Thomas “MarloweDK” Risell
Thomas Risell, otherwise known as “MarloweDK” on Youtube, is a bassist and music educator from Denmark.
His main claim to fame is his online video bass lessons on many crucial techniques of modern bass playing: slapping, fingerstyle, pickstyle and putting theory into practical use.
He regularly plays gigs with local acts and is working at making his online bass lessons a full-time job, through PlayBassNow.com.
Thomas on the web:
Articles by Thomas “MarloweDK” Risell:
Bass Talk: How To Practice Scales, Intervals, Patterns and Positions
Editor’s note: No Treble readers submitted questions to us for the next series of lessons by Thomas “MarloweDK” Risell. Several readers submitted questions about learning scales, intervals and patterns, as well as asking how I approach practicing them. In this installment, I try to cover all the basics. If you have questions or something you’d...continue reading »
Improvising: Scale Substitutions for Bass
In this new lesson, we’ll cover some tips on soloing over changes. In the video below, you’ll see that I’m playing chords through a looper, to create the pattern to play against. We start with a D Major scale, over an E minor chord, which is the Dorian mode. The scale: D E F# G...continue reading »
Advanced Bass Fretboard Knowledge with the Pentatonic Scale
Last time, we took a look at some basic exercises aimed at expanding fretboard knowledge through the use of the pentatonic scale. For this lesson, we’ll cover more advanced patterns and build on what we’ve started in the first part. Be sure to download the PDF for these exercises (standard notation and TAB included) so...continue reading »
Expand Your Bass Fretboard Knowledge with the Pentatonic Scale
Here’s a great exercise aimed at expanding your fretboard knowledge. For this lesson, we’re going to use the five positions of the A minor / C Major pentatonic scale. The pentatonic scale contains five notes, of course, and you can play this from different positions. Learning these patterns will significantly increase your fretboard knowledge. Here’s...continue reading »
Lesson: Two Bar Bass Run in E minor
Here’s a new bass lick lesson for you. This time around, we’ll work up a fill in E minor, using the B minor pentatonic to start, then adding the E minor Dorian scale with some chromatic notes thrown in. This is handy for those one bar fills you’ll want to incorporate in your playing, including...continue reading »
Lesson: Metronome Exercise with a Slap Bass Groove in G
This time around, I have two lessons in one for you to try out. The first part touches on the concept of practicing with a metronome. In this example, the metronome is counting on beats two and four. To make this fun, the other part focuses around a sort of offbeat, Larry Graham-style rhythm. We...continue reading »
Bass Line Construction: Legato Minor Pentatonic Scale Bass Run
Last time, we kicked off a bass line construction series of lessons with a study in improvising on some funk in the key of C. This time around, we’re focusing on some new phrasing ideas for the trusty old minor pentatonic scale. In this case, we’re using the A minor pentatonic scale: A, C, D,...continue reading »
Bass Line Construction: Rhythm and Repeating Patterns
Let’s take a look at some of the fundamentals in bass line construction. In this lesson, we’ll improvise on some funk in the key of C. A quick note and correction: when I say “seventh” in the video, I mean flatted seventh. You’ll see the annotation when that comes up in the video. Here’s a...continue reading »
Improvising and Groove: Substituting Pentatonic Scales on a Minor 7 Progression
My most recent lessons have focused on the use of the pentatonic scales as it relates to improvising and learning the fretboard (see my lessons on improvising over a minor key progression and breaking down the pentatonic scale for more background). Today we’ll continue this topic with the exploration of improvising over a D minor...continue reading »
Breaking Down the Pentatonic Scale: The Five Positions on Bass
Today, we’re going to break down the minor pentatonic scale, its positions on the fretboard, and its uses. As the name suggests, the pentatonic scale is a five note scale. If we look at this scale in A minor, our scale is: A = root (1) C = minor third (b3) D = fourth (4)...continue reading »
The Bass Solo: A Guide to Soloing More Freely 
Nikki Sixx Selling Stage-Played Basses from Motley Crue Concerts 
Fabienne Gilbert: Come On Come Over 
Performing Live: Memorization vs. Reading vs. Improvisation 
Eric Avery Quits Nine Inch Nails 
NHØP: Autumn Leaves 
Capturing Your Ideas: Transform Your Musical Inspiration into Reality 
Ibanez Introduces Mike D'Antonio MDB3 Signature Bass 
Andrea Lombardini: By This River 
Funk Bros: Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart 
