Mikey D

1. Electric Bass 2. Double Bass 3. Piano 4. Drums I had to take up double bass as part of my course and have actually beena self taught pianist for quite a few years. Piano has very helped my understanding of harmony and great for ear training and I use it for composition. Drums has helped my time and how to interact with a drummer, and how to explain what I want when playing with a new drummer. I also play a very little bit of guitar, but since i sold my 8 string guitar a few months ago I haven't touched one.

[quote name='Peaty' post='157271' date='Mar 14 2008, 10:41 AM']Fascinating stuff Mikey D if you are still reading this thread you mentioned back on page one that So should we think of it as a spiral of fifths or is the difference so small as to be undetectable to all but the most well trained ears? Pete[/quote] As has already been stated this is only in just temperment, not equal temperment. Don't worry about it.

Of course it was well intentioned, I see the forum as a place for learning and only answer if I know something about a subject (I wish only everyone did this), if they wanted to read more they can, they don't have to.

[quote name='s_u_y_*' post='156255' date='Mar 12 2008, 06:40 PM'] I couldn't put it better myself. I just left it on for entertainment value. Also because the guy doing the bass lessons was left handed, but was playing a right handed bass in standard tuning, and I thought that was pretty cool. Also, I love the adverts for the bass lessons with the teacher doing some very tasteful tapping.[/quote] Wasn't Terry Gregory was it?

[quote name='P-T-P' post='156176' date='Mar 12 2008, 04:41 PM']Actually, you both missed it! I'll claim first use, think Mikey D mentioned it too.[/quote] Although I used it in differing grammatical situations 5 times...(I say, I, but I mean the wiki article I copied, I couldn't be bothered to explain it as I have a lot of practice to do. Probably 10 hours today... )

[quote name='Paul_C' post='155799' date='Mar 12 2008, 10:05 AM']another oddity for you.. a diminished 7th chord is written R b3 b5 bb7 (which is also a 6th)[/quote] But it comes from the diminished scale where the 6th is flattened and you can't have two sixths in a scale now can you!

[quote name='queenofthedepths' post='156068' date='Mar 12 2008, 03:23 PM']Ah, still more fascinating... must explain why fretless is so wonderful![/quote] Personally I find find all this side of music very interesting. There's a great pdf available on the net called the maths in music or something, extremely heavy reading and very long, but some good content. The difference between a good fretless and a great fretless player is someone who really does adjust their tones when playing in a certain key to make the intervals truer.

[quote name='queenofthedepths' post='156050' date='Mar 12 2008, 03:10 PM']If I've understood that article correctly, the 1st fret on a standard tuned G string is half a comma sharper than a G# and half a comma flatter than an Ab?[/quote] Just to clarify this bit: If you sat at a just tempered piano and played a low g#, then the next D, then the next highest A all the way through to the Ab up the keyboard, then you are a comma out. This is why we have equal temperment, to even out the differences over the octaves.

[quote name='jakesbass' post='156058' date='Mar 12 2008, 03:17 PM']Absolutely, and if you talk to string players they (and I) can tell the difference between flats and sharps in relation to the key. Eg the C# in A major has a different brighter quality to the more dark and sombre Db of B flat minor tiny differences and more about tonal qualities of keys than anything else. Thats why Ellington/Strayhorn tunes have their own qualities, lots of Db, rich, thick and luscious sounds for ballads.[/quote] Right on...

[quote name='queenofthedepths' post='156050' date='Mar 12 2008, 03:10 PM']That's fascinating, but I'm not quite sure I understand... are you saying that if Bach (for example; could be any pre-equal temperament musician) wrote an Ab, it would sound different to a G#? If so, how would one go about playing these different notes on a harpsichord? Or a flute or whatever... or even a fretted bass guitar? If I've understood that article correctly, the 1st fret on a standard tuned G string is half a comma sharper than a G# and half a comma flatter than an Ab? But I always thought we had equal temperament as standard ever since Pythagoras anyway [/quote] He wrote the "Well tempered" clavier, not the equal temperment clavier. This is why historians think that composers wrote in certain keys to get a certain mood etc. Harpsichord tuning is another kettle of fish. There are many ways to tune it. WHen you play in some keys, it sounds very pleasing, but in others it would sound intolerable due to the tuning of the instrument as a fixed pitch instrument won't be in tune with it self, unlike a violin where you can 'fret' where you want. Nope, thats why you get the Phythagorean comma when you go completely around the just tempered cycle of fifths, you don't end up on exactly the same note. Regarding the guitar etc, due to the nature of a standard fretted instrument, it is never dead on exactly in tune everywhere, its as near to it though. That's why people like buss feiten and others have other ways of tuning the guitar.

