The Bass Guitar Blog

I Hate Bass Licks

Benjamin — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:14:12 +0000

While I’m on the road, here is a guest post by fellow bassist Steve Uccello. Steve is an Upright Bassist/Multi-Instrumentalist/Composer/Singer-Song-Writer and you can here his latest work Uccello Project, Symmetria on Last.FM. Add you thoughts to Steve’s post in the comments section… Over to Steve…

All right bass people! I’ve got a question for you: When you started playing music, did you decide to play bass first or did you arrive there though a ‘winding’ path? I wonder this because lately, as I’ve heard more and more bassists’ stories, I am beginning to notice a trend in how they began. It’s usually something like, “we started a band when we were younger and no one else wanted to play the bass so I…” or “I knew I could get more gigs if I also played bass and now it’s all I do…”

Maybe it’s our present day culture that perpetuates the desire to be the center of attention, but for whatever reason most people seem to want to be the singer or the lead guitarist in a group. One friend of mine who is an excellent guitarist said when he was choosing which instrument to play he was just watching a rock band play and he thought that it looked like the lead guitarist was the one having the most fun in the band and that’s what informed his decision to play guitar. Pretty honest statement! However it happened, it seems there are actually very few bassists who start out saying, “I would love to play the bass and support everybody else while they solo, or sing, I just want to hold it down.” Of course there are bassists out there like that, and I tip my hat to them, I think that is so cool!

When I was a youngster I started on drums, then guitar, and I bought a drum set and a bass for my friends to play on when they came to my house-so I could play guitar over them. I loved playing drums and bass too, of course (Jaco Pastorius, Les Claypool, & Roger Waters were my top three favs-not exactly your ‘bread & butter’ types of bass players!), but I always enjoyed playing guitar and singing more. A few years later I was in a situation where some friends were starting a band and they needed a bassist, since I was the only one who owned a bass, and could play it, I became the bassist in the group. I really fell in love with the bass, and indeed with the ‘role’ of the bassist, after I got an upright bass and heard the great Ray Brown play live. Even though I had gotten into the role, I still had habits that had formed from first being a guitarist/writer.

I should also mention that I had a desire to compose music for multiple basses, yet I hadn’t created an outlet for myself at that point, I was too busy learning how to survive as a musician and acquire the necessary skills to be a functioning bassist. One thing that helped my bass playing immensely was finally getting around to creating a project where I could experiment with putting the bass in more of a lead role. I found I was much more content to hold it down when I wasn’t constantly plagued with pent up ideas during gigs with bands where I needed to ‘play the role’. Early in my career I actually had one bandleader say, “I hate bass licks!!”-That was hard to deal with, but I really wanted the gig and needed the money, plus I had and earnest yearning to be able to enter any musical situation and play appropriately, so I took it as a lesson. It’s funny but another thing that helped my bass playing a lot was playing guitar in bands where bassists had the same problems I had had, I realized that when you’re playing on top of a band, you really do want the bass to blend in and lay a foundation, and how awkward it is when that doesn’t happen. I’ve now been a professional bassist/musician for about 15 years and I’ve played in many of different situations: singer/songwriters, jazz big bands, jazz combos, bluegrass bands (talk about holding down a simple line!), various world music bands (including a steel pan band where the electric bass doubled the pan bass), gospel choirs, etc…and I’m thankful for all the ‘real life’ lessons I’ve learned! Now, I take such pleasure in holding down a groove, a pleasure I never knew was there during my ‘transitional’ period, but it was a bit intense ‘unintentionally’ becoming a bass player. I had no idea of how big a job it really was until I was immersed in it, I felt like an actor who never learned to shield his emotions from the feelings of his characters.

A lot of bandleaders conceive of the bass as being solid and correct if they don’t notice it, kind of like the axle to a car: supportive, essential, but out of sight. When I studied with the great Ray Drummond he pointed out an interesting fact: he said most of the time bass players are being told what to play by people who aren’t bassists. Basically, in a round about way, I’m saying that, on the surface, for most people who wish to play music, the bass is simply not as fun as the other instruments in a band. Playing bass is a meditative, Zen kind of thing that carries a different, heavier, type of responsibility than the other roles do. If you’re a bassist you know that the role of the bassist in a band is like that of a pillar to a structure. It is simple, but NOT easy. You are generally executing something that is simpler than the other parts of the band but you are required to execute that part very solidly. That’s where the difficulty of being ‘down in the engine room’ lies. Its sort of a sacrifice, like saying, “I really want music to happen so I’ll provide this platform, or foundation, for it to unfold upon.”

My theory is that this is why fewer people are drawn to the bass than they are to, say, the guitar, singing, saxophone, or violin. In my experience there seems to be generally fewer bass players than players of other instruments. It’s good for me, as a working bassist, because I seem to stay busy with plenty of gigs and I get to enjoy playing in a lot of different styled bands, but it wasn’t easy in those first few years while I struggled with the role. I believe a lot of bassists who struggle with this as well, do so because they never really chose to be bass players, some of them are natural bassists who assume the role pretty easily, but others seem to constantly continue trying to make it work.

So, be honest, have any of you bassists out there ever been told, ‘just keep it low and simple, leave the soloing to me’? Have you struggled to hold back, or been frustrated while others solo endlessly, but give sideways glances if you even throw a lick here or there? And you bassists out there that have never had this problem, you, who unwaveringly chose to be musical pillars, facilitators of groove, can you give a word of advice to bassists who might truly love playing bass, but still struggle with this syndrome?

Fruity Box Bass

Benjamin — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:37:06 +0000

It’s been a while since we’ve had a fun post, so in the great tradition of the 2 string bass and the Bogdon box bass, I present for your delight this from Bass Guitar Blog reader Elmar!

The Klangbox is made of fruit boxes and was originally meant to be a gig case for one of the owner’s cigar box guitars. Well it still is -the neck is removable. The strings are made of clutch and brake cables from old motorcycles, I’m not sure of the origin of the pickups or the scale length (probably long!). The bridge is also a unique piece of engineering, providing a ‘headless’ design.

