risingson

[quote name='ahpook' post='1100087' date='Jan 23 2011, 08:44 PM'] kevin shields[/quote] Great choice!

[quote name='ahpook' post='1100336' date='Jan 24 2011, 12:46 AM']plus the one. it's odd...with the number of threads about 'guitarists who solo over everything, don't learn songs, etc, etc, etc, i wonder where they all are...i've never met one. is it something particular to 'rock' bands ?[/quote] Likewise? Maybe I've just got lucky, I've never had to deal with a guitarist with a big ego, to me I'd prefer them to be a sh*te guitar player with a good attitude than an excellent player with a terrible attitude.

[quote name='Jam' post='1100146' date='Jan 23 2011, 09:25 PM']Pretty sure all guitarists are like this...[/quote] Not the good ones. In response to your post Gust0o, I don't know what your guitarist is like as a person or how long you've known him etc. but if there is one thing I have learnt during the time I've been playing it's that 1.) everyone in the band has to be in the same tuning, 2.) gear doesn't control your sound, you control your sound using gear and 3.) if you're not working with each other in a band, then you're effectively working against each other. If your guitarist doesn't get any of that then it might be worth considering either getting rid of him, or leaving to find a better group of musicians. I wouldn't be happy putting up with such a lack of professionalism, I'd end up wanting to chew my hands off in frustration.

[quote name='TheGreek' post='1099724' date='Jan 23 2011, 03:20 PM']Do you know I nearly started believing some of what was being said here then I went to the "Funk and Groove" thread - seems like somebody needs to tell all of these guys to "KISS"... Marcus..Stanley..Victor..Les Claypool...Mick Karn..TK Stevens..are you listening?? KISS, in my mind, will lead to nothing but mediocrity and bass being nothing more than a backing instrument.. God bless those who break the rules!!![/quote] 'Mediocrity' is a word so often used in place of 'preference'.

The Meters - Cissy Strut Aaron Neville - Hercules The Fatback Band - (Are You Ready) Do the Bus Stop Rufus - Once You Get Started Herbie Hancock - Just Around the Corner Herbie Hancock - Hang Up Your Hangups The Gap Band - Shake Cymande - Brothers On the Slide Chic - Everybody Dance Sister Sledge - Thinking of You Narada Michael Walden - I Should Have Loved Ya Chaka Khan - What Cha Gonna Do For Me Michael Jackson - Get On the Floor Slave - Just A Touch of Love Patrice Rushen - Forget Me Nots Ohio Players - Who'd She Coo? The J.B's - Superbad The Bar Keys - To Hot to Stop To name a few.

[quote name='EdwardHimself' post='1099438' date='Jan 23 2011, 11:10 AM']I think this whole "no bass" idea is just a bit of a fad. Started out with the white stripes, then went onto the gossip (who also started the "let's buy this person's records because they're fat and ugly and therefore we can pretend that we're not just shallow and obsessed with looks" trend followed on swiftly by Susan Boyle) and now paul simon. Unfortunately 95% of music listeners wouldn't be able to hear the bass anyway on account of playing music through their tinny little laptop speakers or "skullcandy" earbuds...[/quote] With the greatest respect I don't think Paul Simon has been paying the smallest amount of attention to what The Gossip or The White Stripes have been doing, what with being one of the most prolific writers of the past 40 years or so. He really doesn't have to adhere to trends and such.

He's obviously just choosing to take a different direction with his music, I've got to say though some of the best bass ever gone down on a record was Bakithi Kumalo's stuff on Graceland.

Agreed with Musky, I find Reverb Nation to be a bit of a pain and it doesn't integrate as well with a band's Facebook page as well as BandPage, it's slow and annoying. EDIT check out our BandPage Facebook here if you want an example [url="http://www.facebook.com/54321.mu?v=app_178091127385&ref=ts"]http://www.facebook.com/54321.mu?v=app_178...7385&ref=ts[/url] and click on the Bandpage tab.

Hiram Bullock or Paul Jackson Jr. EDIT John Mayer is up there too.

