Yes We Can

Great display of music and politics. I can't even imagine the hours of work that went into this.

Advertising ruins great music

I was perusing my music collection when I came across this song:



Now, this is an amazing song. I guaranty that you all have heard this before. But when I listened to it recently I began thinking about cars.

WTF?!

This just reflects the long running need for advertising to equate songs to selling you cars, or hamburgers, or life insurance. For some reason they have been using great funk music lately and I hate it. The last thing I want to think of while listening to Tell Me Something Good is a Dodge Minivan driving around the desert.

Stop ruining our music!

This just in...

The new Girl Talk album is awesome. Check it out. Pay what you want for it.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=6078136

A fun beat...

This guys is pretty good, can't say I listened to the whole thing though.

Stuff White People Like

This is a link to a blog that finally lets you know how to properly communicate with and get to know white people. Their post "#41 Indie Music" I thought was particularly informative so I decided to post it here.

A friend of mine sent me the link to this blog. Check it out if you have the want to learn anything more about getting along with white people.

Waste of time? or Waste of time?

2 million views for this? I guess it is an alright novelty, but if you actually listen to the music it makes no sense. Whatever.

Itunes Overtakes Walmart Album Sales

According to a New York Times article, music is now primarily sold digitally.

So what does this mean? It means the death of the traditional album.

Here is an article I wrote for The Daily Collegian that talked about this day and what it means for the music listeners:

Music lovers should be glad to be born in this generation. For $5 a month, you can listen to anything - there is a whole world of music at the click of a button.
The Internet provides access to so much music that would otherwise go unheard. Just a few years ago, back in the CD generation, listeners had to have money and time to find that one rare album.
Since almost anything can be found online, there is no longer a need to go to a record store. The digital makeover will ruin the Mom and Pop record store, but at the same time, it will release music from much of the corporate grip that has plagued the art for a long time.
Corporations like Wal-Mart and Best Buy are the biggest sellers of music and have been able to control the music market by selecting what music they will sell. Record companies have had to keep that in mind when recording an artist.
For instance, Wal-Mart bans albums that are of "explicit content," giving the artist an ultimatum: censor the albums or lose the sales from those stores.
Wal-Mart distributes 25 percent of music sales, according to a November 2005 article on Mac360. The chain doesn't like politics or swearing in music, but movie viewers can always get the new bloody movie that just came out.
However, Wal-Mart and Best Buy losing money should be the least of listeners' worries. The ones that truly suffer are the small record shops.
Every music lover can remember picking up a record and running home to give it a listen. That exhilaration is gone and it's not coming back.
Record stores should cut their losses right now. In five years, it will be hard to find a CD player, unless that device is part of a computer connected to the Internet.
The drawback of digital music is that you can't hold it in your hand or flip through a booklet of it. You can't show off your collection to your friends without waiting for the screen to load.
Should we consider this the death of the music collector? Don't worry, it is just a transition time now - the only thing to do is embrace it.

Bob Marley - Stir It Up

Tab Vs. Written Music (Why I Teach the Way I do)

I often get comments on my videos complaining that when I teach songs I don't use the note names. This, I feel, is a valid comment but one that also has the reason built in.

The lords-truth is that most people who play bass guitar have no music reading skills. While I don't present the notes in written form it can be universally understood, simply by counting, where I am on the neck.
There is also (and this is because I'm lazy) the reason that its a syllable longer to say 'A Flat' instead of its counterpart 'Four'. This really comes in handy when describing a bassline with a lot of notes in it. On occasion I will say the note names when the bassline grooves on just a chord progression.
So thats my reasoning. Take it, leave it, or keep complaining because I don't really care if you think that my free bass lessons, that I do on my own time mind you, should cater directly to your needs. Learn the notes on your own freetime. Its really not that hard to do.

P.s. I should be getting to the pile of requests I have soon, these past two weeks have been more hectic than usual.

Check back later this week for this months bass-album spotlight.

The end is fast approaching

So I am about to graduate college and have decided that a year (or two) of traveling will suit my new post-bachelors degree life. Sounds great right? Yeah...but I play an electric instrument (thank god I'm not a drummer).