It’s the first Spanish bass that I’ve come across – are they all like this there? It has to be said that the sound is not at all bad, so it would simply be wrong of me not to let you see the bass in action for yourself, here you go:

Setting String Height – Adjusting Your Action

Benjamin — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 21:46:39 +0000

So, to the business of setting up a Bass Guitar. Tuning aside – do start with that first! – string height is the number one adjustment on a bass. There are all sorts of reasons that string height adjustment is needed, from changing string type and fret wear to changing weather conditions and playing style.

Before we start, there’s no point adjusting the string height if the neck relief (the bow in the neck adjusted by the truss rod) is out. For now we’ll assume it is good, check out the upcoming post on neck relief for more on that. The neck pitch also needs to be right too, but I’ve yet to come across a bass where the neck pitch (angle of the neck to the body) is adjustable, so we don’t need to go there.

The two signs of incorrect string height are:

Fret buzz when playing – deeply unpleasant rattling that generally doesn’t go along with more playing styles!
Having to press the strings ‘too far’ – the strings end up a long way from the neck and the bass becomes harder to play.

The string height, or action, is set by the bridge saddles that hold the strings. Older basses have flat head (slot) screws that enable you to adjust the setting, newer basses tend to use allen (hex) keys. Turning the screws further in raises the action, unscrewing them (anti-clockwise) lowers the action, letting the strings get closer to the frets and the pickup(s) – something to watch, you don’t want the strings too close to them!

The shape of the bass fretboard has a slight curve to it, drawn along and imaginary radius. The bridge saddles will generally follow the same arc. Severe changes to the bridge height can affect the intonation (the internal tuning if you like), but little tweaks shouldn’t be a problem. You can check the intonation later.

The super bright out there will have realised that the string height is also affected by the nut at the other end of the string. Generally the setting at the nut is fine out of the factory. Over the years the nut can wear down, which usually means time for a new one. In a few decades of bass playing I’ve never needed one, but I’ve never owned a bass older than me, so it isn’t out of the questions. The nut is not generally a do-it-yourself change. Likewise if the nut does happen to be too high, it is time to call in an expert. Some basses dispense with nut and have a so called “zero fret” where it would have been. This is personally my preferred set up, but generally only seen on higher-end basses (although it doesn’t mean that a bass is higher end).

Fret a string at the highest fret. Obviously there’s never going to be any fret buzz here (there aren’t any more frets!), but it is the point on the neck where the action is highest. Slide down and play at the 12th fret. If there’s fret buzz here, you’ll want to raise the string, just a little. Try fretting at different frets until you are reasonably buzz free. For a lower action, there will be some buzz, so don’t fret (as it were). If you get buzz in one place but not others, this is a sign of uneven fret wear. Again, time to head to an expert to have the frets refinished.

Adjust the height of each string, and don’t forget to check the open strings too. That’s it. You’re done.

Setting up a Bass Guitar

Benjamin — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:54:11 +0000

This will be a mini series of posts – although I may put everything under this one post too.

How do you set up your bass guitar?

Obviously the ideal is to have a professional do it for you – you can’t be a skilled hand and experience to get the perfect set up. However, sometimes just a minor tweak is required, or getting a full set up isn’t affordable or practical.

Adjustments on the Bass

So, what is adjustable? Apart from the obvious one (tuning), there are four main things that are checked and adjusted during a set up:

String height
Intonation
Trust rod (neck/fret board relief)
Pick up height

The first two are made via adjustments to the bridge. Trust rod adjustment is more tricky, while pick up height is relatively straight forward. Additionally a good set up should also look at the condition of the frets and fretboard, and also check the nut for ware. If you are already someone who sets up your own bass, hopefully you’ll pick up some additional tips, but do share what you’ve learnt as well! If it is all new to you, don’t be intimidated. Think of it as a way to better understand your bass.

To be continued…

Todd Johnson in Music and Harmony

Benjamin — Mon, 25 May 2009 22:29:17 +0000

Todd Johnson and Jim Stinnett have been busily writing and filming ”Fishin’ For Grips” – a tutorial on Melodic Harmonization for Bass Guitar. The Book and DVD combination is due out on June 1st and priced at $40 for the set.

Fishin’ For Grips is designed to be the definitive approach to learning chord-melody on the bass guitar. I have seen Todd Johnson play many times, and his chordal and melody playing are striking, a true jazz master. 84 minutes of DVD footage and the book aim to clearly illustrate how Todd does what he does, and to provide a clear and concise methodology.

Pre-orders are being taken at www.toddjohnsonmusic.com and will ship as soon as the DVDs and books are released.

Todd is simultaneously releasing his new CD. With his usual brand of self-deprecating humour it is titled ”One Good Looking Guy?” It is a joyful collaboration between Todd Johnson and Jim Stinnett, featuring their own compositions (Todd Johnson on 6–string electric bass and Jim Stinnett on acoustic & electric bass), supported by Dino Govoni on saxes and Joe Hunt on drums.

The CD is priced at $15 and also available from www.toddjohnsonmusic.com. You can hear the tracks on Todd’s ReverbNation page and check out Todd’s tour dates on the site too. Well worth getting out to seem him!

Here is Todd in action with the Todd Johnson Trio last year, playing Bye, Bye, Blackbird:

Ean Evans – Lynyrd Skynyrd Bassist

Benjamin — Sat, 16 May 2009 19:39:54 +0000

Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist, Ean Evans passed away earlier this month. Ean was 48, and died after a battle with cancer. He was born in Atlanta, but moved to Columbus after marrying his wife, Eva. He joined Lynyrd Skynyrd after Lynyrd Skynyrd’s previous bassist, Leon Wilkeson, died in his sleep in a hotel room in 2001. Evans toured with the band until being diagnosed with cancer back in 2008.

