Reader Spotlight: Marcin Sypniewski

Meet Marcin Sypniewski, a high school student in Poland who stays busy with school and fills every extra minute with his musical pursuit. Marcin got his start like many bassists – no one was playing the bass when he formed a band with friends – but he’s extremely happy with how that turned out.

Marcin is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight. Here’s his story…

Bio:

I’m a student in local high school. In addition to being a bassist, I’m also a self-taught drummer. I started to be intrested in music when i was 11 (I’m now 17), and the band that got me into it was Green Day. My cousin showed them to me and I completely fell in love with them. I immediately started taking bass lessons with two different teachers but stopped after three years and decided to practice and improve by myself. Since then I’ve discovering many new bands and genres. Now I’m really into harmonic playing.

Location:

Gniezno, Wielkopolskie, Poland

Day gig:

My everyday duty is school. After that I’m usually practicing with my band or practicing by myself. I also some housework. My free time is mostly occupied by music – playing, listening or home recording.

Years experience:

I’ve been playing for almost 6 years.

Bands & Gigs:

I’m in a band called Solution. We’ve been playing for around 3 to 4 years. Our style is pretty undefined but generally speaking it’s rock. I’ve sat in with some other local bands, but Solution is my priority. We are also gigging in our city and also in some bigger cities.

Gear:

• Some Harley Benton Jazz Bass (my first bass)
• Fender Precision Bass American Special
• Harley Benton HB-40B
• Marshall MB4210
• Boss ODB-3
• PreSonus Audiobox ITwo

Why I play the bass:

When I started to be interested in music, my best friends were also getting into it. We were looking at many bands and wanted to be like them. Every one of us needed to pick an instrument. One of them already played the guitar for a short time and the other one’s dad was a guitarist. So the answer for who would be the bassist was very easy. Maybe at first I wasn’t thinking of being a bassist, but I’m really happy it went that way. Bass is much more fun to me.

My bass superpower/claim to fame:

I think – and some other people tell me this – I can really keep in tempo when things get complicated. Not only in 4/4. That might be my strongest side.

My influences:

There are two bassist who influence me the most: Mike Dirnt and Flea. I kind of mix their tones and styles together. Some other bassists that have had an impact on me are Geddy Lee, John Paul Jones and Victor Wooten. I also get influenced by some drummers and they give me lot of ideas.

Video:

More on the web:

• My band’s Facebook