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Kristian Dunn: Staring At Screens
El Ten Eleven multi-instrumentalist Kristian Dunn has just released a new solo ambient album called . Besides beautiful pads, the album is full of intimate and introspective bass playing. Check out the video for the new song, “Staring at Screens” to see what we mean:
Fates Warning Releases First Studio Album in Three Years
Fates Warning has released its twelfth studio album, Theories of Flight, the band’s followup to 2013’s Darkness in a Different Light. The progressive metal band features Joey Vera, also of Armored Saint, on bass. In an interview with MetalHeadRadio.com, Vera said for the album, each band member recorded their parts separately, often near or at their homes, based on demos...
Fuzzrocious and Electro-Faustus Team Up for Greyfly Pedal
Fuzzrocious Effects has teamed up with Electro-Faustus to create a unique “noisemaker” called the Greyfly. The pedal combines the Fuzzrocious Grey Stache fuzz with the Electro-Faustus Blackfly spring-activated noise generator for a whole new pedal experience. The Greyfly can be used on its own with three springs that can be plucked, scraped, and twanged to create your signal, which is...
Solving Finger Pain To Continue Practicing
Q: As a bass player, having practiced all day until one’s fingernails are aching, what is the solution for a quick pain relief so I can continue to practice the next day, without skipping a day? A: While I can’t imagine what kind of practice makes your fingernails hurt (double thumb workouts?), I do have some thoughts. I worry, if...
Gheorghe Postoronca: The Light From Inside
Gheorghe Postoronca always brings a personal level to his solo bass songs. His latest, “The Light From Inside”, is no exception. The bassist utilizes a capo on four of his six strings along with strumming to create glorious harmonies and textures. It sounds like he is singing through his instrument, which is something many of us strive for.
Blink-182 Releases “California”
Blink-182 had around 30 songs written before heading into the studio to record its latest effort, California. But, when the pop-punk band, now featuring guitarist/vocalist Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio, started working together on the group’s seventh studio album, all those songs went out the window. “We hit the ground running so hard that we just kept writing and writing,”...
Reader Spotlight: Beth McPherson
Meet Beth McPherson, a bassist from Dallas who impressed us with her drive in pursuing music – both as a craft and as an eventual career. We’re betting she’s going to succeed in both. Beth is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight. Here’s her story… Bio: I’ve been playing electric bass for about 8 years, and upright for...
Orange Amplification Introduces The Crush Bass Combo Series
Orange redesigned their entry-level bass combo range with the Orange Crush Bass series. The line – consisting of 25, 50, and 100-watt combos – upgrades their most accessible bass amps with a parametric EQ circuit inspired by their new 4 Stroke bass amp. They also feature analog circuitry, redesigned speakers and ported cabinetry, an onboard tuner, and a headphone output...
Jeff Beck with Tal Wilkenfeld: Women of Ireland
Here’s a great clip of a Jeff Beck Band performance at Madison Square Garden in 2013. The tune, “Women of Ireland”, is a subdued one, featuring some sweet lines by bassist Tal Wilkenfeld. The band also includes Lizzie Ball on violin and Jonathan Joseph on drums.
Tony Levin Publishes Book of Poetry
You know Tony Levin for his extensive bass work with King Crimson, Peter Gabriel and innumerable sessions, but aside from being a music composer and lyricist, he’s also a writer who has kept an online “Road Diary” for two decades (its newest incarnation is here). He has now released a book of poetry, “Fragile as a Song.” Bill Bruford, who...
Bass of the Week: Warwick Custom Shop Streamer Stage II
Warwick’s Custom Shop has been putting out some beautiful instruments. Our bass of the week is one of their latest creations: a Streamer Stage II sporting a 1-inch Macassar Ebony top. The masterbuilt bass features neck-through construction centered around a 7-piece wenge and purpleheart neck. Its Tigerstripe Ebony fretboard is inlaid with dragon heads below the 12th fret and yin-yangs...
Talking Technique: Beautiful Practice
This lesson is called “Beautiful Practice” for a reason. Our exercise this week creates a lush harmony and texture all while working out our theory and technique at the same time. The theory portion of this week’s lesson is that we’ll be playing diatonic triads in open voicings. If that sounds foreign to you, don’t worry. We’ll be breaking down...