Buzz
Chord Substitutions, Tritones and Bass
Q: When is it ok to use chord substitutions on standards? Also, can you explain tritone substitutions? A: The use of chord substitutions is fun to practice but must be used with caution on the gig. Our role as a bass player is to support the harmonic foundation for the rest of the band, as well as lock the rhythms...
Steve Lawson: “Hello” Solo Bass Cover
During the 2012 London Bass Guitar Show, bassist Steve Lawson took the stage with his Modulus fretted 6 string and performed this solo bass arrangement of Lionel Richie’s “Hello”. The arrangement, the tone and the bass are all pretty sweet.
Slipknot Announces Best Of Album and Knotfest in Honor of Paul Gray
Slipknot has announced their first release since bassist Paul Gray’s untimely death. Antennas To Hell will be a best-of compilation with songs spanning their career from their 1999 self-titled debut to 2008’s All Hope is Gone, as well as a bonus CD of their performance at the Download Festival in 2009. Tickets are on sale for Knotfest, the band’s first...
Reader Spotlight: Simon Normand
Meet Simon Normand, a bassist from Denmark who has a GAS-inducing list of gear, and a nice musical background. We love his super power too. Simon is our player in the spotlight for the week of June 12, 2012. (You could be next!) Bio: I picked up the bass at age 12. Two weeks later, I found myself playing in...
Top 10: The Most Watched Bass Videos (May 2012)
Typically, we share lots of videos featuring bassists doing their thing, laying down serious supporting lines, doing their solo bass thing, and everything in between. For some reason in May, we shared more than our share of funny/entertaining videos without playing. And readers dug it. The first three in the top 10 list this month include a look at the...
Joseph Cote: “The Real Me” Bass Playalong
Bassist Joseph Cote sent us this video of him playing along to The Who’s “The Real Me”, taking on one of John Entwistle‘s signature bass lines. Joseph not only has the line down, but he’s also nailed the tone. His gear used in the video includes a custom Warmoth Jaguar Bass with all Dimarzio pickups, recorded with a Presonus Studio...
At Long Last, Rush Releases “Clockwork Angels”
We first reported Rush’s announcement for Clockwork Angels a little over two years ago. At that time, the band released two songs to radio stations and as digital downloads before hitting the road for their “Time Machine” tour in 2010 and 2011, where they performed both tunes live each night. The trio completed the album after the tour was completed....
Wild Customs Introduces Bass Version of Vulture Guitar
Wild Customs has made a bass version of their Vulture guitar. The Vulture Bass’s retro design features a reverse headstock, angular body shape, and three pickups made by SP Custom. Stocked with passive electronics, each pickup has a volume control in addition to the master tone knob. The bass sports a sugar pine body with a maple neck and rosewood...
Bass Sight: A Look at the Notation and Fretboard Training App for iOS
Bass Sight is a nice addition to the handful of apps that already exist to help those who wish to learn how to read music notation and/or better know their fretboard. Combining both training for reading notation and learning the fretboard, the app offers up a layout which is simple and to the point. The app presents a fretboard diagram...
Blake Branch: “Space Lion” for Solo Bass
We don’t know anime very well, but Blake Branch is making us love the music of anime. The first time we featured Blake, he’d put together an incredible all-bass arrangement of “Raspberry Heaven“. This time around, he’s taken Yoko Kanno’s composition “Space Lion”, which was featured in the anime series Cowboy Bebop. The tune starts off really mellow and picks...
Weekly Top 10: New Basses, Awesome Bass Videos, Getting to Know Your Bass, and More Bass Awesomeness
Another week, another top 10 list of bass goodness. Things kick off with a few new basses from Fender, and then there’s the handful of terrific bass-focused videos to follow. Readers also enjoyed checking out the news of Mars Volta/Big Sir bassist Juan Alderete’s new Pedals and Effects website. And we wouldn’t be No Treble without our expert columnists… Ryan...
Krist Novoselic to Present Keynote At First CBGB Festival
The first ever CBGB Festival is set to take place in various venues across New York City on July 5-8. The four-day celebration will include music at over 20 venues, business/industry conferences, film screenings, and a spirits day that will bring artisan distilleries for a day of drinking. The festival’s keynote address will be given by none other than former...