Buzz
Stories Behind the Songs: Leland Sklar
With over 2,500 albums under his belt, Leland Sklar is more than a seasoned pro. He’s a legend. A staple of L.A. studio scene, Sklar put his stamp on music of all genres for over four decades with artists like James Taylor, Reba McEntire, Billy Cobham, Phil Collins, and more. The bassist is lovingly referred to as the “King of...
Victor Wooten, Steve Bailey and David “Fingers” Haynes: 2013 NAMM Jam
One of the most popular videos of all time on No Treble is by the trio of Victor Wooten, Steve Bailey and David “Fingers” Haynes performing “Mercy Mercy Mercy” at the 2009 NAMM Show. (You should watch that video after this one). Here are the guys once again, performing at this year’s NAMM Show, laying it down like only they...
Bassic Basslines: A Guide to Building Basslines Using Common Chord Progressions
Bassist Lynne Davis has published her first instructional ebook, Bassic Basslines: A Guide to Building Basslines Using Common Chord Progressions. Available on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch platforms, the book is designed to give students lessons on basic music theory and bass technique to apply them to a variety of musical situations. The 75-page book includes examples written in both...
Warwick Adds Triumph Lite to RockBass Series
Warwick has added to their RockBass series of instruments with the RockBass Triumph Lite. The electric upright follows in step with its German counterpart and is based on the original Framus designs from the 1950s. The Triumph Lite is built with a maple body, maple neck, and rosewood fingerboard. It’s scale is similar to that of a 3/4 size bass...
Cable Considerations: A Guide (and Discussion) for Bass Players
Q: Are expensive boutique cables really worth the expense? A: There are two ways we can look at this question. One is tech, the other is a combination of perception and experience. The technical explanation involves more of a scientific look at how cables work: signal purity, conductivity and so on. I’m not a technical guy, so I’ll share with...
Adam Nitti, Patrick Pfeiffer, Gerald Veasley & Michael Manring: Come Together
One of the highlights of this year’s Gerald Veasley Bass Bootcamp was the Bass & The Beatles concert on Saturday night. The camp’s clinicians took the stage to perform their bass-focused takes on Beatles’ songs. The night closed with a pretty epic, special four-bass arrangement of “Come Together”. Bassists Adam Nitti, Patrick Pfeiffer, Gerald Veasley and Michael Manring combined to...
Reader Spotlight: Viktor L?rincz
Bassist Viktor L?rincz has wowed No Treble readers (including us) with his incredible videos. In this week’s spotlight, we get to learn more about this exciting bassist, and what makes him tick. Viktor is the player in the spotlight for the week of March 4, 2013. Bio: I was born in Budapest in 1973. I am a musician – a...
Blast Cult Enters the Electric Bass Market with the Thirty 2 Bass
Blast Cult announced a new electric bass model late last year, but the details were still being worked out, into 2013. Now we know a whole lot more. The aptly named “Thirty 2” is a 32? inch scale bass, and the first electric made by the company. Blast Cult is offering lots of options for this bass, including standard and...
Randy Brecker Band with Janek Gwizdala: Above and Below
Over the weekend, Kevin and I attended Gerald Veasley’s Bass Bootcamp. There were a lot of highlights, and one of them was having dinner with bassist Janek Gwizdala. I was already a Janek fan before I met him. I found out that as great a bassist as he is, he’s an even greater human being. So I was inspired to...
Atoms For Peace Releases “Amok”, Announces Live Dates
The highly anticipated album by supergroup Atoms For Peace is out. Amok is the debut album for the group, which includes Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, drummer Joey Waronker (Beck and R.E.M.) and percussionist Mauro Refosco. The group release the single, “Default“, back in September. Atoms For Peace was formed...
Ibanez Introduces BTB Premium Basses
Ibanez has added to their Premium line of basses once again with the BTB Premium. Building on the “boutique-style” of the BTB series, the Premium models take things a step further with upgraded materials and are built in Ibanez’s Premium factory. Available in 5- and 6-string models, the BTB Premium models feature 35? scale for increased string tension, resulting in...
Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro: A Look at the Harmony App for iOS and Android
I recently stumbled upon Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro, an app that blew my mind. If I had access to this app in college, I would’ve understood my upper level harmony courses so much better. This is an app that’s not only useful, it is also fun to play with. If you have a desire to explore functional harmony and are...