Getting to Know Your Bass: All About the Neck
In part one of Getting to Know Your Bass, we discussed the importance of knowing what the tone knobs do on your instrument. Now, we’ll continue our discussion by learning about how your instrument’s neck influences where, what and how you play. We’ll begin with scale length and how it may impact your tone or musical choices. Then, we’ll get...
Getting to Know Your Bass: Part 1 – Tone Controls
Last night, I got to experience a true musical treat: the Tedeschi Trucks Band at the historic Ryman auditorium in Nashville. The band is somewhat of a super-group of talent and each player has a distinctive voice that contributes to the overall awesomeness of the music. Listening to players like Oteil Burbridge and Derek Trucks, I witnessed first-hand how much...
Learning the Song – Part 2: Comparing and Contrasting Multiple Versions of a Tune
Welcome to Part 2 of “Learning the Song.” If you checked out the first part of this series, you’ll be familiar with some of the essential elements of learning a song, such as the key, the chord progressions, the form, and so on. Learning “the song” is a great exercise in ear training, adapting theory rules and being prepared for...
Learning the Song – Part 1: Breaking It Down for Performance
It’s time for a real life gig story. I was recently given a set list for an upcoming gig… two sets, roughly 25 tunes, mostly classic rock and soul. Glancing over the set list, I saw many tunes that I already knew, so I figured I’d be fine, right? Guess again. As it turns out, a couple of the tunes...
Groove Clinic: An Interview with Andrew Gouche
Photo credit: Ilán Terrell As a long-time camper and recent instructor at Gerald Veasley’s Bass Boot Camp, I’ve spent many a camp learning from some of the bass greats. A few years ago, Andrew Gouche appeared for the first time as an instructor at the BBC, bringing along gospel and a whole lotta soul. This year, Andrew returned for the...
Treat Yourself to Some Inspiration
As artists, we are constantly on the search for one thing: inspiration. Inspiration fuels our art, influences our style, and pushes us to perfect our craft. It’s what keeps us learning bass line after bass line, way into the wee hours of the morning, and it persuades us to call one drummer over another. It also pushes us to look...
Ear Training and the iTunes Game
As a musician, our greatest tool is our ears. Our job within a musical context is to listen, and quite frankly, to play notes that sound good. As a bass player, we need to be on our toes and quickly decipher the bass line and at the very least, the root notes of the chords that are being played. There...
Food for Thought: A Guide to Healthy Eating for the Working Bassist
We all know that it’s important to eat right, get exercise, have a healthy lifestyle, and stay away from fried foods and candy, but what does that have to do with playing music? The fact is, playing an instrument is both a mental and physical endeavor that requires a certain amount of fuel. It may not be as strenuous as...
Repeat After Me: Metronomes (and Drum Machines) Are Fun
First things first, I’m not trying to open a “metronome debate.” I’m also not trying to lecture people about using (or not using) a metronome during their practice sessions. Instead, I’m going to shed some light on why and how metronomes can be useful tools when it comes to practicing and experimenting with your instrument. We’ll examine the differences between...
Guiding Your Own Practice: A Checklist for Improving Your Practice Routine
Confession: I played bass for years without ever practicing. I didn’t know what to focus on and certainly didn’t have enough discipline for it… I just wanted to play. I played along with records, I fooled around and discovered certain licks, and I hung out with musical buddies who would give me tips now and then; but I never actually...
Essential Items for the Gigging Bassist: A Gig Survival Checklist
No matter how prepared someone usually is, most gigging bassists will find themselves at a gig, searching through their bag of “stuff” and saying: “hey, where’d my _____ go?” It happens to everyone at least once. If this has happened to you, you’ve probably experienced one of three outcomes: You get extremely lucky since you happen to be gigging five...
I Wish I Knew That: The Size of the Crowd Doesn’t Matter
Greetings, bass players! Although I’ve enjoyed writing about the blues for the past few months, a new year calls for a new subject, and I’ve decided to shift gears a bit. Thanks to you guys, No Treble readers, and to the nifty technological advancements that allow us to communicate in new ways, I’ve been impressed by the ongoing dialogue that...