arthurhenry

[quote name='silddx' post='1007478' date='Oct 31 2010, 04:49 PM'] You're wrong. Sorry.[/quote] You're right of course. I was thinking of it looking at the bass from the front, rather than down the neck.

"Lefty loosey, righty tighty" only applies if the adjustment nut is at the heel of the neck. If it's at the headstock, it's the other way around!

Bass player has always been best and is easily available over here. However, to call it a magazine these days is a stretch, it's more of a pamphlet. I could actually wedge the last issue into the neck pocket gap on my 70's Fender. What little content there is has gone right down hill too.

My wife knows that living with me not gigging would be a lot harder than living with me gigging every weekend and practicing every night. I'm lucky, she supports me 100% and she knows her friends go to bed dreaming that their husbands were rock gods like me. (cough).

oops, somehow I missed out the 2nd bit - more or less same as first part, but shifted down 2 frets - tap D pull off CBA, Tap A on D string, pull off GF#E.

OK, assuming you have at least 21 frets: Tap the high E 21st fret of G string, then pull off D, C, B. Then repeat the pattern on the D sting - tap the high B, pull off A,G,F#. Then shift down and repeat the first pattern (all 8 notes) an octave lower, starting with a tapped E at 14th fret of D string. End with a tapped E at 12th fret. Hope that helps, now charge up the drill! Edit: I missed out the 2nd part! It's posted below.

Is Rosewood lighter (in weight!)? I've often wondered why Mr. Sheehan, who's always preferred Maple, has rosewood boards on his double neck.

Billy demomstrates it very clearly on the IMHO DVD. I'll try to have a look and post later.

My solution to the day job/kids issue is to get up at 6am and do an hour before breakfast. No one around to bother me and I'm guilt free for the day, with only 30mins left to do in the evening. If I've got a gig I know I've done an hour's warm up that morning.

Could be an intense practice session, playing to your favourite gramaphone recordings, or noodling in front of the TV. How much do you need to do to stay in shape? I do 90mins every day. Used to be 3 hours, before I had kids! Edit: Replies of "about 40 inches" will be ignored!

[quote name='silddx' post='998807' date='Oct 24 2010, 01:16 PM']Technically no, in practice mostly yes. Anyone trying to make bass a lead instrument is, in my book, pretty deluded. It's just not an interesting sound, at least nowhere near as interesting as a saxophone, a guitar, or a piano. For me, the real glory of the great bass player is in rhythm and harmonisation. A bassist can make a vocal, horn or guitar melody sound immense in a way no other instrument is capable of, except perhaps a piano. The problem lies in bassists with great technical facility and theoretical knowledge, coupled with a personality that requires them to demonstrate that facility. They normally replace another more suited instrument in an ensemble to play established complex jazz music, write music they feel is suitable for solo bass, or learn cello pieces and put them on youtube. In almost all cases it fails to stimulate on anything other than a technical level, and only other people who like technical facility seem to appreciate it. Even I am guilty of enjoying some of it, (but never Alain Caron ), but I am a bassist so of course I am going to. But I recognise it is simply novelty, a circus act. The truly great bassists are the ones with great technical facility and theoretical knowledge who make composers' music sound richer and more musical, and excite the composer and the audience, even if it's subliminally. That is challenge enough for most musicians. I really believe a bassist has to know his place and purpose, otherwise learn the guitar or the trumpet for god's sake. EDIT: I'm assuming in a multi-bass scenario, one of them will be a lead instrument.[/quote] Perfectly put. I too, often get the feeling that some pf these players feel the need to show what they can do at every given oppurunity. They're unable to play more than a few bars of meat and potatoes bass playing just in case someone new has walked into the room and thinks that's all they can do.

[quote name='skej21' post='999028' date='Oct 24 2010, 05:07 PM']I'm just suprised that you can attend 19 years worth of Sheenan clinics and listen to his entire output whilst sober. I'd have to have a good drink of whiskey, just to numb the pain of my bleeding ears![/quote] Almost all of it is song based rock music with appropriate bass lines. The way he plays a simple 8th note line excites me far more than the fiddly stuff.

