Ask Damian Erskine - Page 5

We’ve been so grateful to Damian Erskine over the nine-plus years he’s worked with us. Every Wednesday, Damian thoughtfully answers a reader’s question – which often spans many, many topics. In celebration of his popular “Ask” column, here are his top 10 reader favorites in 2018.

A reader asked Damian, “Can you explain how to read a lead sheet?” Damian offers up a in-depth column, complete with example charts and more.

A reader was asked after a gig if he gave bass lessons. Even though he didn’t, he said “yes.” Then he sent Damian a question asking for advice on how to go about it, which is the subject of this “Ask” column.

In this “Ask” column, Damian responds to a reader, who asks “What’s the one piece of advice you got that helped you to become a better musician?”

Q: I’m 58 and a semi-pro bassist (I have a day job but have gigged for the past 30+ years and consider myself a very good player). I wanted to ask your thoughts on me trying to focus on becoming a session musician. I’m semi-retired and have a lot more time on my hands but have less interest in trying...

Q: I am an intermediate bass player and I am a fan of several different bass players. I love the way Janek Gwizdala composes, plays chords and creates music using a looper. I can’t get enough of Gary Willis and his amazing groove as well as his fretless tone. I also love listening to guys like Sean Hurley and Jonathan...

For this week’s column, I asked a good friend and frequent band-mate – Seattle-based drummer Tarik Abouzied – to give his unique perspective into Spotify (and the streaming model, in general). Tarik had written a column in my stead here at No Treble once before regarding bass playing from the drummers perspective and everybody loved his insights. Tarik writes quite...

In this video, we’ll work through a great pattern that I learned from the great trombonist Dave Glen. It’s a fantastic way to make the transition between scales and arpeggios and also helps you to relate them more naturally to different chord types. I found this very useful when I first heard Dave talking about it and I think you...

In this video from the road, I decided to respond to an email requesting some contextual examples of how I might use a few of the “licks and fills” from my book, Right Hand Drive. After a handful of technical difficulties and the majority of my day off spent filming in a hotel room, I present to you… Real world...

Q: I’ve got a toggle on my bass for passive and active. I hardly use it. Could you explain the benefits and drawbacks of each? Do you ever toggle during a gig? Thanks! A: I’ve more recently become more enamored with the sound of my basses in passive mode. For me, it partially reflects a change in my stylistic preferences,...

In this video, we’ll take a quick look at the usefulness of one of the lesser used fingers… the plucking hand’s pinky!

In this video, I’ll talk you through the basics of developing a walking bass line in addition to demonstrating a few approaches. There’s also a nice exercise at the end that’ll really challenge most of you as you explore new ways to navigate chord changes. Enjoy! Follow along with this chord chart I used in this lesson.