Hector

Music's a very psyhchological game, and there's a lot going on mentally that needs to be honed as much as the nuts and bolts of playing or theory. Sounds like you're feeling a bit burnt out (which happens to everyone). Maybe try taking a break for a few days as people say? I took up running a few months ago, which has helped me no end with my phd and things in the shed. Maybe something physical might help you too. Or you could try mixing up your practice routine? How about some tetrachords: http://cms.bassplayer.com/lessons/1176/jazz-concepts-dont-get-kicked-in-the-tetrachords/26856 If you know the composition of various scales in terms of their tetrachords, and know a few different fingerings all over the board for these different tetrachords then you'll be able to get a huge variety of fingerings, and see scales in new ways. E.g. Look at the dorian mode over a minor7 chord. What are the tetrachords starting on each of the chord tones? And then each of the tensions? Breaks you out of usual ways of thinking about scales You could try digging up some new music and getting into that? Sometimes I'll get inspired after being in the doldrums by hearing something new.

Have been using this everyday since my last post - works very well now (and of course, the ear training methodology behind it gets a big thumbs up from me!). Have tried to do this regularly in the past using the software that Joe links to, but often the most convenient time to do it is when I'm out and about and can grab a spare 10 mins. Really helpful, thank you! 94% over 2229 trials - I'm getting there! Can't get my bloody b6 to behave....... One more tiny request: is it possible to reduce the waiting time between notes or make it adjustable by the user? The 3...2...1 countdown - would like to make the most of my time using the app, and I like them coming thick and fast

A tip I picked up for double bass is that the lower strings (particularly the E string) don't need to be plucked as hard to get a similarly loud/deep sound. You could maybe try lightening your right hand touch on the low B a little bit and see if that helps?

Hi Kyboo, thanks for this! Now I'm not tied to doing this at my computer - can grab a crafty bit of ear training at the office. Looks very nice so far, all works well. Was aiming to do 100 and see the statistics, but have encountered a flaw: when you rotate the screen, your score for that session is reset.....Twice in the last half hour I've been distracted by someone, accidentally rotated the screen while talking, and lost all my progress. Bit frustrating! Phone is Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini if that helps.

Jas my man, welcome to the DB team! The basschat community is ace, and in my experience the DB side is one of the nicest bits Great choice of starter bass there. Two things that will make a world of difference to your enjoyment of it. You might have to invest a little time and money, but all of it will be well spent. 1. Get some lessons. Can't stress this enough, it's absolutely essential. 2. Get it looked over by a reputable luthier who can set it up to make it as comfortable as possible for you to play. Here's some info that might be relevant to your bass I found at that other place: http://www.talkbass.com/threads/boosey-hawkes-excelsior-or-golden-strad.440374/

This video is also really cool, but probs not for right now if you're wanting to shed basic rhythm changes - too hip for me! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct-V9fzffg0 He does however do a nice version of the first 4 bars of the A section, that alternate Nat King Cole version he's talking about. Not sure it's in that pdf I sent you, but it's quite useful: [color=#4E5665][font=Helvetica, Arial,] F#-7 B7 | E-7 A7 | D-7 G 7 | C-7 F7 | [/font][/color]

Boom: http://emp.byui.edu/WatkinsM/applied/09%20Rhythm%20Changes.pdf

Hi all, this is still available - had someone who wanted it but they stopped replying to emails etc. [b]I also have, free to a good home, a K&M stool[/b] (see: http://www.thomann.de/gb/km_14052_stehhilfe.htm). I'm not a sitter anymore, and it's just taking up space in the house!

Thanks all for suggestions and input. Had a lesson last week with one of my several teachers and we really nailed the posture stuff. I had it 95% right, but was lacking the left knee contact - now able to get my standing right and free up that left hand some more. All sessions in the shed for me now involve putting the bass down and picking it back up frequently to get into finding that comfortable stance. Some of the biggest revelations from our session were actually regarding right hand pizz technique - some real lightbulb moments that just wouldn't have happened without someone standing right there guiding me through it. Although having the right posture of course helps both hands. It's all so much easier in person!

