Mikey D

[quote name='dexter3d' post='97400' date='Dec 1 2007, 08:48 PM']Hello, I am thinking to study electric bass more in depth for the next year, or probably for 2 years. As I don't want (and I'm not able) to start a 4-year BA degree in conservatory (I already have quite some degrees in other fields), the various 'higher education' programmes seem attractive. I am thinking about any place in Europe (I'm Lithuanian myself). How about the Leeds College of Music Jazz diploma programme? Or LCCM (http://www.lccm.org.uk/)? Has anybody studied there? How are such places as Academy of Contemporary Music [url="http://www.acm.ac.uk/"]<a href="http://www.acm.ac.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.acm.ac.uk/[/url]</a>, Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (http://www.icmp.uk.com/) considered in UK? I am also considering DJAM school in Amsterdam (www.djam.nl/). I am interested mostly in jazz improvisation, I would like to study it seriously. Maybe there's something else to consider? Thanks for comments![/quote] I study on the Jazz BMus Hons at Birmingham conservatoire and my opinion on the course has been put on this site a few times. Bear in mind, wherever you study jazz electric bass, prepare yourself for the guaranteed snobbery towards the bass as not being an upright, but you will most definately find some people who don't care if it is electric or upright. You say you already have a degree so you can try any of the places that offer a diploma, Birmingham and Leeds do. If you come to birmingham you will study with Fred Thelonious Baker and Mark Hodgson on electric, you get 40 1-2-1s a year, as well as other lessons, which will include musicianship with Mike Williams (quite possibly the most talented musician I have come across and what he doesn't know about jazz and improvisation is minimal). Look on google for birmingham conservatoire and you will have all the info you need. Other than that, there is a very talented community of young jazz musicians and there are normally about 10 or so people on the diploma course at one time. I'm not saying here is the best as I have no experience with the other colleges etc, but as an electric bassist I encountered a lot of issues towards the instrument from others, but you have to just do what you want to do and hopefully when you find your voice it wll all pay off.. AJ5string on here also went to birmingham and can give his opinion. Leeds has Zoltan Dekany who I have heard many great things about and he was the dep of choice for Jeff Berlin when he was out in the US, so he can't be too bad! Where are you based at the moment? Are you taking jazz improvisation lessons already? I can send you a few things that we work on here to give you an idea of what to expect. If you are really serious about studying seriously, you could even consider taking just one to one lessons with a good teacher and playing as much as you can, it depends if the diploma itself will mean much to you or not. I also met a portugese bassist in Ireland last summer who went to Amsterdam, and if his playing was anything to go by, the standard must be pretty good, but he did also have lessons with Gary Willis so who knows! I'm not sure if they do anything equivalent to a diploma etc, but Gary Willis actually teaches at a conservatoire in spain, might be worth checking out!

Chad Wackerman it is then! I'm so looking forward to this, I think I am going to go on monday and wednesday.

It's a common Db or C# major pentatonic. Db(C#), Eb(D#), F, Ab(G#), Bb(A#) 1 - 2 - 3 - 5 - 6

He was double jointed!

The worst I had was pieces of glass embedded in my foot, not sure how it works, but the pieces were bigger than the entrance holes!? This was friday night, sat in the emergancy room for 4 hours, so 2am comes along and the doctor says they have to operate on it the next evening...sorry no can do, I got a gig. The doctor understood, he was a fellow bassist! Couldn't give me pain killers though because I wouldn't stay in the hospital over nignt so had to hobble around and do the gig sitting down. The worst part was when the most attractive girl in there stood on my foot!! Needless to say, I was like "thats ok, it doesn't hurt that much!" Then wait until monday for the op...the show must go on. I don't think I've ever been physically sick on a gig though, well not without the aid of alcohol!

[quote name='Jase' post='92013' date='Nov 21 2007, 09:56 AM'][url="http://www.garywillis.com/pages/bass/bassmanual/setupmanual.html"]http://www.garywillis.com/pages/bass/bassm...etupmanual.html[/url][/quote] Probably the best article you will find on the subject. Gary's my boy!

Its worth keeping an eye on this on ebay... [url="http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZwaluser5"]Trace Elliot V-Type and seperate 4*10[/url] Haven't tried it personally, but heard good things. Think there are a few guys on here that can vouch for them. Also, I'm not fond of Mark Bass at all...

[quote name='Alun' post='89654' date='Nov 16 2007, 09:25 PM']I know what you mean - I don't know how I'll cope with a whole night of it, but I get to see ...and Chad Wackerman[/quote] Gary Husband is it not!?

