Another, sketchy, solo bass recording, your thoughts?

[lousybassist]

Earlier today, I recorded a bass-and-harmonics-skeleton-over-which-there-really-should-be-a-melody-idea that I've been playing around with for quite a while. Then, for the assumed melody, I played some improvised lines over it. And since I'm not an improviser, at all, I'd like some input on my, in all senses of the word, sketchy playing.

There are two solo lines, one in which there is some chording going on, and one in which there isn't, and the transition between the two isn't at all smooth. In the future, when they're both more developed, I'm going to record both in one take, and not two as I did now. Also, at present there are quite a few bum notes left. These will of course be cleaned out later.

Enough of my ramblings, follow the link, make up your own minds, and then tell me about it. The tune is still in progress on, and I'd love some outsiders' input to the creative process.

Here's the not quite finished tune.

For those of you who missed my last thread, you can find another solo bass tune of mine, "Song for Anna", here. This one is quite different from the one above, as it's all recorded in one take, without overdubs et.c. It's also finished, as far as I'm concerned (though I'll probably re-record it some time, as there are parts where my playing is lousier than usual).

Enjoy the listening experience, and please don't forget to comment. I need both negative and positive feedback, on both tunes. Don't be shy!

[threshar]

I enjoyed the tune!

don't really have any other comments other than I enjoyed it and you're going to have a hell of a time trying to do it in 1 take without a looper

[Bassist4Life]

That was nice. Very calming.

I have a collection of 5 "songs" that I called Meditations. They are very similar to your recording. I dig that kind of stuff from time to time. I did a lot of retuning my strings to make the harmonics form chords. I could never recreate any of the recordings because I layered them as I went without taking notes, but that's okay. It was "music in the moment".

Nice work.
Joe

[lousybassist]

Thank you both for the kind words, and for bringing this long lost thread to life! I appreciate it a lot.

And yes, a looper is on top of my list of things I really, really must buy. That and an amplifier. And maybe a new bass.

Joe, if you have mp3:s of Meditations, I'd like to hear them. If they are of the same quality as the clips on your website, they can't be anything but good.

Thanks again!

And, please, keep the comments coming people! As I said before, don't be shy.

[Bassist4Life]

Originally Posted by lousybassist

Joe, if you have mp3:s of Meditations, I'd like to hear them. If they are of the same quality as the clips on your website, they can't be anything but good.

Thanks for the compliment on the website recordings. I don't have my Meditations recordings posted anywhere on the Internet. I have one that I'd be willing to share, it's called "Reflection". It's just a little over 2 minutes long and it's 2MB.

What is the best way to share this file with everyone?

Joe

[cosmicevan]

nice chill tune for sure. as for the improv'ing, depends on what you were going for...nothing sounded out of tune, but i'd recommend taking more risks - unless you are simply going for a background chill vibe.

by taking risks i mean explore more movement around the bass. travel octaves up and down and create some tension release by exploring some of the modes. get to know the whole neck enough that you can jump to any spot at any time and know exactly where you are. i play with an improv based band and its something that i try to do all of the time and find that it helps me break new ground when playing and allows free-er improv playing because you don't rely on what you know will work (and sometimes the jams are weak, but that's the nature of improv).

for loopers, i use electrix repeaters...but check out a site called loopers delight to get reviews and side-by-side comparisons.

[m.oreilly]

very nice "lousybassist" (lol). smooth and uncluttered.

[Planet Boulder]

Methinks you could use a User Name change - I liked it!

[Yellow]

Really nice, you seem to have gotten that harmonics thing down pretty good.

i am with the others here, good stuff, good melody nice bass.
I hear a little string noise when you slide the chords, but that can be viewed both ways, either get it smoother or nice as it is makes it sound more natural, less polished.

Thanks, i enjoyed listening.

[jazzbasser535]

much better than me.

[MaskedJackal]

Originally Posted by jazzbasser535

much better than me.

And me.

[lousybassist]

I'm happily surprised that this thread finally took off, and for all your nice comments. There's a humble blush on my face right now, let me tell you. So thank you everyone! Oh, and if anyone has a suggestion for what to call the first tune, let me know. I've thought of nothing, and now I'm all out of ideas.

cosmicevan, I agree that I should take more risks when improvising (maybe not on this tune, but in the future), and you've actually pointed out an Achilles heel of mine: I don't know my fretboard, nor the modes, very well. There's a definite room for improvement there. As for loopers, I've chosen to save up for a Digitech JamMan. It seems to be the best alternative in it's price range when it comes to specs, and it's gotten good reviews from what I can tell. Also, thanks for pointing me to loopers delight. I've visited that site once or twice before, and it seems like a very good resource indeed.

Joe, I think speedyshare.com works well for sharing smaller files. It's free, easy to use for both uploader and downloader, and seems relatively stable. Check it out, and plese let me know when you've uploaded "Reflection".

Cheers everyone, and keep the comments coming!
-Peter

[Bassist4Life]

Here is "Reflection"

http://www.speedyshare.com/635260604.html

Let me know what you think.

Joe

[threshar]

that was nice!

Good Jorb!

I might as well toss my hat in -
http://fios.jefftrout.com:8080/jeff_trout-dream.mp3
http://fios.jefftrout.com:8080/jeff_...e_shoggoth.mp3

I play shoggoth a bit different nowadays. If you like the stuff there is more on my site there.

I think you guys have inspired me to write another tune like yours. Thanks!

[lousybassist]

Joe, as expected, I like "Reflection." Nice chords and melody, and excellent execution and tone. Thanks for sharing!

threshar, thanks for tossing your hat in! I like both tunes, and especially your tapping (actually, you make me want to go practice on mine now). I always like it when tappers resist taking the all too common route of playing very, very fast, like an eighties shred guitarist. Your slower, chordal approach is, to me, much more enjoyable to listen to.

Thank you both for your contributions to this thread. They all make it so much better.

[Tomass]

wow...... thats awsome mate, like someone said its very calming. Keep it up, btw how long u been playing

[lousybassist]

Originally Posted by Tomass

wow...... thats awsome mate, like someone said its very calming. Keep it up, btw how long u been playing

Cheers mate! I appreciate it, and all the nice comments in this thread indeed makes me very determined to keep doing what I do, and explore it a bit more. Now I've only scratched the surface of solo playing, or so it seems.

I've been "playing" ("owning basses" would be a more correct thing to say) since '91, but I've never been that serious about it. And it's only just recently I've started spending a bit more time with my basses, though I seldom do anything more but noodle around for a few minutes a day. I enjoy playing, but don't have the discipline, nor time, to actaully practice. As well, I haven't been in a band since '98. Hopefully, this will change the coming autumn, 'cause I really miss the creative aspect of making music with others.

Thanks again!

[WarriorJoe7]

I like the first 2 songs alot and also reflection... I can't get to threshar's songs.

[threshar]

Ahh - $5 says you tried last night - we lost power and my server was down until this morning.

Give 'er another try - if it still has problems you can PM me with what happens (error message, hangs, etc)

[lousybassist]

Originally Posted by WarriorJoe7

I like the first 2 songs alot [...]

You're too kind. Cheers!

I like it how this thread refuses to die...