wulf

Besides bass, I've dabbled in a number of other instruments. I'm a passable guitarist and have also played a bit of mandolin. In fact, anything in that whole group of instruments is approachable (I'm sure there is a technical term for guitary instruments). I've also played a bit of double bass. I'm far less competent on drums and keys; I can play bits and pieces but haven't reached any particular level of skill. More recently, I have tried learning a bit of flute. My wife plays and I want to understand it better so, when I try to help her with the theory side, I can express concepts in suitable ways rather than always thinking in fretboard terms. I think it is definitely worth learning at least a bit about other instruments, including those outside the group that includes bass guitar, in order to broaden your musical horizons. Wulf

It depends how differently you string it. For example, you could have the 5 string tuned BEADG and then experiment with the 4 string as a piccolo bass (EADG an octave up). You could also put one of the necks in an open tuning (eg DADF#) or even use different strings on the two necks (eg. thumpy flats on the 5 string and zingy, lightweight slap-friendly ones on the 4). Wulf

I use light strings on my six string, which I get from [url="http://www.status-graphite.com/"]Status[/url]. Too late for this case but maybe useful for future reference. Wulf

I am very happy with my "bean". I don't tend to do a lot of patch switching, etc, mid-song or even in most sets so have been quite content with the simplest foot switcher that Line-6 offer, which only allows me to traverse left or right through four patches in any given group. By making sure I have the right sets of patches grouped together, that has covered all my needs. The other benefit is that this switcher is much easier to lug around and takes up far less floor space (and I've always got the option of a bigger footboard if I get into a more effects heavy setting). Wulf

With jazz, I think it depends partly on how far your fellow musical conspirators are willing to strive after creating something fresh. If you are just reading tunes out of the Real Book, head, noodling (aka "solos") and repeat the head to finish, it can get tired pretty quickly. However, even sticking largely to a single source like the Real Book, there is scope to be considerably more creative. Do the groups you play jazz with have the flexibility to consider working on different arrangements of existing tunes and to gradually begin introducing more original elements? Wulf

I think [i]zandingo[/i] is a great term to use for it. However, it seems to be a variant on the idea of a [url="http://www.answers.com/topic/pedal-point?cat=technology"]pedal point[/url]. Typically that would see the bass keeping to a single note while other instruments change the harmony above it. Here things are a bit different because (a) rather than a fixed note, it is a riff and ( the bass gets to add the colour rather than the foundation. You could just call it a descending bassline... but [i]zandingo[/i] still sounds cooler! Wulf

Studying and learning the covers [b]is[/b] study that supports your originals band. Even the masters learned some of their skills by copying earlier masters. Sounds like a great opportunity if he really is just asking you to fill in once in a while and not be out gigging with the band several nights a week. Wulf

[quote name='JohnSlade07' post='118454' date='Jan 11 2008, 12:31 PM']Brilliant player Andy Fraser. I was listening to Free the other night for the first time in ages and found myself thinking I must learn some of those lines. Great feel, not too busy and really expressive. Enjoy![/quote] I got inspired when someone posted a video on here of Free playing Mr Big. I'd heard it before but not for a few years. It reminded me that my playing has some similarities to Andy Fraser's and I could probably benefit a lot from getting some of his material and paying closer attention to it. Wulf

I got [i]The Free Story[/i] (compilation of late 60's / early 70's blues rock from Free) for Christmas. Over the next couple of months I plan on learning some of the lines and sucking up some more of the nuances of Andy Fraser's playing. Wulf

I'm jazzing it up tonight with [url="http://www.myspace.com/thepb5"]The Pico Brown Five[/url] at [url="http://www.grey-horse.co.uk/rjc/"]The Ram Jam Club[/url] in Kingston between 8:30pm and 10:30pm tonight (£3 cover). We've also got a bunch of gigs lined up next year and I would be very interested to meet anybody who might be interested in depping opportunities (I've picked up a couple of contacts from here but the more the better). I'll be the hairy one with the six string Sei... Wulf

Have you experimented with where and how you pluck the strings? If you move to playing over the end of the fretboard, you will find the tone becomes deeper and more woody. Again, if you experiment with what part of the finger you use to strike the string, from nails to the side of the pad, you will get a whole range of different tones. That doesn't give you an excuse to go and spend money on a new bass but may just get you somewhere you like for free. Wulf

It's impossible to say without hearing the band. The format (vox, guitar, drums and bass) leaves lots of room if the other two instrumentalists aren't overplaying but, just because there is a space, doesn't mean you necessarily have to fill it. Two ideas which might help: 1. Contrast. Play some fancy stuff on some songs and lay right back on others. You can even do that between different sections of songs. Just make sure you leave plenty of space for the others to shine and make sure that your part makes them sound good too. 2. How about doing some backing vocals? That will immediately cause you to want the basslines to be very simple and will also add more variety to the sound. Even if you are not a patch on the skill of the main vocalist, you may well find something that enhances the overall sound. Wulf

