Archive for 2011 - Page 34

Last week’s top 10 features on No Treble include two columns on practicing and the mind. Damian Erskine weighs in with Mindfully Mindless Practice, and Dr. D. shares his thoughts on Mental Practice. Plus, Ryan Madora posted her latest Blues Bass column, focusing on major and minor chords. On the gear front, we took an inside look at M Basses...

Tony Levin is at it once again, teaming up with other powerhouse musicians on a new album that is as unique as they come. The first-time collaboration of Levin on bass and Stick, along with guitarist David Torn and drummer Alan White of Yes, has released Levin Torn White, an album the band describes as “a collaborative beatdown of original...

Here’s bassist Jonas Hellborg showing off his signature Warwick bass in a live performance… and his crazy skills.

Bill Wyman will be taking his Rhythm Kings on an extensive tour of the UK this Fall, beginning in October and wrapping in December. The “Back In the UK Tour” kicks off at the Grand Theatre in Swansea and snakes across the entire country, visiting 36 venues in all. The tour coincides with a new box set from the band,...

BOSS is introducing their latest in the Loop Station series, with the all-new RC-300. This is BOSS’s new flagship model, replacing the popular RC-50. The new device includes multi-track loop phrases, built-in effects, enhanced real-time control options and USB. The recording time gets a big boost in the RC-300, with up to three hours of stereo recording time – seven...

The metal veterans in Anthrax have released Worship Music, their first studio album in eight years and the first to feature vocalist Joey Belladonna since 1990’s Persistence of Time. “Getting Joey back in as our full-time, permanent singer solidified us as a unit like we hadn’t been in years,” said guitarist Scott Ian. “All of us were on the same...

Aerosmith has been together for 40 years. That takes some serious hustle. In this clip, Tom Hamilton plays a simple groove-based solo in this clip before kicking into one of the most recognizable bass riffs in rock history.

Add one more album to the list of 2,500+ (and counting) albums for legendary bassist Ron Carter. But in one way, Carter’s newest album, Great Big Band, is a first. Surprisingly, Carter has never recorded a big band album. Carter says Great Big Band was “more accidental than intentional. Having done every conceivable recording under my name, the only project...

Ibanez has introduced a revamped version of their Destroyer bass, which will be available only as a limited run. Based on their guitar version, the Destroyer bass was discontinued in the late ’80s. Available in a Candy Apple Red finish, the DTB100 features a mahogany body with a classic angular design and a three-piece maple neck. The rosewood fingerboard has...

When it comes to playing bass, it’s easy to stick to specific patterns, rely on our ability to provide the musical foundation with the root and the fifth, and leave the chord knowledge up to the guitar players. Although there are musical situations where playing the root and the fifth is appropriate, it is essential for bass players to understand...

Here’s an awesome clip of Living Colour from the 1988 MTV New Music Assault Tour. Shot at Auburn University, the performance shows the band in top shape with original bassist Muzz Skillings laying it down and ripping it up, especially under Vernon Reid’s burning solo. Skillings left the band four years later due to musical differences, and was eventually replaced...

Furthur will be hitting the road again this Fall with a nationwide tour of the U.S. Rooted by Phil Lesh, the group is an offshoot of bassist’s former band The Grateful Dead, and also includes guitarist/vocalist Bob Weir. The two friends recruited bandmates for this latest project in 2009, and have been touring with it since. Deadheads will be treated...