明日は久しぶりにAoさんとライブ！ Show with AO tomorrow!

 

今日はなんか路面が濡れてたけど、天気は悪くなかった。




ちょっとでもまだ寒いかも。


The roads were kinda wet today but the weather wasn't that bad at all.


Still a bit cold and not weather for mesh gear yet




久しぶりに明日はAOさんとライブ！いつもLo-Fiや一緒にやってるブルースバンド Knee-draggers だけど、





今回は YAMASHITA Tatsuro のカバー。



Usually Ao and I do Lo-Fi or the Knee Draggers Blues Band together




But this time.... we're covering YAMASHITA Tatsuro!


今日はバイクでリハーサルへ、、、、

Took my carbon bass on my bike to rehearsal today.....




今週は久しぶりにちゃんと休めて、あんまり無理をしなかったかな。



This week wasn't so crazy. No all-nighters and I was able to rest after my evening class today.




Look forward to a good show tomorrow!

明日のライブも楽しみだ。


金沢文庫のThe Road and The Skyでやります。夜の19:00ごろかな？


We're playing at The Road and The Sky in Kanazawa Bunko in Kanagawa tomorrow from 19:00


I hope the roads aren't too windy!!


風が明日はあんまり強く無いといいな、、、、







5 (Bass/Vocals of Lo-Fi)

Guitar and Bass

朝は散歩。
Out on a morning walk.



The other day I had a gig playing guitar for a blues band. This photo below is from a rehearsal we had. I haven't played guitar live for a while now.

先日はブルースバンドのライブを渋谷でやって、下の写真はそのバンドのリハの風景。

久しぶりに人前でギターを弾いた気がする。


So what is the difference between these instruments. The guitar has six strings and so do some basses. yes usually the strings on a guitar are thinner than a bass.

but I guess the biggest difference for most is the role that the instrument plays in the ensemble.

ギターとベースの違いは楽器の違いというよりも、多分バンドの中での役割の違いの方が重要かな。

低域の役割は別にどの楽器が果たしてもいいのだと思う。バンド構成によってそれがチューバだったり、コントラバスだったり、シンセベースか、チェロかもしれない。今あげた楽器はどれもリード楽器/旋律を演奏する楽器になるかもしれない。

So I've another show coming up on the FEB16th where I'll be performing again as a guitarist. Looking forward to this as well.

Hope to get a lot done today.

5 (Bass/Vocals of Lo-Fi)

寝坊、、、 Really overslept….

(English below)

久しぶりに完全に寝坊してしまった。。。

どうも昨日の搬出やライブで疲れてしまっていたみたいだな。朝起きて思った事の一つは、器材がボロボロ過ぎる！という事と会場の音響システムと自分の音響システムを組み合わせるのは音響のスタッフがいないと非常に難しい。

後はやっぱり会場ば人で満員になると空のリハーサルの時と天と地の差があって、想像の中で音を作る難しさを感じた。

AOさんとかがいたら凄いいい形にまとまるんだろうな、、と漠然と思ったり。

昨日はライブを見に来てくれていた友達のシンガーが撮影してくれた一枚！これは面白い、、、

後ろに不思議なポーズで写っているのは！？！？　イッチー！！！？

彼が The Lo-Fiのミュージックビデオを作って、撮影もいつもしてくれている素晴らしいメンバーです！

今後のビデオ制作も本当に楽しみだね！

さて、今日はこれからまたリハーサルに入って、明日はまた別のライブをモーションブルーで！

日曜日のライブはハードロックです、、、！

写真に写っている衣装はケンちゃんセレクトです。汗　　　MIB?

---------- English -------------

Totally overslept this morning. I guess I was tired from all of the gear I had to carry last night. One of the things I thought about as I got up this morning was…. Our gear is too beat up. I'm the only one that can turn on the darn mixer because the power switch is dented inside the mixer and is really funky to reach into… LOL

Also mixing our system and the venue system was a no go. Definitely no good when you don't have a sound crew.

