My Date with Allen

I did it, I got out all the Allen Wrenches in the house and I attacked the Truss Rod! Well it was a battle just getting to the truss rod. First I had to unscrew the panel to get to the truss rod.

As you may be able to tell, I was only able to get two of the three screws undone. The screws are super tiny [Look! Something tiny on a bass.] and the screwdriver was causing the black paint to flake off [and made the screw head look like it was stripping] so it was alarming.

Once I put the wrench in I gave it a twist the best I could. Everyone stresses not putting too much pressure on the truss rod, and by extension the wrench; but I wasn't 100% sure the truss rod was actually turning.     

Now I wait, up to a few days for Igor to fully adjust. Igor is hanging out in his stand tonight, I'll see he feels after school tomorrow. Hopefully I actually did some adjusting, but better I did none than too much when messing with the truss rod. [Right?] 

Mary and The Pick Ups

Recall that I took another stab at picking. [By clicking on the red highlighted link.] and you'll remember I was concerned about electrocuting myself. I've since gotten over that fear, in fact, I decided to spend sometime woodshedding picking. That didn't last.

I had the metronome going and everything when the thought popped into my head, about having a place somewhere on the bass for a pick, when it happened. I thought the medal was balancing on strings for a minuet, but it was sticking to the pick up [magnetically]!

That planned woodshed was hit by a science driven train. Cue me seeing if I could get a different sound with the medal on the pick ups. I think there would of been a different sound if I had had more medals...    
  

Voice Tuner?

I've heard from several people that bassists should learn to sing. At first I thought it was meant as to learn another skill to make you more marketable; but upon woodshedding more I discovered singing worked as a form of melody. [Does that make sense?]  

Rock Music 101: The drums make the beat that is the backbone of the music. The guitar makes the melody that will get stuck in your head. The bass acts as the bridge between the two. With my metronome keeping the beat and the the bass in my hand, all I need is get my vocal chords to do something and I take one step forward.

There was one part of my life where I was in a chorus, it was during a very dark part of my life [otherwise known as middle school] which has been hard to revisit. That was quite a hypocritical attitude for me to type, I love how at concerts lead singers act like utter nut jobs on stage, but still it's hard for me to be a goof.

At one point, I was able to scat [scat singing] and kinda mumble in a tune like fashion. I forgot to turn off the clip tuner and even when I wasn't playing, the tuner was picking up frequencies. When I was scatting normally I hit D sharp and when I was fooling around down low I hit a B. Probably useless, but I found it to be amusing.
             

A Bad Twist?

I got one concerning reply to my latest post on TB.com. When I first posted about me tuning backwards a few people brought up how my old tuning could twist Igor's neck. [More tension on the strings, thus more pressure of the neck, in a way it wasn't designed for.]

Since raising the bridge worked on all the strings but the E string, it seems like that might of happened. Some TB-ers suggested that having my bass tuned properly might set it right, since the neck is made of wood which is pliable.

Only time will tell, but it does set my gut in a knot...  

Pampering Igor

Image taken from The Graphics Fairy.

While worrying/waiting for my bass to readjust I decided to clear Igor. I didn't know where the good polish was, and I know better the to use water on metal/wood; so I just wiped him down with a soft dry cloth.

Under a white craft light you can really see the fingerprints, and hairline scratches [but only at a few angles]. I also took some dry Q-tips to the dust encrusted pick ups and found some red color was coming up on the dry Q-tip.

Come to find out the bridge to be the dirtiest part of the bass.       

Emotion

I was upset the other day. Anger, frustration, fear was coursing though my body; stressing my body out to the point of illness. Within a few hours I remembered my bass, and as soon as I could I let loose on it.

I didn't record it or even bother to plug in, I'm glad I did.  It was a horrid, gnarly, buzzing, messy disaster. Just how I felt. Funny thing, I was playing on a windy night and when I stopped I realized I was playing to the rattling window frame as well as my rage.

In the morning both of my hands hurt along with my right elbow and shoulder. I know it was because I was stressed as I played, I know I need to find a way to relax while playing like that, but it felt so, so, good! Interesting enough the soreness went away faster then any other bodily pain I've ever been in.

        

Getting Some New Action

With my [new] proper tuning I found myself banging into the strings harder. Since I dropped my tuning by a few octaves I wasn't surprised since I more times than not mix up pitch and volume. The three largest strings kept hitting the fret board which annoyed the hell out of me, although not uncommon among bass players.

So back up the bridge went. [After much worrying, including but not limited to googling pictures of lefty loosey righty tighty] I got all my strings up to a good height, besides the E string. It's still doing it's smacking thing. Cue one late night cryptic post [sorry TB community!] and it has become clear,  I need to find an Allen wrench.

I Picked Mary

I used Mary as a pick actually [or rather a Miraculous Medal]. 

I have to say I really liked using a pick with some meat on it and the texture of the medal worked nicely as a grip. I didn't have any issue having the medal sliding up the strings like I did with the plastic pick, and I must say I enjoyed the sound.

