Recent content by sixpants

I have some updates (source: Chat with their sound guy who's mixed them and all Thile's projects for over a decade). First, Paul is simply a hell of a player. The engineer gave Paul most the credit. Second, Paul is playing a really tricked out bass. Different tuning. Octave higher. In some...

Wow... I didn't realize how far my Toyota analogy went with my Shen SB88. It just kinda'... goes. And goes. And goes. Bought a pickup. 5 years later... no expenses. Still hanging on to the strings. I'm not playing anything technically or sonically challenging though (folk, bluegrass...

I think marching bands get it. They have their concert instrument and their marching instrument. After a near-death gig experience with my good mandolin, I decided to begin employing that philosophy. Also... I own, play, and love my Shen SB88. I think they're great for rank amateurs like me...

This is BARELY interesting. But what the hell, I'm sharing. I just finished Chris Thile's 2nd on-line "lecture" of sorts. He was talking about how the song Mint Julep was written. He said he was sharing a hotel room with Paul and after Paul assembled his travel bass he started playing a few...

The "smile and walk away" takes the least emotional energy and typically results in the least residual bad karma. Anything more will result in a verbal exchange... more energy, more clever things unsaid, more things to get ugly over. Now if you're married to him that won't work...

Clearly it's evidence that our two majestic minds work in some kind of subliminal concert of pure genius! I'd love to see the original post.

...or for people playing live with inconsistent monitoring. ...or for people with full time jobs and kids and little practice time who just want to play some songs and get intonation support as needed. This marker debate is a false dichotomy. You can listen AND have markers. It's really that...

I figure I'm on borrowed time with these hands (hell, the entire body). I'll miss 'em when they eventually fail but am definitely grateful to have ever had the ability. I already have plans to get deeper into audio engineering when the hands stop cooperating. Or hand modeling.

Great thoughts. Thanks everyone. I'd never consider myself a jazz-type, yet when practicing percussion/drum set and now bass, I find jazz is a lot of fun. Can't rely on the ear entirely because of the wacky stuff that happens. Kind of like blues... fun to play, not to listen to. I imagine...

I think we get bogged down in semantics sometimes. My use of "theory" was just shorthand for, "Conventional intervals applied to chords within the context of traditional American bluegrass music." Or, for short, theory. I switched schools to John Patitucci's Jazz Bass. There's a lot more...

I wanted to follow-up: I just joined. Been playing music 20 years, bass 1 year, upright for 6 months with only cursory on-line instruction to get technique down (which I was told by everyone would ruin me forever and shatter every bone in my hand). Since I play Bluegras/Americana I started...

I've got a $1500 bass. I've played a $10k bass. I couldn't tell a difference because I'm too new. Someday I'll probably be good enough. I can tell the difference between good vs. cheap acoustic guitars and digital pianos. Just not basses. Ohhhhh... but stings. THERE I can tell a difference.

Wow... you're onto more than you realize. My wife hasn't been terribly pleased that I'm a gigging musician these days - a whopping 4 gigs/practices total a month (funny since I'm a teacher and home WAYYYYYY more than everyone else's husbands are.) But I digress... dinner... yes. Yes.

Yup... and just like that Toyota it gets you where you want to go with at a reasonable price point.

Assuming you're satisfied with your instrument and strings, but you still have an itch to upgrade something, what would you do to: 1. Improve the aesthetics 2. Improve the tone. 3. Improve the play-ability 4. Make life easier 5. Whatever I missed... I think my $60 is probably lacking, but I...