Are most of you professional players? How many high school students? Why is it that I feel so different from everyone here? . . .

Originally posted by SottoVoce
Are most of you professional players? How many high school students? Why is it that I feel so different from everyone here? . . .
If we were all the same, how boring would that be?
If you want to know more about the posters (and Posers :p ) on this forum, check out the profiles.
And why don'tcha fill out your own while you're at it? :)

yes, let me second the invitation to fill out your profile. some of the participants over here in the DB side of things can sometimes tend to be a bit clannish when it comes to new guys, and if you fill out your profile with your relevant information, they will warm up to you more.

welcome to talkbass, btw, and don't mind me, i just clean up when one of the [BG] chimpanzees wanders over here and makes a mess. :D

Originally posted by john turner
yes, let me second the invitation to fill out your profile. some of the participants over here in the DB side of things can sometimes tend to be a bit clannish when it comes to new guys, and if you fill out your profile with your relevant information, they will warm up to you more.

welcome to talkbass, btw, and don't mind me, i just clean up when one of the [BG] chimpanzees wanders over here and makes a mess. :D


Hey now, I'm papertrained!

:D


But anyway, fill out your profile. It's a very useful way to find out who you are responding to.

FF

Well, there's not a day job field in the profile, so SV's query is still kinda relevant. Me, I'm a computer geek by day, musician by night and weekend. I think most of the high school kids are in the BG side of the forum (in fact, it sometimes seem like it's ONLY high school kids over there).

-dh

I am also a computer geek by day. However, I am boycotting filling out my profile because all my info "magically" disappeared when they re-designed the site. Oh well, I guess I will go fill it back in again after all.

Alright, I filled out the profile.

dhosek: re: high school students . . . Is that where the prejudice about "toy bass" and "real bass" comes from? Well anyway . . . I've set my eyes on the DB from the beginning and have always hated BG, but my band teacher is trying to get me to play both so that the band can play stuff like rock tunes. But I hate rock tunes, unfortunately.

Just play the rock tunes on the DB and put some messed up chord changes all over them. Work it out secretly with the piano player. That'll put a stop to it!

Welcome to the dark side. I enjoy the "differentness" of the posters here.

A pro? No, but lots of the folks here are pro or semi-pro. I used to do a fairly active semi-pro thing but have always had a day job - presently practicing law until I hit the lottery. Still play out now and again. Haven't been in high school since '79

JT thinks we're clannish, Hmmm... we only get snippy when people post things demonstrating a lack of respect for the instrument or sheer lazy stupidity. Honest inquiries will find helpful responses. And unlike BG we don't treat this as an AOL chat room.

BTW one of the best jazz bassists gigging in Houston TX (where I am) is a lady in her late 20's named Erin Wright. Glad to hear you're set on the DB and dislike rock tunes - maybe there is hope after all.

Glad to hear he dislikes rock tunes? Sigh. Why would that be a good thing? You are praising diversity and shunning it in the same breath.

Originally posted by rablack
Welcome to the dark side. I enjoy the "differentness" of the posters here.
JT thinks we're clannish, Hmmm... we only get snippy when people post things demonstrating a lack of respect for the instrument or sheer lazy stupidity. Honest inquiries will find helpful responses. And unlike BG we don't treat this as an AOL chat room.


Good point, RABBLE. IMO, I don't think we ever
verbally crucified anyone who didn't desperately
deserve it. From what I've seen,respect is treated reciprocally whether you're 16 or 60. :)

Originally posted by lermgalieu
Glad to hear he dislikes rock tunes? Sigh. Why would that be a good thing? You are praising diversity and shunning it in the same breath.

Actually SottoVoce is a she. I listen to rock occasionally - have nothing against it if it demonstrates creativity and feeling. I admit I did not express my self clearly.

I guess what I meant was that it is refreshing to hear from someone in high school who is not knuckling under to peer pressure, listening only to rap or rock. Someone young who prefers classical (maybe some jazz can't tell). It's not a good or bad thing to dislike rock merely a brave stand on her part.

Cool. And sorry SottoVoce for calling you a he. I am a dumb ass.

Thanks for the explanation, rablack, there's a lot of very interesting and unique "rock" out there.

I think the "toy bass" stuff ultimately is a bit of good-natured snobbery. I'd say that it's a reaction to bass guitar players who figure that double bass is just like playing bass guitar (as someone who plays both, I will say that they are completely different instruments and best treated as such: I don't consider practice time on upright as contributing to my bg skills and vice versa). It's especially irritating to see the bg player who figures that he (I've yet to see a female player evince this sort of attitude) can take his half-baked bg skills and a cheap chinese plywood bass and be the next double bass virtuoso, luthiers and teachers un-needed.

