Buzz
SteadyTune: A Look at the Tuning App for Mac
While I typically stick to iOS apps here, I realize many of you iOS users are likely also Mac users. So I thought I’d deviate from the norm a little here and focus on a handy app I’ve discovered for the Mac. SteadyTune is as simple as it gets. When opened (I set mine to open when I start the...
Aram Bedrosian: Going Under
It has been a while since we’ve featured bassist Aram Bedrosian and one of his terrific solo bass performances. Here’s Aram’s tune “Going Under”, recorded a couple of years ago.
Paul McCartney Announces New Album, Releases First Single
Sir Paul McCartney has released a teaser to a brand new album to be released October 14th in the UK and October 15th in the US. New will be Macca’s first album of brand new solo material in six years and features 12 songs created with four producers for a varied sound. He’s posted the first single, “New,” on YouTube....
Weekly Top Ten: The Best in Bass for the Week of August 25
This past week was a week of awesome bass how-to’s, videos, gear and more. Here are the top 10 most read stories and most watch videos on No Treble for the week of August 25-31, 2013. Thanks for reading, commmenting and sharing! 1. Life as a Working Bassist: Where Does the Money Come From? In his latest “Ask Damian” column,...
Fender Custom Shop Unveils New Limited Geddy Lee 1972 Jazz Bass
Fender’s Custom Shop has taken all of the aspects of Geddy Lee’s famous 1972 Jazz bass and created a Limited Edition Geddy Lee Jazz replica. Every detail was considered, from the neck shape, wiring, pickups – even the wear and tear.
Jesús Rico Pérez: “Reconciliación (Reproches Part II)” for Solo Bass
Last month we featured an incredibly well done Michael Manring cover by Jesús Rico Pérez. Michael himself even shared his thoughts with us on the performance. Here’s another stunning video by Jesús, this time performing one of his own tunes. Using picollo strings and alternate tunings on his 5-string, here’s “Reconciliación (Reproches Part II)”.
Murray Grodner Releases “A Double Bassist’s Guide to Refining Performance Practices”
Veteran double bassist Murray Grodner has just released his latest educational book, A Double Bassist’s Guide to Refining Performance Practices. Written as a guide for any bassist seeking a professional career, the book goes over many fine details of being a successful performer. The 168-page book is broken into five parts focusing on different aspects of playing. Part I addresses...
Ask Damian Erskine: A Call for Questions
Damian Erskine’s Ask Damian column is our longest running column on No Treble. For over four years – and I believe a total of 216 columns so far – Damian’s column has also been one of the most popular, thanks to the unique way he breaks things down. Damian is looking for more questions to answer. So if you have...
Bass Gear Roundup: The Top Gear Stories in August
August saw a decent amount of new bass gear released, but only 10 make the list of reader’s favorites here. Thanks as always for reading, commenting and sharing! 1. Misa Introduces Tri-Bass MIDI Controller Australian company Misa is all about enabling live bands to play electronic music, and their new Tri-Bass is a great example of that. The Misa Tri-Bass...
Herbie Hancock with Marcus Miller: Actual Proof (Live)
In 2005, Herbie Hancock took the stage at Tokyo Jazz with a special Headhunters line up that featured Marcus Miller on bass. The band also included Terri Lyne Carrington on drums, Roy Hargrove on trumpet, Munyungo Jackson on percussion, Lionel Loueke on guitar and vocals and Wah Wah Watson on guitar. Here they are performing the tune “Actual Proof”. Marcus...
The Blues: It’s Not “Just a Blues”
Believe it or not, I’m a huge fan of the blues. This particular genre caught my attention at a young age and it has taken years (and, I expect, will require many more) to appreciate some of its subtleties. If you’ve had an opportunity to check out my series on blues bass playing, then this column acts as a quintessential...
Fernando Molinari: “Taffontry 20mg” Country/Fusion Slap Bass
Yes, you read that right: Country/Fusion slap bass. Brazilian bassist Fernando Molinari posted this play-along of the song “Taffontry 20mg” from his album Identidade, which is kind of like a honky tonk song on speed. More of the fusion part of the equation comes out at 1:55 when Molinari plays some blazing tapping lines in unison with the guitar. I’m...