Bogdan

4 hours ago, mikel said:

The Beatles "She loves you" on radio 2. Forgot what a great song it is. It jumps out of the speakers, so much energy and enthusiasm. Why is modern radio stuff not exciting like that. Mostly bland and over produced.

Agreed! I'm a huge fan of the Beatles btw. 

It's just amazing how special they were, even rocking the exact same songs nowadays - they would still sound modern. Just listen to their live recordings back then, what kind of burst of energy and that Ringo beating a heal of those drums. Also rhythms and drum beats they played - I mean hats off. Everything they did is still perfectly valid and not so outdated sounding which is kinda the case with music a decade earlier (although love "oldies" so much too!).

Congratulations on making a decision to get better at bass. 

What you're going to be taught depends a lot on the teacher you get and what you're looking to get better at.

Where do you think you're lacking? What kind of music do you enjoy playing on bass. 

Your practice will most probably consist of technique and then various concepts like @itu mentioned above. 

Don't expect instant results though, especially with a face-to-face teacher where you meet only 1 hour per week or something. Unless you're learning how to play specific songs with your teacher, everything you cover will require homework and practising in between sessions but that's obvious. Most important is that you focus on stuff you dig and find enjoyable and then work on getting better in those areas. 

So make up simple goals like: 

I want to learn how to play slap bass and be able to play this or that song.

or

I want to learn simple walking bass concepts and be able to jam over chord progressions in 4 feel

...make the goals achievable please and that kind of thinking will go a long way.

The most important lesson bass teacher can pass on to you is how to think like a bass player, this is especially helpful if you're coming from guitar or some other instrument. So things like rhythm, time keeping, groove and light theory will come in more handy than being able to solo using A pentatonic scale for example.

Hope this helps and let me know how it goes. 

On 24/09/2019 at 11:38, Marc S said:

Ha ha, you're welcome @Bogdan - but it didn't take much to fuel that thirst for a new bass, did it? lol
Hope you can get to try one out. But if you get chance to play a Roadworn Jazz - try one of those too - especially one of the earlier ones 

Good luck with your search

Okay, you got me. I was secretly thinking about it ever since... it came out LOL 

I've been listening to Johnny Cash playlist on Spotify recently. Man, can't belive I never gave his music a fair chance to get into it, now I'm addicted. Love the storytelling elemnt of the songs and damn those root & 5th bass lines are so groovy. Less is more (unless you're Yngwie LOL).

On 20/09/2019 at 13:05, markdavid said:

Hi all

Playing a gig tomorrow, have done the necessary rehearsing and have practiced at home etc but wondering if there are any pre gig tips anyone has that they put into place the day before/ morning of the gig to make sure all goes smoothly , after any tips at all that could be helpful, there will be some bum notes in a 2 hr gig with a band that gigs probably once a month at the moment (lots more booked next month  ) but would be good to give the best performance i can , thanks

Congratulations Mark and my 2 cents here would be to always have in mind that NO ONE can tell if you've made a mistake on stage playing bass. That should easy off the pressure, when you learn that what ever you do - audience will still vibe with the band and overall show and it's not made of music critics. Just have fun on the gig, play as you normally do and enjoy yourself because gigs are all about that... and getting high on adrenaline rush you get from a crazy crowd

When it comes to technical stuff, make sure you have your bass with you, spare strings, cable and an extension power cord (always comes in handy on gigs). If you feel shaky about some of the songs in the setlist, maybe do a short jam session at home before leaving to play through those songs and to get warmed up - it does help. 

If you tend to forget things, just make a list of things to bring like gear and such so that you don't forget anything when nerves start going crazy while packing.

Wish you a fun gig and let us know how it went okay? 

6 minutes ago, jrixn1 said:

It's a bit odd when the chord is Bb7 to notate an A#.

Yes - Guitar Pro software standard notation sucks  Always has issues with accidentals, not sure how to fix. Thanks for looking through the lesson and pointing it out.

BTW LOL - I should have posted this in rock section, no one would notice 😁

I've just finished up writing a post on how to get started with walking bass improvisation and I guess this would be a good place to share it with you guys.

This is how I started with it and it was a kind of eureka moment for me as I kind of built this belief that walking bass is difficult to get started with blah blah and putting it off for years until...

Here's the link to the lesson post: https://bassroad.net/walking-bass-improvisation-for-beginners/

Disclaimer: this is meant for beginners at walking bass looking for an easy way in. It's meant to get you in the right walking bass mindset (and 4 feel walking bass rhythm LOL). There is no magic pill or anything, once you get into learning it, you do need to do the actual work and practice your donkey off to get some nice sounding proper jazz walking bass lines going.

