Lord Sausage

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1358867314' post='1946271'] Compositions should come from your head, not your fingers, or what you believe music theory is telling you. [/quote] [quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1358871537' post='1946339'] I propose that composition is a mixture of heart AND head. The ideas germinate emotionally but the process of development is partly inspiration and partly good old-fashioned graft. [/quote] Compositions should be a mix of all your musical personality. Your feel, inspiration mixed with your knowledge of the language of music. You can express yourself better the more you know verbally and it's the same with music. I love composing and i don't feel trapped by two chords or by complexity. Stravinsky, after being criticised by Schonberg (serialist composer) said something along the lines of ' Why should I be trapped by 13 notes when i have the freedom of seven'. I've done lots of different styles thru college, uni and after from Rock songs to Jazz big band to Glassian Minimalism to jazz fusion to Prog. It just depends where your voice and head is. The only restriction i feel is in the recording. I could write a full big band piece, chords, melody, counter-melody and score it for all instruments at a piano but never get it recorded unless i used midi and it would just sound sh*t. So i tend to just compose now within what i can record at home. But i'm definitely not restricted by musical language and ideas.

I was in a band that played a friends 18th birthday years ago. The drummer dropped a pill before we started playing. The first 45 mins was good but after that the tempos just got faster and faster. To be honest it was pretty funny. I wouldn't wanna do it again tho. I was on edge for a lot of the gig, expecting the worst!

[quote name='Ninja_Baby' timestamp='1350553906' post='1840350'] Any excuse to show my newest member of the family. [/quote]Initially i thought the pattern on the curtains which is reflected on the scratchplate, was like a hologram in the scratchplate. Which i thought 'How f***in cool is that!'. Unfortunately not. Still a cool bass tho!

It's just different! Not good. If this was the original would it have been popular. Probably no!

[quote name='Myke' timestamp='1358789625' post='1945049'] The last one I 'did' I had the pad before the rehearsals but if I have to do it on the day, I wouldn't be able to and I don't want that to be the case and then to let them down. And may I be cheeky and ask which show it is? If you don't want to say, it's no problem! Good luck with it! [/quote]RENT

[quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1358698569' post='1943545'] What Lowdown said is bang on. I've done a load of shows (not Grease though),and I've never been given the pad before the first band call.In fact,my first show was depping for my then-teacher so I didn't even have the luxury of a rehearsal..it was straight in at the deep end. Getting and learning the CD may help,but remember that there is every likely hood that things will change (cut from bar 112 to 124 etc.) so you can't rely too much on that approach. With regards to emailing the MD,I can only say that every show that I've done has been through recommendation. The MD will probably have a list of players that they regularly use and an unsolicited email (I'd prefer a phone call) [i]may [/i]get you on the bottom of that list,but don't count on it-especially as the only experience you have is nearly doing a show at uni. If you want to get into this line of work,I think that you'd be better off finding the players who are doing this work and taking some lessons.You'll improve your reading and they may put you forward for deps where you will (hopefully) be able to prove yourself. A recommendation is a million times better than an unsolicited email. [/quote] To be fair, the opposite can be true. I've done lots of shows where i've had the pad weeks in advance. Pro and Am Dram. I'm going on Tour in April with a pro show and i'm getting the pad next week!

Yeah, I've done it a couple of times. Easy and much fun. I've never had to do a covering letter though, when doing theatre gigs.

I used to get pissed all the time when younger. When i was at college a lecturer, who was a pro musician and genius, told us to practise pissed when at home cos as a musician you do loads of gigs pissed. We took that to heart. Now i just have a couple before i play.

I'm umming and aahing about gettin one. This is quite helpful, but it consolidates my indecisiveness

[quote name='MrTaff' timestamp='1358608321' post='1942131'] Would this have been posted if it was a guy playing? and the answer is NO. [/quote] Word!

Apparently she's only been playing two years......

I have a CIJ version. Love it. I should add its fretless, so its prob loads different!

[quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1358532230' post='1941061'] Had one of their sausages once, awful! [/quote] ha ha class

Why not just transpose all the songs into different keys and re learn them, the old fashioned way. It may be unpopular but isn't that part of what musicianship is about!

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1358509397' post='1940435'] To dismiss [i]any[/i] player is ignorant as far as I'm concerned.I don't really like what Victor Wooten does and have no interest in the slappy-slappy thing but I watched some of his tutorial videos and picked up some cool tips on groove and time. People might not think Hook's music is worthy of a "masterclass" but to categorically state that he'll be unable to impart any musical wisdom to anyone is just arrogant twaddle as I said before. Some of the most useful tips I've ever learned came from so-called "inferior" players and I've taught things to players much "better" than me. I've learned all sorts of things from all sorts of people, and the day I start thinking "this person can't teach me anything" before I've even heard what they have to say is the day I stop playing. [/quote] Bang on the money! I remeber whilst at Uni i taught a lecturer some theory. He had a Phd in Music( Renaissance admittedly), and i was showing him some jazz theory. Conversely the person I've learnt the most off hardly knows any theory!