His most recent album was “Last Time” by Evanscapps, a side project featuring Ean Evans with Bobby Capps (the keyboard player for .38 Special) was released on May 12th, via Rock Ridge Music.

Rock Ridge Music is donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the album in Evans’ name to Lyrics For Life (www.lyricsforlife.org), a charity benefits children with cancer and their families. You can hear tracks on the Evanscapps myspace page or WMA files: ”Hell If I Know” and ”Follow The Morning Sun” and can purchase Last Time on-line.

Beyond Bass Camp

Benjamin — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:44:40 +0000

If you can get to London, this sounds very interesting! The acclaimed teacher and solo artist, Steve Lawson is putting on Beyond Bass Camp, a one day event looking at the bass as a vehicle for music, both within the tradition of the bass guitar, and beyond it as a tool for self-expression. Looking at technical, theoretical and mechanical aspects of making music with a bass. Knowing Steve, it will be blogged, tweeted and streamed around the Interwebs. However, being there will be the real deal:

“The idea for BBC came out of the masterclasses I teach in Northern California every January. For years I’ve been doing a day long workshop on bass, varying the focus slightly each time to cover different aspects of what we do as bassists and musicians, but all with the aim of helping musicians unlock their own musical voice, whether that be playing bass in a blues band, or writing their own solo compositions. The attendees reported back that they found it hugely useful, and a many became regulars coming back year after year to develop the themes and ideas of the classes.” Steve Lawson

The workshop will be run in London, initially once a month but with plans to expand. It will also be available as a ‘travel package’ – so get your requests in. There will be more information will be available soon. If you do the RSS thing, then you can subscribe to the RSS feed, I’ll post updates here too.

If you know of other bass events, do let us know – it’s good to spread the word!

Elixir Strings – Gore-Tex Coated

Benjamin — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:55:17 +0000

Whenever I ask for recommendations on Bass Guitar strings, one of the most mentioned makes is Elixir Strings. They are quite different, and not to everyone’s taste, but they have attracted a passionate following. Via Guitarkadia I came across this CBS piece on Gore-Tex, the company behind Elixir Strings (excuse the pre-roll ad):

Traditional strings tend to oxidise as they age. This is natural corrosion of the metal due to the aim as well as sweat and grease from your fingers. This causes the sound of the strings to dull with age. The folks at Gore-Tex set out to cure this problem, using their synthetic coating technology. As they put it “We set out to develop the cure for the common string.” – the aim was to create a set of strings that deliver excellent, long-lasting tone for a long time. Of course it isn’t just the tone, old strings feel different too, and Elixir Strings aim to stay feeling clean and smooth, even after repeated playing.

There are two types of strings in the family: NANOWEB® and POLYWEB®. NANOWEB coated strings are design to sound and feel like uncoated strings, with a micro thin coating that is barely noticeable, they remain bright soundsing for a long while. POLYWEB® coated strings are designed to sound like they have been ‘played in’ – not as harsh, and with a coating that reduces finger noise.

I have played with both types, and they certainly do last a long time – not forever of course, as the coating does eventually give way. If you are a player that generates lots of grease and sweat, or you have a bass that goes a long-time between plays, they are definitely worth checking out.

Jeff Beck Performing This Week…Live at Ronnie Scott’s with Tal Wilkenfeld

Benjamin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 11:18:21 +0000

OK, he isn’t actually playing this week at Ronnie Scott’s, but Jeff Beck does have a new DVD coming out, and that’s its title: Jeff Beck Performing This Week…Live at Ronnie Scott’s. The DVD features bassist, Tal Wilkenfeld - a Sadowsky Basses and EBS amplifiers and cabinets user who’s tour credits include Chick Corea, Eric Clapton, Joss Stone and on…

Jeff Beck will be on tour and I’ve been told that there will a chance to meet him too. Check out “Led Boots” from the DVD, featuring Tal too, pretty cool stuff:

“Led Boots” video clip from Jeff Beck’s Live at Ronnie Scott’s DVD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yg0nGAzNHc

There’s also a bit of a thing going on with Panasonic. Concert attendees that have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 will have a chance to take photos of Jeff Beck performing and submit them to the “Best of the Tour” series for JeffBeck.com. The first 10 owners who show up at the venue will get a special Panasonic VIP pass, which allows them backstage access for a photo opportunity with Jeff Beck. Panasonic will be raffling off two TZ5 class Digital Still cameras at each of the North American concerts.

You can get Performing This Week: Live at Ronnie Scott’s on Amazon and the full list of Jeff Beck Tour dates are on the site. They start on 10th April 09 in New York at The Fillimore, and go through to 23rd April in Oakland at the Fox Theater – loads of dates. No Panasonic prize, but tour dates in Europe too:

UK and Ireland: 24th June Brighton Brighton Dome, 25th June Birmingham Symphony Hall, 27th June Manchester Manchester Apollo, 28th June Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 30th June Belfast Ulster Hall, 1st July Dublin Vicar Street, 3rd July Southampton Guildhall, 4th July London Royal Albert Hall.
Holland: 12th July Weert, Holland Bospop Festival, Sportpark Boshoven.
France: 13th July Sete, France Festival Jazz a Sete @ Theatre de la Mer, 15th July Antibes, France Juan Les Pins Jazz Festival.
Switzerland: 17th July Montreux, Switzerland Montreux Festival.
Belgium: 19th July Limburg, Belgium Peer Festival.
Spain: 22nd July Barcelona, Spain Pueblo Espanol, 24th July Madrid, Spain Festival Veranos De La Villa, Casa De Campo, 25th July Cazorla, Spain Blues Festival , 27th July Alicante, Spain Festival de Musicas del Mundo.

Enjoy!