[quote name='TheGreek' post='1097806' date='Jan 21 2011, 05:07 PM']to play devils advocate... Aren't some songs memorable because of the basslines?? - Think "Money", "The Chain", "Taxman", "Down in the Tubestation" - in each of these the song is driven by the bassline - would the songs have benefitted by a less complex bassline? - would they have been more/as memorable? Most bass players accept that it's as much about what you don't play as what you do - unfortunately most guitarists aren't of the same mind. By KISS, bassists just leave more space which Guitarists will inevitably think is theirs to fill - "I'll just "chuck in another solo" - when we listen to Motown/Atlantic/Stax, etc the attraction (for me anyway) is the basslines and the horns - NOT the guitars and keyboards. I have no problem with much of what has been said and agree with quite a lot of it, however how many times have you allowed "cracking" basslines (which you've spent hours refining) be overwhelmed by the guitar parts? Sometimes the song has to give for the benefit of the groove/ bassline. IMO Basslines are as important (possibly more so today in the era of D& as the chord progressions - so shouldn't just be treated as part of the backing track for guitarists.. I'm sure there are many who won't agree with this but I'm equally sure that there are a large number who are of a similar school of thought..[/quote] I don't know what sort of guitarists you've worked with in the past, but the eternal struggle between guitar and bass shouldn't be something that happens and if and when it does, then it's proof of terrible musicianship on either party's behalf. There's no room for ego in a band. A guitarist overplaying is as bad as a bass player overplaying, and whilst the roles of either instrument are very different, the principle of being understanding towards the rest of your band members should remain the same. There is no magic formula that bass players must adhere to when they play. No one should tell you to play down or play up, it's a decision you have to consciously take, and it's the point where a 'bassist' becomes a 'musician'. [quote]IMO Basslines are as important (possibly more so today in the era of D& as the chord progressions[/quote] Bass lines underpin chord progressions, they are synonymous with each other. Whilst it might not be common practice to hammer a chord out on bass, you still have the ability to use the notes that a guitarist has just used in a chord. It's why the notes you choose to play are so important. If I'm playing with my band in the key of C major and hit the maj3rd on my low E instead of the root note, I would completely change the colour of the chord. A bass line is an extremely powerful thing.

I knew Simon though posting at his website he set up for Stuart Zender. The bassment a great resource for bass players! Got a message through today to say his SZ forum is back up and running today as well [url="http://www.stuartzender.co.uk/forum/"]http://www.stuartzender.co.uk/forum/[/url]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1097504' date='Jan 21 2011, 01:46 PM']He's a good player and he certainly found his niche in the music world,but there are better players.[/quote] Flea would be the first person to agree with you on this. He's always struck me as very aware of himself as a musician, not cocky at all and very quick to note that he is simply a small fish in a big pond (I hate that analogy but hey). And young players are very quick to label someone the 'best', it's the competitive nature of being a teenager. It's the age old argument though; I'm not concerned about the sum of an individual musician's skills if they have the ability as group to create brilliant music. I don't listen to music an the premise of a song having a really great bass guitar part, or if I do it's incredibly rare... I'm more interested in the sum of the parts.

[quote name='The Bass Doc' post='1097124' date='Jan 21 2011, 09:19 AM']"Keep it simple" If you're hearing this a lot, it's probably right.[/quote] +1. The best bass players in this world are revered for being able to assess what's right for the song. If this means playing 1/4 notes on the root of the chord, then so be it. If it means having something that moves a bit more, then that's fine too. It is seemingly the easiest thing as a bass player to do, yet probably the hardest thing to actually understand, and I continue to see loads of players that don't quite get this concept.

[quote name='endorka' post='1097224' date='Jan 21 2011, 10:53 AM']I don't understand the criticism of Flea either, I think he is a fantastic musician.[/quote] Flea brought bass playing to the forefront of a band like no one else ever has (apart from maybe Paul McCartney purely by default). That made him very popular with younger players keen on replicating his technique, aesthetic and sound, and it spawned a generation of new bass players (I include myself in that). Unfortunately, some people feel compelled to go out their way to disprove him as a musician; something which usually reflects their lack of ability to digest other kind of music that doesn't fit their idea of what constitutes good musicianship. It's something that's always baffled me, but I now understand that some people need to quantify other musician's abilities in order for them to assess whether they're worth listening to or not, which is completely ridiculous!