It was late so I had to wait to try my new technique, which was just enough time to lay awake in bed and remember that Inspector Gadget episode where he handles an electric guitar, gets graphically electrocuted, than wakes up in a hospital. A cartoon Inspector Gadget ended up in a hospital. Suddenly it came flooding back, the fear that kept me a yard away from electric guitars until I discovered my love of mosh pits.

In reaction I posted about the possibility of getting electrocuted on TB.com and looked up just how sacrilegious it is to deface the image of Mary.

Thanks to The Church wanting to get away with idolatry, picking with the medal is no issue; but upon returning to my TB.com post I found several Inspector Gadget fans and one too many mention of Keith Relf. [Is there anyone who was in the Yardbirds that hasn't become famous for some reason???] Long story short, he electrocuted himself with an electric guitar.

Yet my story doesn't end here....                 

How to Use a Gigbag

Please note I am writing this post to document my own stupidity, I do not actually think anyone needs to be told how to use a gigbag. [If you are looking at this for this reason, I won't tell anyone.]

When placing a bass within a gigbag [for you must place one within before you take one from it...unless someone puts one in for you...] Take note of what side is up, for your bass. To just take off my bass and put it in a gigbag means that the logo on the bag has to be on the floor [Since it's a lefty]. Maybe I'll being approaching my gigbag from the other side, or I'll make the effort to actually turn my bass around.

When zipping up your bag [god given it will have a double zipper] make sure to have both zippers meet in the middle of the bass or at the top of the head stock. If you have the zippers meet in the middle UNZIP THE TOP ONE FIRST. I can not stress this enough. If you unzip the bottom zipper first the bass will fall out since it is bottom heavy and crash horrifically on the floor.    

I Need to Stop Thinking

I lay my bass on my bed if I play with it during that day, it's just a little thing I do because I'm too lazy to put him away to show respect. The day of the tuning episode I turned on my music and wanted to sit on my bed before bed; to do this I had to pick up my bass.

It's The Temptations! Get it?

Yeah...

So I noodle about for a bit and decide to try and play along with my music. I realized Florence and the Machine's What the Water Gave Me wasn't the ideal song, but it was late and I didn't care. I try to play along and just manage to utterly confuse myself. I stop noodling near the end of the song and there it is the bass line holding down the harp. And it sounds just like when I was noodling around without thinking.

At 5:09 on this video is when you can really hear it.

Dyslexi-what?

Before Lent I made an honest attempt to learn chords, but I just ended up trying to memorize the fret board in a musically organized fashion. Funny thing, my backwards tuning made total sense until my got away from the nut on the fret board diagram.

Then my mind and hands just switched to how I should of been playing all along. I mean, what the heck Dyslexia?!?! Suddenly my head totally understands where everything should be when the only marker I can see is the string thickness [when it is clearly upside down].

Whoa, I just got this [as in while I'm typing this] this is for a left handed person playing a right handed guitar upside down. So Studybass.com doesn't have an idiot proof website; or maybe that's why they took these diagrams down....    

Ash Wednesday

I tuned my bass like a normal person. If you think that's not enough for Lent [I was leaning that way] it was, believe me it was. Also saying "I don't need to stretch, I'm only tuning" is total bull shit. 

or not...

To say flopping my strings' tuning was a struggle is putting it mildly. First I tried to get each string into the desired note using my snark tuner. The little bugger must know I've been disrespecting it, the tuner was all over the place when it was picking up frequencies at all. At one point the strings were smacking the fret board, when I thought it was good enough to fine tune on my Bronco 40's tuner it sounded like the tiny [I'm unsure if I should call it the tiny string or the tiniest, but not much is small about a bass; calling it by note is out for the time being.] string was a piano string and the other three were a cool growling bass tone, but would hit the fret board if it was played too roughly. [And God, was that tone begging for that!] 

I get my bass over to my amp and discover the three cool sounding [yet impractical to play] strings were tuned randomly like F sharp and shit. Reworking the tuning using my amp [which is a literal pain, the printing is so tiny I have to stoop to see, not fun while holding Igor] I got the E and G strings in the right place [Biggest and littlest strings] but the former troublesome A string was passing on its legacy to the proper heir. 

I was so tired from this tuning ordeal, I just put my bass down, not bother to see how I like the new string tension, which is what I set out to do.                

Strap Placement

I've been standing with my bass again. When I first got my bass I told myself I'd stand up every time I'd play it for some random form of exercise. That actually lasted awhile but now I sit when unplugged and stand when using my amp. I've been reluctant to use my strap but with some reminders that I need to get my strap at the right height. [Too low may look right but it does hell on your wrists.] Since it was a pain to adjust the buckle from near the bottom strap knob I decided to flip it.

That worked, somewhat. It got the cracked leather out of my line of sight, but at the proper height the buckle is on my shoulder which is painful. I play until I am sore and right now my shoulder is the first body part to be in pain.

