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Maurizio Mariani: Solo Bass Arrangement of Elliott Smith’s “Everything Means Nothing To Me”
“Everything Means Nothing to Me” is one of the most haunting and equally infectious tracks from the late singer/songwriter Elliott Smith’s album Figure 8. It’s one of those songs that just sticks with you for a while after you hear it, due in part to a repeated theme. Check out this solo bass version that Maurizio Mariani worked up. He...
Weekly Top 10: The Top Bass How To’s, Popular Bass Videos, New Gear and the Larry Graham Interview
In case you missed them, here are the most read stories, how to’s and features on No Treble for the week of September 23-29, 2012. Thanks for reading, sharing and commenting! 1. Arpeggio Work for Bass Players: A Daily Practice Routine I have mentioned previously that our daily scale practice should include arpeggio work. There are numerous ways to approach...
Bass Gear Round-Up: The Most Popular Gear for September 2012
Our bass gear coverage made up a good part of the top 10 most read stories overall in September. Here is your complete list of top 10 gear stories for the month. As always, these lists come with a warning… may cause GAS. 1. Gibson Announces Grabber 3: ’70s Tribute Bass Gibson first introduced the Grabber bass in the 1970?s,...
Höfner Unveils Limited Edition Black Violin Bass
As part of their 125th anniversary celebrations, Höfner has unveiled a limited edition Black Violin Bass. The new bass shares many of the specs of the company’s ‘61 Cavern bass but utilizes closely spaced single coil “Toaster” pickups that were only used in 1960. Finished in a sleek thin coat gloss black, its dark motif is complimented with a black...
Lee Rocker: “Rockabilly Boogie” Animated Video
Slick back your pompadour, get your leather jacket and check out former Stray Cats bassist Lee Rocker’s new animated music video for the song “Rockabilly Boogie.”
Chris Minh Doky and The Nomads Announce Worldwide Fall Tour
Bassist Chris Minh Doky has announced a Fall tour with his group the Nomads, which includes drummer Dave Weckl, guitarist Dean Brown and keyboardist George Whitty. Starting October 1st at the Iridium in New York City, the tour will take the quartet across the world with further stops in the U.S., Mexico, Denmark, Norway, and Italy. Doky lays it down...
Electro-Harmonix Adds Utility Pedals to Next Step Series
Electro-Harmonix has added to their Next Step Effects series with three new utility pedals. Similar to the rest of the line, the new volume, expression and pan pedals have no moving parts and feature a smooth rocking chassis to control the effect. The Next Step Volume Pedal controls the volume of an instrument. Powered by either a 9V battery or...
Play Other Instruments! Such as… Guitar
In the previous column, we introduced an exciting concept: the importance of learning your way around on a few other instruments. Aside from being able to sit down at a piano or pick up an acoustic guitar, a bit of musical variety can influence your approach to the bass. Having some basic knowledge of piano can be a huge advantage,...
Mathieu Verlot: “Little Wing” Live Double Bass Arrangement
Bassist Mathieu Verlot really impresses with this video he shared with us, taking the Hendrix classic “Little Wing” and turning it into an epic bass-fest. All four of the bass parts were improvised by Mathieu, and the drums were added after the bass recordings were completed. Mathieu said he’s working on his solo project, and “exploring all the faces of...
The Bad Plus Release “Made Possible”
The Bad Plus have released their eighth studio album, Made Possible, on the Entertainment One Music label. The effort may mark a new era for the band as they chose to include electronic percussion and synthesizers, which is a first for their traditionally acoustic sonic palette. The new layer was brought in mostly by bassist Reid Anderson, who played synthesizer...
Bass of the Week: Aural II by Meridian Guitars
Based in Avezzano, Italy, the luthiers at Meridian Guitars know a thing or two about style. That’s evidenced in their Aural II bass, and though each one is built to order, this particular Aural II really struck me. The pickups include a pair of Meridian’s magnetic pickups as well as a Roland GK-3 MIDI controller. The control layout, which looks...
Playing with Words and Music: An Interview with Victor Wooten (Part 2)
Since his first solo album, released in 1996, Victor Wooten has been intimately involved in the recording, producing and mixing of all his albums — part of a growing trend among musicians. From the mid-nineties forward, more and more artists have been getting their hands involved in the recording process. The introduction of the ADAT recorder in 1991 made home...