So I have decided to take a gander at the rainbow-filled and moss-covered enchanted land of midget basses. Or short scale if you want to be PC.

What is winning the race so far is the DeArmond Ashbory Bass. This I feel, is the most bad-ass 18" bass on the market (by default because its the only one).



Man look at that thing, Its so fucking tiny. I'm going to look like a monster playing a space-aged ukulele. But hey, who cares as long as the low-end is there.

I need to try this thing out before I buy it. But for 300 bucks its not that big of a gamble for something I'm going to dent up in foreign airports.

Check this out.

Last post for a week!!!

I know, what are you to do?

My spring break started around 3 hours ago and in another 48 hours I will be in the Caribbean sipping on some dank pina coladas.

Unfortunately I'll be over 1,000 miles from my bass and from my computer. So this might be the last post till next Sunday.

So I wish you all a happy St.Patricks day!



And just a little advice:

Worried about drinking too much during your gig on St. Patricks day? Just remember keep it under 18 while on stage this weekend a night and try not to play too many 'Dropkick Murphy' covers. (Plus, don't they have only one song that anyone knows?)

Anyway, I'll be back in action and ready with some new videos.

Keep groovin'

Bass Guy.

Want to dance like James Brown?

Its a awesome old-school clip.

RIP

Need another music blog in your life?

Check out The Living-Room Rock Gods (or LRRG for short.

Its headed by a pretty cool bass player named Pook who showcases youtubes finest amateur talent.

Here is a video of what Pook doing what Pook does best:

Black Eyed peas - Let's Get it Started

The Specials - Concrete Jungle - Bassline (Part 2)

The Specials - Concrete Jungle - Bassline (Part 1)

Have you heard of Squarepusher?

The interviewer is as annoying as interviewers come, but look past that and check out the bass solo at the end. Solid stuff.



Thanks to youtube user ernesthemingfish for the link.

Effects: A dilemma for every bassist

It sounds great at first, the idea of getting new and possibly exciting sounds out of your bass.

You start looking online but all you find is guitar pedals.

While the market for Bass effects is getting better there still really isn’t a huge market for bass.

Why? Well its because bassists aren’t repeat customers out of dissatisfaction.

I have made that unfortunate venture into the world of effects and spent around 400 bones on envelope filters, distortion pedals, and multi effects.

I would jam with them but when it came down to the gig I left it at home.

It may sound like fun but trust me, focus on your tone. Spend the money on your amp.

Check this out:



This is the Ashdown Bass Sub-Octave Plus Pedal.

Holy shit! A pedal that makes each note an octave lower!? Wow! Sounds fuckin’ cool right? You will really be able to hit the brown note now.

But wait. No. Don't do it. Why? Because it doesn't work. Yup, the vast majority of reviews cited a myriad of problems like slow tracking and notes not registering.

Do you really need to hit an octave lower than you already can? Of course not. They are selling you a $150 novelty and they know it. Those bastards. Even if it did work could your amp reach that low without clipping and still sustain tone with volume?

If you are a seasoned vet you already know all of this. This one is for the new guys.

Remember you are a bassist not a guitarist. You may want to tap into their wonderful world of exciting new sounds but unfortunately this is not within your pedigree.

This is not to say that effects are bad. Some are great and can really add a dimension to your sound. Think of it like cooking. You never want to add too much salt. Looking at it that way a multi-chorus effect is like a pizza with extra-cheese: a good idea at first but a bad idea in hindsight when you are sitting on the toilet.

Moral of the story: Check out some pedals and do your research before throwing down serious bread. Make sure that it will compliment your sound without dominating it and be of frequent use to you.

Good luck! And sorry for all the food references, I was really hungry when I was wrote this.

Bass Album Spotlight - March:

Funky Miracle by The Meters




This is my favorite album of all time. I beg of you, do not take that lightly. I am so confident with this albums status that I can say that it always will be my favorite.

While I did say album, it actually is more of an early compilation of The Meters (but let’s not argue semantics).

If the name The Meters is foreign to you I implore you to pick up this album or any other work that they have done. On the same vein, if you are a bass player and you have never heard of George Porter, Jr. then you are in for a treat.

