Reader Spotlight: Brian Wroten
I first discovered Brian Wroten thanks to his excellent bass transcriptions and videos. We connected over email, and he became a guest contributor here, offering up some terrific analysis and transcriptions.
Now we get to hear about his life and background. Brian is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight. Here’s his story…
Bio:
I’m an American-born acoustic bass guitarist and composer with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a Master’s from the University of Tasmania, Hobart in Composition. I released an album of Acoustic-Bass progressive classical music called Tasman in 2013. I currently operate a website dedicated to bassline transcriptions along with a Youtube channel, ABGBrian I upload new videos to every week.
Location:
Bangkok, Thailand
Day gig:
English teacher for high-school level Thai children. Bass transcriptionist and composer in my free time.
Years experience:
17 years
Bands & Gigs:
No, I just compose my own music at home and record it with my various friends around the world. The transcriptions I do kind of take the place of band rehearsals though because I spend several hours a week just working on those as a means to increase my profile as a bassist despite having no gigging band or ensemble.
Gear:
- Breedlove BJ350/SMe4 Acoustic Bass Guitar
- Tanglewood Roadster Bass Ukelele
- Scarlett Red 2i2 Recording Interface
- Logic Pro 9
Why I play the bass:
All of my friends either played guitar or drums. I had to be the bass player by default. I thought Cliff Burton was pretty awesome as well.
My bass superpower/claim to fame:
I play a lot of arpeggios and chords in my own music, so I think I’m very good at quickly shifting between awkward chord shapes.
My influences:
- Cliff Burton
- Chris Squire
- James Jamerson
- Geddy Lee
- John Paul Jones
- Brian Ritchie (Violent Femmes)
- Jeff Caxide (ISIS)
- Jaco Pastorius
- Krist Novoselic (Nirvana)
- Jack Bruce
More on the web:
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