Meditating on Your Bass

Benjamin — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:59:42 +0000

A long time ago in Getting Back into the Groove there was mention of “meditating on your bass” but a recent discussion with Kalin in the comments on the Road Worn Fender Jazz Bass post got me thinking about it again, especially this comment:

“I was never a fan of quick-fixes. It takes time to make things dear to one’s being, and guitars surely have that facet…” – Kalin

It was Peter Tambroni (on Twitter: peter_tambroni) who mentioned the meditation idea. There is some science behind what both Peter and Kalin have mentioned. Over time, our brains automate things, so as we get used to a particular bass, we don’t need to concentrate as much, something called Muscle Memory takes over. This isn’t actually memory in your muscles, but rather the part of the brain that controls the muscles getting used to doing something. With practice, it gets more accurate at carrying out a particular movement. You are probably already familiar with the concept. It’s the main reason we practice, after all.

So, how does this connect with ‘meditating on your bass’? It doesn’t have to be a ’spiritual’ thing, although it can be if you want it to. It is about paying absolute attention, and focussing down on some tiny things. Try this:

Get your bass, and assume the position you would to play normally.
Notice how the bass feels. Notice where the weight is. Notice where your arms are.
You might adjust slightly, but concentrate on noticing just those things.

As a side note, letting your brain let go of the mass of things swilling around it for a bit is good for you, so say the psychologists anyway. Hopefully you are feeling a bit calmer, and also a bit more aware of your bass. Try this next:

Play one note. Just one.
Pay careful attention to how it sounded. How was the tone? The sustain.
Wait a little bit. Let it ring out.
Now, play one more note – the same one.
Did it sound different? Did you like the sound more, or less?
Listen to the detail of the note.

So, if you aren’t slightly unnerved by the experience, let me explain what is going off. You are letting the bit of your brain that control your fingers, interact with the bits that listen to the note, and the bits that know what you want your notes to sound like. Try one more thing:

Play a simple scale. Very, very slowly. Notice how your hands feel and how the notes sound.
Don’t let any other thoughts come into your head, just concentrate absolutely on that scale and the sound.

Now, pause. Notice your bass again. How is it feeling? How does it feel under your finger tips and against your body. Relax.

Hopefully that was fun. Repeating that kind of exercise will actually result in you being less aware of your bass. With lots of practice, our instrument becomes ‘invisible’ – that’s when muscle memory is working its magic. It’s taken over from our conscious brain and it is playing the bass for us. It’s a good feeling – that one you get when you are playing a piece that you know inside-out.

There’s definitely an argument for focussing down on one (or perhaps two) basses, and sticking with the same one for a long while. To the point Kalin was making, it takes a long while to get to know an instrument well, with it all its tonal quirks and intricacies.

Music Messe 2009 – Frankfurt

Benjamin — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 19:45:19 +0000

A week on the road, with almost no Internet access – Ah, how do we survive these things? Oh, I know… With bass goodness… A few highlights from musicmesse:

TC Electronic added the RS410 to their range of cabinets (the RS212 and RS210) for the RebelHead450, announced back at the NAMM show. As you can probably guess from the name, it is a 4×10 cab, it has a tweeter too, and is good for 600 Watts at 8 Ohms. Here’s a video from the TC Electronic stand:

Ritter Basses were on show. Such a beautiful collection. They hope to complete the Ritter history / owners album in a few weeks. It will be a complete listing of all the Basses they’ve ever made. If you are a Ritter Owner and want to be in, please email them your serial number and your name (details on the Ritter Basses site).

Rotosound had Billy Sheehan on their stand (more about that shortly). They also have a new look homepage, which should make it a bit easier to find your nearest stockist.

Roland were around too, but nothing new for bass [sniff]. I’ll scour around for anything else that was noteworthy that I might have missed.

Moving to Fretless from Fretted

Benjamin — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 17:29:05 +0000

Lots of the newer bassists who come to chat end up asking about fretless. I was interested in fretless bass from the earliest days of my playing. Partly because of the Jaco influence, but also because when I started playing there were a number of bands in vogue that featured fretless (Japan, Paul Simon, The Christians and tracks featuring Pino Palladino and Sting were in force too).

There are many reasons to play fretless, from the instrument’s unique tone, to the ability to slide gracefully between notes. Ultimately it is a matter of personal preference. Recently I asked Steve Lawson about going fretless. Steve is well known as a teacher of fretless bass, on top of his Solo Bass career.

“It’s probably not as hard as you think, particularly if your technique is decent, and assuming you’re going to get a lined fretless. There’s no law against getting an unlined one, but that just seems to be making life difficult! …Anything that is going to help me play in tune, I’m going to do!”

There are some differences in frethand technique and finger placement in moving from fretted to fretless too:

“On a fretted you play behind the fret, but on a lined fretless you are going to be about 2/3 of the way behind the line, so that the contact point of your finger onto the fretboard is on the line.”

Steve picked out one of my bad habits, which turns out to be quite a common one:

“The biggest mistake that people learning to play fretless make is learning to auto correct – sliding in to the notes [rather than getting them on pitch at the start]. The most important practice is learning to hit the notes without any vibrato, bang on. When you get it wrong, don’t correct, look at where your hand is. Try and feel how it was wrong.”

“You have to practice what you ultimately want to have happen – which is that you don’t want to have to correct, you want to be playing in tune from the start… …I spend a lot of time [practising] getting my fingers in exactly the right place. The trick is to start slow, work on accuracy from the beginning. If you play out of tune, it just isn’t going to work.”

Keying against something (like an open string) to make sure your intonation is correct is another neat tip.

“Intonation is the beginning, middle and end of getting fretless playing right.”

It is worth the patience needed to master it, as Steve says:

“If you do, you are opening yourself up to a whole load of expressive potential that fretted just doesn’t have.