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1097015' date='Jan 21 2011, 12:10 AM']I agree and it's a shame that you get the flea fanboi crap if you like the chilis or play a stingray as the rest of the band aren't bad either! The only thing is I think soul to squeeze is the best song they have ever done and shows how good flea can be at bass playing in a conventional way. Could you put a you tube link for it I'm only on my iPod? Great song.[/quote] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwlogyj7nFE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwlogyj7nFE[/url] I love Soul to Squeeze too, it's another superb song

I listened to a lot of music as I grew up. I remember when I first took up bass I was told to listen to The Red Hot Chili Peppers because they had a great bass player. So when I finally did get round to listening to them I got completely hooked. It wasn't just the bass playing, but a lot of the way Hillel Slovak and later John Frusciante voiced themselves on guitar, as well as Anthony Keidis's lyrics which at times could be incredibly poignant, even if his vocal ability did at times lack somewhat... in fact over time the bass playing became inconsequential in comparison to their ability to write brilliant music. To me, they remain one of the most important bands to emerge from the past 30 years. I remember buying 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik', and I would still describe it as a musical turning point in my life. As time went on though, I stopped listening to them as much as I once did, and other music began to edge them out of my walkman, a lot of jazz, rock, R&B and Motown, as my taste 'matured' for lack of a better term. Whilst I still loved Flea's playing, I was keener to explore other bass players that had a more 'conventional' approach to bass playing. So tonight, I found myself sitting and listening to Under the Bridge. I think every band has a song that defines them. I would argue that the Rolling Stones's 'Gimme Shelter' epitomes their excellence in one song, conversely I could probably say that 'Day In the Life' sums up nicely John Lennon and Paul McCartney's ability to write some of the most timeless music and lyrics ever heard. For me the song that best summarises what the Chili Peppers did was Under the Bridge. It remains a nostalgic and important song to me still, so I thought I'd share it with you all [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwlogyj7nFE&ob=av3el"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwlogyj7nFE&ob=av3el[/url]

[quote name='silddx' post='1096831' date='Jan 20 2011, 09:18 PM']Versatile OR Dogmatic[/quote] Controversial.

Both. Fingers 90% of the time, and a pick when a pick style quality to the track in question is required.

[quote name='lowdown' post='1096466' date='Jan 20 2011, 03:30 PM']Money - or not enough of it.... It was him or Darryl Jones back in the 90's. Garry[/quote] Ah! I never thought Darryl Jones would go on record and say something like that, but I suppose it's frustrating as a sideman with as much input as he or Branford had in Sting's music to not get back what you [b]think[/b] you deserve. You never know what goes on behind closed doors though, and I'm sure Sting could be a nightmare to work with.

[quote name='lowdown' post='1096455' date='Jan 20 2011, 03:23 PM']Did he not have a rant on a Sting Video some time back? Garry[/quote] Not that I know of. What was it about?

[quote name='lowdown' post='1096435' date='Jan 20 2011, 03:09 PM']Yer....that one done me. The TB thread has some corking stuff from last night. This.... Garry[/quote] He's never been known to mince words.

[quote name='LeoFender' post='1096306' date='Jan 20 2011, 01:38 PM']It doesn't portray this or any other forum in a good light having the sneering bile and derision displayed to some one who post videos, which they are obviously proud of. Does it really offend you that he enjoys his playing and composition of his music.[/quote] Been reading this thread with interest. I would agree that it's not particularly 'becoming' of a site like this or Talkbass to have a number of it's members berating a player but unfortunately once you've posted up a video on the internet, the world's biggest viewing platform, you lose a substantial amount of right to be offended by some of the comments that precede. That's reality.

Just had a quick listen to it... the bear essential root notes of the chords are fine for a busk. An Ab chord (major, minor or other) doesn't appear anywhere in the verse (at least within the the first minute or two of the song, I couldn't listen to it for too long unfortunately). Also you'd be correct in using flats as opposed to sharps as you're in C minor EDIT just listened to the whole thing. Definitely no Ab chord anywhere.

[quote name='untune' post='1094692' date='Jan 19 2011, 12:12 AM']I'd say BOC are my single biggest influence, I'm going to Edinburgh tomorrow and I'm going to wear a BOC tshirt just on the off chance that over the next few days they decide to pop into town to do some shopping Haha[/quote] Well that's something we've got in common then. Knew it was only a matter of time till someone pulled me up on my avatar!