Grimalkin

15 minutes ago, EliasMooseblaster said:

 

Glad I'm not alone in this one - I know we've all griped about playing with "shed-builders" in the past, but I've also lost count of the numbers of drummers I've met at jam nights, etc who think "relax; let it swing a bit" means "please play this next one as a lumpy, cack-handed shuffle."

I'd rather think of myself as a musician that happens to play bass than a bassist. I listen to it all, melodies, drum parts, chord progressions and whatever else. Denoting yourself as a bassist sort of boxes you in IMO, people assume that you only listen to basscentric stuff.

Drummers the same, I've worked with technicians and I've worked with musicians.. The musicians are looking at the whole picture. Not just concentrating on their bits...

5 minutes ago, The fasting showman said:

I'm currently in a band with a drummer that drags like crazy, sadly of the two bands I'm in it's the one with the most gigs; isn't that always the way?

He often trots out the phrase 'serve the song'...in reality that means the first 8 bars of every song he's figuring out what to play, then I'm shackled to whatever he does for the next three minutes, akin to jogging with a rucksack full of house bricks. And these are paying pub/ club gigs I should add. In rehearsals there's lots of the dog ate my homework / why is everyone being so nasty excuses. From a man in his 50s.

 

 

I can't convey how exhausting it is to carry every tune and how if it's a precise iconic bass part there's the responsibility of driving the band as well as playing your own part. I've derived great solace from this thread, my addition would be 'To respect the dance floor'.

 

I think I need to get my backside into gear and find a better gig.

No possibility of edging him out guess? I know the feeling, it sucks the joy out of it, for all concerned. Lumpen.

Can they programme?

1.32 - 2.42:

Nigel Tufnel : Look... still has the old tag on, never even played it.

Marty DiBergi : [points his finger]  You've never played...?

Nigel Tufnel : Don't touch it!

Marty DiBergi : We'll I wasn't going to touch it, I was just pointing at it.

Nigel Tufnel : Well... don't point! It can't be played.

Marty DiBergi : Don't point, okay. Can I look at it?

Nigel Tufnel : No. no. That's it, you've seen enough of that one.

It's an interesting question, there has been plenty of mutual respect between myself and most of the accomplished drummers I've worked with in the past, but I've never thought to ask what they look for in a bass player, timing obviously has got to be there. As for the rest I wouldn't know. I suppose if it grooves then it's working.

Drummers are just happy to have someone to have a bevvy with.

It is well known though rarely spoken that drummers have an undying admiration for Toucans. Indeed, even the most introverted and chronically shy drummer will open right up, if gently coaxed into discourse of Toucans.

If it's a choice between a drummer who plays forward of the beat, or a drummer that drags, I'd take the forward every time. Dragging is a groove killer.

There was once a haven from the wickedness of the world, Wetherspoon's Monday Club. Sadly no more. I mind of seeing the members of said club appearing now and again, squinting into the midday sun like freshly unearthed moles.

"And malt does more than Milton can
To justify God's ways to man.
Ale, man, ale's the stuff to drink
For fellows whom it hurts to think:
Look into the pewter pot
To see the world as the world's not."

A.E. Housman - A Shropshire Lad.

“The Savage nodded, frowning. "You got rid of them. Yes, that's just like you. Getting rid of everything unpleasant instead of learning to put up with it. Whether 'tis better in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows or outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them...But you don't do either. Neither suffer nor oppose. You just abolish the slings and arrows. It's too easy."


Aldous Huxley - Brave New World.

8 minutes ago, gjones said:

I asked a previous, lazy drummer with my band, who was tickling his drums, to play with reeds instead of sticks (I persuaded him that it would encourage our guitarist to play quieter).

 

Although the volume was more or less the same, the intensity was much greater, as he had to put a lot more effort into playing his kit to keep up with the level of the band.

 

We ended the gig with him drenched in sweat and the audience shouting for more.

 

It was very rock n roll.

Intensity is the right word, whatever volume you are playing at the reference has to be defined. Especially if you're looking to make people move. I'm not a fan of drummers that are too light, too rinky-dink bingo interval sort of feeling.

37 minutes ago, gjones said:

Doesn't forget his flipping cymbals, and gets us sacked from a really cool venue, like the last guy did!

You should have given him a mic and told him to mimic them... The splashes and crashes, and some sound effects.

Having the right presence for what they are playing, I've depped with a couple of drummers in the past that were too light. Very uninspiring. Not driving when they should have been.

19 minutes ago, Roger2611 said:

And I thought this thread was going to be about Feeders greatest song....flounces off in a huff 😂

Don't laugh, a man is in pain here.

The least you can do is join us in a rousing chorus of Kumbaya.

4 minutes ago, chriswareham said:

I can tweak a set up that's already in the ball park, but removing the nut on this bass looks a bit of an effort as they clearly applied a final finish once the nut was installed. Removing it would likely need considerable care, and I've never had to prepare a new nut before - I assume they either come unslotted or need a fair bit of work.

How much neck relief has the bass got?

I fret the first fret on the E string (F) then put my elbow on the string at the last fret, and visualise and feel by pressing at the 9th fret, to gauge what the relief is. By eye alone is tricky, so it's useful to feel the gap too.

11 minutes ago, Paul S said:

 

I say, well done.

It's nowhere near rocket science...

10 minutes ago, Cscsiga said:

But it’s interesting how devisive this topic is. 
 

You must be new here...

I set them all up myself as soon as they have arrived basically.

I like having a bridge pickup in a fretless. I would just do it.

Must have a knowledge of Toucans.