Archive for September 2013 - Page 3

One of the most important things we do as bass players is to create and lock into a groove. When I practice this I prefer a drum machine to a metronome. Here’s a guide to working with a drum machine to master the groove: 1. Set the tempo and style. Choose all the styles you are trying to be competent...

Alun Vaughan shared this video with us featuring bassist Jose Castillo performing his take on the Bela Fleck & The Flecktones tune “The Sinister Minister”. Jose is covering more than just the bass, as you’ll soon see. Wow!

Stuart Bahn has just released the second in his Music Theory Toolkit Series of apps for Android devices, entitled Music Theory – Chords in Minor Keys. The app trains you to learn all the minor, major, and diminished chords found in all 12 minor keys. Your theory is tested as the app displays a minor key and a roman numeral,...

Last week was dominated by popular new bass gear stories and awesome bass videos. That, plus Damian’s latest column and a “How to Groove” lesson by MarloweDK make up the top 10 most popular stories, how-to’s and videos on No Treble for the week of September 15-21, 2013. Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing! Keep it low. 1. Vulfpeck: My...

Last month we featured a burning track by the Jonathan Scales Fourchestra entitled “TNFJ“. The song really caught readers’ attention with sick drumming, other-worldly steel drums, and of course, the extra funky bass line by Cody Wright. Wright, who uses a pick to play, also wowed us with a driving and percussive solo. Here is his new video tutorial on...

At face value, it may not seem like Elvis Costello and The Roots would be a natural pairing, but their new collaborative album Wise Up Ghost is proof that their musical visions sync up in a special way. The project started on the set of Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, where drummer Ahmir ”?uestlove” Thompson and The Roots are the...

Cort has announced a line of 20th Anniversary editions of their Artisan basses, including the Artisan A-Custom 20th and the Artisan B 20th. Each of the models are limited edition and come in four and five-string versions with a 20th Anniversary logo on the electronics cover plate. The Cort Artisan A-Custom 20th bass features neck-thru construction centered around a 9-piece...

September 21st is a sad day in the world of bass. Twenty-six years ago today, Jaco Pastorius passed away at the age of 35. I’m playing more Jaco music than usual today (if that’s possible), and that has also included several videos. And then I stumbled upon this rarity: Jaco performing “Donna Lee” live in a video I hadn’t seen...

After introducing the Dimension Bass as part of their Modern Player Series, Fender has revealed that the bass is now available as part of their Deluxe and American Deluxe instrument lines. Available in 4- and 5-string versions, the Fender Deluxe Dimension Bass is built with an ash body in the model’s new body shape, the Black-finish model is made with...

Prepare to have your face melted. Here’s an insane video of Cryptopsy bassist Olivier Pinard and guitarist Chris Donaldson ripping through the song “Two-Pound Torch” from the band’s self-titled album. Pinard proves to be just as nimble as Donaldson and employs several techniques to spice up the bass line.

If you happen to follow Esperanza Spalding’s Facebook page, you might have seen from photos of her Radio Music Society summer tours that she’s wielding a slick new 5-string fretless. The bass is a South Paw, created by NYC luthier Simon Propert, and it’s one of a kind. “Each bass is custom and a little different, so there is no...

I don’t know how Zander Zon does it, but he just keeps bringing his incredible bass arrangement videos. In this new one, Zander tackles The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” with a killer piccolo bass arrangement and performance on his Zon VB4.