Major-Minor

Here's pics of the stack: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/style_images/basschat/folder_attach_images/attach_add.png"]http://basschat.co.uk/style_images/basscha.../attach_add.png[/url] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/style_images/basschat/folder_attach_images/attach_add.png"]http://basschat.co.uk/style_images/basscha.../attach_add.png[/url]

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='892446' date='Jul 12 2010, 12:59 AM']I think Park were actually rebranded Marshalls, although I can't recall why that would have happened.[/quote] I think you may be right here. It was probably a cheaper version of a Marshall. I later had an amp that was called a Top 100, again looking like a Marshall head, and I believe that was a cheap version of a Carlsboro.

[quote name='geoffbassist' post='892143' date='Jul 11 2010, 06:37 PM']Pete, you have a fantastic bass collection! With your uprights, that is one AMAZING set of instruments! We need to have a bass guitar jam soon :-) thanks for the pics! Cheers Geoff[/quote] Yeah let's get together sometime soon. Maybe one lunchtime at the Beeb ? The Major

[quote name='lozbass' post='892044' date='Jul 11 2010, 04:18 PM']Lovely working bass and a great story (two old Simms Watts cabs in the photos too? - great to see a proper '70s bass stack!)[/quote] The stack is a Park. A UK company I believe. Don't know much about them I'm afraid. But I loved the sound which is why i bought it. The Major

[quote name='BassBod' post='886582' date='Jul 5 2010, 07:01 PM']Very nice. Tell us the whole story...and who would paint a J bass grey....... [/quote] I bought this bass in Leeds in 1972 (Shearers ? in the Merrion Centre). I was playing 5 nights a week at the Leeds Locarno (Mecca dance Hall). I seem to remember I paid £150 for it which seemed a fortune then - my weekly wage was £30. A few weeks later I got my double bass job with the BBC Northern Orchestra (now the BBC Phil) and the Fender was used very little for a couple of years. Then I started doing gigs here there and everywhere (cabaret clubs / dance halls / functions / sessions / theatre etc) and I reckon the bass has done 2000 gigs and sessions over the years. I used to rest my thumb on the edge of the bridge pickup hence the worn spot that you can see. But these days I've adopted the floating thumb technique. Sadly. I rarely play this bass anymore. I now have a Yamaha 5 string which i tend to use most. To be honest, i was getting a little nervous taking a valuable vintage instrument into dodgy pub gigs ! But I have no intention of selling - it's too much part of my career - I'm sentimentally attached to it (what a saddo !). The Major

[quote name='geoffbassist' post='888937' date='Jul 7 2010, 09:05 PM']Great work pete. I also really enjoyed your playing on Monday night. Great arco solo! :-)[/quote] Cheers Geoff - and thanks for coming to the gig. A little further background to this vid: This was about 4 / 5 years ago when we (the BBC Phil Jazz Group) were regularly promoting jazz gigs with big name guest artists. On this occasion the guest was sax man Alan Barnes who speaks at the end of the vid. Trombonist Paul Reynolds was depping with the group on this occasion. Paul retired last year as Principal Trombone of the BBC Phil and has been at the very top of the profession for over 30 years. He is a superb orchestral player - yet a reluctant jazzer ! We always had to persuade / coax / cajole him into doing a jazz gig - but he always came up with the goods ! We miss him a lot. The drummer is Paul Turner - Principal Timpanist BBC Phil. On piano is Matthew Compton - usually to be found in the viola section! The Major

The Major on bass: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNH1rORHgPU"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNH1rORHgPU[/url] Didn't even know we were being filmed. So sorry about the odd bit of bad intonation !

This one shows the colour slightly better. It's a sort of bluey grey. [attachment=53684:Poser.jpg]

This is me "posing" with the bass when it was still grey in 1972: [attachment=53674:Fender_J...k_1972_2.jpg] At this point it still had the metal cover over the neck pickup. God, I was skinny then ! No longer ! The Major

[quote name='slobluesine' post='886491' date='Jul 5 2010, 05:23 PM']but who stripped the Sunburst off [/quote] When I bought it in 1972, it was a horrible grey colour. I followed the fashion of the time and stripped all the paint off. In doing so i discovered that it had been other colours before the grey - red and white if I remember correctly. Of course back then we didn't realise that these instruments would become vintage and valuable in time. But its the sound that matters - and its sounds great ! The Major

Finally got round to taking some pics of my lovely '62 Fender Jazz [attachment=53617:IMG_0746.JPG] [attachment=53618:IMG_0748.JPG] [attachment=53619:IMG_0749.JPG] [attachment=53620:IMG_0753.jpg] The Major

