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Posts posted by SteveO

  1. [quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1396864812' post='2418004']
    It's useful to know the difference between simple, compound, and odd time signatures IMHO....

    absolutely, but your 2 examples of 8/8 demonstrate my point that the time sig does not dictate the feel or rhythm, it just indicates the convention being used to chop the tune up into bars. Perhaps I am being too literal with the op question "does everyone know their time signatures"

  2. What is there to know? top number is how many per bar, bottom number indicates what it is you are counting. Some time sigs conventionally have a particular feel i.e 12/8 is usually 4 sets of 3 quavers, but not always. 5/4 is usually played as a group of 3 crotchets then 2 crotchets, occasionally 2 crotchets then 3 crotchets and sometimes 2 crotchets, 2 crotchets and 1 crotchet to finish the bar. The point is that the rhythmic feel of the music is not indicated or dictated by the time signature, that is in the phrasing of the notes.

  3. While dead spots are a possibility, a dead spot all the way from 12 to 15 is unlikely, they tend to be localised to just 1 or at worst 2 adjacent frets. My first thought is dead string, try replacing it. BTW I love the fat tones from playing high on the E and A.

  4. Dr Daves tip is one that every performer should adhere to, If you act like a rock god, you will BE a rock god, just be mindful that when you strike a pose with your guitarist that you still play the right notes (or at least something vaguely in keeping with the song). happened to me not too long ago when we did the back to back thing during the guitar solo on are you gonna go my way, and I totally forgot what the hell I should be playing.

    Try to keep calm and remember to do all the things you need to do during setup, especially tuning. Often there's so much to think about that tuning gets forgotten by at least one member of the band. Above all enjoy every moment, because it goes like a flash and the 1st gig is something you will enjoy remembering for a long long time. Good luck on Saturday :)

  5. I'd agree with your teacher, there is a difference in tone as most people can hear, but it's not so much to get worried about, and I'd personally rate efficiency of movement far higher than the subtle tone difference. As ever there are always exceptions and maybe if I'm playing up at the dusty end I won't play all D's on the open string for example. At this extreme the tone difference may become noticeable (although it could be used to good effect)
    Playing live I regularly switch from playing A on the E string to an open A, especially if i'm chugging along for many bars on one note (pretty much every ACDC song that we cover springs to mind) I doubt if anyone would be able to tell the difference. On a recording I wouldn't though to keep the sound consistent. No one is going to think any less of you for not using the exact fingering as the original, and I doubt if anyone can tell which string you played that C# on anyway. (OK, I've known some of the classical fraternity to turn their noses up at this, and maybe if you're playing solo and its held for a long time then some people may be able to tell, but 'wrong' in this context is subjective anyway. Maybe it sounds better your way and the original artist got it 'wrong')

  6. I know xmas is long gone, but I'll stick in my 2p anyway :) The thing about pianos is that a good new one costs a fortune, so second hand prices can be very high (over here we're talking £4000), BUT they're also a nuisance, and often you can get a good one for free if you can collect it. I'm a part time tuner and restorer, and I occasionally pick the free ones up for spare parts, and there are a few gems to be found. A few things to keep in mind:

    Tuning costs - To keep an expensive piano in top condition you'll want to tune 2 times a year, this minimises the seasonally changing stresses on the soundboard, pinblock and strings, which reduces the chance of cracks in the wood or string breakage. If your piano is worth less than £500 I'd only tune when the sound becomes painful to listen to. I don't know the rates in the UK, but stevies £50 sounds about right (It's £100 over here and most things are about 2x the price).

    Things to look for when buying a piano:

    Makes - There are so many old piano makers it is nearly impossible to list them all and all their relative merits and faults. each one had their own idea of how to make a piano and although most share common features, the designs vary wildly. Assuming you are not loaded enough to get a Steinway then the best bet is to look for a Yamaha. From a tuner's point of view, these are very well made, easiest to adjust and need the least amount of ongoing repairs

    The pinblock: there are 2 main designs. one is a couple of big blocks of wood with the tuning pins set in them. the other has the pins set in plastic collars directly in the steel frame. The first design is the one to avoid. Cracks in pinblocks are caused by heat and humidity changes, uneven stresses from bad tuning or just age. A cracked pinblock is very expensive to repair (in labour - it's at least an 8 hour job, plus 2-3 retunes in stages to even out the stresses) if the piano you're looking at has a cracked pinblock then avoid. it will be nearly impossible to tune it, as the tuning will not hold, if it has an uncracked wooden pinblock I'd walk away unless it's been [u]very[/u] well looked after - I.e. everything else about the piano is perfect. The plastic collar design is the best (used on most Yamahas) and it cheap and easy to repair if one of them does split (not a common fault, but it happens occasionally)

    The frame - the big steel thing that looks a bit like a harp - look for cracks, and walk away if you find any. They are pretty much unrepairable, and make tuning impossible.