Hopefully going to the wolverhampton one.

A tribute to the F***ing Man! I can't express how much I enjoying watching, listening, trying to understand how he does it all on double bass....here is a playlist I made of I think all of his vids on youtube. Please check him out. If you know about him already, have another watch...it'll be worth it. It would appear you can't embed playlists on here...so you'll have to take the effort to click this: [url="http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9C7B462AFE2BE284"]Lots of NHOP[/url]

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='88008' date='Nov 13 2007, 06:41 PM']Steve Swallow[/quote] Indeed. For me, NHOP/Ray Brown/Oscar Pettiford as it may have pushed me into learning upright properly when i was younger. I wish I got into someone like Dominique Dipiazza instead of Wooten.

It depends what your goal is. If you want to be a working bassist, or even play in a band. Chances are you won't play slap that much, if at all. If you are doing it for purely personal reasons and enjoy it fine, but learning slap should not be the be all end all. I spent far too much of my youth 'perfecting' the advanced slap techniques, and to be honest, it was a waste of time that I wish I could have back. Apart from a few mates who may be impressed, and having a few flash licks, I haven't really ever used it. I also haven't really played slap in about 1 1/2 years now, apart from a few pops and slaps here and there in a r&b/pop type function band I play in. I can think of 10's if not 100's of things you could be better of doing to improve your finger strength, reach, technique etc...bass playing in general. Tell us what you aspire to do with your playing and I am sure quite a few people on here can suggest a few things. Also I just want to say that tempo should not be an issue. Start as slow as you can bear and when you can do it correctly, play it a little faster, never speed up until it is secure when playing it slower, and before you know it you are doing it as fast as needed. But at the end of the day you need to do what makes you happy and keeps you passionate about your playing.

Ah, Tyrone finally got it on there...I have been waiting for this for a while. I was in sligo on the jazz workshop (which I highly recommend) learning with Dominque Dipiazza, but I found time to pick Rufus' brain when no one else was about...obivously, very knowledgable.

I love em! When I was working at Virgin Megstore as jazz specialist I used to crank that album out in the "specialist" music section...sold quite a few aswell.

[quote name='poptart' post='84048' date='Nov 5 2007, 04:20 PM']Just to let you guys know after the success of Music Live - I will be trying to organise some open day/nights soon in the Midlands area, for starters, to allow Basschatters the chance to try out all this gear again and, if you like, bring your own gear in to A-B it. Mark[/quote] I'm there...Birmingham would be ideal! I would love to try the W&T stuff and the Nordstrands.

[quote name='synaesthesia' post='85215' date='Nov 8 2007, 02:32 AM']Was just watching DVD of Dizzy G at Royal Festival Hall with Arturo Sandoval, James Moody, Flora Purim, Giovanni Hidalgo, Airto Moriera etc... John Lee absolutely smokes on electric bass guitar! Check it out! BTW, Arturo Sandoval can't be human to hit notes like that....[/quote] Ah actually, I need to add John Lee to that list...he is an excellent support player and soloist, and yes he defintely swings on electric. I first heard him on some Gillespie UN Orchestra recording and was pretty shocked as to why i had not heard of him before.

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='84911' date='Nov 7 2007, 01:55 PM']Anybody else care to share any transcribing tips?[/quote] Be able to sing it first, even if it is just a bit at a time. Get transcribe or some that can slow the track down and personally i write the rhythm out first as I can do that no problem once i can sing it. The notes are the hard part! I just take i in phrases and try and play it. Once it is right I will write the notes into the rhythm. Of course sometimes, I don't write things down, then I just work on a phrase at a time playing it along with the recording. TOP TIP: Get ear training into your practice routine and transcibing (which is obviously part of it aswell...isn't it!?) will be much easier.

Same, just as bad as electric and unfortunately, I am even talking about a lot of people i study with aswell who are 18-23 who have this opinion. I'll learn 'em!

