The Funk

Something I thought I should add: one reason the major and minor pentatonic scales are useful is that they contain the same notes as a lot of other commonly used scales - and leave out the ones which differ between them. For example, the minor pentatonic covers the same notes as the Dorian, Aeolian and Phrygian modes, and all of the chord tones of a minor 7th chord.

I kind of agree with Alex on this one, even though I get what the other guys are saying and agree with that too. I'd go a different way and take each of the songs in your set and work out each chord/scale one by one. It's the best way to learn which scales/chords are used the most on the type of music you play. Most funk tunes have a major 6th, minor 7th, root/octave thing happening, which usually translates to the Dorian and Mixolydian modes, depending on whether the chords are minor or major. That major 6th, minor 7th, root/octave thing sounds a bit too chirpy for most metal but that funky sound has filtered through into a lot of hard rock through some of the funkier classic rock bands like Aerosmith and AC/DC. That's how you can find that Dorian thing happening in [i]Mr. Brownstone[/i] - one of the songs in your set. Another staple sound of hard rock/metal going back to [i]Smoke On The Water[/i] and a lot of things by Black Sabbath is the diminished 5th. As dlloyd pointed out above, it's a note in the blues scale and there it's usually used as a passing tone between the 4th and the 5th, as it can sound quite unresolved if you dwell on it. Well, in a lot of metal, the sound you're going for is one that's slightly unnerving and so that diminished 5th is quite popular. I haven't explained what Dorian, Mixolydian, major 6ths, diminished 5ths and all the rest mean 'cos I think dlloyd's theory primer in the theory section covers all of that really well. But I would suggest that Alex is right that you should learn how chords are formed and then which scales can fit them. But definitely put it all to a practical purpose right from the beginning. Try to figure out how the songs you already know and play are constructed harmonically.

Just ask the guitarist which ones he knows...

Better than just playing along to a metronome is recording yourself to a click track and listening back to just how sloppy your time is. The better I get, the sloppier my own playing sounds to me.

My dream rig is pretty simple. My current preamp: Aguilar DB680 My current power amp (x3): Eden WT1000 / WT1250 My current cabs (x6): Acme Low B2 - stacked in two cross-firing columns, each 6 x 10 high Plus a filthed out, maxed out Ampeg SVP-CL preamp (footswitchable) in the effects loop of the Aguilar preamp. Bass-wise, I'd have a custom 5-string Warwick Infinity with the Jazzman pick-up combination - but with Bartolinis instead of the MECs and with an Aguilar onboard preamp instead of the MEC. The neck would be an '80s Warwick shape and it would be a neck-through bass with bubinga wings and zebrano facing - and without the f-holes of the Infinity Neck-Through models.

[quote name='geilerbass' post='264490' date='Aug 18 2008, 12:54 PM']In all fairness, she was very pleasant - friendly and knowledgeable. To the point where I actually reconsidered my stance on the place and almost considered buying a bass. Sad that she's gone and has been replaced by another bunch of ignorant muppets.[/quote] She was. Sometimes you'd be lucky and she was the only person there. She'd even bollock some of the other staff there for not getting back to me with information when they said they would.

[quote name='bnt' post='264471' date='Aug 18 2008, 12:35 PM']I've only been in the Bass Cellar once, but I had a different experience. The young lady there at the time didn't mind me trying two different basses[/quote] That was Simone who left a while ago. She was great.

I go into the Bass Cellar every few days when I'm not doing anything - and never buy anything. They always let me try whatever I want. People treat you differently when you're a bit older. They're still knobs about everything there though.

[quote name='phil_the_bassist' post='264423' date='Aug 18 2008, 10:37 AM']Is there anywhere on the forum to list a warning of nightmare venues? (Mods, would this be appropriate?)[/quote] Nothing wrong with user reviews as long as they don't descend into rants and baseless rumours.

Can you stick them on youtube? I can't see them on my Mac.

[url="http://www.myspace.com/erickbass"]http://www.myspace.com/erickbass[/url] "Don't f*** with the Jesus"

[quote name='Bigwan' post='263098' date='Aug 15 2008, 02:23 PM']How do you handle gig nerves or do you eventually get over them the more you play?[/quote] You eventually get over them.

[quote name='coasterbass' post='263124' date='Aug 15 2008, 02:46 PM']Does anyone else actually have room to move about on stage?[/quote] Very good point. Not at most venues.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='263120' date='Aug 15 2008, 02:43 PM']With practice you'll be able to achieve both[/quote] I agree. I'm working on the showmanship side of things now after years of working on my playing.

[i]Game[/i], a song I wrote! I made the main riff slightly fiddly just to see if I could trip up the guitarist. After a little work and a few teething problems, he has it down - but I fumble it every time now!

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='263089' date='Aug 15 2008, 02:17 PM']Accuracy every tmie![/quote] Accuracy for me too. But I've recently discovered I can play most of the things I play with the bass behind my head or between my legs. I've been forbidden from ever doing that onstage by everyone who knows.

[quote name='Toasted' post='262404' date='Aug 14 2008, 01:37 PM']Holy sh*t! You playing with living metal god Adrian Erlandsson. Wow! [/quote]

Congratulations! What's the name of your band? Now would be a good time to drop a myspace link...

I agree with everyone who says it was his best album. The stuff The Jacksons were putting out around the same time was also excellent.

That is a matter of preference, isn't it? Any head can work with any cab (so long as the minimum load is respected) - it's all about what sound you're after... which is normally why people suggest you try out different combinations first. I preferred the sound of a GK head with Hartke cabs than Hartke/Hartke and GK/GK. GK/GK sounded a little too aggressive and a little too clean while Hartke/Hartke sounded a little too... fuzzy. I didn't think the Hartke heads were clean enough. GK heads = clean but growly; Hartke cabs = mid-rangey and clear. I think the combination balances out quite well.

I run Audacity on my Mac. It works well. It helped me work out a couple of basslines.

GK heads + Hartke cabs work pretty well together. Clean and aggressive without being harsh or sterile.

[quote name='Sean.Robinson' post='259324' date='Aug 10 2008, 02:55 PM']Hi, the mods would be reversible, though im not thinking towards there impact price, was steering more towards how you would think they would impact on the tone along with opinions on the components, the pickups and acg preamp please Thanks Sean[/quote] If the mods are reversible, then you can put it back to original spec and sell on the preamp and pick-ups separately. The only thing about the MEC Twin-J bridge pick-up on the Infinity is that it's not quite a standard shape or size - so you might not be able to find a simple replacement. As for the tone, I definitely think the MEC J/Twin-J pick-ups (and the preamp) are the weak links on the Infinity basses. I prefer the look of the Infinity range but prefer the tone of the Jazzman pick-up combination. I don't know why there isn't an Infinity Jazzman!

[quote name='Cantdosleepy' post='260084' date='Aug 11 2008, 04:05 PM']Krishnan Guru-Murthy.[/quote] I saw him come out of The Bass Cellar with a grin on his face once. I guess that makes him one of the many bass players who find the level of service in that place laughable.