Don't forget we've only had equal temperment from about mid 1830's, and it wasn't widely spread until early 1900's for tuning purposes. I'll let wikipedia do the explaing: "Intervals in different systems of tuning In equal temperament, there is no difference in tuning (and therefore in sound) between intervals that are enharmonically equivalent. For example, the notes F and E♯ represent exactly the same pitch, so the diatonic interval C–F (a perfect fourth) sounds exactly the same as its enharmonic equivalent – the chromatic interval C–E♯ (an augmented third). In systems other than equal temperament, however, there is often a difference in tuning between intervals that are enharmonically equivalent. In tuning systems that are based on a cycle of fifths, such as Pythagorean tuning and meantone temperament, these alternatives are labelled as diatonic or chromatic intervals. Under these systems the cycle of fifths is not circular in the sense that a pitch at one end of the cycle (e.g. G♯) is not tuned the same as the enharmonic equivalent at its other end (A♭); they are different by an amount known as a comma. This broken cycle causes intervals that cross the break to be written as augmented or diminished chromatic intervals. In meantone temperament, for instance, chromatic semitones (C–C♯) are smaller than diatonic semitones (C–D♭),[31] and with consonant intervals such as the major third the chromatic equivalent is generally less consonant. The exception to this classification is the tritone, of which both enharmonic forms (e.g. C-F♯ and C-G♭) are equally distant along the cycle of fifths, making them inversions of each other at the octave. Because of this the ambiguity cannot be resolved where octave equivalence is assumed, and the label diatonic or chromatic for either form of tritone is not useful in the context of tuning (the choice is arbitrary, and therefore unspecific). If the tritone is assumed diatonic, the classification of written intervals by this definition is not significantly different from the "drawn from the same diatonic scale" definition given above as long as the harmonic minor and ascending melodic minor scale variants are not included. Aside from tritones, all intervals that are either augmented or diminished are chromatic, and the rest are diatonic." So in the older days, E# and F weren't the same.

For Jazz, right next to the ride cymbal and staring at it for the majority of the gig (Of course I pay attention to everyone else, but the ride is the thing for me) For everything else, by the hi-hat so I can communicate easier with the drummer. I don't like standing in front of the drummer. Although, I tend to stand as close as I can to the kit and my amp as I like having the drums loud on stage.

To quote the original post: [quote name='bigd1' post='152209' date='Mar 6 2008, 10:03 AM']Just been re reading Janek's "Modern Bass Improvisations" in issue 35 of Bass Guitar Magazine. I say re read as I find what he has to say rather hard to accept. Firstly he claims to practice his exercises up to 10 hours a day ! Now we all know players who may play their given instrument all day or night, but to just be playing exercises for 10 hours, hmmmmmm yeah right. Second, he says start slowly about 50bpm, and then increase by 10bpm to improve speed. (no problem with that great advice) He then claims to go up to 400bpm playing through the first 3 Fragments. Now that means as the [b]1st & 2nd Fag[/b] is in quavers (eighth notes) at 400bpm he is saying he can play 1600 notes per minuet ! but then[b] Fag 3[/b] is semi quavers (sixteenth notes) making 3200npm. I'm would say this is not possible and even if it was, what would be the point. At that king of speed it would just sound like one long note or glissando. Some might say the point is the challenge of playing at 400bpm. I can sort of see that although, you may think I'm a bit old fashioned but, music is about just that making music, not how fast can I play it.[/quote] I have and do practice 10 hours a day, but for me it is what I'm studying and I want to be the best I can be so when I create music it is much easier to execute. Maybe some of us just have a desire to learn as much as possible and if we have the time why not use it. With regards to the BPM practice thing, when you practice something as fast as you can and accurately, it makes everything slower seem more effortless. Which I feel can only be a good thing. Especially if you want to be an improvising musician at the top of your game (Which Janek is no doubt near to or at), you want to get as many of the technical obstructions out of the way.

Steve and Yolanda in the Dolphin!? I'm there. Glad I cam back to MK this weekend. Something does happen in this city after all! Looking forward to seeing your set Kev.

