Archive for October 2011 - Page 2

So far, we’ve examined different kinds of blues progressions, tips for playing on the bandstand, and two common blues feels: the shuffle and the slow blues. In this column, as well as the following one, I’d like to dig deeper and discuss other standard blues feels that you’ll be likely to play. I’ll try to reference certain songs so that...

Talk about multi-tasking! French bassist Olivier Babaz shared this video with us in which he plays a reduced version of his piece “Midnight Caffeine” on his bass while simultaneously playing chords on his kalimba. The two instruments create a really cool texture while a prerecorded egg shaker keeps time.

Damian Erskine has released Live at Portland State University, a new album featuring a performance of his band, The Damian Erskine Project. The quartet, made up of Erskine on bass, Reinhardt Melz on drums, Ben Darwish on piano and John Nastos on tenor sax, performed the set for students of the university, in what they classify as “Weird Jazz”. “This...

Based out of Deidesheim, Germany, Jens Ritter is an electric bass luthier known for his artistic flair and luxurious basses. In addition to his exceptional line of basses is the Ritter Royal collection, which are set apart due to a “unique feature or an exceptional design history aspect of Jens Ritter’s career as a luthier.” In 2006 he outdid himself...

Hold on to your hats! Here’s Steve Vai and the String Theories band performing “Now We Run” live. Bryan Beller holds down the low end for the group, laying down some hard-hitting, driving bass and some great unison lines with Vai. This comes from the DVD .

Dr. Randall Kertz, DC has released an all-new, second edition of his popular book, The Bassist’s Guide to Injury Management, Prevention and Better Health. The second edition features expanded content and a new cover. The Bassist’s Guide is written specifically for bassists, dealing with the common, and not-so-common issues bass players encounter when practicing and performing, as well as every...

Fuzzrocious Pedals have introduced a new stompbox: the K-A-E-D-E-N Drive, a versatile pedal with three stages to the circuit. Described as “not just a booster” and “not just an overdrive,” the K-A-E-D-E-N has pre-gain, gain, and tone knobs to dial in the right amount of drive. The pedal is built with your choice of tone stack, either a mid-hump, mid-scoop,...

Q: What are modes and how do they work? A: I get this question a lot, but have only touched on it in past columns, as it relates to other questions. Here’s a straightforward guide to modes and scales to follow. Modes are a very simple concept but can take some time to really understand and get under your fingers...

Here’s an awesome clip of Snarky Puppy at The Rex in Toronto. Bassist/founder Michael League builds up an incredible solo on their new and yet-to-be-recorded tune “Young Stuff.” The video was shot with a GoPro HD cam mounted to League’s headstock. The songwriter also proves his versatility at the end of the clip as he switches to synth bass on...

Medeski, Martin & Wood have just released their own documentary film on the band, Fly In A Bottle. The film, directed by the band’s drummer/percussionist Billy Martin, who worked for a year of personal 16mm film and camcorder footage of MMW on the road and in the studio during the Radiolarians recording sessions. The documentary offers a lot of insight...

Meet Dan Willett a bassist and lifelong musician from the UK who says he still hasn’t grown up yet. We dig that. Bio: I’ve been a musician for nearly my entire life, having taken my first keyboard and music theory lessons at the age of four. These days, the bass is very much my main instrument, and in the Midlands...

I’ve told you a little about my Lab Rat bass and showed you some of what I’ve done to it so far. The Lab Rat was a brand-new SX Ursa 4 that I paid about $150 plus shipping, and I bought it for the specific purpose of experimentation. I had a pickup configuration in mind that I wanted to try...