Whaaaaaasssssuuuuuuup.....???????!!!!!!

Hey Everybody....

I'm new here....I'm a blues bassplayer
from Massachusetts.

Ive been playing since 1969, when I bought
my first Edgmond bass for $65 from a pawn
shop in Natick Centre. Played in rock bands
till I graduated then swore off of classic rock
for blues and jazz.

Played with many blues bands, and warmed
up for some greats....its been awesome. I have a
'74 P bass.....natural ash finish and a maple neck....
white pick guard. Its set up sweet...no clicks...
and just easy to play for my long fingers.

After gettin' sick of carrying around heavy weight,
Ive opted for a SWR Workingmans amp....and I
go direct if I need more volume. (rarely) I had
such bad luck with blowing (twice)
motherboards with my GK 700RB head.....I was
surprised to have such bad luck with such a
great product. I was using a SWR Triad cab
at the time.

I teach about 10 students a week, (after I come
home from painting for 31 years...)....I've got my
own system and teach guitar and bass. I'm
enthusiastic, and love to watch my students grow.
My students learn music theory, learn to play the
major scale on the whole neck...arpeggios, modes,
all the intervals, left and right hand use
and optimization.....playing in position.... and how to
solo and be tasty finding their own "signature sound"
blending scales. Most of all I try to infuse my
enthusiasm for music and practicing....I love the
bass and try to spread it around best I can.

The one thing I also try to instill is getting my
students to not practice things faster than
they can do it perfectly. I see most kids doing
things wrong for a long while, getting it right
at the end....and stopping, instead of slowing
down, getting it right in the beginning, and
practicing it correctly for the whole time,
speeding up slowly. It's like in the gym when
you see everybody using really improper and
dangerous form lifting weight thats too heavy.....
really destructive in the end.

I think one of the most influencial moments in
my learning came to me when I heard Jaco talk
on his Electric Bass Video about learning the
melody to every song that one learns the
bassline to.....So....eye opening and life
changing. After months of regret and thoughts
about it....it was what I needed to hear..
All I ever did was play the major and minor
pentatonics till then.....Then I put my nose
the the grindstone.

A DJ that liked a band I was in nicknamed
me Smilinsteve, and it stuck. Now its my
email and my pretty much my name all
around. So....Its a pleasure finding this
forum and its been fun reading all the
posts. Thanks!


Smilin'