ballstomonty

Nice job. Sounds great. Love this bass line too. Even Joe Osborn said he couldn't play it exactly as recorded as the bass line on the album was pieced together from several recordings

Thanks. I really enjoy playinh this one

My Pink Floyd Tribute darkside recorded a version of the late 60s floyd number Green is the Colour. Here's the isolation video with a bass solo around 3.20 mark. Yes the video is mimed and is not 100% accurate but the bass was all one take when I did record it.

Heres the conclusion of a really interesting collaboration my pink floyd band did with the national space centre for the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. We played Darkside of The Moon with additional ambient sections for narration and images about the mission to play over. This section uses the last part of an early floyd track Saucerful of Secrets into Eclipse the last track on Darkside of the moon file-1.mp4

Thanks for the advice people. Like I suspected I think I need to plan ahead more than I'm doing now. Salads with a low gi carb source and some protein do work well. Even wetherspoons do a superfood salad and a quinoa salad which are fine. If the venue is near one of these I usually do ok as say what you like about the spoons they get food out nice and quick. It's when we run out of time or play more out of the way places is when it goes tits up and I end up with a big kebab at 1am. Protein bars some bananas and a flapjack or two as a back up all sound good. As much as I love a few bags of crisps after a gig it just messes up my sleep and with two kids under three I need my energy!

Sorry if this topic has been brought up before couldn't find it. I always used to avoid eating a big meal before I play as I hated feeling full when playing. If I did eat I'd have something low carb like piece of salmon with salad. I always have had plenty of energy to play the gig. After the gig I'd be ravenous for something starchy and have late night snack of whatever junk food I fancied.This used to work well. However as I'm getting into my forties my system is just not forgiving when I change my routine in this way. I find I get terrible indigestion eating late and have needed a sugar fix halfway through gigs (bananas work well for this) We have a big set up for my floyd band (usually takes from 1pm-5.30pm to load and set up all the gear and sound check) and if there are any problems (lighting or sound) set up can drag on so it's not always possible to ensure we get a nice stint of time to eat well before the gig starts especially as at some theatres they want us to go on at 7.30pm. The rest of the band usually just have chips/burgers etc but that really doesn't work for me as I just feel like Humpty Dumpty if I eat that stuff before I get on stage Anybody got any tips for easily digestible carry foods that could prevent feeling all bloated when playing but stop me pigging out on junk later on? Cheers in advance

Just bought some Alpine music safe earphone plugs. http://www.gear4music.com/Drums-and-Percussion/Alpine-Music-Safe-Pro-Ear-Plugs-Black/1ASW?origin=product-ads&utm_campaign=*PLA+Shop+-+All+Products&utm_medium=vertical_search&network=google&adgroup=**All+Products&merchant_id=1279443&product_id=60656d1&product_country=GB&product_partition_id=35246608516&gclid=CN7rhcS1scsCFfEV0wod6MUJLg Going to use them for first time tomorrow so I'll let you know if they are any good. Especially want them for our rehearsals which tend to be louder than our gigs as playing mostly theatres disperses the sound. I very rarely have ringing ears after gigs even with a moderately loud drummer. My Markbass gear and aurelex grammar pad have also meant a more present sound at lower volumes reduced boom from hollow stages which means lower volumes as well which I think is helping.

I started playing at 16, at 19 my technique was terrible and listening back to recordings apart from an ok tone there was much to recommend me as a bassist with my bad timing ( way ahead of the beat) and note choices (far too busy) I really wanted to play well and by about 22 after lots of work I became good enough to play with people I really respected. This came from both home practice and playing with others and lessons. Gave up playing bass from about 25-32 trying to get my career as a psychologist off the ground and when I came back to it I wasn't as good player but my life experience gave me the confidence to go to more auditions and perform better than I ever did before. In fact I actually did the most gigs I ever played in a year when I was 37 (about 70) and now play to the biggest audiences (up to 500 people) I've ever played to and I'm still learning all the time. Sometimes I think I'm a good player other times I think I'm complete crap. It took me ages to get good and I'm far from natural but that's no barrier to doing it if you really want to. I spend my idle time at work thinking about the next gig and what I can do to improve my performance and even with a young family I've found a way to keep playing. Because I love it. If you love it, keep doing it and eventually it'll all click into place. Worth every frustrating moment trying to get there. Good luck with it all!

Good luck. I always enjoyed playing jazz in the past even though apart from bebop, birth of the cool and some funk/jazz fusion (H Hancock) it's not something I listen to much. I love the atmosphere in a jazz ensemble and the bass role is such a different discipline to rock/pop stuff. Enjoy it. Record the gig if you can, it'll give you real insight into what's going well/ what could be improved in your jazz chops. Do you have to solo?

