Best of 2019: The Top 10 “Ask Damian Erskine” Columns

Damian Erskine’s highly popular “Ask” column ran for over 10 years. (That’s 533 columns.) On December 4th, Damian announced he was taking a break, at least for a while.

However, he still logged nearly a year’s worth of columns in 2019, covering theory, gigging, gear, learning, and more. Here are the top 10 reader favorites.

1. Where To Start with Music Theory

A reader sent Damian one of the most honest questions we've seen, focused on his lack of understanding theory and his desire to change that. Check out what Damian has to say on “Where To Start with Music Theory.”

2. Series vs. Parallel Wired Pickups

In this week’s “Ask” column, a reader asked Damian to explain the difference between series and parallel circuitry in pickups. Check out Damian’s excellent overview on the topic.

3. How Much Music Theory Do I Really Need To Know?

A reader emailed Damian describing his struggles with music theory and asked for his thoughts on the importance of it. While there are lots of ways to look at this, Damian breaks describes some paths to take in your musical growth.

4. How to Stay Healthy When Touring

Damian Erskine lost 72 pounds since the beginning of the year, and he did it over a time of lots of touring. A reader noticed and asked Damian to cover “How to Stay Healthy When Touring” in this new “Ask” column.

5. Is There a Right Way To Set My EQ?

A reader sent Damian a question asking about all the knobs on his bass (and even more on his amp). The specific question is: “Is There a Right Way To Set My EQ?” Check out what Damian has to say.

6. What’s the Trick to Slap Bass?

This week’s “Ask Damian” column focuses on the subject of slap bass - in two parts. First, the basics, and second, the rhythm patterns. Damian expands on this to explore learning all styles in this new column.

7. Switching Between 4, 5, and 6-string Basses

This week’s “Ask” question starts like this: “How do you switch between 4/5/6 strings when the low E has been ingrained in my memory?” Check out what Damian has to say about making the switch.

8. Why Isn’t Solo Bass More Accepted?

As of tomorrow, we’ve been publishing for 10 years, and this has always been a topic in the comments. (A little less now, but still a thing.) This week, Damian tackles a question from a reader: “Why Isn’t Solo Bass More Accepted?”

9. Bass Instruction: A Guide to the Best Books

This week’s “Ask” question centers around bass instruction books: which ones Damian prefers to teach from, and which ones were instrumental to his learning. Check out his list of recommendations.

10. How Important are Intervals in Bass Lines?

One of the great things about the “Ask Damian” column is that Damian gets questions from people at all levels, including those just starting out. This week, he dives in to the basics of intervals.