Archive for October 2012 - Page 3

Video game music has always held a special place in my heart. Looking back I realize that a lot of the themes from the games of my youth had really sweet bass lines, and I think MonoNeon realized that, too. Check out his play-along of the theme to the Green Hill Zone from the Sega Genesis classic Sonic the Hedgehog,...

Following the release of The Prog Collective, former Yes guitarist Billy Sherwood’s companion album, The Fusion Syndicate is now out and features the same sort of dream team line-up Sherwood assembled for the first one. Sherwood composed, produced and recorded the tracks with help from bassists Jimmy Haslip, Billy Sheehan, Colin Edwin, Percy Jones and Justin Chancellor, as well as...

Bassline Publishing has taken their Ultimate Slap Bass books to the screen with the release of all three levels as interactive iPad editions. Originally released in 2005, the popular print counterpart of this book has been expanded to offer video demonstrations of all the main techniques, audio tracks for each exercise as well as the sheet music and text. Each...

Q: I have question about how to practice and apply modes that is killin’ me. We are constantly being being bombarded with the concept of getting away from root in our playing and practice. For instance, scale finger pattern 4 starting on the 3rd fret of the E string is like G A B C D E F G A...

Check out this video of The Deep MO performing their tune “Civilized” live on the BBC. The group is headed up by bassist/vocalist Yolanda Charles, who lays down some serious groove.

Meet Matthew Kniffin, an 18 year old bass player who already has 11 years of experience under his belt. Matthew performs as a one-man band he dubbed Soundscape and is mighty confident, in a way we have to appreciate. (It worked for a young Jaco, right?) Matthew is our player in the spotlight for October 23, 2012. Bio: I’m 18...

Tech 21 has a long history with bassists, and that history is growing even larger with the inclusion of bass-friendly versions of the Boost Series pedals. Offering an extra 21 dB of clean boost at your disposal, the line is characterized by analog circuitry that takes classic tones and attempts to improve them. The Bass Boost Fuzz takes aim at...

Aaron Gibson always blows me away with each new video he shares. Here’s Aaron performing his solo bass version of P.O.D.’s “Lost in Forever”. Also, the t-shirt looks pretty cool. But that’s not why we’re sharing. Really.

It looks like Kings of Leon are ready to get back into gear after taking a break following a tour cancellation last year. In an interview with BBC 6 Music, bassist Jared Followill dropped the news that the group is in the process of making a new album. “We are in the writing process right now and it’s coming along...

Digitech has introduced the Hardwire V-10 Power Block, a pedal power supply with 10 fully isolated outputs. Housed in an aircraft-grade aluminum chassis, the new power block features a shielded toroidal transformer to eliminate noise interference. The outputs have different voltages, with four 9-volt outputs, two pairs of 9/12-volt outputs that can be merged for higher current, and two outputs...

One way to quickly become fluent in a key is to familiarize yourself with that key’s diatonic arpeggios, i.e. the arpeggios beginning on each note of the scale. Facility in diatonic arpeggios is also necessary for true improvisational freedom and fluency. I don’t suggest attempting this until you are comfortable with the originating scale. In today’s examples, that is C...

Christian Harger sent us this video recently of his all-bass take on “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, saying “if you think it’s up to snuff”, that he’d love some more views. We love it. Very up to snuff!