Archive for May 2015 - Page 8

Bassist Craig Gruber, best known as an original member of Rainbow, has passed away from prostate cancer. He was 63 years old. Gruber’s rise in the rock world began when he joined Elf in late 1973. The band was fronted by Ronnie James Dio, who also covered bass duties before Gruber’s introduction. The bassist was featured on two studio albums...

Spector Basses has introduced a new Mike Starr Signature version of their Euro4LX bass. Available as a limited edition, the bass is crafted in the company’s Czech factory and will only be available for order in the 2015 calendar year. “We started working with Mike on this before he passed away,” Spector’s PJ Rubal told us. “He’s known for his...

Q: I have been interested in music all my life, but never played an instrument. Now that I’m retired, I have taken up playing the bass for the last six months from an instructor. I started out learning the notes on the bass itself and one song using notes. But since then, all of my learning has been by the...

During the 2014 Tbilisi Jazz Festival, Stanley Clarke took the stage with pianist Beka Gochiashvili and performed this killer version of “Brazilian Love Affair”. The tune was written by one of Clarke’s longtime collaborators, George Duke, who passed away in 2013.

Jeff Beck’s latest live album Live+, features performances from the legendary guitarist’s 2014 tour, with Rhonda Smith (also known for her time in Prince’s band) on bass. Two new studio tracks — “Tribal” and “My Tiled White Floor” round out the collection. The album, recorded at a variety of venues, features favorites like “Big Block,” as well as Beck’s covers...

Meet Declan Miers, a young bassist who has been playing music from a very early age. He has a great story, and one of my favorite parts is the beginning, when he “picked up [his] dad’s 1975 Rickenbacker 4001 and got to work.” At just 14 years of age, Declan is doing work beyond his years. This is a great...

Here’s a lesson I’d consider more beginner/intermediate-level, but it is a great refresher for all of us. Many times, we have to play a line which requires some quick shifting along the fretboard. Here’s a simple exercise for fast position shifts. Follow along with the video.

Miki Santamaria just sent me his latest video, which he calls “Bass vs Drums”. Miki handles two bass parts that’ll knock you out, along with drummer Casey Cooper. Dig it!

The latest studio album from the Zac Brown Band, Jekyll + Hyde, lives up to its literary name, promising a variety of emotional states. Featuring dedicated bassist Matt Mangano, the album not only includes the country/rock crossover hit “Homegrown,” but also the Jason Isbell-penned “Dress Blues” about fallen soldiers, a collaboration with Sara Bareilles, and “Heavy Is the Head,” featuring...

This week we check out a custom Cremona 5 by New York Bass Works. Built by luthier David Segal for bassist Sean Joynes, the instrument is based around a rare wood from central Africa called Moabi. Joynes gave us the scoop: “This new Cremona 5 bass is made of Red Alder with a Moabi Pommele (African Pearwood) top,” he wrote....

The four movements of the left hand fingers necessary for string playing (to paraphrase the great violin pedagogue Demetrius Constantine Dounis) are: Lifting: Raising a finger from the fingerboard/string Dropping: Lowering a finger/Pressing a string to the fingerboard Sliding: Moving a finger along the string so the pitch rises or lowers accordingly Holding: leaving a finger down on the string...

Osmar Oliveira shared his terrific all-bass performance of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here”. I love Osmar’s fretless work on the vocal lines, and his emulation of the guitar is impressive too.