Also I timed how long I could play while standing, with the annoying strap its up to half an hour.
         

My Left Hand

When I play my bass, my left hand is doing the plucking. My left side has Cerebral Palsy worst [in its mild way] than my right side. When I picked up bass, playing right handed was out of the question because I could only handle two frets in a position.

After eight months of noodling around on Igor, I flipped him over for the heck of it. To my amazement I found I could handle three frets comfortably [my right hand can handle three and a half frets]. My ring finger was rather useless but my index and middle fingers were nearly as nimble as my right hand. This is because of one thing, me playing.

The speed in my first two fingers has tripled since my pre-bass days, so I've been trying to incorporate a three finger plucking technique into my woodshedding when I pick up Igor. It's way above my skill level, and I don't care, thoughts of getting a right handed bass once I have the cash up is all I need.

I can compensate without the extra movement, it is nothing to me but adding a trick to my bass playing.              

Metronome Review.

I bought one of these guys:
Its a Seiko SQ50-V Quartz Metronome. I got it off Amazon for about $20. [Looking about amazon it seems that the price has been upped.]

I really like it, it goes from 40-208bpm but doesn't have every single beat in between. It has a dial set up so all it takes is a quick twist to change up the tempo, no time lost.

It has two 'ticks', one that is very electronic sounding, the other is more like a clock's tock. With my bass plugged in I found that I couldn't make out the electronic sound out, but the tock worked great.

The volume on it was enough for young ears like mine, but I've heard reviews that it can be an issue for older users. I haven't used the head phone jack but it takes everyday music headphones. It has a red light that blinks along to beat but it's rather useless. [This isn't just my visual delays talking, reviewers agree.]

It also has a kickstand, but I've found it sets up on it's own; it runs on a D-Volt battery, which it actually comes with!

I really love that it also lists the Italian music types. [That is most defiantly, not its real name.] 

Taking on Lent

I'm currently a Bad Catholic, still a Catholic mind you I just haven't been to Mass in over a year. Last year was actually the first year I managed to not eat meats on Fridays [I also said I'd pick up my bass everyday-- that lasted four days...]; this year I think I'm going to tune my bass like a normal person's.

This all stems from learning that my mind is really fucked up, after seeking advice from TalkBass.com I've decided to try learning chords [different from chord charts, necessary to know]. With using Lent as a jump off point. Since you know, eating Asian food with chop sticks is getting old, [and never ends up working out].  

Whoa, according to this I've been using chop sticks backwards too...

B&B music

This is a really bad part three. [No reflection on the store] I'm just burnt out on the topic.

Big store, hard to miss, very clean. My first impression was on the corporate side. Due to another corporate music store that shall not be named [behold the tact] this put a sour taste in my mouth. Entering the store I found it stocked very well, if someone was standing in the designated pathways   you had trip over instruments to get anywhere. Again I found an employee eager to help me without attitude [Go Delaware, seriously though, go spread this awesomeness to the Western Shore....pretty please?!?]. Sadly all they had to offer was Ibanez, and like I said I had tasted crack with the fender neck and wasn't interested. That said they had every ABG Ibanez made so major props to them for that.       

   

Music Stores of Delaware

Remember this post? Well this is part two, written in a much less eloquent way.

Earle Teat Music, small shop, almost drove by it, that aside I really liked the place. It reminded me of your hometown dive bar that intimidates tourists but is a great place for the locals. The walls were cluttered with instruments but the store was nicely laid out and you can move about. They have a nice sized bass section and to my amazement, attentive staff.

To that dude at Earle Teat Music, I'm sorry if my behavior seemed bazaar, I'm from the Western Shore.

I tried out the Fender T-Bucket. To everyone who says acoustic basses are too big in the body, it's nothing. Really. I'm five foot one and have "small" hands and have never needed more then a minute to readjust to a bass. The neck of the Fender, it felt like home in my hand, as odd as that may sound. My fingers were where they needed to be without trying, and never felt like cramping. The guitar wasn't tuned and I was still in a traumatic state since my string snapped so I didn't try to tune it; but I knew an ABG wasn't for me.   

I asked about a semi-hollow body bass and the employee knew off hand [this amazed me] that they didn't have one in stock but that they could order one from Epiphone.

Eh, this is long enough, B&B review will come next [ish].              

New Level of Enlightenment

Disregard everything I have ever said about string and note placement. I am a day away from my 13 month anniversary with my beloved Igor and I have just discovered I have been tuning the strings backwards  this whole time. [Well not really, I've only been playing the right notes for six months I thought the idiot at GC tuned my guitar backwards.]

Long story short, it made the most sense in my head. Funny when you take into account my dyslexia, my right handedness, and my family history of doing one activity with the submissive hand. In my psychotic mind's defense the whole low end/this fret board diagram throw me for a loop.

