bassjim

Good track.

Maybe not now but it will be cold again at some point. Winter conditions: If its cold or I'm just cold, I start by getting my hands warm. I fill the sink with hot water and place my hands in for a good 30 secs to a minute, maybe more if needed. Whenever possible if I'm on a gig and there's hot water running in the mens loo I'll do the same here. If its got a hot hand dryer then that's great too. If you touch the side of your face with the back of your hand and they still feel cold then repeat. Play very slowly and with as light a touch possible at first until your hands are thawed out. I've played some gigs where this isn't an option and its hard work but where ever possible I try to get/keep my hands warm before playing In General regardless of the weather To warm up I try and play things I know slowly and with a light touch and try playing high up the neck at first. Sitting down and playing for 5 minutes gives my left shoulder a chance to get going too. I play something I know or in style I'm familiar with to begin with rather than attempting something new straight away. You may already do this but I'd do a good ten minutes of pick playing to get your hands going first as that's something you can do with ease and relaxed without straining anything. If its a fast two finger plucking line I keep my right arm straight as possible from the elbow down. If its a simpler line I can relax my right arm more although I'm constantly conscious about how much pressure I'm applying and adjust accordingly. In the 80s I was sucked into the bass round your tonsils approach and although I wear it much lower these days when standing up I cant get on with it being too low so I end up with my right elbow sticking up and out as and when it needs to. If that makes sense? If your plucking hand is draped at an angle ala "hello sailor" (sorry if any offence caused to anyone!!) its a bad thing when playing fast or digging in. This will give you grief no end in the tendons. Its not something I think about anymore as over the years I must have built up the series of interacting muscles, tendons and whatever I'm using for this style of playing so I would say just keep at it and dont, if you are,bend your wrists.

OP. The fart post was at least to my immature mind entertaining. Out of the two I would play the fart one again.

I didn't like it. To me its very" look at me I'm so hyper intelligent and only other hyper intelligent arty types will get it" sort of thing. Best of luck to em though ect ect.....

One venue we wont play in again due to long and late hours (10pm -1am) low pay. When its busy/er its yobs on marching powder or its depressingly quiet due to yobs on marching powder. Place i just played this saturday night.. considering not playing here again because....some silly billy of a neighbour buys house near to (not even next to) this pub and complains about the noise from bands. So the landlord, who without bands, hasn't got a buoyant business, wants it all kept turned down to the point its completely useless. Due to the amount of people screaming and shouting we end up at normal volume anyway by which time the levels are all over the place but doable. He has the best night of the year so far in takings, people in and out side the pub all night. At the end of the night the punters are making more noise than the band. I just think, make a decision.... have bands on or dont. flip the silly billy thats complaining. Its not like we or any of the other bands are Ampeg 8x10 wielding metal bands. What used to be a great gig I looked forward to playing I now dread to the point I just dont want to play there anymore. He took 4k over the bar apparently. Bought us all one drink each at the end of the night. Which he announced after all but two band members left. Was not happy about the fag butts in his garden he now has to sweep up though. Poor bloke.

Very "look at me I'm so hyper intelligent and above it all and express myself in a way that only the very few also hyper intelligent arty people would get". That's a meeeowwwww from me Simon! Thats what I got out of it anyway. Best of luck to em but not something that inspires me to even want to try and understand the artyness of it. Its simply way beyond my understanding. I dont even want to understand it. By comparison I liked the Cradle of Filth. Not normally my cup of tea but side by side the Cradle wins my ears. I get the Cradles angle completely and I'm sure there's a humour side to it too? Good players too. If that's your bag.

I'll mention that to the newly formed angry wives club I'm seeing this week end.

I have deped out a pub gig this Friday and a nice paying function gig this coming Saturday as I have been ordered by the wife to attend one of her friends husbands 40th birthday celebrations. We were to to trek over to Wales to walk up and down a large hill followed by leaping of a hill attached to some wires. This was booked several months ago so I dutifully made arrangements and organised suitable deps. I have now been informed that due to the England game on Saturday, 7 of 9 attending husbands are refusing to go on the pre arranged Saturday despite booking costs, time off ect. It would appear I know have to turn up in Wales on Friday and following a six hour drive (traffic willing that is) throw myself off a hill attached to a wire and spend Saturday in a pub, in Wales, watching football. As someone that has little to no interest in football, even if it is Engerland, this flipping match has prevented me doing something I love, is costing me money, causing agro if I mention even one more time to my wife that this is a now a complete "waste of my time" plus its already upsetting a bunch of wives who thought they were doing a great job organising a special occasion. Yes we are having some "male bonding" but quite frankly the way things have turned out ,bar the zip wire, we could do all this at home for a fraction of the cost plus I could of still done the gigs. Football? dont talk to me about flipping football!!! Ok had a rant. Thats better....going for a laydown.....

