uncle psychosis

[quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1377816284' post='2192443'] Yep, well the whole point is one finger per fret so the number refers to both the frets and which fingers you should be using to fret them. However even though it says finger 1, fret 1 in the chart above, you can start the fretting on any fret. It's the fingers in order bit that's important. Does that make sense? So in my chart you quoted that would be quite a stretch on a 5 string but that's the point The idea is to keep your fingers positioned above the fret (and hte string) they're meant to be playing, or have just played so you shouldn't be moving your hand forwards and back. It's about finger movement, stretching your muscles a little and getting used to being in those positions. It's all muscle memory exercise. [/quote] Yep, makes sense. Think its the kind of thing I might benefit from. Cheers

I saw that a few days ago, think it looks really cool. My wife is really good at decoupage, I'm half thinking about getting her to do something similar to a bass of mine...

[quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1377798354' post='2192064'] Yep, you can just add in the extra string yourself. It's not about the notes you're hitting but the order of the fretting and on which string you're fretting it. An example of a later exercise that's designed to help skipping strings would be: G -- - - - - -1 - - 3 - D -- -2 - 4 - -- - - - - A - - - - - - - 2 - - 4 E 1 - - 3 - - - - - - - - On a 5 string you could swap the E string for your B or just do the exercise twice, once starting on the B string and the second time starting on the E string. [/quote] Thanks. Does it give you suggested fingerings?

I'm going to be a bit of a heretic here......don't buy effects just for the sake of it. It can become horribly addictive and distract from more important things like just playing! If there are particular sounds you want to get that you can't currently then thats a different matter...

[quote name='Ancient Mariner' timestamp='1377716227' post='2190850'] I had a DC-9 - completely changed the tone, [/quote] Yes! Didn't like it at all.

I've got a "neotech mega bass strap" and its unbelievably comfy. Definitely recommended.

[quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1377711417' post='2190737'] It took me a few days over a Christmas period to practice my fretting technique and I had people point out to me later that they could see and hear the difference when I played. Practice every day and it gets better and better. A good book to get is Bass Fitness ([url="http://www.musicroom.com/se/id_no/09/details.html"]http://www.musicroom...09/details.html[/url] - sorry, I won't link to Amazon!) and pick an exercise or two per day to practice. Start slowly and only increase tempo by around 3-5 BPM at a time. The value of having a tutor watch you do it and point out where you're going wrong and how to fix it is invaluable though. [/quote] That book looks quite interesting, but I play a five string. Would the exercises still be useful?

I like the headstock!

First things first: bass is quite a physical instrument, and it takes time to train your body, so don't beat yourself up too much. Also don't worry too much about speed---speed is the result of good technique and lots of practice. Left hand technique is really important and I personally found that one or two lessons with a good teacher to correct what I was doing with my left hand made a world of difference. The positioning of your hand and wrist are just as important as what fingers you use. Good exercise for the problem you describe: G -- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8- 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - D -- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A - - - - - - - - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - - - - - - - - E 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 Play this with one finger per fret, and do it slowly, you're aiming to sound each note cleanly and clearly, not to race through the notes. To make it harder you can move down the fretboard (1 -2 -3 -4) is a nice stretch or moving it higher up the fretboard makes it easier. For a bit of variety you can vary the pattern eg (5 - 7 - 6 - 8) on each string, just keep doing it one finger per fret. Do this for five minutes every day for a few weeks and you'll definitely notice a difference. If you are still finding it hard at that point its likely that your left hand/wrist position isn't quite right---which I'd recommend seeing a teacher for, but there's lots of stuff online for this too.

[quote name='Graham' timestamp='1377686613' post='2190273'] Sorry if this has been covered before, but just to put my mind at ease, distance selling regulationa cover the whole EU don't they?[/quote] I very much doubt it.

I gave it a listen on Spotify and wasn't all that impressed. 2 or 3 tracks jumped out at me but the rest wasn't very memorable. Maybe its a grower...

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1377604980' post='2189255'] I've owned the Behringer DC-9 (twice ) and it's the best budget compressor you'll get - for the money. Well worth buying if you want to see if compression is for you, and you can move it on without much loss if you don't like it: [url="http://www.ovnilab.com/reviews/behrDC9.shtml"]http://www.ovnilab.c...s/behrDC9.shtml[/url] [/quote] I really hated the DC-9 I had, but I can't remember why!

London is huge. Whereabouts are you going?

