Weekly Top 10: Ra Diaz Interview, Making Arpeggios Musical, Talking Style, Top Bass Videos and More
Here’s your weekly list of the top 10 stories, how-to’s, videos and news from the world of bass – all based on No Treble reader views.
Thanks as always for reading, watching, commenting and sharing.
1. Nathan Navarro: Super Mario Bass Guitar Playthrough
Nathan Navarro is back with another brilliant bass video, and this time he’s playing along with a run-through of World 1-1 from the original Super Mario Brothers. The bassist dials in a retro video game tone before playing the music…
2. Anthony Jackson Forced to Sit Out Hiromi Trio Performances
Several dates of Hiromi Uehara’s trio concerts have been rearranged after the pianist announced that bass legend Anthony Jackson has suffered a medical emergency. Details are slim, but Hiromi posted the news to her Facebook page…
3. Karl Clews: The Pink Panther Theme (Solo Bass Arrangement and Transcription)
Karl Clews shared another one of his terrific solo bass arrangements with us, and this time he’s also offering the transcription. In this video, Karl tackles Henry Mancini’s “The Pink Panther Theme” on his Status Graphite Kingbass…
4. Bass Tendencies: An Interview with Ra Diaz
Suicidal Tendencies has a legacy of great bassists. Earlier this year, Ra Diaz stepped up to the plate to carry on the tradition. We caught up with Ra to get the scoop on his start in music, how he landed the gig and more…
In this week’s “Ask” column, Damian Erskine answers a reader who asked how to make arpeggios sound less mechanical and more musical. Damian shares his thoughts – and some exercises to download…
6. Bass of the Week: Nichols Guitar Company Seas of Cheese Bass
Just like with music, great bass designs often come from the inspiration of other basses. That’s the case with our featured bass this week: the Nichols Guitar Company’s Seas of Cheese Bass. As the name suggests, the model is inspired by the famous Carl Thompson basses used by Primus’s Les Claypool…
7. Sly and the Family Stone: “Hot Fun in the Summertime” and “I Want To Take You Higher”
“Hot Fun in the Summertime” is the perfect song for the season, and “I Want To Take You Higher” is a bass masterpiece. Larry Graham throws it down in this medley of the two songs. The mix on this clip is a little wonky, but luckily the bass is turned up nice and high…
Blyss has been wanting to do some Gospel episodes but wasn’t sure to start – until now. In this new lesson, he walks us through the post-Civil War spiritual, “Oh Freedom”, some Gospel-style turnarounds and more. Check this out…
9. Jesús Rico Pérez: Blue Orleans (Michael Manring Cover)
About three years ago, Jesús Rico Pérez shared a cover he did of Michael Manring’s “Come With Me, My Love”. Manring was impressed. Jesús has a new Manring cover, this time performing “Blue Orleans”, which appeared on Manring’s 1989 album, Toward the Center of the Night…
10. Hal Leonard Releases Book on Scales Over Chords
Hal Leonard Corp. has published the “Bassist’s Guide to Scales Over Chords: The Foundation of Effective Bass Lines.” The book looks at how to apply scales in a musical way, which is essential knowledge for those learning how to create and improvise bass lines and solos…
