Archive for 2013 - Page 55

Freddy Utrera is a Venezuelan luthier who has been producing some gorgeous basses, including his Ellegance singlecut. Available in 4-, 5- and 6-string versions, the bass is evidence of the luthier’s love of natural finishes and often ships that way, just to display the gorgeous cuts of wood he utilizes. The Ellegance comes in two flavors: standard and custom. The...

It’s not easy to fill the shoes of a legend, and Charles Mingus has some huge shoes to fill. The iconic jazz bassist and composer left behind a body of work so massive, so complex, and so uniquely his own that it takes an equally rare musician to convey its spirit. Mingus’ music lives on through the Mingus Big Band,...

Evan Marien sent me the latest of his duo with drummer Dana Hawkins. This time around, they’re performing the tune “Sweatn.” I’ve said it before… these guys just knock me out. How about you?

Peerless Guitars has launched a pair of 4-string versions of their Retromatic guitar with the Retromatic B1 and B2 basses. Sporting a vintage vibe, the basses feature a chambered, semi-hollow body design finished in natural, teal green, honey sunburst, ivory, black, gold or candy apple red colors. The B1 is fitted with a single humbucker designed by Matt Gleeson of...

Q: I was wondering if you could share your thoughts on playing around the beat: when to play behind the beat? Ahead? And so on… A: Good question! And also one that is a bit dependent upon how you feel the music. Generally speaking, it is up to you and the rest of the band to determine how a song...

Simon Fitzpatrick is a guy who constantly pushes himself to see what can be done on the bass. Here’s the latest example: an incredibly intricate solo bass version of the classic Yes track “Roundabout.” After putting it all together with just his bass and his hands, Fitzpatrick builds the piece with a looper to lay a superb solo overtop.

In 1975 and 1976, former Fab Four bassist Paul McCartney and his band Wings took the world by storm with the “Wings over the World” tour, a 66-date trek across Australia, Europe and North America. It was the largest tour the band would ever undertake, and it resulted in the triple live album Wings Over America. A concert film entitled...

Meet Gabe Bernard, a bassist and student who has one of the coolest dads around. We really enjoyed Gabe’s story, and so he was an easy choice for this week’s reader in the spotlight. Plus, he put Joe Dart down as one of his influences. Awesome. Bio: My dad decided that the moment he left college he would start a...

Time to get funky. Here’s another quick bass lick lesson for you, centered around a pentatonic fill. Follow along with the video and this transcription (PDF download). If you want some background, there are a few lessons here covering pentatonic scales and patterns: Breaking Down the Pentatonic Scale: The Five Positions on Bass Improvising and Groove: Substituting Pentatonic Scales on...

Bassist Dante Pascuzzo arranged this cool version of Joe Henderson’s “Inner Urge,” which takes the jazz standard and adds a electronica break beat to it. Pascuzzo lays down some fat upright bass before chording and soloing with his 5-string electric. Dig it.

Adding to their extended range bass lineup, Ibanez has introduced the Limited Edition BTB7. The 7-string bass adds a high F-string to the company’s existing 6-string BTB configuration. The BTB7 features neck-through construction with a 7-piece maple, bubinga, and walnut neck sporting maple body wings topped with walnut. Its body shape follows the BTB style with deep cutaways and an...

Last time, we talked about left hand “pivoting” and its potential to make difficult passages more accessible. In order to execute a pivot with ease, however, we must have a supple thumb. In fact, for masterful left hand technique of any sort we must have a thumb that is light, flexible, and easily moveable. It should be independent of the...