Bass Player is the world's most comprehensive, trusted and insightful bass publication for passionate bassists and active musicians of all ages. Each issue delivers the latest tips and techniques that are guaranteed to make you a better player.
What’s it like to play bass in front of a stadium of 100,000 people one night, and then play a club of 200 the next? Few musicians have the answer—but Iron Maiden’s founder Steve Harris takes it all in his stride, delivering the goods with his side project British Lion, when he’s not committed to the mighty Maiden. The writer of more melodic fills than we’ve boiled strings, Steve sits down with us this month to bring us his unique perspective. And perspective is what we’re all about. Take Gene Simmons, for instance, a bassist for whom the phrase ‘larger than life character’ (and also ‘insanely rich’) could have been invented. His band Kiss are about to call it quits, but he’s not sorry, informing us that it’s all part…
BEST OF BASS Our colleagues at MusicRadar recently ran a poll to determine the public’s choice of best (or at least most popular) bassists performing today, with candidates suggested by the staff of this magazine. The results may surprise you, with a wide range of bassists from big and small bands, from solo to ensemble players, and with supportive to experimental playing. The top five were: 1 Snow Owl (solo artist and Hans Zimmer tours) 2 Robert Trujillo (Metallica) 3 Victor Wooten 4 Joe Dart (Vulfpeck) 5 Stanley Clarke Congratulations to all the winners! FAITH RESTORED The mighty Faith No More, featuring the world’s greatest bassist Bill Gould (if you ask most of our staff, that is), recently announced a wave of festival dates for 2020. These are the legendary…
NEW ALBUM Richie Goods, My Left Hand Man (2019) Amazing tribute to the late pianist Mulgrew Miller, packed with what Jaco used to call “stone jazz”. OLD ALBUM Fear, The Record (1982) Hardcore punk never got more convincing than Fear’s classic debut, with bass mostly played by Derf Scratch. REALLY OLD ALBUM Willie Nelson, Make Way For Willie Nelson (1967) Roy Huskey Jr. was an icon of country music bass playing, and the proof is all here should you need convincing.…
Welcome to 2020, bassists! This year marks the beginning of my Player Series of columns, where I will be holding a magnifying glass to the various roles we might undertake as performing bass players, and how to flourish in those environments. In this issue I will be sharing my own experiences of what it takes to be a touring musician and how best to tackle life on the road. Whether you’re a hardened road warrior or an aspiring touring bass player, there will hopefully be something below for you to get stuck in with... TOOLS OF THE TRADE To be a touring musician, you need the right gear for the job. Not only that, but it all needs to be well-maintained and reliable. I don’t want to impose certain makes…
NO TREBLE KEVIN JOHNSON Time to Rage again! Of all the new gear, albums, and bass videos which No Treble shared this month, there was one bit of news that dominated the site: Rage Against The Machine are back. The revolutionary rock band cryptically dropped the news that they’ll be performing five shows in 2020, including three dates in the Southwest and two headlining spots at Coachella in April. It will mark the first time that members Tom Morello, Zack De La Rocha, Brad Wilk, and Tim Commerford have performed together since L.A. Rising in 2011. Of course, bassists will be crowding the front of each show to watch Commerford’s muscular lines in songs like ‘Killing In The Name’, ‘Calm Like A Bomb’, ‘Take The Power Back’ and more. His…
Venture to Brighton on the south coast of England in the UK, and you will find GB Guitars, an innovative company building bass exotica for almost 35 years. The brand began life simply as Goodfellow, after its founder and luthier extraordinaire Bernie Goodfellow—a genial host with a knack for building exquisite instruments. To say that Bernie’s musical life has been colorful would be an understatement, and with enough stories to fill many issues of this magazine, there isn’t much that he hasn’t seen. “I actually started as a guitar player,” he begins, “but I was in a band and the bass player wasn’t very good. I’d always been a very rhythmic guitarist, because soloing didn’t impress me. I was much better with chords, and rhythmically more of a George Harrison,…
