Archive for September 2014 - Page 7
Electro-Harmonix Enters Compact Looping Pedal Market with the NanoLooper 360
The compact looping pedal market is heating up, with Electro-Harmonix adding their own pedal to the mix. The NanoLooper 360 is a compact looping pedal with 360 seconds of loop recording time that can be split into 11 different loops. Housed in a die-cast chassis, it records uncompressed audio at 24-bit A/D/A and a 44.1kHz sample rate. The pedal’s control...
Maintaining Your Tone Between Fingerstyle and Slap
Q: Most of the time, I play fingerstyle, but sometimes in the middle of some songs, I change to slap-style. In those situations, I find I just don’t have enough punch to come through. I don’t think that’s a matter of technique or strength. What do you suggest? Do I need a gearbox to augment the volume when I switch...
Chris Thile & Edgar Meyer: Why Only One?
Bassist Edgar Meyer and mandolinist Chris Thile released a new album this week, aptly entitled . The duo took a little time out to find a slice of heaven in the mountains around Telluride, Colorado to perform the first track from the record called “Why Only One?” Meyer’s seemingly effortless technique and fantastic tone perfectly complement Thile’s percussive and provocative...
In Flames, Featuring Peter Iwers, Is Back with “Siren Charms”
Swedish metal band In Flames has released its 11th studio album, . The group, which features Peter Iwers on bass, is known for its evolution from its melodic death metal beginnings to a sound that in recent years, has incorporated more alternative and metalcore elements. Siren Charms is available on , and as a digital download ( and ). Hear...
Reader Spotlight: Carson Ouellette
Meet Carson Ouellette, a bassist who has taken to the double bass in recent years (after a longer run on the electric) to anchor Black Lady Soul. The band offers up a unique blend of genres, but with their own spin. Carson is No Treble’s reader in the spotlight for the week of September 8, 2014. Here’s his story. Bio:...
Top 10: The Most Watched Bass Videos (August 2014)
Man, these top 10 video lists really get me going. While we cover a variety of genres – not all of which are my favorite – I can say I truly love 9 out of the 10 most watched videos on No Treble in August, 2014. How many can you count as your favorites? 1. Common Thread with Alissia Benveniste:...
Alun Vaughan: “Bohemian Rhapsody” Solo Bass Arrangement
About three years ago, bassist Alun Vaughan shared a video of Simon Fitzpatrick performing an all-bass arrangement of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Alun just shared with us his own take on the tune, also arranged for solo bass. “A quick demo of my solo arrangement of Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. (Apologies for a couple of synching issues that I couldn’t fix),” Alun...
Tony Levin and His Brother Pete Release Their Take on Old-School Cool Jazz
Love 1950s’-style “cool” jazz? You’re in good company. Renowned bassist Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson) and his famed keyboardist brother Pete (Miles Davis, Gil Evans, Jaco Pastorius, Wayne Shorter) have always adored it, too, and now the pair have recorded their first album together as a duo, because of their affection for it. As Tony, who also plays cello...
Bass of the Week: Beardly Customs Rainbow Bass
Beardly Customs luthier Rick Link sent us this example of his take on a rainbow style bass, and it looks like he knocked it out of the park. The bass is centered around its body, which has thirty separate pieces of wood to give a rainbow-like effect. Link used rosewood, purpleheart, wenge, flamed maple, redwood burl, blood wood, walnut, cocobolo,...
Starting Back Up on Bass After a Long Break
Even those of us who maintain a regular practice routine may find ourselves taking an extended period of time away from our instrument. Vacations, travel, illness, work, incarceration, etc. can keep even the most dedicated musician away from their instrument. With an instrument as physically demanding as the double bass, we would be wise to put forethought into how we...
Dominique Muzeau: “A Day in the Life” Solo Bass Arrangement
French bassist and No Treble reader Dominique Muzeau sent in this serene solo bass version of the classic McCartney/Lennon song “A Day in the Life,” and I’m glad he did. “I play a Takamine B10 bass and a while ago I was looking for some other players of this instrument on the web,” he wrote. “[I couldn’t find] something very...
Weekly Roundup: RIP Glenn Cornick, Trujillo with Rodrigo y Gabriela, Rare Jaco, Rithimic Review, New Gear and More
If it’s Sunday, it means it is time for the weekly roundup featuring the top 10 most read stories and most watched videos of the week. Sadly, this week we said goodbye to another bassist, Jethro Tull’s Glenn Cornick. We also got a look at some rare Jaco footage, Robert Trujillo performing with Rodrigo y Gabriela and some other great...