Hector

Thanks for the words chaps! Technical info: zoom h6n with a mic for each instrument and some ambient room mics I think. All one take, no edits/overdubs. Moonbass, I'll ask Tim who was in charge of video, as I have no idea. We had a few gopros kicking around, but he also had some other gear that I didn't understand. At least one other camera. Very perceptive Dad: we've played together three or four times, so we're still sounding each other out a bit. It's all pretty new!

Did a session in a friend's kitchen recently. First track has the audio and video all edited together. It's a cover of a Joni Mitchell song we all like. Our aim was to stay relatively true to the song at the start, and then go off the rails a bit in the middle section and have a bit of fun trying to play free jazz, then try to bring it home again at the end. https://youtu.be/J-dP4wlsWG4 Would love to know what you guys think, enjoyed getting feedback last time I posted. Negative, positive, it's all useful

Did a trade with Marinus recently. Very friendly guy, and he made every aspect of the process easy! Thanks again

[quote name='owen' timestamp='1459689411' post='3018623'] Thanks It is names I have been needing. I have dropped him an email about a visit later in the year. [/quote] Go to Laurence! He's worked wonders with my bass in terms of both sound a feel.

I bought the NYXL set recently to try them. Thought they were a great string, but am too much of a creature of habit to break away from the strings I've been using for the last few years. They sounded lovely, but some of the changes in tone and feel didn't suit my subjective preference. If anyone's looking to try a set a bit cheaper than list: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/281479-daddario-nyxl-45130/ (They've had a few hours of playtime, not even gigged).

I can only go for Saturday morning, but would really enjoy it I think. Mostly aiming to meet Sander DeGier in person, since he made me such a lovely bass (and possibly ask him where I can source more R.Cocco Nickels, they're the absolute tits). Would be keen to check a few bass exhibits and say hi to some BCers too. Is it worth coming if just for half a day?

My teacher and good friend Michael Janisch has been featured in iBass magazine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og73Ms8KQqg There are some quite unconventional aspects in his approach to both basses, worth checking out. Even reveals a nifty melodic minor fingering (blink and you'll miss it though!).

[quote name='wishface' timestamp='1456175666' post='2986349'] I find it difficult to hear the actual bass part, that's the problem. [/quote] Invest in a pair of headphones or speakers then. They don't have to be super costly, but it's worth the investment and you'll be able to hear all that lovely bass going on Your original post asked what you should focus on. You said you know all your scales and arpeggios, but you're struggling to make music and break out of pattern playing. You want to know what will make you a better musician. It's your ears, it's all your ears.

[quote name='wishface' timestamp='1456170853' post='2986258'] I'm no good at learning off the disc [/quote] Practise this if nothing else. Put on an album you like, or a spotify playlist of different stuff, and try to play along. At least a couple of songs away. If you're serious about getting good, your listening ability is crucial.

You could get one done at the bass gallery. Considering it myself.

Soloing on the upright bass is a tricky one. It's not really possible to beat the sax/piano players at their own game, and that route is a tough one that requires a LOT of facility on the instrument. Very few blow like Bird on the upright. Muscle memory is important in bass playing, not sure you can really play it at all without it! 100% then I guess. Is it pre-learned licks? Nah, more like stringing lots of shapes/patterns/ideas to create something new. Artists mix extraordinary colours from primaries. Chromatic notes? Yes, a bit, to embellish chord tones. Fast tunes? Stop thinking in tiny chunks - think about the general harmonic movement, and the key of the tune/section of tune you're in. If you think from chord to chord you're bound to lose out. You need to think in bigger harmonic chunks. You could try using upper extensions that makes sense. For example, chords within a key can roughly be classified as functioning as I (I iii vi) or as V (IV V vii), and can be used interchangeably to an extent. Try looping a I-vi-ii-V and make phrases. The trick with this approach to is to be aware of the chord tones of the current chord, especially to generate a sense of V-I motion. A great book with an approach that is extremely usable for bass players is Dan Greenblatt's book on the blues scales: http://www.shermusic.com/new/1883217385.shtml In particular, it suggests that use of minor and major pentatonics (with added notes to make them minor and major blues scales) can make up a large part of your vocabulary without needing to think about a chord/scale for every note. He later expands this simple approach to adding more notes to these scales, based on what chords you are playing over. e.g. You can add a B natural over G7, the VI chord in Bb, but you haven't gotta! In the end you're left with an approach where you can play the key of the moment using either scale, but expand this to incorporate non-diatonic chord tones if they appear. Combined with a dash of bebop chromaticism to embellish your chord tones, you're really cooking with gas. I would say this sort of pentatonic/blues scale thinking is a strong foundation for soloing, and allows itself to be expanded to incorporate more advanced concepts like the altered scale etc. to add a bit of extra colour and movement. Of course, this is towards more traditional harmony type things, rather than thinking about modern tunes with non-functional progressions.