Buzz
Arranging for a Band
Q: Admittedly, this is not a bass specific question, but I am curious to know your thoughts on arranging standards and original tunes for a jazz quintet consisting of trombone, alto sax, drums, guitar, and upright/electric bass. I’ve written 15 or so tunes for the band, and we play some standards (“Satin Doll”, “Ornithology”, “A Night in Tunisia”, etc.), but...
Adam “Nolly” Getgood: “Prayer Position” Bass Playthrough
We first featured Periphery’s Adam “Nolly” Getgood with an epic bass cam video for their song “Make Total Destroy“. Now Nolly is back with another face-melting run-through with the song “Prayer Position” from the band’s latest album, Periphery III: Select Difficulty. The bassist rips it up with an absolutely crushing tone that cuts perfectly on the song’s blazing unison lines....
Sunny Day Real Estate Album Reissued on Vinyl
Sub Pop has released a vinyl reissue of Sunny Day Real Estate’s 1998 reunion album, How It Feels to Be Something On. Original bassist Nate Mendel did not rejoin the band for the record, opting to stay with the Foo Fighters. However, since that time, he has played on an album with some of his former SDRE bandmates and has...
Reader Spotlight: Marcin Sypniewski
Meet Marcin Sypniewski, a high school student in Poland who stays busy with school and fills every extra minute with his musical pursuit. Marcin got his start like many bassists – no one was playing the bass when he formed a band with friends – but he’s extremely happy with how that turned out. Marcin is this week’s No Treble...
Kala Revamps California Series U-Basses for 2016
Kala has revamped their California U-Bass series for 2016. The mini-scale, solid-body instruments will have reshaped necks and bodies, plus new placement for the fret markers on the fingerboard. “The California body and neck have been cut and sanded to smoother, more rounded edges so they provide more comfort for the player,” The company writes. “The feel is enhanced when...
Spare Parts: Four Sticks (Led Zeppelin Cover)
Spare Parts sent us their latest, and this time is a little different than we’ve seen from them previously. Filmed by Jody Michael Miller, here’s the trio anchored by Colin Scott performing their cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Four Sticks”.
Fred Hersch Trio Offers Up Live Recording
The Fred Hersch Trio, featuring John Hébert on bass, has released the live album, Sunday Night at the Vanguard, which All About Jazz says may be the trio’s best recording yet. The Vanguard refers to the Village Vanguard, a legendary New York City jazz club that has become a second home for the trio. Sunday Night at the Vanguard sees...
Bass of the Week: Conklin Guitars OM
This week we’re checking out a collaboration between Conklin Guitars and Jason Everett called the OM Bass. The bass is a seven-string fretless that is fitted with several interesting features to suit the bassist’s world music style. Its pickups are a pair of custom Bartolinis along with a set of GraphTECH Ghost piezos in individual saddlebridges. Besides EQing, the OM...
Talking Technique: Talking Double Stops
Looking for ways to spice up your grooves? Double stops are a great option. In their most basic form, double stops are when we play two notes together at the same time. They can sound muddy in some registers of the bass, but we’ll go over some tricks to make them sound like gold. This is another all-in-one lesson as...
Liben Tom & Jason Kishander: iPhone, Bass & Drums Jam
Bassist Jason Kishander sent me this video, and it is quite clever. They took one of the most recognizable ring tones (“Opening” on iPhone), and turned it into this bass and drums jam. It took me a minute to focus on the video and not pick up my phone. Then things got really interesting.
Thee Oh Sees Release “A Weird Exits”
San Fransisco garage rockers Thee Oh Sees have released A Weird Exits, their followup to 2015’s Mutilator Defeated at Last. The band, led by John Dwyer, not only features two drummers, but also bassist Tim Hellman (Sic Alps). It’s the group’s first full-length album to feature the double-drummer lineup. Check out the album’s “Plastic Plant”: A Weird Exits is available...
Weekly Top 10: Kenny Rogers on Bass, Fender’s New Deluxe Series, How to Transition to the Pro Level, Ibanez Basses Reviewed, Top Bass Videos and More
Time to celebrate the most popular stories, features, videos and more from No Treble for the week. Thanks as always for reading, watching, commenting and sharing. 1. Dudley Moore & Kenny Rogers: Satin Doll A video has been making the rounds on Facebook, thanks to Freemont’s Office – and it was quite unexpected. Dudley Moore and Kenny Rogers performed “Satin...