Hi all. I'm on a kick to improve the sound/feel of my basses on my own, and get a little know-how in bass setup and maintenance on the way. The set up side has gone well, but I'm now looking at the electronics. I play a Fender Reggie Hamilton Standard (not the custom shop model), It's dead useful, lots of options from the passive/active switch, and serves very well as my workhorse bass. Strung up with TI jazz flats and it sounds great. Recently though, I've been frustrated at the lack of passive tone control - I really want to use this bass to provide a classic passive P sound with both the tone open and closed. I have other basses that cover more modern sounds, I'm after a classic vibe here (getting a lot of gigs that require that sort of sound at the moment). The controls as it stands are: Volume/Blend in passive mode Volume/Blend/Bass(Treble stacked)/Mid in active mode I was wondering if anyone could advise about how I could mod these electronics to include a passive tone knob? The custom shop version of this bass has the same controls, with the slight change that the Mid knob is stacked with a passive tone control - maybe I could mod my Mid knob in the same manner? My basic requirements are: active/passive capability pickup blend in both modes (which rules out a J-Retro as a drop-in alternative to the current stock pre - no passive blend) master tone control - want to be able to pan over the P pickup alone and use the tone knob like a 'proper' P bass. Any advice really appreciated - I have a bit of patience, willingness to improve current state of near-total ignorance, and a solder gun

Jake/Sarah I've been experimenting with my posture a bit this evening (2 hours and counting) and can't seem to get the hang of what you're talking about. I can't seem to get my left knee onto the back of the bass without putting lots of weight on my right leg, or turning the bass in to face me lots. At no stage have I felt comfortable. Am I missing something?

Blurgh, have done a diary-stupid and will actually be in Cape Town from 2nd October. Have to count me out I'm afraid, but have fun!

Ben, I'm planning to order an endpin from you - is it worth waiting to hear what this 'special edition' one is...?

If it helps, visog I know exactly what you mean with jazz education and I also hate being confronted with a cultlike vibe like that. A lot of that comes, I think, from trying to sell educational materials in a market where ought to be none - how many ways can you skin a cat? I think a lot of people want to be told that learning to be a great musician is easy so long as you follow method X or Y, when really it's time in the shed. I learnt this the hard way - my pen and paper theory chops are lightyears away from my actual playing. My personal take is that I use whatever is out there to get my music to a level where I'm happy with what I'm creating (and other people are happy enough with it to hire me of course, but my harshest critic is me). I think that it naturally takes a little time spent on each approach to absorb bits of it with any functional consequences, but you can definitely mix and match. I'm by no means a devout preacher of 'Galperism'! I'm quite a bookish guy, so have read lots of method book and I always share/recommend ones that I think are particularly good or have helped further my thinking (as this one has). I would say that Forward Motion is quite compatible with lots of other ways of thinking about jazz, and it doesn't really limit you in the way that Part Martino's minor chord thinking might, for example. You're welcome to PM or ask here any questions you'd like to know I could give you a contents page or a summary if it'd help? If you're namedropping Banacos and Martino I'd guess you were a jazzer, right? I think you'd like Forward Motion, but I'm not gonna say it's the be all and end all of jazz education (as much as I personally dig).

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]1 Owen[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]2 TPJ[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]3 Clarky[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]4 PTB[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]5 Hector[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]If everyone's as awesome as they are on the forum, it'll be a great get together! Depends of course on time and location....[/font][/color]

Beyond strictly the musical, I would also say be prepared to learn! If there are more experienced players, make good use of their knowledge and ask [i]lots[/i] of questions even if you think it might make you look a bit daft. The cleverest people are the ones who don't mind asking questions and speaking up when they don't get something - only a truly stupid person minds looking stupid in the pursuit of knowledge I teach and I see this far too often: people who are more interested in looking smart than actually learning. Maybe if there are bits of tunes you're uncomfortable with, ask other players how they approach them? Or ask what they recommend you do to improve? You could take a notepad/audio recorder to make a record of things that you want to practise in the future.

