risingson

[quote name='burno70' post='1234362' date='May 17 2011, 02:44 PM']That could be were we are going wrong - what would you recommend?[/quote] I would recommend getting friendly with promoters in town who are interested in putting music on for the joy of doing so. There has to be a degree of legwork on your band's behalf as well to ensure people are coming down to your gig because it will highlight that you're worth putting on a bit more regularly and also you'll be making them money on the door. If you have a look at promo companies like Kong, Me & Him, Glasswerk, Wax & String and find out their contact details, get in touch with them and have your music ready on Bandcamp, Myspace etc. Once a promoter finds that you're drawing a good crowd, putting on a good show and being reliable and not messing around by turning up late and not bringing required gear then with a little bit of luck you'll start to stand out. Also, look outside of Liverpool. The gigging community in the city is quite insular and I've seen loads of bands get stuck playing the same old gig month in month out. If you're willing to travel then you should be looking to try and get over to Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield as well and doing the same thing there. The pay to play schemes are rubbish, and it's always worth remembering that there are people out there who put on gigs for the love of it and not as a two-bit way of squeezing money out of you. Ultimately the money has to be made somewhere though so most of the time it's up to you to be promoting hard to your fanbase to make sure you get a good turnout.

[quote name='burno70' post='1234330' date='May 17 2011, 02:24 PM']Sorry for derailing the thread - where is good to play in Liverpool at the moment? My band is struggling to get gigs. Pay to play is really killing us. We are an originals band but not particularly well supported - unfortunately. Any suggestions (Sorry Ead - I hope you don't mind!)[/quote] The Kazamier, The Shipping Forecast, The Masque, Static Gallery, The Academy, Mello Mello, Magnet, Heebies do band nights sometimes as well. The pay to play thing is easily avoided if you know who to speak to promotions wise.

[quote name='silddx' post='1233447' date='May 16 2011, 07:03 PM']I listened to the interview again. He's really criticising the monetary system surrounding education for sending him students who are full of sh*t. One wonders why he doesn't boot those students out if he detests that system so much. Maybe he's resentful he has to be a part of it.[/quote] He's resentful he has to do it in the first place IMO. I think he is an incredible musician, astounding in fact but he's clearly very bitter.

[quote name='Mr Fudge' post='1233641' date='May 16 2011, 09:13 PM']What's your favourite humming noise? [attachment=80138:frpurcell.jpg][/quote] Hahaha

We're playing there tomorrow night and played there about 2 months back. The back line in the back room is actually quite good, Blackstar stuff and a good Orange bass rig. It depends what the night is but it's usually a good laugh. It's not exactly the number one spot for live music in Liverpool but it's a good place to play if you're in the back.

[quote name='Bilbo' post='1233204' date='May 16 2011, 04:03 PM']I am interested in some of the responses to this as I am alway interested to hear what people are actually playing and in what ways they seek to improve themselves as players. I have always found that there are a lot of players who fill themselves up with clever party tricks that others, players and non-players alike, heap praise upon them for. Like that phase in the 90s where everyone was into Flea and learned all the BSSM tunes in an effort to sound like him. The motivation for doing that was not primarily musical, it was social. 'I want the kudos that Flea has'. 'If I can play Flea parts and he is winnign all of the polls, I must be as good as him and am equally deserving of praise'. We all like a bit of affirmation, me more than most, but I think, for many, it can get in the way of the real learning. I think BM is basically saying, in a way that is completely at odds with his brother's pseudo-intellectual presentation, is that he finds a lot of kids more interested in seeing themselves as the next 'young lion' or prodigy than they are in being the best player that concerted study and hard graft can make them. At each stage in our learning, we are only able to see a portion of what we are and what we have the potential to become. If we are sufficiently deluded, we can easily fall into the trap of believing we are better than we think we are and it takes a teacher to break that delusion, carefully but firmly. BM was being interviewed not giving a lesson or masterclass. A bit of tough love, I accept, but I think he has a point.[/quote] Branford Marsalis exists in a genre of music that has less and less happening for it in the broadest of senses. Fewer and fewer players are groundbreaking, because there's almost no ground left to break. Maybe he's venting his frustrations over the loss of a time when jazz was the musical renaissance and these sorts of players were coming out of the woodwork. There are plenty of good jazz sax players out there but their talents are derived from people who spearheaded a type of music not heard before, i.e. Parker, Coltrane etc so they are not truly 'remarkable' or 'unique' players, they're simply taking their cues from those who innovated.

