Franticsmurf

Fretless again. I'm sensing a theme. 😃

Thank you , m'lud. I promise to reform/attend therapy/rehab and I do still play bass regularly. 😃

As I understand the rules, I think I have failed on tier 2 (i.e. non-bass gear). I have mentioned elsewhere in this parish that I have recently taken a rhythm guitar role in a mate's band. As a result, I have swapped a guitar for another guitar (no cash involved), plus I have on order a Squire Strat and a HB Les Paul kit. I throw myself at the mercy of the court and beg the fact that I am now a practising geetard is not held against me.

I formed my first band with the intention of 'making it' (which was the equivalent of 'turning pro' for us although we didn't think of it like that at the time). If we hadn't had that ambition, I doubt I'd be playing in bands now as it gave me the motivation to learn and improve on my instrument, to write songs and record them and to play live. But with the gift of hindsight we were never going to get far as we didn't have the all out dedication and energy. We gave it a few years and although we gigged regularly, it wasn't really happening the way we wanted and as an originals band, the money was dire. For most of that time, we also held down jobs and I decided that when I was making as much money from gigging as I was getting from the job, I would quit the mainstream and be a 'professional' musician. Still waiting for that trigger 😂. When I moved on to play in covers bands and duos, I realised that I didn't want to be a professional musician (I was playing guitar and bass depending on the line up) as although I liked the performance element, playing a limited set list was dull and I struggled with maintaining the level of enthusiasm required. So apart from a few years in the mid 80s, I have never wanted to be a pro player. For the most part I've enjoyed the level at which I play and I think had I gone down the pro player route it would have ruined the simple pleasure I get from picking up the bass and tinkering with my effects boxes and amp.

And how are you finding your fretless 'fridge'? 😂

New Fridge Day - pics or it didn't happen etc etc. 😂

I've done that before now. The key to it is, as you say, dancing around and looking like you know exactly what you're doing. 😃

I'm usually one of the first to finish packing up at the end of the night. I like to get all my kit out of the way so that the others (mainly the drummer) have space to move. I always get my stuff out and into the transport first, too. But I will always help whoever needs it afterwards. Last night we had a long carry out and we all lent a hand. I'm aching this evening but we're a band and part of that includes helping out where we can.

To be fair, most of the gigs we do are on postage stamp stage areas (rarely a raised stage) with public rights of way through them. One of the reasons I started using a headless bass was because I was tired of people knocking the headstock. The Hulla band has it's own portable staging for festivals and other outdoor events but as it's such a large band (13 at the last count) even that isn't really big enough. And when we play some functions, the band is three deep, four wide with the drummer bringing up the rear. 😂

A traditional rock n roll gig last night with the Insiderz at a large hall for a ticketed event. With an hour to go before we were due onstage the drummer called in with a family emergency and as I drove us to the gig, my mate was ringing around trying to find a replacement for the night. Our regular dep was in Pompeii and refused to fly home for the gig 😂. My mate from my other band had been watching the rugby and drinking. In the end, a call on Facebook produced an outstanding drummer who appeared at the hall and was set up in record time. We went on about 30 minutes after the planned start time, but that only helped as the crowd (around 100 or so) had been dancing and drinking. It was a good night with people up and dancing right from the start. The audience were mostly there for the dancing so there was a lot of very accomplished moves on the dance floor. So much so that it became distracting at times watching the moves, particularly the hand jives. 😃 The host/organiser got up to do a couple of songs with us and he was actually quite good. I was on rhythm guitar duties and as punishment for that my amp died with about 5 songs left to go. I was able to plug in to the PA through my Plethora X3 which had it's cab sim option enabled. Our bassist was using a Jazz through a Trace Elliot 4x10 combo. It's usually very punchy but last night it boomed a lot and we suspected it was the hollow stage acting as a resonator. He also used a fretless Jazz bass for the section where the host played with us. A good night despite (or perhaps because of) the challenges. And we've been asked back. No photos of the band yet but here's one of the stage before we took over. Edit: A video has appeared. I'm closest to the camera on stage. Edit 2: A couple more photos.

