Fishman Full circle

The last pickup that I owned was a K&K bass master Pro. I really liked it but I was having trouble with playing at high volumes and getting the sound that I wanted to hear. I did some research on the web and talked with other bass players and I was recommended  the Fishman “Full Circle”. I was skeptical at first because I wanted to go with the David Gauge “Realist” because I think it produces an even better natural bass tone than anything else that I have read about or heard. I was torn because I have been on a tone pursuit for the last six months and didn’t want to hit a wall in the maze and waste anytime turning around. My tipping point was that I need to play LOUD every thursday night. I have to compete and be heard amongst horns, drums, guitars, and piano on a big stage and even bigger concrete room. I went for the Full Circle –  Feedback bad! The Full Circle came quickly from

with some great instructions on eliminating feedback. I love the bass community! Everyone is so quick to share tips and secrets without any hesitation. The Fishman was very easy to instal: replaced the adjusters in my bridge and strung it up – The only problem is it changed my action and I had to take it in to my friendly Luthier and he did and amazing job getting my bass into better shape – When I brought my bass to our regular Thursday night gig my fellow bandmates were all compliments about the way my bass sounded. I was so happy! Finally a no fuss pickup system. I am running it through a 2×8” SWR Natural Blonde acoustic bass amp, and running the bass post EQ with everything turned off. I can emulate the sound of my bass quicker that way, for some reason. I played without an additional pre-amp for two weeks and then was having trouble with the “bassy-ness” of the Full Circle. I knew that since I have a pickup that gets me closer to the sound I desire, all I need now is a little tweaking…So I purchased an Headway EDB-1 which I will post about soon. So far, so very pleased with the Fishman “Full Circle”.

           My Review of the “Full Circle” is:

The “Full Circle” performs great at high volumes and produces a fairly realistic representation of my bass, I am only playing through an old Kay so it’s not going to sound amazing to begin with, but It sounds the best that it ever has. I do not pickup any bass drum pedal woof through my bass and I can get a nice well balanced sound at high volumes. It is easy to dial in your tone by turning your wheel adjuster from a resonate full sound to a thinner mid-range tone. Nothing vibrates and there are no moving parts, nothing to forget in a rush out the door. I was surprised with the way it responds when I play arco; It does a pretty good job switching over, it isn’t perfect but it is very close.

Bass sensuals from Cristian McBride and a video.

I love it when bassists have a strong connection to the instrument and Christian McBride certainly does. It also helps when he talks about the bass, he has the perfect voice, sounding like Barry White talking about a carved piece of wood. One aspect of the double bass that is overlooked by many and shouldn’t be, is that the instrument is a living piece of wood from the earth, and a big one at that! The way that it feels when it vibrates against your body is one of the deepest feelings I get, resonating with the soul; an action and response to life and music. I am sure all bassists know that when wood is played It starts to “remember” where it came from, it opens up and becomes more alive as it is played(vibrated). Without a whole schpeel about how “God breathed, sung, vibrated, the earth into existence”- because we are all, scientifically proven, vibrating flickering balls of joy – it is a way to get connected with creation on a deep level. Just like Christian says with Esperanza, “Yeeaaa…Got that Mother earth against your body.”(Damn…I love that!) This is just one of those perks that happen for the cat playing such a wonderful instrument. I’d say this stuff but I just don’t sound as cool as McBride. Watch the whole video because McBride sounds nasty with the bow on this duet of Duke’s “Sophisticated Lady”.

Darn that Dream

This is my first chord solo piece. I am really excited! I started learning it last night and worked on it this morning. My friend Alex Nauman was doing one of these a week by Barry Galbriath. My guitar teacher, Jeff Troxel, is having me do these in my weekly lessons. He is a very good teacher with tons of knowledge. Graduating from Berklee school of Music and getting his masters at USC in guitar. Hope you enjoy it. I look forward to getting better at these as I get better at guitar. 

Let’s get up to speed.

