General Music Chat

Well an update. I got into an ACDC startup with some good musicians. Pretty easy for me since Cliff Williams stuff isn't too hard. Perfect situation really. Having a lot of fun with it. We should be good to start gigging for the Summer.

Good for you, chanratt. And if that band doesn't work out, looks like there are plenty of folks in the northern Mass area looking for bass players!

you can have a lot of fun playing bass. I've switched to guitar over the last five years but I still love to pick up my bass and get it moving.

congratulations.

Do keep us informed as you start getting it done.

Talbot

I have played Bass for over 40yrs and let me tell you whoever said that the bass and drums need to be on the same page are correct O Moondo I have seen a lot of guitar players try to be bass players and they fly all over the thing with no consistent beat the drummer gets lost in translation that way there are so many different scale riffs for different types of music the Bass has to know his place in the order of the band they call it Lead Guitar for a reason i have never heard Lead Bass before Just Remember if you and your drummer have good timing any band you get with will be awesome

As for Equipment Watch out for some of these Manufactures most of the guitars these days are not made in the USA even though the company might be based from here I have had good Luck with Washburn which there basses are made in Indonesia but they are built to washburns very strict specs the electronics are Top Notch and ESP Basses are built in Japan the very same factory that Fender contracted to do there Basses in the 70's and these basses are also great now that being said i have tried Peavey Basses which are built in the same factory as washburn basses and Don't waste you time on these they are junk and also i got one from AXL which is a company from California there Basses are Made in China and The Pickups were nice but the Volume and Tone Pods were junk i have never seen such Tiny Pots in my life so i had to do some electronic work now i have a top notch bass for about 300 bucks

I hope you are still reading this. When I started up again I took a class on digital music. I bought Band in the Box and Real Band software. I then downloaded all of my favorite tunes in MIDI format and learned to play along with them. With Realband one can print out the bass score or events with the notes if you cant read music, and then turn down or off the bass lines. Playing along with the MID files has quicky increased my skills without having to waste a bands time waiting for me to get good. I am ready to play public.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z3mdv6PSOA

Good for you, chanratt. And if that band doesn't work out, looks like there are plenty of folks in the northern Mass area looking for bass players!

Heh. Another update. Our ACDC tribute kinds didn't work out unfortunately. Real shame as the guys were nice to get along with and it was a lot of fun. Mike, who are these bands you speak of that need bass players? I have become a better bass player since starting this post and I'm really itching to get out there.

Try craigslist, always see ads for folks looking. No guarantee if they're any good of course!
There's this guy here: http://www.bandmix.com/gretschdrumz71/

My advice:
Never touch a pick to a bass and get all four fingers on your plucking hand involved as soon as possible. Old habits are hard to break

Never slap or pop on a bass, it sounds like you are trying to be Jaco Patorius/Jean Luc Ponty and you aren't.
Lead Bass players are just frustrated guitarists with no sense of rhythm or groove.

I like the sound of a pick on a bass. If you want to play with your fingers better toughen them up because if it's a long show and you fold 3/4 of the way through, you're done at the end.

If you want to play LEAD BASS, you have to find that opening/band/whatever..





If you do that near me, you are out like the cat who sh*t the bed.

Stay in the pocket.
If you sound good and you are in key, that's fine.
Stay in the pocket
Stay in time/Play alongside of the drummer.
Did I mention?
Stay in the fing pocket or you're done at the end of the show.

AS the Penguin said, "it's all about whatever suits the music as a whole".

If you can't play effectively with others and become "1" sound, you won't be around long.

My advice:
Never touch a pick to a bass and get all four fingers on your plucking hand involved as soon as possible. Old habits are hard to break

Anyone have Carole Kaye's number? We need to tell her those 10,000 sessions she's played were all crap because she used a pick! And she's a converted guitarist, too! The horror! We can't possibly consider the most recorded session bassist in history and author of How to Play the Electric Bass a proper bassist if she started on guitar and plays with a freaking pick!

My advice: experiment with different techniques, and use whatever one is most comfortable and efficient for what you want to play. Oh, and plenty of great bassists also know guitar and other instruments. Versatility is a good thing.

And also send Chris Squire a memo that he needs to drop the pick or else no one will respect him. LOL all in good fun of course. I don't use a pick myself.

Remember this my friends...You can pick your bass lines, You can pick your friends and you can even pick your nose...But you should never try to pick your friend's nose, especially with a bass line.