Hope you find it it helpful

1 hour ago, TheRev said:

I honestly think it's mostly that light engineers can't be arsed until the big boys come out to play. Where you have one person doing sound and lights, then he or she is more likely to focus on getting the sound right via the support bands and don;t have time to play with lights, but they make an effort for the main act - because they're the main act.  

I think you're spot on! It's a psychology thing and you can see it in any working environment. When a VIP client walks in a bank, everyone is all of a sudden polite and helpful  Sound/lights guy focuses on the main band he's paid to get right and for the others - well, they get less effort in 90% of the cases. Also, it's questionable if those guys are paid for those "supporting band hours" before the show, so lights go on autopilot. 

Thanks guys - loving the community and I missed so much being part of a forum

@Marc S - thanks for feeding my new bass thirst. Now I'm sold, I just need to get my hand one one to try out in local stores and think of an excuse for my wife

LOL I've only been here for a few hours and already getting strong symptoms of need-to-buy-a-new-bass-asap syndrome. My wife is going to kill me. That bass Andy looks absolutely beautiful.

33 minutes ago, Marc S said:

Do you mean the newer version of the bass?
I can't vouch for that one, but I did have one of the older versions
I must say, it was very nice. Lightweight, easy to play with a slim-ish neck which really felt "worn in"
Lovely tones from some rather nice pickups too
 

Only problem for me was, my wife absolutely hated the colour

This one: https://www.thomann.de/gb/fender_flea_sig_bass_rdwrn_shp.htm

Didn't get a chance to play one but looks kinda cool and I'd love to own it.

Hi everyone, I've been here a long time but never made official introduction nor I was active enough, so here we go

My name is Bogdan, I've been playing bass since 2001. My favourite band are The Beatles.

I'm currently rocking an American Deluxe Fender Jazz with maple neck, ash body and tobacco sunburst finish. 

I'm a bass and tech geek and recently started a bass instructional website (bassroad.net). Can't get enough of 80/90s nostalgia, I'm totally into playing arcade games (currently trying to build my own mame cabinet) and I own one pinball machine that I'm never going to sell (which is same for all my basses LOL). 

Looking forward to getting to know you all and contributing to this amazing community.

Cheers - Bogdan

I don't think you're paranoid man, it happens around here as well.

Some headliner acts have a deal with the management about it and from a commercial point of view it makes sense for them to give that extra push to the headlining band so it feels "WOW" when they get on stage. Usually what happens is this:

- Opening acts use different gear on stage (amps, drums, mics etc).

- Opening acts sometimes use a different main mixer as well.

- Headliners always have their own sound, stage and lights guys. This makes HUGE difference. So when you were performing lights were on auto pilot and when headliner went on their guy worked his donkey off to put out a great light show + he knows bands set list inside out and it's pre-planned etc. Sound guy will always make the biggest difference. He'll just push it out as loud as possible with the best possible live mix. Even for small acts, having a soundguy in your team makes day/night difference. 

So basically, this is how it works at the moment. It doesn't happen everywhere and to the same extent so you might end up with great performance and PA sound but it is somewhat expected.

I know it's not fair and kinda terrible to young artists starting out on stage etc, but it's just the way things are I guess. I still think its OK, as you get to perform on sold out gigs in front of a lot of people and if your music rocks, you'll get your spotlight and be a headliner one day too so maybe even get a change of perspective. 

Another aspect, which is very debatable is that headlining bands (=well known bands playing for ages together) are usually made up of very experienced and good musicians, with great gear and playing technique. Maybe the PA was overall the same, the sound was just better and the band played better too... There are just too many factors I guess - so controversial topic

My tip would be start with triads on bass. That's your safe bet and just improvise cool grooves and simple lines over the progression.

What this means is that you'll just primarily use chord tones of each chord in the backing track to come up with fills and have some notes to start off with. Cool thing is that all of those notes will sound just great as they are the strongest ones you can play (literally notes from which the chord is built). So if you''ve never looked into it, search for triads on bass, intervals and how to build chords to get started. Also arpeggios will work too (same notes actually as chords just not played all at the same time). 

Hope this helps a bit. 

I'm a huge Flea fan so this is like something I probably won't be able to get my hands in my country. But, congratulations to you on getting your dream bass, it looks stunning!

Would love for an opportunity to jam on one.

While on the topic, is Fender Flea Signature Jazz Bass any good?

