Archive for August 2012 - Page 6

Megadeth is currently on tour in support of TH1RT3EN, their latest album. Bassist David Ellefson shares this nine minute, behind-the-scenes video from their final stop on the Asia tour, in Singapore on August 7th. Among other things, David finds a Starbucks, apparently one of the band’s favorite things to do (and obviously, the fans are in to it too.) Tip...

Q: I’ve been playing bass for many years, and started playing the 6-string bass only about six years ago. I’m currently stuck in a dormant sludge of un-creativity! Any thoughts on who offers a good 6-string finger exercise, scale patterns, a book or even a good video? I can’t seem to get out of the same old riffs… I’m not...

Check out this video for “Behind the Curtain” by Czech Republic bassist David Habiger’s new group Project Dirty Work. The sneak peek video offers a first look at the band for which Habiger is listed as the “main protagonist.” The bassist also composes all the music, which has tinges of hard driving metal as well as thoughtful, melodious chordal playing.

Snarky Puppy is gearing up for a 47-date tour of the North America in support of their latest effort, groundUP. Led by bassist Michael League, the group will kick things off in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania before zig-zagging across the States with a couple of Canadian dates thrown in the mix. The band’s eclectic mix of genres is hard to put a...

Meet Drew Felder, a bassist who goes by the nickname “Hondo” (I don’t see any actual Hondo basses on his gear list though – and I may be dating myself with that comment). Drew is a pretty interesting and funny guy. So we think you’ll like this week’s reader spotlight. Bio: I’m an undead bassist/composer from the Philly area. My...

Bass videos rule. And here are the ten that ruled most in July 2012, based on No Treble reader views. Enjoy! 1. Victor Wooten: “Isn’t She Lovely”, Live Solo Bass Performance In April, Victor Wooten held a music clinic at a music school in Mechanicsville, Virginia. One of the songs he performed was his solo bass take on Stevie Wonder’s...

The Kinky Wizzards is a British bass and drum duo made up of Jonathan and Matthew Griffiths. The brothers have been playing together since they were around 11 years old, playing as a duo as well as a rhythm section in several bands. Bassist Matthew sent us this awesome video of three of their original songs – “Walk to the...

Stagetrix is now shipping the Setting Saver, a marker that applies a clean, bright fluorescent green ink on your gear to help keep track of your settings. The ink lights up under black light and is easily removed wiping it off with your finger without leaving any residue. It’s available now with an MSRP of $5.99. For more info, check...

Ibanez’s SR series has gotten a little bigger with the new SR256PW, a 6-string bass with active electronics and a price most can reach. Offered in Pearl White, the bass is built with a mahogany body and a bolt-on 3-piece maple neck. The rosewood fingerboard has pearl dot inlays as position markers. The bass comes equipped with a pair of...

“Thumb position” is a left hand technique in which the thumb is used on top of the board to press down the strings. In essence, we use it just as we use our other fingers. Although the technique can be used anywhere on the instrument, this technique is most often used at the midpoint of the string or higher. Thumb...

Bassist Alfredo Guerrieri shared his videos with us. I watched several, and had a hard time picking one out. But his performance of the Jaco Pastorius version of the classic bebop tune “Donna Lee” was just a hair above the rest. This is from Alfredo’s master’s recital at Cleveland State University in 2010, and also features Joey Jablonski on congas....

So much bass goodness, it is almost too much to handle. Almost. Here are the most viewed stories and videos on No Treble for the week of August 5-11, 2012. Enjoy! 1. Les Claypool Auctions Personal Pachyderm Prototype Bass Almost two years ago, Les Claypool reached out to his fans for help. His two month old nephew was diagnosed with...