essexbasscat

Hit The Road Jack

Kevin offered up a copy of Queen's Sheer Heart Attack for free. Y'know he wouldn't even accept something for postage Top fella and a credit to BC Thanks Kevin !

Oh yes please

Very tidy indeed

Damn RIP

[quote name='mike313' timestamp='1418656999' post='2632028'] Hi, I am working on my sight reading and I have a big problem caused by the years I spent playing saxophone and reading in treble clef when I was a child. Even after many years of bass playing I realized that everytime I read a bass part I am actually still insta-translating from the treble clef. Example: if I see a C note in bass clef in my mind I will initially read that as an A (as it is in treble clef) and then immediately translate it in my mind to a C. This is working fine in the sense that I can read with good speed and accuracy, but obviously it is slowing me down a lot. Does anybody had the same problem? How could I go about "erasing" treble clef from my brain? I thought about writing like a thousand of times every note on paper with the relative correct (bass clef) name aside, to try and hack my brain into reformulating his musical notes patterns. [/quote] We share this same problem. I may as well tatoo "practice, practice, practice" on the back of my hand

A while ago, Hector donated a few items to BC members via the recycling forum and I was lucky enough to receive the double bass bag Hector kindly offered. It's actions like this that foster the living community spirit of BC. A good foot forward indeed Hector My sincere thanks and best wishes Tom

What are the volume requirements of the venue ? are enthusiastic volume control settings likely to get a repeat booking ? or lose it ? Does loud volume invite an audience in ? or repel them ? Are you there to entertain an audience, or for reasons more personal to the band members ? Is the guitarist interested in these questions and the answers to them ?

Almost anything by Status Quo

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1418129301' post='2627090'] It isn't so much the now.. it is 20 years down the line and it is those sort of guys you'll be wanting to use as they have experience, and range and frontman abilities. But 20 years of hard use can kill a voice. One of the best singers round here never used monitors and sang over a loud band so he was straining most nights... He has had to give up now. I think its is something that a lot of singers just aren't aware of... so this might be a wake-up call for some to do something about it before it is too late...?? Longevity is the reason why I don't beat the hell out of my bass..or beat my hands up doing it..same sort of thing, IMO. [/quote] JTUK raises a very good point here. Is the foldback doing the job properly ? if not, is the singer straining the voice to compensate ? Don't overlook this one, it's very important

Small mixing desk i.e. Soundcraft Spirit Folio. Opens up a number of options, as you can add practically any source with the correct adaptors Just check the desk has a headphones out socket

Try and get the width of the upper and lower bouts and the depth of the body, which will help guide your choice

Thank the lord the EB3 from Ziggy isn't up for sale there. That would be cause for a mortgage...

[quote name='Hector' timestamp='1416941580' post='2615340'] A lot of cramping is psychological. It's often your mental state that contributes as much to physical discomfort as your physical discomfort does to your mental state. One thing you can do is to take lots of deep slow breathes and try to calm yourself down a bit - try thinking to yourself how easy you're finding it. It sounds weird but you can sometimes think it into being so. Annoyingly, focusing on the fact that you're getting cramped up will make you even more tense! Try to think of the pain signals from your body as a warning light on the dashboard of your car. You think "Oh, I probably ought to see to that" and you will take action to consciously relax, but you're mentally still somewhat detached from it (which prevents your reflexive tensing up). Often good technique comes when your body is most comfortable. It's an odd comparison but you hear reports of people who have lost limbs suddenly being in shock and not feeling the pain. Some report initially looking at the damage as if it was on somebody else's body. Aim for that level of detachment from your discomfort. (Disclaimer: don't saw your hands off). I also find that practising the passage at full speed with a metronome at half speed (i.e. metronome clicking every other beat) seems to make the phrase feel different and more comfortable/relaxed. Try counting it like that when you play it too, feel that half time beat. [/quote] Well said

Can't speak about the basses, but the 12 string Revelation jazzmaster guitar my band mate has is good enough to convince me to buy one at around £220.00.

Thanks for all the ideas folks, cables are costly so it's worth spending a little on some ID system

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1416759546' post='2613248'] Oh dear. OK then, what about these..? [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cable-Labels-Self-Adhesive-Pack/dp/B007GB82GK"]http://www.amazon.co...k/dp/B007GB82GK[/url] [/quote] On the plus side, they would be identifiable from a distance and easily recognisable as mine. Not a bad idea, thanks Discreet

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1416759103' post='2613236'] Various colours of electrician's tape round the plugs works for me, but I probably have far fewer cables than you. [/quote] Good idea, so good that other band members are doing it too

Hi all Does anyone know of a good way to label up mic cables at a reasonable cost ? I'm taking more cables to gigs now and want to avoid losing them, as everyone's cables are black. i'd like to buy different coloured cables over the next few months i.e. blue for FOH, red for monitors etc, but I wouldn't mind keeping the mic leads black. Anyone know of a way to label up ? Thanks for reading BC EBC

Try this ! does a brilliant job http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TECHNOFRET-Advanced-Fret-Leveling-System-/180677890090?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item2a113dd02a#ht_984wt_958

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1414967974' post='2595253'] Clarinettist 'Acker' Bilk died today 02/11/14. Older BC-ers will recall his pleasant, vibrato-laden style, the quality of which Mr Bilk ascribed to having two teeth bashed out when a child and losing half a finger in a sledging accident. Mr Bilk's was the generation shunted aside by the Beatles and the Stones; no one would call his music 'challenging'. Yet Mr Bilk never lost his pleasant charm and enjoyed modest commercial success long after his early 1960's peak. Mr Bilk enjoyed a close association with that school of British jazzers who were the last to trouble the popular music charts with their hummable tunes. While the mainstream of British jazz hurled itself into the abyss of self-regarding, unlistenable tripe from which it has never climbed Mr Bilk continued to fill seaside theatres and town halls around the country. Polite, cheerful and unassuming he was among the last of his kind. Here's 'Acker' Bilk's rather lovely #1 USA hit [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jzx664u5DA[/media] [/quote] Well said Skank. Another one of the old guard gone, their generation laid the foundation stones we built on RIP and thank you Acker