Yes. A lot of it comes down to confidence and the best way to build that is to jump in the shallow end - find stuff that isn't too hard and an enviroment where people don't get too spiky about your mistakes.. My ability to sing and play bass (for what it is - I'm still no Sting or Geddy Lee) started when I moved to a new church. I regularly played in the band at the previous one but there wasn't a tradition of instrumentalists (apart from perhaps the person leading, if they were a guitarist) singing at the same time. It was different at the new place - they stuck a mic in front of me, encouraged me to have a go and didn't cringe too much when I did. I've since become quite confident in that kind of setting and can sing, play, and direct the band without qualms... and they still haven't taken the mic away. More recently, I have been involved in a number of bands outside the church setting. For a long time I didn't sing at all but gradually started adding some simple harmonies to songs where the bassline wasn't too demanding. The vocalist is in no danger of me taking over his job but the rest of the guys have been encouraging and I now sing backing vocals on a fair number of our songs. I now feel that I won't have a confidence problem singing at least backing vox in future bands although I don't know if I'm quite ready to take centre stage with it. I think it adds a lot to the music to be able to support the main vocal and I'm glad to have been able to develop my ability to offer that skill. Wulf

The person running the sound desk should be able to monitor the signal coming through from the bass and attenuate the gain. Some are better than others. Having said that, if the pedal drastically increases the signal and you only use it from time to time, maybe the sudden increase is catching them out. What happens if you use the pedal at your typical stage volumes but only going through your amp and not feeding to a PA? Wulf

Where is the distortion coming from? Your stage amp or the main PA? Wulf

Perhaps I haven't (tried to) play with enough other jazz musicians but have to say that I haven't hit the snobbery problems that are often talked about. No issues in and around my current jazz group, at least that I'm aware of. Perhaps they don't know what to make of a headless six string bass and just figure I must be some kind of guitarist.... I think one thing that helps gain acceptance is learning not to play too loud. On a lot of jazz recordings, and certainly the kind of things that other instrumentalists are likely to concentrate on, the sound of the bass is not front and centre. If you can play a solid supporting role quietly enough that everyone else can be heard clearly, people seem quite happy. Wulf

Yes - I have been using this kind of approach for a long time and am fairly consistent about it (mind you, I normally play a 6 string bass, where the extra muting is more important). Like anything, it takes a while to get used but I think it is worth perservering. Wulf

For a quietish band, you can just plug into the PA in the rehearsal room. I'm not sure I would want to try this with a rock group but with a combo like the jazz group I'm rehearsing with tonight, it works fine (again, using my Bass Pod for shaping the sound). If you are in a band that pushes the volume up, then there is always the possibility that a crap sound is not the fault of the equipment but just because there is way too much sound bouncing around in a small room Wulf

No problem. I've gigged (largely acoustic venues) with less. Wulf

It can help to take a bit of tone-shaping with you. When I last went through a phase of using rehearsal rooms, I was regularly using a Sans Amp Bass Driver DI which can help a lot (and now have a Bass Pod XT, which can help even more) given a fairly average starting point. If the problem is that the amp and speakers have been abused, then it is probably down to the other people who have used it. I didn't have many occasions when I found unusable gear and, when I did, a quick word at the desk got it swapped out. If you regularly get bad gear and the management aren't responsive to polite requests then you have to decide if they are worth the money you are investing in them. Wulf

[quote name='Cantdosleepy' post='78764' date='Oct 24 2007, 12:17 PM']Also, if it isn't sounding right, turn your amp up. Volume = betterizer![/quote] IMHO, volume = confirmation that bassists are ignorant pluckers. The one thing not to do is turn up. Instead, make sure your lines have some space - play the rests as much as you play the notes to create your groove. Wulf ps. ... advice on style depends of course on what style you are playing in.

[quote name='subaudio' post='76338' date='Oct 19 2007, 09:08 AM']I know what you mean about being purely acoustic, we have a gig in December at a carbon neutral event, no lighting no amps no nothing but acoustic instruments, thus the post really as i want to make sure I can be heard.[/quote] So, no problems with Mr 'Lectric Geetar for that one then Wulf

These are the notes you have available. A A#/Bb B C C# / Db D D# / Eb E F F# / Gb G G# / Ab When you get to the bottom just loop round to the top again and continue. Some of the notes (which would be the black ones on a piano) can be called with the sharp (#) or flat ( depending on what key you are in, but you don't need to worry about that at the moment, nor the existence of such tricky blighters as Cb (which gets all uppity if someone tries to call it . Each step along the way is represented on the bass by shifting on fret. Because the bass is tuned in a regular fashion across all the strings you will start to discover patterns. For example, move five steps up and you have a note that could have also been played by shifting to the next string up. Using the information above, you can draw out a map of what note is found at what fret on your bass. Use that to find your way round and, after a while, you will be able to navigate without consulting it (eg. start at the low B and move up three frets to get a D). Wulf

It all depends on the other people in the band, their musical vision, talent and humanity. You might even be lucky enough to find people with the first two and at least a shred of the third Being proficient or better in the areas mentioned definitely won't hurt but it is better to get involved and start gaining experience than to keep putting off the day. The ideal situation would be to find a bunch of people who you get on well with, who have some half-way decent songs (and welcome your input) and between them have enough skills and experience to stretch you and help you grow (so that you are neither floundering nor treading water). Mind you, my primary memory of university bands was that the two most important attributes for getting into most of them were owning a PA system and having a car! Wulf

Take notes. Even if you are only jotting down chord sequences, [url="http://www.dolmetsch.com/manuscriptpaper.htm"]blank manuscript paper[/url] always makes you look as if you know what you are doing! I often take some kind of recording device (at the moment, a minidisk recorder) when starting with a new group; that way, I can listen back (and make further notes / transcriptions) after the event. You may not need to do that if it is being recorded anyway but ask about how you can get a copy to work on. Wulf