endorka

[quote name='ARGH' post='233461' date='Jul 6 2008, 09:52 AM']Given that,Red Mitchell,tuning to 5ths is or was ERB,But seeing as a Guitar has 6 strings,and its only the orchestral link that Electric Bass (thats links me to the 'Leo' problem) convention says 4 strings...[/quote] In "The Eugene Cruft School of Double Bass Playing", he states the following about the double bass; "Originally it was a powerful three-stringed instrument, but to increase the range a fourth string was added from about 1800, and nowadays most large orchestras include one or more five string-stringed basses." That quote is from 1966. Low C extensions were common then also, as they are now. Jennifer

[quote name='Clive Thorne' post='230718' date='Jul 1 2008, 05:40 PM']Come on, someone either put me right or argue with me.[/quote] Ok, I'll bite :-) There does appear to be an optimal string length for the production of certain tones and frequencies. Thus the advent of those Dingwall "fanned fret" necks, with the treble strings being shorter than the bass strings. The shorter strings can produce the higher notes perfectly well, indeed if they were longer the tension would increase and they would be less playable. So at one extreme we have the violin, with a very short string length. However, to produce a good bass tone with rich fundamental, a longer string length is indicated. That's why grand pianos sound more resonant and richer than a baby grand. The average double bass has a string length of 42", and the tone produced is unarguably deeper than a bass guitar at 34". I believe there is a ratio where if the diameter of a string gets too big in comparison to the length, the usability of the string is compromised. For example, bowing the E string of a double bass at the 12th "fret" octave is "interesting". It does not produce as good a tone as bowing the same E on the D string, which of course has greater length. The good news is that it doesn't always matter. Not all music requires a deep, pronounced fundamental from the bass. Most people's stereo's can't reproduce it in any case. Some music seems to work well with this approach, although I don't think it is going to be so great on dub reggae records. YMMV! Jennifer

[quote name='wotnwhy' post='217142' date='Jun 11 2008, 07:50 PM']P.S. the only advantage anyone has been able to give me for achoring the thumb is security when you move/jump around. but i move more than the horse in my sig, and even so, floating thumb has not presented any problems that need remedy[/quote] If we're talking about placing the thumb on the pickup then shifting it to different strings etc., then what it gives you (almost) for free is consistency. Every time you pick up the bass, the plucking fingers will be in exactly the same position (in all 6 degrees of rotational and translational freedom) and behave in exactly the same way, generating the same tone at the same dynamic. It's a way of vastly reducing the number of variables in your playing. I'm not saying that this cannot be achived with the floating thumb technique - clearly it can, but it takes a lot more practice to get there. In my experience, most students who use the "floating thumb" technique do not have consistent tone/volume/attack, so the thing I do in that case is to make them aware of this, and get them to hear the difference between consistency and inconsistency in those factors. A good way to do this is to get them to place their thumb on the pickup & strings, at least as a reference to begin with. If they wish to use the "thumb on pickup" thing as training wheels, and eventually move on the floating thumb, great, but the consistency must be there. The tone must lead the technique. Jennifer

[quote name='BassBod' post='226241' date='Jun 24 2008, 09:41 PM']I've also noticed over the last ten years that city centre gigging just keeps getting more difficult - more parking restrictions, less spaces near venues, more jobsworth security at venues (and festivals)...anything that eases the loading in and out makes a difference.[/quote] Indeed - I do quite a bit of gigging in the city centre, where I also live, and being able to walk or take the underground or train to gigs helps avoid the above hassles. A light setup is obviously a requirement for this, so the bass or double bass goes on my back, and the amp on a trolley. Recently I've employed this amp quite a bit: It's a 10" active speaker from Thomann, weighs 10.5 kilos, cost me £110. It is wedge shaped so is easily deployed as a monitor. A wee acoustic preamp I bought for about £20 brings the instrument to the level required for the amplifer input and allows tweaking of EQ and volume. It sounds far, far better than you might think. In fact, it sounds so good it is a bit disturbing... makes you wonder what all the weight/bulk in regular bass amps is for. Jennifer

