Things you have never done...and probably won't.

[Emperor]

Blimey, that's a bit grim.

On the other hand I had a mate who was an absolute natural with music. He borrowed a clarinet once and had never played a reed instrument before. Within minutes he'd mastered the mouth shape and could make noises. Within an hour he could tootle up and down the scales and after a few days could play simple tunes - with no instruction whatsoever.

My brother played the clarinet and was in the boroughs concert band for a long time, one night we went back to a friend's house who had a drum kit set up in their living room (as you do). My brother picked up the drumsticks for the first time and knocked out a bit of Led Zep to much applause, whereas if I'd have tried it I'd have had my eye out (or someone else's).

* In the mix of genes he got the height, plus musical and sporting abilities - he also played basketball for the region

[Dandontdare]

That's really sad. 

Blimey, that's a bit grim.

Too true. I was away at the time, but another friend said she'd never seen so many grown men bawling as at his funeral. He was a top geezer 

[JayzusB.Christ]

On the other hand I had a mate who was an absolute natural with music. He borrowed a clarinet once and had never played a reed instrument before. Within minutes he'd mastered the mouth shape and could make noises. Within an hour he could tootle up and down the scales and after a few days could play simple tunes - with no instruction whatsoever.

He was just satrting on a promisnng career as a record producer whe he collapsed and died on the way out of Glastonbury festival, cause unknown. Tragic.

Jesus, that's terrible.  Poor guy

[Professor Bear]

That is a damned shame, DDD.

[vzzbux]

I can't play a musical instrument, either, though this hasn't stopped me being in several bands over the years.  Whoever invented bass guitars should get a medal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-G4PTysacI
Still think the Bass is easy to master?




V

[Aonghus]

I can't play a musical instrument, either, though this hasn't stopped me being in several bands over the years.  Whoever invented bass guitars should get a medal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-G4PTysacI
Still think the Bass is easy to master?




V

Or indeed, this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yf56jYDv2fc

[Professor Bear]

I can't play a musical instrument, either, though this hasn't stopped me being in several bands over the years.  Whoever invented bass guitars should get a medal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-G4PTysacI
Still think the Bass is easy to master?


I've seen people make great noise come out of a pair of spoons, but that doesn't make them a real instrument.



V

[JOE SOAP]

I can't play a musical instrument, either, though this hasn't stopped me being in several bands over the years.  Whoever invented bass guitars should get a medal.

To master the bass is actually harder than six-string.

[Aonghus]

What makes you say that, Joe? Having learned both, I'd've pu them more or less on a par. (I found bass easier, but by then I had experience of guitar and other four-stringed instruments behind me, which doubtless helped.)

[JOE SOAP]

I played guitar for 13 years when I picked the bass up, it was easy to play simple stuff all right but to actually play properly, in a group, it's a different story. People depend on you more -no stopping and starting and winging it like the guitar- it requires more finger muscle and more of an understanding of what really fits, in a subtractive rather than additive way.


Guitar players who pick-up the bass tend to over-play at first.

[Professor Bear]

I suppose it depends what your ambitions are: creating new music, or poontang*.  For the latter, you need only know your way around the E, and for years I thought them two bottom ones were just fancy decorations to make it look like a proper guitar.  Then I became more knowledgable... and realised that everything under the top string was superfluous unless you were some kind of masochistic weirdo.

No bullshit, the bass player is lucky to even be there.  Even drummers are more useful seeing as they're usually the designated drivers because they need to lug all their shit about.



* both is just showing off.

[JOE SOAP]

I suppose it depends what your ambitions are: creating new music, or poontang

Or playing anything other than a root note or any music other than rock/metal/punk.

No bullshit, the bass player is lucky to even be there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz-UvQYAmbg


Motown was lucky to have James Jamerson.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WGVgfjnLqc&ob=av2e


The Blockheads were lucky to have Norman Watt-Roy

[Professor Bear]

/pats Joe on head.

"Other kinds of music" he says.  For all the alternatives to punk, metal or rock you could be playing in the pubs around here, I may as well have bought a fuckin' accordion.  And a monkey to go with it.

[JOE SOAP]

For all the alternatives to punk, metal or rock you could be playing in the pubs around here, I may as well have bought a fuckin' accordion.  And a monkey to go with it.

but could you play it or just smush with sausage fingers?

[Roger Godpleton]

Stop arguing fellas. We all know that neither of you will ever do the greatest thing anyone can do: Not be Irish.