Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Actually blues is a highly disciplined form of music. There are many little subtle things in many blues tunes like dropping a beat here, dropping a 5 there, quick 4's long 4's bla bla bla etc. You either pick it up quick or go learn the stuff. There are a lot of blues jams around here, many good players. If you don't know what you're doing you'll do one song no more, can be intimidating. You do your time in the trenches here.
A lot of punks played Rics.

blues can teach you how to play with feeling and dynamics ... and how to improvise ...

IMO, "blues" was the form that spawned "jazz", and eventually, of course, "rock". All three forms share the "sub-dominant" harmony tendencies I spewed off about a while ago...from what I've read, the "blues" originally grew out of slave spirituals, which rhytmically tie to the African heritage. Little bits of European harmony creeped in over the years, necessarily getting warped by the improvisational leaning of the form...

The 12 bar blues form of composition deserves a book in and of itself. There are so many variations, and as a style or formula for creating song lyrics it is rather productive...get's a lot of mileage.

To me, the differences between blues and rock are primarily rhythmic; rock tends toward straight eigth notes pulses rather than swinging pulses. Jazz differs from blues primarily in the approach to harmony...I've sometimes told people I was "exploring the outer edge of harmony" after they heard me improvise on the piano...

But scratch the surface...they are all pretty much the same. And btw, country is the same as rock, only the singers don't try to hide their accents.

Just a camp? I'm going to school for jazz in February. Better be worth the 2 grand I'm (mommy's) paying for it. I have a feeling it'll be fun though.

This one time at bass camp this girl took my piccolo bass and....oh never mind.

ROFL!!! Sick!! You own a piccolo bass? If so, how is it? CAn any bass be a piccolo bass or so I need one with a shorter scale?

The scale doesnt have to be shorter. Its pretty much has higher strings on it. Its an octave higher then a normal bass. I think... I want one real bad.

If it is then I'll have to buy another bass to put those strings on it then... a jazz bass. I'm too poor to afford another Rick. I'll have to think of a bass solo to do on those strings.

Actually, I was attepmting to make a humorous statement losely bassed on a bit from "American Pie". However, piccolo basses actually have a very cool, rich sound. They can be any scale as long as the strings are an octave higher. Finding theright strings can be tricky though but an easy shortcut would be to use the higher octave strings out of a set of factory strings for a Ricky 4003/8. Squire demonstrates such a bass in his instructional video.

I understood the "American Pie" reference... "And this one time, at band camp, I stuck my flute in my....."
Great line. Very unexpected. Any scale? Kewl. I'll just buy any bass and get strings for it then. Not a P bass though... a Geddy Jazz maybe? I don't want a Rosewood fretboard, I want maple, so I won't get a cheapie Fender, unless I get a new neck for it.

you put it where?

Here's a close-up of my left-handed, short-scale, 6-string piccolo bass.

more pix!

I think that they would be too.... revealing.

Also, Ed, you forgot one difference between rock and country: rock lyrics are usually about sex, and country lyrics are usually about sex . . . and Jesus. But fortunately not at the same time.