If I had the money I would have done the todd one...but funds are limited. I am definately going to the garrison one though, as a student of electric bass I don't see how I couldn't.

[quote name='bassfunk' post='140146' date='Feb 14 2008, 11:02 AM']I was about to say that. I'm really rusty with my intervals. When I was at college I used to practice them all the time. We used to have a lesson every Wednesday mornings where the lecturer would play intervals and pick random people in the lecture to name the interval. The fear of getting it wrong in front of everyone was enough to make me learn them all. I have this book but never got past the first few pages. I might try again now. Another good place to practice intervals is [url="http://www.musictheory.net/trainers/html/id90_en.html"]http://www.musictheory.net/trainers/html/id90_en.html[/url][/quote] Did you go to salford!? i had that every wednesday morning aswell...I was and still am rubbish at hearing intervals.

I think no matter how much I play bass, I am actually a closet drummer. eek....Not good for a student of bass! When I watch a band I always watch the drummer... I had a kit when I was 16 (I'm now just 28) for about 2 weeks, but my mum said it was too loud, so it had to go. I have recently bought a snare and bass drum pedal as I live with a drummer from my jazz course, but his were seriously lacking on the quality front so I "upgraded them" and i am learning from all the guys I study with when I can. From a jazz point of view, learning how a drummer comps and divides the time has helped my walking lines immensely. But to be honest, I just want to sound like ?uestlove or Mark Guiliana so I shed that sort of stuff, the jazz stuff on drums doesn't interest me. I find that many drummers knowledge of rhythms (ie african, world, and especially hiphop, beatbeat etc) is quite limited, but being able to explain to a drummer how to play something from their point of veiw has improved the grooves I have to play with bands. The other funny thing is, I have actually "taught" quite a few drummers things, as I actively seek out techniques and knowledge, whereas they are on a whole, they are quite happy to just play along or learn from their teachers. As said above, i think every bassist should learn some drums, just so they can communicate on the same level with their rhythm section partners.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='136339' date='Feb 8 2008, 10:11 AM']Go diagonally from 1st fret G, 2nd fret D, 3rd fret A, 4th fret E, then 1st fret E, 2nd fret A, 3rd fret D, 4th fret G, playing one finger per fret. Then move up a fret and repeat, until you reach the top of the neck. Then go back down. My thanks to Lincoln Goines! Alex[/quote] I got this from a Satriani article yeeeears ago...has also helped my r/h for string crossing. Along with 'Patitucci's' spider exercise, these two helped my left hand the most.

Oh yeah: John Scofield - This Meets That Wes Montgomery - ... at the half note Nigel Hitchcock - Snakeranch Sessions Nice!

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='130683' date='Jan 30 2008, 02:23 PM']Mikey. Need any deps? Birmingham is only a three hour drive from Felixstowe!! [/quote] If I ever need a dep for a gig that would be worth your travel I will let you know. But I doubt it, you play 'electric' bass don't you!?

Just another recommendation for Rod! I picked up my bass last night, whereas before it was almost unplayable (it was set up for classical bowing), it now plays as smooth as butter! To the point where I can almost play things I can do on electric, but would have struggled for months to do on any other upright. I went with spirocore weichs as he had a new set around his workshop. I chose them without trying them, so a bit of a risk, but they are exactly what I was looking for. I play with a very, very light touch on electric, so playing upright has always been a hard switch for me. But the tension is ideal, without being too floppy. The new adjustable bridge also helps. I look forward to being able to get some serious practice time in on it now and do a few gigs.

[quote name='sixshooter' post='130054' date='Jan 29 2008, 03:10 PM']A Modulus Oteil 6 string?[/quote] ooooooh yes. I almost bought one of these years ago from basscentral for a good price, I sort of regret it, but i am stll to try one.

Are you looking at a classical, pop or jazz course?

[quote name='Alun' post='130889' date='Jan 30 2008, 07:06 PM']I'm afraid I'm going to give a very boring answer - learn the notes of the neck, learn chord construction ( eg what notes are in what chord ) and then apply this to the neck. This will help you in the long run much more than learning a bunch of shapes. It's a bit like the music version of the "teach a man to fish..." story Cheers Alun[/quote] Or you can give him a fiver and he can go down the chippy and eat for a day. Seriously, the best way is what alun says, learn the theory and you will never be short for chord shapes.