Buzz
Reader Spotlight: Rolando “Rolo” Romero
Meet Rolando “Rolo” Romero a bassist living in Kansas and clearly loving life. A self-described “nerd”, Rolo might just have the coolest family around. Check out his story and see if you don’t start smiling before the end. Rolo is No Treble’s reader in the spotlight for the week of November 4, 2013. Bio: I am 32 year old NERD...
Lesson: Funky Slap Bass with Open Strings
Here’s a simple slap pattern based on open strings and octaves. As I demonstrate in the video, I’m playing a pattern, first in A, and then switching to E (same line). Before switching back to the A, there’s an octave line to bring us back. The line uses hammer-ons and pull-offs. Around the 3 minute mark of the video, I...
Andy Edwards and Steve Lawson: Studio Jam
Here’s a great jam between bassist Steve Lawson and drummer Andy Edwards. Steve uses his six-string bass and looping wizardry to get a nice, spacey groove going.
Hal Leonard Releases Megadeth Bass Anthology
Hal Leonard’s newest edition in their “Bass Recorded Versions” offers up David Ellefson‘s bass line transcriptions for 20 Megadeth tunes. Megadeth Bass Anthology includes transcriptions for each song in both standard notation and tab. Megadeth Bass Anthology Song List: Countdown To Extinction Dawn Patrol Five Magics Hangar 18 Head Crusher Holy Wars…The Punishment Due In My Darkest Hour My Last...
The “Bloody Thumb” Exercise for Thumb Position Playing
Thumb position is an essential technique for upright bass. Players like Steve Bailey and Brian Bromberg have even adapted it for use on the electric bass. However, when people first start using their left hand thumb to stop a note (i.e. play in thumb position) they often experience discomfort. This is sometimes due to their inexperience with the new hand...
Will Lee: The Magic of Jaco
It is always interesting to hear one prolific musician speak about another prolific musician. Will Lee did just that, sharing his thoughts on Jaco Pastorius. From his home studio (dubbed “The Beatles Museum”), Will starts off by playing a fretless bass, points at it and says “Jaco invented this thing… it’s amazing.” The interview covers a lot, including Will’s first...
Kala Introduces Stand Out Wall Hangers
UBass manufacturer Kala Brand Music has introduced a new line of wall hangers in their “Stand Out” series of instrument display accessories. The Stand Outs come in two sizes: one for basses and guitars and one for ukuleles and mandolins. Manufactured and assembled in California, the wall hangers are made with reclaimed wood, making each piece unique to itself. Woods...
Weekly Top Ten: The Best in Bass for the Week of October 27th
This week’s top 10 features what is easily the most popular video on No Treble, all time. In fact, it may exceed the views on the other nine, combined. But the other nine were no slouches either, making it a record week for readership. Here are the top 10 most read stories and most watched videos on No Treble for...
Miki Santamaria: Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” Solo Bass Loop
Back in July, we featured one what turned out to be one of the most popular videos on No Treble this year: Jim Bennett’s solo bass take on Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”. Another one of our favorite bassists, Miki Santamaria took the same tune and did his own thing with it. Miki’s version layers loops using his Boss RC300 Loop...
Level 42 Releases “Sirens” EP
Level 42 is giving a nod to their past with a new EP entitled Sirens. The six-song album, mixed and produced by John Morales, is firmly rooted in the retro dance format. “Back in 1980 and 1981 when we started out, we were very much a club band,” bassist Mark King told the audience at a recent gig at Indigo2....
Hevos Introduces 2×6 Combo Bass Amp
Hevos has introduced the 2×6, a compact bass combo amp fitted with a pair of 6″ loudspeakers. It utilizes the company’s 400C amplifier, which includes a Class-D power amp rated at 400 watts. Features include two separate inputs, a mute for tuning, -6dB pad and a phase switch the company says is great for double basses with two pickups. The...
Akashdeep Gogoi & Nawaz Hussain: Weekly Once
Here’s a cool video sent in from our friend Akashdeep Gogoi, featuring drummer Nawaz Hussain. The duo play their original song “Weekly Once,” featuring a tight groove and a great bass solo.