Buzz
Jim Bennett: “The Walking Dead” All-Bass Theme Song
Based on what I see on Facebook, I feel like I might be the only person who doesn’t watch “The Walking Dead”, or has even seen a single episode. But I’m sure fans of the show – and fans of the bass – will appreciate this arrangement and performance by Jim Bennett. For you adventurous types, Jim has posted the...
Looping the Bass: 7 Activities for Musical Growth
Fruit loops, drum loops, loop-the-loop roller coasters… there are all kinds of loopy things out there. Lucky for us, the looping pedal is one of them. After a recent acquisition and an afternoon of messing around I wondered “why didn’t I get one of these sooner?” As a matter of fact, I did. I just never used it. Loopers can...
Magnus Sjöquist: “Amazing Grace” on a U-Bass
Magnus Sjöquist is a U-Bass master. Our Facebook friend John Stam sent this video of Sjöquist kicking out a groove in tribute to the Victor Wooten arrangement of “Amazing Grace.”
La Bella Introduces 7710T White Nylon Tape Wound Double Bass Strings
La Bella has introduced the 7710T White Nylon Tape Wound Set as part of their revamp of the Double Bass Nylon Tape Wound Series of strings. Developed with Ron Carter and Attila Zoller, the series is aimed at jazz pizzicato players and described as capturing the rich tone of gut strings and the sustain of steel strings. The new 7710T...
Bass of the Week: Chadwick Folding Bass
Ask any double bassist what the biggest pain is about their instrument of choice, and they’ll likely tell you it is the task of lugging it around. Enter the Chadwick Folding Bass: a standard 3/4 bass that folds in on itself for travel. The bass has a removable panel on the back that allows the entire neck to fold into....
Practicing Without Your Bass: Some Exercises to Keep the Music Going
Q: Are there any exercises that you could recommend that can be done when away from the bass? A: You know, I’m surprised that I’ve never written about this before as I do actually have a number of things to recommend when you’re without your bass, to keep the music going. 1. Visualization of the fretboard. If you ever see...
Jayme Lewis: Modulating Sweep Arpeggios and Inversions Lesson
Here’s a cool lesson for the adventurous bassist: Jayme Lewis’s lesson on performing sweep arpeggios and inversions. Jayme walks through his effects to make the arpeggios pop before dissecting each part of the etude’s intricacies. He even provides a PDF of the lesson with music notation and TAB, via his website.
Motörhead Releases “Aftershock”
The metal juggernauts of Motörhead have released their 21st studio album, Aftershock, a 14-track collection of hard-hitting, in-your-face rock that has been the staple of their sound for nearly 40 years. Led by bassist/vocalist Lemmy Kilmister, the trio’s latest effort offers up a healthy mix of punk and metal with songs like “Heartbreaker” and “End of Time” while also getting...
3Leaf Audio Announces You’re Doom Fuzz Pedal
3Leaf Audio has introduced a new fuzz box called You’re Doom, which the company says is suited for all instruments. The pedal responds to playing dynamics to create vintage synth-inspired sounds. You’re Doom has a Shape switch to toggle between a lead sound and a broad mid scoop, while further tonal shaping can be done with the Tone knob which...
Reader Spotlight: Brad Cheeseman
Meet Brad Cheeseman, a bassist who has an interesting story of how he switched from guitar to bass, and never looked back. Be sure to check out his videos below of his transcriptions and bands, and also check out his website for the transcriptions themselves. Brad is No Treble’s reader in the spotlight for the week of October 21, 2013....
Walking Bass Lesson: 12 Bar Blues
When you’re presented with a 12-bar blues, you have different options for how to create a walking bass line. In this lesson, we’ll cover those options. The song example I’m using is “Gotta Mind to Travel” by Coco Montoya, if you want to check that out.
The Winery Dogs, featuring Billy Sheehan: Time Machine
The insanely talented trio of Ritchie Kotzen, Mike Portnoy and Billy Sheehan – aka The Winery Dogs – has released a new music video for the track “Time Machine,” from their debut album, and it’s one fine piece of rock and roll. The mid-tempo stomper is glued together by Sheehan’s gnarly bass tone. He also takes a tasty solo at...