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The first guy that I wanted to "sound like" was Chris Squire, with his distinctive Rickenbacker sound in the early Yes albums. I also loved what Paul McCartney did with the Beatles in the latter 60s, with his melodic sense of bass-playing. These are my earliest influences in the way I approach bass.

Hey Guys! - Just having a little fun;)

No disrespect intended, let's save the flames for the AoW forum.

I am in awe of the drummers I have played with. There is no way I could do what they do.

And great soloists are more creative and dedicated to their craft than I could ever aspire to be.

I played professionally and semi-pro from the early '70s to the late '80s and have the utmost respect for any and all fellow musicians. Although playing music can be very humbling, it can also be ultimately rewarding. I wouldn't trade my experiences for anything.

Originally posted by KG Erwin
...distinctive Rickenbacker sound...

Rickenbacker basses are the best - take that stupid cover off the back pick-up, and whack it with a heavy plectrum. There's nothing like that crunchy, dirty sound. Unfortunately I've never owned one as they cost a minimum of $1700 here

Easy 8,

I certainly hope you don't think I was flaming you or anyone else. Just the opposite. I was just teasing you back, cause I could tell you had been around music people too. I don't mind at all when I hear jokes and jabs about drummers. I know it's all in fun. It's a lot like guys in the military always pushing their buddy's buttons just to get a reaction. Almost a family thing. It's a unique way to say how much you respect and admire someone for taking the time and resourcefulness to do something creative and hopefully pleasing. Many musicians take themselves way too seriously and as you must already know, take anything a musician says with a grain of salt. The only musician I always take seriously is someone who plays classical. Now that is serious music and I admire classical musicians very much. In my book they are at the top. I'm just a drummer. They are percussionists.

I think we're all having a lot of fun with this discussion and I'm was please to see it started. Makes for a great way to get to know other gamers and what they are like. I love talking to other musicians and BS'ing about our experiences. But please remember, don't ever take me too seriously. I like to kid and BS. It's just the drummer in me. Too bad we all couldn't meet face to face. I think we'd have a blast.

My first bass love was a Fender Jazz bass that I picked up for almost nothing because as the guy who was selling it said "You realize it doesn't have any frets right?".

As a classically trained bass violin player that was perfect. Frets were limiting and playing fretless let me play by ear rather than looking for the fret. Plus if a string goes a little out of tune it's easy to compensate.

One thing we can probably agree on is singers............

LOL:D

Dave -

No offense taken, I figgered that was what you meant.

That was a great story about meeting Cream
Jack Bruce was my idol back in high school.

I'd have to say one of the most rewarding things about playing music is getting to meet and share the stage with other musicians.

A great gig, where the band is is really in a groove and has a great audience will get you higher than any drugs and is better than sex:)

Anybody care to share best/worst, good/bad or indifferent stories.

I can laugh about this now, but my most humbling experience occurred in the early '80s. After a decade of stuggling, I joined a band that got signed by CBS. We drove to LA where we had booked Studio B at the Capitol Records tower. After about 2 hours in the studio, the producer brought in the A Team session guys - Jim Keltner on drums and Tim Drummond on bass - to replace us. They had been there all along! Welcome to the big time, kid.

Originally posted by Easy8


I can laugh about this now, but my most humbling experience occurred in the early '80s. After a decade of stuggling, I joined a band that got signed by CBS. We drove to LA where we had booked Studio B at the Capitol Records tower. After about 2 hours in the studio, the producer brought in the A Team session guys - Jim Keltner on drums and Tim Drummond on bass - to replace us. They had been there all along! Welcome to the big time, kid.

Good story and very typical. The music industry can really kick you in the teeth when you least expect it. One of the many reasons a music career is so difficult. Don't feel too humbled because they did the same thing to Ringo Starr and many other now-famous musicians in their early days. It's a dog-eat-dog business and if you don't have some kind of pedigree, you're nothing but cat food to those leeches. And people wonder why so many successful players turn to drugs and booze.

You hit the nail on the head about playing live being better than sex. Getting that one on one vibe with an audience is like no other feeling. Non performers just have no idea. If I had to choose between having sex with Angelina Jolie or playing in front of a great crowd, then Angelina would just have to wait.

Good thread!

I am a drummer/synth player. Play in the American spacerock band Quarkspace, and the electronica outfit Church of Hed.

Music, wargaming and sportsgaming are always at conflict with my time.

With the talk about bassists on a wargaming site, it would remiss not to mention Jannick Top of the French jazz/rock/klingon opera group Magma. Magma has a very martial, almost Wagnerian melange of styles in their music. There's nothing like them. I can live without the fact they made up their own language, but the music is incredible, all out of the mind of drummer Christian Vander, whose scope of composition makes one think he was trying to counterbalance all the "stupid drummer" jokes since the beginning of music!

