5-minute oral presentation on the Fender bass. Help…

[StevieMac]

As part of a course I’m taking I need to give a 5-minute oral presentation about a hobby. Part of the assignment is that I must teach the listeners something about the chosen topic.

I’m pretty sure no-one wants to learn about scales or actually playing the bass so I was thinking about doing something along the lines of “How the Fender Bass Changed the World”. I realize there is a book by that very name and I’m trying to track down a copy today but I received this assignment Thursday night and after taking my wife away for the long weekend as planned, I’m now left with only a couple of days to put this together for next Thursday night.

So, I’m wondering if people might be able to help with a few points to include. I have a decent knowledge regarding Leo and the development of the bass. I’m sort of looking more towards the impact the instrument had in terms that non-musicians can relate to and might find interesting.

So does anyone want to share some great points of interest to touch on? Remember I have just 5 minutes to introduce the topic, explain some of the history and development and then give sort of an “impact statement” and sum it all up.

All tips regarding the presentation are welcome.

My apology if this is posted in the wrong forum.


Thanks

[tplyons]

I did that for a final in an English class in 10th grade... I got up, had someone hold my Precision Bass, and talked for twenty four minutes without any prep. You can do it, don't stress.

[no1likesme]

whenever I do a speech I just drink 2 or 3 energy drinks and then wing it (do the same thing for my radio show as well). Caffeine helps your rambling.

[tplyons]

Originally Posted by no1likesme

whenever I do a speech I just drink 2 or 3 energy drinks and then wing it (do the same thing for my radio show as well). Caffeine helps your rambling.

Bad idea. For a presentation, you don't want to ramble. Keep it precise, keep it informative.

[Sir Edward V]

yeah it shouldn't be too hard to talk for 5 minutes about it, but it is good to prepare for it. You can talk about how it made the bass more portable for the musicians, making it more popular, or how it made bass more present in the mix, that would definitely impact listeners of the music.

there are plenty of things more you can talk about

[Bryan316]

I once got a grade in a Public Speaking course, for reciting Dream Theater lyrics.


BEAT THAT!!!

[disenchant]

I think I'd rather learn something about music that I could apply than hearing someone drone on about Fender.

What Fender did for us musicians is only interesting to us musicians. Do you care how Mary Lou Retton changed gymnastics? Were you even aware it changed?

It might be cool to keep it really simple about the role bass plays in a song. That is something that could be demonstrated, something people can apply next time they listen to a song and something everyone has reality with since almost everyone listens to music. Or even, explain how a bass is different from a guitar. That is information 80% of the population could use!

[i_got_a_mohawk]

I would do it more on the movement from the double bass to electric bass (which you could say fender lead the way in).

How this affected music and so on

[Kosko]

You could probably talk parts alone for 30 minutes.

[StevieMac]

Originally Posted by disenchant

I think I'd rather learn something about music that I could apply than hearing someone drone on about Fender.

What Fender did for us musicians is only interesting to us musicians. Do you care how Mary Lou Retton changed gymnastics? Were you even aware it changed?

It might be cool to keep it really simple about the role bass plays in a song. That is something that could be demonstrated, something people can apply next time they listen to a song and something everyone has reality with since almost everyone listens to music. Or even, explain how a bass is different from a guitar. That is information 80% of the population could use!

Yes I see your point but while I will be able to bring in my p-bass I won’t have an amp or a stereo on which to play a piece of music and then discuss the role of the bass.

In reality this is all about my presentation skills, the topic is pretty much irrelevant although given that my rambling will be limited to just 5 minutes I would think I could keep this topic interesting enough to keep ‘em awake.

[StevieMac]

Originally Posted by Kosko

You could probably talk parts alone for 30 minutes.

I think that would put them to sleep.

I've got 5 minutes to introduce this, give a bit of history and then make them hopefully think "wow, I had no idea", or "I never thought about that".

[RED5]

Originally Posted by StevieMac

I think that would put them to sleep.

I've got 5 minutes to introduce this, give a bit of history and then make them hopefully think "wow, I had no idea", or "I never thought about that".

Man! Just list all the songs a Fender was heard on. Then let the class know that when "This" (the P-bass) was new? There was no other than this. Talk amongst yourselves.

[Brad Barker]

the emergence of the p-bass and how rock-n-roll really took off. (pretty sure that's one of the points from the book--i read an excerpt from a bass player about six years ago.)

[Pilgrim]

I suggest doing online research to flesh out these points, then laying them out in sequence:

• Start with comments about Fender making the first commercially successful electric bass, the Precision
• Point out that bass players took some years to acept the invention
• Point out the clever ways in which he made the instrument possible to mass-manufacture
• These include: bolt-on neck, simple but effective bridge, screw-on tuners, and use of automotive paint
• You could comment on the evolution of bass bodies from the '51 to the '54 contoured model, and on to the later 50's when today's body chape emerged
• Wrap up with an indication of the P-bass's popularity and ubiquity around the world.

If that doesn't make a presentation, something's wrong. You could use Powerpoint with images of basses, bass parts, musicians, famous events, you name it - or you could just hold the instrument up and show it off.

[StevieMac]

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

I suggest doing online research to flesh out these points, then laying them out in sequence:

• Start with comments about Fender making the first commercially successful electric bass, the Precision
• Point out that bass players took some years to acept the invention
• Point out the clever ways in which he made the instrument possible to mass-manufacture
• These include: bolt-on neck, simple but effective bridge, screw-on tuners, and use of automotive paint
• You could comment on the evolution of bass bodies from the '51 to the '54 contoured model, and on to the later 50's when today's body chape emerged
• Wrap up with an indication of the P-bass's popularity and ubiquity around the world.

If that doesn't make a presentation, something's wrong. You could use Powerpoint with images of basses, bass parts, musicians, famous events, you name it - or you could just hold the instrument up and show it off.

Now we're getting somewhere. Thanks for the great suggestions!