Archive for May 2013 - Page 3

Bassist Damien Langkamer put together this funky video to teach us how to build on the groove. (And how about that tone?) Damien shares, “I’m taking a few simple groove ideas and expanding them each time round, to build on the groove. There’s two main ideas in this, a funky melody section and a choppy bridge section, both start off...

Billy Talbot, the longtime bassist Neil Young’s backing band Crazy Horse, has just released his latest album with his own band. On the Road to Spearfish is a nine-track album and the band’s second album following the 2004 release, Alive in the Spirit World. Talbot began performing solo in 1999, playing small venues until officially forming the Billy Talbot Band...

This week we check out the Ursa from KR Guitars, a striking multi-scale bass that’s handmade by luthier Kevin Robertson in Vallejo, California. While the bass can be built with whatever woods are requested, this particular bass caught our eye with its 5A California Claro Walnut top and 5A flame maple back. The rest of the bass’s body is The...

Started in 1983, Revsound is a company that offers handmade bass cabinets. Proprietor David C. Luke’s deep interest in sound and sound production has driven his work to create powerful cabinets with an emphasis on staying lightweight. Luke builds all of the cabs to order in his Effingham, New Hampshire workshop. The RS series includes a 1×10, 2×10, and 4×10...

Here’s a cool tapping tune from Alex Bershadsky, who employs a constant pulse in his left hand with arpeggios while bringing out a beautiful melody with his right hand.

Nearly 22 years to the day, Primus’ second studio album, Sailing the Seas of Cheese is being reissued. Bassist Les Claypool oversaw the restoration project, which has been remixed for the new release. “Musically, it holds up incredibly well. Sonically, it holds up fairly well,” Claypool said about the original album. “There’s some old-style reverbs that are a little bit...

Q: I’ve reached the point where I know I need to meet new people to get my career up to the next level, but I don’t know where to start. What do you think makes effective networking in the context of being a musician as opposed to an artist who has written songs? How do you know the right person...

Back in 1991, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Omar Hakim and Stanley Clarke took the stage at the Jazz à Vienne festival. Here’s the quartet playing Herbie’s tune “Cantaloupe Island” and having a lot of fun with it.

Trevor Bolder, who played with David Bowie’s backing band Spiders From Mars, has passed away after a battle with cancer. He was 62. Born in Kingston Upon Hull, England, Bolder was a prominent member of the local R&B scene in the ‘60s before replacing Tony Visconti in Bowie’s band. He appeared on the albums Hunky Dory, The Rise and Fall...

Meet Spencer Herbert, a bassist who first got stuck in some sort of “enrichment class” for people who wanted to play the guitar, knew better, and got a P Bass. Ten years later, he’s still loving the low end. Spencer is our reader in the spotlight for the week of May 20th, 2013. Bio: I’m a twenty-three year old bass...

Here are some cool patterns for you to try out, using open strings for creating fast passages and note doubling. In the video demonstration, I first play it at full speed, followed by a reduced speed. Follow along with the notation/TAB (PDF). For the gear heads: I’m playing my 1966 Fender Precision bass (I don’t use the Jazz bass bridge...

I’ve never heard of Mr. DanZ until today, but I was glad I found them. Here’s the group – with bassist Ben Shepherd laying it down, slapping, soloing and jumping – performing their cover of Alan Pasqua’s “Proto Cosmos”. Tight.