    The sound board. this is a big sheet of wood on the back of an upright. you can usually see it through the structural ribs from the back. again, cracks are bad, but not irreparable. if you play all the notes loudly you will hear any problems - usually buzzing or dead notes, (although there are many other causes of dead notes too) you're still looking at an expensive repair, but maybe less than £500.

    Look for rust on the strings, misshapen hammers and dampers and general crud inside the piano - all indicators of bad storage, and likely to have problems with the pinblock and soundboard.

    the last thing to look at is the alignment and feel of the keys, pedals, and general sound of the piano - these can all be adjusted, so a good piano going cheap because of a few sticky keys or if some of the notes continue to play after you release the keys can be a bargain as long as you add extra for regulation (set up). I charge Kr1700,- for a regulation and tuning, so I guess you can get it done for about £85. Everything else is cosmetic (or mojo if you prefer:))

  7. Drummer has a new mac don't know the spec but I guess they're all the same. The headphone out and line-in are now combined, so you need a Tip-Ring-Ring-Sleve adapter such as [url="http://www.chaarly.com/cables-connectors-/28931-18m-right-angle-35mm-av-jack-trrs-connector-male-to-rca-audio-video-male-connector-convertor-cable-for-tv-vcr.html"]this[/url]. She picked one up for about a fiver from our version of maplins. Same quality issues as per the old macbooks, but acceptable for simple recording.

    Edit - Don't go ordering that one without checking the plug sizes, I just did a quick google for a visual example :)

  8. Pretty much in agreement with everyone here. Really uncool. Could be better if it were more realistic. I've never seen a naturally worn bass anywhere near as bad as the roadworn ones, but I guess it's just fashion. I've often bought things to make me look like something I wasn't - I bought a leather jacket long before I got a bike, I bought Converse All-Stars and I don't play basketball and I buy stonewashed jeans, so maybe I'm being a bit hypocritical. :)

  9. [quote name='AL-the-Bassman' timestamp='1388608872' post='2324037']
    WOW, thats going to be VERY difficult.
    I can think of ideas for each, but not both......
    Challenge accepted. One picture gives me an idea for a theme, the other for a style :)

    [quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1388658902' post='2324388']
    ...For example: from Smokey & The Bandit it could be a country theme...

    ***Hard Stare*** Now they're all gonna think I nicked your idea. It was MINE I tell you MINE!!!!

  10. I guess it depends on the length of the songs you are playing. If you're doing covers of 2 min punk songs then you're gonna need a shed load more. We typically do 15 - 20 per set. From 2 x 1 hour sets in a pub gig up to 4 x 1 hour sets at after-ski parties. It sounds like you've got enough songs in your repertoire so it's simply up to your frontman to pace the gig to match the mood of the audience. If you think you're rattling through the songs too fast then maybe it's this skill that (s)he needs to look at?

  11. I knew a guy who stuck his on with adhesive pads because he didn't fancy drilling into his bass. Last time I saw him they were still on there after several years. He is a bit anal about these things and hacksawed the heads off some screws and glued them into place. Looked 'real' until you got really close and saw the plate was a millimeter or so from the bass.

  12. Very few people do use theory to compose. I don't use it when writing orchestral music. I could tell you why something works, or why something shouldn't work even though it does, but the only time I use theory is if I want a chord played across several instruments (Cello's play the root, violas take the 5th, wind take 3rd, brass play root and 3rd etc...) Most of my composition is hearing it in my head and then writing it down.

  13. Only 1 experience with faulty goods from thomann. An amp I bought wasn't working, so I sent them an email. They sent a replacement, with instructions to send the broken one back with the courier. Replacement amp arrived in 2 days, I wasn't in when the courier delivered the replacement and so the original did not get returned. They then [i]appologised[/i] that the courier wasn't able to be precise on estimated delivery time. They emailed a label and arranged for a courier to come round when I was in. It cost me the price of paper and ink to print the shipping label.

    I haven't sent anything back to them asking for a refund, and would guess that any bank charges for converting to Euros wouldn't be refunded (after all it's not them that are charging you, it's the bank)

    I've bought all my new musical stuff from then since this (this was 6 years ago, and I've got a lot of stuff for bands and kids). Proper customer service.

    Edit for spellin.

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