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Archive for November 2009 - Page 5

Player News

Lindsey Horner’s next album can have your name on it

Jazz bassist Lindsey Horner, who has played with artists such as Greg Osby, Bill Frisell, and Bobby Previte, is in the process of recording his next project, Undiscovered Country. The unique part about this recording is that he is working through the business model supplied by ArtistShare, which allows for fans to participate in and watch the creative process by...

New Albums

Richard Bona releases “The Ten Shades of Blues”

Richard Bona has a new solo album out, ten years after his first solo release, Scenes From My Life. The Ten Shades of Blues showcases Bona’s diverse and rich musical background, with noticeable touches of jazz, bluegrass, and European pop. This is an album that should defy expectations. One tune in particular, “Shiva Mantra” has an obvious Indian flavor, embedded...

Bass Lessons

Melodic Line Construction: “Oppositionality”

When we hear the word “line” in the context of “bass line” or “melody line” we tend to think in terms of scales and/or chord tones as we are learning theory. This is good. There is a further level of thought about lines that has to do with the notes not in the scales or chords; the use of non-chord,...

Bass Videos

NDR Big Band: Blockbuster

Our friend and bassist Evan Marien shared this video with us, and we had to pay it forward. This performance of “Blockbuster” by the NDR Big Band features James Genus on bass. This has tons of great low end goodness, including some nice bass trombone work.

Weekly Top 10

Rewind: Our most popular features of the week

In case you missed them, here are the most popular features from last week on No Treble. Lessons Jon Burr: Right-hand technique for upright bass: pizzicato Evan Kepner: Why Overtones Matter Features Phil Wain’s review of Vijay Iyer Trio’s Historicity Player Spotlight: Anthony Crawford John Paul Jones speaks on “Them Crooked Vultures” Hulk Hogan: bass player for hire Gear Watch...

New Albums

Paul McCartney: Good Evening New York City

Paul McCartney is releasing a new album/video set, recorded last summer for the kick off of the new Citi Field, 45 years after the Beatles played there, at the former Shea Stadium. Good Evening New York City features 33 tracks from the Beatles and Wings catalogs, and McCartney’s solo career. Here’s a preview: Complete track list: 1. Drive My Car...

Bass Videos

Simone Vignola: Love Song

Bassist Simone Vignola started with electric and finger style guitar at the age of seven, before switching to the bass at the age of 12. In this video, Simone uses his varied musical background to perform his original composition, “Love Song”. Simone was the winner of the EuroBassDay Contest in 2008. You can download the track for free (donations accepted)...

Events

Upcoming bluegrass workshop: Bass “Strummit”

The Bass “Strummit” bass workshop has been announced. The workshop, led by the Mountain Heart bassist Jason Moore and assisted by Sandy Ridge bass man Mike Conner, will cover skill levels from beginner to advanced. The event will be held on January 2, 2010, in Roanoke, Virginia. The class size will be capped to just 20 students to allow the...

Bass Gear

Gear Watch: Batt-O-Meter

Ever worried about the life left in the batteries for your active pickups or your favorite effects pedal just before a gig? Keith McMillen Instruments has introduced the Batt-O-Meter, a battery tester designed for musicians to solve that problem. The tester, which plugs into a 1/4″ jack input, can be used to check the voltage of your battery and even...

Bass Videos

Ray Riendeau: Liquid live

Our turn to rave about Ray Riendeau… check out this live performance of “Liquid”, at Mojo’s Music Academy in Longmont, Colorado. Ray is joined by drummer Martin Diamond. Hold on to your hat!

Apps

MobBase: Make your own iPhone Music App

There are lots of great ways for artists to connect with fans and the list keeps growing. Wouldn’t it be awesome to have your own iPhone app dedicated to your music, news and shows? Now you can! MobBase is a service that lets artists create custom iPhone apps for sharing music, tweets, photos and video, merchandise, shows and other useful...

Bass Gear

Gear Watch: Pedulla finger ramp option

Pedulla basses now have a finger ramp option available on their fretted and fretless basses. The ramp fits snugly between the pickups and provides a consistent body-to-string vertical distance for players who prefer the contact to anchor and gauge their finger-style stroke. The edge of the ramp is parallel to the strings and provides a multi-position thumbrest while leaving enough...