Archive for 2015 - Page 5

Regardless of what happens with Rush in the future, we’re lucky to have so many albums – and videos – to enjoy. From their R40 Tour this year, here’s Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart performing “YYZ” – a song I think we can all agree is one of the all-time greats. This video comes from the they released...

Reggae legends Sly & Robbie’s latest album pairs the duo with Japanese reggae group Spicy Chocolate. The album, The Reggae Power 2, also features late reggae great Bob Marley’s grandson, Skip. “Once we heard Skip’s record ‘Cry to Me’ we knew that we wanted to try and involve him in the album,” said bassist Robbie Shakespeare, who is one half...

Jeremy Davis has parted ways with Paramore, according to a post on the band’s Facebook page. The bassist was a founding member in 2004. “These last few years have held some of the most fulfilling moments we’ve had yet… as people, as friends, and as a band,” the statement reads. “The Self-Titled era was one that we knew would be...

When our Instagram friend Eric Fortaleza posted a picture of his beautiful 1959 Gibson EB-2 Bass, we had to ask him to share his story with us. In this edition of Old School, we get the scoop. Here’s the story… How long have you owned it? Since Christmas 2013. I decided to buy myself a Christmas present. How did you...

Bassist Charles Berthoud shared this video he recorded with New Hampshire Bass Fest founder and Berklee instructor Jim Stinnett. The song is Charles’ original composition “I Wanna Be…,” which features some sweet fretless lines by Stinnett on top of Berthoud’s tap bass foundation.

Some of prolific Czech-born jazz double bassist George Mraz’s work from the late 1970s into 1980 with the John Abercrombie Quartet has been released by ECM records as part of a three-CD set in its Old & New Masters series called The First Quartet, which combines the albums Arcade, Abercrombie Quartet and M. Mraz performed on the albums in the...

Looking to save some room on your pedalboard? KLIQ Music Gear has unveiled the compact TinyTune pedal tuner, which measures up at 3.66″ by 1.5″ by 1.22″. Weighing 4.3 ounces, the TinyTune has a tuning range of A0 to C8 with tuning precision of ±0.5 cents. Other features include flat tuning up to four semitones, A4 calibration between 430 and...

Q: I have no real problem (anymore) performing publicly with groups/bands, with taking a solo, or with people overhearing me practice (though of course I try to be considerate). But I have an anxiety around transcribing that feels almost like stage fright, and I can’t quite get myself to incorporate it into my daily practice routine. In my mind –...

Steve Lawson’s creative output stems from his in-the-moment style of playing. Instead of reshaping the music in the studio, he captures that energy for all of his albums by performing them live. That includes his latest, “The Way Home”, which features some soulful playing over a live loop. “A few people seem baffled by the idea that my latest two...

The Allman Brothers Band’s landmark 1970 album Idlewild South is getting the deluxe treatment 45 years after its initial release. The album, which features “Midnight Rider” and “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” as well as the playing of late bassist Berry Oakley (d. Nov. 11, 1972 from a motorcycle accident), is being released in three forms: a single remastered album;...

When it comes to funk, Los Angeles area bassist Robert Harper knows a thing or two – heavily influenced by such greats as Louis Johnson, Larry Graham, and Bootsy Collins. Robert grew up in the suburbs in a city called Carson where musical talent was in abundance and the avenues were wide open, participating in every school he attended Robert...

A cool harmonic concept that bebop players have used for years is substituting dominant 7th chords – built in minor 3rds – over the V7 chord of the key. In this lesson, we’ll cover this concept to learn the possibilities of Diminished II V chord substitution over the II V I progression. Follow along with the video, and be sure...