wulf

I've not spent much time on this forum for a while but I've been a regular on Scott's Bass Lessons, where I recently started a thread reminiscing about the books we started on. How to Play Bass Guitar wasn't my very first one and, I have to confess, I never actually owned a copy but I might have bought it if I'd found one in those pre-Internet shopping days. However, I had it out of the local library several times. My recollection is that mentioned something about classical music based exercises, like etudes and (I think) specifically playing Bach's cello music. I probably first read the book round about 1987 and it inspired me to study some of Bach's cello suites when I was doing GCSE music and using one of the pieces (admittedly the easiest one I could find!) as part of my successful performance exam. It is a book I remember fondly from my early playing years and although I can't recall everything about it, I owe your Dad a debt of gratitude for that one thing which influenced me and has stuck with me. Wulf

Too late now for Bilbo's decision but I find Lilypond very useful for creating charts. Very customisable and fairly straightforward to use with an interface program like Frescobaldi. Mind you, I say fairly straightforward but I probably should qualify 'if you think like a computer programmer'. I've only watched people using Sibelius rather than working with it directly but my impression is that Lilypond can be abstruse in comparison! However, if Sibelius is now on a subscription-model (ie. we can gouge your pockets every year and you'll thank us for the privilege), it wouldn't hurt to take the precaution of saving copies of your finished and parked projects in both PDF format for printing and MusicXML format, which Lilypond and others can open. MusicXML probably won't get all the details right if you really dig into using Sibelius for all it is worth (thus another reason for keeping a PDF on hand) but is a fairly competent interchange format. Wulf

I'm a bit late back to the party but that's a wonderfully in-depth comparison. For my purposes, I'm glad I've got the B3 as I find things like having the looper always available and the USB audio interface very useful. Overall, it is a useful reminder to check the specs on what you are actually buying and not rely on the fact that the device has a similar name. Cheers, Wulf

What kind of bolts did the Promethean use and how did the head section link to the speaker? Was it a no-tool set-up or a bit more involved? Wulf

But, as far as I can see, Ibanez have given up on the detachable aspect of that range. Sounds like you are a fan of the design so I'm assuming it works well in practice but I guess it didn't provide enough extra sales for Ibanez to want to throw in the small amount of extra hardware and assembly costs. Wulf

From the posts here and the limited amount of extra reading I've done, I think I'm going to stick with my B3 for now. I have found it useful having a built in DI from time to time (saves carrying a separate DI when you aren't expecting to use it) and I like having the looper available all the time rather than (from what Elfrasho wrote last year) having to include it in each patch as an effect. I would like the option of having more FX at once. My work around is to arrange consecutive patches that share 1-2 effects but swap out key flavours (eg. flanger OR distortion). That said, most of the time I'm using 'invisible' effects like compression or an amp sim and not changing much from song to song; if I wanted a lot more options, I'd probably be upgrading to something more powerful than either B3 model. Wulf

I'm in the set of people who can't quite see the benefit in a 'combo with a removable head' compared to simply treating head and cabinet as separate items. Mind you, that probably explains why there don't seem to be a lot of option. I imagine portability might be one but, as a Markbass Nano owner, you can fit the head in a bag so you don't need one hand for the bass, one for the cabinet and one for the head. That said, I also have a small combo amp which I end up using a fair amount. However, it is a Roland KC-150 keyboard amp which earns its place by having multiple inputs so that I can potentially run other instruments through it at the same time (rarely used but handy once in a while). I don't regret having the combo amp although, if I'd got the Markbass Nano first, I would probably have considered a small speaker which could handle it or my other head (old Ashdown model) along with a small mixer. Portability would still have been pretty easy and that would allow a range of combinations from small amp and unobtrusive looking speaker for the kind of gig where you want to convey the 'acoustic' vibe up to the option of using both cabs at once for lower combined resistance (getting more out of the head) and maximum air movement. Wulf

So true. On my DB, I use a Headway band pickup, typically through my Zoom B3 multi-fx and into a Roland KB-150 amp. The FX and EQ tweaks are typically about rolling off excessive harshness in the sound; I'm aiming to make the audience forget that I'm plugged in while being audible enough that they can experience the bass holding the foundation of the band together (and so that I can hear if I'm in tune) without having to play so hard I mash my fingers. The challenge with EUB is that you don't have the natural acoustic sound of the bass as a target so you have to rely on how you've heard other instruments sound. Don't forget that it helps to have the amp a reasonable distance away, particularly if it has a small cab with speakers near the floor level. That goes for any bass but I find it particularly true when playing my DB or EUB. The sound you 'hear' through your calves is a poor indication of what you are giving everyone else to suffer or enjoy! Wulf