I pretty much like all the things you put up here Bubinga5. Often it leads me on a search to artists that I love that I would other wise never of heard of. Keep em coming. I get where your coming from👍

I've been using Amazon lately. Due to me and the wife regularly buying various goods plus the TV package we have opted to be prime customers (about £70.00 a year). With that you get all sorts of discounts and most often free next day delivery so for me the £70.00 becomes very cost effective as its not just strings that I order through the site. I use Strings Direct as a back up if on the very rare occasion I cant find what I want at the price I'm happy to pay as although they are more expensive they are at least extremely reliable.

I think there are more variables hanging around in the back ground that regularly hang out with GAS and wait for moments of weakness. Some contenders are: State of mind. Room temperature. The neck on the bass might move ever so fractionally but enough to just change your touch. Your body temperature and how warmed up your hands are. Sound levels and even a change of tone or volume from band mates. Some days you are more receptive to it. And as you already know some rooms just suck the joy out of it. Yes I also get GAS at times like these. Be strong. Hang in there.

Is it good when he does get the tempo right? If so could you point that out. Reward good drumming and good tempos with praise but never say anything about the bad stuff. Every one has their cross to bear on a gig so I can see why he would react badly being told he's cocking it up during a gig. Its a downward spiral from there. This kind of thing goes away from regular gigging as a band as the speeding up can be a result of nerves and just wanting to get it over and done with. Maybe he has a lack of confidence which translates into a tempo problem. This is solved with practice and rehearsal which takes it into the next discussion. Is he good enough for your band in the first place? Is this tempo thing a problem in rehearsal or just on a gig?

With 2-4 gigs a weekend booked till the end of the year, unless they are all unpaid, you can get a whole lot of interest from unemployed or not very busy (band wise) drummers. A lot of them wont need to rehearse for weeks or months on end either. With that many gigs they should be match fit within a few weeks on the fly. We had a problem with our old drummers abilities and despite our fears, getting rid and replacing him was very easy as we had plenty of gigs on offer. Our new drummer is fantastic and we are so much better as a band with him on board. We also now have a nice dep pool of brilliant drummers too. Win Win. Get it over and done with and start enjoying band life again. Get rid of the clown ASAP.

Personality clashes, indifference to musical tastes, a better player umong not so good players,a worse player amongst better players.....all part of the fun of band life. To the OP; could you elaberate on what this bass player was/wasn't doing that got you wound up. Also what sort of things he did that made him think he was amazing. Y'know.....just in case its something any of us do here, like bass solos or turning up too loud, but are blissfully unaware of.😀 He might be a member of this forum in which case was it intended that he sees this? In which case are you airing dirty laundry?💣👀

Yes. But it was more of a letting the old player know he wasn't cutting it and we have decided to move on rather than him leaving. The relife of not putting up with negotive people, a lack of interest or ability issue is always going to rase morale. If the replacment is a way better player that too inspires a band to get interested again.

Had a bad time with them a few years ago, posted about it here and found a lot of us had the same bad experience. Since then any thing to do with them thats reported here is mostly bad news. I'm long over the perhaps its a bad month or maybe such and such at SB is having personal problems angle and have simply stopped thinking of them as a viable trader.

So a few years ago we had a gig our keyboard player couldn't do. The guitarist insists it can be done without him and he can use his synth thingy. I am dubious. I wanted to not do the gig but rather than the debating and agro , went along with it. It sucked actually. It was embarrassing too. All over the place. Thankfully it was in a shitty pub with no punters and the only real goal was get the money. Good things that came out of it : Guitarist doesn't need telling he aint' all that cause he just suffered a gigs worth proving the point to himself. Keys player is held in higher esteem now plus valued a whole lot more by whole band. It put an end to the idea of we can just turn up and do it without a decent dep. For your band I'd let em get on with it without any objection. Place all emotional feelings to one side. The day will come and go and life will continue. Keep it all smiles and be that guy thats cool with things. If it goes well its something for the band to build on and will sound better with you next time around= win win. If it goes badly, its the last time they think this is a great idea.