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1377458129' post='2187819'] Fair enough Mark * makes mental note never to deal with discreet * ..... kidding! I know a fair few people on BC quite well on a personal level (Happy Jack, MacDaddy, Thunderbird 13, bluejay, xilddx, Beedster, waynepunkdude etc etc) and I would never think of making a profit out of them, but then I am one of those (possibly gullible) people that believes in karma and 'what goes around, comes around'. Like I said early on in this thread, noone is right or wrong. Its entirely up to the individual and their personal stance[/quote] I had a bass that I wanted to sell that I knew another basschatter (and someone I know personally) really wanted. I was happy to hold onto it until he was in a position to buy. Friends and family get a different deal. [quote]As for the argument about putting bread on the table for your family, quite apart from it sounding faintly ludicrous and Dickensian, I sincerely hope none of us on BassChat actually have to rely on dealing in bass gear to support our families (excepting those who work in music retail of course) [/quote] I don't "rely" on selling gear to feed my family, but at the same time I've reached a stage where I only sell things in order to fund something else. If I under-sell gear then the extra cash has to come from somewhere, and thats cash I'd rather spend on my family.

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1377421331' post='2187211'] Saw it halfway brought on the ted button. Very tight . Have only got American idiot and one single. I thought they were a 3piece. [/quote] they added a fourth member last year, but I think he'd been playing with them live for a long time. Dookie / Insomniac / Nimrod are three of the best albums of the 90s in my opinion. Definitely worth checking out.

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1377384425' post='2187038'] Yes, unfortunately I remember. I'm a free market radical. Not to mention the worst kind of amoral profiteer it would seem. [/quote] I just thought the whole thing was weird.

[quote name='LiamPodmore' timestamp='1377379978' post='2186993'] I've got it on now. I've got to hand it to 'em for being able to sustain that kind of pace, both musically and physically, for a good length of team. [/quote] Yeah, the Dookie stuff in particular must be really tough to plough through at that speed. Its physically impressive as much as it is musically! Really enjoying this, suspect I'll have Dookie and Insomniac on quite a bit in the next week...

Im watching it on iplayer now, sounds good. Its still weird seeing BJA playing anything other than that blue Strat covered in stickers...

I still don't understand how its physically possible for anyone to play "Panic Song". His forearms must be like treetrunks. I stopped paying attention to Green Day (I still really like their first three or four albums) a few years ago but there's no denying just how tight they are. The songs sound like they should be simple to play but they really do have a groove and tightness to them thats actually quite hard to imitate. I've seen a lot of bands trying to cover Green Day and most of them sound rubbish---which is odd, for a 3 or 4 chord band!!

[quote name='Kev' timestamp='1377372914' post='2186897'] I was heavily criticised on here a few years ago for selling a bass for £200 more than i bought for on here (student and [i]very[/i] hard up at the time), but it seems to have calmed down now a little. [/quote] The last time this topic came up (a few months back) there were quite a few posters who were adamant that selling stuff on here for more than you paid for it was a massive abuse of the community and completely and utterly unforgivable. It got fairly heated as I recall.

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1377356197' post='2186665'] I know there are no absolute rules for pricing used gear, but I'm wondering if there is a generally accepted etiquette. Is it reasonable to sell something for more than it was bought for? Is it reasonable to buy something, use it for a period of time, possibly for fee-earning gigs, then sell it on later for the same price. On that basis, we'd never have to incur any wear-and-tear costs ourselves would we? Just wondering. [/quote] I sell stuff at, or just below, whatever the market-rate for that piece of gear is at the time I come to sell it. If I get a ridiculously good deal on something and my own finances allow it then I will try and pass that deal onto other people, but at the same time I have a family to provide for and their needs come first!

[quote name='spinynorman' timestamp='1377359492' post='2186712'] A lot of sellers on eBay won't ship to Italy. I don't know why, I've sold to Italy and Spain with no problems. [/quote] My Dad lives in Italy. Its a wonderful country but their postal and courier services are dreadful.

[quote name='binky_bass' timestamp='1377250965' post='2185248'] It will be tuned B to F as that is what I need to play what we play. It should be getting shipped out today... cant wait! [/quote] What kind of stuff do you play? Do you use the top strings for meedly-meedly improv stuff, or do you incorporate it into a more traditional supporting bass role? i'm quite intrigued (I have no idea what I'd do with an extra two strings!)

The answer is....depends. I think a board of really good separate pedals will [i]probably[/i] sound better than a multifx and is very straightforward to use. However, the multifx will cost considerably less, be more flexible, and be more convenient. It just depends what you want, really. Modern multi-FX have some very capable sounds on them, especially for live use where many of the nuances can get lost. I've often thought that the overdrives on them are the weakest effects, so if thats what your'e after you may be better going to single pedal drive units. Personally, I prefer separate pedals but thats because I don't have the patience for menus and sub menus and patches and so on. Sometimes I wish I did, because the sheer convenience of a single effects unit really appeals.

Expensive handmade instruments will never die out, because musicians are by and large a conservative bunch. Concert violinists don't buy expensive antique instruments because they're better than modern equivalents, they buy them because of the kudos of owning one and because they are expected to. Similarly there are enough bassists out there who will never accept that you don't need to go hand built in order to get a top level instrument.