fatback

I have to disagree with the idea that it doesn't matter if the name exists. I argued furiously with my band over this, and in the end the decision was to go with a name that existed already. Result, an enormous list if you search on youtube or google. Totally unnecessary obstacle for potential fans. A big pain, and that's for a band not involved in contracts, record companies etc. .

i think you'll find most experts say no third finger until you get up to the top half of the board. Having said that, if you're a bass guitar player who uses one finger per fret [i]and a pivoting thumb[/i], you might be interested in the Rabbath technique. I reckon it saved me two years of development time. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54pMdTCmo8g[/media] First a disclaimer - I'm a beginner, not a teacher. The problem with the Rabbath method is that, imo at least, no book or vid presents it clearly for beginners. The Sturm vids above are a good start though. Here are what I see as the critical points: 1. Rabbath is not about one finger per fret. You use your third finger (in lower positions) to reinforce your little finger. It is about [i]pivoting [/i]off the thumb so you get two tones in a span[i]. [/i]Pivoting allows you to play octave scales etc without shifting position. 2. Most important of all, unlike pivoting with bass guitar, you restrict your thumb positions on the neck to three - beside G, A and B on the E string (I use four, adding F#, as my hands are small). The point of this is to minimise the amount of arm shifting that goes on, these being the source of most intonation problems. 3. Absolute accuracy in thumb placement is the key to the whole method. The thumb should never be any place other than the set positions. If you get thumb placement right, your intonation will always be spot on. Your arm only has to learn a couple of critical distances, so it's easy to practice and get right. 4. You don't get hung up on fingering or take fingering prescriptions literally. You have loads of fingering choices, the main choice is about the best pivot points to play any particular passage. 5. You don't have to ignore Simandl; that's just one more possibility. But your brain will hurt less. Of course the Rabbath method involves loads more than this, but for a bass guitarist who thinks in pivoting terms, this is a glorious shortcut for upright. All you have to do to adjust is change the way you use the third finger and reduce the number of thumb positions you use to pivot off. Downsides? Few teachers will teach Rabbath, and the available materials (even the expensive 'Art of the Left Hand' video) aren't very good.

[quote name='wally8' timestamp='1382617173' post='2254447'] Does anyone struggle on stage without monitors hearing these small low level cabs? I love a tall rig so some of the speakers are close ish to ear height. On a small stage basically sitting on your cab/amp is always a pain even with tall cabs but a little knee high cab is surely a struggle? [/quote] You really need to wedge it or raise it up. You do lose volume though if you raise too high. Lack of boundary reinforcement etc.

[quote name='owen' timestamp='1382611861' post='2254291'] She is quite obviously not a proper bassist. Singing at the same time? You know the bass police will be arresting her pretty soon. [/quote] Totally agree. Was watching Richard Bona the other day and thinking about how singing bass players have obviously beamed in from another planet where everyone has two brains. I mean, play fair.

[quote name='alexclaber' timestamp='1382518310' post='2253014'] We'll be sending Roqsolid dimensions asap for all the cabs! fatback, I think for more normal upright bass requirements the Big Twin 2 would be complete overkill as the Big Baby 2 goes well into 'can't hear the drummer and the singer is giving me looks of hate' SPL territory on its own. However, in the process of creating a cab which combines the best aspects of the Big Twin T, S12T and S15, I think we've ended up creating the ultimate rockabilly slap cab! [/quote] Thinking of changing our genre so I get to use that cab. I'll defo be interested to hear of anybody using the Big Baby with upright.

Oh yes, although my affections have since been transferred to the wonderful Linda Oh.

[quote name='marvin spangles' timestamp='1382472383' post='2252671'] Just got word back from Rick at Acoustic Image. Amp repaired ... Result !!!! [/quote] That's impressive service.

Amazing programme on Sky arts last night about Kinshasa's (and maybe Congo's) only classical orchestra. This is in a country torn to pieces by war and where daily life is a desperate struggle. All the players are amateurs who conjured their instruments out of lord knows where. When they started they had to replace broken violin strings with bicycle brake cables. The double bass player sacrificed his own instrument by taking it to bits so he could work out how to make two more, which he did. Totally humbling. The proper name of the doco is Kinshasa Symphony. [url="http://www.africandigitalart.com/2010/10/kinshasa-symphony-a-documentary/"]http://www.africandigitalart.com/2010/10/kinshasa-symphony-a-documentary/[/url]

Really useful review, thanks. I use an EA amp too, incredibly clean and flat, and it sounds like the big twin matched well. I'm keen to see one of these for real to get a sense of its bulk on stage.

Heartbreaking sight. The very best of luck. Hopefully, you will manage to get a loan bass as folks have suggested.

Interesting, thanks

Clarky, do you notice a big difference between the Spiro mittels and weichs?

[quote]I've just been compiling the summer's festy gig photos to put up on the band website - got some nice ones....#[/quote] Oh great pics, rev. i love to see a band having a ball.

Very useful review, thanks. Interesting to hear about the combination of different generations, as that's still a bit of a question mark.

I'd better be still playing at 90, cos it's going to take me that long to learn this thing. And then I'll wish had another twenty to go

[quote]Got mine!!![/quote] Oh no, I thought I was safe bar gassing for another Midget. I'd kinda thought that a huge cab like that would be feedback hell. But you're not having any problems you didn't have before?

Terrific guide. This really should be a sticky somewhere.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1381257202' post='2236623'] I'm not in a position to poke fun at their technique I'm struggling to play without a hat these days. [/quote] Very important to bring a spare hat.

No, I think there's a better chance of bashing the bridge off something than breaking a metal string. I try to make myself bring an electric, but I'm not sure I can remember how to play it.

[quote name='spencer.b' timestamp='1381181382' post='2235615'] Think it was Neville Malcolm who's a fantastic electric player [/quote] That's him! Thanks.

[quote name='timbo1978' timestamp='1381096286' post='2234399'] Just watched it on iplayer - yeah, doesn't look like Aaron James. cool hat though, i think its a prerequisite for being in his band ;-) [/quote] Should always be a prerequisite.

I wonder was this guy a dep. He doesn't look much lie the pics of Aaron James at all. @Pete, not only more uprights (it seemed) but Goldfrapp had two if you count the string section.

Who was the glorious upright player with Gregory Porter on Jools this week? Talk about a tone to die for. Cool hat too.

Really interesting. Didn't know anything about these. That Duke website is cool indeed.