Here is the full video of Steve Lawson speaking with me. Sorry if the sound is a little quiet! We also talk about fretless bass compared to upright, and there’s even a mention of my Elrick fretless. My favourite quote from Steve on moving from fretted to fretless bass:

“It’s like taking the training rails off”

Back Ups – Avoiding Gig-asters

Benjamin — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:36:04 +0000

Well, South by South West (or should I say “South By…”) was even more full on that I had imagined, and I had imagined it being very full on. Oddly, the thing stuck in my mind isn’t a gig, it was looking across at a rig. It got me thinking about having back ups and avoiding bass disasters…

Two neatly stacked amps on the stage at the venue. Now, I’ve heard talk about Ashdowns (and other) amps failing, but no-one was taking any chances with this set up – one amp labelled “MAIN” and one labelled “SPARE”. Well, there were no failures at SXSW, but it got me thinking… What failures could I deal with during a gig? I usually have:

A ’spare’ bass – a little unusual, but because I play fretted and fretless, and have a double case, I always have both with me.
Spare strings – this is a bit of a no-brainer. That said, I’ve broken one string on stage in 25 years.
Spare lead – not much extra to pack, and it means I can bail out any clowns that don’t bring enough leads.
A Bass Guitar Tool - for light repair work.

So that covers most of the front end. My usual big-gig cab has multiple drivers, so if one speaker blows, it should carry on, all be it at lower volume – a nice advantage of something like a 2×12, 8 x10, and the like. Most bass cabinets are wired in parallel or parallel plus serial, so as long as the speaker coil doesn’t short when it fails, the cab should carry on. To be really sure you could stack two cabs (i.e. two 4×10’s to give an 8×10) I guess. I haven’t gone down that road, yet…

That leaves the amp / pre-amp as the single point of failure. At a bigger gig, you just loose your monitoring – you can still go through the main PA, and have some bass in a near by wedge. At a smaller gig, you might well be stuck. It seems pretty expensive and laborious to carry around a second amp, but if you want to be 100% backed up that seems the only option.

House Concerts Comments and Travelling

Benjamin — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:24:57 +0000

Having posted recently about house concerts, I’ll also point you to this great post by Steve himself on the matter: House Concert Hosting: a Beginner’s Guide. A number of recent posts have some great discussions in the comments, which are worth checking out if you haven’t seen them:

If you want to follow the comments on the blog, this is an RSS feed. for them. If you just click on that link in your browser, it should add it to your RSS reader and you can keep up with the comments that way.

I’m enjoying the chat on twitter (as @BenjaminBass) and you can follow the blog there too, if that’s easier: @BassGuitarBlog.

I’m off to Austin for South by Southwest. I’ll blog on anything bass like that I find!

Reading Music

Benjamin — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:00:56 +0000

Recently I played bass for a musical. It was one of those lessons in how valuable being able to read a bass score is. I know many bassists who play by ear very well, it’s a great skill to have. However, when there are 20 songs to learn over two rehearsals, being able to read the bass lines off of the page is definitely a win.

Over the years I have heard many arguments about using Tab versus Score for notation. Tab can be very ‘accessible’ for those new to reading music or less familiar with the fret board, since it shows the reader exactly what to do. However, it is hard to read at the same speed as a score, and doesn’t carry the same level of detail in terms of timing and expression. There is a reasonably large investment required to learn to be able to read a score, but the bass clef isn’t too much of a monster once you have your head around it.

Of course, you don’t have to learn to read music to be a bassist, but the return on that learning investment is access to a large library of bass lines, and it also opens up new opportunities for playing.

You may find this introduction to reading common notation helpful, and there is another basic introduction here. Remember, you only really need to read the bass clef, although it is sometimes helpful if you can make sense of the rest of a score too. You can test your note recognition skills here, for fun! It is a question of drilling until you have memorised which notes are on which line. Even just that skill, and an understanding of sharps and flats, can get you through many situations.

If you want to write out bass scores for yourself, then German publishing house “Lugert-Verlag” has recently made available a free version of the Forte notation programme. Forte has been in use in educational establishments for many years. Although the freeware version is limited in functionality, it is more than adequate for most bassists purposes. If you want to do full on orchestral work, then you’ll need to upgrade to the full version.

What is your experience with reading music? Too hard? Worthwhile? Not worth it?

Clever Bass? Weird Bass

Benjamin — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:23:03 +0000

The design of the bass has been pretty much set in stone since its birth. There have been one or two notable exceptions over the years, so when I saw and read about the Orchid bass, it really caught my attention.

The bass was designed and built by Luthier Rich Toone. It has a 32″ neck, a Trapezoidal Neck Profile, and was specifically designed for it’s player, Halie (aged 16 when the bass was made).

There are certainly some weird basses out there. Check out the world’s largest bass. Actually, I’m not sure it is, as I remember someone making a massive double bass a while back, but do check out the link to Last.FM’s rebuttal of TechCrunch’s journalism on sharing user’s music data in that post. There are also some beautiful basses about, see the incredible carving on this Univox Eagle Bass.

However, it’s rare to see weirdness and clever design in one instrument, as in the Orchid. There are lots of little design tweaks, along with the very unusual body shape. See the Orchid Bass in action in this video to understand what I mean:

House Concerts

Benjamin — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:04:09 +0000

May be you can’t get out to hear your fave musicians play? May be your town doesn’t have a music venue? Here’s an idea: Create your own music venue.

House concerts are becoming more and more popular. Open your home to a favourite musician and your friends. There is an interesting post on music think thank about house concerts: For the fans, by the fans…are fan driven private concerts the next big movement? They have a venerable history:

Private concerts started when music was first on the scene back in the days the Kings and Queens utilized their free time bringing in the top musicians from their town to perform private concerts for them and their friends. The best musicians back in the 1700’s would be summoned to the castles to play for a group of elite socialites that the only reason to come to the castle, other then to fufil the request from the King, was to listen to the best music in that given region.

A royal tradition, eh? This is a great way to support solo bass artists, who can struggle to break in to mainstream venues. It might also be a way for you to get gigs for yourself. You can read about Steve Lawson’s experiences here: Sustainable Touring Pt 1 – planning a house-concert tour and also more house concert magic.

Three Finger Technique – Alex Webster Video

Benjamin — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 18:23:56 +0000

Not heard of the three finger technique before? Steve Lawson pointed me to this lovely Qik interview he did with Alex Webster , bassist with death metal band Cannibal Corpse.

