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Continuing our series on slap bass, today we’ll combine several of the elements from the first five lessons in this series, and add “octaves” to the mix. FYI, in this lesson, I’m paying a Shergold Modulator bass. If anyone know where to get modules for it, please let me know in the comments below. Check...

Words aren’t enough. Here’s upright master Edgar Meyer playing “Froglike”, from his album Work in Progress (sadly, the album is out of print).

Rotosound and Guitar Center are co-sponsoring a bass clinic with Billy Sheehan, to be held at the Hollywood Guitar Center on the October 21st, 2010. Sheehan will demonstrate his trademark techniques, covering the use of chording, two-handed tapping, right hand “three finger picking” technique and controlled feedback. He’ll also give his insights on the music...

After releasing a self-titled debut in April, blues/rock/fusion supergroup Renegade Creation will be hitting the road in November and December to support it. The band will be starting on the east coast and eventually make it to California for a three night stay at Yoshi’s in Oakland. The group features bassist Jimmy Haslip of the...

This is cool… John Entwistle‘s isolated bass track of “Summertime Blues” (with just a touch of vocals spilling over into the bass channel). This is from Live At Leeds by The Who.

Hal Leonard and Musicians Institute Press have released a new bass method book focusing on the art of soloing. Soloing for Bass (A Contemporary Approach to Improvising in Any Style) by Dominik Hauser, is a book/CD combo that features solo exercises, theory discussion and play-along tracks. The method covers major scale modes, melodic minor scale...

Meet Eibhlin Palfrey, a bassist from Cork, Ireland and our player in the spotlight for September 7, 2010. Bio: Born in Cork Ireland, music has always played a big part in my life. I’ve been playing bass for about 11 years, I’m 27 now. I’ve played with many fantastic local bands and a bit of...

Only five months after joining, Duff McKagan will be leaving the ranks of Jane’s Addiction due to musical differences. “Hey we wanted to thank Duff for helping us write songs for our new record,” the band said in a recent email newsletter. “We love the songs we worked on with him – and the gigs...

Here’s Bootsy Collins and his band in a live performance in 1998, performing tunes from Fresh Outta ‘P’ University. Bernie Worrell (keyboards) is featured big time in this piece, backed by Collins, Gary Shider and Lawrence Cornett on guitars; Gary Cooper, April Wood, Ianaya Davis, Robert Harding and Henry Benefield on vocals; Frank Waddy on...

Interpol has released their fourth studio album, the self-titled Interpol. The album is the final effort from former bassist Carlos D, who left the band in May. Interpol was recorded in spring of 2009 and is described as a return to the band’s early work, similar to 2002’s Turn on the Bright Lights. David Pajo...

Boss has announced the newest Harmonist pedal – the PS-6 – a compact pedal featuring pitch shifting effects and three-voice harmony. The new Harmonist has four effect modes, including Harmony, Pitch Shifter, Detune, and the new Super-Bend, which creates three- and four-octave pitch sweeps and pedal-bending effects. Super-Bend is controlled through the Shift, Rise Time,...

This week, I am going to answer some recent questions I received via Facebook and email. Can you give advice about learning the fretless bass or upright bass while you can only play a fretted one, as there’s a load of challenging intonation problems in the absence of frets? Speaking strictly about the upright bass,...

At the 2009 Bass Player Live, Tony Levin performed at the Ernie Ball Music Man booth, with the help of two drummers. Tony is using his famous “Funk Fingers” during the performance. He really gets going in part 2, with some Liquid Tension Experiment. Part 1: Part 2:

Here are the most read, most popular stories and features on No Treble for the week of August 29 – September 4, 2010. Player Spotlight: Ryan Madora Gear Watch: Music Man Roasted Maple Necks Video: Stu Hamm Live Bass Solo: Love Thing/Moonlight Sonata/Country Music Lesson: Slap Bass 101 – Part 5: Funk/Rock Scale Basics Bottoms...

Shred master Billy Sheehan will be an honorary Ramone when he joins Marky Ramone for a special fundraising concert. The 31 full-length, “all Ramones” song set will take place October 8 at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood California, and money raised will go to Marky Ramone’s new drum scholarship at MI. Joining Sheehan and Ramone...

This video proves it: good bass and good drums is all you need. Bassist Will Lee and drummer Steve Gadd do a nice little jam, with some commentary by Gadd on the drum/bass relationship.

Last year, Squarepusher released a solo bass album, aptly named Solo Electric Bass 1. Here he shows off the track “seb-1.06″, which has a Latin-influenced, classical guitar approach to the instrument.

Bassist Eddie Gomez and pianist Cesarius Alvim are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their first recording together with a new album, Forever. The duo takes on a wide range of tunes on the release, from standards such as “Spring is Here” and “Invitation,” original compositions from both Gomez and Alvim, and Brazilian pianist Luiz Eça’s...

Bootsy Collins has released a new single to benefit his late brother’s memorial fund, the Catfish Nation Musicians Fund. The track, appropriately titled The Catfish Nation, features Bootsy, his son Ouiwey, and Catfish Collins himself. The Catfish Nation Musician’s Fund was set up not only to help with Catfish’s expenses, but to “provide for musicians...

Former Japan bassist Mick Karn is reuniting with Bauhaus frontman Peter Murphy to revisit their band, Dalis Car. The duo formed the group in 1984 and subsequently parted after only putting out a single album, Waking Hour. Karn’s distinct and innovative fretless bass lines brought life to the album, and after Murphy finishes his solo...