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='84994' date='Nov 7 2007, 04:42 PM']Hey Mikey D - you an' me both. I started playing jazz on electric (fretless) in 1986 and am still a great believer in its potential in the jazz genre. Whilst you can't beat a double bass for sounding like a double bass, a properly placed electric bass sound can easily make something swing. I guess the question is what kind of swing is it. Paul Chambers and Charles Mingus 'swing' differently so why can't Steve Swallow (who is THE swingingest bass player ever to plug in) and Anthony Jackson? I think its all about where your bass sound sits in in the sonic spectrum and how it interacts with other instruments (primarily the drummers ride cymbal). I think it is important to work with your instrument AND your amp to make the sound work (I use a Wal Custom Fretless and an Eden Metro combo - I know the Gallien Kruger combo is popular for jazz but, for me, it doesn't fill the right sonic space to make the music swing. Most people use it because it doesn't weigh much not because it sounds right). The truth is if a musician wants to book a double bass player to fulfil his musical vision, s/he should do so. If, however, s/he prefers a double bass player who can't swing to an electric bass player who can, then it is for appearances only, s/he is an idiot and I don't really want to play with him anyway.[/quote] Since 1986? You obviously haven't let the man keep you down! I'm personally finding it hard with the negative attitude to the electric (even nowadays), but saying that I am lucky enough to have quite a few people who are open minded and do have the attitude "if it swings, it swings". I'm not a fan of the Gks either. Unfortunately, your last sentance just about sums it up! I swear most people would rather have upright instead of electric in a jazz combo/ensemble for the reasons you and I have stated.

[quote name='synaesthesia' post='84887' date='Nov 7 2007, 01:15 PM']I'd not worry about mimicing an upright with an electric slab, if you need to play an acoustic upright then go play an acoustic upright, otherwise just play the music... Chuck Webb, Stanley Banks, Alex Blake all swing on an electric bass guitar.[/quote] I know what you are saying, but if you are talking the role of the bass which is usually upright, it does help if the sound is more in line with the bassy thump of an upright than the more singing fretless sound. I have experimented with this with my teacher (one of the UKs foremost upright bassists and mean mean electric player) and I have to say, the more you go to try and mimic (not sound exactly like, but change attack, decay of notes and emphasis...) the timbre of the upright, the better you sound. However, saying that as bilbo says, it is more about where you sit in the whole sound spectrum that the individual tone you create. You are also lucky to work with so many musicians who can accept the electric as a valid instrument in the jazz context and I will have to check those guys out some more. Isn't Alex predominately an upright player? I'm talking about players would are forging ahead in the jazz genre solely on the electric. Also can you recommend some albums of Stanley's and Chuck's that demonstrate them swinging for me to check out. Cheers.

[quote name='guitarnbass' post='84871' date='Nov 7 2007, 12:55 PM']Well, music doesn't care whether you play jazz on an upright or an electric...[/quote] Unfortunately, a lot of players still do.

Unfortunately there is still the snobbery towards the electric as a lot of electric players don't make it swing and like it or not as soon as you pull an electric bass out at a jazz gig/jam there are preconceptions and unfortunately there aren't too many people in the jazz community that are completely open minded about it. I will be the first to admit that NOTHING can reproduce the sound of the upright exactly, but you can get close. I spend a hell of a lot of my time trying to sound convincing on electric bass playing jazz as I have made the choice to dedicate myself to electric more than upright in a jazz setting and unfortunatly it is not as easy as a lot of people will have you believe. I also know that some people on here might now say "I play with my thumb and it sounds the same". It doesn't. It is not just about being in time and playing right notes, although these are very important. Sound is a big factor. The upright has a completely different attack and decay to an electric, but trying to mimic this can do wonders for your walking lines. Some people use flatwounds, a foam mute, turn off their treble and/or pick with their thumb and it sounds ok. I personally turn of my treble on my GWB35 and put a small piece of foam under the roundwound strings by the bridge and it sounds ok. For serious study of walking check out Kind Of Blue (Paul Chambers), We Get Requests or Nighttrain (Ray Brown) and go from there., If you are interested in going down the route of doing it properly on the electric (May god have mercy on your soul), for players who are excellent at playing convincing walking jazz on electric check out Anthony Jackson (wtih Michel Petrucciani and steve gadd), Jimmy Johnson, Laurence Cottle and especially Steve Swallow. I don't think there are any other bigger name electric players out there who really swing. One thing I would recommend on the electric is practice with the metronome on 2 and 4 and put more emphasis on these notes when walking as it will give a better feel. Oh and if you can, get a teacher. Also check out the technique forum, someone asked about 'Walking Bass' and I posted a very helpful sheet to get you started.

My signal chain is tbone condensers>spirit 328>m-audio lightbridge>pc and back again to spirit then out through a pair of monitors and they don't seem to hiss at all. Nothing I can put up yet as it was done on my mates pc, but I should be able to put some up on myspace or something soon (prob a couple of weeks though as I won't have access to the gear again until then).