the Cavern itself although it may be a little short notice for some of the promotors. Get in contact via email, you never know.

[quote name='chaypup' timestamp='1320183952' post='1423601'] Here's a seriously good live version of that track which sounds a lot like Pino to my ears. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2-ZvLg93ek[/quote] I reckon that will be Anthony Jackson still, he stayed on bass duties for a number of years after 'What Cha Gonna Do For Me' the album was recorded. The original bassline on the record is honestly life changing, it literally blew my mind!

A number of things might have been happening: off the top of my head, sometimes live bass isn't judged in the same way by your ears as what the bass player might be appearing to play. The joys of psychoacoustics! The other thing and I think incredibly likely answer is that the band will have been playing to tracks, hence the not so correct duplication of Alice's bass player's bass playing (quite a tongue twister!).

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1320096833' post='1422406'] Massive Attack - Safe From Harm [/quote] Great choice, also I'd choose the Massive Attack tune that is my forum name for phattest bass parts of all time. My favourites: For Once In My Life - Stevie Wonder (James Jamerson) Something - The Beatles (Macca) Heed the Warning - Chaka Khan (Anthony Jackson) Good Love Is On the Way (Live) - John Mayer (Pino Palladino) Back In the Day - Erykah Badu (Braylon Lacy) Is It the Way - Jill Scott (Adam Blackstone) Diamonds On the Soles Of Her Shoes (Bakithi Kumalo) All basslines (and bass players) I consider really standout and totally brilliant.