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.
We pride ourselves that there is no hierarchy in the world of bass: By and large it’s a friendly place to be, with equal respect afforded to bassists from all genres and of all approaches. Indeed, respect is the key word in this issue, as with all others, whether we’re raising a glass to Roger Glover of Deep Purple after close to half a century at the low end; saluting Jerry Barnes of Chic for stepping into the biggest shoes in bass; or tipping the hat to Ryan Madora for her devotion to building a respected career as session bassist and educator. (Hot tip: Ryan will be launching a new regular lesson in our next issue!) The same principle applies to the bass luthiers and gear manufacturers who are the…
JIMMY HASLIP RETURNS Classic solo records reissued—plus a challenging guest session. “It’s time that these albums were heard again,” says the great Jimmy Haslip when we call him to ask about the reissue of Red Heat (2000), and Nightfall (2011) by Blue Canoe Records. “They were released at emotional times in my life, and it’s been wonderful to listen to them again after so long.” You can also hear Haslip on the acclaimed drummer Gergo Borlai’s new album, The Missing Song, where each cut pays tribute to a renowned percussionist. Haslip’s track was dedicated to Billy Cobham, inspiring a phenomenal performance from our man that has to be seen to be believed—especially, as his disciples know, because he plays his extended-range instrument upside-down and left-handed. Other bassists on Borlai’s album…
“WE SHOULD ALWAYS VALUE SUBSTANCE OVER SPEED TO BUILD A SOLID FOUNDATION” Welcome back, bassists! In an industry where it is becoming increasingly desirable to handle multiple roles to get a gig, it will prove useful to discuss the skill of managing backing vocals while playing bass. These two skills form one of the most challenging combinations to carry off, and they take a lot of practice to refine—but here are my top tips to help you along the way... START SIMPLE As with anything new, it’s important not to drop yourself in the deep end. I find a number of my students initially try to get from A to Z as rapidly as possible, because the fastest route is regarded as the best one. Believe me, that’s not the…
There’s no doubt that the term ‘handmade’ has some romanticism surrounding it, especially among us musicians. Put the word under the microscope, however; what does it really mean for a bass to be truly handmade in 2020, and does it make much of a difference? We put the question to the veteran luthier and founder of his own bass company, Rob Allen, who is more than happy to share his angle on the subject with us. “I’m glad you asked—this is a favorite topic of mine!” chuckles Allen. “To me, a handmade instrument is one that is made or overseen by a career instrument-maker. The most important factor is selecting and combining the right woods, and then the fine details of sanding, finish and assembly. The judgement that comes with…
Welcome back to the Woodshed! In my last article, we discussed the subjective nature of ‘optimal’ setup and how it can be entirely different for every player. Understanding how to adjust your bass to achieve the best setup for your personal technique is incredibly valuable—and while there is no one ideal setup for every player, there is a component that has to be the same for everyone, which is intonation. Let’s continue down the path to attaining your best personal setup by exploring the simple, but often confounding, task of adjusting your bass’s intonation. “MAKING THE BASIC ADJUSTMENTS SHOULD BE ROUTINE” Unlike making the adjustments necessary for your ideal physical setup, intonation is something that is not subjective at all, and is particularly important when playing in an ensemble. Bass…
When learning the bass, an important element to focus on is being able to hear different chord qualities such as major 7th, minor 7th, and dominant 7th. Often, bassists struggle to identify these chord qualities by ear, simply because they don’t play them on their instrument. Because of the range of the bass guitar, chords can often sound muddy or inappropriate; too many chord tones can obscure the characteristics of the chord quality that you’re trying to play. For this reason, the safest and most useable chord voicings are three-note chords consisting of the root, 3rd and 7th. As there are no 5ths, 9ths, 11ths, or 13ths, any alterations in the chord symbols become irrelevant. Let’s play some examples... Example 1 Example 1 shows how to derive the root-3-7 chord…