As with any first instrument purchase, it's always worth getting the best you can afford (not necessarily the most expensive although price will often be an indicator of quality). If you like the sound and feel of the bass, you will want to keep playing it, so you will get better at it (hopefully). If however you don't love it, you will stick it in the corner, not play and it will gather dust. Also bear in mind that quality basses will keep their value and maybe even appreciate in value over time. So it can be a good investment. A cheap bass will always be a cheap bass ! The Major

[quote name='dougal' post='885916' date='Jul 4 2010, 10:50 PM']I was watching the bassists at the royal festival hall today (Icarus, if anyone's interested) and they seemed to spend most of their time half way up the neck (say, Simandl's 3rd position). I was going to ask major-minor if it was something to do with tone or more likely a lot of upper-mid register stuff. I spend most of my time hacking around in half & first position.[/quote] Like many of my colleagues, I centre my playing on the mid positions wherever possible. This has several advantages: From this mid position, you can more easily access the higher reaches, as well as the lowest notes. The notes are slightly closer together as you go up the fingerboard so less stretch is required and the hand will stay more relaxed for longer. If you need a more mellow tone, its always better to play in the mid positions as you will then mostly be on the thicker strings. Its also easier to get a staccato pianissimo passage to work this way, without getting a scratchy sound. Re: open strings: Rather than use an open A, for instance, I will tend to finger this note (on the E string) partly so I have the option of using vibrato (where appropriate) but also so I can adjust the intonation if necessary. This means I will be in a mid position and can finger subsequent notes similarly. There are 2 guide points on DB - one being the nut (you will often see players just touching the nut with the first finger before then aiming for the required note). The other is the bend in the neck. Feeling that bend with the thumb can then guide you to your note. So for instance, if the first note of a passage is Eb on the A string and you want to play it with your 2nd finger, a quick "feel" of the neck bend will then help you aim for that place with some accuracy (this takes practice of course). Having said all this, there are times when half and first positions are ideal (and open strings too !). A big singing melody on the G string can sometimes work best purely on this string, just moving up and down rather than crossing onto the D. Its all down to context of course. And we all have differing ideas about ways to finger. I sometimes try to copy what the Principal bass is doing so we can have a uniform tone. The Major

[quote name='Bilbo' post='880016' date='Jun 28 2010, 04:22 PM']This is written an octave higher than it is played by most of us, Pete. I have always played it exactly as it is written here and the first note of the riff played this way is the lowest E on the bass. The main riff ends on the D that is the key centre of the first 16 bars (E A B C D E C D - 'soooo what'). I have a video of PC playing this - I will check it out when I get a chance but I recall he does play it higher up the neck that I do (I guess he wins that argument). I also agree that the first note of the riff in the middle 8 in Eb is F not Eb. I guess I could be wrong but, if I am, its a 28 year mistake that has never been corrected by anyone! NB - the recording of the original So What was recorded on two tape recorders simultaneously. One of them was set incorrectly. Noone noticed and the 'wrong' version went out on the original release of the recording sounding out of tune (a quarter tone too sharp).[/quote] Rob - just to clarify: The first note of the tune (as played by Paul Chambers) is D - as in your open D string. A word to the OP on the modal thing: (my old hobbyhorse): Just don't get too hung up about playing only notes from the Dorian scale. Yes these notes can form the basic framework for your improv, but all other notes can be used (with care of course). If you just stick to one scale - god how boring that will be ! The art of improv is to know how and when to use every note effectively. Once you have pootled about a few times using just the dorian scale, try to stretch out and find how each note (there are 12 in each octave) can have a place in your solo. The same goes for the walking line that you will play behind other soloists. While Dm7 is just 4 notes - DFAC - again it would be very tedious to listen to if you only walk with these notes. The Major

[quote name='Rich' post='876390' date='Jun 24 2010, 01:40 PM']Link added to sticky index Major, have you ever thought about putting this stuff in a book?[/quote] The music publishing world is in serious decline at present, mainly due to the internet I guess, so I think it unlikely that a publisher would be interested. The fact that I'm putting this stuff on this site for free doesn't help ! I can't imagine why anybody would pay good money when they can download for free. But i'd be open to offers if there is an interested publisher out there ..... ! The Major

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='878739' date='Jun 27 2010, 11:51 AM']Here you go... Listen to the original recording from the Miles Davis "Kind of blue" album on you tube and follow this copy through. It'll all make sense [/quote] This is gonna sound very pedantic ! BUT This hand written copy has several mistakes (assuming you want to get somewhere close to the original). Apart from the fact it should be written, as Jennifer has pointed out, an octave higher for a bass player to read (ie sounding an octave lower), the very first note (and of each repeat of this phrase) should be a D. And when it modulates to Eb minor, again the first note of the phrase is Eb (not F). Of course there is nothing wrong with varying your own version away from the original (I do it all the time on this tune), but I think it helps to get it right to start with. The Major

