Buzz
Weekly Top 10: Learning Arpeggios and Scales, Memorization Tips, Top Bass Gear, Lessons and Videos
This week was an exciting one for us. First, we announced Joe Hubbard has joined our list of excellent contributors. Joe will be offering up lessons here, and his first one already made the top 10. We also introduced some new (to us) bassists through some excellent videos, while re-introducing ourselves to an old favorite. Last but far from least...
Barefaced Audio Introduces Eight 10 Bass Cabinet
After introducing a compact 1×10 cabinet last month, Britain’s Barefaced Audio has gone the opposite direction with the Eight 10. The cab is loaded with eight 10CR250 drivers for a whopping 2000 watts of power handling, 104dB sensitivity, and a max SPL of 140dB. Similar to the One 10, the Eight 10 features a hybrid resonator enclosure. “This mimics the...
Richard Hunter: Bass Playthrough of “Don” by Ship of Theseus
Bassist Richard Hunter has a new band called Ship of Theseus. To celebrate the group’s first single, Hunter sent us this impressive playthrough. “Don” is a progressive technical instrumental piece that features the bassist laying down the low end with a thick, gritty tone. Hunter builds the song up with blazing riffs, two-handed tapping, and slap to slyly change up...
Clutch Releases 11th Album, “Psychic Warfare”
The latest album from Maryland rockers Clutch is poised to build on the success of 2013’s Earth Rocker, which debuted on the Billboard Top 200 at #15. Psychic Warfare, which features founding bassist Dan Maines, is the band’s eleventh studio album, released on its own Weathermaker Music. The band worked together in the studio more than in the recent past,...
R. Hyde Guitars Unveils The Nuvo Bass
Custom builder Ryan Hyde has fit tons of mojo into a small package with the Nuvo, a bass that fits in a guitar case and weighs less than five pounds. It features a short 30-3/8″ scale and a thin body to produce a signature tone. “The tonality is right in line with any P-bass, and the Nuvo has a ton...
A/C Generator: Mario
Alessandro Corsi has a new bass and drums project called A/C Generator, and if this debut video is any indication, it will be kicking out some jams. The band’s lineup will actually be a trio of two basses and drums, though the upcoming album will include solo bass as well as a single bass and drums. “Mario” features Corsi throwing...
Book Offers Tips on Negotiating the Music Business
There’s more to being a musician than making music. For many, the music making can be the easiest part of establishing a career. Bobby Borg, onetime drummer for Warrant and a teacher of music business classes at Musician’s Institute and UCLA Extension, has written Business Basics for Musicians: The Complete Handbook from Start to Success to help fellow musicians negotiate...
Daredevil Pedals Introduces The Almighty Bass
Boutique builder Daredevil Pedals has introduced the Almighty Bass, a driver pedal featuring an original design that they say covers a wide scope of sounds. The pedal, which is hand-wired in Chicago, is described as having an aggressive feel and goes between “warm and deep, bright and fuzzed out, or any flavor in between.” The Almighty bass has a straight-forward...
Vulfpeck: Funky Duck
Vulfpeck’s much anticipated debut full-length album, Thrill of the Arts, has arrived. And as always, the band is anchored by Joe Dart, one of our favorite bassists on the scene. Here’s Vulfpeck’s video premiere for the album, “Funky Duck,” with vocalist Antwaun Stanley. Always great to get some new Vulfpeck in the mix. Thrill of the Arts is available today...
Chris Wood Plugs in for The Wood Brothers Album
Medeski, Martin & Wood bassist Chris Wood has gone electric on Paradise, his fifth album with The Wood Brothers, which, fittingly, includes his brother, Oliver. Chris Wood is better known for his double bass work, but on Paradise, he plays electric bass guitar while he and his brother rock out a bit more than usual for the Americana band. Just...
Keeley Electronics Introduces 30ms Automatic Double Tracker
Keeley Electronics has introduced the 30ms Automatic Double Tracker. The stereo effect pedal works with bass, guitar, keyboard and vocals and offers an array of studio style doubling effects for creating thick textures. The company cites the early days of recording techniques as an influence behind the design. “Since the early days of automatic double tracking pioneered by Ken Townsend...
Advanced Bass: Interval Shapes
In this lesson, we will cover a basic concept for interval shapes to develop your technique, while attuning your ears to hear the root motion of common harmonic progressions in jazz. Follow along with the notation (PDF) and this video: