Buzz
John Legend and The Roots: Little Ghetto Boy, Live
When John Legend and The Roots released Wake Up! back in 2010, I had it on auto-play for at least a couple of weeks. I stumbled on this video yesterday of their live performance of Donny Hathaway’s “Little Ghetto Boy”. Owen Biddle is laying it down on this one.
Beathaven Offers Unique Opportunity To Be Heard and Paid for Your Music
The Beathaven service offers a players a unique way to be heard, and get paid. The process is pretty simple: pay $4.99 to access one of the many tracks on Beathaven’s site. Download the track. Add your parts to the track. Upload the track, with your parts. Get feedback from music industry professionals about your work. And, if your tracks...
Reader Spotlight: Simone Croes
Meet Simone Croes, a bassist from Holland who tells us she holds the distinction of being the first female bass guitarist to graduate from the Conservatory of Amsterdam. Simone is busy working on her debut album now. Here’s her story… Bio: I’m a bass guitar player from Amsterdam, Europe. I’ve played in several bands and worked as a session bass...
Advanced Bass: Anatomy of a Groove
What exactly is a groove? Aside from attempting to teach feel, which is predicated on stylistic interpretation and flight time on the bandstand, a groove is a repetitive idea – often organized into two, four or eight bar phrases that is based on the harmonic rhythmic and melodic content of a song. Often when coming up with an idea, bass...
Brian Wroten: David Bowie’s “Lazarus” Bass Play-Along and Transcription
When I first heard David Bowie’s Blackstar, I ended up repeating the third track (“Lazarus”) more than a couple of times. I was so drawn to Tim Lefebvre’s terrific bass line on the tune. If you agree, then Brian Wroten did us all a favor by transcribing it for us. Follow along with the video below and Brian’s transcription. Brian...
Marcos Varela’s Latest Generates Praise
Bassist and composer Marcos Varela’s new album, San Ygnacio, has already garnered a four-star review from All About Jazz. Varela, who was born in Texas, but has been a New York jazz fixture for more than a decade, explores his heritage on San Ygnacio. “San Ygnacio is a rare mixed bag disc that works exceedingly well,” the All About Jazz...
Bass of the Week: Skjold Design Drakkar
Pete Skjold has been wowing bassists with his incredible instruments for nearly two decades. Last year he introduced a trio of new models based on his most popular body shapes, and this week we’re checking out the singlecut Drakkar bass. “The Drakkar is the modern version of the classic Whaleback,” Skjold explains on his website. “A focus on ergonomics took...
Learning the Double Bass Fingerboard
I received this question recently via Facebook: “How can someone become more familiar with the fingerboard? I can find the positions on my bass pretty easily, but sometimes I have trouble knowing exactly what notes are in that position across the strings. Thank you!” I’m so glad you are looking to solidify your knowledge of the fingerboard! There is certainly...
YYNOT: Red Barchetta Virtual Cover
The virtual trio of bassist Tim Starace, guitarist/vocalist Billy Alexander and drummer Rod Concha Tm knocked us out a while back when they shared their Rush-inspired tune “YYNOT“. They shared another on our forum, this time doing a virtual cover of “Red Barchetta”. Dig that Ric tone!
Circus Maximus Releases “Havoc”
Norwegian progressive metal outfit Circus Maximus has released its fourth studio effort, Havoc. “Metaphorically, it’s about succumbing to fire and striving to cope with the aftermath of decisions when overshadowed by the love we have for others and ourselves,” according to guitarist and producer Mats Haugen. Havoc is the first release since 2012’s Nine for the band, which features founding...
Weekly Top 10: Talking Technique, Approaching Composing, New Bass Gear, Top Videos, Bowie for Solo Bass Transcription and More
Happy Sunday! Here’s the latest and greatest from the world of bass – aka the top 10 reader favorites for the week. Thanks for reading, watching, commenting and sharing. 1. Talking Technique: Pedalling There are only so many hours in the day, so it’s always great to figure out ways to make the best use of your practice time. One...
Larry Kimpel Teams with Combe-Luthier for Signature Bass
Bassist Larry Kimpel has teamed up with French luthier Mathieu Combe to create LK5 Signature Bass. Kimpel, a seasoned session and touring bassist, worked closely on the bass’s design. The LK5 is built with a French ash body, three-piece hard maple neck, and compound-radius maple fingerboard. The light maple and ash motif is accented by a walnut pickguard as well...