Buzz
Unusual Version of David Lee Roth’s Debut Solo Album Reissued
Did you miss the Spanish version of David Lee Roth’s Eat ’Em and Smile album back in in 1986? Or you didn’t know it existed at all? Don’t worry. Most people don’t know about it. But now, the album, titled Sonrisa Salvaje, is available again on CD, and this time, it’s the remastered version. The Spanish-language album featured all the...
Learning Music by Writing Down Your Transcriptions
Q: I have been practicing bass on my own for two years while attending college. My goal is to become a working musician and I would like to at least get a gig at a church this year. I’m at a point now where I can hear a piece of music and get pretty close to the right note the...
Federico Malaman & Rossana Carraro: Bang Bang
Bassist Federico Malaman and vocalist Rossana Carraro teamed up to create this terrific cover of “Bang Bang” – the tune recorded by Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj. It is making the rounds on Facebook now – with over 600,000 views. Federico shared the video with us to get it even more attention. As always Federico blends humor and...
The Aristocrats Show What They’ve Learned on “Tres Caballeros”
Instrumental rock/fusion trio The Aristocrats’ third studio album, Tres Caballeros, reveals a young band of pros, who have learned a great deal in the band’s four years together. Here’s a few ways information manifested itself for Tres Caballeros, according to guitarist Guthrie Govan: “The decision to road-test our new material in front of a live audience before commencing the recording...
Reader Spotlight: Mia Webster
Meet Mia Webster, a bassist who has as much personality coming through as any I’ve seen in the Reader Spotlight series. Mia also has the right attitude when it comes to bass and music. Here’s her story. Bio: I’m Mia, I’m 25 and I live in Norwich, UK. I’ve been playing bass for a few years now and am insanely...
Bass Lick Series: Funky Bass Breakdown in E
Here’s another lick to add to your bag of tricks. Once again, I’m using open strings as described in past lessons. This one is a groovy bass line you can play over a E7, E9 or E13 chord using the Em dorian scale with the Major 3rd added (G#). Omit the G# and use it over a minor chord/key. Follow...
Petros Klampanis: Blue Cave
Here’s another great example of how versatile the double bass is as an instrument. Greek bassist Petros Klampanis paints a vivid picture with his bass on “Blue Cave,” a song inspired by an area on his home island of Zakynthos. Utilizing looping and effects, Klampanis builds a haunting and beautiful backdrop to build a melody and solo over. You can...
1971 Marquee Club Show Latest Rolling Stones’ “From the Vault” DVD Release
The “From the Vault” series, issuing previously unreleased live performances from The Rolling Stones, continues chugging along with The Marquee Club — Live in 1971. The legendary rock band played the show — recorded for American television —at the now-defunct Marquee Club on March 26, 1971, just about a month before the release of the Sticky Fingers album. Just check...
SolidGoldFX Introduces Sasori Fuzz Pedal
SolidGoldFX has released the Sasori Fuzz, a pedal they describe as “brimming with rich brassy overtones and a unique buzz saw grind.” The pedal, which takes its name for the Japanese word for scorpion, is designed for both bass and guitar. The Sasori is set up with Fuzz, Level, and Tone controls to dial in the effect. Besides its biting...
Bass of the Week: Mayones Prestige Classic
This week we check out the Mayones Prestige Classic, a bass the company calls “a tempting luxurious instrument for connoisseurs with clear yet rich tone of modern Nordstrand Fat Stack pickups.” The bass, which comes in 4-, 5-, and 6-string versions, features neck-thru construction with several layers of wood. The body wings have an ash back topped by spalted maple...
Project RnL: Latin Dream
Bassist Or Lubianiker shared the new Project RnL video with me over the weekend. What he didn’t know is that I had already seen it and had already decided to share it. Humble as always, Or asked me to let him know what I thought. I said, “I didn’t even need to watch it to know I was going to...
Weekly Top 10: Andrew Gouché Interview, Quick Left Hand Exercises, Top Bass Videos, Gear, Discussion and More
If you like bass, you’ll love this… the latest edition of our weekly top 10, otherwise known as the best in bass this week. As always, these lists are tallied based on reader views. So thank you for reading, commenting, watching and sharing. 1. Multiple Basses or Just One? A Discussion for Working Bass Players For this week’s “Ask” column,...