The reverse journey, from upright to bg, by the way, is comparatively easy. Again, you'll find that you have to develop new skills and will play very different lines on bg than you would on urb. And there's a whole realm of very UNurb techniques waiting to be discovered.

Having visited your web site, I found it actually kind of interesting (nice to see that I'm not the only bass/flute doubler out there).

Enjoy the forum.

-dh

Hey Rablack, I play with a trumpeter in OKlahoma City (Stephen Fulton) that used Erin Wright on a recording he did with Jimmy Ford. Nice player, do you have any idea what she uses, bass and equipment wise. I'm always curious, since there aren't very many other jazz bassists here.

Monte

I don't get out to clubs like I used to. Last time I saw her she was using a GK MB150 and an Underwood. No idea on her bass.

By the way, anyone heard of Kristin Korb? (not sure of spelling of her name) I saw her perform in last year's Banff Festival. She plays the bass and sings at the same time. Very cool.

Ed: I'm offended by your statement. But I forgive you.

rablack: yes I do like jazz, but that's a relatively new-found interest. Only since I started playing in jazz band a year ago. Clannish? I think so, at least a little bit. Over at Fingerboard (Maestronet) where the population is a lot bigger, you don't get that same feeling.

Just got back from an out of town gig and thought I'd answer the question on the late side of things. I'm a college music teacher by morning, private music instructor by afternoon, and bassist and pianist by night. And no, I don't have too much trouble fitting all those hats on, mainly because there ain't much hair left upstairs. Slide the old one off, pop the new one on...

I would also like to extend a welcome to Sotto. In my years of experience as a music teacher, I have been consistently disgusted with the way our education system seems to discourage young females from taking up certain instruments (like the DB), and certain styles (like jazz). Also, I'm impressed with any young person who comes to the board and asks intelligent questions instead of questions about Fieldy and what we all name our straps.

Also, I'd like to thank dhosek for the term "good natured snobbery" when it comes to describing the borderline ironic/sarcastic tone of many members of this board, myself included. I'd never found a good term for it until now.

Yep, I like Kristen Korb. Apparently she was a student of Ray Brown's when he heard her sing after several lessons, and he recorded her with his trio. Never heard her play bass though.

Originally posted by SottoVoce
yes I do like jazz, but that's a relatively new-found interest. Only since I started playing in jazz band a year ago.

Let that be a lesson against declarations that one doesn't like genre X. In all genres, you'll find stuff that you dislike and stuff that you like, especially if you listen with open ears and mind (case in point, I've lately begun to get into the music of the Mexican Hip Hop (!) group Control Machete... readers who frequent art house movie theatres might hear their De Perros Amores in the trailer for the film Amores Perros, which is the Mexican nominee for the foreign film academy award).

-dh (who's wondering just how many posts I need to make before I finally stop being labelled as a "new" member)

Oh one other thing, our new friend Sotto Voce, if my math is correct stands just over 5' tall. Now THAT is impressive in a double bass player.

-dh

SottoVoce--to answer your question, my day gig right now is stay-at-home-dad to my daughters, one a precocious 2-1/2 yr old and the other a 6-yr old with Williams Syndrome who has severe feeding issues among other things.
I am currently agent-shopping for a novel I have just completed and have just signed up for DB lessons.

Originally posted by dhosek
Oh one other thing, our new friend Sotto Voce, if my math is correct stands just over 5' tall. Now THAT is impressive in a double bass player.

Impressive because I'm short? ;)

Actually a little closer to 5'3", which is still impressive. Yes, sotto, we're impressed because you're short. According to the stats in this thread, many of us in "Clan Talkbass" are in the neighborhood of 188 cm tall, which makes playing a large instrument like the DB a lot easier since tall folks have more natural reach and typically bigger hands ( like 10ths & 11ths on the piano). But nobody's making short jokes...it just means one more obstacle that you're overcoming, which is impressive.

I was a semi pro player for many years in the NYC area, many different styles, All music is good music as long as it's good music. I am trained and worked as a professional chef for a few years , but now I'm going back to my first and second loves. Music and Photography.
Check out the current issue of Double Bass Magazine for a feature article on Kristin Korb.

I was a Bank VP with a semi-high profile in the industry for almost 25yrs, but after I moved to the Jersey Shore and the many mergers caused my type of gig to evaporate, I decided to stay down here and focus on writing. Been writing software reviews and documentation until recently, when another merger killed my 7 yr. main gig. Meanwhile, I inadvertantly got into the Internet retail music biz, and it will be growing that and playing gigs as a career for the time being.

http://www.gollihur.com

Computer Technician

I'm a high school student.

Headhunter 25 years

Originally posted by oldsaw
Headhunter 25 years

I imagine you've heard a lot of cannibal jokes then...

But what the hell:

Two cannibals are talking and one says to the other, "you know I've been having the hardest time getting my missionaries to come out well when I cook 'em. I've tried boiling, roasting, baking, soup, no matter what they're really tough."

"Are you using those missionaries from the church down by the bend in the river?"

"yep"

"well no wonder, those are friars!"

-dh

Duh - and who is that guy you always see hanging around the musicians?

drummer

Originally posted by SottoVoce
Are most of you professional players? How many high school students? Why is it that I feel so different from everyone here? . . .
_______________________________________

I'm a professional musician and a psycho. That's how I make my living.

B.P.

Originally posted by 1 Bass Psycho
I'm a professional musician and a psycho. That's how I make my living.

Lucky you - I can't tell you the amount of gigs I've lost because of my non psychotic tendencies. :)

Lawyer. My billables have gone down the drain since I discovered this and other message boards.

Man, I thought it would be cool being registered on here but now I read that some of you tend to be "hard on the new guys." Like we have to earn the right to chat about our basses, gear, bass stories, etc. What a joke. The fact that I own a bass and have been in a successful band for the last 6 years should be enough for you people.

Hategear a.ka. Cameron(ius)

Mr. Hategear:

We are only hard on new guys if they don't show respect for the instrument, the regular posters, or regularly post inane blather (outside of the occasional flight of fanciful humor).

I did check your profile and noted that the double bass is not listed in your considerable arsenal of instruments and equipment. Since you're new you should be aware that there are two boards at this site. One devoted to the bass guitar [BG] and another devoted to discussion relating to the double bass [DB] (a.k.a. string bass, upright, standup, doghouse etc...).

You have posted in the double bass section. Not that there's anything wrong with that. You will probably find more kindred souls over in [BG] but you are of course welcome to stop by anytime. Just be aware of which forum you are in while posting.

Hard on the new guys? don`t think so.I`m a new guy ,very new to double bass and bass in general.Nobody has been hard on me.Perhaps i read too much and don`t write enough!maybe you are in the wrong place?

Originally posted by XavierG
Computer Technician

I R also a computer technician! :D

Actually, I was a tech for 15 years, but my rapidly advancing age and aching joints made it imperitive I get into something less physically demanding. I'm doing WorkForce management now. It's much nicer than schlepping heavy equipment around! Although since I've taken a desk job, I believe I've gone up 2 sizes, and I need a much bigger chair to be comfy! :O

Lisa

Originally posted by rablack
I did check your profile and noted that the double bass is not listed in your considerable arsenal of instruments and equipment

All of a sudden, I felt this chill come over me, and I didn't know what it was. And then, bang, it hit me like ton of bricks. I don't have a double bass listed either! My first thought was to turn tail and make a quick exit before I was found out. But, no. I've decided to take my chances, because one day, one day I will have a double bass listed. And I shall be redeemed.

Xavier - no chills necessary. I was just trying to help out a possibly lost poster before he stepped in something. Save your pennies and aluminum cans - "redemption" is worth the price.

Teacher's aide, Community College District.

Also graduate student (second B.A.) majoring in music.

Will C.:cool:

Yeah like you i feel very different i am in 10th grade and i am a Chick i dint see a lot of them around here

Creative consultant/writer/editor...

-a

Well i am only 5'3 and i have no trouble at all playing bass, i'm not saying i am good, but i try.
Stephanie

Hi
I'm sort of new, but I've been reading for a while.

Compared to some of you guys, I'm also new at the bass. I've played for 4.5 years on the urbass in a local youth orchestra and high school orchestra along with various ensembles in school. I've played the bass guitar only a little bit in stage band because in middle school the urb wouldn't fit on the school bus!

I also seem out of place because I'm a girl urbass player (which seems to be rare in my area) and 5'2.5" and I play a little bit of everything once I have a chance to though I mostly play orchestral classical.

So, I'm a female high school student staying on top of my work and I don't play my bass guitar all day either (for better or for worse...).

-hazel

welcome hazel!

glad you decided to participate. :)

It's good to see young DBers here. As I type this, I am listening to a 4'10" 12 yr old practicing on his 1/4 bass. His private bass teacher is a young lady and is a fantastic bass player, solo and orchestral.

Mark

Originally posted by dhosek
Well, there's not a day job field in the profile, so SV's query is still kinda relevant.

Ok, point taken. I guess it's Just me, But I really get annoyed when people ask me what I do for a living, and I tell them,"I'm a Double Bass Player",
and they smirk and say "Yes, but what do you do for a living?" I always like to see their faces, though, when I say again,
" I am a Double Bass Player!"
(in the US Army Band) :)

haze:
Trust me, the finest orchestras in NYC all have women in the bass sections. They cannot afford to deny talent.
Ah, Bowdoinham. Can't count the number of times we've passed through on the way to Ocean Point. You just can't breathe better air.

Hi and welcome, Hazel:
I live just down the Interstate from Bowdoinham (Topsham). I've heard of Lynn Hannings: makes bows too, right?

Mark
Yes, Lynn makes bows, teaches private lessons, and plays in the Portland Symphony Orchestra. She also lives in Pownal.
Do you have an advisor in the area?
When I began playing about four years ago, my mother could not find anyone for a while until she was referred to Lynn. Lynn is a really good teacher in my opinion.

-hazel

Hazel:
After a number of unanswered emails to local schools about double bass teachers, I received a response from one in the Portland area, and will be starting lessons shortly. I'm excited about it, because while I began "on my own" with Simandl last summer, I realized my arco would never amount to anything without someone to guide me.
You've been playing four years? I envy you!
The teacher I'm starting with is also in the Portland Symphony Orchestra: George Calvert.

Mark,

It really is a small bass world!
If I recall correctly, George was the bass instructor for the recently former Maine ASTA Summer String Conference 2000 in Gorham now called the Southern Maine String Academy. He's rather tall. He is also a good teacher. He's got some good fingering and bow techniques. Have fun!

-hazel

I'm kind of late on this thread, but I'm also new to DB and am enjoying getting to know the folks over on "the Dark Side". Lots of computer geeks, here, huh? Me too....Tandem and Unix/AIX tech support. Pro bass player for several years in the 80's and found I like it better as a hobby. Maybe if I lived somewhere with a more diverse and supportive music scene, I'd go back to pro music, but alas..... The $$$ in IT are habit-forming..

Originally posted by mchildree
<:snip:>The $$$ in IT are habit-forming..

Very true! All the better to fuel my GAS with!:eek::p:D

Back in the 1970's,I made good money playing semi-pro,probably because I put my own bands together and book the gigs by myself. I quit music completely in 1979-partly because I wanted to do other things and largely because I found it galling to deal with small talent/big ego types. My full-time
job is Speech Pathologist for a medical center.

Originally posted by reedo35

...But I really get annoyed when people ask me what I do for a living, and I tell them,"I'm a Double Bass Player",
and they smirk and say "Yes, but what do you do for a living?" I always like to see their faces, though, when I say again,
" I am a Double Bass Player!"
(in the US Army Band) :)

I enjoy the same problem. About 20 years ago I was trying to buy a great German bass and needed some extra money. I went to a bank and the loan officer asked for my profession and I said, "I'm a musician" and he said that's nice, but what do you do for a living? It finally soaked in and I got the loan. I'm still a musician and it's a great life.

Hey reedo35. Do you know Lou Pappas? He joined the Army band around '88 and played around West Point in an Army jazz trio.

Has anyone ever played at the 21 Club? I've yet to hear any music. I think they need a strolling bassist. Pauls poniferelles (sp) are awesome.

B.P.

Well, since you asked


I am a college kid. . I am a music major ironically. that's it about me.

A little programming from time to time, but have been playing primarily starting about my senior year in high school.

Ray:

You're from Toledo. You drove a '69 bug. Life can only get better!

Pretty cool to be giggin' professionally since high school.

It works :)

Although all three can make Johnny a dark boy.

Uh... I'm a logger.



Mike

Auto technician

interior architect engineer AKA drywaller ;)never went to high school

Originally posted by mikemulcahy
Uh... I'm a logger.

Reminds me of the dating service episode of WKRP where courtesy of a typo, one of Les Nesman's hobbies was "logging."

-dh

I'm a bassist, been one since high school, and I still get THE QUESTION, from strangers, distant relatives, even other players, who should know better. Recently, I've been producing recordings for other artists; this has been helpful, financially speaking, since 7/11. I've been lucky to do this for a living for so many years.