Wow and the difference of the empty venue and the full venue with guests was something to laugh about. I have no idea how to mix the sound right with just my imagination. I guess that's why there are on site pros for each venue, since they all sound so different.

I just wish that AO could have been here to help us out! Oh well, maybe next time!

BTW this picture taken by a singer friend of mine was really funny. Look in the back? you can see our cameraman Ichy with his tripod…! He's the guy behind the Lo-Fi music videos. We got one in the works right now!

Anyway I got to head to rehearsal now, and on Sat I'm playing bass again at the Motion Blue in Yokohama, and on Sunday for a hard rock event also in Yokohama!

Inner Bamboo Electron Bass Preamp プリ！

(English below)

今日は機材について久しぶりに触れたくなった。

Dual Bass Preamp


http://innerbambooelectron.com/dbpre.html

Inner Bamboo Electron
国内で職人が作っているハンドメイドのプリアンプです。アンプのエフェクトリターンからも行けるし、直接入力も行けます。

今まで色々と音を作るときにエフェクト的な物を求めてきたが、最後はEQする事によって音を作って行くのが一番効果的だと思っていて常ねにイコライザとかプリは探してたりする。

音を変えすぎないけど、音を変化させる力のバランスを両立させられる機材がこれだと感じた！

他のプリも色々と試して、最近では自分の家のラックに入っているRED DIからグレースのプリアンプが一番いいなぁ、とか思っていたけど、こうやって音を足元で作れるとかなり自由度が外でも増すはず！

変な癖も無くて俺はこの音は好きだった。しかし、まだライブとかでは使っていないから、そこらへんの感想はまたこれからかな。

2 in の2チャネルと、1 inを2チャンネルに分けれる。出力はチューナー合うと併せて2 Ch

パワーは9V DCだけど、カスタムのオーダーで30Vにもできるそうだ！音はどう変わるのかはわからないけど。

Today I tried out a bass pre-amp made by a custom handmade effects craftsman in Japan.

Inner Bamboo Electron
is the name of the craftsman's brand and the pre-amp I tested was the "Dual Bass Preamp"

Really clean sound but not overly Hi-Fi and bright that makes some of the knobs on some preamps hard to use in realistic band applications.

Some gear sounds great alone, but completely different in an ensemble situation. I think this pre-amp keeps the sound really clear but still versatile with the EQ controls.

I personally believe that instead of just adding effects onto the bass sound is not always the best solution when thinking up of a good bass sound to accompany a band. Just simply finding the right EQ balance is all that's require to add variation to your sound in as particular part of a song or performance.

This preamp in my opinion does the job. I had a chance to compare it to a few other pre-amps but they all seem to have strong characteristics that add too much to the sound.

I haven't had the opportunity to use this amp in a live application, so maybe more on that soon!

5 (Bass/Vocals of Lo-Fi)

もっと写真を掲載！ ロースカより！ More photos from our show!

先日のライブでAOさんのブルースバンドは本当に楽しかった。遠くまで寒いなか来てくれて感謝しています！

今回のライブではHideyuki Takahashiさんに最高の写真を撮って頂きました！

ベースはいつものフォデラ５弦です。これももうフレットがすり減り過ぎて、、、、そろそろ交換しないと。。。

新しいSTATUSベースが届いたらそれをメインにしばらくしてフレット打ち直しをやらないと。 

Here are some more photos from our show the other day at the Road and the Sky!

Great photo of my playing by Hideyuki Takahashi! Thank you for the great photo!

ここからは自分のボケボケの写真、、、IPHONEで

The rest of the photos are blurry photos by yours truly on my iPhone.

アンプのセッティングを忘れないために使っているつまみを記録するための写真ASHDOWNのコンボアンプは大きさの割にはかなりいい感じの低音がでて、サブハーモニックスのボタンがあってオクターヴ系の音も出せる面白い機能もついている！

A shot of the dials on the Ashdown in the venue so that I know the settings after sound check. This amp is pretty good for it's size. It's got a funky feature that you might or might not like, where you can turn on sub-harmonics mix into your main sound. It's great for creating a sound that has a very unique character.