[quote name='aceuggy' post='215643' date='Jun 9 2008, 07:33 PM']Recently started playing the bass and I'm just sort of trying to find my way of playing. At the moment I've just been resting my thumb on the pup, but it's beginning to get a bit sore as it's quite sharp around the edge and where it's screwed on.[/quote] File or sand the sharp bit on the pickup to make it smoother. Or keep playing for a few years, and eventually your thumb will do the same thing. Jennifer

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='215325' date='Jun 9 2008, 11:48 AM']There are many examples of musicians staking their own claims to integrity over those of others (HM, I know, is full of these people) but, the minute one starts to change your art in order to increase its market value, you are compromised. There are many musicians who didn't and don't; Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Olivier Messiaen etc[/quote] While I would not for a moment doubt the wonder, integrity and motivation of Messiaen, even he had a long term residency playing organ in a cathedral. Perhaps he would have had to bang out the odd tune he found somewhat on the naive or simplistic side. Maybe he even had to do requests? :-) I really don't think this matter is as simple as many make out. Presumably even Messiaen had to eat while his art found its way into the world... without him eating, it would never have been made in the first place. Jennifer

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='215260' date='Jun 9 2008, 10:11 AM']Then you have missed the point entirely. When you decide that you're going to pick one gig over another for financial reasons, despite the other being more artistically satisfying, then you cannot claim to have artistic integrity.[/quote] Integrity aside, one must eat. Jennifer

[quote name='Josh' post='215003' date='Jun 8 2008, 05:52 PM']It's just that last night I tuned half a step down and was in the midst of working out John Legends "Get Lifted" album, and for some reason I just felt comfortable, the songs can be played in standard quite happily, but the strings felt a bit looser and my right hand felt more relaxed, as did my left, and I haven't been that comfortable for a good while. Just wondering if its the same for anyone else.[/quote] I'd say so - what you're observing is more or less equivalent to having a lighter gauge of string on the bass, i.e. the tension doesn't have to be as high to get to the required pitch. You'd notice a similar thing going from strings set with a high action to strings with a lower action as well - it seems like you are flying over the bass! The only problem is that I find the feeling to be fairly short lived - pretty soon what I think of as relaxed and loose becomes "normal", and to get the effect back you'd have to downtune again, or use an even lighter gauge of string, or lower the action again... Jennifer

[quote name='Linus27' post='214647' date='Jun 7 2008, 10:06 PM']However, not sure I would agree on the sound. After reading through the massive thread over at Talk Bass and hearing in person some NS Wav's, there does seem to be a general feeling that the stock NS Wav sounds similar to a fretless.[/quote] Based on that thread, you may well get that impression, but did you listen to the audio samples of the NS Wav I posted? While it is arguable (and variable) how much they sound like a real DB, in my opinion they sound nothing like a fretless bass guitar. As you say, replacing the stock strings helps, as does raising the string height, as does using proper double bass technique as opposed to playing it like a bass guitar. As I mentioned before, I think the misconception comes because people are deriving their opinion whilst using the wrong setting of the NS Wav. I actually think this is a problem with the naming of the switch by NS Design, who refer to "arco" and "pizz" modes, which implies that one is for bowing and the other is for fingerstyle. While broadly true, it doesn't give the full picture - the "arco" mode can be used for both bowing and pizzicato playing, and due to the way the pickup is configured in this mode sounds like a double bass. The "pizz" mode cannot be used for bowing, and is configured to behave a bit like the pickup on a bass guitar. A better naming convention would have been "double bass" and "bass guitar" modes. I'm not one for apologetics for any gear, and I have all kinds of instruments - fretted and fretless basses, the EUB, and a proper double bass, so have no vested interest in any of it. I guess the naming of these two modes and people's consequent (mis)interpretation of their functions annoys me a bit though :-) Regardless of all this, I agree that the Stagg is an excellent entry level instrument. One of my students has one and it has a very impressive sound. Do you know of any alternative stands that are available for it? My student's one was supplied with a couple of the hip brace things, and I would be interested to know if there are any other options, e.g. something similar to the NS Design end pin stand. Jennifer

