Archive for March 2011 - Page 7

With a handful of European dates lined up for the summer, Slipknot has announced that Donnie Steele will be acting as touring bassist in place of the late Paul Gray. The news came as a statement on the band’s website, explaining that Steele is the best fit since he was a founding guitarist in the band and was close to...

Stanley Clarke’s 2002 concert performance at Musicians Institute in Hollywood closed with a bang, with a stage full of bassists performing Clarke’s “School Days” for the audience. Clarke is joined by Stu Hamm, Bunny Brunel, Billy Sheehan, Flea, Alex Al, Brian Bromberg, Jimmy Johnson, Wayman Tisdale and Marcus Miller, and most take a solo. The entire concert was released as...

Markbass has announced their new MB Octaver, an analog octave pedal built to add extra bottom end to your sound. It features separate level controls for each octave as well as your dry signal for you to mix your played pitch with one and/or two octaves down. For more, check out the Markbass website. MB Octaver Specs: Input: 1/4″ Input...

Stu Hamm is a name synonymous with instrumental rock bass, but what you may not know is that the bassist himself has a very rich musical background, with interests spanning just about every genre and time period. Hamm recently unveiled proof of his diversity as well as his playing and compositional talents on his sixth solo album, Just Outside of...

Check out this solo by Brian Bromberg, during a performance of Herbie Hancock’s “Chameleon”. This was filmed as part of Bromberg’s “Downright Upright” project, live at the Blue Note in Tokyo, back in 2006. Lorber’s group included Rick Braun, Jeff Lorber, Gary Meek, and Dave Weckl.

Jamey Aebersold’s latest edition to their bass method library focuses on the importance of scale mastery for electric bassists. Diatonic Major And Minor Scales For Electric Bass includes both major and minor scale exercises, designed to help bassists develop new and creative lines, while learning the entire fretboard and improving technique. The exercises require full use of the thumb and...

The metal-inspired instrument makers at B.C. Rich have introduced the Warlock Revenge bass, which they describe as a flat-top version of their iconic Warlock design. The bass features a basswood body, maple neck, and the company’s trademark Widow headstock. It also has a single B.C. Rich Humbucker with a volume and a tone knob. The B.C. Rich Warlock Revenge Bass...

Q: Can you give an example of how one might get more comfortable with available chord tones? A: An exercise that I’ve been enjoying lately addresses this exact issue! I’ve previously stressed the importance of developing the ability to arpeggiate chords in every inversion while working through any tune in the Real Book. To refresh (briefly), you would practice playing...

I’ve officially spent way too much time watching videos by Guido Ponzini. As difficult as it was to pick a video to feature, this one has some nifty fretless bass work on one of Ponzini’s original compositions, “Chattin’ with Barbarella Bennett”.

Victor Wooten has released A Show of Hands 15, a re-mastered version of his groundbreaking debut solo effort. In addition to 16 original tracks, the 15th anniversary record also includes three bonus songs: two with longtime drummer JD Blair and one unedited tune entitled “Live Solo #2.” The package is available in several varieties, including signed copies and vinyl LP’s,...

MTV, TMZ and others are reporting that ex-Alice in Chains bassist Mike Starr was found dead this afternoon, by police in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was 44 years old. Starr, who made an appearance on VH1’s “Celebrity Rehab” in 2009, was arrested last month on a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance. There has been no word...

Meet Kimberly Lynn, a bassist from Kingston, Washington, and our player in the spotlight for March 8, 2011. We first featured Kimberly on No Treble with her cool looper performance video. Bio: I’m an ‘Old School’ bassist from back in the day, starting playing bass in the early 70’s. After fifteen-ish years on the road playing the ‘hotel’ circuits, I...