I use stick on (and removable) fluorescent dots I picked up cheaply from Ebay after having experienced this a few times. I love dark fretboards so these really helped. I also find that stage lighting can dazzle and cause problems so I always check out any lighting before hand so I can adjust them or change where I stand. I remember once playing 'How Long' (The Eagles song) which I was also singing. Quite quickly I realised the guitarist was out and his backing vocals were off key, as were my vocals and the other guitarist. But at least my bass line was ...er... oops! I was two frets above where I thought I was. Big smile, nod to the rest of the band, carry on in the correct position, celebrate my jazz improvisation. 😂

The Insiderz are playing a rock n roll night at Tumble Hall tomorrow night. The reception we get will depend largely on the result of the Wales v England rugby match earlier that evening as the area is very, very rugby orientated. 😃

Rehearsal with the Hulla band last night was the usual mix of chaos and good fun. Three new songs (Smells Like Teen Spirit, Love Story and 17 Going Under), one we had a go at last week (Town Like Malice) and a few oldies from the set list vaults (Let's Stick Together, Heroes, Getting Away With It, Sweet Child of Mine) just to keep us on our toes. I'm finally getting a decent mix from my In Ears through the P16 monitor mixer and it's making a big difference, mainly to my backing vocals. Not only can I hear myself, but I have a good mix of the other BVs to help me pitch.

January is a slow month for the Hulla band - it tends to play weddings, anniversaries and other private functions locally and they tend not to happen in the cold, dark months. That said, we're playing the village 'Full Moon Party' in Feb. As the band is based in what is effectively a village of retired folks, gigs are all word of mouth/friend of a friend stuff and are usually well paid. By mutual agreement the band plays for a nominated charity every year so we collect the fees which go mainly to the charity with a small percentage being used for band gear and expenses. Last year we collected enough for the local school to buy a much needed minibus. I want to gig more frequently than they do (last year they played 8 gigs), so I'm also available for other things; I'm on the dep list for two bands and I'm currently dipping my toes in the rhythm guitar role in a mates band. The latter has five gigs lined up between now and July with more on the cards. Those gigs are usually obtained by the singer and bassist who between them have a lot of contacts in the area. While I wouldn't say I was in it for the money, I believe strongly that bands should be paid what they are worth and have rejected playing gigs where the reward is 'exposure' or 'beer tokens' as this undervalues me and makes things harder for the next band. The money from gigs goes towards kit and expenses. I definitely couldn't live off it.

I bought my first bass from one of the shops in Denmark St (I forget which one). It was a 2nd hand short scale Telecaster style Jedson. It was truly awful but as a guitarist at the time, I knew no better. I remember as I was handing over the cash, there was an almighty fuss in the shop and people went charging out of the door - it turned out some bloke had come in to pay for gear with a dodgy credit card and had legged it pursued by a couple of staff. It ended its days coupled to an old Kay Les Paul copy as a twin necked guitar - my dad did the carpentry, which was good, and I did the electronics, which were rubbish. The first bass I played was a Colombus Jazz copy and I remember it had matt black strings. It was actually a nice bass to play (I used it mainly for recordings) and it had a great thumping sound on the demos. I played it live a few times in a band where I shared bass duties with the singer. Although I don't recall with any certainty, I believe it went in part ex for my first 'proper' bass - a Hohner Jack headless - which I played as a full time bassist in several bands. That got sold during a break from playing in the early 2000s. I recently acquired a much nicer looking version of The Jack from this very parish.

Music really can be therapy. I hope your dad is on the mend. I went through a couple of low points last year (nothing in your league, but low enough) and band mates offering help and support and returning to rehearsals really lifted me. 😃

In. Just. A new rhythm guitar spot in a mate's band is sorely testing tier 2 status but so far, so good. 😃