[quote name='BottomE' post='1233102' date='May 16 2011, 02:42 PM']Lots of variables in this and assumptions. Is Branford Marsalis a decent teacher? Who knows. Has he had a batch of sh** students? Dunno. Because of his elevated status and undoubted ability has he become a snobby twat too distant from the abilities and foibles of mere mortals? Maybe he was having a bad day. We live in a world where the destination has become more important than the journey. That much is true.[/quote] +1, like I mentioned just because you're a good player doesn't make you a good teacher, in fact sometimes the opposite.

Part of being a student is the ability to take on board constructive criticism and learning from it. If you're there to have your ego massaged by your teacher then you're getting lessons for the wrong reasons, worse still is if your teacher is entertaining this as a viable means of passing time in a lesson. It's the inherent problem with a lot of musicians; it is so easy to develop an ego once people start telling you you're a good player, and from then on music becomes this self-serving means of satisfying your ego as opposed to something that is truly remarkable. Branford Marsalis is not helping himself here though. I've seen this video before and I would wager that at one time or another he will have been the same kind of student that he describes, he also sounds quite bitter. Everyone needs a degree of support to boost their confidence from a peer, and whilst I agree that such commendations shouldn't be given out at the drop of a hat, it is important to inspire confidence in a student if you're a teacher. Marsalis clearly lacks a degree of patience. Even the best players don't make for the best teachers.

You tried Allparts?

Mine was really great, lovely crowd, nice marquee... the only slight hiccup of the night was the power going down first set, turned out a switch got knocked. At the end of the night once we'd finished, the organiser attempted to have a whip round with the guests to keep us playing (another girl suggested to me that we were stupid to pass this suggestion up as everyone at the party was in her own words 'inordinately rich').

I'm in Chester tonight, Marquee joint 40th. Just packing up the Lakland and the Fender as we speak!

I wouldn't stop playing bass just because your hands tend to sweat more than average. I would recommend wiping down your strings after playing them and maybe look at getting some string cleaner for after practice/gigs etc. A few bass players out there wear gloves and play, I personally think this looks insane but again, worth thinking about perhaps.

Been learning this recently, at least approximated for 4 string. Great, great bass playing.

I very nearly almost bought the very same bass a few months ago from 4 Candles but was left in a bit of a financial pickle in the end. I've got to say, after Daphne/Sonic Blue, Surf Green is my favourite old Fender Finish

[quote name='BottomEndian' post='1229766' date='May 13 2011, 10:51 AM']Well, yes... assuming you're going unlined you [i]also[/i] have to remember not to cut the fret-slots.[/quote] I like it

[quote name='Waldo' post='1228957' date='May 12 2011, 03:57 PM']Absolute guff. On a par with this monstrosity: [/quote] That is unpleasant to the eye.

[quote name='Doddy' post='1228790' date='May 12 2011, 01:38 PM']As far as getting at the guy for using a 15 string,it's worth bearing in mind that John Paul Jones especially Tom Petersson have used a 12 string bass for years. Jauqo's bass is the same thing,just a 5 string version. Allen Woody (Allman Bros.,Govt. Mule) used to use a Modulus 18 string!![/quote] John Paul Jones was in Led Zeppelin, one of the most successful bands of all time worth in the region of £34m, he could probably release a CD worth of Rodgers and Hammerstein arrangements for solo bass and it still be lauded as impressive!

You jammy git Kev, you've got all the nice gear! Let me know when it arrives, you'll have to post some pics.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1228044' date='May 11 2011, 09:03 PM']+1[/quote] +2. I might be dreaming but from my brief time on Talkbass I seem to remember him being a relation to Jaco Pastorius? I usually try to find something good to say with all kinds of bass playing but I really am struggling here. It sounds like total garbage.