Quote of the Week

"In small proportions we just beauties see, and in short measures life may perfect be."
- Ben Jonson

"Just eat smaller portions"
- BassBassDude

Small Combos

One great way of becoming a better player is by actually watching people perform live. Just last weekend I went out and watched the Ron Davis trio play at the Top o' the Senator in Toronto. It was a good time watching these three play. I've always been a fan of trios and small ensembles. Each person has the opprotunity to be expressive and supportive at the same time. The drawback is that you are vulnerable to having the listener catch all your mistakes. As a bass player I've found that with a comping instrument like a guitar or piano, combined with drums, you can sometimes correct yourself within the rhythm section. Eliminate one of those elements and you, as a bass player, are exposed completely. So, in these situations, it's important to have confidence in your playing. I've also found in small combos, a bass player sometimes may be drawn into playing more than "the foundation". By foundation I mean, trying to be a little too expressive and overpowering every body in the rhythm section, let alone the soloist. A bass player should try ti fill in the holes when they come around; either in the soloists phrasing or when the rhythm section needs a bit of a boost. Anyway, when done well, like Friday night at the Top o' the Senator, it can become a great experience for both performer and listener.

Golf Recap

Well, I'd like to call this a first.

I had a tee time booked for this past Saturday, knowing full well that there was a strong chance of rain. Well, I got to the course and because of the mixture of rain and humidity without any wind, the whole course was covered in a thinck blanket of fog.
100 yards was all you could see in front of you. Needless to say, the course was closed until the fog cleared. On top of that, I found out that that was the last weekend that the course would be open. So, I headed over to the driving range and hit a couple of balls. After giving up on that course, I proceeded to head home. On the way, I found another course where the fog seemed to be less thick. I turned in and decided to play there. Things were going great. I was on my own and shooting well and I finished the first nine holes in just over an hour. The back nine was a different story. It slowed down right to a halt and the change in rhythm must have gotten to me. Thus, I played poorly on the back 9. The big rainfall didn't really hit until I was just finishing the 17th. Anyway, the whole day I was fighting my irons and pulling them. Anyway, hopefully, I'll be able to squeeze in a few more rounds before winter hits. I might be forced into playing only pitch-and-putt courses due to my budget.

Golf/Gig Recap

Well, it turned out to be a beautiful crisp day on the golf course. Too my golf game didn't reflect the weather. I shot a 124 with 40 putts; I hit only 3 fairways and made 7 3-putts. This was easily my worst golf round this year. But, as most golfers say, "A bad round of golf beats a day of work". This would be true except I enjoy work.


Big banana at Angus Glen South

Work being the gigging thing. Which brings me to the gig recap. That was definately a good time. I felt pretty good on my solos and my walking/supporting the other two players of MV. Our clients seemed very impressed and the three of us had a great time playing. A couple of people came up to us to find out if we were free for some gigs in December.

All in all, a day you can't complain about. Although that 124 really bugs me.

Ideal Gig Situation

This has to be considered one of the most ideal situations when it comes to gigging; you get to do two things you love at the same time. Granted in my case it won't be at the same time, but it will be at the same place. This Saturday I have a cocktail reception gig in the afternoon. The great thing about it is that it will be at a golf course club house. So, being the golfer/musician that I am took the opprotunity to book a round in the morning. So, this coming Saturday will be a day of playing golf and playing bass. I couldn't classify this as a bad day. Hopefully, the weather will be kind and my golf shot to be true.



Big Slice at Angus Glen South

Memories of Cuba

Here's a few pics of my trip to Cuba as well. Just on the side, I bought that Bata drum.


Jammin' in Varadero Market



Cool pic in Varadero

Memories of Angus Glen - South Course

Well, I was just thinking about how much I enjoy playing golf but I haven't yet posted any images. Here's a couple over on Angus Glen's South Course. Hopefully, I'll be able to play sometime in a couple of weeks. Too bad it won't be with my brothers again.



Big banana at Angus Glen South


Angus Glen Clubhouse

Retrocity Recap

What a great show.

It almost seems it doesn't matter where they perform or when, there's always going to be a packed house for Retrocity; an a cappella group that perform songs from the 80's. They are extremely fun, incredibly strong singers (both as a group or individually), and know how to put on a good show. It's always fun to watch how an a capella group will interpret a pop song and
"a capella-ize" it. I'm just glad that I was able to work with most of them at some point in my life.

After watching them perform I can't help but recount all those long hours practicing parts, joking around and just having a blast during my tenure in Wibijazz'n. I can't help but try to arrange some songs for these guys and see if they'd be up to trying them. I haven't transcribed in a bit, but I am definitely inspired to get back at it again.

Oh, by the way, I had a good time that night.

Quote of the Day

This one is a personal favourite.

"If you're dumb, surround yourself with smart people. If you're smart, surround yourself with smart people who disagree with you."

-Isaac Jaffey (Sportsnight)

"Sometimes I'm not sure if I'm surrounded by smart people or smart people who disagree with me."

-BassBassDude

Gig Recap

Well, after working on all that stuff this past Wednesday and Thursday night, it all went clock-work on Saturday's wedding gig. We played well at both the ceremony and the cocktail reception. Although it was difficult to strike our setup in one room and get set up in another , we still managed to pulled it off. One tough aspect that some people find is how different a room can change your sound as soon as it is filled with people; on top of that, talking people. It's times like this where you just have to really grind and focus on your sound and be mindful of the sound that your group produces. Luckily, we've been together for a number of years, so we've dealt with these types of situations. You just adjust and deal with it and concentrate on the task at hand.

