wulf

It is pretty much impossible to answer, given that your bass, your playing style, your strings and your taste will make such a difference. There is also the question of what you are recording - a supporting role for a blues shuffle is going to want a different sound from a solo bass piece with lots of chording, for example. When I got my Bass Pod, I spent a while using my DL-4 (looper) to repeat various phrases while I fiddled with settings on the Pod. You could set up a similar experiment, even if you just play the same thing a bunch of times, making a note of the settings and then listen back. Wulf

What do you think of his other albums? I'd characterise his music as sometimes a bit too much towards the smooth jazz end of things for my tastes and occasionally twee but also rich with complexity and eclecticism. It is cleverly done and, while not as raw sounding as some artists, I think it does manage to have some emotional content. I've got Palmystery and several of his earlier releases (solo and with the Flecktones) and think this latest one is a worthy addition to the set. Wulf

Has the band got a website? List of venues played recently (to give an idea of the travelling involved)? I'm not interested (plenty of music going on already and don't think the band would be a good musical fit for me) but a bit more background information might stir up some likely contenders. Wulf

[quote name='mcgraham' post='217651' date='Jun 12 2008, 01:48 PM']Agreed. At the same time however, I would encourage people not to get downhearted if you're finding something difficult to nail 100%, getting close to something shows progress at least, and that's something to be proud of.[/quote] For me, the golden rule of transcribing is sketch the outlines first and then start filling in the details. You might end up with many unfinished sketches but that is probably a better foundation for live jazz than one or two completed masterpieces back in your study but limited facility to grasp the music as it develops and synthesise something that fits it. Wulf ps. Some great advice from Mike Pope above!

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='217427' date='Jun 12 2008, 08:56 AM']Canteloupe Island (I refuse to play it but it is usually called at least once at every jam session - really. I hate its half-assed non-funkiness)[/quote] I know exactly what you mean. The sax player in my jazz band got very suspicious the other day when he heard me say to the keyboard player "... and perhaps we could do Canteloupe early on to get it out of the way"! One for the horn section, I guess. I'm learning to love some repetitive songs (eg. "Song for My Father"... that should probably go on the list) but I could die content without ever playing Canteloupe again. BTW, I think it is invaluable to have a copy of the Real Book to hand. It is far from the be-all and end-all of jazz but a very handy common reference. There is a lot to be said for tune-memorisation and developing the skill of playing by ear but nothing wrong with also having a Real Book available. Wulf

If you like the lighter feel, use lighter gauge strings. As I recall, the ones I currently use on my six string are 120 - 95 - 75 - 55 - 35 - 25, which are very low tension but give me a sound I am happy with. Wulf

As far as I can recall from last time I went searching for bass tabs, the time spent digging something out, trying to play it, checking with the recording and discovering that it had more holes than a Swiss cheese, was generally better spent just sitting down and trying to learn the song. Sometimes a tab will help but you still have to learn to play the piece in a way that fits with what everyone else has come up with. The other lesson I learned was not to get obsessed about the details, certainly not until you have the outline of the song. Get the general structure and the easy bits first. If you get stuck trying to hear something, is there a similar part elsewhere in the song where the bassline is clearer? If you can get most of the song down quickly, you then have time left for the fiddly bits. Wulf ps. Did you try a [url="http://www.google.com/search?q=%22fool+for+your+loving%22+whitesnake+bass+tab"]Google[/url] search?

Perhaps you'll find another group needing your expert services? Even if you don't find another gospel group, I'm sure the experience will help whatever musical project you turn to next. Wulf ps. Enjoyed the rest of the recording too.

