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Stu Hamm Live Bass Solo: Love Thing/Moonlight Sonata/Country Music

This is a clip from the Joe Satriani: Live in San Francisco DVD, in which Stu Hamm proves why he is among the bass greats. Starting with a bass arrangement of Satriani’s “Love Thing,” the solo soon morphs into Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”, and then “Country Music”. And don’t worry, the crowd isn’t booing him, they are “STU-ing” him!

Here are the most read, most popular stories and features on No Treble for the week of August 22 – 28, 2010. Slap Bass 101: Part 4 – Right Hand Pluck/Pop Video: Time Warp: Robert Trujillo Breaks Down His Technique Gear: A Closer Look at the Ibanez Ashula Fretted/Fretless Hybrid Contest: Win a Signed Copy of Esperanza Spalding’s “Chamber Music...

Gear Watch: Music Man Roasted Maple Necks

Music Man is now offering roasted maple necks as an option for their instruments. Besides looking great, the thermally treated necks have other benefits, including resistance to temperature and warping, increased resonance, and clearer tone. The heating process also gives a microstructure similar to naturally aged woods with lower moisture content. The new roasted maple necks are available on all...

Marco Panascia and Dario Deidda: Jazz Bass Duet

Wow! Double bassist Marco Panascia and electric bassist Dario Deidda are really swinging in this great bass duet performance filmed in 2006. Thanks to Art Araya, who shared this video with us. Have a video you want to share? Drop us a note or post to our Facebook page.

Gear Watch: A Closer Look at the Ibanez Ashula Fretted/Fretless Hybrid

The concept of a hybrid fretted/fretless bass has been attempted before, and Ibanez might just have the best version yet with their Ashula model. The six-string fretted/fretless hybrid bass offers this unique configuration: four fretted bass strings and two fretless. This offers a more fluid approach to playing than other hybrids, where the fretless option is placed in the upper...

Time Warp: Robert Trujillo Breaks Down His Technique

Not long after Robert Trujillo joined Metallica, Time Warp interviewed him and asked him to showcase his “gallop” approach to playing. The slow-motion part is pretty cool. Thanks to our Facebook friend Steve Walser for submitting this video. [editor’s note: the original video we posted was removed for copyright reasons. This new video isn’t quite as interesting as the original,...

Marcus Miller: Come Together

Marcus Miller just shared this video on Facebook from over the weekend at the Solidarity of Arts Festival in Gdansk, Poland. The group, which includes Miller, Leszek Mo?d?er, Alex Han, and Louis Cato, rips through a funkified version of the Beatles’ tune, “Come Together”.

Doug Johns Announces New Album and Free Music Download

Bass phenom Doug Johns is giving away a free download of his song “Manic,” from his 2008 album, Pocket Fulla Nasty. The track is available in your choice of 320k MP3, FLAC, or “just about any other format you could possibly desire.” The caption for the song says it all: No lyrics, just pure nasty funk. Manic by Doug Johns...

Allman Brothers Add Tour Dates

The Allman Brothers Band is making their touring return, now that Gregg Allman is recovering from a liver transplant in late June. The group features the bass talents of Oteil Burbridge, who took up the position after the Allen Woody left in 1997 to pursue Gov’t Mule full time. The 11-date trek takes place this November and will stretch the...

Slap Bass 101: Part 4 – Right Hand Pluck/Pop

In this lesson, we’ll build on the concepts in Part 3 and add the right hand pluck/pop. Next time: Funk/Rock Scale Basics! In case you missed them, here are Parts 1-3: Part 1: Slap Bass Introduction Part 2: Building on the Basics Part 3: Left Hand Slap & Hammer-Ons

Jimmy Garrison with John Coltrane: Impressions

Here is a classic example of modal jazz with the John Coltrane Quartet, featuring Jimmy Garrison on bass, McCoy Tyner on piano, and Elvin Jones on drums. Garrison takes an extended and intimate solo in the middle to add character to the song. Garrison had a long-standing relationship with Coltrane and played with him from 1961-1967.

Bunny Brunel Bass Technique Books Re-Issued

Mel Bay is re-issuing two classic bass technique books by Bunny Brunel, both originally released in the ’90’s. Bunny Brunel’s Bass Secrets, originally released in 1995, is a 239 page, advanced studies method, including improvisation techniques. The Complete Book of Bass Technique, originally released in 1993, is a 250 page, in-depth study of contemporary bass techniques. Bunny has also announced...