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Wylie

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Posts posted by Wylie

    Classical music pieces - recommendations needed please.

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    On 09/01/2023 at 11:39, miles'tone said:

    After replying to the What Are You Listening To Right Now thread I thought it would be a good idea to start this one.

     

    I love the bass playing of Scott Thunes who played with Frank Zappa, always interesting with his gnarly, tight and punky P bass with a pick sound. He was the first (and maybe only) musician that Frank hired to be given "carte blanche", free reign to improvise however he felt when they played live, usually providing out of the box lines, colourfully harmonising with counterpoint melodies and instant responses to Franks improvised solos. Zappa trusted him that much.

    Scott, although playing hard like a punk, always cites many classical composers as his main inspirations.

    Add to that seeing Sting gush about Bach during the excellent and fairly recent Rick Beato interview and I just have to take a peek down the classical rabbit hole!

     

    I don't know much about this kind of music at all, other than being familiar with the names of the biggies. 

     

    What pieces should a noob like me be seeking out?

    Initially I would like to check out some music that I could try and play along to myself while I develop my classical ears, see what I can glean from it and hopefully get my basslines sounding more harmonically interesting. 

    I can read bass clef but not sight read in real time if that matters at all.

     

    Any pointers or suggestions will be most appreciated!

     

    Thanks gang.

    For serious contemporary music, try Mary Halvorson (guitarist and composer) and Reinier Baas (guitarist and composer; can be found on YouTube playing with the WDR Big Band).

    • Thanks 1

    Band-ocracy or Band-tatorship - which one's been best in your experience?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    On 20/01/2023 at 11:11, TimR said:

    Benevolent dictatorship.

     

    Someone listens to everyone's ideas and makes decisions and leads. I want to be in a band with a leader who has vision and direction. I've been in too many democratic bands where actually you end up with a random bunch of songs and each member doesn't really like many of the songs. 

    I like this idea also. Having said that, our trio has, or at least seems to have, three leaders; each of us leads in his own way due to differing tastes in music, though jazz is home ground. We end up playing material I wouldn't always have chosen, but then, they don't always like my choices, either. This slides into band-ocracy at times, but things work out well quite often. 

    • Like 1

    How do you buy yours?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    7 hours ago, BassAdder60 said:

    Most stores have limited stock today so it’s difficult to try / find a particular bass or amp in stock locally 

     

    I always order on line and try and return if I don’t like or it’s faulty or marked etc 

     

    Sadly this results in so many goods arriving that are no longer new as such and often marked in some way 

    There are few music stores within a fifty-mile radius of where I live, and decent instruments are hard to come by, as noted. Craigslist has been great for me, though. Online buying, not so much. Setups on guitars and basses are often insufficient (or exaggerated at the source) and then much money can be spent correcting the "factory" settings.

    Bassists who play guitar

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    On 08/11/2022 at 11:53, Vin Venal said:

    I'm really thinking about trying to learn guitar.

     

    Although I've never really played guitar before, beyond a couple of abortive lessons when I was about 12, I think I kinda play bass like a guitarist. I play with a pick, and do a fair bit of chordal stuff, mostly just power chords and double stops.

     

    One issue I can foresee is I can't use my little finger at all. Never have been able to, and not about to start now at 40. I think I have quite a weak left hand, and generally set up my basses for low string tension. I know there are plenty of 3 fingered guitarists around, but they must be limited to some extent?

     

    I'm also a very instinctive player. Good at improvising, good at figuring stuff out myself, terrible at taking instruction, and can't read anything, including tab. Always found that's not a problem on bass, I just figure out what the root notes are, then improvise a bassline myself. Dunno if that would be more of a limiting factor with 6 strings?

     

    Anyway, people who did bass first then moved accross, how easy was it, and what advice would you give? Should I just get a Bass VI instead? I think alot of it is just about increasing my ability to play with interesting effects and sounds.

    Bit late to the party here. After reading a good many replies, my advice, as both guitar and bass player, is, first: commit to using all four fingers; you will definitely be limited playing only 3-finger/3-note chords (unless you are doubling on some strings or using barre chords exclusively?; not sure what you mean by 3-fingered guitarists). I would doubt that your hand is really weak, but because you will be using it differently, it will initially be frustrating, no getting around it. Second, figuring out tunes on guitar depends largely on knowing chords and keys, not so much following root notes or the outlines of chords, as with bass. You will learn melodies, of course, but that also develops out of chords, keys, and scales. Finally, and most important, find a good teacher, someone with solid teaching experience, not just a guitar player who can show you a few things, and commit to the learning experience, whether that is chord study; reading, and playing from written music; or what have you. Of course, you can learn on your own, but why put up with the frustration that comes with trying to follow a book (to which you can't address the many questions you will have) or what are usually very slow, and also unresponsive, online/video courses that are, most often, trying to sell you something. A teacher sitting in the same room with you is essential. Learning to play guitar is challenging--but definitely rewarding. I hope this helps.