[Not good on a dyslexic mind.] Now I need to decide what to do, I want to crawl into hole but I can't do that without life sustaining items [ie my bass] so I need to decide what to do. Should I finally get with the program and tune my bass like everyone else or continue my freak show ways because I understand them? I'm taking my plight to TB.com. 

String Review

I've been putting this off doing this review [dare I even call this a review when all I have to compare them to is the stock strings?] because I haven't had my bass plugged into the amp since when the first set of strings snapped. I've been playing before bed so plugging in isn't in the cards.

By god, do these strings beg to be touched [Rotosound Swing Bass 66] I can spend minutes just running my hand up and down the neck listening to the strings whistle [I'm calling it a whistle because it's too sweet to call a whine]. Playing wise they sound like a piano, very pop-y, abit like a guitar.

Interesting enough, the first set of strings [that snapped] felt odd, like there was some kind of coating on them or something. The second set of strings felt more like the stock strings, maybe I got used to the feel of new strings, but I don't think so.       

Lay Down The Chords

And step on them [okay that's just my feelings about them]. Chords make me like tabs, really.

This is what chords look like. At lease tabs and sheet music is set up the same way [horizontally].  This, how the hell am I supposed to tell what order the notes are in!? [Okay normal people would be able to tell A though G but like I've said, I'm not that brilliant] Did I mention the vertical placement throws my dyslexia into havoc? I mean a bass guitar's neck is held kinda catty-cornered, but it's closer to horizontally then vertical.          

For the Love of Music

I've had a thought running around the back of my head, pounce if I saw a Bronco used at GC [I know, I hate the big store thing and the local store is run by jackasses but I kinda slightly trust the website.] for less than $80. But today that plan got put on hold for yet a few more months.

The short politically correct answer is that I needed to buy my mom something for Christmas. The [lets just call it what it is] selfish answer is that Rush added more tour dates. As I posted before I was lucky to see them once, so I'm just checking this off my bucket list [again] which I will continue to do until I must come to terms with the fact that they are moral for limited time:

I did get my only tour shirt at the last Rush concert, and since they are coming closer to home this time I might as well go all deadhead style fan on them. I mean how many bands of this caliber are still alive much less still touring?  

  

Held Frozen

I'm in the cold snap [How sad that? That is what I have to call it with global warming going on in the middle of winter.] and my fingers are always cold even in summer. Since hand injuries have me terrified I haven't picked up my bass.

I tasted crack

Otherwise known as a Fender neck. God it felt so comfortable! I'm sorry Ibanez, I love my little tank of a bass but the neck is just small in my hand. I want a right handed bass, I want one bad. I don't need it, I already have a great Henchman but I want it. I want to play with my right hand, and that neck was just begging to be played all over it!

Therapy is a legitimate reason to get a right handed bass [why is there no word for right handed thinks like lefties have southpaw?]. Even if it will only help me do nothing but play righty better. Being for my left [fretting] hand I'm going to need a short scale, and a maple neck makes a black bass look good [and may sound different].

My options are The Bronco which is so cheap fender won't even but 'Squire' [the name for the bottom of the line fender they don't actually call it fender] on it. It's what kinda accompanies my amp, so cheap it doesn't have a fretboard but can be found used for under $100. The other option is a Vintage Modified Mustang which is cost enough to have 'Squire' written on the headstock. [$250] Sadly this model has only been out two years and can not be found on the used market, but that's a good thing...right?

      

I'm not as bad as I thought!

When it comes to calling myself tone deaf.  I found that if I had one string tuned, I could tune the other string by just comparing string tension. It always got me into right note [I want to call it a letter so bad! Is that bad?] always in the red of my snark tuner but still in the right ballpark.

On a whim I checked out this website which was linked from a TB wiki labeled "Test your ears",  and it says with my score of 61.1% I have good ears. At 2.77% a question I believe I got in on dumb luck since less than 60% is average [and less than 50% is 'you should go see a doctor']. I've sent the website to my classically trained friend to see if it's worth a grain of salt. 

  

DE is Mystical! Part I

When I called Delaware 'The Mythical Land" it was due to its lack of sales tax [a point I think I've beaten to death with a stick]; after actually spending some time in shops there I have to say, it's freaking Narnia! [Okay, so no Christ-like talking lions about, but they have nice, attentive, sales people!] Story Time!

[I lied] Prologue: Two days before the trip I 'laid down dramatically' [stolen from Tea Hacic-Vlahovic's article on xoJane] causing a pulled tricep and forming a huge knot on my shoulder that took three days to get back to normal size. Of course this all happen to my left side, making the thought of playing right handed cringe worthy. By the day of the trip the knot on my shoulder was about half its original size but I still really didn't feel up to playing.

Actually Story: Heading in the direction of Dover I was totally prepared for what's happened in just about every other music store on the Western Shore [GC of Rockville, you are the exception.] It looks something like this:

But then I walked into Earle Teat Music.....              

When I can't have wine give me bass!