I was doing a gig with a mod band that I used to play with. Before the first set a group of men in black suits came in very drunk. one of them kept coming over asking for "a shot on the drums", he was so pissed that he was flailing around all over the place. We Realised they had been at a wake, and he was the son of the deceased. One of his mates strapped on my bass and I had to get the bar staff to intervene as he wouldn't take no for an answer. The guy who'd lost his dad then started shouting "I can't believe I've lost my f**ing dad and you c**ts won't let me play" and started spitting at us. Then they had to be thrown out the pub. I felt for the guy he was just taking his grief out after too much beer. Didn't add to the party atmos though...

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1452800270' post='2953671'] I was trying to think what to do but kept asking the people in the house to turn the bloody music off as it was getting a bit weird and hypnotic and starting to freak me out. They looked a bit worried when I said that, and finally someone told me to look at my hands (shades of a Castenda dream) and I found that the only music playing was my bass. Never really lived that one down! [/quote] Love this. Nothing better than freaking yourself out.

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1452780784' post='2953429'] This was hilarious haha! Must admit I've gotten myself into some weird situations too, not unlike this one and maybe worse, non involving musical instruments however. Just a thought funny if while indeed he did get his gf, and you did one people started showing up for said party. Glad you got out haha. [/quote] To be honest I hope that's what happened, after I stopped shitting myself later on I felt sorry for the guy. I just remembered that he also offered to make a joint, and then proceeded to pull random bits of fluff and detritus off the sofa cushions and putting them in a cigarette paper so that when he lit it it immediately turned in a flaming torch of acrid sofa grit. He then took a huge drag coughed violently and immediately passed to me. I can categorically state on that occasion I DID NOT INHALE!

[quote name='KK Jale' timestamp='1452780532' post='2953424'] Can't compete. But... I once worked in a place in Bristol, a very easy-going and fun job with lots of people my age, and one of the guys on my team was a drummer (pattern emerging?) who seemed very friendly and who eventually invited me over for a jam with a mate or two of his. So I went along and we started mucking about with these "pieces" that he had. They were very strange. It was like a kind of math-rock-meets-world-music, but odd and disjointed. The drummer seemed fixated on superimposing odd patterns over certain chord forms while smiling a lot. Eventually the story came out. The drummer was involved with a cult - sorry, "esoteric movement" - called the Emin. The Emin, as far as I could make out, believed in many things, including colour vibrations, numerology, the power of object's shapes, attaining levels of knowledge and light, and some kind of actual space exodus. The drummer was attempting to create, with the movement's local leader, some form of music to illustrate/accompany these beliefs. Hence the clashing time signatures, weirdness, and air of basic unlistenability. I didn't hang around long enough to discover whether the Emin involved some kind of pay-as-you-go system. I suspect it did. [/quote] Never heard of the emin. At least it sounds like a creative cult

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1452777403' post='2953353'] That was me. Thanks for stealing my f***ing booze. [/quote] Whoops! Sorry about that... Fancy a cutlery based jam session to make amends

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1452777396' post='2953352'] Agreed - why would you do that? [/quote] I don't do it anymore! I was a very naive enthusiastic trusting youngster...Ah innocent days

I was remembering this story the other day and wondered if any other bass chatters have any stories about terrible potentially life threatening jam sessions. Years ago in my early twenties when I lived in London I was on tube coming back from an afternoon rehearsal and this chap started talking to about playing bass as he said he was a drummer and did I fancy a jam. He said he was having a party for his birthday later and was going to pick up a bunch of booze on the way home and that he had lots of musician friends. I asked about an amp as I just had my bass and he said he had something I could use. The guy was cracking really funny jokes and seemed cool and I was always on the look out then for people to play music with back then. I also had a happy go lucky attitude to life sort of "things happen in life so go with it". Anyway I got to his flat with about £80 of alcohol he's just bought and scrawled on his living room wall in large letters is the phrase "Disrespect equals Death" Remembering back I turned into a rabbit in the headlights desperate to leave but not upset this chap who it now became apparent had some mental health difficulties... Anyway rather than mention anything I tried to make some excuse to go but he was still very upbeat and insisted I stay for the party and have a "jam" He went out the room and returned with a small plank of wood and two forks. "I don't have any drums at the moment, but this'll work" or words to that effect. I tried to explain the an unamplified bass and a plank and two forks wasn't really going to work, but he started hitting the plank with the forks in a jerky arhythmic way insisting I "join in". Well "Disrespect equals Death" I thought so I attempted to play my P bass along with his fork based plank bashing. After what seemed like hours but was probably only a few minutes he thankfully stopped but still insisted I wait for the party to start. What followed was the longest two hours of my life. It was obvious No-one was coming to this party but hey "Disrespect equals Death". This chap was becoming more and more drunk as he was working his way through the booze he bought telling me how he was going to fix me up with some of the girls that were coming to the party and how I should pretend to be the "official drinks taster" in order to spark up conversation with these imaginary girls that were coming to his imaginary party. He then made me an "official drinks tasters" badge out of some white masking tape and a felt pen which he insisted I wore.. But hey "Disrespect equals Death" I thought so I played along slowing drinking a beer trying to stay sober... Eventually thank good he went out to get his "girlfriend" who he was meeting at 7pm. He left stating I should wait in his flat for "the guests to arrive". For a minute or so I was rooted to his sofa in fear not wanting to leave as maybe he would be waiting outside. Then I bolted stuffing some of his cans in my rucksack (why I did this I still can't understand I think was more beer focused in those days and also quite stupid) and rushing over to an ex girlfriend's flat which was about 10 minutes sweaty fearful jog away. Anyway that's my worst jam ever...

