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Ask Damian Erskine: I Can’t Hear Myself!
Q: I would love to know what you do when you can’t hear yourself on stage or at rehearsals and when you can’t change it.
A: That’s just a tough situation, really. It does happen fairly frequently, though. Honestly, that’s when knowing your fretboard and having a strong relationship with your instrument comes in handy, as [...]
Rhythm Practice: Using Rhythms to Improve a Passage, Phrase or Lick
Every so often there is a passage, phrase or “lick” that we just can’t seem to execute as well as we would like, no matter how many times we practice it under tempo. This should be a sign that we need to change our approach.
Slow practice an excellent and valuable tool, but it is [...]
Ask Damian Erskine: Relax, and don’t forget to listen
Q: What’s going through your mind when you solo?
A: Ideally, nothing! I play my best when I know the song well (don’t need to think about chords, etc.) and am playing with solid players who all serve the music. In that scenario, I am simply letting the music dictate what’s going to happen and if [...]
Ask Damian Erskine: Gigging half-heartedly?
Q: Have you ever felt, for any reason, like NOT doing a gig and if so, for what reasons?
A: Of course!! More important than the reasons why (there have been SO many), though are the ways in which it is possible to alter ones perspective so that it is not as dreadful.
I have been lucky [...]
Upright Slap Bass (Rockabilly/Psychobilly): Instrument Setup and Equipment
This is the final installment of Dr. D’s 3-part Slap Bass series. Check out part 1 and part 2.
In addition to having its own specialized musical and technical considerations, Playing Upright Slap has its own particular instrumental setup issues. Here are some basic things slap players need to think about when customizing their bass [...]
What’s Spinning for… Michael Manring
Michael Manring is this week’s guest columnist for “What’s Spinning”
Thanks so much for your interest in the music I’ve been listening to lately. In addition to having precious little time for casual listening these days, my listening habits are a bit odd. I find that even for pieces of music I’m crazy about, if I [...]
Ask Damian Erskine: Gigging with no preparation time?
Q: How do you prepare for a gig when you have a short amount of time to learn tunes?
A: For me, it is more important that I have the tune internalized and have the vibe inside. The second thing is any hits that I’ll need to be aware of. If I can feel the tune, [...]
Ask Damian Erskine: Recommendations for starting out?
Q: What would you recommend to someone just starting out on bass?
A: These are the things you will regret NOT doing if you stick with any instrument, so be ahead of the curve and do the work now, instead of later or never!
1. Learn to read music (not tab, but actual notation!) Read EVERY DAY, [...]
The Lowdown with Dr. D.: Upright Slap Bass: Starter tips and etudes
This is part 2 of the Upright Slap Bass series by Dr. D.
Here are a few etudes to help you improve your slapping. We will use a two octave G blues scale (6 note version) as our starting point. You can use any scale, arpeggio or lick you want, but this is as good [...]
Ask Damian Erskine: Setting up your bass
Q: Would you describe what you strive for when setting up your bass?
A: I actually just covered this in Bass Guitar Magazine (UK) recently. Here is my blurb from the magazine…
The overall playability of my instrument is everything to me. If I have to fight the feel of my bass, I’ll have a harder time [...]
