Archive for November 2011

Overwater Basses have unveiled the first of their new line of signature instruments- the Scott Devine Signature Series Bass. Devine, who has performed with Georgie Fame, The Four Tops, Spyro Gyra and more, worked with the UK-based company to design the 5-string bass, which is strung with a high C. Devine’s signature bass features bolt-on construction and a 33” scale...

Meet E. Bugra Balci, a bassist with a ton of accomplishments, especially for someone his age. “E.” is our player in the spotlight for November 30, 2011. Be sure to check out E’s music and videos below. Bio: I was born in 1986. I started my early life in music, at the age of five, with piano and mandolin. Early...

Q: I’m at the point where I’m handling lead sheets better on gigs, but I sometimes get lost and/or second guess myself, usually resulting in me getting lost. Do you have any tips for becoming a good sight reader? A: Reading chord charts, and especially written notation, is one of the most useful tools you will develop as a working...

Viaceslav Svedov slows things down a bit (for him) with this awesome all-bass cover of Rush’s “Tom Sawyer”, in his latest video. This guy can do it all.

Oz Noy has released his newest effort, , his fifth as a leader. This CD arrived months ago to No Treble HQ – months before its official release date. I kept it in the car and on my iPhone, listening to it frequently and looking forward to posting this story. The title is perfect – this is a blues record...

The holidays are coming. Dream big! Q: If you could have Santa bring you any bass, amp or other musical gear, what would it be? A: Answer below in the comments. Ho ho ho.

Today, I’m kicking off a new Practical Theory lesson series, starting with an approach to improvising over a minor 7 chord. In the video below, I demonstrate a solo groove before describing the approach. In jazz, funk, and rock, if a solo section consists of a static minor 7 chord, most often the Dorian minor scale is used. The Dorian...

Here’s an awesome clip of Gospel bass guru Andrew Gouche, getting funky in church with some serious talent including saxophonist Donald Hayes with Tim Carmon, Gorden Campbell, Vadim Zhilberstein, Jackie Gouche, Tracy Brown, Chris Bolton, Mavuto Carpenter and Theresa Jones. Gouche masterfully backs up each player, building their solos to incredible heights while getting his own licks in at all...

With over 40 years under their belt, the prog icons in Yes have released In the Present: Live From Lyon, a new live CD/DVD combo with footage taken from their December 2009 performance in France. The band plays hit songs from throughout their career, including “Roundabout” and “Owner of a Lonely Heart,” though with the fresh face of singer Benoit...

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have announced the first leg of North American shows since their August release of I’m With You. Mixed in among their European dates, the string of six shows hit Southern arenas starting January in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. Fans can rest assured that more dates are coming soon, according to the band....

I’ve been traveling quite a bit this year, and I’ve come to rely heavily on a few different apps on my iPad and/or iPhone. I thought I’d share a few of my favorites that I haven’t touched on here already. (If you want to check out my previous recommendations, you can check them out here). You’ll notice these apps are...

Bassist Nathan Navarro teamed up with singer Dylan Patrello to form the electronic duo Dot, even though the pair live in different parts of the world and come from different musical backgrounds. “Dylan and Nathan collaborate online while being thousands of miles away as Dylan is most often in Texas and Brazil while Nathan spends time in California and Massachusetts,”...