The Major's Bass Boot Camp - Session 27 Getting Started with Sight-Reading - G Minor / Triplets In this session, we will get to grips with triplets, in the quaver and crotchet variety. Every beat (pulse) can be divided into either 2 or 3 sub divisions or multiples of these numbers (5s, 7s and others are possible, of course, but they are rare in the world of pop/rock/jazz, and in any case, these numbers are combinations of 2s and 3s anyway - for instance, 7 is a combination of two 2s and a 3). Up to now in these Reading Sessions we have only looked at "simple time" - rhythmic structures that are divisible by 2. So we have taken the crotchet and divided it into 2 quavers or 4 semiquavers. We will look at "compound time", where each and every beat is divided into 3, in a later session. But what if you want to just occasionally divide the beat into 3 during a piece which is predominantly in simple time ? Well this is where the TRIPLET comes in. A bracket is placed over the 3 sub-divisions and the number 3 is placed in that bracket. (You may also come across the word TUPLET - this is the generic term for any grouping of notes that are "squashed" into a beat that otherwise would be in simple time. So for instance, you might find a 5 semiquaver tuplet - 5 semis squashed into the time of 4 semis. This is known as a quintuplet). Hopefully the following play-along examples will make all this clear. All are in G minor which has 2 flats (Bb and Eb) just like it's Relative Major of Bb. As usual, everything is playable in the first 2 positions. MBBC27a [attachment=52905:MBBC27a.pdf] [attachment=52910:MBBC27a.mp3] MBBC27b [attachment=52906:MBBC27b.pdf] [attachment=52912:MBBC27b.mp3] Look at bar 17, beat one: Here we have a quaver triplet where the first 2 quavers have been joined together to create a crotchet within a triplet. And in bar 18, the 3rd quaver of the triplet is TIED over to a minim. The trick with playing all these variations (on the triplet ) is to "think" each and every triplet quaver in your head even when they are not articulated. Sometimes you will be playing these 3s directly against 2s going on elsewhere in the band. But then occasionally you will have the whole band band playing triplets like in bars 21 and 22. MBBC27c [attachment=52907:MBBC27c.pdf] [attachment=52913:MBBC27c.mp3] So here we have the crotchet triplet - 3 crotchets squashed into the time of 2. MBBC27d [attachment=52908:MBBC27d.pdf] [attachment=52914:MBBC27d.mp3] MBBC27e [attachment=52909:MBBC27e.pdf] [attachment=52915:MBBC27e.mp3] In this final exercise, we find both quaver and crotchet triplets. The Major

[quote name='cetera' post='875193' date='Jun 23 2010, 10:51 AM']This isn't true. You don't have to be published, you just have to have some evidence that your music is being performed live or has been licensed for a product or commercial release.... After all, there is no point joining if you aren't likely to earn any royalties. It is currently £10 to join PRS but you don't pay this, it is simply taken from your first earnt royalties....[/quote] I'm sure you are right. But when I joined many years ago, I remember having to send the cassette tapes (this was before CDs!) of my music that had been released. And I think they must have reduced the entry fee - I'm sure it was more like £50. But then my memory is failing (or so my wife keeps telling me!) The Major

[quote name='firmo' post='874221' date='Jun 22 2010, 10:33 AM']Sorry for what is probably a very silly question... I play in a band locally (originals so not much money involved!) and when we get paid it's always cash in hand. Would signing up to PRS etc mean we would have to be declaring the earnings and then have to complete tax returns etc? Could all end up costing more than it'd be worth if that was the case that's all... Could be better off waiting for something big-ger happens and then re-think about it then? Thanks Kevin[/quote] When you go down the road of joining things like PRS,PPL or whatever, you will be very much more on the radar of the Inland Revenue. Of course, ALL earnings are taxable, and if you don't declare the cash in hand gigs, you could end up getting in trouble ! However, it is common amongst musos to "forget" about the odd bit of cash payment - but it is a risk. To be honest, its not worth joining a collecting society unless your music generates some collectable royalties. If you play in venues that are PRS registered, then you might get a small royalty occasionally, as long as the venue fills in the forms correctly. But it will be small amounts (just pennies) and PRS don't pay up till you have accrued something like £50. If your recorded tracks get played on radio, then something a little more substantial will be forthcoming. But we are still talking relatively small sums. It depends on the listener "reach". Local radio rates are much smaller than national. If however your track gets used in an advert or a film or a syndicated TV programme, then you may start to get 100s of pounds. Most of my royalties come from abroad. So for instance, I have had tracks used for TV advertising campaigns in Japan that have turned over very nice sums, thank you very much ! But a lot of the time I get royalties of a few pence each for my tracks because they have been used on a local radio station in somewhere like South Africa or Ukraine. But I've also written a lot of music for live performance. Something played at for instance the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester will give me a royalty of a few pounds (depending on length). But a work that I wrote for an on going Education project that has been performed several hundred times, earns no PRS when we perform it in schools because schools are exempt from performance royalties. But I did get a big fat cheque when it was broadcast on Radio 3. By the way - you can't just join PRS or MCPS because you fancy it ! You have to have published material already out there. They are collecting agencies after all, and if there is nothing to collect, they will not be interested in you ! The Major

