Archive for March 2014 - Page 8

So far in our Profiles in Tone series, we’ve covered two legendary, old school rock bassists. Now we’re diving into death metal with a detailed look at one of the kings of metal’s deep end: Alex Webster. As bassist and founder of Cannibal Corpse, Webster has been an influence to legions of metal bassists. The band has twelve studio albums...

Our friend Steven Iarusci shard this video saying “Here’s a video I found through Jørgen Munkeby, the sax player in this video. It features bassist Michel Falcão holding down the head by locking in with the bass drum, then taking a pretty great solo, then back to the bass drum. Great stuff!” Turns out, “great stuff” is an understatement. Wow!...

The record that set the bar higher for orchestral jazz, Gary Burton’s has been reissued after being mastered from the original analog recordings. Originally released in 1973, the record featured vibraharp player Burton, with jazz bassist extraordinaire Steve Swallow, guitarist Michael Goodrick, drummer Ted Seibs, and the NDR-Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Michael Gibbs, who also composed the music inspired by...

Darkglass Electronics is expanding on their vintage pedal concept this year with the Vintage Deluxe Preamp. A riff on their Microtubes Vintage, the pedal revolves around an ERA knob that interacts with the drive control to dish out different tones from the ’70s through the ’90s. The Vintage Deluxe takes the Drive, Level, ERA, and Blend controls from its predecessor...

Q: Most pros say that playing with other musicians is one of the most important things a bassist can do. After practicing alone for a few years, I’ve returned to the band setting. I love gigging and I love band practice, but I find myself playing very conservatively. In no way am I trying to get crazy and show off...

The Professors of the Cornel School of Contemporary Music got together and performed their take of “The Chicken”. The group includes Abraham Laboriel on bass, Jimmy Branly on drums, Otmaro Ruiz on keys and Allen Hinds on guitar. Many people think Jaco Pastorius wrote this tune, but it was actually composed by Alfred “Pee Wee” Ellis, who arranged and co-wrote...

Les Claypool has been focusing on his Duo de Twang lately, but he’s getting geared up to return to Primus with a string of dates announced for May and June. The jaunt will kick off with a three-night run at the Brooklyn Bowl in Las Vegas, Nevada from May 1st to May 3rd, after which they’ll join Queens of the...

Meet Ryan Weber, a bassist who started bass at the young age of 11 – over half his life ago – playing in a successful band with his brother, guitarist Sam Weber. Ryan’s response to the “superhero” question is awesome, as is his story. So he was an easy choice for this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight. Bio...

Time to get funky! In this lesson, we’ll play a groove in A minor using a left hand tap technique – one of Abe Laboriel’s many slap bass techniques, which was later popularized by Victor Wooten. This technique requires strength in the left hand, or low action. Download this transcription (standard notation and TAB), and follow along with the video...

Scott Devine wrote “Long Time Coming” and took it into the studio with his Project-Live Band. Scott said the tune “was recorded completely live, no rehearsals… just 5 guys in the studio having fun and seeing what they can come up with.” Great laid back tune, with great musicians and a terrific bass solo. What else is there?

Drive-By Truckers’ 12th album, , is almost exclusively the result of just 13 days of recording by a compact lineup that features bassist Matt Patton, who joined the band in 2013. (Only one song was recorded at a different time.) “This lineup is so direct,” said Mike Cooley, one of the band’s primary singer-guitarist-songwriters (the other is Patterson Hood.) “It...

Regenerate Guitar Works debuted their first artist signature model at NAMM this year with their Bill Clements Signature 4-string bass. Clements, who is known for his wicked left hand tapping style, worked closely with the company to make the bass’s design the exact type he would use. “Unlike many artist signature models where the artist is playing a customized version...