[quote name='Linus27' post='214264' date='Jun 7 2008, 11:23 AM']For the money, it is an amazing piece of kit. You really can't fault it for that price. It also sounds superb, some say more like a double bass than the NS Wav 4 which has been compared to sounding like like a electric fretless.[/quote] I have a suspicion that those who make this claim are playing the NS Wav in "pizz" mode, which is designed to sound like a big fretless bass. With the pickup switch in "arco" mode it sounds more like a real DB, even when plucked. I have some examples here; [url="http://www.jenniferclarkbass.com/audio/Leana_Medley.mp3"]http://www.jenniferclarkbass.com/audio/Leana_Medley.mp3[/url] [url="http://www.jenniferclarkbass.com/audio/BassSolo.mp3"]http://www.jenniferclarkbass.com/audio/BassSolo.mp3[/url] Those recordings were straight DI'd from the instrument. I've had the better results through Trace Elliot amps and speakers, where in certain situations you'd be hard pushed to tell the difference between the WAV and an amplified real DB. I've played both the NS and the Stagg, and in my opinion the NS is the better instrument in most respects by a significant margin; however, for the price, the Stagg is exceptional value. Jennifer

Sounds interesting! Always keen to hear about things that can improve the acoustic sound of the double bass. Jennifer

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='208533' date='May 28 2008, 11:53 PM']I could slap my old Bassix EUB, but it had hollow chambers with piezos inside. An entirely solid body EUB, though? Hmmm... I don't think so.[/quote] Ok, just to be contrary - I'm guessing that it will be physically possible to go through the motions, i.e. to put the clothesline type strings on the EUB, raise the string action up high, and start slapping away at it. To be perhaps ignorant - the rockabilly bands I've seen playing live haven't exactly been subtle in terms of their approach to acoustics. The last band I saw were very loud, and the double bass player had filled his DB with foam, I believe for two reasons: to allow him to stand on the DB, and to reduce feedback generated by the acoustic properties of the instrument. In other words, he made it sound and behave more like an EUB. Another rockabilly band I saw, the DB player put the DB through a massive pedalboard, so I guess he wasn't an acoustic purist either. If you could try before you buy that would be ideal, but I suppose that isn't possible in this case :-( Jennifer

I have one of these yellow Westfield P bass clones; With a decent setup done by yours truly it plays great, and with the pickups replaced with Seymour Duncan quarter pounders it sounds incredible. And the price is a bargain... what's not to like? :-) Jennifer

[quote name='XB26354' post='207613' date='May 27 2008, 09:48 PM']There's one word that everyone has missed: [i]melodies[/i].[/quote] Well, not [i]everyone[/i]; [quote name='endorka']...transcribing and playing chords and melody significantly expanded my overall sense of music...[/quote] But I guess it is worth saying twice :-) Jennifer

Excellent advice. I'd also like to add that one of my best investments as a bass player was buying a cheap piano keyboard, and using it to work on the advice given above. I found that working exclusively at "bass level" gave me a worm's eye view of music - transcribing and playing chords and melody significantly expanded my overall sense of music. Jennifer

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='200211' date='May 16 2008, 10:13 AM']Simple answer ear plugs![/quote] Yes, but sooner or later - preferably sooner - you begin to realise that there is a certain madness in pumping hundreds of watts into massive stacks of speaker cabs, only to "turn it down" again by putting ear plugs in. Far better just to play at a reasonable volume in the first place, which has the advantages that the drums don't ring, resonate and rattle so much, you won't suffer ear damage, everyone can hear everybody, including themselves, and consequently some reasonably sophisticated music may be made. If the audience want loud, they can get it through the PA, while keeping onstage volume at a polite level. And you'll only need to carry a small combo into the gig. Of course, it is a lot harder to fudge good musicianship at polite volumes levels - you don't get the instant "vibe" that loud volume appears to give you, and for the reasons mentioned above mistakes will be more obvious. It also requires far more disciplined musicianship to maintain, as just one guy playing loud can ruin the whole dynamic. Naturally, there are some exceptions, I gues punk, metal etc. are not supposed to be polite :-) Jennifer