    • Like 2

    Hofner Beatle basses - so bloody many in the range!

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    On 28/11/2022 at 05:10, Sparky Mark said:

    The CT versions are finished to a higher standard and use better quality components than the Ignition Series. They also have the laminate nut, zero fret and the gap underneath the fretboard which allows the traditional Hofner strap to be used. The CT does cost roughly twice the amount of an Ignition for these differences however.

    I agree. I liked my Contemporary Club a lot, though I did have to have the action lowered substantially--via bridge and nut reduction--to make it playable. Very good instrument with a distinctive tone. $850 US. 

    • Like 1

    Chatheads

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    There are those who chat--with one another--while you play at, say, the farmers' market (our main gigs all summer, where we don't expect riveted attention), and there are those who come up and talk to you while you play. These chatheads are always very enthusiastic, and would tell you more about it if you'd just stop what you're doing and listen!

     

    I expect at some point a chathead will try to find a button to turn me off . . . Anyone out there dealing with this phenomenon?

    Greene King pub gig payment

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    On 22/10/2021 at 16:47, Silvia Bluejay said:

    It wasn't too bad for us, when we used it for the first time a few weeks ago. However, it has a rather steep learning curve. Quite apart from the weird terminology, which doesn't match any of my experience as a self-employed person, there are some unexpected steps.

    To start with, it's not the Client who gives you a Purchase Order; the onus is on you, as the Supplier, to put a Request in the system, mentioning the agreed job and fee, BEFORE the job is carried out.

    The Client then approves your Request - possibly several times (twice in our case, by two different people).

    Then you do the job, play the gig. Then the onus is again on you to put the same amount you previously 'requested' in the system again, but this time in the form of an Expense to which you attach an invoice. You should do that just after playing the gig.

    Then, in the following few days, several people at the Client and at SAP Concur approve your Expense.

    Then you wait. And wait. And wait.

    Then you get paid, eventually, into the bank account you entered when setting up your Concur account.

     

    With us, it wasn't too bad, we were paid about 10 days after the day of the gig. I hear that Event UK normally takes 3 weeks. Mustn't grumble... 🙄

    A little late to the party, but:

     

    Played the Williamstown farmer's market yesterday, packed up, and the market manager handed us our payment in ca$h.

     

    As Henry Miller said, "Peace. It's wonderful."

    • Like 1

    Violin basses - first dabble

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    On 28/02/2022 at 16:24, paulears said:

    My grandson wanted to play my basses - but he's not big enough really, so I decided to buy a violin bass - tobacco finish - Rogue brand, as it wasn't that expensive. I didn't expect much and it didn't even appeal to me. Short scale - so a bit weedy and no guts, and worse a 4 string when I play 5 - have done for years.  I've got all sorts of basses. When it arrived I figured they'd not put the bass in the parcel - far too light, but no - it was there. Actually I'd not realised they were this size and weight. I tuned it up and plugged it in and got a big surprise - it's not bad at all. It records really well too. It's more like the old Rickenbacker I had years ago and it's got plenty at the bottom and loads of tone adjustment. I've got a bad back now and my American Jazz is probably double the weight. I always assumed and never checked, that these were a lightweight instrument in tone, style and playability, but I really like this thing - and I'm going to play it. Lots!

     

    Has anyone else discovered the same thing? I've no idea if this is all violin basses including the original Hofners - so down to the design and style, or if it's just this particular brand.

    My Hofner was a Contemporary Club model (China), neck, bridge, pickups--all identical to their violin bass. It needed work to bring the action down from the heavens, but had a lovely tone, and yes, was very lightweight.

    Standing up or sitting down

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    4 hours ago, Steve Browning said:

    Only sit for our acoustic gigs. I usually perch nonchalantly on the amp!

     

    22104385_1453479498038653_5525139560211564464_o.thumb.jpg.f66b945bbce6f394b47c62ff002e26fa.jpg

    Our trio is bass, keyboard, and violin. Keyboard is always sitting, and our violinist frequently plays propped on a barstool. If they're both down, I prefer to stand--or as above, to at least be a big higher. Everyone seated, to me, gives the wrong signal: we're too relaxed, low energy. The music may not actually reflect that.

    • Like 1
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