Originally posted by pwdood
I am a drummer/synth player. Play in the American spacerock band Quarkspace, and the electronica outfit Church of Hed.

Music, wargaming and sportsgaming are always at conflict with my time.

With the talk about bassists on a wargaming site, it would remiss not to mention Jannick Top of the French jazz/rock/klingon opera group Magma. Magma has a very martial, almost Wagnerian melange of styles in their music. There's nothing like them. I can live without the fact they made up their own language, but the music is incredible, all out of the mind of drummer Christian Vander, whose scope of composition makes one think he was trying to counterbalance all the "stupid drummer" jokes since the beginning of music!

music goes first wargaming second. anyway i play in a little punk band, we have yet to think of a name

You got one guitarist here

I've played guitar for 5 or 6 years now. I've always been interested in blues music, and after finding a fellow guitarist who also likes blues, we've had some great jam sessions.
We're both big Stevie Ray Vaughan fans

"You got one guitarist here"




Actually I'm a guitarist too, left a post in this thread about it, but I guess bass player's don't talk too much to guitarist's as they did'nt even acknowledge that I left a post.

Altho I'm more of a metal guitarist, I'm a big fan of SRV too. What a great blue's player. Too bad he left us when he was just reaching his pinnacle.

Cheers,

WarBuddy out

War buddy, you DO have a point about relations between bassists/guitarists. Usually the coversations are on the line of "What key are YOU playing in?" or "Was that an augmented or DEmented chord?" I'm exaggerating, of course, but only slightly. To drummers, though, it's a different story. "Count off 4 and then follow me", or non-verbal hand (or finger) signals.

When I was a lad I took some pipe lessons. Never followed it up though.

troopie

Originally posted by troopie
When I was a lad I took some pipe lessons. Never followed it up though.

troopie

Now there's an instrument for a war gamer! That's something I always wanted to learn how to play

If you mean bagpipes, that's one of my favorite instruments. There's nothing quite so stirring as a good rendition of "Scotland the Brave", nor quite as heartrending as the pipes playing "Amazing Grace". More to the point, bagpipes HAVE been featured in a rock band. Does anyone remember "It's a Long Way to the Top (if you wanna rock n roll)" by AC/DC? Lead bagpipes in that one, allegedly played by Bon Scott himself. It's both hilarious and hard rocking.

Some of you guys were talking about Stevie Ray Vaughn. No doubt one of the best ever and it's a shame he left this world so early. So much talent. But, there is another. Have you guys heard Kenny Wayne Shepherd? He's not SRV but he's great. And those who don't like blues will like him too. Do yourself a favor and listen to some of his music. He's definately a musician's musician.

(Dang, I keep forgetting to change my quote.)

Ya, Dave. Kenny Wayne Shepherd is also very good. Especially for his age. Every summer my good friend Mike always puts on a blues fest with alot of good BBQ at his house. We get a bunch of guy's together and hammer out some blues tunes for that get together. Last year one of the songs we played was Blue on Black. While an easy song to play, its got a good melody. The solo is very tasty.

Yep, he's a good guitarist.

I've been playing acoustical guitar for nearly 35 years, classical, folk, soft rock, blues, country. (You'd think I'd be better than I am :rolleyes: ).

Started playing to impress the girls. I continued because classical guitar is just so cool.

Now, I don't give a rats a$$ if the girls are impressed or not.

Got room in this thread for a "serious" musician (longhair terminology, not necessarily mine)? I play all brass (primary instrument is French horn), all keyboards (esp. piano and organ), I sing, I conduct, and I compose. Oh, yeah, bassoon, too, although that's been 15 years, now. Plan next to take up fiddle, to play bluegrass.

Originally posted by CaptDave
Got room in this thread for a "serious" musician (longhair terminology, not necessarily mine)? I play all brass (primary instrument is French horn), all keyboards (esp. piano and organ), I sing, I conduct, and I compose. Oh, yeah, bassoon, too, although that's been 15 years, now. Plan next to take up fiddle, to play bluegrass.

I was classically trained too. Used to haul my bass violin on a Flexible Flyer back and forth to school across the frozen wastelands of Bloomington Minnesota so I could practice. (Ok so even then Bloomington was suburbia but still....)

Can't sing a lick, much to the dismay of my favorite conductor who used to make us sing our parts.

I've been thinking about taking up the fiddle for the same reason, bluegrass. No way can I play bluegrass guitar. Can't pick that fast. Those guys are just sick.