Please evaluate my playing

ajb · #1 03-05-2009, 12:47 PM

It wold mean a lot to me if you guys would evaluate my playing. Please go to www.myspace.com/leofrancis and let me know what you think of the opening bass riff on Radio Caller. Another song where bas figures prominently is You Got Some Nerve. Hell check em all out and let me know your thoughts -- positive and negative!

yosemitesamiam · #2 03-05-2009, 01:02 PM

Sounds great to my untrained bass ears! I like your licks. That said, on Radio Caller, when the drummer first cuts in, you guys were just ever so slightly behind him, but then caught up very fast!!! Nice sounding tune.

thumpbass1 · #3 03-05-2009, 01:41 PM

You're doing fine. You serve the music you do very well, which is the art of being a good musician, and bass player. I like what I heard.

Craig_S · #4 03-05-2009, 02:05 PM

I'm digging that Bang Bang song. Nice groove! I like the band. You're doing great!

ajb · #5 03-05-2009, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yosemitesamiam

Sounds great to my untrained bass ears! I like your licks. That said, on Radio Caller, when the drummer first cuts in, you guys were just ever so slightly behind him, but then caught up very fast!!! Nice sounding tune.

You are right -- nice ears. I remember recording it and thinking the same thing but I wasn't quite sure. No big deal I don't think; we recorded all the tracks live and my preference was to keep it as is. Do you agree?

ajb · #6 03-05-2009, 02:46 PM

Hey thanks guys for your comments. It means a lot to me (really) to have my bass playing brethren evaluate my playing and say good things about it!

yosemitesamiam · #7 03-05-2009, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajb

You are right -- nice ears. I remember recording it and thinking the same thing but I wasn't quite sure. No big deal I don't think; we recorded all the tracks live and my preference was to keep it as is. Do you agree?

Oh yeah man! Live recordings are the toughest, especially for keeps! You do sound awesome though man...I literally just started my bass training today. Did 15 minutes of plucking to a metronome (not a garden gnome dressed in pink, either) in 1/4ths and 1/8ths. Can't handle 1/16ths yet properly. I also did about an hour of spiders and that 4-3-2-1-1-2-3-4 stuff too...holy crap my left hand hurts. LOL I really don't know how you guys do it, but know eventually I will get there!

Anyway dude, sorry for the thread jack...and thanks for the compliment on the ear...I've done a TON of studio recording and live sound reinforcement from the booth. Rock ON!

ajb · #8 03-05-2009, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yosemitesamiam

Oh yeah man! Live recordings are the toughest, especially for keeps! You do sound awesome though man...I literally just started my bass training today. Did 15 minutes of plucking to a metronome (not a garden gnome dressed in pink, either) in 1/4ths and 1/8ths. Can't handle 1/16ths yet properly. I also did about an hour of spiders and that 4-3-2-1-1-2-3-4 stuff too...holy crap my left hand hurts. LOL I really don't know how you guys do it, but know eventually I will get there!

Anyway dude, sorry for the thread jack...and thanks for the compliment on the ear...I've done a TON of studio recording and live sound reinforcement from the booth. Rock ON!

For the fastest improvement I recommend a good instructor (this really is critical in my opinion) and . . . a drum machine! Once you are able to develop grooves on the fly to a beat -- that's when things become really fun! Problem is that it takes so much damn time! Another really important learning tool (for me) is figuring out basslines by ear from recordings. Again, very tough at first but if you are willing to really bang your head against the wall and plow forward it gets much, much easier. You will have days where you think you absolutely suck and then those magical days when you think . . . hey, maybe I can do this!

yosemitesamiam · #9 03-05-2009, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajb

For the fastest improvement I recommend a good instructor (this really is critical in my opinion) and . . . a drum machine! Once you are able to develop grooves on the fly to a beat -- that's when things become really fun! Problem is that it takes so much damn time! Another really important learning tool (for me) is figuring out basslines by ear from recordings. Again, very tough at first but if you are willing to really bang your head against the wall and plow forward it gets much, much easier. You will have days where you think you absolutely suck and then those magical days when you think . . . hey, maybe I can do this!

Hey thanks man! I can do the drum machine on my desktop...no worries there. I'm just trying to first get the flexibility up in my left hand (I can reach 4 frets with an open hand no prob, but when my wrist is cocked under the neck with my thumb under, forget it! I can fret like 3.5 right now). And B) like anyone else just starting out, trying to "hear" the frets instead of looking and sometimes, having to count them! LOL at me right now...

paganjack · #10 03-05-2009, 03:24 PM

sounds good to me- your band sounds plenty tight, and for live recordings those are great!
nice work overall-keep it up

ajb · #11 03-06-2009, 11:58 AM

Bump for more feedback please!

tranceFusion · #12 03-06-2009, 12:12 PM

bass playing sounds good but "Lavender" sounds exactly like Ben Fold's version of "B*tches ain't Sh*t"

yosemitesamiam · #13 03-06-2009, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tranceFusion

bass playing sounds good but "Lavender" sounds exactly like Ben Fold's version of "B*tches ain't Sh*t"

LOL! I love that song! Along with "Everybody here is Fired"

allexcosta · #14 03-07-2009, 12:17 PM

Nice playing for the style. You seem a little ahead of your colleagues in tone and overall good taste. Congrats...