Every so often I get head aches, four times out of five aspirin will take care of it; but every once in awhile I'll get that one head ache that will walk the line of migraine. Just a pounding head ache that'll last for hours with points where most lights seem too bright.
When I was in Spain I discovered sipping a glass of Sangria for an hour made me feel better, but alas, I am not legal here. My only options are trying to time my aspirin intake throughout the day so I don't go over 900mg [mediocre results] or lean the pounding part of my head into something hard. [Like a lobotomy but not.]
I don't remember how I stumbled upon this considering high pitches make my head aches worst, but one day I listened to P.O.D.'s Satellite and within three song my headache was downgraded to deal-able. That CD has been my go to for head aches for years and I've never been able to figure out why it works; P.O.D.'s record Murdered Love also works but not as well.
  

The other day I was bopping around Youtube when I came across a playlist of bass tracks. Upon playing it I discovered it! Without a head ache I was getting that zen, very relaxed feeling of bliss. Bass waves have been want I always needed.     

The Mythical Land

Oh Delaware, My Delaware! Pardon me singing my state song unto thee! Delaware, the really awesome part of Eastern Shore. [As apposed the already awesome Eastern Shore, but a wee bit cooler with the no sales tax.] I'm going to try and hit up two music stores while there.

Here's to hoping it's better then MD music stores!   

I'm in Pain

So what am I doing? Thoughtfully typing this out. Its from playing last night, I've been playing before bed every night. I'm not sure how long since I don't have a working clock in my bedchamber [yeah that's my history buff slipping] but it can't be more then twenty minutes.

Odder still is that I actually remembered to stretch. I don't think I did enough work on my right [fretting] wrist because that's what hurts the most. My ring finger is also sore, I made a point to do those bend back for 15 seconds but it seems that I put too much pressure on it or something.

To bed with a heating pad tonight I go and no playing tonight.  [And to Youtube for my bass fill, how about some southpaw pride?]

    

"The Worst"

Broke out the metronome today. Going off the second most given piece of advice on TB.com I set it to the lowest bpm [beats per minute, on my metronome that's forty bpm] That is so slow! I wish I was kidding when I say it putting was me to sleep.

I found playing to every other click helped alot, it gives you space to not play to. [advice said by every other TB member.] Though I did find it odd when it seemed to speed up in my head but that might my delayed audio processing again.

Overall it was really fun. I think this it what people mean when they say 'woodshedding' but it's hard not to noodle just while playing/not playing. [You know, just randomly running around the neck.]  

If this is the worst of playing bass, I think I could do this for the rest of my life.    

He is Well

I tuned Igor, and he is now in tune. No impulsion, no snarky attitude on behalf of my bass; I am positively in shock. I had told myself I wasn't going to tune Igor until I had my college applications in, but I let my Id and sleep drunkenness sway me. [You know that girl who's loud and crazy just when she has a drink in her hand? That's me tired: I stumble, I find everything funny, I end up with smudged make up, and my decision making is sub par] This is a reason I make myself wait a day before posting in this blog.

There was no horrid string snap, there is no fret buzz. Just by sitting on my bed, with my snark tuner [yes, I actually looked at the thing and noticed the N] which did have some attitude of its own, but that's not important.

The important part is that I did it.

I did it.

I feel like a proud five year old and I don't care.     

From the Time Capsule

When I ordered my bass my mom went to dark corners of her Grandmother's basement to find her electric guitar that hadn't seen the light of day since 1975. The lone savable item from the stash was a three inch wide leather leather strap that cost my mother a pretty penny when she bought it as a Jr. High student. The leather and strap width alone would make it worth $50 today. [The awesome part was when I saw nearly the same strap in MIB III!]

It has been a year and I began to noticed a crack forming from where the metal strap knob meet the tab part of the leather strap. Since I don't have $50 to blow on a good strap I  posted my plight on TalkBass.com.  Ignoring the suggestions to use duck tape and super glue [I'm hoping it was a joke, sorry if it wasn't but it made my history buff self shrink back in terror.] I decided to try out 96tbird's advice of leather balm.

This is what I'm trying, it's Vermont's Original Bag Balm. It was laying around the house, seemed good enough. I'll let you know how it goes.

I'd also give a shout out to Auguste who's advice to have my strap sewn up, it will be used in the future. Thank you to all who replied!   

Changing Strings Take II, there was blood.

I did it all by myself! [more on the blood later] At first I tried just winding the strings without cutting them but they were too long and popped off. I cut off about four to five inches, but it will depend on the style of head stock you have to say how much you should take off.

First thing I learned was not to chew gum while changing strings. It will [under the law of God's alter ego Murphy] die when you are in the middle of changing strings.


