Archive for July 2018 - Page 9
Is It Okay to Multitask While Practicing?
Q: I’m hoping that you can chime in on a debate my friend and I have going. He tends to multitask while he practices (Netflix shows streaming, social media feeds running, etc.) I always give him a hard time about because I feel like when you practice, you shouldn’t be doing other things but he feels like, as long as...
Dominic “Forest” Lapointe: Augury’s “Message Sonore” Playthrough
Heavy metal monster Dominic “Forest” Lapointe is back with a new playthrough video. This time he demonstrates how to perform the bass line to “Message Sonore” by Augury. Lapointe is known for his fretless mastery but opts for a fretted six-string for the two-handed tapping heavy song. His lines provide countermelodies to the guitar riffs while providing a running low...
In Memoriam: Richard Swift
More sad news today: Richard Swift, who toured with The Black Keys as their bassist, has passed away. He was 41 years old. Born in California to a musical family, Swift was a multi-instrumentalist and self-starter who began by experimenting with four-track cassette recorders. He launched a solo career in the early 2000s and quickly became a producer. He joined...
Squier Expands Contemporary Series with New Jazz Basses
Squier’s Contemporary Series got a little bigger at the Summer NAMM Show this year with the introduction of three new Jazz Basses: the Contemporary Active Jazz Bass HH, the Contemporary Active Jazz Bass HH V, and the Contemporary Jazz Bass. Notably, the four and five-string active models offer a more modern take on the Jazz Bass with a set of...
Andres Rotmistrovsky and Vero Perez: Don’t Know Why
Andres Rotmistrovsky has made a good handful of incredible videos featuring bass and vocal duets, and this is no different. The bassist creates a dazzling cover of “Don’t Know Why” by Norah Jones with singer Vero Perez. He adapts his awesome chordal approach to an old school vibe by using a 1967 Fender Coronado Bass II to support Perez’s gorgeous...
In Memoriam: Alan Longmuir
More sad news this week: Bay City Rollers founding bassist Alan Longmuir has passed away after a short illness. He was 70 years old. The news was announced by his family on Twitter. “We are devastated to share the news that Alan has passed away peacefully surrounded by family. He was an extraordinary man with an extraordinary heart. He brought...
Bass of the Week: Frederiek de Vette P-Style Bass
We featured two basses by Frederiek de Vette last year, and now she’s shared her third ever build with us. This time she took a bit more straight ahead approach, although it’s no less beautiful. “This build is loosely inspired on the Precision bass,” she explains. “I aimed to capture the simplicity, tonal and aesthetical character of the original, and...
Talking Technique: Optimize Your Octaves with a Killer Bass Riff
Here is a cool modern retro disco funk riff that will help you optimize your octaves. A cool slide in the middle inspires more ideas for creative explorations and technique shedding. The transcription will help you out, but follow the step-by-step way to break it down and make it manageable. Practicing technique the groovy way!
Béla Fleck and the Flecktones: Live at The Capitol Theatre
Relix streamed the Béla Fleck and the Flecktones concert at The Capitol Theatre on June 30th. What a treat it is to be able to catch Victor Wooten and the band in an entire show – whenever you want. Skip ahead to around the 2:55 mark for the music to begin.
The Gorillaz Return with “The Now Now”
The Gorillaz have always had great bass lines for their songs, and that doesn’t change on their new album The Now Now. The album, which leans more on dance and electronica, features James Ford laying down much of the instrumentals including bass. Jamaican roots/reggae bassist Junior Dan returned to the fold to play on the song “Sorcererz”. He was a...
Bass Gear Roundup: The Top Gear Stories in June 2018
Some new bass gear makes its way to our pages each June, thanks to the Summer NAMM Show. Here are the top 10 reader favorite gear stories for the month. Thanks for reading, commenting, and sharing. 1. Ibanez Compact Acoustic Electric Basses Ibanez has launched two new compact acoustic basses with the AVNB1E and the AVNB1FE. The basses, which are...
Massive Unity Unveils the Dirty Boy Preamp Pedal
Massive Unity attended the Summer NAMM Show this year and introduced the Dirty Boy preamp. Designed for guitar and bass, the unit is powered by T.A.E. technology, which is a proprietary tube amp emulation developed by engineer Danny Gomez. “Based on the classic amplifier, the Dirty Boy is a full analog amplifier simulator for line connection, a highly detailed preamp...