Buzz
The Revolution: An Interview with BrownMark
A Minneapolis native, BrownMark has always known what it means to be funky. The bassist cut his teeth in the musically rich city before being picked up by the one and only Prince in 1981 for his 1981 Controversy tour. The bassist held his own and was featured on the albums Around the World In A Day, Parade, Sign o’...
Johan Hansén-Larson: Solar
It’s been a while since we’ve posted a new Johan Hansén-Larson video, so I was pumped to see him post a new bass version of the jazz standard “Solar.” The bassist, who now rocks an incredible beard, puts his own spin on the song with an incredible fluidity and musicality that will leave your jaw on the floor.
Pigtronix Announces Mothership 2 Analog Synthesizer
Pigtronix has expanded their other-worldly effects lineup with the Mothership 2 Analog Synthesizer. Building on the original Mothership, the new pedal packs tons of features into a smaller footprint. It has five dual-concentric potentiometers and two toggle switches. The knobs control the VCO (triangle wave), square wave, sub-octave, clean mix, master volume, glide, fine tune, dynamics, timbre, and sweep. The...
How To Structure Limited Practice Time
Q: I work a “real job” – as in four 10-hour days a week. I get up at 3:15 am Tuesday through Friday, commute to work, put in my 10 hour day, plus a half-hour for lunch, and by the time I get home from my afternoon commute, it can be as late as 6 pm. I’m usually pretty tired,...
Shob: The Right Move
Bassist Shob sent us a video of his new tune, “The Right Move,” and we’re digging the funky sound. The tune appears on Shob’s new album, Karma Obscur. We’re going to keep our eye on this bassist and band.
Reader Spotlight: Jesse Baumgartner
Meet Jesse Baumgartner, a bassist who can thank two people for his love for bass and music. One was his own father, and another was the father of a friend, who gave him some music that started him on his path. Jesse is this week’s reader in the spotlight (you can be next!) Here’s his story… Bio: I started playing...
Sire Guitars Unveils Marcus Miller P7 and V9 Basses
The popular Marcus Miller line of basses by Sire Guitars is growing this year with two new models: the P7 and the V9. The P7 is the company’s first P-style bass, while the V9 adds a solid maple top and quilted veneer to the V7 model. Available in four and five-string versions, the P7 centers around a P/J pickup set...
Miki Santamaria: Extreme Slap Bass Solo – Vol 2
Miki Santamaria always amazes us with his stellar technique and musicianship. This video is no different. In this clip, Miki shows off some sweet slap bass, with plenty of groove. If you dig this, Miki has made the tab and backing tracks available, here.
New Mastersounds Bassist Pete Shand In Need of Emergency Surgery
The New Mastersounds have announced that groove guru Pete Shand needs your help. The bassist, who is also working on Bernard Purdie’s new album, is in need of an emergency surgery to correct his spine. The band made the announcement on their Facebook page. “Pete needs your help for emergency surgery this week!” the band wrote. “Pete has developed a...
Bass of the Week: CG Lutherie Lyra
Our friend Sébastien Thorel sent us pictures a couple of gorgeous basses to check out, including this six-string Lyra by CG Lutherie. “I first met CG at a bass day in Annecy (a French town in Rhône Alpes) where he came with some of his handmade basses,” he wrote. “I was first very impressed (almost fell in love) with another...
Bass Bebop for Beginners: Part 2
Here is the second Parker line as promised – you can put it together with the C-7 F7 line from Part 1 and you get a cool turnaround lick: D-7 to G7 leading to C-7 to F7! So that gives you a nice two bar iii vi ii v line in B?. (And be sure to check out Part 1...
Zander Zon & Tommy Lee Depp: Sing Me To Sleep
Zander Zon has released a collaboration video with Tommy Lee Depp, and it offers up a terrific arrangement of Alan Walker’s tune, “Sing Me To Sleep.” “It was great to do these arrangements with Tommy,” Zander shared. “He’s become a leading solo bass player on YouTube due to his beautiful arrangements and videography, and he’s inspired me to get outside...