In the short clip Alex explains the 3 finger technique – amazing for playing at speed, 1/16th notes here we come…It is used by players including Billy Sheehan and John Myung.

Alex’s first time streaming live to the web!:

Elrick Expat Bass Line

Benjamin — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:38:44 +0000

As you can probably guess from the title, Elrick has joined the ranks of MTD and Lakland with a higher-volume, lower-priced bass. The range has its own dedicated website: www.expatnjs.com. I’ve been a long term Elrick user, so I was particularly eager to check out where Rob Elrick is headed with this range.

Elrick have been in production since 1993, and are probably best known for the ”Classic” and “e-volution” ranges. The Elrick Expat New Jazz Standard (NJS) model, announced during the NAMM Show, is more traditional in appearance that the wilder extremes of some of the single-cut thru-necks like mine in the rage. Rob oversees the production:

“These basses are not alternatives to my U.S.-made NJS 4- and 5- strings—they are respectable substitutes on par with their U.S. counterparts. That being said, they do have one value-added feature I cannot economically offer on my U.S. basses that is desirable to many electric bass consumers: a paint job.” Says Elrick.

US sourced components include:

Elrick strings.
Bartolini pickups and electronics (3 band EQ).
Hipshot ultra-light tuners and B-style bridge.
Dunlop Straplok-compatible strap buttons.

Other vital stats include:

Scale Length of 34″ (for the 4 string) or 35″ (for the 5 string).
Quarter-sawn ample neck.
Indian rosewood fretboard.

The Expat NJS is available with a swamp ash body (in natural or amber sunburst finishes), or an alder body (in natural, amber sunburst, antique tobacco sunburst, piano black, or white). Prices start at $1,999 and include an Elrick Zero Gravity ultra-light case.

Wood&Tronics

Benjamin — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 22:23:14 +0000

It is pretty rare for me to stumble across a bass manufacture of note that I haven’t see before, but yesterday was one of those days… I ran into a very nice chap by the name of Mark Graham, and he was playing a Wood&Tronics Chronos.

I was immediately struck by the sound (I heard it before I saw it). It had the kind of articulation I’d associate with a Ken Smith or a Fodera. Then I saw it. A very striking single cut bass, with at least a nod and a wink to a Fodera – at least in my view.

Wood&Tronics are based in Italy, and join a growing stable of fine Italian bass producers. They have five main models: the Spectrum, the Chronos, the Ergon, the Zoid and the EJ. The EJ plays tricks with your eyes, there’s a little bit of jazz in there and a lot of Wood&Tronics: see for yourself.

The influences aren’t that surprising when you find out that one of the co-founders, Enrico Pasini, spend time living in New York and was a frequent visitor to Fodera’s workshops, hence the influence. These basses are very much their own though, with customised East electronics, the sound is very full-on. They certainly won’t be to everyone’s taste, in looks or sound. However, if you are looking for a very distinctive, stand-out bass, this is definitely a luther to try out. Currently they are distributed in the UK by Bass Direct, and in the Netherlands by Fray’s Bass Corner.

A big thank you to Mark for letting me inspect his baby – it had wonderful wood combinations (Zebrano + Padouk + Maple + White Ash with Ebony fingerboard) and the kind of sound you’d expect from a Thru-neck single cut bass. I’d definitely recognise it if I heard it again!

Bass Blogger Distortion Pedal

Benjamin — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 19:53:56 +0000

This YouTube Video from Bassguitar mag caught my eye if for no other reason than the fact one of the pedals is called the “Blogger” – a Bass Blogger - how about that? I love watching Ed Friedland goofing around too! The first half is the Electro Harmonix Bass Micro Synth, then the bass blogger pedal:

The use of distortional pedals is another one of those issues that splits the bass community – a bit like Marmite – love it or hate it. I’ve only played with a handful of the distortion pedals on the market. Anyone have any favourites or pet hates?

The Case of The Bass and BA

Benjamin — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 21:09:37 +0000

I like stories that have a happy ending – they aren’t as plentiful as I’d like though. So, here’s one for you…

A little while bass I blogged about Flying With A Bass, including the episode of UK solo bassist Steve Lawson ending up distressed, with an even more distressed bass:

That’s not what you want to see when you open your bass case. Steve was with us this week, so I grabbed the camera phone and asked him what happened next (you’ll need to crank up the volume a bit – I need to find a good external mic ):

Nice one Modulus – more detail over on Steve’s blog.

(sorry for lack of posts in the last couple of days this is why – Speaking of Twitter and bass, Modulus are on twitter so you can follow them for updates).

Wooten Woods

Benjamin — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 21:48:48 +0000

So, Victor Wooten gets to open Wooten Woods Retreat! Thanks to notreble for the heads up.

Victor Wooten has been running his Nature-orientated Bass camps since the turn of the century (2000 that is ). A little while ago 150 acres of land near Nashville, Tennessee was purchased, and since then volunteers have been hard at work turning it into a venue fit for Bass/Nature Camp.

The house will be open to the public on Sunday, April 5, 2009 from 1 to 6pm, with a concert. If you’d like to attend, drop an RSVP to wootenwoods@aol.com. The next Bass/Nature camp starts on April 21st (you can sign up at the Bass/Nature Camp site).

Read more about how it all came into being on Wooten’s Wooten Woods Retreat site.

For those of us an ocean away, we’ll have to await photos and blog posts to find out how it went!

Tweeting Bassists – Bass Twitter

Benjamin — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 21:29:59 +0000

The micro-blogging service Twitter has been getting a huge amount of visibility recently. For those that have missed the storm, it is a web service that lets you publish short messages (of up to 140 characters) to the world… It’s a lot more than that, but the only way to find out is to dive in. I can be hard to get going, so I thought I’d provide a jump start for bassists wanting to connect with other bassists. Starting with a friendly community helps you get going on the service even quicker!