Loads of good advice from the folks here! Re: hand size, it really doesn't matter. If you think about it, it is not unusual to see female double bass players in orchestras, and the neck of a double bass is far longer than that of a bass guitar. If you have small hands, you may have to adopt a double bass technique using fingers 1, 2 and 4 of the left hand, at least for the places on the neck where the frets are furthest apart. A good tutor will advise you on this. The age thing is also nonsense - in my experience, those who put their heart and soul into playing will achieve, whatever their age. Jennifer [url="http://www.jenniferclarkbass.com"]http://www.jenniferclarkbass.com[/url]

One of my students has a Stagg EUB, and it is possible to bow it. However, the curvature of the neck seems less than a normal double bass, so it seems a little trickier than normal to me. For your requirements I'd suggest that the NS Design basses are more suitable, especially with the endpin stand, which is amazingly configurable. However, they are more expensive than the Stagg. Jennifer [url="http://www.jenniferclarkbass.com"]http://www.jenniferclarkbass.com[/url]

Neither! The gig bag for my DB has rucksack type straps, so I carry it about on my back. It's not always ideal, but it is definitely better than carrying it in your hands. The trolley/stool thing looks good, but is a lot of money, and in certain situations the rucksack way is superior, e.g. going up/down stairs. Jennifer

I have two EMG 40CS in my Grind 6, they sound rather good in my opinion. Cheaper options? Well, I find that quite often I only use the neck pickup, as I like the resultant fat sound. So you could replace the neck pickup initially, and leave the existing bridge pickup in place, unconnected, as a "dummy". You did ask... Jennifer

Glad you got that sorted, it is indeed a great show to play. How are you getting on with "Michael Jordan's Ball" ? :-) Jennifer

In the abscence of a sophisticated monitoring system, my basic approach is as follows: the drums have to be on one side of me, and the main chord player on the other. I find that this is the optimum method for making the band sound good as a whole... the bass is, after all, the glue that ties rhythm, harmony and melody together. I find that any other arrangement will cause something detrimental to happen. Jennifer

I also have an Eden Time Traveller amp, and was also looking for a gig bag for it, and couldn't find anything. A bit of lateral thinking around the dimensions of the amp led me to... Yes, it's a DJ bag, and costs about a tenner from here; [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_dj_bag_plattentasche_20.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_dj_bag_plattentasche_20.htm[/url] There's enough room for a couple of real books, cables, accessories, whatever as well. Jennifer [url="http://www.jenniferclarkbass.com"]http://www.jenniferclarkbass.com[/url]

"Silver Screen Heroes" will be playing at "Art De Caf" in Brunswick Street in Glasgow city centre this Saturday, October the 13th, 8.00 to 10.30pm. Entry is free, and we are playing a selection of great tunes from movies and television shows, as well as a wee bit of funky stuff now and then, for example; Mission Impossible, Star Wars, Austin Powers, Quincy, Pink Panther... etc etc etc. This Saturday the band are Rob Hall (sax, clarinet), Scott Madden (piano), Billy Kettle (drums) and myself on bass. "Art De Caf" is in in Brunswick Street in Glasgow city Centre. opposite the Brunswick hotel; more information can be found on their website [url="http://www.artdecaf.com"]http://www.artdecaf.com[/url] It would be great to meet up with some of the Scottish basschat folks! See you there! Jennifer [url="http://www.jenniferclarkbass.com"]http://www.jenniferclarkbass.com[/url]

[quote name='stewblack' post='70220' date='Oct 6 2007, 09:26 AM']Then last night I'm collecting PA bits from our hire guy and he says 'Oh no mate, rechargeables are hopeless for that kind of use. They never charge up enough you won't drain them sufficiently by use in a wireless and they learn to only work on half charge' I of course smiled and edged away as one will in the presence of dangerous mad men - but did he actually have some kind of point?[/quote] He has some kind of point - what he is referring to is the so called "memory effect" that apparently affected older types of rechargables such as some of the Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) types. Newer rechargeable battery types such as Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) don't suffer from this, so as long as you use this type you should be ok. See the following link for more info; [url="http://www.dansdata.com/gz011.htm"]http://www.dansdata.com/gz011.htm[/url] Jennifer [url="http://www.jenniferclarkbass.com"]http://www.jenniferclarkbass.com[/url]