The Funk

Stefan's a member of these forums. I'm hoping to catch them live soon.

[quote name='vmaxblues' post='824000' date='Apr 30 2010, 01:10 PM']On reflectin I think I have not phrased this properly, I use hammer ons and pulls off in my normal playing style, what I was being asked to do was a pull off with a bend, and it was this pull off with bend that is what is the issue. Thinking about it now I use straight pull offs and hammer ons, but not in conjuction with bends. It was this bend on the 4th fret that was killing the finger. Does that make sense?[/quote] Just about. Don't play it on the 4th fret. Play it on the lower string 5 frets further up the board.

[quote name='vmaxblues' post='823667' date='Apr 30 2010, 08:01 AM']Question is is this a technique you guys use on bass?[/quote] Yes. Pull-offs and bends are a big part of my playing.

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='823757' date='Apr 30 2010, 10:10 AM']Any thoughts on this?[/quote] Yep, I've always been a firm advocate of focusing on the hi-hat.

Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea.

Big fan of Thunder Thumbs! As is Will Ferrell (from [i]Semi-Pro[/i])

Keep catching bits of this John Entwistle Documentary on Sky Arts 1. Worth a look for all bass players. EDIT: More info here [url="http://www.skyarts.co.uk/music/article/john-entwistle-an-oxs-tale/"]http://www.skyarts.co.uk/music/article/joh...le-an-oxs-tale/[/url]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='812814' date='Apr 20 2010, 05:34 PM']Sure, but it's the sort of logic that brought us the hair-cutting vacuum cleaner attachment, or the toasted sandwich maker.[/quote] You don't like toasted sandwich makers? It'll be a gimmick for most people: anyone who's ever complained about not being able to slap on a fretless. A lot of what gets put out is about gimmicks.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='812708' date='Apr 20 2010, 04:19 PM']That's why it doesn't make sense to me. They built it with just one half-baked musical idea in mind.[/quote] What I meant to say is that there's a logic to it. I agree it's not going to be of use to most people. I'm not buying one.

Slap and pop on the lower 4 strings and do some fretless slides on the higher two. Makes sense to me.

[quote name='M-Bass-M' post='812177' date='Apr 20 2010, 07:34 AM'][...]I would suggest that the difference at the gig was the better eq setup on your Hartke amp[...][/quote] Exactly what I was thinking. A lot of people who don't really know/think about bass amps try to get as low a sound as possible. With most amps/cab, that's great for some distorted rumble but you won't be able to hear any actual notes.

Fingerings are bass-specific and therefore a piano theory book won't help at all. We're talking about two different things here: 1. chord theory 2. chord voicings for bass guitar. Pianists and guitarists, once they reach a certain standard, will spend a lot of time thinking about different chord voicings / fingerings. If bassists want to play chords (not just arpeggios) they should go through a similar exercise. The trouble is there aren't many bass books on this subject. I've never used any so I can't recommend one.

They don't know how to EQ properly. That's all it is.

Definitely stick with the Cort. I'm looking to pick one up ASAP. Remember this: your amp makes up as much of your overall sound as the bass. You've got a good start with the GB94.

An online course? I'm sure it'll be great for a lot of people but I wish it was a Wooten/Bailey-style bass camp.

[quote name='Marvin' post='810278' date='Apr 18 2010, 01:36 PM']Would you? Or am I being an idiot?[/quote] You can replace the grill on most cabs so I'd consider going along with it if the replacement grill wasn't expensive or difficult to swap back with the original after each gig.

Superb! If you're on a plane that crashes in the ocean, you can use it as a raft - and when you reach a desert island, you can live in it.

[quote name='AirTightEddie' post='809044' date='Apr 16 2010, 11:31 PM']My budget is around the £2000 mark.[/quote] Good stuff! That's enough for just about any rig you can think of. What type of sound are you looking for? You say Classic Rock but are we talking late 60s overdriven Marshall or 70s Ampeg SVT territory? Also, what size venues do you play to? And how big is your car - and do you have any back problems?

[quote name='throwoff' post='805687' date='Apr 14 2010, 08:40 AM']Everyone post their first 'rig' and how much you paid for it![/quote] Fender Jazz Bass 4 Passive (Black w/ white pickguard - Made in Mexico - new) $300 Manny's Music gig bag $free Fender practice amp of some sort - tiny (probably 10" speaker, 15W) $can't remember I still have the bass and gig bag - still a great bass; sounds good through anything. Not sure where the practice amp is. I might have given it to someone at some point. It was pointless anyway. I used to crank every single thing up on it and ended up with a very distorted sound because the speaker was being abused. It also coincided with my Jack Bruce-emulation period.

A lot of us say these types of conversations, discussions and debates are pointless. I disagree. I think they're an important part of a new musician's development. By figuring out what you like about other people's playing and music, you're also figuring out what you're all about musically.

[quote name='Marvin' post='809600' date='Apr 17 2010, 05:38 PM']Hmmm, so you keep your 5 string in a bed next to you![/quote] I bass myself to sleep sometimes. I'm not sure which is more sad: that or the nightmare.

[quote name='Oscar South' post='809397' date='Apr 17 2010, 01:26 PM']A good musician makes a good player of any instrument, likewise a bad one a bad player on any.[/quote] Tangent: I agree with the second part but not the first. I know the likes of Stanley Clarke and Herbie Hancock (heroes of mine) would agree with you but I think there's a reason most musicians are drawn to and then settle on a particular instrument. I don't think it's chance - it has all to do with personality and approach to music.