Buzz
Butter Strings: A Guide to Finding the Best Bass Strings for You
Q: What’s the best way to smoothen up my playing? I notice that a lot of bass players play like the strings are made of wool. I play a basic 4-string Cort G-series model, but I always get the feeling the strings are way to hard/high to play smoothly, or when I lower them, they make a lousy sound because...
Nick Schendzielos: Mullet Clown Bass Gun Control
If you’re familiar with Nick Schendzielos, you may know that the following video is full of insane bass playing and quirky antics. This one is no exception. After a heartfelt (albeit completely fictionalized) tale of clown abuse, Schendzielos breaks into a strumming groove topped with an ear-catching, circus-inspired, overdriven melody. Cephalic Carnage bandmate Brian Hopp makes a cameo with an...
Zoom Announces MultiStomp MS-60B Bass Pedal at NAMM
Zoom unveiled the MultiStomp MS-60B at NAMM this year. The stompbox features over fifty types of effects and six amp models in a standard-sized pedal. The MS-60B comes with 30 preset patches with room to create up to 50 original patches, and players can switch through different patches using a unique toggle footswitch and cursor keys. It allows for using...
Reader Spotlight: Florian Imbaud
Meet Florian Imbaud, a bassist now living in the UK while studying music and performing. Check out his story about switching to bass, and how he came full circle, in a way. Florian is our player in the spotlight for the week of February 4, 2013. Bio: I’am a French born bass player who decided two years ago to move...
Expand Your Bass Fretboard Knowledge with the Pentatonic Scale
Here’s a great exercise aimed at expanding your fretboard knowledge. For this lesson, we’re going to use the five positions of the A minor / C Major pentatonic scale. The pentatonic scale contains five notes, of course, and you can play this from different positions. Learning these patterns will significantly increase your fretboard knowledge. Here’s how it breaks down, taking...
Andrew Balkwill: Let Go
Here’s a fun video sent to us by bassist Dave Delgado, who rocks out his P-bass during this live session with pianist Andrew Balkwill on the tune “Let Go”. And Delgado grooves hard. He revealed to us that he used “muted plectrum grooves trying to imitate and old analogue synth with fast attack and short decay & release for extra...
Peter Hook Releases Joy Division Book
In a career that only spanned three years and produced two albums, the post-punk rock band Joy Division altered the direction of rock music. Their influence can be heard in the music of U2, The Cure, Interpol, and even the Red Hot Chili Peppers. A fair portion of their success is due to bassist Peter Hook, who details his life...
Fender Introduces Four New American Vintage Basses
Fender has expanded its American Vintage series with four new basses including the ’58 Precision Bass, the ’63 Precision Bass, the ’64 Jazz Bass, and the ’74 Jazz Bass. As with the rest of the line, the new basses are reimagined to bring new life to the original designs. Each bass was picked for significant milestones in the model’s lifespan....
Visual Metronome: A Look at the Metronome App for iOS
You might be sitting there wondering, “Why write about yet another metronome app?” If you were, my answer is this: there are almost as many ways in which to use a metronome as there are metronomes available on the App Store, and some fulfill a need better than others. This time around, we take a look at More Muse’s Visual...
Jaco Pastorius Band: Dolphin Dance
Thank goodness for the web and for Charles Hoernemann, who shared today’s video with us. Charles said, “The genius of Jaco Pastorius. A very rare footage of a concert around 1985 on Belgian TV. Jaco’s solo starts at 6:43. Enjoy!” Enjoy indeed.
Alice In Chains Announces Spring Tour Dates
Alice in Chains have announced a spring tour in support of their next yet-to-be-named album. The month-long trek will focus on the East Coast and Midwest starting in Miami Beach, Florida and ending up at Lincoln, Nebraska’s Pinewood Bowl Amphitheater. The group, anchored by bassist Mike Inez, is also confirmed for England’s Download Festival and Rock in Rio later this...
D’Angelico Introduces the EX-Bass
D’Angelico Guitars has been reborn for 2013. The brand, named for luthier John D’Angelico, has relaunched several instruments including the EX-Bass, which will be part of their Standard Series. With its single-cutaway, semi-hollow body, the 32.25? scale bass bears the company’s classic vibe and vintage feel. It also pays homage to D’Angelico’s New York roots with a machined aluminum truss...