Was it difficult? Not really. But it's always a challenge everytime you go out and play in front of people. Especially when you want to sound your best and impress the people you're playing for.

Practice Session

Alright, this was easily a fun night.

It was me and my piano-playing buddy; we had a bit of a quasi-practice/jam-session last night over at my place. It was good. We had to work on a few things for this wedding that we're playing at this weekend. We did some fun piano-bass re-arranging and re-harmonizing. Also, we worked on a tune we haven't worked on in a while that our client requested. After all that, it turned into a nice little piano-bass jam session. We basically re-hashed all the tunes that we literally haven't touched this year. That, in itself, is refreshing.

I can only hope for more sessions like this. Hopefully with more people involved next time. Moreover, I hope it to be as fun as last night. If anything, it's a good time to get caught up with a good bud.

Thoughts for Today

"A willing heart adds feather to the heel"
- Joanna Baillie

"A willing heel adds to a faster heart-rate"
-BassBassDude

Golf Stuff

It's about time I started putting my golf thoughts down. Just past Sunday, me and a couple others went and played 18 holes. I have to tell you golf is fun. But, it's even more fun when you take people's money. Granted it's bragging rights that have it's worth in weight in gold, but it's nice to have a heavier pocket after playing a round.

Here's to friendly competition.

Gig Recap

Well, Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day. Blue skies and playing outdoors under a gazeebo for a wedding reception turned out to be a treat. We played well and had fun up in Markham for this newly-wed couple and their guests; all of which had high regards for our performance that day for their cocktail reception. I can't help how miserable I might have been had the weather been not as fortunate.

Also, my friends from Retrocity (an eighties acappella group) will be performing on October 8th at a place called Clinton's in Toronto. It should be a lot of fun as they usually are. Doors open at 8:30pm and they may be handing out some Rainbow Brite dolls. Should be a good time.

Wedding Gig

Looks like I've got another gig coming up this Saturday. For now, it sounds like I'll be playing with the guys from MV. Cocktails and possibly playing through dinner could be the way things will turn out.

There's actually a good chance you may see me in a public gig sometime in October. MV and myself may be playing every once in a while in a hotel in Oakville. To those in the west end of T.O. and those willing to drive out to listen to some young musicians, I'll keep you posted.

Thoughts for the day

"Everyone take heart, it'll be a good year."
- Peter Breinholt

"Everyone, don't believe the saying: It'll take just an hour to change your oil."
-BassBassDude

Practice Tips

A guitar buddy of mine brought up a neat concept in practicing. First of all, he teaches guitar lessons to kids on the side. One day, one of his students showed my buddy how hard he was practicing. He had learned a really fast song and played it at the set tempo. My buddy then asked him to play the song at half-speed. His student could not do it; he kept fudging through the song. Anyway, practicing slowly gives you a chance to focus on your intonation, tone and, most importantly, accuracy. By slowing him down , my buddy was essentially trying to get his student to think about what his hands were doing rather than let his fingers run through the tune with just muscle memory. They could essentially digest the essence of the musical piece with regards to phrasing, intonation and emotion. At a slower speed, it was easier for the student to analyze the piece and absorb everything.

The moral of this story, slow down, take your time and enjoy every meal.

Gig Wrap-up

Well, the drive up from Toronto for MV and myself took about 2 hours. We played well and had a good time up there. The cocktail reception took place outside which was nice. We were just happy that the dining hall had AC (It was a humid day). Sometimes it's nice to get out of the city once and a while and play. Anyway, the drive back was in the middle of the night, so it's always interesting if the directions you received were accurate. That's probably the last thing you would want; getting a flat tire and not knowing where you are and trying to explain that to a towing company when they try to locate your car in the middle of the night. All in all, a fun event.

Non-Gig

Well, it looks like the gig this Friday will be at another day. But, there should be some up-coming ones just around the corner. I'll keep you posted.

Music Tips - Practicing II

(Continued from Friday, August 27, 2004)

In my previous post I had stated that practicing requires a degree of discipline. That is, our body should remain in practice motion. Follow a set schedule and try to stick with it. Well, to continue on that point of inertia, a person who practices should also get into a certain routine that they practice within. First off, I believe that you should have a set place that is designated for practicing. Similar to how we have set places to sleep, eat, and go to the washroom; we should also have a place to that is known to be for practicing.

Also, once we get into the actual practicing, there should also be a type of routine to get into. On a bass forum that I stumbled upon, people talked about how they're practicing habits. A majority of people on that forum had come with similar routines. That is, they would start out slow with a little warm-up with a couple of scales and chord arpeggios. Then they would get into the meat and work on various pieces or transcribing. After that, there would be a bit of a "cool-down". That is, a return back to scales. Granted this form of practicing may not be for everybody, but, it is one way of trying something new. If this isn't much of a problem, keep raising the ante on the warm-up section. Whether it be working on speed and time with a metronome, or focusing on working on accuracy and tone.

Whatever your practice routine is, the important thing is that you get your hands/body on your instrument. You can never over-prepare, but, it is possible to over-work yourself though.

More to come...