Two quick thoughts: 1. Learning basslines from recordings is invaluable even if you play in a strictly originals band because it builds your vocabulary. Try riffs and ideas from the music you have been working on, twist and adapt to fit what else is going on and you should find you have some original basslines that don't sound ripped off but do sound great. 2. Try recording your sessions with the group. Listening back to those will give you an opportunity to firm up the things you did which worked and also to listen to what else is going on, sparking new ideas. Wulf

Guitarists can play four, five and six string chords because their notes are at a higher pitch. Drop that down an octave to the range of the bass and you will find that many of the shapes create a muddy effect. The two routes that get you out of this are: (1) less notes - a simple double stop often creates a powerful enough sound (2) wider separation between the notes (either skipping a string or playing chords on higher strings against an open lower string). If you want one shape to get you started, try the classic root - fifth - octave power chord. Start on the root note with your first finger, put your third finger two frets up on the next string and then your fourth finger up another string (so 5 - 7 - 7 if starting on A on the E string or D on the A string). The fifths thicken the sound without cluttering it too much and you can play this against any major or minor chord (it is only "wrong" when you start to get into diminished territory and other harmonic further reaches). Wulf

Keep trying to apply it, keep trying to make it sound musical and listen to the results... and all that excellent stuff Bilbo pointed out above. You can't just add water to make all the notes work - you need a mixture of perspiration with flashes of inspiration. Wulf

Cheers Hallgeir. I've listened to the first track and have the rest queued up for later. All good so far Wulf

SWR Workingman's 12". Since part exchanging this for my present Ashdown rig, I've done very few gigs where I've needed to provide more power than the SWR could put out and plenty when a portable little combo would have been just the ticket. Ah, well.... Wulf

Realistically, a lot is going to depend on what the sax player is happy with. If they are like the players I have come across, they will have a set of tunes they are confident on, having spent a lot of time working their way through the melody and over the changes. That is not to say that they can't learn more but that would be your best starting point. Most players also have one or more Real Books / Fake Books. Again, if you've got the same one as the sax player, you are good to go. Wulf ps. To see what is on my jazz band's playlist, check our [url="http://www.last.fm/music/The+Pico+Brown+Five"]Last.fm[/url] page; apart from a few originals (including one free download) the materials is mainly standards

I've been very happy with my H2. With a bit of experimentation I have found some settings that yield decent recordings - the balance between a good level and avoiding distortion that is hard to stay on top of while also concentrating on playing. I used to use a minidisk unit but the H2 wins on every count. For example, if I do notice the levels are a bit high, it is possible to nudge them down without stopping and restarting. Most important of all, I get usable digital files at the end of the session (192KB MP3 works for me as a good compromise between oodles of recording time and a decent sound, bearing in mind that I'm not in a position to attend to a careful mix while performing) - I might need to chop them down to individual tracks but it is still a drag and drop transfer to my computer. Wulf

[quote name='The Funk' post='202514' date='May 19 2008, 10:25 PM']Prepare by asking them these things in advance of the audition. You might impress them just by being the only one who actually thought to ask.[/quote] This is answer that matters most - ask what they want. Some bands like things very tightly scripted and others prefer to keep it loose with new ideas flowing in all the time. Neither is necessarily better than the other but it is sensible to make some enquiries before turning up; you save your time, have a better chance of delivering what they want and also get a head start on forming your opinion on whether you want to commit to the group should they like what you do. Wulf

Don't forget notes like Cb and E#. If you stick to 3 chord blues rock you can probably ignore them but they do crop up in more harmonically advanced music. For example, if you are playing a piece in Ab and want to drop in a flattened third, the note you are after is Cb. Yes, it is in the same place and has the same pitch as B but if you take the "easy way out" and call it B you lose the relationship of the note to the root of the chord and the simple pattern. In the long run, you are making life harder for yourself. Embrace the logic of notes like Cb and Bbb (same pitch as A but the note you want as the diminished seventh from a C) and the patterns that appear will give you a much better chance of keeping up whatever key a song is called in. Wulf

In the jazz band I used to hate it when tunes like "Song for My Father", "All Blues" and "Canteloupe Island" got called. All three (and plenty more) have a simple, repetitive bass pattern as their foundation. Round and round - even taking solo is hard because it is difficult to switch the brain into a more melodic style after the riffing and it also needs to be arranged so the bottom doesn't fall out of the song. However, I'm gradually loving them more as I discover how I can turn the repeated phrases into music, responding and influencing what the other instruments are doing while still maintaining the integrity of the bassline. In part that is learning how to hear the song as a whole - thinking as a musician rather than merely as a bass-fan. There are positive side effects to this development. Not only does the overall song sound better when each part embraces its responsibilities to the overall music but I am also finding it easier not to lose my place in the music. Therefore, I am definitely a fan of listening to the whole rather than judging a tune on whether the bassline initially strikes me as "impressive". Wulf