- how did you work out / stumble on what sound you were after? Was it a particular bass player or a bass line on a music track (if so, who / what?) = Was told to go and get a Jazz bass for a gig I was doing at the time by a band member. Did so to solve an argument and found out THIS was the bass that made all the sounds that were in my head. Bass players on a lot of records I grew up listening to used a Jazz so I'm guessing that's how the sound got in there in the first place. - if you know your sound, how would you describe it? (May be a tricky one to put in words, I guess!) =Not "my" personal sound but borrowed. Back PU gives me a tight and defined Jaco type thing.(the yanks call it burp?) Both PUs gives me Marcus Miller slap thing or deep and round for grooving. Then there are other variables but mostly its these two simple settings that work over just about anything. (that I play on or bands I play with. Covers mostly.Pop.Funk.Soul.Rock.Indie) - what are the key ingredients in your signal chain that are essential to delivering 'that sound'. (Hopefully we'll get some great suggestions for combinations of strings, PUPs, EQs, amps, cabs and pedals, depending on which are the most important /really key bits of the chain for you). = Recording or low volume - Passive Jazz straight into desk or amp. Tone all the way off. PUPs back or both depending on tune. Gigs - Passive Jazz bass into sadowsky preamp pedal into EBS HD350 amp then EBS neo cab/s. In descending order of importance in the chain: Passive Jazz bass My fingers and where I pluck. Usually over near the bridge side near the back PU regardless of PU setting. Regardless of the bass I'd probably always do this anyway for finger style. That's how I get "my" borrowed sound. Strings by D'addario because they are nice to the touch and less effort due to low tension. From there its a preference but not essential. EG: I prefer the EBS stuff but its not the only amp that can achieve what I'm going for. I like the simplicity of it more than anything. There is a plug and play element to it that appeals to me. I know quickly if I'm going to get an ok tone or a great tone depending on the room so I can get on with accepting what its going to be on that gig and get on with it. The Sadowsky preamp pedal is more to give a signal boost than any major tone shaping. I use a touch of bass and treble boost. It works like that so I stick with it. I also use a Chorus pedal when I want a bit of sparkle for a riff or maybe in a solo if it fits with the tune.

The best drummers can control their volume to suit the situation they are in. Looks like you have been given a choice here. Put up with it or put up with it. Its a bit like me insisting it only works when my 500 watt amp through a 4x 10 is on volume number 11/11 or its not quite the same and I cant do my thing if not. There is no magic wand solution to this at all. The bits'n bobs like hot rods and screens do their bit for sure but its really down to can he still have a good time without ruining yours? All gigging and band life is about compromise. Some gigs he needs to accept its gonna bit less of a good one for him personally but a good one for the band as a whole. All bands sound stinky poo when being forced to go OTT loud by a drummer. Some venues just dont work at that volume. Feedback because the mics are maxed out and thats just for a start. Well at least he's a great mate and good laugh. You still have that.

This.

Without hearing what and just how unique the original parts are, and how much of his playing is integral to the songs working, I couldn't say just do this or that. I mean if he's doing some kind of hitting the strings with a saucepan lid whilst sliding the notes using a frying pan then I'd be inclined to say I'm not gonna get that down in a couple of weeks/months. If its something like Bernard Edwards unique strumming thing he does on Everybody Dance or perhaps Bobby Vega using a pick then although I wont do the style exactly, but I will get something as close as possible to the feel. If you can do that then I think every one will be happy. They may even prefer your approach. As long as its played with enthusiasm and confidence and its obvious you know the song its all positive. I would say though even if you are , for example, the second coming of Jaco, be mindful of how much that suits whats going on.

Some gigs I make more than others. With little bum notes here and there ..It happens and I move on. No big deal. Occasionally however, if its a really bad one I'll make sure I go over that issue so I don't do it again. Its usually something where I should of known better. Probably down to being too overconfident or cocksure because last gig it was ok. If there are distractions like a lousy boomy room, rubbish(to me)bass sound or one (or more) of the band is having an off night it can creep in and cause multiple crashes. Then we get a confidence problem across the board and it can be a complete mess. Doesn't happen that often thankfully but when its a lets all donald duck this up together gig, we could be competing for the most mistakes each.

This weekend just gone. Friday night gig. Singer is giving it her all on the intro to Somebody elses' guy '. Rude silly billy sitting straight in front of the band talking loudly to his mates as if there is no band in the room. Woman from other side of the room strolls up to him and slaps him ( gently but firmly) round the back of the head and pulls his baseball cap down over his face. He looks round somewhat shocked, she indicates that there is a band and puts her finger over his mouth doing "shhhh" thing with her lips. Audience cheers.He shuts up. By end of the number I look up and he and his two mates are gone. Table now full with more enthusiastic punters. Its nice when the audience helps you out.

Lots to choose from so IMO this is going for a safe bet. There is a second hand markbass rig for sale in the ad section here for £800.00 Also there is a MB 4 X 10 cab for about £400.00 Find a 3-500 watt MB head and you are good to go. As its a relatively new thing to you, there is an easy to sell option if it doesn't work out for but pretty much this is the sort of thing to look for. You will get the volume and heft needed for gigging. Once you progress to the "I just need to get my exact tone" hell, you can start worrying about this at night and start checking out all the other stuff. I'm not a MB user myself but have been in the past, and its all good stuff. It will give you what you need and you may even come to prefer it over other things. I'm suggesting this because I know it works and its reasonably cheap and within your reach price wise. If you go too cheap in the quality you may never get anything that continues to inspire you to keep going with any enthusiasm. Some of the MB stuff when it was brand new was very expensive but now its just not in "Bass Fashion" anymore as its not the latest thing out. Of course there are other brands that will do the same thing so I'm only suggesting this rather than saying this is the only or better way.