この日、アオさんはマッチレスのアンプを持込み！これは爆音で気持ちよかった。アンプは暖まると音が大きくなってどんどん変わっていくみたい。真空管はこういうところが最高だね。

This here's Ao's matchless! It's a monster…. This stack is REALLY loud.. I love it!

帰りの車からのショット。夜の湾岸線。バイクじゃないのが残念、、、、！

A photo from my drive home… to bad I'm not on the 1098!

家の近くの運河の写真。暖かくなってきたからこれからのバイクでのライディングは楽しみだね！

A photo of the canal close to my house. I can't wait for the weather to get warmer…. great riding soon!

サウンドチェック終了！Finished sound check!

いまリハーサルとサウンドチェックが終了！




アンプの設定を忘れないように写真を記録。
今日は夜の八時から60分ぐらいのステージです！
阿尾さんのギターはメチャロックでいいなぁ。良過ぎて、、、何も聞こえなくなる！笑
でも、やっぱりギターはこうじゃなくては！

Finished sound check for tonight's show!

Man... the guitars are LOUD..!
But guitars sound better that way so I hope I find a way to hear myself play. LOL

The bass settings are always easily forgotten so I always get a snap shot if where the dials are. Yes, I know I'm gonna change them anyway...!

Tonight's show will start from 20:00! We'll be on stage with the AO blues band for about 60mins!

Hope to see y'all there!


5 (Bass/Vocals of Lo-Fi)

おはよう！朝練！と昨日を振り返る。Looking back at yesterday night... Morning training!

今日の朝の飲み物は友達のパリ旅行のギフトでもらった、HediardのEarl Grey。自分は紅茶ならアールグレイがかなり好き。昔はミルク入れること多々あったが、最近はストレートで飲むのが一番美味しく感じる。


紅茶のみながら、昨日のキーボーディストと話した話を思い出して


なんか朝の練習に色々と影響があった。簡単にいうとなんか懐かしいアグレッシブなアプローチで楽器に向き合えて楽しかった。別に闘いなわけじやないけど、笑
昔はもう少しアートよりもスポーツ的な要素もあったことを思い出した。



なんか筋肉痛になりそうだけど、、、笑
楽しかった！夜もまたトレーニングを熱いスタンスでトライしてみようかな。

Earl Grey is my favorite tea these days. I used to enjoy it with milk... but now I love it straight. I've been thinking this morning about the keyboardist I met last night. It was cool chatting about music with a different approach than my usual layer back stance.

I tried some different training this morning to push myself to get more power into my playing... I can't explain this very well but I think I was able to get in touch with a playing style I've been away from for a while!

Look forward to performing this live soon!

5 (Bass/Vocals of Lo-Fi)

パート1、いきなり、機材を紹介。Sudden urge to introduce some of my gear! Part 1

よく Lo-Fi のライブを色々な会場でしていると機材とか楽器についてお客様や他のミュージシャンから受けます。


使っているベースはFoderaという自分の地元NY州の工房で作っている、五弦ベース。伝統的なベースは四本のが多いけど、現代の音楽でベースギターの役割も広がって、五弦も六弦もよく最近は見かける。

なんで、そのベースなの？って聞かれる事も多々あり、自分の考えを一番わかりやすく表すると、弾きやすいから。笑

楽器は基本的にミュージシャンの頭の中にある表現をフィルターしたりするほど表現しにくいものは基本的には好きでない。もちろん楽器そのものに影響されて表現が変化するのは全然いい事だとは思いますが。

意識の延長になるような楽器としていまのメインのベースは自分のなかで位置付けられている。



When I play The Lo-Fi shows, I often get questions from guests and other fellow musicians. Both about my gear and bass and whatnot. Here's my simple answe to that, I use a Fodera 5 string Imperial. It's for active pick-ups and toggle switches for single and humbucker pickup settings.
Why do I use a Fodera? It's easy to play and is like an extension of my mind and body when I want to express myself musically.

