I have written about my returning to playing bass after a prolonged period of playing the Chapman Stick Guitar. One of my immediate challenges in actually find people to play with. I hate going to jam sessions. You wait for…
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“He is poetry, he is innocence, he is energy, he is Flea!” – Flea at the Pathway to Paris, 09/14/2018
With that great introduction from none other than Patti Smith, the bassist extraordinaire Flea (born Michael Peter Balzary) proceeds to give a short but beautiful solo set playing bass and trumpet. The performance is loosely divided into three sections with…
Tagged with: Bass, Flea, Looping, Pathway To Paris, Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Posted in Bass, Classic Rock, Music Appreciation and Analysis
Posted in Bass, Classic Rock, Music Appreciation and Analysis
“My Bass Space” . . . : The Fender Precision Bass
For the last several years I have been focusing my musical energies on mastering the Chapman Stick, an endeavor that I have written about previously. Recently I decided to take a break from that instrument and return to my primary…
“Bass Is The Place” . . . . : Reverb Bass Tricks Videos
Reverb?? On a bass?!! No, I’m not talking about using reverb on a bass (reverb, the audio effect that makes the instrument sound like it was played in a bigger space, is generally considered not be good for bass as…
Tagged with: Bass, Carol Kaye, James Jamerson, Motown, Talking Heads, Tina Weymouth
Posted in Bass, Classic Rock, Music Appreciation and Analysis
Posted in Bass, Classic Rock, Music Appreciation and Analysis
“Walk This Way” . . . : Cool Walking Bass Videos From Reverb
When you ask someone to imagine a jazz tune in their head, I bet that the imaginary tune has a walking bass line. It’s that steady, pulse keeping, melodic thump that will make you tap your feet, nod your head…
Tagged with: Bass, Chrisian McBride, Jazz, Paul Chambers, Ray Brown, Reverb.com, Scott's Bass Lessons, Walking Bass
Posted in Bass, Jazz, Music Appreciation and Analysis, Music Theory
Posted in Bass, Jazz, Music Appreciation and Analysis, Music Theory
“Somebody To Love” . . . : Bassist Extraordinaire Jack Casady
It came to my attention that Jack Casady, bassist for Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna, turned 72 earlier this month. Lately, with everyday bringing news of the death of another musican I grew up listening to and learning from, I…
Tagged with: Bass, Hot Tuna, Jack Casady, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, Vodoo Chile
Posted in Bass, Classic Rock, Music Appreciation and Analysis
Posted in Bass, Classic Rock, Music Appreciation and Analysis
“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” : The Genius of James Jamerson
Many, many years ago, I was at a party when my friend Craig began chatting up this girl. Whether he was being my wing man or just trying to make conversation with her (for his own nefarious purposes no doubt),…
The History of Bass: Highly Condensed Version
Continuing our bass theme from the last post, the video below is from CDZA, a loose knit group of New York musicians who produce cool videos. The one below offers a highly condensed history of the bass in music. Over…
“Tryin’ to make a livin” . . : Berry Oakley’s Isolated Bass Part to Ramblin’ Man
It’s been busy here at Casa de RoyMusicUSA so this will be a quickie (“that’s what she said”). Below is a video of the Berry Oakleys’s isolated bass track to the Allman Brother’s Ramblin’ Man off their 1973 album Brothers…
Tagged with: Allman Brothers, Bass, Berry Oakley
Posted in Bass, Classic Rock, Music Appreciation and Analysis
Posted in Bass, Classic Rock, Music Appreciation and Analysis
Cool Video Alert: 10 Things EVERY Bass Player Should Know
I recently came across an excellent YouTube channel called Scott’s Bass Lessons (https://www.youtube.com/user/devinebass/featured). The channel features a collection of free online bass lessons. There is something for bassists of every skill level, beginner to advanced. The range of topics covered…
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