Articles by Ryan Madora - Page 19

There’s nothing like setting foot in a new city. You open the door to an unchartered group of restaurants, find yourself meeting tons of new people, and most importantly, get the opportunity to discover a new music scene. Once you check off the touristy spots, it’s time to talk to some locals… it’s the fastest way to find the best...

It’s finally jacket weather. The leaves are falling, the sun is setting earlier every day, and the pumpkin spice latte has returned. Halloween is just around the corner, which means that my friends will search for the creepiest haunted houses and hayrides, only to force me to join them on an adventure that will make me extremely uncomfortable. I have...

“Um, hey guys… excuse me… guys?!… Can you turn it down a little?” I glance behind me at the drummer and our eyes meet with the same surprised expression. He can’t be serious, right? We’re not playing rock and roll here… the drummer has yet to play with sticks instead of brushes, the keyboard player is running through a small...

I’m always surprised when I discover bass players who manage to go under the radar despite a diverse and truly impressive resume. They are the players who can’t be stopped… they’ve had all kinds of gigs, taken on the role of writer and producer, and even have a few solo projects to their name. We always love reading about the...

Ah, there’s nothing like a 4:30 load in for a 7pm show. At a local club. With backline. That means that you arrive at the gig, hope that all of the other band members show up, watch the soundman set up the stage, and do a quick check before the doors open. In other words, hurry up and wait. This...

I must admit, writing the “Bass Player To Know” series can be somewhat self indulgent… I selfishly spend hours listening to and researching some of my favorite players, expanding both my knowledge base and musical collection. Every column rekindles my fascination with a particular player and sparks the desire to investigate others of a similar style or musical era. I...

How do I play that bass line? Why do I have to use my pinky? Can’t we skip all the theory stuff? These are just some of the questions raised by a student in a recent lesson. Some of these are easy to answer… like the usefulness of the pinky finger (two heads are better than one, four fingers are...

The Funk Brothers, the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, Booker T and The MGs — most of us have heard of these incredible studio groups. James Jamerson and Bob Babbit at Motown Studios, David Hood at Fame and Muscle Shoals Sound, and Duck Dunn at Stax… these session players (and their respective studio affiliations) have defined what we know to be...

Scales, scales, scales. Why does my teacher always make me play scales? If I have to play the C Major scale one more time, I think I’ll puke. And with a metronome? Why can’t I just learn songs and jam with my friends? Ah, the war between playing and practicing. I know this battlefield well; the metronome is always outnumbered...

Every now and then, a song sneaks up and triggers a memory. It’s something buried deep in our vault, hidden behind the various phases of our musical development and our obsessions with radio singles and old records. The song is uniquely nostalgic, reminiscent of our musical coming of age. It transports us to the formative years—to the time when we...

“We can fly!” “You can fly!” “We can fly!!” “Come on, everybody! Here we gooooooo… Off to Neverland!” With just a few happy thoughts and a sprinkle of pixie dust, Peter Pan, Wendy, John and Michael swooped around the nursery, singing, laughing, and soaring with the greatest of ease. It was off to Neverland for an adventure… second star to...

Name any genre of music and certain bass players immediately come to mind. Rock and roll? Paul McCartney. Blues? Willie Dixon. Funk? Larry Graham. They are the ones who stick out as paving the way, defining the roll of the instrument in that particular music, and creating those classic lines that we can’t help but listen to, learn, and hope...