As some of you may have noticed, I recently changed my picture for my blog page. Well, I messed up, haha. It is much too big and this must be fixed, sorry Emma Kyle and Brett if this annoys you, haha. In case any of you were wondering if those are the 3-D glasses from 'Avatar", yes they are, and the glare on them is amazing.


Some new news: I finally have a set bass line for the outro of "Alive Tonite". Before, it was all improvised. This time, I have it set and I like it, hopefully you all will too. The Indigo Sessions, as a whole, on my behalf, at least, will be mainly unaltered, with the exception of "Alive Tonite", a few things in "So Long", maybe some pieces in "Devil All Along" and that's about it, I do believe. Maybe I'm being ignorant and not thinking hard enough right now, oh well. Haha. 


Oh yeah, hahaha, I forgot. I'm screen recording all of this. I guess so I can entertain myself later on when I have nothing to do but reminisce about the Good Ol'e Days. And I'm listening to 99 Luftballons by Nena. That is all.


See ya next time


Swerf, 
GC

     This is my story of how I began playing the bass and what music has influence me the most. When I was fourteen, I wanted to play an instrument, that instrument happened to be the bass. I thought it sounded really cool and thought it would be fun to play. I was right. It is. I listen to a lot of Duran Duran. They describe themselves as a mix between Chic and the Sex Pistols. Anyway, I love intricate bass lines. They are so much fun to listen to and figure out. I love how DD's bassist, Nigel John Taylor, uses syncopated lines and he creates the melody as well as keeping the rhythm as I have mentioned before. He also uses a lot of ghost notes which really add to the funky-ness of his style. So he has been a huge influence on me and is easily my favourite bassist.
       Noting that I love funky-ness, it is safe to assume that I am a fan of disco. Man oh man does disco have some freaking awesome bass lines. It drives me crazy when I listen to them, as well as trying to figure out how they come up with their rhythms. Which leads to another favourite bassist of mine, Bernard Edwards of Chic. He was also an influence on guess who, John Taylor. He was so great. He made so many amazing lines, you couldn't help but tap your foot or get up and dance. He syncs up with the drums so nicely.
        I also love technical bassists such as the great, Geddy Lee of Rush. His lines are so unbelievably complicated. Did I mention he is also the singer? Yeah, I have no clue how he does it. I can't sing and play their songs, I have enough trouble just learning the lines. Which is what makes learning new lines fun. It gives me something to work up to. If everything was easy, what would be fun about it? What would be the challenge? Honestly, there are few things in life that are as satisfying or rewarding as learning a very difficult song. You work hard and it sounds amazing.
        Another one of my favourite bassists is Steve Jay of Werid Al. Yes, that may sound silly because Al is a parody artist but nearly half of his work are originals and Steve does a fantastic job. He is very versital (sorry, can't spell that correctly) which is why I love his style. He seems much more traditional than other bassists. I believe that he uses scales to form his lines and it sounds really good. That is one reason that makes his lines fun to learn; I really have to sit and think and figure out what the hell he's playing and where.
          All of these bassists have influenced me a lot. I have always wanted to create melodic bass lines because they are the kind that I find most fun to play. One of my most melodic lines of The Poets Down Here is in the song
"You Are There" off of the album The Indigo Sessions, 2009. I don't know exactly how I did it, but my entire line is syncopated and I love it. The line starts off simple and as it enters the second verse, the line somewhat switches between two sub-lines; one a bit simplified and the other a bit more complicated with more fills. During the chorus, I sync with Brett, and in the bridge (I think it may be my favourite part of the song) my line is completely syncopated and I absolutely have a blast playing it. And in the last verse, I simply my part drastically, going back to the basic rhythm of the bass drum.
         Other artists whom I am influence by or just love their style are Cliff Williams of AC/DC because he just sticks to the solid rhythm, John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, he is just amazing, Mark Stoermer of The Killers, he has an awesome melodic style, much like John and Bernard.
         I hope that you all enjoyed that. I also like the energy drink VENOM. The mango flavour is quite tasty and I suggest it to anyone who like a good beverage. Am I a sponsor? No, I just thought I would share what I like. Over and out.

Nooftoibloip,

GPHRMAN

Hello, ervrybody. Finished the new song a few hours ago. I can't wait for the band to play it and see what they come up with. It's exciting, first song I wrote completely, music and lyrics. And that's all the news I have for now. Up, up and away!!!!!

Swerf, GL

I have come to the conclusion of my last blog. I have chosen not to change the way I play. I don't think I ever really wanted to change my style, I just felt like some of my lines were a little too much. Well, many people have said that my lines bring a unique element to the bands' sound. When I was thinking about changing, I thought to myself "This is stupid. No matter what I tell myself, this isn't going to work. The change has to happen naturally or it won't happen at all." And that's exactly what I plan to do, nothing.
              So it's pouring right now and the thunder's rumbling and the lightning's cracking across the sky, and I think to myself, "I hope Best Buy has Duran Duran's new albums, and if not, I hope you can order them." I've also recently gotten in the band "Cobra Starship", and the bassist in that band is pretty good. They're kinda punk-ish, but they have a lot of pop catches in their songs, which I don't mind; it's good music.
              Pop, heh, tht's not what we are, we're more like, well, alternative since we can't easily classify ourselves without hour-long arguments and different views from other people. We also consider ourselves progressive rock. We have a lot of instrumental direction (meaning not the average-verse chorus verse chorus bridge chorus) we have at least one guitar solo in each song, and the patterns, rhythm and melody are somewhat complex and technical, I think. And of course the lyrics. They aren't all about love and romance, they have different meanings to different people who wish to interpret them in a certain way, and I think, that's a good way to be. I guess I'd better get some rest now. Talk to you crazy cats later.

            Swerf, GL

Okay, so you know how a bassist usually plays the straight rhythm the entire song through? Well, while I agree that it truly holds down the bottom and keeps time, it's not always the funnest way to play. I'm really into John Taylor of Duran Duran. He has so many great bass lines that almost create the melody, yet, at the same time, he still manages to keep time. Locking with the drums, he creates a solid foundation for the band. I've really tried to take a lot from his playing. I too want to create the melody, yet keep the rhythm.
If I don't keep the rhythm am I doing my job in the band? No, not really, and I don't want to fall into that category. I don't want to be a "lead" bassist as I have been called by a few. So, for our newer songs, I am going to keep my bass lines less "out there" and more rhythmic and melodic, not to say they won't be fun or creative, but I don't want to stand out as much as I did on our latest album "The Indigo Sessions". In the words of John Taylor "the bass is just as good being felt, rather than being heard or standing out". As my biggest influence, I still think there's a lot I could learn from John and much more I could learn from just playing with a drum machine (which i am going to start doing) or just playing and gaining experience; knowing what sounds good and what fits.
I know "planning" music doesn't usually turn out like you hope, but I think I can change the way I play a bit and make the music a little more enjoyable for those who just listen. When people listen to music (or at least a good sized chunk) they just like to relax, not analyze the music, which I think I need to do more often. Welp, this has been quite long and writing this has entertained me and hopefully let you guys know what goes on in my head. See you

swerf, GL

Won the battle of the bands! Really unexpected!