WASHTUBBASS PLAYERS SURVEY (PRINT VERSION)
Instructions: Of course by "washtub bass" we don't mean to exclude similar sortsof basses that just don't happen to be made using a washtub. Check the boxesfor your basic responses, but feel free to add further comments in the margins(especially where you check "other"!).
Your information will go into a book about the washtub bass and its players, being written by Jim Uticone, organizer of the recent "Washtubs Galore" WTBGathering. This book will perhaps be the first ever written on the topic. Sothe more detail you provide, the better! (No one's name or personal informationwill be used without their permission.) And your feedback and ideas about WTBGatherings (this year's, or any future ones) can help make these eventsexciting, entertaining, and educational for all.Mail your completed form to Lauren Miller, 3015 Campbell, Kansas City MO 64109. Or you can fill it out out on-line athttp://tubotonia.freehomepage.com/WTBQuest.html
PERSONAL INFORMATION
1. Name (required) ________________________________ Zip/Postal Code________
2. City ___________________ State_____________ Country________________
Street Address (optional)_____________________________
3. E-mail? __________________ 4. Phone (optional) ( ) ______-__________
5. Do you currently play the wtb?
[ ] yes [ ] not now,but I used to play
[ ] no, never played [ ]other
6. Whether you play wtb now or not, how many years have you played?
[ ]1 or less [ ]2-3 [ ] 4-5 [ ]6-7
[ ] 8-9 [ ] 10-12 [ ] other or more than 12
7. Did you ever have music lessons (on any instrument)?
[ ] no [ ] yes,but not on the wtb
[ ] yes, and on the wtb inparticular [ ] other
8. What other instruments do/can you play?
[ ] none [ ] upright (wooden) bass [ ] electric bass
[ ] acoustic bass guitar (ABG) [ ] guitar [ ]other
9. When and where was it that you first heard or saw a wtb?
10. What was your first impression of the instrument, at thistime?
11. At what age did you first start playing a wtb?
12. What were your thoughts about it, at the time?
13. Was there a specific person whose playing (or encouragement) inspired you totake up the wtb?
14. Do you play wtb with a regular group or band?
[ ] yes, that's my main wtb activity [ ] no-- I mainly jam with whoever'savailable
[ ] no-- I'm mainly a solo act [ ] other
15. If so, what other instruments are used in it?
[ ] guitar or similar instrument [ ] banjo orsimilar instrument
[ ] violin or other bowedinstrument [ ] sax or other woodwind
[ ] trumpet or other brass [ ] drums or other percussion [ ] other
16. What style of music does the group play (mainly)?
[ ] bluegrass [ ]country [ ] dixieland [ ] jazz/swing
[ ] jug band [ ]stringband/"old-timey" [ ] other
17. With a band or not, what style do you personally like most to play?
[ ] bluegrass [ ]country [ ] dixieland [ ] jazz/swing
[ ] jug band [ ]stringband/"old-timey" [ ] other
18. Do you have other musical talents?
[ ]sing [ ] read music [ ] compose songs [ ] other
19. Do you play along with recorded music?
[ ] no, or rarely [ ] yes, just for practice [ ]yes, as part of public performance [ ] other
20. If you play with recorded music, what musician/band/album do you especiallylike to play with?
21. Who's your favorite musician/musical group?
22. What's your favorite recording featuring wtb?
23. Any further comments on wtb and musical styles?
24. Speaking of your main/favorite wtb, did you build it yourself? [ ] yes [ ] no [ ]other
25. If you built it yourself, how did you know what to do?
[ ] just picked up the idea from tradition [ ] worked from printed plans/illustrations
[ ] patterned my wtb after another I'd seen [ ] improvised my own design [ ] other
26. What does your main wtb use for the resonator chamber?
[ ] tub or similar metal container [ ] polyethylene barrel or similar container
[ ] snare drum or similar percussion instrument [ ] other
27. How many strings does your instrument have?
[ ] 1 [ ] 2 [ ] 3 [ ] 4 [ ] other
28. How are vibrations of the string transmitted to the head?
[ ] more or less directly (without a bridge) [ ] via a bridge, like a fiddle [ ] other
29. What do you prefer to use for a string?
[ ] clothesline/similar multi-strand cord [ ] weedwhackerline/similar monofilament
[ ] wire (e.g.aircraft cable) [ ] musical instrument string (specify which) [ ] other
30. How is the string attached to the chamber?
[ ] tied to an eyebolt [ ] terminated (e.g. knotted) inside the tub [ ] attached some other way
