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Post by GKon on Jan 10, 2017 16:19:20 GMT
Sounds like it's like singing. There's no frets but somehow we get there. Interesting way to put it. I guess it all comes down to muscle memory through loads of practice.
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DefJef
THBC Moderator
Due to musical differences I've decided I can't work with myself any more.
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Post by DefJef on Jan 10, 2017 21:40:14 GMT
A lot of the UB guys mention that they rarely look at the fingerboard. So, I'm trying to play and shift without looking, which compounds the "Holy crap, how do you do this!!!" moments. I remember learning to touch type over an intense week and found that I could find all of the keys quite quickly without looking BUT as soon as I glanced at the keyboard my brain seemed to forget everything my muscles had learned and began to believe my eyes instead and I began to stumble and fumble and became slower again. Those other UB guys may have a point and, although it seems slower at first, it might be right to try to use the no looking method.
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Post by GKon on Jan 14, 2017 16:57:54 GMT
I continued my studies with EEFDB volume 3. We're back into playing in I II II1/2 and III position. I really need to find some vids showing proper hand position and technique for playing in IV, V, and V1/2 position. Although I can do it my way, there seems to be a large margin for error.
I made a small change to the bass which seems to have made my intonation better, or perhaps it's just that I've gotten better 😋
When I first bought the bass years ago, I made some circular adhesive stickers with a hole punch and white, vinyl, adhesive paper and stuck the dots on the side of the fingerboard to help guide me. Some people consider this a crutch, but I don't care. I like it. The dots, however, were big enough that it left some leeway as to where the finger should sit to get the proper note. I removed the dots and installed 1/4" pinstripe tape as my markers. It's smaller and narrower, so it's much more precise a marker for where my fingers should go.
Perhaps one day I'll decide to remove the markers but today isn't that day. 🙂
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Post by GKon on Feb 21, 2017 16:36:08 GMT
For anyone following my progress, I'm happy to announce that I started a new job that I love, but that has kept me from practicing regularly on my EUB. That's ok, though. I really needed a job, I love my new job, and I knew that for about 90 days, during my probationary period, I would likely have to lay back from a few things. As I finish with my probation, and as I get used to my new schedule, I will make time to practice again.
The good news is that I can still practice my electric bass, as i can play that while laying down in bed. That's my favorite way to practice. Now if only I could find a way to do that with the EUB... Also, I just purchased a real bass amp, a Hartke LH500. It should arrive this week, which will allow me to REALLY hear what this EUB sounds like,
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Post by JAC on Feb 27, 2017 20:42:07 GMT
If you do find a way of practicing EUB while in bed, you must post a pic!!
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Post by GKon on Jun 25, 2017 1:13:13 GMT
Today, after months of not playing my EUB because of my new job, I FINALLY had a chance to start going through Johnny Hatton's Rockabilly Bass instruction book and videos. I didn't get very far, but I had a good time snapping and slapping the Weed Wacker, synthetic gut strings I installed. They felt good, did the truck and sounded good!
Did I mention how great it is to plug my EUB in and play it through my Hartke LH1000 head?!?! I turned up the following and rumbled the floor and walls for a while. Yes!
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Post by GKon on Jun 26, 2017 22:40:58 GMT
Worked some more on Snapping and Slapping those strings! Tons of fun, not as easy as it looks, though, especially as you pick up speed.
I may have to get a mic for the fingerboard so that the slaps are more audible.
The weedwacker string are definitely in their element.
I did notice that the top point of the body on the bass side gets in the way when slapping the E and sometimes A string. It smashes right into my wrist. It may be better if I remove the body brace, so that I can position the bass closer to my body, but I don't want to lose the ability to support the bass from twisting. Some experimentation is in order.
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Post by GKon on Jun 27, 2017 0:19:58 GMT
Seems a shame that brace couldn't be shortened or reshaped in some way. Pity it's not adjustable really. Any use wodging some foam and gaffa tape on the pointy bit. Nasty lookin' but soooo sooooft. Actually, I have reshaped it by bending it 90 degrees so that it's useable as a brace when playing regular do her style. It's only now that I'm slapping that I'm hitting my hand. I can remove it to see if it helps at all. Otherwise, I like your idea of some padding.
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Post by edwardmarlowe on Sept 9, 2023 10:16:35 GMT
As you can imagine from my wanting the "Rockabilly Bass" book, I want to see if I can slap on the EUB. I've done some research on the internet and over at the TB forum. I've found a lot of people saying no, but then dug through the negatives and found posts by two people that actually DO slap their EUB's in Rockabilly bands, who say that it CAN be done. So there you have it. I can't see any technical reason why slapping on an ELB would be any different a technique than on an acoustic bull fiddle; knowing the rockabilly scene, at least on this side of the pond, it's not something you see much because it's a scene that tends to stick hard to the traditional aesthetic. I know guys on that scene who had fans that wouldn't buy their album because it was on CD, and they exclusively bought vinyl. If you're looking for inspiration, Al Gare is always worth a listen - his most available stuff is probably the bits he did with the early Imelda May band, 2006-2017ish.... www.notreble.com/buzz/tag/al-gare/ - though afaik he's never played an EUB; he's best known for his trad double bass instruments, though he also plays bass guitar, and has been an endorsee for Burns and Danelectro. David Bowie described himself as "a big fan of Al Gare". www.notreble.com/buzz/tag/al-gare/Al wrote the slap-bass riff intro to Imelda May's Johnny got a Boom Boom.
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