Is it a three piece? From what you say, I'm guessing you on bass, a tuitarist doing the main vox and a drummer who also provides BV's (you mention a couple of guys and this is a common rock line up). The reason I ask is that the artists you mention as your influences tend to work with bigger bands, often including keys, brass sections and the like. You're not going to pull off something like Earth, Wind and Fire note for note with a three-piece rock line-up (although you might manage an excellent reworking). The factors I would be thinking about are: How well do I get on with the other band members? Do I have some freedom to influence what is played? If you always feel like the odd one out and every note has to be played the way they say so, then an early exit would probably be a good move. If you feel like they are friends and there is room to bring some of your own flavours and influences to bear, it might be worth hanging on a bit more. Wulf

One of the things I love about the bass is that, with standard tunings, the notes have a consistent relationship to each other. For example, if you can find all the A notes on the bass (probably [i]ignoring[/i] harmonics for the time being) and also know that you can find a C three frets further up on the same string or up one string and back two frets, you can then easily locate all the C notes. Even for one note, patterns start to knit the whole thing together. For example, you can play an octave by going up two strings and two frets or up three strings and back three frets. Learn a few patterns like that and you will find that you can soon fill in all the notes very quickly. Wulf

Got any dates / details sorted yet? Wulf

[quote name='bremen' post='177981' date='Apr 16 2008, 02:59 PM']Most of us agree with you: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=16834"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=16834[/url][/quote] Aha! I searched for the terms "health" and "safety" - I thought "noise" might turn up to many hits. Let's go and read... Wulf

HSW (Health and Safety at Work) is not a magazine I regularly read but I saw a copy in a colleagues office today with an electric violin on the cover and the headline "And the bands played on... Musicians cope with new noise limits". The gist is that new regulations have come into place affecting those who work in places with high volume music. As well as bar staff, etc, that covers musicians as well whether you're wedged between a guitarist's Marshall stack and a drumer trying to wake John Bonham or sitting in an orchestral pit in front of the brass section. This legislation has been place for other noisy environments for sometime and was actually delayed because, to quote the HSE (Health and Safety Executive), "... music is unusual, as it is noise deliberately created for enjoyment...". Personally, I prefer my music quiet enough to listen to rather than so loud it beats me round the head and will be glad if this gradually makes "loudest band in the world" less of a title that many bands seem to strive for. More details, including plenty of further reading [url="http://www.hse.gov.uk/noise/musicsound.htm"]here[/url]. Wulf

[quote name='cheddatom' post='169698' date='Apr 4 2008, 10:17 AM']£200 for all your pre-amps, interface, storage medium, and a hands-on controller is a good deal. It's not such a good deal if you already have a PC you're thinking of upgrading as you could put in an interface for £50 and get a rack of pre-amps for less than £100 and you have more flexibility with plug-ins etc.[/quote] The PC is much less portable though. It sounded like Jamesemt is using a rehearsal studio somewhere other than his home and the PC would require at least a couple of extra trips to the car (monitor and base unit - keyboard, mouse, etc can be slung in a bag). From experience, if something is awkward, it needs to be very good not to become too much of a pain in the neck (which is where something like an H2 wins out in my book). Wulf

What is the reason for wanting to use the PC rather than just sticking with the H2? One of the attractions of the latter for me was that it is trivial to get the recording from the H2 onto a computer as a digital sound file (which had been an ongoing frustration with minidisk). If the idea is that you will be able to do multitrack recording don't forget that you will have to take time setting up your mics and, because you will probably have sound sources bleeding into each other you won't be able to punch back and fix individual mistakes, only do a bit of balancing between the mixes. You might find it a lot simpler to experiment with the four channel mode on the Zoom (I haven't played with that yet myself, despite getting a bigger memory card that would make it feasible). Wulf