Skip to main content

How To Archives - Page 2

Harmonics: A Starter Guide for Bassists
The Lowdown with Dr. D

Harmonics: A Starter Guide for Bassists

Whatever the genre, we bassists seem to love harmonics. From Jaco to Dittersdorf, bass music is full of them. When we are introduced to playing harmonics however, the prospect can be a bit tricky. At first, we may be unsure where the harmonics are on the string, or what note will sound when we attempt them. While I can’t possibly...

Butter Strings: A Guide to Finding the Best Bass Strings for You
Ask Damian Erskine

Butter Strings: A Guide to Finding the Best Bass Strings for You

Q: What’s the best way to smoothen up my playing? I notice that a lot of bass players play like the strings are made of wool. I play a basic 4-string Cort G-series model, but I always get the feeling the strings are way to hard/high to play smoothly, or when I lower them, they make a lousy sound because...

Versatility: A Guide for Bassists
Ask Damian Erskine

Versatility: A Guide for Bassists

Q: Like a lot of the guys out there on the scene, you make a living playing a wide variety of styles. I have a hard enough time trying to play well in any one style of music. How do you get so comfortable in so many different kinds of musical settings? A: I think that a part of it...

Best of 2012: Top 10 Bass How To’s, Columns and Lessons
Best of 2012

Best of 2012: Top 10 Bass How To’s, Columns and Lessons

Just in time for your new year’s resolutions, here are the top 10 most popular bass lessons, how to’s and columns from 2012. From practicing and technique to advice on life as a musician, these features should help you make big musical strides in 2013. 1. Finger-Style Funk Bass Lesson: Build Dexterity and Accuracy in Your Playing In this lesson...

No Bass Amp? A Guide to Hearing Yourself Practice
Ask Damian Erskine

No Bass Amp? A Guide to Hearing Yourself Practice

Q: My amp and most of my gear got confiscated when I got to college because they said it was a fire hazard. What do you recommend for some amp-less ways for me to get my sound amplified? I really have no idea. A: My first question is: what kind of amp did you have that was such a fire...

Playing a Gig with No Prep Time: A Guide for Bass Players
Ask Damian Erskine

Playing a Gig with No Prep Time: A Guide for Bass Players

Q: I will soon be filling in on a gig with no rehearsals or charts. I’m a little freaked out. They said we’d get a few minutes during sound check to run through a tune or two, but how can I expect to play well when I can’t really prepare? A: I feel your pain, friend! In the scenario you...

Funk Bass Fills
Sheet Music & Instruction

Funk Bass Fills

Berklee bass professor Anthony Vitti has released his latest method book, this time focusing on funk bass. Funk Bass Fills offers up bass fills spanning funk, soul, R&B and hip-hop styles, playing fills in different positions and keys, funk rhythms and rhythmic patterns and more. The 72-page book comes with a companion play-along CD, including the recorded bass lines –...

A Guide to Making the Switch Fretless Bass
Ask Damian Erskine

A Guide to Making the Switch Fretless Bass

Q: I’ve just removed the frets from my first bass, and this is my first experience with a fretless bass. What advice do you have to start out? A: There are two areas of focus for making the switch. At a glance, these might seem to contradict each other, but one applies to practicing and one applies to performance. Fretless...

Matthew Garrison’s 4-Finger Technique How-To
Bass Videos

Matthew Garrison’s 4-Finger Technique How-To

Here’s one to keep you in the woodshed for a while. Bassist Matthew Garrison posted this great video explaining his 4-finger right hand technique, which he developed during his time with Joe Zawinul’s band. While he says that the 2-finger technique creates a fatter sound, the 4-finger technique allows for playing lines at mind-boggling speeds.

Rhythms and Transcriptions: A How To Guide to Notating Rhythmic Patterns
Ask Damian Erskine

Rhythms and Transcriptions: A How To Guide to Notating Rhythmic Patterns

Q: I have a question about transcribing. I’m a pretty skilled player and can read, but I have a lot of problems writing down the rhythms that I hear either in my head or from a particular song. Any suggestions on how I should go about learning to notate more difficult rhythms? A: Rhythms can be tricky when you’re first...

The Best of “Ask Damian Erskine”
Ask Damian Erskine

The Best of “Ask Damian Erskine”

Damian Erskine‘s “Ask Damian” column is our longest running here on No Treble, and for good reason. Readers ask great questions (hint: send Damian your questions), readers love reading Damian’s responses, and Damian has a way of breaking things down that makes it all come together. Damian is touring the globe this month, so we’re giving him a break during...

A Guide to Memorizing Tunes
Ask Damian Erskine

A Guide to Memorizing Tunes

Q: Do you have any tips on how to memorize tunes? I have the hardest time remembering tunes! A: I’ve been there. But a few years ago, I discovered the key: repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition… For years, I’ve always been a chart reader on gigs. I never understood how people could memorize so much music. Then one day...