skampino

Only other thing I would say is that "improvising" or playing your own interpretation doesn't always equate to laziness......there are many "covers" of tunes by artists/bass players that are well thought out, beautifully played and in some cases, an improvement on the original. Ah, if it improves the song or if the band change it completely by doing their own take, I totally agree but I'm talking about a 'that'll do attitude'. Sorry if I confused you. Having auditioned many bass players over the past 5 yrs for my other band where I am a guitarist, the majority just found the easiest solution of the bare minimum that you could get away with. They would compromise their learning and improvement in order to get out gigging. Suffice to say that they endup in bands that have the same sort of approach and such rarely get in decent live music venues or even rebooked in other places after the first gig and also receive a pittance if any fee at all. BigredX: I agree with what you're saying which is why I said 'as close to the original as is possible when playing live'. Obviously if you do not have the required instruments then another one has to fill the gap. Each to their own of course and I don't knock people who just play the basic root notes. It's just not for me; I wat to improve and that means stepping outside the comfort zone and facing challenges.

[quote name='oldslapper' post='789362' date='Mar 29 2010, 01:40 PM']By all means learn the "actual" line...they're usually played or written that way for a reason...I always try to, but please don't let your playing be guided by what you think some other muso might, or might not be thinking about your bass playing....who gives a crap? If you and the band have a policy of staying true to the original parts, that's reason enough. As has been said before, old Bill would have played the song many times and would have "gone off course" many times too, don't suppose he cared....... [/quote] Skankdelvar: I took your advice and downloaded Audacity so it will help. Thanks :0) In answer to questions from others: No, I don't play in tribute bands. (Never have or would as I would get bored playing one genre). Yes we have a keyboardist (who also plays sax if we need it). I care about what other musos think of me as a bass player because I want to be regarded as damn good. I want to get as close to the original bassline as is possible in a live situation. If that's not for you, that's your perogative but it's not the way I prefer to approach covering someone else's music. I may well start another topic questioning improvisation! Here's a starter: If someone has to learn a bassline which has multiple runs and decides to just play root notes, is that improvising? I call it skimping, laziness or probably lack of ability to do anything else. What's your view?

Thanks Monz. It is the same as the version on Songster, which is about the closest I could find. The parts are all correct, just not all played in the right position on the fretboard but I can sort with no problem. Appreciate your help. :0)

[quote name='Delberthot' post='788953' date='Mar 28 2010, 10:31 PM']why not learn it your own way? I've never bothered to listen to it to learn it note by note and have been playing it regularly in bands for the past 15 years.[/quote] Although I have the ability to improvise, it is not the way my band or I like to cover songs, which is why my post does say I want to learn the exact bassline of the 'original chart release version of the song'. Unfortunately in all the the recordings I've accessed, parts of the bassline are difficult to hear. Grand Wazoo - Thankyou for the suggestion. Albeit the best, the version on 'Songster' is just another improvisation.` Sorry if this offends but I have to agree with Witterth, that learning it your own way is a cop out. Anyone can improvise to make it easy for themselves. I have only been in bands that require each instrument to play precisely what should be there, whether it be a radio edit, studio or live version that's been agreed upon. I can't think of anything worse than gigging in a well established music venue and have the p*ss taken out of you by other musos who know you aren't playing the actual bassline.

In my last band I worked alongside two guitarists. One undertook lessons for 2yrs and has a hell of a lot of technical knowledge and can can play any guitar solo you throw at him. The other guitarist has never had a lesson and learned everything by ear. We began writing our own material and this is where the first guitarist came unstuck. With all his knowledge he had little creativity, whereas the one who had taught himself could produce something with a 'hook'. He would often amaze me at how when listening to the music channel he would grab his guitar and pick out the actual guitar parts that were being played in songs he'd never heard before. The other guitarist couldn't do that. So, although there are lots of benefits in learning the technical side of music, playing by ear is a gift!

[quote name='Davemarks' post='20323' date='Jun 19 2007, 06:17 PM']You are right - we are often encouraged to play in position and I agree it is a much more economic way to play. Sometimes you have to stray from conventional wisdom to get a particular sound....[/quote] True Dave and its something I go on about all the time. My opinion is that a bass player from the likes of U2, The Police is likely to mess around with notes of bass lines until they find the correct sequence that complements other instruments. So if they decide to play an A note on the E string, instead of playing it in a different position or as an open note it must be for a reason and playing it any other way will change the song's dynamics.

Dave, I would be forever in your debt if you could post 'Brown Sugar' by The R. Stones. I've tried everywhere to get the tab but all rubbish. I know the root notes but it's the little runs etc I can't work out by ear. Damn guitars are too loud!

Allowed another band to use our gear once - never again! They were a punk support band who on their closing song produced water blasters and proceeded to squirt everyone and everything.

Brown Sugar by The Rolling Stones. I know the root notes and could improvise but would like to learn what Bill Wyman played on the original chart release. Tab everywhere is rubbish so wondered if anyone on here has mastered it AND would be prepared to share or tab it for me. Cheers

Don't suppose you'd be so kind as to tab it for me would you?

Brown Sugar by The Rolling Stones. I know the root notes and could improvise but would like to learn what Bill Wyman played on the original chart release. Tab everywhere is rubbish so wondered if anyone on here has mastered it. Cheers

My local music shop had to send all the MB range back coz customers kept returning them with faults. So I guess I would steer clear.

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='785436' date='Mar 25 2010, 06:35 AM']As far as I can tell that's a maybe. You can't go wrong by PAT testing for sure. However, if the equipment comes from a reliable source then it's reasonable to get it in your "normal round" of re-testing. Understand that a lot of the wording about PAT is the language of companies "covering their ass" as it were - can you prove you took reasonable precautions. In this case we are talking about actually being safe, so I would suggest getting it tasted asap.[/quote] So are you saying even brand new gear bought from a musical instrument shop needs PAT testing?

You obviously haven't heard me sing! LOL

Roland bass cube 30w

Unless you are very lucky there will be COLLATERAL DAMAGE before you find all the right members to make a stable band. NEVER COMPROMISE YOURSELF TO KEEP SOMEONE WHO ISN'T COMMITTED - they will control the band and you won't be happy. NO-ONE IS INREPLACEABLE! It just takes a bit of time, effort and advertising. In the past 6 yrs, my band have been through 5 bass players and 10 drummers and 1 vocalist! Hard at times but there are deps out there until you find replacements....use them!

[quote name='Krysbass' post='786856' date='Mar 26 2010, 12:41 PM']If this guy goes, I'm not sure I'd want to pursue this project any further anyway - I'd probably draw a line under it and look for something new (though there's probably not much call for 48 yo bassists in Cheshire - or anywhere else for that matter! ) I think I'll see how the gig goes tomorrow night and then ask for a band meeting to talk about what's been going on - we clearly can't go on like this.[/quote] Mate I would still be looking for a replacement. now you've given him a final warning, he will probably be looking for another band! AND....don't give up on your band; the other guys seem to be ok. Finding a vocalist will be a lot easier than finding a band without problem members!

I brought up this subject but feedback was use an RCD!