JPS

Have children and a poorly paid job. Has done the trick for me.

Girls and Boys - Blur.

John Entwistle, Duck Dunn, Bruce Thomas, James Jamerson and John Paul Jones. So that's noone new in the last 30+ years then!

Great show. I'd forgotten how brilliant Wilko was to watch live.

I'm really fond of my battered old Fender BXR200 combo. I know that realistically it's rubbish, but there's something about it I can't help liking.

Another recomendation for Andy Crockett. Lovely guy and does a great set-up.

Don't worry guys, it was a lot easier than I realised and I've got the hang of it already. Memo to self - don't be so lazy in future!

Does anyone know the chord progressions/bass tab for Down to Earth by Curiosity Killed The Cat? I'm teaching it to a friend's son as a favour and am trying to avoid spending hours (that I haven't got) working it out. Any pointers would be much appreciated. Thanks.

I think some players also play a 3rd and a 7th (flattened) on the D and G strings (or a 7th and a 3rd) especially when using an open E or A string. For example an open E string with the D at the 12th fret on the D string and the G# on the 13th fret on the G string. Might also slide into the two higher notes from a fret below as well i.e. 11th and 12th fret into 12th and 13th fret.

He contributes some nice playing in his current band Trio Valore as well. Return Of The Iron Monkey, a cover of Rehab and the Get Carter theme.

Thanks a lot mate. That's great advice and sounds just what I'm looking for.

What's the easiest way to make home recordings/demos? I'm not looking to record ground breaking, professional studio quality tracks, just mess around with a few half-arsed and half-baked ideas when the inspiration bites. Ideally I want to be able to record bass, guitar (electric and acoustic) and vocals live. I'd also need some sort of programmable drum kit + other instruments e.g. piano. Last time I even attempted to record any songs was about 15 years ago using a bum basic 4 track. I've looked at a few different types of software e.g. Protools, Cubase and Cakewalk. Money is very tight and it's purely for fun so I don't need 64 tracks and 34 different types of compression. Any suggestions would be greatly welcomed, Oh and the easier and more intuitive to use the better as I'm a bit of a techophobe. Thanks JPS.

In fairness could spend many a happy hour listening to Clifford Brown or John Coltrane solo. Just not virtuoso bass players for some reason. Perhaps it's jealousy on my part.

I own one Jaco album and one Marcus Miller album. That's probably 2 "bass" albums too many as far as I'm concerned. Probably says more about my shallowness than the inherent musical value of these albums in fairness.

It hasn't got a headphones socket unfortunately. Is replacing a blown filter an easy job to do?

No worries. It does have a dual band compressor yes. I've tried turning that down/off but it doesn't seem to cure the problem.

I wondered that, but I've tried several basses, one of which has just had a professional set up so I don't think it's that. Cheers JPS.

I've got a Trace Elliot AH400SMX head. Unfortunately, when I've tried using it recently I've noticed that whenever I play an open E the sound distorts. I've used different cabs, different basses, different leads etc but the distortion still remains. I've also made sure that I'm not driving the amp too hard i.e. not overloading the input stage. All in all I'm a bit of a loss. Has anyone got any suggestions as to what might be wrong or causing the distortion? Cheers JPS.

Playing an impromptu Chas + Dave medley with a groom and best man at a wedding.

I've got a couple of Ed's books and they are excellent. However, I do think there is a bit of a gap in that they don't cover using arpeggios and scales in any detail. They seem to move from root and fifth to target notes, chromatic passing notes etc. Obviously the best approach is to be able to combine elements of several approaches in a single line I suppose, but I do think it's a weakness in otherwise really helpful books.

Yes, don't worry! Isn't Jamie Cullum the biggest selling "jazz" artist in the UK?

Always preferred it to Sgt Peppers. Great songs and great bass playing. I especially like some of the less well known tunes e.g. You Won't See Me.

Sound advice Bilbo! Not the most interesting song to play even for a beginner. Personally I can't wait to play some of that proper jazz like Jamie Cullum, or Jools Holland.

Brilliant advice thanks very much. Had my first attempt at playing some (very simple) jazz with another "live" musician tonight. Really enjoyed it and didn't disgrace myself. Started with a few easier tunes to build a bit of confidence e.g. Song For My Father, Fly Me To The Moon, Sunny Side Of The Street, Bye Bye Blackbird. Will be a fair while before I'm able to play any sort of a convincing solo methinks thought. Still something to aim for. This is probably the first time I've effectively played music that demands serious study. My head hurts but in a good way! Thanks again.

Anyone got a good suggestion for an "easy" jazz blues to start transcribing?