Here’s your X step program to get you started with Twitter, if you want to!

Sign up to the service (it’s free and pretty easy – you might want a little picture of you to hand for your profile).
Find me: Benjaminbass (where I tweet bass stuff!) and click on follow.
Check out some of the lovely bass folks I get the privilege of listening to: following and followers.
You can also follow the bass guitar blog’s twitter feed. I’ll be tweeting things there that are too short for the blog.
Say hello, in 140 characters, type “@benjaminbass” and tell me about yourself!

See you in Twitter land – And here of course!

By the way… Please don’t forget to follow the blog if you don’t already, and you might also want to follow the bass comments feed, as that is pretty lively these days too!

One Finger One Fret

Benjamin — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 23:07:27 +0000

Hopefully this post won’t be too controversial! I wanted to share some thoughts on right hand technique, or should I say frethand technique – I don’t want to be handist about it, I am a lefty even if I don’t play as one! I was educated into the one-finger-one-fret technique when I started playing guitar. Anything else would have got me a wrap on the knuckles from my classical guitar teacher. The first finger goes on the first fret, the second on the second, the third the third and the fourth on the fourth. All good and logical…

Using one finger per fret means that you know which note is under each finger. It’s fine on a short scale guitar, but on the longer fretboard of the bass it is a different story. The technique means big stretches, especially at the low end of the neck, where the space between the frets is proportionally larger that further up. That can make it quite uncomfortable for many. Rich posed this question on “Bass Guitar Scale Length – Stretching Too Far?“:

I’ve been playing a 34″ (my first bass) for over a year now, and my fingers have stretched, but nowhere near enough. At the top end of the bass (frets 1-5) I can only span 3 frets (even this requires stretching), so playing anything that covers four frets requires a lot of jumping around and is quite painful

How do you fret? Well, Rich, there’s good news, although it is something I didn’t catch hold of until years after I started playing bass. Firstly, don’t keep your finger held down on a fret after you’ve finished the note. Having the first finger planted when you don’t need it creates unnecessary stretch and tension when you are reaching for the higher frets with fingers 3 or 4. Even better news, you don’t need to stick to one finger one fret at the low end. Dave Marks explains it well in his video:

There is a different technique, called the Simandl method. It will be familiar to upright bass players, but doesn’t seem as widely known in the electric bass world. It is much more comfortable for a bassists’ fingers and is designed with the bass neck in mind. It is named after Franz Simandl (who lived from 1840-1912) and was a teacher and double-bass player of note. He developed a set of studies which are still in use today.

The Simandl method uses the first, second, and fourth fingers for the lower register. In it’s fullest form, it involves dividing the fingerboard into different positions, and applying different fingering methods for each. Using fingers 1, 2 and 4 in the lower positions is used by classical double bass players to accomodate the instrument’s scale length.

There is much more than that to the Simandl method. It includes some things which would sound wild even for those familiar with the likes of Victor Wooten – like using the thumb in the highest positions – but that will do for now! You might also want to check out the Rabbath method, which has applicability on eletric bass too, especially fretless (see Rabbath versus Simandl).

Don’t stop working on stretching, and keep to one finger one fret further up the fretboard, but don’t over stretch – no-one is going to enjoy playing bass if they are injured. One of the other righthand/frethand issues to be aware of is where your thumb is. If it is wrapped around the neck, apart from making it hard to apply force to fret the strings, it will also shorten the effective length (and reach) of your fretting digits. Plant the thumb in the middle of the back of the neck. That gives the maximum usable finger length and mobility – as well as numerous other benefits.

These days I am much less militant about one finger one fret, at least in the lower orders, although I generally play that way, as I’m rarely playing in first or second position. The main thing is building up the strength and reach of your pinky fourth finger.

7 Things About Me… And You?

Benjamin — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:11:22 +0000

G L WILSON from the guitarz on blogspot tagged me in a blog meme 7 (Useless) Things about me – as he says, I don’t normal do these things, but this one seemed like a fun way to find out more about folks.

It originated on TheOpenSource.com, and the rules are as follows:

Link your original tagger(s), and list these rules on your blog.
Share seven facts about yourself in the post – some random, some weird.
Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter.

So, here are my 7 random things – I’d love to hear some from you – either via your blog, or in the comments here.

Although I play bass right-handed, I am actually left-handed – at least for writing.
The first instrument I learnt to play was piano. I went from that to classical guitar, and then on to bass.
I ‘made’ my first fretless bass at home, by pulling all of the frets out of the neck on a P-bass copy, then varnishing it. Sadly, it didn’t turn me into Jaco.
My biggest gig is around 2,000 people. It was much less nerve racking than when I played in front of 5 fellow bassists.
Worst gig moment was when a strap came off of my bass. I ended up playing the song sat on the floor with the bass on my lap. Not as cool as it might sound, it was a rock number.
I’ve never broken a string during a gig… So Far… Although I used to break G-strings with alarming frequency when I started playing.
Although I’ve spent lots of time in the USA, I live in the UK – hence the odd spelling here .

I’m tagging the following bloggers, as they are people I’d like to know more: Carol of She Lives (a great writer), Gary of Thumbrella – Words to a Void (check out the Electro harmonix factory tour), Sebastiano of Sebinomics (You Know You’re a Bass Player when…), Jason of the double bass blog (YouTube Symphony bass part – another Tan Dun), Emon of guitarkadia (his pointer to a great TED video), the other two I hand over to you…

If you blog, feel free to join in – write a post, with a link or trackback to here so I can find you. If you are a non-blogger, and not feeling to shy, you could add 7 random things about you as a comment here. By the way, if you want to write about bass and don’t feel up to running a full blog, how about writing a guest post for the bass guitar blog?

Two posts on technique and bass maintenance coming up next!

Getting Back into the Groove

Benjamin — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 10:50:48 +0000

My Youngest on an Accugroove Cab - Meditating on bass?