I figured I would share what developments have happened since I started the S implementations. Here are two S’s that I have been sticking to(more to follow) I have consistently been eating salads during the week and even(a shock to me still) on the weekends. It has given me a new sense of energy and I feel great! All these veggies are very refreshing. I have also been staying home more and only eating out maybe once or twice a week (that is including lunch!). THis is all something that I have never been able to do or realized the implications it has had on my life and productivity; and I am so much happier. By not spending 100+$’s on food each week I am able to save money  and purchase some things I need musically or just have something to show for my hard work. This sort of lifestyle change has brought on some serious blessings in my life and I know that I am being obedient to a calling that was on my heart this summer. I was really confused about what I was going to do and I was praying and praying about it. Finally a friend urged me to take a step. Still overwhelmed about making any decision I heard in my heart(while praying), “do it all”. Sounds a little fantastic, I know, but it really happened. So I

1). ended up “leading” the worship(or praise) music at my church(we were just praising to an iPod) and that was a huge step to me. I had never done it because I had never felt called to; also I feel it is a huge deal to be playing and singing to God let alone leading people into that place. THat whole process has led me to a deeper understanding of what I believe “worship” music is and how it can be done.

2). I applied to MSU Billings and not to my surprise they were terrible to deal with but Rocky  Mountain College was more than accommodating so I enrolled and almost everything was taken care of. Such an easy process! The faculty there is AMAZING!

3). Started rehearsing as much as I possibly could to make my efforts musically honest. I knew that things would happen if the rubber met the road. The last performance I was in with the “Jaded Ladies” was very good and a perfect sendoff for Jess Lechner. Also I was rehearsing with the Alex Nauman Organ Trio www.alexnaumanmusic.com , preparing for New Years: A seven piece band with the Organ Trio, plus Me on bass, percussion fury, and two horns. We practiced a lot, honing some killer funk tunes like old Freddie Hubbard, Zappa, Trombone Shorty, Roy Hargrove and some killer Originals. There were moments in the process that although rehearsing would become tedious and time consuming, some of the musical moments made me feel like we were finally paying music its respect, doing it justice. The gig went off with out a hitch and we impressed the people worth impressing. I was happy to be apart of it. Amidst those gigs were some recording sessions(for Dump Studios and My other band SKY COLLIDE!) and some other gigs that took more rehearsing but I just made myself available and had a positive attitude. It pays off to be positive. Alex Nauman, Brad Edwards, and I started doing a regular Thursday Jazz jam at the Yellowstone Valley Brewing Co. This gig is great because it gets that upright in my hand more than once a week; practicing tunes during the week so not to be shown up by anyone sitting in and learning new repertoire. Lastly performing my own songs in a few singer/songwriter shows to keep that aspect of my playing up.

Musically There have been so many avenues for me to go down, new and old, amazing musicians to play great music with; and personally I have gone beyond what I thought I was going to accomplish; personal relationships are great and over all spiritual, mental growth has improved. I think it all boils down to making moves. A friend of mine told me, the ever so wise Elija, that “God only works if you work, when you put in 100% GoD will put in 100%. He used Joshua as an example against AI. Nothing is going to get accomplished if you sit around thinking that God is going to do something – you gotta walk towards a door to get through it. I am guilty of sitting on my hands but now that I think about it, I was in such a long prayer state and finally every thing was ready to fall into place. So there is a time for everything. I am glad that this everything is happening now. I could not handle this huge amount of work without my wonderful wife, our relationship continues to grow deeper and I am blessed by her daily. 

Flatwounds

I have been playing in the Rocky Mountain Jazz band for the last two weeks and in rehearsals I am using my fretless Fender jazz/Pbass split. It’s a bass that has a p bass body, pickup, and neck; with a Jazz bridge pickup and a three pickup selections. To be honest, it is a Tony Franklin custom shop bass. After hearing him play I am not sure why they made a bass after him except the fact he came up with the perfect fretless bass. I used to play this bass with a funk group Big Caboose and the Soul Penetrators. I put on medium nickel round D’Addario’s for a fretted sound. One of my motivating factors was another bass player telling me you can’t play funk on a fretless, so I did for three years. It really wasn’t a hinderance at all; oftentimes it was a really cool sound to bring. It definitely wasn’t your bwamy “weather channel” fretless sound. It was very punchy. So back to the Flatwounds: I thought I would try flatwounds because I want a darker sound than the bright round wounds and what I ended up getting was almost a “Jaco” Sound. Which makes me kind of giddy in my stomach like a kid getting handed a present when knowing his favorite thing is inside of it.  Nothing compares to the upright sound so I miss that but I love playing this bass and the band and instructor don’t mind. It sounds good on the Latin, RadioHead and Pat Metheney stuff that we are doing. My instructor Tony Hammond just bought a killer arrangement for Mingus’s “Nostalgia in time square” so I have to play upright on that. Just doesn’t work. I am super happy with the life that the Flatwounds brought to my bass. It has kind of been put to the wayside for the last two years or so and I’m glad to bring it out. Can’t wait to play it again tomorrow! 

