Buzz
Learning the Song – Part 1: Breaking It Down for Performance
It’s time for a real life gig story. I was recently given a set list for an upcoming gig… two sets, roughly 25 tunes, mostly classic rock and soul. Glancing over the set list, I saw many tunes that I already knew, so I figured I’d be fine, right? Guess again. As it turns out, a couple of the tunes...
Linley Marthe: Live at bass’ndrumfestival (2008)
Here’s bassist Linley Marthe, doing some impressive soloing at the 2008 bass’ndrumfestival. Marthe made his mark as the bassist for the late great Joe Zawinul, which means he’s among an elite group.
Summer Slaughter Tour Dates Announced; Headlined by Cannibal Corpse
The Summer Slaughter Tour has announced their schedule, set to their annual metal-fest on the road starting July 20, 2012 at the House of Blues in Los Angeles, California. Headlined by death metal band Cannibal Corpse, the tour this year also includes appearances by Between the Buried and Me, The Faceless, Periphery, Veil of Maya, Job for Cowboy, Goatwhore, Exhumed,...
Bass of the Week: Esh Stinger I
Designed by Jochen Imhof, the Esh Stinger I is described as the company’s “dark side” and was even used by Type O-Negative’s Peter Steele. In addition to several finishes, the German company created a Monstergreen finish with green pickup covers and block inlays as a tribute to the fallen low-ender. Featuring bolt-on construction, the Stinger I is built with a...
Breaking Down the Pentatonic Scale: The Five Positions on Bass
Today, we’re going to break down the minor pentatonic scale, its positions on the fretboard, and its uses. As the name suggests, the pentatonic scale is a five note scale. If we look at this scale in A minor, our scale is: A = root (1) C = minor third (b3) D = fourth (4) E = fifth (5) G...
Victor Wooten: Victor’s Jam
Three words that mean a lot to us around here: Victor Wooten and Jam. One of the commenters said it best: “He can groove fast. He can groove slow. Mr. Wooten is the master of flow.” Now, who wants to transcribe this for us?
Hosa Technology Introduces CBT-500 Cable Tester
Hosa Technology has unveiled the CBT-500 Cable Tester, designed to quickly and easily check the integrity of a host of cables. Besides instrument cable support, the CBT-500 can test XLR, Midi, RCA, speakON, DIN, Ethernet, and USB Type A to Type B. The quality of the cable connection is displayed by two rows of 8 LEDs that check individual pins...
Godlyke Debuts Providence FDR-1 Flame Drive Pedal
Godlyke, Inc. has released the Providence FDR-1 Flame Drive pedal. The first in their new “F” series of pedals, it’s designed to provide everything from “silky overdrive to edgy, overtone-rich distortion.” In addition to Drive, Tone, and Level controls, the FDR-1 Flame Drive has a Bass Boost switch for added low-end punch. Kevin from Godlyke explained that the pedal works...
Playing Chords: A Guide for Bassists
Q: I recently bought a 6-string bass and started working on playing chords. How should I voice more complex chords (e.g. Gm13) using few (3 to 4) notes, while maintaining the quality of the chord? A: It is important to note a few things when doing this. Much of this is learned by doing it wrong and having someone correct...
Big Sir: Old Blood
Big Sir, the project led by bassist Juan Alderete and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Lisa Papineau, just wrapped up a nice European tour. Lucky for the rest of us who couldn’t make it out, the duo stopped off for a performance at SSR Studios in Manchester for the online show Sessions 65, who made a few nice videos of their performance. “Old Blood”...
Ned Steinberger and David Gage Team Up for Realist Docking Station for Double Bass
Double bassists know that with most upright bass pickups, you don’t get a volume control unless you mount a full preamp on your bass. As a solution to that, Ned Steinberger and David Gage teamed up to create the Realist Docking Station, a “no fuss dock and volume knob” that works with any double bass pickup. The device mounts onto...
Reader Spotlight: Punk Pappa
Meet the bassist known as Punk Pappa, who also works as a producer, songwriter, arranger and (gulp) sometimes guitarist and says he’s from Funkville, UK. Punk is our player in the spotlight for the week of May 8, 2012. Bio: I’m a Session Bass Player, Guitarist, Songwriter, MOBO Award Winner and Artist, with a variety of musical credits. A few...