Skip to main content

Archive for March 2014 - Page 4

Shahab Tolouie and Jan Urbanec: My Lost Smile
Bass Videos

Shahab Tolouie and Jan Urbanec: My Lost Smile

Jan Urbanec sent us a note about his new project, and a video to go along with it. The duo pairs the bassist with Shahab Tolouie. “It is a fusion of Flamenco, Persian traditional music and modern groove,” explains Jan. “Shahab comes from Iran, studied flamenco in Spain and lives now in Prague.” Jan once again plays his semi-acoustic fretless,...

John McLaughlin and The 4th Dimension Release “The Boston Record”
New Albums

John McLaughlin and The 4th Dimension Release “The Boston Record”

John McLaughlin and The 4th Dimension’s shows in 2013 showcased not only music from guitar great McLaughlin’s last two albums with the band, but a new take on the Mahavishnu Orchestra’s classic “You Know, You Know.” reveals the group at its live best on the final show of the tour, at Berklee College of Music. The 4th Dimension — including...

Ashdown Launches Rootmaster Series Bass Amplifiers
Amps

Ashdown Launches Rootmaster Series Bass Amplifiers

Ashdown Engineering unveiled a new range of amplifiers in their Rootmaster Series at this year’s NAMM Show. The lineup includes two bass heads, five speaker cabinets, and three combo amplifiers offered at an affordable price. The Rootmaster amplifiers and combos come in either 220 or 420 watts with the combos offering 1×15″, 2×10″, and 1×12″ speaker configurations. Each of the...

How to Build Muscle Memory: A List for Bass Players
Ask Damian Erskine

How to Build Muscle Memory: A List for Bass Players

Q: I hear everybody talking about “muscle memory”, i.e. being able to play without looking at the fingerboard. How do you get there? Any special advice or exercises, especially for fretless? A: Muscle memory is crucial to your development as a player. I also consider the ability to use harmonic devices (like substations and different chord scales) a type of...

Sergey Danilevych: Staying Forever (Live Dubstep Performance)
Bass Videos

Sergey Danilevych: Staying Forever (Live Dubstep Performance)

No Treble reader Sergey Danilevych sent us this video of him performing with drummer Josh Schusterman. The tune, “Staying Forever” is an original by Sergey, who said this was recorded in one take with no overdubs. All of the samples were triggered in real time from Abletone Live and iPad. Something else I found cool was the voices, which were...

Evan Marien Releases “We Are All You”
New Albums

Evan Marien Releases “We Are All You”

Top sideman, composer (Baby Raptors) and producer/bassist Evan Marien has dropped his fourth solo release, We Are All You. The seven-song collection features not only the bassist’s own compositions but also a cover of Weather Report’s classic “Teen Town,” and he said he knows the cover might garner listens from people unfamiliar with his work. He said covers seem to...

Reader Spotlight: Mark Petersen
Reader Spotlight

Reader Spotlight: Mark Petersen

Meet Mark Petersen, a bassist who grew up in the 70’s, when bass was bass, and people knew it. He says he’s played bass long enough that he’s “[ripped off] Geezer Butler as much as I [has] Flea.” Mark is No Treble’s reader in the spotlight for the week of March 17, 2014. Here’s his story. Bio I am a...

Ampeg Revamps BA Series Bass Combo Amps
Amps

Ampeg Revamps BA Series Bass Combo Amps

Ampeg’s iconic BA series of bass combos is getting a facelift this year, the company announced for Musikmesse 2014. The lineup has been completely re-envisioned with new versions for the BA-108, BA-110, BA-112, BA-115 and BA-210 models. Each of the models now has front-facing controls and a true sixty degree monitoring angle so they can be set up as a...

Ian Pettersson: On Raglan Road
Bass Videos

Ian Pettersson: On Raglan Road

Yes, St. Paddy’s Day was yesterday, but we’re going to celebrate a little more today with some bass goodness from Ian Pettersson. Ian sent us this video of him performing his own solo bass arrangement of the classic Irish song, “On Raglan Road”. Ian said the song is based on a “poem by Patrick Kavanagh but made famous by Luke...

Rush’s “Spirit of the Airwaves” Released in US
News

Rush’s “Spirit of the Airwaves” Released in US

Rush fans can now get a more “official” version of the St. Louis ’80 concert bootleg that’s been circulating for years with the release of . Spirit is a recording of a 1980 live broadcast of a show in St. Louis as part of the band’s Permanent Waves tour. And while the 18-song performance from bassist extraordinaire and vocalist Geddy...

Baer Amplification’s New Valkyrie Bass Amp Now Available
Amps

Baer Amplification’s New Valkyrie Bass Amp Now Available

Baer Amplification is now shipping the Valkyrie, an 850-watt bass amplifier featuring the company’s Trans-Hybrid Preamp. The Valkyrie’s solid state preamp sounds rich without adding much coloration while the amp’s tube hybrid preamp adds more personality with more harmonic overtones and growl. The two sections are switched as easily as the push of a button. The Valkyrie puts out 850...

Lesson: Half-Time 16th Note Shuffle Bass Groove
Bass Lessons

Lesson: Half-Time 16th Note Shuffle Bass Groove

Here’s a new lick to add to your bag of tricks: a half-time 16th-note shuffle groove with a hip-hop vibe. The pattern is based on the G minor pentatonic scale. (Note: If you need some background on the pentatonic scale, here’s a good lesson to help you get started.) Follow along with the video and this transcription (PDF with both...