Archive for January 2016 - Page 5

Bass grooves often have lines that move across strings on the same fret. To keep a smooth and legato feel, we need to focus on the technique of jumping from string to string. Here we’ll dig in on a few exercises with plenty of variations to get all your fingers in shape. Today’s tip is on getting an even attack...

Robert Wilson was the Godfather of the Bass and a pioneer of the funk. Here’s just a taste of what put him in the history books as one of the greatest bassists of all time. This 1981 clip of “Shake” comes from a live concert in Houston, Texas and has Wilson in top form. The song is chock full of...

Good news, Weezer fans: the band has announced a new self titled album, an extensive 2016 tour, and a new music video. The whirlwind announcement was made on their website. “This album was inspired by my experiences hanging around the Westside of Los Angeles, which has been our home since Weezer began,” frontman Rivers Cuomo wrote. “Hanging out with people...

Time for our favorite list of the week – the reader favorites on No Treble. Here’s what caused the most buzz for the week of January 9-15, 2016 from the world of bass. Thanks as always for reading, watching, commenting and sharing. 1. Bass of the Week: Fender Aerodyne Jazz Bass Fender set the standard with the Precision Bass in...

Godin Guitars will be showing the new Passion RG-4 Swamp Ash Bass at the 2016 Winter NAMM show. Following the Passion guitar line, the RG-4 features five tuned, Synchronized Resonance Chambers that are interconnected inside the body for air transfer. Godin says the chambers create “exceptional resonance and a lightweight, vibrant body.” Its body is Red Cedar with a Swamp...

Whenever I see a new video featuring bassist Fernando Lamadrid, I stop whatever I’m doing to watch. And Fernando never disappoints. Recorded live in late December, here’s “Electriceratops”.

Tedeschi Trucks Band bassist Tim Lefebvre is the holder of a very particular and heartbreaking musical honor. He was the bassist on David Bowie’s final studio recording, Blackstar. Blackstar was released on Bowie’s 69th birthday on January 8, just two days before the rock legend’s Jan. 10 death following a previously publicly unknown 18-month battle with cancer. The album’s producer,...

Peavey is now shipping their MiniMEGA 1000 watt bass amplifier. The nine pound head unit utilizes the company’s KOSMOS circuitry to provide increased bass impact. Further, the company includes exclusive psychoacoustic low-end enhancement adds bass without overburdening speakers. The MiniMEGA is packed with a built-in compression, a 4-band EQ, Punch and Bright switches, and semi-parametric mid controls with narrow Q...

Technical death metal outfit Archspire recently filled out their lineup with the addition of bassist Jared Smith. The Vancouver-based group made the announcement on Facebook. “We are pleased to finally complete our lineup with the addition of Jared Smith on bass,” the band said in a statement. “He’s a monster musician with a killer writing style. We have already started...

Drummer Peter Erskine, known for his work with a variety of artists and his days in the great fusion band Weather Report, has released a new album, Dr. Um, that takes him back to the kind of drumming he did as a fusion player. Erskine calls it, “the kind of record that I’ve wanted to make for years, the kind...

An iOS app can now meet the needs of musicians who use backing tracks during live performances. ShowOne (formerly called SideStage) has a variety of features, including automatic click tracks; the ability to edit tempo, pitch, and voice counts from within the app; compatibility with Apogee Duet and Native Instruments Traktor Audio 2; fast import of audio via cloud services...

In this lesson we’ll cover an effective concept of superimposing melodic lines over multiple chord types. We’ll then develop this idea through the introduction of a technique called “framing,” which will enable you to hear the chord you are playing over with more harmonic clarity. This concept will enable you to expand your ideas and end up with more mileage...