My New Sadowsky

So a few posts ago I was in a dilemma about wanting to purchase a rather expensive and foreign piece of gear…The SADOWSKY! Many a friend gave perfect advice but in the end I had to take the leap or deny the purchase. After much seeking on my own, which was basically adjusting to the idea of switching from 4-5 strings, I decided to get out of my comfort zone and make the purchase. I have not been more pleased. THis bass helps me to come across creatively and emotionally and not have to worry about sound. It’s all there. The way that Roger Sadowsky sets up his pre-amps on the instrument were built for a guy like me. Simple, straight-forward, and straight-nasty! From the vintage tone control that gives you just a little or a lot of that vintage tone (Treble “roll off”) to the treble and bass pots that can boost your signal and BASS BIG TIME. Something I need with how much I play dynamically. I played out of a few junk rigs on gigs and I didn’t have to worry at all – the bass sounded great no matter what I plugged it into but I played out of my SWR BLonde a lot with it and it sounds great; played out of my Ampeg svt-6 and 4×10 cab, Great; but what really captured a perfect tone was through an Eden head, Accugroove 1×10/1×5, and an Aguillar 1×12. This rig, courtesy of Bob Brown, was killer! I have received many compliments on my tone from our New Years show last week it was awesome. So I want to thank Roger Sadowsky for making such a fine instrument(and it’s not even the NYC model!) that has changed my life. I am in love with the 5 String! What made me switch is that the low B sets the Bass apart from the guitar. Makes the Bass it’s own instrument. So lemme talk about that 5th string a little with one word…Response! I can use that 5th string all the time and you can hear it with clarity. That is something that a lot of listeners and players don’t get from most 5 strings. I have heard a lot of people impressed that they could hear the B string so clearly. That makes me happy. All around this bass, not to mention weighing in at around 10 Lbs., is a ten! So if you are thinking about buying a bass, sorry Fender(or anyone else), but I would only recommend a Sadowsky. Hands down. I can’t wait to play it more. Now to get my own rig to get this bass heard the way it should be.

Photo by Casey Page

Thursday ‘s at the Garage – My recapitulation

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Although I don’t remember being interviewed for this I would like to add my own thoughts on why I think this is a great thing for musicians and listeners: First, the band is top notch:

Guitar: Alex Nauman with a BA in Jazz guitar from UNC who is fired up and always taking his playing to a new level. Alex has done a lot for the Billings scene since he moved here three years ago. Making a lot of gigs happen and freelancing in some great bands from Jazz, country, rock and Funk.

Drums: Then you have Brad Edwards. Brad is a professional in the true sense. The legends that he has played with makes my jaw drop. He has toured all over with the NRE trio or Nell/Roberti/Edwards trio playing with cats like Eddie Harris, Woody Shaw, Emily Remler, Ray Brown, Mose Allison, Freddie Hubbard ( that is just to name a few).  !!! Brad is one of the most encouraging musicians that I have met. Although, my first time playing with him he was quoting “BLue Velvet” every time I looked over at him, Screaming, “Don’t  look at me!!!!..Don’t…” It scared me a lot until I got the joke. Now that is all I think of when we are playing. He is pretty hilarious.

Now,  What struck me the other week is that this is unlike anything that I have seen since I have moved to Billings in 02′. This is a venue for musician to sit in and have an audience, an audience that is appreciative. You get to come sit in cold(almost literally because you are in a garage pub) with a great group of musicians and show your chop. You don’t get to do that anywhere else. You are exposed but what is cool is that the people that come to listen are so encouraging – it’s like playing for your family when you were a kid. You could really hack and people would still give you a hand for trying(maybe). I appreciate the people that have come to support and to play. It is bringing our community and musicians together to do something really great in Billings. It may not be for everybody but it could be. I love looking out and seeing people and musicians of every age hanging out and listening with eachother. Business owners, students, professors, writers, photographers, construction workers ect. You also don’t regularly get to see talent like this for free and George M. @ The Yellowstone Valley Brewing Co. has been gracious enough to cover that for anyone that want’s great music or to see some people get pushed and stretched to their limits – musically and sometimes socially. It’s a good time to be in Billings. We all appreciate all the support.