I don't want an instrument that will filter my musical expressions. Although all instruments do have a factor of effecting the way you play or what you play.



5 (Bass/Vocals of Lo-Fi)

スタジオで待機、waiting in the studio

俺は何でか知らないけど、色々な場所で練習するのが大好き。
学生のごろは良くクラスとクラスの合間たったの五分でも楽器を出して練習したもんだ。

最近はでもiPhoneなど便利なITツールばっかり出てきているからすごいこういう隙間時間のトレーニングもやりやすくなったよね。

この写真では Garage Band を使ってトラックを流したりクリックを流しながら練習。
後は、Amplitube x iRig でベースを接続して練習することも。これはitunesのプレイリストを再生できるからとても便利。

http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/irig/

今度のLo-Fiのリハーサルでは作曲がメインだから結構楽しみだね。
自分の生徒たちも良く作曲がどうなっているのか興味をもつけど、チャンスを見てそれも紹介したいと思います！

さて、ランチも終えてコーヒーを飲んだら生徒のレッスンに向かいます！
今日もいい天気気持ちいいね！

My new bass!

I loved the bass I've been using since I started playing the bass in Lo-Fi.

It was a Bacchus "Impression"

model from 2005. It was a 5 string active bass with Jazz Bass pickups on it. The controls gave me cut/boost in 3channels, it had great playability and a nice fat sound.

But.....

Recently I finally found the guts to pick out a bass that sounded... more like me. So I went out to the city and went around to my favorite instrument stores to find the "one". I had absolutely no confidence I was ever going to find the right bass.

Here are some stores I checked out:

Bass Collection (Shibuya) http://www.ikebe-gakki.com/basscollection/index.html

Bass Center (Shin-okubo) http://www.kurosawagakki.com/sh_bass/index.html

Bass Station (Akihabara) http://www.ikebe-gakki.com/web-ikebe/bassstation-akihabara/index.html

Freaks Market (Ochanomizu) http://www.bigboss.jp/fm/index2.html

I really really like the Atelier Z basses use by Chrisitan Mcbride and many more great bassists.

(btw Chrisitan Mcbride is my favorite bassist!!!!)

But by chance I happened to play a very very special bass at the "Freaks Market" in

Ochanomizu. I wasn't even looking for a bass that day... I was looking for a strobe tuner (used) that I could use... this one is great. I really recommend it from the videos I've seen about it.

http://www.turbo-tuner.com/

Anyway, I had a good friend use a Lakland and I've heard the sound but never had the chance to really play one. Since the Freaks Market had the largest selection of LAKLAND basses in Tokyo I decided to play one while I was there.

Since I was using a 5-string, I was looking for another 5 string bass... I tried a Deluxe Lakland 5 string (USA build) and all were pretty cool, but I liked the ones with the new LAKLAND pickups (the old ones are Bartolini).

While the store clerk was getting me another 5-string from storage (it just arrived), he handed me a four string to try out.

And that's how I met my current bass. Playing a few notes I just thought... WOW.

I tried playing a couple of more basses to compare, but none really had the incredible punch

that the 4-string standard LAKLAND had.

The electronics on it are active, and it has a switch standard to all

LAKLANDs where you can change the bridge pickup from humbucker to single (forward position and bridge position) and a mix nob for the neck single and bridge pickup. Well I can't explain it very well so check out this link. http://www.lakland.com/4-94.htm

I've recorded the later half of the new Lo-Fi album on this bass and I gotta say it sounds great so I might go back and re-record some of the Bacchus bass lines I recorded before.

It's my main bass right now after trading in the Bacchus and my fretless. I'm gonna be taking it to my gigs overseas and so on the plane, but I think especially since it's not like a vintage bass it'll do fine.

Come check out our gigs and hear the sound live. I play it through a Markbass/Epifani-cab rig.

We'll be playing live in Sendai and Osaka, Japan in Oct, and in Hong Kong in November.

Will update more info about these gigs soon!