My Next Project: Playing Bass With a Big Band

Lately I have greatly dispensed with my chronic depression through interesting projects.  The first was saving two baby birds, Robins, taking care of them until they could fly.  They grew, they flew.  I wish them well.

The second was restoring a 70 year old German army helmet.  This was fun because when I started the project, I had no idea what I was doing.  I googled.  I noodled.  I learned.  Amazingly enough, the project was a huge success.  I have never been "handy," so my success in this was an enormous high for me.

My next project is playing string bass with a big band, playing swing and jazz.  I have already begun, having my first practice last night.  The project is actually through an adult education class, with a band leader and various musicians.  There is a big brass section:  a baritone sax, an alto sax, a trombone and three trumpets.  We could use a drummer and a tenor sax.  A guitar is coming.  As for me, "I proudly took my place, as the one and only bass" (from the Music Man).

My attorney (and close friend) plays alto sax, and invited me to join this group.  We are having a ball doing it.  The challenge for me is reading notes.  I do read bass clef, but not nearly fast enough; I can't really "sight read," but this project will help me do that.  I found myself straining to read the notes, and it was challenging, but I am sure I can do it, with enough study and practice.

I used my Fender Jazz Bass guitar for this first meeting, but will bring my Calin Wultur Panormo string bass to the remaining sessions.  A big band must have a traditional string bass; bass guitars are just too rock and roll.   I splurged on a better pickup, a Fischer, at $200, for my string bass.  Yes, string basses do need amplification (all those horns are loud), but this pickup ostensibly does not alter the warm, woody twang of the bass.

Our first three songs to practice are (1) Sing, Sing, Sing (2) Greensleeves and (3) A String of Pearls, all from the American Songbook of great old standards, which make for excellent jazz pieces.

My New Fender Jazz Bass!

My New Fender Jazz Bass

Sorry for the lack of blogging (as if you cared), but for the past week I have been OBSESSED with one goal:  to buy the new "Modern Player Fender Jazz Bass."  The bass is made in China but is of excellent quality.  Read all about my quest at my other blog, "Playing Bass."

I figured out how to get one and bought it yesterday.  I also figured out better ways to record MP3 files, and here is an MP3 of me playing bass to "Cold Shot," a rock song by the legendary Stevie Ray Vaughn.  Rockin' Mama Lorraine does a good job of imitating Vaughn's incredible guitar playing, and Ashley does a fine job of singing the tune.  I play the bass and all I can say is that I didn't make many mistakes!

Here it is:

And Now For Something Completely Different....."Pipeline" and "Walk Don't Run" (Stogie Band Videos)

Too much negativity lately.  Time for a music video break!

My band played at a party over the weekend. Rockin' Mama Lorraine is one of the best guitar players I have ever played with, and she rocks out on these two old Ventures tunes, "Pipeline" and "Walk Don't Run."

Personal Post: Fall Is Here; New Rickenbacker Baptized; Losing Weight

Stogie With Rickenbacker Bass Guitar

Yesterday was the first day of fall.  The temperatures are falling and there is a new chill in the air in the morning.  Our persimmon tree is loaded with fruit, which will be fully ripe sometime in November.  I love this time of year.

Yesterday, wifey and I were invited to a band party by a musician friend.  A band party is where a bunch of musicians come together to jam, even though they may never have played together before, with non-musician friends and family as the audience.  There is a lot of food and drink and conversation.

I brought my new Rickenbacker bass guitar and my Fender bass amp, and sat in with the host's personal band.  His band is quite good, very strong both vocally and instrumentally, and it was a privilege to play with them.  I was pleased with the sound of my new Ric, as you can't really tell how a new instrument will sound with a band until you play it with one.  The new Ric purrs through ballads and growls through rock, and I love the fast neck.  (Thanks again, son, for buying it for me.)

The son who bought me the Ric has also shown me a new way to take off weight (and keep it off), and it's not that hard.  He has lost 50 pounds with this technique, seeking to regain his Army weight.  It's a program called Lose It, at wwww.loseit.com.  There's also a smart phone app for it, so you can use it whether or not you are in front of your computer.

To lose weight you need a system of feedback, a way to monitor the calories you take in daily.  Once you determine the maximum number of daily calories you need, Lose It allows you to log in whatever you eat, and the program supplies the calories for hundreds of common foods, including restaurant dishes and supermarket foods.  With one of the newer smart phones, you can also read the bar code on any packaged food to determine the calories per serving, and Lose It will then log that in for you.

Lose It provides categories for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, and keeps a running total of calories consumed for the day, with a second total for calories remaining before you reach your limit.  It also provides a graph of your weight loss and predicts the date on which you will achieve your goal weight.

When you know you have to log in everything you eat, you think twice about reaching for that bag of chips, or unconsciously munching on junk food.  The program helps you to stay focused on your weight loss goal.

I have lost about 10 pounds, just getting started -- but I have dropped a waist size and look and feel better, so I know it's working.  I highly recommend this tool for those who want to take off some weight.

Personal Stuff: Blogging Slowed This Week Because....

I didn't do much blogging this past week because of other interests:  tax courses and music, mostly.

I left my band in San Jose to join one in my own home town of Hollister, exchanging an hour commute for one less than ten minutes.  This new band wants all members to contribute vocally, so I have been studying books and CD's on singing and practicing daily.  I have never sung before, except some minor backing vocals.  I am having fun with it.  My former band was very weak vocally, but the new band is quite strong with beautiful singing voices.

I have been scouring the net for song material:  chords and lyrics, karaoke files with which to practice singing, and trying to get my audio mixer to work with my laptop for better recording.  It looks like I will have to get a Sound Blaster soundcard, to allow simultaneous recording and playback from the soundcard (as opposed to recording from the speakers and picking up background noise, computer hum, etc).

I have been gathering my favorite songs of all time, and have found it to be an emotional experience.  Listening to these old songs brings many memories to life.