OliverBlackman

The best way to do it is to stick yourself into a situation where you need to be able to sight read all the time, for example a big band. The pressure is huge and there's nowhere to hide but the embarrassment at the beginning will be worth the rewards in the end.

First Bass: Jim Deacon Go to: Overwater Jazz 5 My bass: Fender p bass

ahh completely missed the bart pickups.... Not so much dream bass now but it looks nice

wish i could afford this, dream bass in the perfect colour [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bass-Guitar-Fender-Jazz-69_W0QQitemZ130484733995QQcategoryZ4713QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp5197.m7QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D3%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D7017853308326272593#ht_581wt_936"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bass-Guitar-Fender-J...93#ht_581wt_936[/url]

is LCCM new Jake? I'v never seen it advertised before but it looks to have good courses

I think i was in a similar state when i joined ACM, i was only up to grade 4 and although i knew a major and minor scale that was pretty much it theory wise. The whole sight reading thing is just to make it look like standards are high. There are second year bassists who can't sight read amazingly and the reason is it takes lots of time to develop and can be between a few years and 10 years to get it right (obviously depends on the person and how much you practice). I was unable to read music when i joined ACM however after a lot of hard work in higher diploma i now find i am ok at it, not at all great or even good but i can get through a simplish chart. The main advantage that ACM has over the other institutes is that its huge! It has loads of students and lots of teachers. Do of course though look around the different places first, ACM was just the one that stuck out for me and i wouldn't have chosen anywhere else to do the higher dip.

ICMP is smaller and has fewer teachers and fewer students. Also Kilburn isnt a very nice place compared to Guildford. ACM'S higher diploma course is brilliant and is definately worth the money if your serious about becomming a musicman. I am biases however, and i know my mates at ICMP will disagree on me. They call it "GAYCM"......... Drummers

The reasons why berklee is such a success is because its such a tight community within the students and because its right next to New York. The course is very similar to one you would find at ACM, ICMP, Brighton, GuitarX, Bootsies university of funk. You would probably learn something but i think a local teacher should be able to teach you the same.

[quote name='risingson' post='1122191' date='Feb 10 2011, 12:37 AM']I appreciate that slap long predates all of these songs we're talking about, but the production methods and the way the slap part is quantised and spliced together via electronic means are the attributes of a much more recent development in music. There isn't a particularly 'live' feel to the bass in the Katy Perry tune, and it's something that was very synonymous with Justice's (and a few other people's) style of bass production. That's all I was saying really, and I don't believe it to be coincidence I liked Justice, but to be honest I take great interest in hearing a lot of top 40 artists 'borrowing' production methods that have evolved from other artists. In relation to the original question, slap bass isn't going to make a comeback just because it's been used in one Katy Perry tune. Like you say, slap has already happened, it's already been a big thing in the 70's and 80's L.A and N.Y.C recording studios largely thanks to a lot of session greats who used it to great effect on a lot of records, i.e. Marcus Miller, Louis Johnson, Freddie Washington, etc. the list is exhaustive. Bass needs to evolve by other means rather than repeating what's already happened. Radio one is awful for most of the time, but I listen because it's in my interest to know what's happening with popular music right now, and I like to keep abreast of what music might be popular, regardless if it's good or complete crap (usually it's the latter )![/quote] The production on that Justice song is incredible. Its a shame producers don't get that much time on a top 40 record anymore

When did slap go away? Its consistently used in dance records but as a subtle octave riff rather than the full on victor wooten/Mark King styles we see on youtube.

A P bass is the place to start, a 50's or 60's replica would be great but the current American Series are pretty good too

ahrite well that does make sense. It is a shame though as it would be more useful if if they tuned to the same frequency

[quote name='derrenleepoole' post='1114053' date='Feb 3 2011, 04:07 PM']Harmonics, or nodes sound at specific points up and down the strings and when you play them they effective divide the string into equal resonant vibrations along the string length. So if you play the harmonic at the 12th fret, the strings us divided equally at that point. Harmonics have nothing to do with frets or fret positions as they're determined by string length. Is it possible that perhaps the intonation is out on the fretted notes compared with the harmonics as these aer fixed, and not the other way around?[/quote] Not sure i understand, basically i was playing along to a keyboard and trying out some ideas with harmonics. It sounded fine just when i would go to play the harmonic on/ around the 4th fret. I know its the equivalent to the strings major 3rd. So i played my bass through the tuner and everything was bang on in tune except for these specific harmonics. The octave harmonics are fine both on the 12th and 5th fret, and the 5th on the 7th fret is fine. Just these major 3rd's are ever so slighty flat on the tuner.

So everything is in tune except for the harmonics on the 4th frets. Is this down to neck relief or the frets? Or is it a common design fault?

you are mostly likely correct and my inexperience is why i dont value it as much, but in my mind the standard of students that complete a degree in music performance could be higher if it wasn't for the educational system. Having said all this, assignments are only 50%, and the other 50% is fantastic

obviously yes learning contacts through these kinds of places is invaluable and i've been playing with some great players which is a lot of fun. My thing is, if the assignments wern't there students would devote more time on socializing, gigging, and gaining the skills that would be used in the industry. From what iv learnt, writing 5000 words on crap isn't going to get me a gig as a performing musician

I've been on a degree course at ACM for 6 months now having completed the HnD last year. And iv got to say the Degree is not what i was expecting. It seems that 50% of my time is having to be devoted to writing assignments. I know it has to be part of the course to validate it as a degree but i would rather spend my time getting good on my instrument and learning about music rather than writing an essay on how i go about transcribing a song. Surely theres no right or wrong way to transcribe as long as you get the right end result anyway? But the thing is if i spent all this time just playing bass i would be twice as good as i am now. I just completed all my Coursework and handed it in 6 weeks ago, it took about 4 weeks to complete. Now i have been given the briefs for the next batch of assignments which are supposed to be in soon. The worst part is i know people at ICMP and Birmingham Conservatoire and their going through the same thing. So anybody thinking of taking up a Music Degree think hard about it because i am starting to see why people like Janek Gwizdala left theirs before they completed it.

Iv heard a few good things about Pearl pedals but has anyone ever owned the compressor?

IN Warwick Thumb 5 Tokai Jazz Overwater Jazz 5 Hartke HX112 Various pedals Double bass OUT Fender US DELUXE Jazz 5 MusicMan Stingray Ashdown ABM Hartke HX410 Various pedals nearly even, but iv definately spent more than i should have. Damn You Basschat

my pc wouldnt accept the link

Theres a few on the Kilburn high street north london. There was a delicious Fender FMT V string on ebay from a cash convertors and someone on here bought it dead cheap, like £1500 off its new value

I would like to see more clips of him playing fingerstyle. As i can't do the double thumb tihng yet it'd be nice to relate with what he's doing. Also when he does it sounds fantastic

It says he is an innovative player on his website? I think he will find that when i was 10 and handed a guitar i too was making lots of twangy sounds and playing nothing that makes musical sense. So innovative he is not...... now show me the drummer jokes thread, iv got some great ones

[quote name='ezbass' post='1090445' date='Jan 15 2011, 02:20 PM']"don't pick your nose after scratching your bum"[/quote] Nothing like learning from mistakes