Thursdays 6-8:00 P.M.

Tf3

Last night was a great night. I was fortunate enough not to have any rehearsals and a new/old friend that is now living in town L.carr was gracious to buy my wife and I tickets to a show at the Alberta Bair theater. The group was Time for Three; a trio of guys that met while attending Curtis in Philly. Double bassist Ranaan Meyer and violinists Zach DePue and Nick Kendall make up the group that has been playing for 11 years. I didn’t know what to expect but was totally amazed all the way through the show. These guys had obvious perfect facility but also blended pop, fiddle tunes, blues, jazz… all together to create a great sound. To make it better we ended up hanging out with them and going to Walkers for some beverages. I was impressed with how gracious these virtuosos were with their time, and energy. They, especially Ranaan, had us all dying of laughter with some of his antics. It must be a bass player thing because my wife said we were similar in ways. I agreed. He even bought us a round of Scotch. My kind of guy! The show was impeccable and they were great guys. I was able to have conversations with them on a personal level and they gave me some great advice. I am very fortunate that I have people around me that make things like this happen. Thanks L.carr. Here is pic of us together. I am hoping to attend Ranaan’s bass camp in the summer called WABASS  click here or just Type in Ranaan Meyer, he’s got 59 pages of Google, that is his real claim to fame. http://ranaanmeyer.com/index.php?page=about&family=camps&category=01–CAMPS&display=145#offset3

The new S… Sadowsky?

So, I have been practicing a lot lately. Mostly doing arpeggios – anywhere and everywhere I can. On the upright bass, electric bass and guitar. Mostly Minor7 and Diminished Arps. I recently decided that I was going to start buying “professional” gear. I have a friend that sells basses and he has a 5string Sadowsky made by Roger Sadowsky in NY. This bass is amazing! The delima: I have always been a 4string player and so it is hard for me to cross over – mentally. I like the challenge of a 4 and the simplicity, if that makes sense. I loooove the low end that this thing has, and the “vintage tone control” is absolutely my style. I can’t put this bass down. IT is a very expensive bass and I am also trying to get a new upright bass. Trying to justify all these purchases is easy it’s just wanting them to be right is the hard part. I feel like if I am going to drop the dough I want it to be perfect. This bass is but the only problem is that I can’t help but wonder if I should have a 4 or a 5. Any suggestions would be amazing! Here is a picture of the beauty.

Now, on to a little Simandl. I have been working slowly out of this book because it’s not the most inviting book in the world but once I get into it i dig it. So here is the page that I have been working on over the last ten days. I only date it when I play so it’s not like it’s taking me weeks for one exercise. The last exercise on the page was hard at first then fun. I jumped to 75 bpm right after getting it @65 bpm. Trying to play these runs over different positions to make the fingerboard more familiar. It is the same thing that I do with arpeggios and other exercises. That way I am learning my instrument inside and out. I am not quite there but definitely trying. So here ya go, once again any advice on the 5string would be much appreciated. Thanks, Parker

Adding more S’s – Scott Lafaro and Simandl!

Lately I have been practicing a lot of scale work covering every octave on the upright. I am tying to cover all of the basses(damnit… no pun intended) like pizzicato, arco, jazz, classical, scales, arpeggios, reading, ear training. It’s pretty cool but plugging away a little at a time. Today I did some cool bowing exercises out of Simandl book on Page 74. I still have hopes that I will finish that book before I die. I have to! I bought the second book for crying out loud! I also am working on using my ear to play bass lines from albums. Today was the head to “Peri’s Scope” by Bill Evans from “A portrait in Jazz”. It was fun! I think it is the hardest thing to do because I can’t always hear a pattern when people get walking. It is going to be a challenge. We played that tune tonight and I know I didn’t play it like I wanted to. It’s a great tune. The pain in my finger is going away and I am happy about that.