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Tips from a jobbing double bassist


ubassman
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Was at a performance of Aida during the week. It was a Rumanian touring company. Rather than being in a pit, the orchestra was on the level with the audience and I couldn't help notice the one and only bassist with this small opera company had a strange small rectangular packet fixed to the top of the bass tucked neatly away under the fingerboard.

At the interval curiosity got the better of me and speaking in perfect English he explained thats where he keeps his Korg tuner ! It was on strip of double sided velcro and stays there permanently . Then under the tailpiece another bit of velcro and he pulled out a tub of Pops rosin ! Smiling away he then reached up into the peg box and pulled out a pencil and sharpener that were wedged between the strings . He explained that as a jobbing DB player life on the road meant that he had to be contained and when in a really tight pit he needed everything within arms reach ...simples !

He had a beautiful but battle-scarred East German 5 string Rubner and played with a carbon fibre bow that he proudly said he got on e-bay for a snip. His G string had some black insulation tape around it where it was frayed and worn under the right hand fingers. He was going to get a new Flexocore G string when he could but being on the move it was a challenge ordering anything in advance and so was just being resourceful keeping things going for the time being till he found a DB friendly shop in a major city !

Best of all was watching him play pizzicato on extended passages where he simply laid the bow down flat horizontally on the bridge ( none of these expensive bow quivers or bow hooks for this chap ) !

Got to say he produced a great full sound and none of the 'Mods' seemed to have any negative affect on his bass. Anyone else got any tips ?

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Great story, it means he doesn't have to rush out to his bag so often. I was interested to hear from Herbie Flowers during a BBC tribute to Lou Reid. He said that in those days all the session musicians used to have a pencil and manuscript paper with them so that could work out the arrangements on the hoof. And they never received royalties. I'm afraid all I can offer is that these days, apart from specs and tuner, I always have a packet of Paracetemol on top of my amp. PS, sorry not putting in paras but my computer won't do it any how, even when using the Enter key. BC only - TB is OK.

Edited by bassace
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[quote name='bassace' timestamp='1383651902' post='2266966']PS, sorry not putting in paras but my computer won't do it any how, even when using the Enter key.[/quote]

You have to press the 'Toggle-editing-mode' on the top left of the icons in the 'reply' dialogue box.

It's the only way you get paragraphs.

It had me flummoxed for a while!

Great story by the way - I'll have to think of my tips - I haven't really been a 'working' musician for many years!

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[quote name='philparker' timestamp='1383662029' post='2267223']


You have to press the 'Toggle-editing-mode' on the top left of the icons in the 'reply' dialogue box.

It's the only way you get paragraphs.

It had me flummoxed for a while!

Great story by the way - I'll have to think of my tips - I haven't really been a 'working' musician for many years!
[/quote]

Thanks Phil, it works. Strange to have to do it though.

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Sports tape!
That's the thing I always keep in my gig bag. Basically a thinner gaffer tape useful in lots of situations: tape up lots of things such as blistered fingers, loose or rattling pickups, frayed strings, music to stand, setlist to floor, cables round tailpiece. If using borrowed bass and nervous about intonation I even use it to "cheat" and mark the side of the fingerboard on the night.
Oops, sorry I just noticed that the touring guy above also had it for strings...probably everyone already knows about it so not much of a tip sorry!

Edited by Rabbie
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[quote name='ubassman' timestamp='1383675589' post='2267554']
I'm assuming that for intonation you rip the tape into little pieces first Rabbie ? !! :D
[/quote]
Eh eh, the best way for me is really to tape my ears up and blissfully ignore how bad my intonation can be...
But aye I do rip it in wee bits

Edited by Rabbie
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More of a cheat than a tip - Ive downloaded my bands set list to my phone and then attach a car window phone holder to the back of my bass. From the audience my phone isn't seen and its better than having music stands and loads of paper everywhere. Great for remembering those songs I always have a blank on!

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[quote name='paddy109' timestamp='1383682082' post='2267692']
More of a cheat than a tip - Ive downloaded my bands set list to my phone and then attach a car window phone holder to the back of my bass. From the audience my phone isn't seen and its better than having music stands and loads of paper everywhere. Great for remembering those songs I always have a blank on!
[/quote]
Good one! But I cannae see the back of my bass when I play.

Edited by Rabbie
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That reminds me, my newly found pal was also busy in the interval marking a specific finger positions on his bass with a soft pencil. He explained that theres one part of the opera where theres just a very exposed bass part where the rest of the orchestra goes silent - too embarrassing for words to be even remotely out with intonation and the beauty of soft pencil is that it glistens and goes silver in the stage lights !

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[quote name='Rabbie' timestamp='1383855470' post='2270128']
Brilliant tip, no shame in getting a bit of help with intonation on the gig: nerves and adrenaline can really do funny things to the old fingers and ears... Well mine at least.
[/quote]

+100. The fingerboard can seem huge and featureless when the pressure's on or when you can't hear yourself properly!

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[quote name='tinyd' timestamp='1384357394' post='2275650']
+100. The fingerboard can seem huge and featureless when the pressure's on or when you can't hear yourself properly!
[/quote]

A nasty boomy stage or a screaming guitar and I need all the help I can get in the shape of a few stick on paper dots. Most importantly (for our kind of band) it means I don't have to stand there all uptight panicking over intonation; i can just get on and have fun.

I take them off after gigs so as not to get dependent on the visuals, and that works fine.

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[quote name='blinddrew' timestamp='1383933022' post='2271050']
I've got one of those but it really struggles with the lower two strings. Somewhat amazingly the tuner app that I downloaded for my phone actually works really well.
[/quote]
I have to rely on the octave harmonic with my E string and my Snark clip-on tuner

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