[quote name='Brother Jones' post='398135' date='Feb 2 2009, 06:50 PM']No, I actually meant a different bass in the shop to the two Deluxe Js. You could be blaming the basses for what is is just a noisy supply/environment. My practice room at home has large amounts of RF noise from my hi fi system/computer/terrible dimmer switches, which affects all the basses I play in it - with the sole exception of my Sadowskys.

Rosewood will sound a little 'softer' and darker compared to a maple board, which is a bit more defined and usually a bit brighter. You can get a very good slap sound from a rosewood board - it's just a bit different.

I owned my Deluxe J for about six years of resonably heavy use and changed the battery once. Just don't leave it plugged in.[/quote]

Thanks for your answer!! I tried the bass today in the story (but on a different amp) and there was same noise but it was much quieter ...so I guess something is wrong in the store for electrics...
The bass is a little bright but I guess I'm already starting to like its sound - I guess its because of maple fretboard...Shouldn't maple fretboard be better for slap ?? Hope I'm making a good decision..I'm gonna try it once again and hopefully buy it !

Thanks for your help guys , I just don't have any experience with Fender basses

[quote name='Brother Jones' post='397067' date='Feb 1 2009, 07:04 PM']Did you try another bass in the shop to see if was something that affected all of them?

I had no noise issues whatsoever with my 2001 US Jazz Deluxe and its, er, 'Noiseless' pups.... It was really good actually - one of those basses I wish I hadn't sold.[/quote]

Well I have tried another deluxe jazz that one had rosewood fingerboard and was 2007 production...It was even noisier...I guess I'm gonna do that with more jazz basses they have around there and if they all buzz - then I hope its stores electricity problem.....It would be a major disappointment if it would be noisy when I bring it home..But judging from your replies and price of the instrument , the bass should be working well!!

How long does batteries last in those ???

This one has maple fingerboard ?? Is there really a difference between maple and rosewood...I guess this one suits my "slapping" needs well from what I heard

p.s. thanks for all your answers!!

This is major purchase for me , and I hope I found THE bass to go with

[quote name='Kubs' post='396651' date='Feb 1 2009, 11:37 AM']I thinks deluxe models are exclusive ones, just take a simple look at wood choice...they have wood better than standard series wood.

I think Deluxe is one of best model in fenders history.....REALLY!!![/quote]

Thanks for your answer ! I generally loved this particular bass a lot.Feel high quality when I got in my hands (its just that noise that concerns me) ...But it will be a stretch (regarding price) , hope Its worth it

p.s. for example I play Peavey Cirrus BXP and I haven't ever experienced any noise from its pickups ....

Thanks a lot for your answer!!!
Hmm I forgot to mention was that I tried one more fender deluxe in the store and it was even more noisy...Gonna try out next time some more basses to rule out the faulty bass option.I have hard time believing that these new basses are all faulty in this store (at that price range).Any ideas how to test the bass to see if its noisy without using their amps and powersupply (which seem to make that effect)..? Ok so preamp is bad ? Which Audere ones did you put in? Generally I liked the tone of this bass a lot , but could the same tone be produced using a American Standard series which is cheaper ? I want that modern hi fi slap sound the most out of that jazz bass.Also can I put active electronics - for example Audere into Standard Jazz bass series, comfortably ?? (they don't have the slot for batteries and I don't feel like drilling a new bass)..I'm really open to all possibilities here, trying to find out if "its worth it" and if there is a better option out there for the sound I like...

Hello everyone !!

I'm new to the forum!!

I'm looking to buy a 4 string american fender jazz bass.I have found this American Jazz Bass Deluxe Ash with maple fretboard and tobacco sunburst finish.I play mostly funk/pop/rock with lots of slapping so I think the active electronics sound great for me (and its easy to modify that bass with different pickups and preamp that require batteries).I want to hear your opinions on this bass ? Have anyone played it ? Any inside tips what to look for from experienced Fender Jazz owners ?? I had a chance to try out this bass briefly in the store and what I noticed is that it makes constant noise when its volume is fully on (everything else is flat)..Also that noise is very loud if I turn up the treble control..(doesn't appear louder with other controls)..Also there is static noise when I make contact with the strings (small crack is heard like it get grounded or something)...Now I want to know - are all jazz basses like this or this may be to problem with the store (and its electric installations inside the store that are causing the buzzing) ??? One more thing I wanted to know is how low can you put the action on these basses ? Can 2mm factory recommendation be achieved ?? Judging from the serial number , bass is 2008 made.What are the fender innovations for that particular year ?? Also what is battery life expectations on these basses ?

Lots of questions I know But, thanks in advance!!!

p.s. if anyone has a picture of the same bass please send it here , I couldn't find a full res picture of this particular bass nowhere on the internet..

Cheers