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"12 Essential Live Bass Playing Tips"


Skol303
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... recently article on the Music Radar website:

[url="http://www.musicradar.com/tuition/bass/12-essential-live-bass-playing-tips-496211"]http://www.musicradar.com/tuition/bass/12-...ing-tips-496211[/url]

Thought I'd post it here in case anyone is interested or just fancies a good ol' moan about it! :)

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[quote name='Dom in Somerset' post='1374506' date='Sep 15 2011, 02:59 PM']most of it was (IMO) on a par with "Remember to breath while you're on stage"
The bit about taking keys to adjust intonation seems a little odd- as if you'd do that on stage?[/quote]

I thought that, the point I thought was going to be that action-adjuctment grub screws can sometimes shake themselves loose (particularly if they're set low), but then he started talking about adjusting intonation...no!?

[quote]Cheap cables introduce noise, [b]reduce the lower frequency response [/b]and are prone to breaking down.[/quote]

No they don't, it's the treble end which is likely to be affected as the capacitance between signal and screen becomes significant in cheaper cables.

[quote]Number 2 is a great idea, because dragging your amp head off the top of an 8x10" is so much more desirable than getting unplugged. Don't ask me how I know. :|[/quote]

Agreed, absolutely!

[quote]Many a sound engineer has suffered near heart failure when an open circuit is plugged into.[/quote]

Not sure what meaning he's trying to convey with 'open circuit', it's certainly not the general engineering meaning of the term...

And yeah, the tilting-back/lifting-up thing...can be useful in some circumstances, for sure. Not totally convinced, Mr Newell...C-, could do better.

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Not a fan of 2 either - my lead goes through the cab side handle then on to the head.

Saddle screws won't vibrate loose if you put nail varnish on them when you set them.

Re the torch - good idea , but I also have those cheap baby night lights in any spare sockets including the ones in the back of my rack. I use a soft skinned rack bag so my bass can lay safe on top.

Your drink should go in a mic stand drinks holder which has a turn screw you can hang a towel off - I had a mic stand mounted ashtray too before some worthy decided I have no right to kill people.



My number one tip of all time for playing live would be - when you drop a bollock don't react , because 99% of the peasants in front of you haven't got a clue.

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#1 Learn your set
#2 Make sure the rest of the band learn the same set as you
#3 Play the same songs as at the same time as each other otherwise you arent playing the set (see #1 & #2)
#4 The lead goes round the cab handles not the amp handle - especially important in this age of lightweight rigs
#5 Do decouple the cab from the stage and or tilt it as necessary so you can hear it - esp with PA support
#6 Carry spares
#7 Carry spares for the guitarist & vocalist (wtf? no really)
#8 Dont bin all the mids in your sound!
#9 Make sure you have line of sight to the drummer and frontperson at all times
#10 Declutter the stage - tangling yopurself up in the 12 meters of spare power cable running around ythe stage from you pedal board to the back of the stage is unsightly, uncool, and not atually as rock'n'roll as you might thionk
#11 Stay sober

Edited by 51m0n
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[quote name='BigRedX' post='1375245' date='Sep 16 2011, 10:18 AM']IMO there are only these:

1a. Don't screw up
1b. If you do screw up don't draw any more attention to it
2a. Have fun
2b. If you're not having fun look like you are.

All you need.[/quote]


Very, very wise words. I've now played in three bands where the actual musical standards wouldn't win us any prizes but in all three we put on a good show, had fun and got loads of positive feedback and re-bookings.

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[quote name='51m0n' post='1374671' date='Sep 15 2011, 05:14 PM']#1 Learn your set
#2 Make sure the rest of the band learn the same set as you
#3 Play the same songs as at the same time as each other otherwise you arent playing the set (see #1 & #2)
#4 The lead goes round the cab handles not the amp handle - especially important in this age of lightweight rigs
#5 Do decouple the cab from the stage and or tilt it as necessary so you can hear it - esp with PA support
#6 Carry spares
#7 Carry spares for the guitarist & vocalist (wtf? no really)
#8 Dont bin all the mids in your sound!
#9 Make sure you have line of sight to the drummer and frontperson at all times
#10 Declutter the stage - tangling yopurself up in the 12 meters of spare power cable running around ythe stage from you pedal board to the back of the stage is unsightly, uncool, and not atually as rock'n'roll as you might thionk
#11 Stay sober[/quote]
+1 for #5 ... often as not these days I'm just using my lovely rig for stage monitoring purposes.

-1 for #11 ... I like to grease the wheels slightly before I go up... not pissed just 2 beer sparkly - It aids the release of my nutcase stage persona more. :)
Strangely enough when I come off stage I'm straight back to my usual quiet self. Maybe it's all in my head. :) Still, it's what I do.

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[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1375290' date='Sep 16 2011, 11:02 AM']+1 for #5[/quote]


I dont think #5 should be written in stone. It depends on the lay out of the venue. Also, if the stage is hollow underneath, as apart from being the actual floor itself, the bass sound can be very boomey if the cab is not raised. IMO, it is a case of tuning your equipment to suit the acoustics of the venue.

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