Thunder Row - A Cosy Home

Remember being in school and the teacher would give you an assignment with the title, “Why I love my cat”, or “Why I love my dog”? ...bicycle? You’d sit down with pen in hand (yes, we used to complete our assignments in pen) and drift off to a daydream of your fave item. You’d think of how shiny your bike looked in the glinting sun, or how your puppy always greeted you when you got home from school.

Being a kid meant you could dive into things head first and never worry about being thought of as foolish or silly. You could enjoy things for the pure pleasure of getting behind what made you happy.

I’m proud to say that I’ve never lost that. When I enjoy something, I get into it like it’s the first time I’ve ever seen it, or experienced it. It’s not something I work at; it’s just there. It’s the way my wheels turn.

So, why am I talking about this? Because I’ve been thinking about our home here on Thunder Row. As some of you know, from dealing with me in the years since Thunder Row began, I had been hunting around for a formal bass instruction course, and liked what I saw with TMBG. Not only did the lessons seem well laid out, but I loved the idea of playing with the band and really immersing myself in the material. But when I found that TMBG also had its own little forum, where we could all gather in the virtual world of our lessons, I really wanted to be part of it.

I’ve met some pretty fine people on Thunder Row. It’s not one of those monstrous public forums where there are so many thousands of users that you can never really get a bead on the place. Thunder Row is big enough to provide a variety of topics, yet small enough to feel like a family. If someone wants to talk gear, there are many among us who have extensive knowledge of the more technical aspects of the bass and its rigs. If someone wants to ask about strings, or straps, or whatever, they can do so with confidence that the people here will help. You don’t feel the fool for asking what you assume will be a foolish question.

Sometimes, at first, we might be hesitant to share failings and shortcomings as we stumbling through our lessons. If there are pros among us, we might shy away and keep quiet, lest we look inadequate in their wake. But it’s soon very evident that there are no “big-shots” here. The people here are not trying to out-do the next guy, or to show off in front of newbies and green-horns.

You know what I feel? Enthusiasm. Exuberance. A real sense of family and fun. The child in me wants to stay out late and play well into the dark with my buddies. We can share bass stories, experiences, and chatter about why we all love the instrument of thunder. Even if it’s just to post a video of a song that makes us get up and stomp our feet. We make our little games and polls, share the music we love; Thunder Row is warm and friendly, patient, playful, and above all, supportive to the members - to us all.

We’ve grown quite a bit since way back when, but my heart still remains young and full of love for this little corner of the world. We’ve all opened up to each other enough to discuss personal stories away from the bass, or even to show videos or mp3s of ourselves as we learn the lessons of TMBG. It continues to make me a happy child.

I just wanted to say THANKS to Thunder Row, and to all of you, for keeping me young. Music and the love of bass guitar brings us together - like kids who spit into their hands and shake on a long-standing friendship. Um... no, I don’t want to spit on anybody. I just want to hang out as we enjoy our lessons, and our mutual friendship.

Come and play!  http://www.thunderrow.com

Neener, neener, neener! Can’t catch me!

:::runs off down the street:::

Roy Vogt's Fantasy Bass Boot Camp

Do you want to really get down and get some hands-on teaching?  Sign up now for Roy Vogt's Fantasy Bass Boot Camp!  There are only a few spots left!

               

More details can be found HERE.

Miss Me?

I haven't had the chance to blog as often as I'd like, but now that I'm back at it, let's talk about all the great things going on at Thunder Row, the place for bass players, bass students, lovers of the bass, people with deep voices and long necks... well, you get the idea.

I am very excited to have received an announcement from DR Strings that they are coming out with some new and exciting additions to their NEON string line.   use the DR Neons myself and can attest with the utmost sincerity that they are some of the best bass strings around. Quality aside, they are also some of the best LOOKING bass strings around. And now, in addition to orange, green, yellow, and pink, they will be coming out in white. They are also releasing a new multi-coloured set, including blue and purple, for seven and eight string guitars. The whites are the ones I will be focusing on, since I have a white bass. These will look so cool. And the sound?  Nothing but the best from DR! Check out our colourful report by clicking HERE.

There are only TWO spaces left for this year's Fantasy Bass Boot Camp, hosted by Roy Vogt. I'm sure on of these places has YOUR name on it... but only if you CLICK.

I took a look at one of the bass albums by Gary Karr. It's a wonderful collection called "Super Double Bass", and features a little classical, a little Spiritual, and a little Stephen Foster. I hope you enjoy the review. Click HERE to read.

And speaking of reviews, I pulled up an old one from the vaults because it's such a good album that it deserves a second look. The article is actually an interview with Martin Motnik (creator of the album), but there's a link included to read the original review itself. CLICK and enjoy.

We at Thunder Row are very excited about the new album by bassist Lane Baldwin. Want a sample? Click HERE and I betcha you'll be on pins and needles for this!

We have a lot more going on. Some fretboard charts, links to great tutorials, and of course, our FORUM, where you can join us in bass conversations, play our weekly game called Skin DEEP - where we have a real SWEAT going on in the latest competition. You can even share your music or bass lessons, if you're taking TMBG - the finest self-faced DVD bass course in the world! But if you want to join in the fun, you gotta sign up! Membership is FREE if you've bought the course. If you haven't yet done so, sign up HERE, and we'll be glad to keep you company until you decide to take the plunge!  Um... membership is also FREE if you haven't ought the course.