Back rehearsing with the Hulla band last night after a short swerve into 6 string territory. Nice to be back without those two confusing extra strings. 😀 Several newish tunes and it literally and metaphorically took us about an hour to warm up - the hall usually heats up much quicker but we'd been fooled by the mild weather and forgot to put the heating on. As for the music, I think we were all just a bit jaded after a long week. But once it got going, it was good. We jammed (ha ha) 'A Town Called Malice', which went well enough to make it into the proposed set list for our next gig in Feb. I was using a different rig for in ear monitoring last night. The band has a Behringer X32 fro FOH and I've got a P16m - a small personal mixer that links to the X32 via Ultranet (a cat5 cable) and gives me channels 1-16 pre-fader from the desk. It means I can mix my own monitor feed - something I have found the need for recently as I take cues from different elements of the band for different songs and the singer's guitar is not always helpful in the mix. I'm also hoping to record a stereo version of the mix in the future. It's taken a little while to get our heads around the P16m, but the sound guy is good and we've finally nailed it. This is our singer, our guitarist and me all crowded around the tab for 'Town Called Malice'. It is currently the subject of a caption competition within the band. 😃

That's the kind of thing I can do quite easily. So far only during rehearsals, thankfully.

Last night I played rhythm guitar for the first time in many, many years. It was an unremarkable gig in a venue I've played many times before as a bassist. The band area (a small alcove) is too small for four, not helped by the giant TE rig our bass player used (although the sound was gorgeous). I got to stand next to the drummer behind the kit, unable to take more than one small step in any direction. The volume in that small area is huge but in ears helped, even if the dodgy PA only gave me vocals in one ear). We went down well, we performed well enough for it not to make me feel guilty (that I'd 'got away with it'). Highlight for me was the rendition of Wish You Were Here I took lead guitar and lead vocals on. Parking off street at the venue, decent crowd, home by midnight. Overall a success.

1st gig on guitar for a good few years tonight and the first of three or four lined up over the next couple of months. The poster was done before they confirmed me as playing, so I was thrown in very much as a last minute addition - 'Dave' (squeezed up photo bottom right in lumberjack outfit playing acoustic bass at a Christmas charity gig). I took the other photos of the band when I went to see them last year.

I put this together for last year's support slot at the Hullabaloo festival. The idea was to play it loud through the PA to attract the attention of the crowd (who would still be perusing the beer tent when we went on). There's a deliberate silence at the end to allow the sound guy to stop the track. We opened with Miserlou as soon as the talking stopped. The phart/rip sound early on is because the band was called 'The Rip'. RIP Intro Stutter Rip.mp3

I was going to say the same thing. Music and photography are my escapes and had I spent that much time on them, they would have become the things I was looking to escape from.

I'm in a band where the drummer is 75. He's very good and very busy (he plays with two other Jazz/Big Bands and regularly deps for local jazz, Strict Tempo etc bands). What I've noticed is that while he's not reluctant to try new songs, his confidence is starting to go a bit. When he does make a mistake (its very rare that any one notices him making an error) he tends to focus on that rather than the other 2-3hrs of great playing. When he talks about a Jazz band gigm, the first thing that tends to come out is 'this mistake, that mistake, missed a beat' etc. Reading between the lines, it seems he's beginning to think about his age and rather than celebrate the fact he can still do it, blame the years and start to think he's past it. I had a chat with him before Christmas and talked about letting the missed beats go - because its likely that no one but him will notice 99% of the time. One of the factors I think doesn't help is that in the Jazz and Dance bands, the B/L tends not to hand out positive criticism. There's also an old school mentality amongst the players who, from what he tells me, are unwilling to praise their fellow musicians but quick to nit pick. So I've started to mention the good bits when he's playing with me or when I hear recordings of the other bands he's in. Genuine praise (flattery would be worse as he'd see through it straight away). Maybe it's a confidence issue with your keyboard player associated with his perception of what is expected of a 68 year old, his health or both. I don't know the characters involved so I can't say what would work (and you may already be doing this) but perhaps a subtle and genuine praise for some of his playing, 'lets try a different arrangement' to simplify the things he's struggling with - even get him to suggest the new arrangement. If it is a confidence thing, the aim is to boost it without going over the top. This may be a temporary situation and it would be a shame for the band to stagnate. With my drummer, we've got to the stage now where we joke about any mistakes, referring to them as our free form jazz moments. 😀 More importantly, I haven't heard any of his age related comments so I think he might be getting over that one.

I've posted on a different thread about the B6 - we have a permanent sound guy and he is full of praise for the sound of the B6 going directing into the desk.