Buzz
Competitive Nature
Q: I am a very young bassist who plays in a band with some other young musicians. I’m having an issue with respect and competitiveness. Most of my bandmates say I’m the best musician among them. Our guitarist assumes he’s the best musician in the band, though his knowledge of theory isn’t there. How do I get him to listen...
Krzysztof Scieranski: Live Looping Bass
Marcin Suchodolski shares this video with us, featuring bassist Krzysztof ?ciera?ski, who knocked us out with his cool bass loop performance (and late 60’s Fender Jazz). Thanks Marcin! Krzysztof submitted this video as part of the BOSS loop contest, and came in 2nd place for central Europe. Have a video to share? Send it to [email protected].
How to Play Heavy Metal Bass!
Alfred Music Publishing and Guitar World have teamed up to release How to Play Heavy Metal Bass!, an instructional DVD by Matt Scharfglass. The DVD contains more than 70 minutes of lessons and includes tab files to follow along. Scharfglass covers tone, fretboard patterns and techniques, chords and progressions, playing fingerstyle vs. playing with a pick, constructing bass lines over...
Reader Spotlight: Rebecca Johnson
A few weeks ago, we shared bassist Rebecca Johnson and her band in our daily video feature, and reader feedback was terrific. So it was easy to pick Rebecca as our bassist in the spotlight for the week of August 9, 2011. Meet bassist Rebecca Johnson… Bio: Rebecca Johnson is a bass player/singer with 29 years professional experience in the...
Victor Wooten Releases First Track from “The Music Lesson” Soundtrack
In preparation of the upcoming soundtrack release from his audiobook, The Music Lesson, Victor Wooten is giving away free downloads of a track called “Lesson Prelude”. The track is a beautiful rendition of his song “The Lesson,” with a guitar doubling the melody. The full soundtrack will be available for download starting September 20th, but the Woot Crew has something...
Question of the Week: Who are your influences?
Here’s another question taken from our Player Spotlight questionnaire. (By the way, the Player Spotlight is open to all bassists). The question this week: Who are your influences? Answer below in the comments, or on our Facebook page.
Viaceslav Svedov: Hump de Bump Bass Cover
Always great to see videos from Viaceslav Svedov. Here’s a recent one, with his all-bass take on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Hump de Bump”. What kind of coffee do you think Viaceslav drinks? I’ll take some.
Bernhard Lackner Releases “Stories From Home”
Bernhard Lackner has released his third album, Stories from Home. The Austrian-born bassist explains the album came to him after getting song ideas while visiting his native country. Besides a wealth of musical talent on the release, including Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Jeff Coffin and Derico Watson, the album was co-produced by fellow Nashville bass ace Adam Nitti. Lackner flew...
FiRe Studio: A Look at the iOS App for Multi-Track Recording
I have become quite a fan of Audiophile Engineering’s FiRe2 recording application (see my previous review). Now, the folks at Audiophile have introduced FiRe Studio, which is essentially a multi-track version of FiRe2. As with FiRe2, there is a little bit of a learning curve, but FiRe Studio is similarly loaded with an informative user manual. Once you’ve gotten a...
In Memoriam: Marshall Grant
Marhsall Grant, the bassist in Johnny Cash’s original backing duo The Tennessee Two, has passed away at the age of 83. Grant was instrumental in Cash’s sound and success, as he also served as Cash’s road manager until 1980. Grant’s playing became an integral role in the “boom-chicka-boom” sound, which shaped a whole style of country and rockabilly music. Born...
Rewind: Top Bass Gear, New Blues Bass How-To Series, Bassist’s Health and the Top Bass Videos
Gear is always popular around here, and last week was no different. Our top stories last week included new bass gear from Brian May, Lakland and Kala. Ryan Madora made her debut as a new columnist on No Treble, focusing on becoming a great blues player, and Damian Erskine answered a reader’s question about which scales to practice. The latest...
ESP Adds to LTD B-Series Bass Guitars
In addition to their new LTD J-Series basses, ESP has introduced two new basses to their LTD B-Series: The B-50FM and B-55FM. The 4- and 5-string models share the qualities of their siblings, but are distinguished by their flamed maple tops. Available in three different sunburst finishes, the flamed maple top covers the basswood body. The maple neck features a...