Reader Spotlight: Ryan Templeton

Ryan Templeton

Meet Ryan Templeton, a bassist from Springfield, Missouri who originally got his start on trombone before switching to bass. Since then, he’s covered a ton of musical ground.

Ryan is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight (you could be next). Here’s his story…

Bio:

A Midwest native and a ’90s kid, I have been fascinated with playing music since middle school. Transitioning from trombone to electric bass, I’ve played everything from classical music to metalcore. After graduating college, I discovered the inbound marketing methodology and united my passion for music and marketing in the form of a website: Mastertemps Bass Blog, where I help beginner and intermediate bassists advance their skills to the next level through inspiration and education by sharing my past experiences as a musician – anything from the mistakes I’ve made to the “Aha!” moments.

Location:

Springfield, MO, USA

Years experience:

17 years

Why I play the bass:

In high school I had a friend who started playing the bass guitar for his church worship band. I was at his house one day and noticed it sitting in the corner. I picked it up and had no clue what I was doing… little did I know, I was playing it upside down (my friend is left handed and so was his bass). Even though my knowledge of the instrument was extremely limited, I was able to take what I knew from playing the trombone in school band and transfer those skills to the bass. Soon after, I started playing and never looked back.

Gear:

Basses:

  • Sire Marcus Miller P7 (first generation)
  • Ibanez SR805

Pedals:

  • TC Electronic SpectraComp
  • Darkglass Electronics B3K
  • Zoom MS-60B
  • Ernie Ball VP
  • Electro-Harmonix Freeze Sound Retainer
  • TC Electronic Ditto Looper

Amp:

  • Ampeg SVT-3 PRO Amp
  • Ampeg B42X Cab

My Influences:

The underground metalcore/emo scene was huge when I was in high school, which was also when I started playing bass. Bands like UnderOath, He Is Legend, Haste The Day, August Burns Red, and Project 86 were big influences on my musical taste and approach to the bass. I can remember playing along to their songs in my bedroom through my little Fender Rumble 25 amp… good times!

More recently, Victor Wooten’s teachings, Marcus Miller’s tone, and Evan Marien’s left-hand technique have been my major influences.

My bass superpower/claim to fame:

Definitely my musical ear! I can learn songs quickly – often, I will already know how to play a song just by listening to it a few times (depending on the difficulty of the tune) without even having to pick up my bass. Jam sessions are a blast since I can hear exactly what is happening around me, and if I get lost in a piece of music it’s easy to get back on track.

More on the web:

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Share your thoughts

  1. I met Ryan online a couple years ago, he’s an awesome bass player and I love the Mastertemps Bass Blog!