Recent content by jimulate

This is a Marimbula I believe - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar%C3%ADmbula I've never seen one on an endpin before, usually they are boxes you sit on similar to a cajon.

It seems to me like this case solves one huge problem with other gig bags (the "headstock end sticking out over your head" issue), but has done it in a way that directly creates another, by putting all of the weight on one shoulder. I travel to gigs a lot on public transport and can sometimes...

I spent a long time wrestling with the middle eight to this song, before finally realising that although the final version is in Ab, it was originally recorded in G and sped up by a semitone in the studio afterwards. The whole thing (and especially that middle eight) makes a lot more sense when...

How about something like the bass balalaika?

I'm in the UK and not sure of the rules in other countries, but the first thing that sprang to my mind was that over here you need a special driving license to drive a bus (or any vehincle that size/weight) which I expect very few musicians will have. This means that the band would have to...

There's a song called "Yama" that I absolutely love - the only version I've heard is by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers off the "A Night In Tunisia" album (careful, there are two different albums with that title!). It's a bizarre 13-bar form and the tonality is very ambiguous, but the melody...

I have a simple rule - as long as there isn't a good reason for me to turn down the gig (i.e. it would cost me more than it pays, or the conditions imposed are unreasonable) I NEVER say no to any job. This has landed me some awesome gigs that have pushed me way out of my comfort zone, forced me...

I'm not sure about the new PS Streamers, but I have a German '97 Streamer LX4. In that bass, although the push/pull volume switches between passive and active (pulled out bypasses the active preamp), the actual pickups themselves are active pickups and therefore if the battery dies it won't work...

Many times I have auditioned for (and subsequently worked with) bands purely because I wanted to work with the individual musicians and occasional poach them for other jobs, and not because I actually had any interest in the specific project. I think it depends on your mentality - I will take...

I do this kind of work a lot and I completely agree with what everyone else has said - consider it a "session" gig and that you're only hired on a show-by-show basis, not tied down to a contract. I just wanted to point out that, although it is a definite possibility that if the singer gets...

Hi folks, I've got an audition coming up in a couple of weeks for backing band job. The artist is some New York keys player and singer coming over to spend a few months in London - I've been dealing with the management/PR company and they're being very obtuse about details of the artist or...

Paid rehearsals crop up in a lot of pro gigs. Basically all theatre/pit work, some orchestral work, and pro tribute/function band work. Also, session/backing band jobs for artists with management/label representation usually pays for rehearsal time. Gigs that do pay are generally those that...

Invalid Link Removed Not only will it do drum loops but also whole chord progressions for multiple instruments. Jim.

Regulars in this case meant people he personally knew by name - although he'd generally have a deal to have a specific number of "tickets" (10-20 depending on the night) agreed with the promoter, so he had to be fairly picky as to who was let in as a "regular". Jim

Here's something that a friend of mine (who's a pub landlord) used to do - bear in mind this is only applicable to original bands, not cover bands; He would let the bands/promotors organise the whole event themselves, including all promotion, and then let them charge on the door (on the...