[quote name='SubsonicSimpleton' timestamp='1452526245' post='2950804'] Concentrate on the stuff you really need to sort out, don't spread your effort too thinly; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDJFcWBmzUM [/quote] I think this is excellent advice, my focus is going to be on my right hand technique both fingers and plectrum as I need both for the band. My fingers have always been faster and more consistent than my plectrum so doing 8th, 16ths and triplets to a metronome building up slowly across single strings, scale patterns and riff patterns. I did about 20 minutes on Monday and 45 minutes of this last night and already my playing feels more fluid. I think this will be my practice focus for the next few months and I think it will make s difference if I can stay focused.

[quote name='Cato' timestamp='1452516763' post='2950651'] I got a Zoom B1on a few months ago which I use for practising through headphones. The drum presets & effects are great but it's the 30 sec looper (which I originally thought was a bit of a gimmick) which has changed the way I practice. The ability to instantly play back what I've been playing and properly hear the bits where I might be a bit weaker or have sloppy technique has been absolutely invaluable, I feel like it's given me a proper insight into which areas need improvement, especially on my slap technique which it turns out is nowhere near as clean & precise as I'd like it to be. [/quote] Sounds like a good investment, I put a lot of time in my first 5 years of playing into playing cleanly and working on my feel/groove playing things back from a little 4 track. Nice to have something portable that I can just grab out of a drawer to practice with

[quote name='Nicko' timestamp='1452518144' post='2950683'] +1. I only ever pick the bass up to learn a new song. If that requires learning a new technique I'll "practice" until I get the song right (or drop the song and realise the limit of my ability). [/quote] Completely agree with you, Ive pretty much taken the above approach for years but somehow recently I've wanted to improve again technically

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1452518657' post='2950690'] Increasing your library of licks and techniques is always a good thing, but whatever else you feel you need to do, practice won't increase your stamina. Sounds like you just need to gig. [/quote] The band always has Christmas off and usually January in order to plan the show for the year learn new material test new lights etc. As we're in the lull I think that's why I want to keep my strength up. I've never run out of steam at a gig yet so I don't know why I worry. Our first gig of the year if always two nights back to back at a smaller theatre with two different sets to try new things out. Set One on the first night I always feel rusty by about 20 minutes in I'm fine. But I haven't been doing much technique practice in recent years which I think will help this time round.

There's always stuff to practice... Working full time and having a young son time is short. Also my wife work all day Saturday and Friday nights. So time is very limited. Recently I've been trying to practice more consistently as my desire to be a good bassist after 20 years or so of playing has never been stronger. Stamina is something I have been trying to focus on as my floyd band set is 2.5 hours long and although not much of it is technically challenging I like to feel I won't flag toward the end of the gig. I've been putting time into right hand consistency in a way that I haven't bothered with for years trying to get consistent attack on eights/triplets/sixteenth notes to a metronome. Single string and string switching. But then there's the fancy stuff I REALLY want to learn double thumbing and am working on my slap technique and I'm also really want to work on my fretless playing. However there's not enough time to do all this. Anyway looking for advice from people with limited time who still make time for regular practice. Obviously little and often works well do I try to get 30 minutes to an hour in 4 to 5 times a week. How to best balance practice priorities? After 20 years I should know. Luckily I learn material quickly and easily but I need to practice to keep stuff tight Also I no longer have a music room since the baby so by the time I get stuff out its time to something else (or go to bed). My wife has to cope with my P bass or Musicman littering up the bedroom or dining room. Anyone here use headphones like the vox amphones?

Just made my first purchase on here (don't think it'll be my last). So thought I'd start a feedback thread. Thanks in advance for comments!

Just bought a mark bass hf210 from Alex. Great communication. Good straightforward sale. Nice one!

Here's my gurning visage playing Mayor of Simpleton by XTC on my music man stingray http://youtu.be/zGCZ-2WxhZs

Sounds good so far. Although need to open it up as definite loose connection on neck pickup. Desperately needs the action raising for me. It's buzzing like mad but it is very low at the moment and I like to give it a bit of welly. Can't wait to get some new strings on it needs extra long scale so I'll have to order them online as my local shop doesn't have the long scale. Probably going to put rotosound rounds on it although people on Talkbass recommend Dr hi beams they are 10 pound more a set. I'm recording with my pink Floyd band this weekend so it's going to have to be the trusty fender. If it wasn't buzzing I give it a try on Arnold Layne as Roger Waters plays a Rick on that, but it needs some TLC before it can be put to work. Frustrating as I really want to overhaul it and see what it can do. But I'll Have to wait till next week.