I had just finished coaxing the A string on [need I say why?] when I looked at my hand and saw three fingers covered in red, my thought process was as follows:
What's that?
It looks like Red M&M dye came off on my hand, but I killed the M&Ms days ago.
It doesn't taste like blood.
Why isn't there blood everywhere and not just my fingers?
Okay that finger tastes like blood, but where is is coming from?
There's some under my thumbnail, is that from cutting my nails two hours ago?
Unlikely, did I bite a hangnail absentmindedly?
That's a possibility, oh look, there's a red hole in my finger that wasn't there before.
I could just hunt down the source of the blood and suck on it, but that'll take too long; where are the band aids?

After doing the beautiful bandage job you see above I seat down and as I was unstringing the D string from the bridge the pad of my thumb snagged on a unnoticed hangnail on my finger causing pain and more blood. Giving in I sat there with my finger in my mouth for five minutes. After that all went well, there was one moment of panic when I discovered part of the bridge was free standing and can be moved.

It's to the point that the strings sit in the nut but I'm waiting to tune it because I promised myself that I'd send in my college apps before I'd play again. [And I'm alittle scared.]          

Terminology Confusion

In my months of bopping around TalkBass.com two terms came up just enough to make me raise an eyebrow at they're meaning. The terms in question were "Woodshedding" and "Gassing".

As I've said before my Grandfather worked with wood, even had a drying shed out back; I thought people were saying they were working on their craft. Well they were [in a kind of, not really way...keep reading] What they were really referring to honing their skill [which is another way of saying 'working on your craft'...] This history of the term goes to back to the days when you needed a woodshed to keep your wood burning stove going. The woodshed was the original Man Cave. Yes men didn't always have the basement like back in the days of yore when women folk used the cellar for can goods [held in mason jars!]

[In case you haven't noticed I'm abit of a major history buff.]      

The term gassing again invokes thoughts of the pass, the unpleasant past of 1930s-40s Europe. Come to find out Gassing has its root in G.A.S which stands for Guitar Acquisition Syndrome. I just call that lusting, but being the larger portion of male musician I'm not surprised by the not so grammar-icly correctness. [Hell look at what I just typed! Okay you may ignore me now.] But am I the only not surprised by the maleness and the typically gross word meaning something good? [well for your id, not so much your wallet.]                   

Bass Withdraw

The past few days have been hard. When I snapped the A string [Grr] I was sad, feel it in the pit of your stomach but I could see the light from the corner of my eye. With passing time and clouding days I knew I had to do something before I slipped into depression, so I took a break from listening to music with adds. [Sorry Spotify, I'm cheap.] I've ended up listening to Anberlin's Cities for two days straight. It's a good record, never seen the band live to say if they can hold it up live, but their recorded music is solid Alternative Rock; interesting yet not overwhelming.

Today I was torn between listening to Cities for the tenth time or taking a nap. Since I didn't want to drag my laptop to my bedroom I curled up into a ball and entered the first layer of sleep. As I wavered in semi-consciousnesses I picked out this and that about the music, some of the drum fills, mostly the bass. I was here and there with the bass until I noticed small surges of energy in my fingers. Thinking 'what the hell' I relaxed and let my fingers move. Voila! I had unquestionably found the bass track! Odder still is that both my dogs have wagged their tails to the bass of a couple Joan Jett fronted songs while sound asleep.

Sometime later I found myself dreaming of lesser Classic Disney characters preforming to the CD. Baloo of The Jungle Book was doing the back up singing while the evil snake from the same movie [can't recall his name] was on drums. [He was bad since he could only use his tail.] Singing lead and on double bass was none other then the Cheshire Cat. I want to blame my Rush overload on this dream, I'm not sure why.

[I'd also like to note I have never seen this picture before this post] 

      

Changing My Heart Strings

My mother is going to help me change stings, she done way more times then I have [I've done it never] but so far she's explained the process in drum terms.

[Time lapseTime lapseTime lapseTime lapseTime lapseTime lapseTime lapseTime lapseTime lapseTime]

It worked! For twenty minutes until I noticed the A string was smacking the pick up. [And I am a very light plucker]  Comparing the tension with the other strings I realize I must have A string tuned down an octave. It snapped. The fucking A string snapped. Not the E string everyone breaks but the fricking A string.

  

Ghetto Had to Go

Remember when I taped a flashlight to my closet wall? [I did] Well it doesn't work when you have to rip it from the wall to change its battery [which you don't have]. So I came up with a less ghetto, more college educated solution.

I hung a larger flashlight from a clothes hanger from its wrist strap and hung that from another hanger so it was at a better height. I also moved up my amp so I can actually reach the knobs while holding Igor.  

But I haven't found that other half of the strap lock yet.....

The Awesome that is TalkBass.com

If you've come across this page looking for something bass [not fish] related you've probably already come across links for TalkBass.com. If you've come here by googleing something else [like how am I the third result for 'southpaw Paul McCartney'?!] let me tell you want an awesome place it is. Started in the late 1990s [yes a website from the 90s!] TalkBass is now huge! Every greenhorn question has been answered seven times over and it has all the questions you never thought to ask.

