Buzz

Ask Damian Erskine: Confidence

Q: I’m a newbie and a beginner bassist from Bangladesh. I’m playing (or you can say I’m practicing) with a progressive/metal core rock band. I’m happy with the band, as they are all my friends. But the band leader says I’m not ready to perform on a gig, and that I’m the weakest one, although my bandmates disagree. I’m pretty...

Jaco Pastorius: Solo, Washington DC (1978)

Here’s another video gem featuring Jaco Pastorius. This solo was performed during a Weather Report concert in 1978 in Washington, DC and includes a cool version of Jaco’s famous “Slang” solo and Hendrix’s Band of Gypsy references.

RIP Calvin “Fuzz” Jones

Chicago blues bassist Calvin “Fuzz” Jones passed away August 9th at the age of 84 due to complications from lung cancer. Fuzz was one of the key players to develop the Chicago blues sound with Willie “Big Eyes” Smith as they spent nearly two decades in Muddy Waters’ band, not to mention working with other blues legends like Howlin’ Wolf,...

Reader Spotlight: Michael Kelly

Meet Michael Kelly, our bass player in the spotlight for August 10, 2010. Bio: Michael has been writing, recording, teaching and performing in New York City since 1984, writing and recording professionally with The Ronnie Gent Band, The Grip Weeds and Wide Right. Currently the bassist, vocalist and contributing composer for The Grip Weeds, the band enjoys worldwide distribution and...

Gear Review: TC Electronic RH450

Technology is a beautiful thing, and TC Electronic’s RH450 head unit is just another reminder of how sweet it can be. The amp is a solid-state head with a built in multi-band compressor, semi parametric EQ, and tube simulator. It features 450 Watts with a switchmode power supply and Class D power amp. With a handful of cool studio-quality features...

Viz Maurogiovanni: Burt Bacharach’s “Magic Moments” for Solo Bass

Vincenzo “Viz” Maurogiovanni does some pretty cool chordal bass adaptations of classic American songs, such as Burt Bacharach’s “Magic Moments”:

Win Tickets To Ozzfest From Nikki Sixx

Ozzfest 2010 is just around the corner, and Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx wants you to join him for the Boston show. Crue is one of this year’s headliners, and Nikki is having a contest on his Sixx Sense website to win two concert tickets, roundtrip airfare, hotel accommodations, ground transfers, and a “meet and greet” with the Motley bassist himself....

Gear Watch: Kaces Double Instrument Bags

Kaces is introducing a new gig bag line for bassists and guitarists. Each bag holds two instruments, and features a 600D polyester exterior and overstuffed with 20mm foam padding. The two instrument compartments are separated by a 20mm padded divider. The bags include multiple front panel pockets for holding strings, tuners, picks, cables and other gear. Two ergonomic handles are...

Although there are times when strong muscular exertion in the left hand may be beneficial, in general we want to use a minimal amount of effort. The fingers should press the string with only enough force to produce the note cleanly, and no more. Keeping minimum finger pressure in the left hand will help with speed, stamina, shifting, general ease...

BOSS Wants Your Bass for the “Loop Station World Championship” Contest

The BOSS “Loop Station World Championship” contest is in full swing, but so far, there’s a very important segment of the music population missing out: bassists. So Roland wants you, the No Treble community to get in on the looping action! To enter, you need to upload a video of you using one of BOSS’s RC-series looping products to Youtube,...

Evan Brewer Solo Slap Bass Demo

Animosity bassist Evan Brewer recently uploaded this slap bass video as a preview of a solo bass CD he’s working on.

Here are the most read, most popular stories and features on No Treble for the week of August 1 – 7, 2010. 1. Lesson: Slap Bass 101 by new columnist, Thomas “MarloweDK” Risell 2. Sheet Music Jaco Pastorius: Jazz Play-Along Volume 116 3. Bottoms Up: Breaking Down Paul Chambers’ “Mopp Shoe Blues” 4. Video: Chris Squire: “The Fish” Solo, 1991...