31. Where is the string hole located?
[ ]dead center in the tub bottom (head) [ ] offsettoward the neck
[ ] offset away from the neck [ ] other
32. How is the neck positioned on the resonator?
[ ] fixed (firmly attached tothe tub) [ ] rocking (must be held to beupright)
[ ] floating (not fixed, butremaining upright even when not being played) [ ]other
33. If a rocking neck, where does the neck pivot?
[ ] on the edge/flange [ ] directly on the "head" [ ] other
34. Any additional comments on wtb construction?
35. What's the lowest (acceptably musical) pitch your wtb will produce(approximately)?
[ ] bass low E [ ] F [ ] G [ ] A [ ] B [ ] C [ ] D [ ] guitar low E [ ] other
36. What's its range (approximately)?
[ ]less than an octave [ ] about 1 octave [ ] about 1.5 octaves
[ ] about 2 [ ]about 2.5 [ ] other
37. How do you stabilize the wtb when playing?
[ ] it needs no stabilization [ ] foot on top of resonator chamber (tub)
[ ] foot on bracket attached at floor level [ ] other
38. What do you do to better hear the pitch of the note?
[ ] just listen real close [ ] press stick against head/ear
[ ] use an extension (e.g. tube, thumb) betweenstick and ear [ ] other
39. How do you change the pitch of a note?
[ ] only by rocking the neck [ ] only byfingering/pressing the string against the neck
[ ] only by flexing the neck [ ] only by moving a lever (pump action)
[ ] a combination of the above techniques (pleaseexplain) [ ] other
40. Do you use a "capo", or some such device that sets the point where the open(unfingered) string takes off from the neck? [ ] yes [ ] no [ ] other
41. Do you ever "bow" the string?
[ ] never [ ] sometimes, with a bass bow [ ] sometimes, with some other sort ofbow/agitator [ ] other
42. Any further comment on wtb playing techniques?
43. Do you play through an amplifier/p.a. system?
[ ] never [ ] sometimes [ ]always, or almost always
44. If so, what electronic equipment do you typically use?
[ ] microphone [ ]guitar-style (magnetic) pickup
[ ] attached(piezo, ceramic) pickup [ ] some otherarrangement
45. If you use a microphone, what type/brand do you prefer, and where do youplace it relative to the wtb?
46. If you use a contact pickup, what brand/type is it, and where do you placeit relative to the wtb?
47. Any additional comments regarding amplification?
As you may have heard, there was recently a gathering (a rumble?) of wtbassists,in Trumansburg, NY. This was a lot of fun, and there's talk of having anotherone next year It featured demonstrations of building and playing techniques,seven performances by bands using wtb, much hobnobbing and comparing of notes,etc.
48. As a measure of your interest, what's the farthest you would travel toattend such an event, if one takes place next year?
[ ] about a block [ ] up to 50 miles [ ] up to 100 miles
[ ] up to 500 miles (maybe) [ ] other
49. Would you be interested in organizing or helping to organize one in yourarea?
[ ] organizing [ ] helping to organize [ ] performing on stage
[ ] conducting a workshop/discussion [ ] other
50. In your area, what town/setting would you suggest as an especially good onefor a wtb gathering? (Just for comparison, Trumansburg is a laid-back small townnot far from Ithaca, and the Gathering took place in the "Rongovian Embassy",which serves Mexican cuisine and 137 varieties of exotic beer.)
51. As a wtbassist, have you been featured in the news, on tv, radio,etc.?
52. What do your family and friends think of your interest in the instrument?
53. What other hobbies, interests, and leisure time activities do you enjoy?
54. If your wtb is painted/decorated, how did you do it?
55. What kind of work do/did you do, for a living?
56. How many other wtb players do you know of, in your area?
57. Would you like to be listed on the Washtub Bass Page's Registry ofWTBassists? (Be sure we have your city/state/country back in question #2.) [ ] yes [ ] no
58. Would you like to receive a summary of the results of this survey and newsof wtb- related events? (Be sure we have your complete address in question #2.) [ ] yes [ ] no
59. If you know any other wtb players who would like to take this questionaire,please let them know it's on the Internet athttp://tubotonia.freehomepage.com/WTBQuest.html . Or, if they don't use theinternet, give us their mailing address and we'll send them a copy of thesurvey.
Thanks for your participation. If you have any further ideas/comments about thewtb -- construction, playing, music, gatherings, etc.-- or about this survey,please use the space below to let us know.
Plunk in Peace,
Lauren Miller and Jim Uticone