For me that question I never thought to ask was this thread: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f22/best-musical-advice-you-ever-got-434246/ I learned about a thousand things from this thread but one word stood out, listen. Several people posted just that one word, to me that seemed rather duh, until one user said it was more then playing a fret board. [Sorry unnamed user, I went though twenty pages of replies and I'm not looking for your name. That said, thank you so so much!!]

That got me thinking about what I do when set down with Igor; and lucky for me the thought hit me again when I was actually holding my bass. I listened, really listened like when I fall into a song, putting all other senses to a minimum. It was euphoric, really resonating in a way that makes me wonder how a drug high could be appealing. Besides rediscovering how awesome a bass sounds I realized that listening really implied the second most given piece of advice: Slow the [insert expletive of your choice] down.

You can't [okay I can't because of audible processing delays] really hear a note when playing a million a second. You have to slow down to appreciate it. [My, how much like love it is.....I'm starting to blabber so point being is make an account, lurk for a year if need be but one day someone greener then you will ask a question about something you've been though; you reply the best you can and some guy who's been playing for thirty years will say you have gave great advice.

Second best bass related feeling ever.                     

Finally Did the Clicking

Ordered strings and a metronome on my go to site Amazon.  

 I got these strings:   

Why? These were the strings [that seemed] like almost everyone used. [Gross over statement.] They were $20 and a Christmas gift so I'm not footing the bill plus I'm taking off the stock strings so it has to sound better. I also got this metronome: 

     

Why? It had good reviews. I kinda like the circle thingy design, it was in my in my budget and it had free shipping. The free shipping was a major bonus. Review to come. Both items are scheduled to be here before the new year.    












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Surprise bass related present! I got a shirt that says:  

I don't think I'll ever have the nerve to wear it out of the house but I still love it! 

This One is for the Ladies

Or guys to keep their nails long.                      


Do you love super long nails like this?
Do you also love playing bass?

 You are going to have to choose.




Yeah it's just not going to happen.

Case and point: today I picked up my bass after afew days of a dry spell. Something felt off, more painful; my nails were snagging on the strings. I don't play in super long nails, hell my nails were two millimeters long [I measured them with a pick; those things are good for something].

So Ladies, [and possible Gents] keep your nails short, I've heard tales of women ripping their nails on the strings and that's not fun in any way.

But fear not!
You can still paint your nail!
Isn't this cute?
And it looks totally playable! 

Oi tabs.

 I'm not a fan of them. Which is a shame since you can find loads of free tabs for just about every song known to man. They just don't tell me enough, and it's too easy for me to believe they're wrong. Tabs look like this by the way:

0 is an open string and the other numbers is the number fret you're supposed to play on the corresponding string. Seems fairly idiot proof unless you're a type A idiot like me and going "what's the note length? What's the tempo? This can't be the only way to play this song! Is this the easiest way to play this or how it was written? Who is this easiest for anyway?!"

One of the first things I noticed as a fan reading lyrics on the inside of the booklet was just because it said X was the lyric didn't mean that was what was sung on the CD. Same goes for live shows, it's great when a band sounds just like their recordings but if there is no variation at all I start thinking the show is prerecorded.

Seth Bolt of NeedToBreathe

Who's to say 'this' is the finished song anyway? Who dares to say a song is wrong? Even if there is a mistake when you hear the song live, it's still the song. Maybe there's a different drum solo, whatever, music is not concert.









That's why I love it.     

I picked my...

I broke open the picks today! It was rather anti-climactic. It was 1.5mm purple Delrin pick I got at a charity craps game. [Don't you love calling dice that?!?] Maybe I need more practice, maybe the picks were just too thick; whatever it was was difficult and didn't sound that good. Every time I plucked sorry picked, the pick ran along the string instead of you know, doing what I wanted it to. It wasn't just doing it on the G string mind you [actually it only worked on the E string, and that annoying sound is one of the major reasons I love bass].

Yes, I would.

I much prefer the sound when I pluck up and my fingernail hits the string, it's not that painful when you do it lightly. I might pick up picking again at some point, [I'm lying] I'm just grateful that I can be considered a good bassist and never touch a pick again [wait, I don't care what other think....] 

   

Days Off

During finals week I came up with a brilliant plan: Go to bed before midnight and use those morning hours for something more productive [it's not like there's anything on late night worth watching besides that one Carol Burnett infomercial]. This gave me time pick up Igor without being slam-him-into-the-bedpost tired.[Okay there were a couple head stock meets night stand moments.]  I didn't bother to plug him in but just holding my bass for ten minutes was a great way to unwind before sleep.

Thinking about playing got me though my last final, a class I honestly wasn't sure I'd pass. By four o'clock the middle finger on my right hand was sore [Yes I have a middle finger on both hands, they get used in everyday actions, stop making it into something vulgar.] At first I slightly panicked thinking it was arthritis creeping up on me, than I realized it might have something to do with the death grip I had on my pencil for the eight page final I took that day. So I took the night off, it made me sad but possibly doing damage wouldn't of been worth it.