[quote name='Oscar South' post='998815' date='Oct 24 2010, 01:21 PM']Why even make this thread? Were you drunk or on drugs? It serves no purpose but to be ignorant. I'm not getting into a debate here, music is music and any can be beautiful or ugly. I've run jam nights where there have been multi bass jams and I've taken part in them, and in my experience where all parties involved are good musicians, they've all sounded excellent. Looks like we may have a variable here?.. Also, have you listened to 95% of Manring, Sheehan and Wooten's recorded output? Or just heard a few snippets, maybe a solo album here or there? This post makes me think you're just fishing for argument, which I can actually say I've been guilty of at times . Two albums for anyone who still has doubts to put them to rest: [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Bass-Could-Only-Talk/dp/B000025LOI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1287922767&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Bass-Could-On...2767&sr=1-1[/url] -[/quote] I made the post because I was interested to see if other bass players shared my opinion. I believe that's a valid reason to post on a bass discussion forum. I was drunk once, about 8 years ago, but have never taken drugs. I have heard 99% of Sheehan's recorded output and attended his clinics for 19 years. I have heard less of Wooten and Manring's output. I was specifically referring to the bass day type jam and perhaps should have made this clearer. Duets between two double basses can be great and some of the Wooten/Bailey stuff is nice too. The thread seems to have served the purpose of starting a discussion about multi bass jams and our likes/dislikes thereof.

I'd like to see one where the virtuosos put their money where their mouths are and just held down the low end like they're always teling us to do, after they've unleashed a flurry of cutlery tray down the stairs type slapped 32nd notes. Sheehan steps up and plays sraight 8ths on one note for 4 bars, then Wooten hits a low E and holds it for the next 4, Steve Bailey plays Quarter notes for 4 bars and then Manring plays a root, 3rd, 5th walking line. No chance!

It's true isn't it?

[quote name='dood' post='994219' date='Oct 19 2010, 10:55 PM']I actually have a perverse want to cover that 'mashup' at a gig! - You could, in theory get away with playing just 4 chords for a whole set! How incredibly boring - but the easiest set you'd ever play![/quote] They've taken some liberties though. For example, the Journey chord progression is 1,5,6,4. Save tonight is 1, m6, m3, 7.

Has everyone forgotten how RHCP ripped off Tom Petty's Mary Jane's last dance? TP said enough people in the world were sueing each other and he couldn't be bothered.

There was an interesting interview with Gary Willis in Bass player a while ago where he said that he earns far more from his educational books and his deal with Ibanez than he does from playing music. I suspect the same is true to some degree with Wooten. The technique versus simple playing debate doesn't really mean that much. Cliff Williams is an incredible (and very rich) player with amazing feel, groove and energy. What the AC/DC rhythm section bring to their music is just as high art as the most complex jazz fusion. CW has probably hardly ever played a note out of place in his career - how many "technical" players could say that? It's perfectly likely that he can slap and tap all over the neck and has learnt the whole of Well tempered Klavier on bass, but because he's such a good musician he chooses not to play any of this where it's not required.

All perfectly valid techniques on bass, I agree, but I'd like to think his lessons might include some mention of timing, consistency, feel, groove and simple root based lines. I get the impression it would be more a case of " welcome to your first bass lesson, let's start with some two handed tapping..." By the way have you ever heard of "Air harmonic tapping"!? I don't believe Sheehan ever gave this technique a name. It comes from the Van Halen "Mean street" intro.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='990163' date='Oct 16 2010, 01:23 PM']He looks like a knob but he can play. So teaching is probably what he ought to be doing.[/quote] How do you know he can play? I couldn't tell from his video! Thanks Bartelby for posting the vid here.

Sorry, don't know why the link won't work. "what can you do with a bass guitar" with quote marks and it's the top ideo. Worth a chuckle.

I don't think [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQOill9Zlql"]this[/url] is a joke. Oh dear Seems like the link won't work! Search "what can you do with a bass guitar" on youtube.

Here's the big secret....It can be just as artistically satisfying to play covers as originals. It certainly is for me! I'm not just an entertainer, I'm a musician with something to say! Nobody might notice except me, but I'm still happy. I would never just go through the motions because I'm playing a cover. I don't care what the song is, I'll play it with my own feel and character to satisfy myself as a musician. Nine times out of ten this doesn't mean drastically changing the line, it's just subtle maybe abstract differences. I couldn't do it any other way. I really believe this approach could work for anyone.

[quote name='Twigman' post='973907' date='Oct 1 2010, 01:17 PM']LOL Oh errr do I come across as that sort of w***er? Oh dear....no my point is.......too many people give up too soon in original bands....I know too that if it stopped tomorrow nothing would make me want to take my bass and play covers in pubs, nothing!.....I just don't get it. Sorry[/quote] I've been playing original material for 23 years and still do. Thank god for covers bands, without them I'd have done about 3% of the gigs I have and be a far inferior and less experienced player!

I love playing bass live on stage. Many times I've learnt songs I'm not fond of and ended up loving playing them, even if I wouldn't listen to them at home. Do some people only enjoy playing bass if they're playing music they love?