I haven’t played my bass guitar since I was diagnosed. It’s time I got back to it!
I used to have a 5-string solid-body bass when I played in a casual fun band in the late ’90s in Naperville, Illinois. We only played-out twice, at pool parties at my neighborhood pool. It was heavy! I gave up the idea of playing in a band about 10 years ago, so I sold the Ibanez bass.
On a visit to see my son Brian in the Ballard area of Seattle about five years ago, I stopped at a guitar shop and saw the first acoustic bass I’d ever seen. I didn’t realize that anyone made acoustic basses. The seed was planted! In late 2014, I went shopping for an acoustic bass as a birthday present to myself. I found this beauty on Craig’s List, and got it for a good price:
My Dean Exotica Quilted Ash Acoustic-Electric Bass Guitar
It has dual pick-ups: The usual crappy guitar plug, plus a low-impedance jack! I like a clean sound, and the low-impedance jack is perfect for that.
I also bought an inexpensive Samson PA System from Radio Shack, so I’m go to go!
I’ve had a MIDI System since 1986, including a Roland Sound Canvas SC-88VL synthesizer. I’ve also owned PowerTracks Pro Audio MIDI software (from PG Music) for more than 20 years.
I also collected thousands of MIDI files over the years, most of them with lyrics, which turns my computer into a Karaoke machine!
MIDI files are simple text files that capture the “score” of each track of a multi-track musical performance (i.e. the list of notes played, and when to play them).
So what? So, I can play along with my MIDI band any time I want to. I can display the score of the bass part (it highlights each note when it’s time to play it). I can change the tempo and the key quickly and easily. Plus, PowerTracks will reverse-engineer the song to figure out what the chords are!
Here’s a sample screen-shot:
The Bass score for Wonderful Tonight, with lyrics! PowerTracks Pro Audio!
So, it’s time to have some fun again!
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