El Bajo

I started bass at boarding school which had very little in the way of a music program and it didn't have internet. I was rubbish. But after A levels I went and worked in tenerife for a while and discovered a local house band that rocked the place. I got lessons of the bassist who taught me the 3 finger technique, good form and timing. I returned to England to go to Uni so didnt keep up the lessons but I'm eternaly thankful to him for teaching me correct technique at such an early stage. Fast forward 14 years and I'm still crap, well thats not quiet true. After so many years playing I'm able to play pretty much whats in my head but I fall down so badly in other areas...Theory, slapping and tapping, songwriting, are all things I wish I could dedicate more time too. I pretty much learned everything I know from playing with people better than me with the help of a few books (which I never completed) and online lessons (which I eventually get bored of). I wish I could get tuition as I find I get distracted easily when trying to learn new things by myself, but I'm skint. At 31 I decided to shelf formal learning and concentrate on being a tight player for the band...all the scales and chord tone exercises in the world practiced until I'm blue won't save me not knowing my parts in a live performance. I guess everybody learns differently and I haven't found that art of practicing yet.

Yep that definatlys a Warick Really enjoyed the track, nice groove on the main riff. I assume thats a bass on the second solo? If so how did you get that tone? Nice holiday snaps though it missed a sexy bikini women emerging from the waves!

You'll never use them all, and if you did then its a complete waste fo your time. Playing an instrument is about playing music, those exercises are not musical. As Colite said pick out the ones that are beneficial. The exercises are set out so that they exercise each finger in a different way so for example a page will contain the same shape but start on different fingers so what you need to do is identify where your weakness is and find an execise that will help such as the little finger. Theres plenty of string skipping exercises which are useful not just for the left but for the right so If you recognize that your right hand isn't coordinating with the left pick out a couple of these exercises. I haven't picked up this book in about a year but i recently got a new bass which felt different to my last, the strings where wider apart and so I'd throw a couple of these exercises in just to get my left hand used to the neck, but only for about 10 minutes. Don't spend lots of time on one exercises becasue muscle memory will eventually kick in. Also don't be afraid to randomly open the book and pick out some exercises, its not mean't to be progresivly harder. Use the book along side other areas you are working on, they get boring after a while. One last thing, use a metronome building up speed and once you hit say 120, half that but still play at 120. So the meter is at 60. It will test your timing ;-).

Enjoyed the vid, heard him say the same things in his book The lesson as well as some clinics. The older he gets the more he begins to sound like some kind of stoic Jedi master.

I hope so, just got me a Streamer LX

Good version of Claypools solo, its good to see it played by a duo, nice and tight. Your bros a great player, must be great to grow up together learning your instruments. Well played

Problem with exercises is that they are boring and not very musical. They served a purpose when I began but never have I encountered a musical piece that is similar them. Use the lick as the exercise and practice up moving up a fret as the feel lower down the fretboard is different to past the 12th fret. Also forget what the left hand is doing and metaly concentrate on the right hand watching it very move until your happy with the sound it produces. Bare in mind that you may revert back to the smae problem. After 16 years of playing I sometime snotice how my right techniques gone sloppy so I retrun to basics and slow down licks to correct.

I'm skint so; Cheap earbud with very short cable in left hear plugged into laptop, cheap ear but with very short cable in right ear plugge into practice amp. I can feel my brain seperating during practice

Best way in my opinion is to take that lick, dig out the metronome and just play it slowly as possible increasing the speed in small increments until your comfortable with it. Or you could put the lick through a slowdowner program so you have something to play too. How do you currently play? 2 or 3 fingers?

On speaking to a few bassist I think nowadays many have learned both finger and pleck depending on the situation. I think its seen as being a more versatile player. I need to work on my plec picking for future recordings with da metul band but I'd never play one live, just haven't the confidence.

had a whirl on a Rustic. Very nice bluesy sound, to many switches for me but nice sounds non the less.

Really good \m/ Bass tone is niiiiccceeee

Check out Youtube to see how others play it, some even break it down for you. Also you can get bass only tracks to help you pick out the notes.. Finally get a slowdowner, BestPractice is a decent one Spirit of radio is really only difficult on that run, once you've locked in with the drums its pretty easy. YYZ is hard, but again once you internalize the groove it kind of falls into place

Just got a Streamer yesterday . All I did was kill some time in the local music shop. I had no intention of buying. An hour later I emerged with a big dopey smile on my face and a a hefty 10 month finance plan. Its lovely Buy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy itBuy it

Santana.

Nice one mate, let us know if you get the gig. Seems as though bass players are always the most prepared for auditions. I've auditioned guitarists and drummers before and nearly always they just turn to see how it goes.

[quote name='Cameronj279' timestamp='1342392161' post='1734332'] +1000 [/quote] +1001 I used to play in a prog rock band so I got a 6 string, but then when that folded I joined a Metal band. Can't really afford another bass so I've stuck with the 6. I'm used to it, its comfortable and is a great bass to play so why change even if I do only play 2 string 90% of teh time!?! I have my E tuned to D but I leave the B becasue theres one song which requires it. Bit of an odd set up but it works for me. I would like a nice 4 string though, the 6 strings a bit heavy to throw about

Still to high Wish I could take some picks to show what I mean. Think I will sell it on

Sorry for the ressurection of the thread but I'm not getting on with my BB 414x. I play the anchor thumb technique and the edge of the pickup is soooo far away from the E string. It mkaes my playing less controlled and precise. I think I'm goingto have to sell. I thought about getting the pickups changed but the BB ones have rounded edges, nothing else would fit Its a shame becasue I love the tone and the fell of the neck.

No a massive Chillis fan but I love his finger style playing particularly on californication and Mars Voltas Deloused

[quote name='wishface' timestamp='1341925939' post='1726281'] I thought it must be something like that, but I didn't see the left hand slap. I can't get any sound when I slap with my left hand. It's a move that doesn't feel right to me. [/quote] Theres various reasons for not getting a percussive sound with your left hand. it could be Bass EQ, strings, technique or maybe you haven't got your bass amp turned up loud. Try Ed Friedlands slap DVD. really good for getting the fundamentals as well as a few fancy bits. I went through a phase like you. I just wanted to be able to pull out some nice riffs that sounded like I wasn't throwing my bass down the stairs. I'm in a metal band now so I don't really get to do the technique apart from slapping for the tone (I was accused of trying to sound like Level 42 by the guitarist, Mark King denied!?!), but I have a lickle noodle when I get the fancy.

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1341826166' post='1724512'] From LushFest 2012 yesterday, playing guitar with sitarist Sheema Mukherjee. You may enjoy the dancers [/quote] And you would be right!!! Top marks for being professional and not gaping (as I would) Its a cool song.

Just stay of YouTube. That site can really kill ones confidence

I use LMMS, its a sequencer. Not as good as Hydrogen but you can other keys and synths as well as droping in samples

Only in that I've stayed at one. Expect lots of kids running around all over the place and parents not giving a cr*p about it. Alos parents getting exceptionalty drunk. Go for 80s party tunes such as Wham or Black Lace. Agadoo for the kids. And if you get the whole room on the floor singing We Are Sailing you know you've suceeded in getting a call back