I usedto at School, college and uni. I was a Bass,obviously.

Nothing cheaper than those Harley Benton's on Thomann

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1358495640' post='1940090'] What a great argument between the "technicians" and the "musicians". Personally I find technical displays boring after about 10 seconds. Good music I'll listen to all day. I suspect that Hooky will be delivering some great anecdotes and some good "music". note to self - must start new argument about the definition of music. [/quote] Why can't 'technicians' be 'musicians', it's a bullshit statement really. Does that mean all jazz players aren't musicians and it's not good 'music'. I can appreciate some players are just technique and nothing else but to separate them and say anyone with technique isn't a musician is just wrong. The two can co exist!

[quote name='The Admiral' timestamp='1358466584' post='1939967'] Cliche : a comment that is widely made and not original. Fair enough - I just happen to agree with many other people, as do you it would seem, that BB is a great player - which doesn't surprise me in these circumstances. As for Vai - fair enough, I would heartily agree that he's an incredible technical player, which many people admire, but I was simply seeking to make the point that technique in and of itself doesn't make for a great listening experience in many situations. You can admire the skill and the flash, as you can admire BB's tone and unique vibrato - one isn't lesser than the other, just because it 's more simple is my point - which was the point I inferred from much of the comment above : "Hook isn't a very good technical player, therefore he has no right to appear in a showcase" - which in this case has been poorly labelled as a masterclass, which for many suggests a higher level of skill will be demonstrated. [/quote] I can agree with that, but to dismiss players because they have technique is quite ignorant. Vai may have technique but his music is incredible not just for shredding. Great composition, melody, harmony and development. When i was younger in my teens, I was all about technique and difficult music but as i grew up i pretty much got into everything and enjoyed stuff on it's own merit. What i've found, in most cases, is snobbery from both ends. People with great technique and musicianship are snotty to music that's not. Conversely, those who don't go down that avenue are snotty to technical music as if it as no merit, when of course it does.

[quote name='The Admiral' timestamp='1358462045' post='1939868'] BB King has made a career out of being the greatest player of 5 notes in the world, and given the choice between seeing him and Steve Vai, I know who I'd want to watch. [/quote] That's such a cliche, I've seen that printed on walls of music shops. There are plenty of people who would rather watch Vai. Massive following, incredible music. Me... i'd like to watch both. There's more than one way to skin a cat!

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1358425834' post='1938858'] I'd rather listen to an hour Hooky telling me how long your strap can get than listen to 5 minutes of anything recorded by Jaco Pastorius. I'm not a big NO/JD fan either. Horses for courses. I think it's quite nice that someone who was/is actually influential on a lot of bands and not from the multi string slappy tappy brigade is doing one of these things. [/quote] Yeah but Jaco has influenced a lot too. just cos it's in Jazz and Funk and not British pop doesn't mean its less relevant! (I'm not against Hook by the way. Quite impartial in this)

[quote name='kerley' timestamp='1358407339' post='1938496'] Some of the technically more competent cannot get a message across or present well at all and it is as much about that as anything. [/quote] Who? Names please!

[quote name='AndyTravis' timestamp='1358383109' post='1938431'] Three. Monaco had a couple of hits. Rather than none... Seriously, name another bass player like Hooky? Has the presence of Hooky in the public eye? Pete, I usually agree with your posts, but for someone with musical knowledge, and a seemingly open mind with music; this is an odd post. Steve Vai/Satriani/Eric Johnson etc or Keef/Ron Wood (both of whom are 'weak' guitarists; but Iconic guitarists nonetheless!) Mr Hook is a nice bloke, I sold him a Fleabass for his lad, and have seen him since. Personally not sure about what he's doing with the rehashing of New Order/Joy division albums, but it'd be foolish for me to mention that as you're in a successful tribute act yourself. What's to say he's not an awesome, technically proficient slap wizard at home, but plays to his persona in the public forum? Kirk Hammet, Metal lead supremo plays a mean blues, and Mr Jason Newsted was a decent slap player, and did Jazz gigs in Metallica down time. The droney, chorused lead bass thing is his, if you did anything like that, you'd be called a copyist. Therefore he's got his place, and certainly won't be short of attendees for this event. So, If you don't like/appreciate or get the guy as a bassist, simply don't go, and don't worry, there's a guy on another forum calling Marcus Miller a gobsh*te. [/quote] Keef and Ron!? Weak guitarists!? tish and pish!

Right! just ordered it off Thomann. I'll let you know stuff when it comes.

There have been a couple round my way one called Steamin on Stella, another called Bollox and another called The Bucket Bangers. All class and were well appreciated