Like most things, the best way to improve is to not give up too quickly. Plenty of helpful pointers above but I wanted to add a reminder that will take a while to get up to speed. I rarely use a pick on bass but recently resorted to it after getting serious blisters on the first two fingers on my plucking hand the day before while being a bit enthusiastic on double bass. I was surprised how easy I found it after not having put plectrum to bass in what must be the best part of twenty years... and then it struck me that the reason (and also the reason I had picks on hand) was that I often use them when playing electric guitar. D'oh! So stick with it - it might take a while to get anywhere near as comfortable as your collection of fingerstyle techniques but if you want to be able to use it fluently, give yourself time to learn. Wulf

Still works if you copy and paste the URL. Wulf

I've had plenty of gigs where reading some level of music was valuable but normally to a limited degree - for example, being able to follow a lead sheet in a jazz setting (chords, melody and possibly lyrics). To a lesser degree, there have been some where a degree of reading was essentially at least to get started - for example, playing with groups which provided dots for the bass part - although there are still plenty of opportunities outside of that. However, I want to raise a hand in support of the other side of being able to read music - being able to write it down. The two skills go hand in hand - the better you can read, the better you can write and vice versa. If you aren't blessed with a phenomenal musical memory then, like me, you might find it useful to be able to jot things down with musical notation. In several bands, I've been a bit slower on the initial learning curve but, a little further down the line, the fact I've got my own part written out has helped everyone else remember how we decided to play a song. Wulf

I did that years ago and didn't stick with it. On medium light strings (can't remember exactly what - this was the best part of 30 years ago) they get very loose. Also, if you are producing notes that low you need a system that can cope with it and I seem to recall the amp I was using at the time got a bit farty even down at a regular low E. However, it is worth noting that strings might be sold as, say, an E string, but it is really all about the tension they reach when tuned to different pitches and that is principally based on the gauge. A medium light 'E' tuned down to B is floppy but a heavy 'E' will probably cope with it even if it feels more like a light gauge string by the time it gets there. By the time you get that low, there are other physical factors that come into play, like scale length, tapering and how the string is anchored at the bridge so you might not get such a good result as a quality bass designed for that range but, with suitable strings it is feasible. Mind you, you have to decide if it is worth it for one song. Either decide learn a lot more songs that want extra low notes or perhaps just concentrate on other tunes before putting time and money into either the 'new strings' or 'new bass' solution. Wulf

When it comes to playing, I don't consciously count much. Sometimes there will be a passage where counting can be a help, particularly with lots of rests or syncopation, but I'm not constantly running 1 2 3 4 or whatever through my head. Instead, I rely more on moving a bit to keep my inline with the pulse of the song. However, I can tell you where the one... and the two and the four and anything else is, so I think the counting is still going on further back in my head. The place that gets worked in - and what I think Westenra was getting at in the original post - was the practise room, where you are learning your skills. There I think counting is essential. Over time you start to recognise patterns and it goes towards the back of the brain but you can stop at any point and check that you're nailing a rhythm. It is more obvious if you are working from dots than learning by ear but if you can't count something out, you probably don't know it as well as you think you do. The crucial thing about counting is that it lets you break free from the tyranny of speed. If I'm struggling, I'll count something out slower and repeat it and then work it up to (possibly even a little above) the speed I think I need to be able to play it. That way you can zoom in to get things just right before zooming out again and seeing the piece at regular speed. There are higher levels to reach for - a good sight reader will sound a lot better than a 'perfect' computer rendition of the dots because they can add the nuances that make the line breathe - but, to begin with, slowly and accurately is the way to go in the practise room. Wulf

They (at least the B9) can get a bit warbly trying to follow lower notes but it doesn't stick out too much if you are playing a chord. The simple answer to that is to play a bit higher up and let the built in octave drop take care of the low end. Blending with the original signal is another approach to helps cover tracking deficiencies at the lower end. They do (same B9 caveat) add plenty of sustain. Hit a note or chord and hear it go on... and on... and on... (etc). Eventually the tone of the sustained note begins to change - it isn't in quite the same ballpark as what freeze pedals seem to offer - but there is definitely sustain that goes well beyond what you'd get from the un-effected bass. Wulf

I'm a bit late to the party on this one but recently got an EHX B9, which I'm loving. It can get some very convincing organ tones and, although tracking isn't perfect all the way to the lowest notes, you can play a bit higher without losing low end as most of the settings include an octave or two below the original sound. Once you give it an input from a bit higher in the bass range, it can cope very well both with single notes and chords. Aside from messing around at home with extreme settings, my main practical use so far has been at church. By blending in plenty of the original bass sound and a more subtle dose of one of the organs (typically jazz or gospel settings rather than the cathedral one) it fills out the sound and creates the illusion of an extra musician in the group but without drawing too much attention to the fact. Obviously some gig settings call for a bit more showing off but it has definitely been a worthwhile addition. I had previously messed around with combinations of synth, octave and other things on my Zoom B3 but the B9 is above and beyond anything I managed to achieve on the multi-fx for allowing me to 'double' on keys. Wulf