Oooh right, notation software too - sorry was illicit basschatting in the office and didn't read properly. I actually write all my tranacriptions down (if I'm not just memorising them) pencil on manuscript paper. Maybe you could have a try at noteflight? It's free and I've used it sporadically in the past with good results. http://www.noteflight.com

http://www.seventhstring.com

Although it might be low quality, do you have a voice recorder feature on your phone? That's what I use for exactly the same purpose recording (I assume) exactly the same person - his tone's plenty strong enough to be audible You might also be able to use a laptop with a similar feature (windows has this functionality built in). p.s. 14 hours?! I thought I was a martyr with 6 1/2......

Seconded on keeping at walking bass lines! By arpeggios do you mean just the triad, or the full 7th chord? If you've not done your 7ths of all qualities in all inversions, you should get on that. Anyway, here's some ideas: [b]1. Play a 7th chord, and add in some upper extensions.[/b] e.g. Go up a G7 arpeggio and play an A major triad at the top (G B D F A C# E). This spells out R 3 5 b7 9 #11 13 - a lydian dominant sound (G7#11). You can do this with all 7th chord types with an added triad on top to get exciting tensions. Alter the upper triad to spell out different chord qualities: you could put an Ab major triad over G7 chord to spell out R 3 5 7 b9 11 b13. Have a play around and see which sounds you like! It might help to play some of these on the keyboards. [b]2. Play a chord line through a jazz standard[/b] Play through a jazz tune in quarter notes with the corresponding arpeggios, but make sure to use inversions to minimise shifting, going to the next nearest available note of the next arpeggio. You can change this up by limiting yourself to particular areas of the fingerboard, especially good if there are areas you avoid. [b]3. Play a chord tone solo on a jazz standard[/b] See what melodies you can make with just chord tones and rhythmic variation (tons of possibilities!). You could gradually work in tensions and chromatic notes too, but only after a long while of just the chord tones. Limiting what you can do will make you more creative with what you have.

You're reading that tuning in the wrong direction, surely?! It's lowest to highest E A D G or highest to lowest G D A E......... By lowest and highest I mean pitches. If you're a right handed player, the E string is the one closest to you. (p.s. Tune your E string down to D for playing By The Way).

Thanks for the advice guys. I have detailed to him what I was told from my second opinion about how exactly the installation is incorrect, and have asked for both a refund of his original fee and compensation for the cost of having a new bridge cut elsewhere (no second chances handling my bass, although I didn't say as much of course). I think that's pretty fair. He's a nice guy, and I hope that's the last of it. I don't want to be rude or spiteful, but that installation he did could well have ended up doing some serious damage over time - luckily it was picked up on early enough! Although it was hard not to since the adjusters didn't even work.... He is a fair luthier (trained and apprenticed) who has done some minor adjustments for me in the past, and has done major work on friend's basses. Perhaps he is more used to the classical DB side of things and was out of his comfort zone with the full circle? Not sure how I feel about public name and shame (anyone care to chip in?)[b][i], but feel free to PM me if you're in the Oxford area and would like to know for peace of mind[/i][/b].

Had someone install a fishman full circle in my bass, only to have them make a right hash of it. Have dropped it off with someone more qualified to fix. Seems it will need a new bridge after the bodged installation. Not best impressed that the inital job has turned out so badly, will cost me more than double again to set right. Not sure how best to approach this - any advice/similar experiences?

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1365769166' post='2044180'] [u][b]South London (Clapham): Laurence Dixon[/b][/u] Laurence did some great work on my Kolstein bass and is a talented luthier (he made the Ray Brown DB replica for Ronny Scotts) as well as a very amiable guy. He is hard to track down though as he doesn't have a website and I had to find his details circuitously. So in case anyone in London needs his skills (especially now that Malcolm Healey is semi-retrired and moved out of the M25 - see below), here are his contact details: Laurence Dixon 78 Rectory Grove Clapham Old Town London SW4 0ED Tel 07947 377520 [/quote] Just dropped my bass off with Laurence and thought I'd update with his new workshop address: 3a Princes Close Clapham Old Town London SW40LG His email is [email protected]

Plat pro will likely sort you out, and it's a useful bit of kit regardless. Better check to see if there's one in the for sale section here rather than buying new? Might save you a few quid.