[quote name='BassMunkee' post='874141' date='Jun 22 2010, 09:05 AM']Hmm, well my contract is a non-exclusive one and I actually have full control over content, artwork, writing, blah-de-blah. The company is I think a distributor - (aggregator?). On reading through what you guys have said and upon checking out the PRS website it looks to me like I actually need an MCPS for writers agreement rather than a PRS one as I'm looking at my music being commercially released but not really looking at it being performed live. To be honest I would rather it was PRS because PRS is only a tenner and MCPS is £50 up front!! However to sign up for either you have to have already had something released and whilst I have had that with a previous band I haven't as a solo artiste (lol) yet so it's all a bit moot till the EP/album gets finished and put out there anyway. Thank you for all your help though, the whole royalties thing does seem to be a little confusing for sure.[/quote] I think you've misunderstood the "Performance" bit of PRS ! This (mostly, these days) refers to the "performance" of your composition by the CD ! When your track is being broadcast it (the "work") is being "performed". MCPS is the collecting society predominantly for publishers and record companies. My own MCPS returns are quite small as I own only a small percentage of the mechanical copyright. I guess you might have to set up your own publishing company to get the most out of joining MCPS. And yes it's all very confusing. I think I know what I'm talking about - but maybe someone else on here will think otherwise ! The Major

To be clear: (and in the broadest terms) PRS (Performing Right Society) deal with the royalties from the PERFORMANCE (or broadcast) of the composition. MCPS look after the "mechanical" royalties - in other words, the royalties accruing to the owner(s) of the recording. Most of us sign a percentage of our copyright over to a publisher or record company who then do all the leg work of getting our music out there. If a record company puts up the money for a recording (studio time / musicians fees etc), then THEY own that recording and get the "mechanicals", and, if you are the composer, you will only get the PERFORMANCE royalties (through PRS). When a piece of music is broadcast (on TV /radio / the web), a "royalty" is generated (paid by the broadcaster). This is split into different sections (sorry, don't know the percentages) to cover the composition, the performance, and the mechanicals. I've played on several hundred "classical" CDs, and get small payments from PPL (Phonographic Performance Ltd) that accrue when these CDs are broadcast around the world. The performer's percentage of the "pie" is, I believe, quite small. And when this is divided between maybe 90 players in the orchestra, we all get minuscule amounts ! But ever little bit helps ! The Major

I'm a member of PRS - MCPS. Although most of my production/library music is published by foreign companies (Sonoton in Germany / Denis Music in Holland / Stock in Belgium / etc etc) , the royalties are all channelled through PRS. When I joined many years ago, you had to have something like 6 compositions already published before they accepted you. That may well be different now. And there was a nominal joining fee (£50 ?). But over the years I've had some quite nice royalty payments. And they seem fairly efficient. You can view a list of all your "works" online. And if you perform on your own tracks (or anyone else's), you also need to be a member of PPL so you can get performance royalties. The Major

Yes I've used both Evah regulars and weichs. The weichs didn't suit me - great sound and easy (almost TOO easy) to play. But I found them a little rubbery. Not enough resistance for me. The regulars I absolutely love and have them now on both my basses. Great for orch playing and equally good for jazz. But they are noticeably thicker under the fingers and this takes a little while to get used to. With the bow, they are very strong and responsive, and evenly so at all registers. They have a nice sustain when played pizz - ideal for jazz. I would recommend them. The Major

[quote name='geoffbassist' post='869860' date='Jun 17 2010, 01:12 PM']Hi, I've passed my course and got good feedback for my recital. I've had an amazing time at the RNCM and would recommend it to anyone. Thanks for your comments. :-) cheers Geoff[/quote] Well done Geoff ! I knew you would do well. So what next ? The Major

Or: [url="http://www.thestringzone.co.uk/categories/evah-pirazzi-3"]http://www.thestringzone.co.uk/categories/evah-pirazzi-3[/url]