In the morning my hand felt fine and I found that I has passed that worrisome final.

[I WILL NEVER HAVE TO TAKE A MATH CLASS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

So the pain was worth it.
       

I have time now!

I'll be ordering bass strings soon! They won't be in until after Christmas but I've never been one for holidays [besides Halloween, I love that day!]. I actually enjoy Restocking Season as I call the month of January; everyone has a better attitude, the stores have a freshness about them, and everything is dirt cheap! I might even make it to the big music store in the state in two months time! [The number of times I've planned to go there and it got derailed is...making me bitter..] 

I'm also worried about the...musical doodle....I'm working on. I don't know enough to write it down properly [understatement of the year] although I'm sure I could record it and have a friend steer me in the right distraction. Then there are the strings, I'm 96% sure I'm getting flat wounds, which will take some time to break in but will last a lifetime. It's silly I know but I know where on the neck sounds like my dogs. I'm worried it will sound too different, I'll have to find that sound somewhere else or it won't be on the neck anymore. I plan on keeping the stock strings, I'll try my hand at cleaning them, no harm if they end up destroyed.

I'm thinking of getting a metronome, there are free programs online but then I'd have to lug around my laptop and it is the end of finals so why not treat myself?

That's all I have planned that comes to mind at the  moment. [That's a flat out lie but this is getting long.]             

I'm Writing!

Two finals down one to go! I haven't been able pick up my bass in over a week but man have I been brain storming. I really enjoy learning new riffs [or is it grooves?] a pattern of five or less notes that can be played anywhere on the neck. I can tell a sharp note from a flat note from a [natural?] note; but I can't listen to a song and copy the baseline from ear. This is one of the reasons I'm not a fan of tabs [have I made a post about that yet? I have so much to write about] It doesn't tell you the tempo or how long the notes are and a myriad of other reasons.

I haven't learned a song all the way though, Sharp/Flat notes normally come up or I get though a fun/hard part and I'm just not in the mood to work on my tempo with half notes. [Nope, not foolishly ignoring major musical foundation or anything] I've always wanted to write music, but I could never recreate what I banged out on the piano [besides the fact I always got confused when I tried to use both hands] plus I was fearful that I'd end up repeating something I'd heard long ago that was stored in my subconscious. [Thank you Suite Life of Zach and Cody] I can't tell A from G but I can tell timing [I can tell, not necessarily repeat] note length and emotion portrayed. I started thinking about all the non-music sounds I hear, no trouble trying to recreate that right?

I'm working on the sounds that happen when my mom comes home from work, the swing of the door, the two different dogs getting excited ect. I've got my one dog Poe's prancing down as well as the sound of her breathing in her sleep. I plan on having the tempo change though the...song? At what point to call musical doodling a song?

She is a spazz when not asleep

             

Hey All!

Just putting out there that I'm swamped with finals, I noticed I last posted on a depressing note so I wanted to say something. I will have loads to post about during the break I promise!

A Letter from an Ex-Cutter to her Bass

My Henchman Igor,

I've never had a boyfriend and I think our relationship is worth a letter. You were cheap, your fret board is small, you came to me covered in dust and your pick ups are shit; I sometimes knock around the E tuner when messing with your troublesome A string. There are better basses out there but I'm glad we happened upon each other. I don't know how you got most of your nicks (not that I'll admit to where the other ones came from) but I can see you spent too much time unused. I hope you are played enough even if I can't get to you everyday. You know I've been lusting over ABGs for afew months now, but don't worry I can't replace you. Truth is you helped me kick my cutting. You made my pain something beautiful and healthy, now the pain goes to my fingertips where I can dance it away across your fret board or twirl my feeling away with a pen. (It comes out as words now but I hope one day it will be notes that you can roar.)

You aren't my boyfriend, you're an inanimate object capable of amazing things. I'm glad our relationship is tilted, I'm on the bottom of the totem pole in every aspect of my life right now and it feels good to talk down to something.

Your Madam

Music Stores.

I tried to get strings for my bass today, it didn't go well. Mom planned an impromptu [...] trip to the local music store. I was in a mild panic on the whole drive down. I knew the cousins of the shop owners in middle school, I've blocked out my middle school years.

We walk in and they're blasting Spirit of the Radio, there are two guys behind the counter and two customer in the store. We stand there for five minuets looking around, no basses. They had a mandolin, but no bass. Nor are we acknowledged in our five minuets of standing there. One customer is talking with the two employees and the other customer looked pretty content browsing.        

We left. This is what happens every time I go to music store, I'm totally and completely ignored until I'm yelling do you want to make a sale or not? [that came out dramatic] I kinda get it, music seems to attract introverts [heck I'm one of them] we can be shy, but when you'er in sales you need to fake it! I've been in sales [okay just getting kids to sign up for a summer reading program, but same general idea.] plaster on a fake grin and say hi.

It's so hard to be even a bedroom bassist without a mentor. Maybe should pay for lessons.