Sometimes bass playing can get stale. It’s nothing to do with the role of the bass, and it’s not a pro vs amateur thing. It is just the nature of doing something for a long time. We get into a routine that becomes mundane, or we fall out of a practice routine that causes us to grow in our playing. So, how do you get back in to the groove?

I came across a great post be Peter Tambroni with suggestions to “Rejuvenate your playing” – finding your fire again. It really struck a chord with me (if you’ll excuse the pun).

It happens to all of us. We practice. We have our routine (which is good!). We have our allotted practice time and organized it into a balance diet of exercises and music for an efficient route to progress. And then after a few months, stagnation sets in. We’re zoning out, tuning out, and feeling generally flat.

He has some great suggestions for getting out of a rut:

Take up an artistic hobby that you’ve never formally studied (Peter took up photography – I did the same).
Learn to selectively focus on a subject – or not. Change the perspective of your study.
Try playing a genre that you’ve never worked in before – rock, bluegrass, …
Pickup your instrument and doodle, let your fingers wander and play anything.
Play a different style, improvise, transcribe (especially something different!).
Meditate with the bass [I like this one]. Just sit or stand with your bass and feel the weight of it. Notice the neck and feel the strings and wood. Connect with your instrument.

You can read his full article at mostlybass.com. As Peter says it so well:

Hopefully you’ll reconnect with your instrument and discover why you chose the bass.

Fender Jazz Bass – Road Worn

Benjamin — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:58:31 +0000

Oh dear, I’m having a complete gear victim moment. Normally if a bass is a bit beaten up, you’d pay less for it. That is, unless it is one of those vintage treasures of course. But what about a bass that isn’t vintage, but is still beaten up enough to look road worn? Well, that’s the deal with the new Fender Road Worn series. New basses made to look like old. And with a price tag and quality more towards the vintage than the Squire end of the market.

I have to say, I’m really taken by them, particularly the 1960’s sunburst Jazz here. Just to add a twist to the mix, I’d like a 5 string version though. Yes, I know that makes absolutely no sense – and it isn’t going to happen – they didn’t have a 5 string in the 60s (although there was an early 5 string Jazz bass – much earlier than most people realise). I do like the distressed look. Anyway, check out the details on the Fender site. They are designed with a 1960’s vibe (nitrocellulose-lacquer finish to get ‘that’ look, with pickups to give the right sound and feel).

There is also a dedicated site: road worn basses and it is offering the chance to enter a competition to give you the gear to get on the road yourself. Oh, there’s a 50’s P Bass as well, for those of the P rather than the J bent!

Accugroove News

Benjamin — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:02:07 +0000

Accugroove were busy with news at NAMM too… The new Accugroove Synergy power amp was on display, along with a cabinet featuring carbon fibre (graphite) coned 6 inch mid-range speakers (so now you can have graphite in your cabinet as well as graphite in your bass’s neck). You’ll have to hurry though – it is a strictly limited edition of 10 cabs. Again thanks to Steve Lawson for this pic, Steve says they sound incredible!

The Synergy power amp is a new NAMM introduction for 2009. It is available stand-alone or built-in to a Tri series cabinet (Tri 112L Combo w/ Synergy, Tri 115L Combo w/ Synergy, Tri 210L Combo w/ Synergy.). On its own, the Synergy amp weighs in at 10 lbs and delivers 1,100 watts in to a 4 Ohm speaker. That’s a lot of bass in one box! It measures 17” x 13” x 3.5” – about 2 Rack Spaces (there are optional rack ears available). The Preamp is a hybrid design (solid state, combined with a 12AX7 tube input stage), the Power Amp stage is a Class H amplifier.

Accugroove describe it as “the only amp you’d ever want on a desert island.” – I’m not gigging on a desert island anytime soon, but it still looks like a nice amp and a very attractive addition to the Accugroove line up (I have a Tri 110L which I am very happy with). It is high-power, but still very portable. A straight up amp with the bonus of valve warmth delivered in that Accugroove “hear your bass as it is” way. Full specs:

Power Rating:

1000W @ 2 ohms;
775W @ 4 ohms;
450W @ 8 ohms

Frequency Response:

+0dB, -5dB: 20Hz-20kHz
Damping Factor: >500

Inputs/Outputs:

2 Neutrik Combo Speaker Jacks (Speakon & ¼”).
¼” Tuner out/ Headphone, ¼” Pre-EQ Effect Send and a Return.
Jenson XLR balanced out with a ground lift switch, Pre/Post Switch & Level.
I.E.C. Power Connection (there is a cooling fan on the side – a quiet one!)
Inputs: 1 – ¼” Passive and 1 – ¼” Active (-12Db)

Controls:

Mute Switch with LED Indicator.
EQ Bypass Switch with LED Indicator.
Input Gain (Volume) w/ LED peak Clip Light.
Master Gain (Volume) w/ 3 LED Signal & Clip Indicators
Power on/off Switch with LED
4 Band EQ

Upton Bass Competition Winner

Benjamin — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:39:49 +0000

One of the great things about running the bass guitar blog is the opportunity to make other bassists happy! Thank you to all of those who entered the Bass Guitar Blog competition back in November, and thank you to Upton Bass for the Revolution SOLO II Double Bass Pickup prize. Congratulations go to the winner, Rod Sroufe.

Rod has now received his pickup and is absolutely over the moon:

Thank you for the good news. This is a surprise! I had thought the contest had come and gone and my typical streak of no luck was intact! So this news is fantastic! …I am excited to get it installed to see how it makes my carved top bass sound. I always wanted a Revolution Solo II pickup for my bass after reading all of the positive reviews on various bass forums. Thanks to you all at Bassguitarblog.com, and to Upton Bass for sponsoring this contest, I now have one of these excellent pickups to try.

Thank you Rob for reading and taking part. Lots more good things to come as the blog continues to grow at a pace that takes our breath away! Subscribers will get details of how to enter the next competition shortly, and we have a little something to give away for outstanding comments, pointers and recommendations too!

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