This isn’t your 1980’s pseudo “post-disco” bullshit that is pushed in compilations.

This is New Orleans funk. Real laid back, in the pocket, there are groups that come close, but you can’t get better then this.

Are you ready for me to make a very bold statement?

Here it goes:

I think that The Meters are the best funk band of all-time.

So enough of my Meters love fest. Let’s get on to the album.

This album album/compilation (there I go again) is so great because it hand picks every single one of their best songs. Most of the tracks are instrumentals which singles out the soul-squeezing groove that these musicians posses.

Buy this album. Do it.

Highlighted tracks:
Every single one.

Rage Against the Machine - I'm Housin'

Band of Horses - Funeral

Filter - Hey Man, Nice Shot

311 - All Mixed Up

Hey Bass Guy’s guide to the 5 types of bass guitars you should NEVER to buy:

There are many articles on the internet dealing with what basses to buy. But what about the huge amount of bass guitars on the market that should be avoided at all costs? We have all seen those trashy looking basses. But how do we know for sure that we are buying the right one?

I’m going to cut the fat here. You may not like what you read in this article, but this is all true. Here are my five types:


1.The Bill and Ted:



I don’t know who thought it would be a “totally freakin awesome idea” to cut off the headstock. OK so cool you can go long periods of time without tuning. Way to go douche bag, you traded the aesthetic value of your instrument for a novelty feature. Why don’t you go buy a keytar and start a Weird Al cover band.

2. The Spinal Tap

Nothing screams that a musician lacks versatility than a bass like this. We understand you are in a metal band, but why don’t you show how metal you are through your music.



A part of being a musician is being able to master different styles of music with ease. Not only does this make you look like a one-sided player, but you would look ridiculous playing that bass with any other type of music. Would you really expect people to take you seriously if you played in a jazz group with this trash? Seriously, unless you are in a hardcore Spinal Tap cover band there is no need to buy this.



If you really want to be metal, pick a bass with a standard body but get it in black. I promise no one will criticize you.

Remember, styles of music are just that: music. Don’t play into the commercial Hot Topic craze.

3. The Josie and the Pussie Cat:

I try not to make gender an issue, but could you see Me'Shell NdegeOcello playing one of these? Need I say more?






4. The Ridiculous Signature Model:

There aren’t many of these and it is rare to see them. Because most signature basses are high end (around 1,000-8,000) you don’t see many that are that bad. In fact the vast majority are great like the Modulus Flea bass.

However you get stuff like this (I know I might catch some flak for this):



Bootsy is the ONLY person who can pull off a stage show with this thing. The only way anyone should buy this is if they are a collector. With the $2,000 that this bass costs you could buy something way better that suits a bunch of different styles. Unless you are Boosty, bringing this thing on stage will make you look worse just because the reputation of the bass precedes itself.

The bass below is of the Jaco Relic bass and I have already ranted about that in another post that you can read here.





5. The Bass With Too Many Strings:



Now I know that I am treading on a heated debate right now. But it is true; 7-strings basses are absurd.

Think of it this way:

YOU the BASS PLAYER will have MORE strings than your guitar player.

Sounds ridiculous now that you think about it right? Besides, you will probably have to special order your strings. Worth it? No.

Why do bassists keep buying this shit? Have you ever seen guitar players extremely interested in buying a 7, 8, or 9 string guitar? I know there are exceptions for this but I think I make a solid case.

As far as I can see there are only three legitimate reasons to own a 7-string:
1. Unless you, again, are a collector.

2. Are a serious solo bassist that needs (why, I don’t know) more tones than a guitar can offer.

OR

3. Have ABSOLUTELY mastered the bass and really need that extra string so you can blow Victor Wooten out of the water during a bass-off.


In the end:

Don’t go with what looks flashy. There are so many great basses out there. Choose wisely.

The only thing that is going to impress people is your playing. There is no amount of money that can buy you the idea that you are a good player.

All of these basses are easy to avoid, good luck.

The craziest Jaco video you will find. Ever.

I kid actually. Yes it is a joke, Jaco and Scofield never sounded like that. This is hilarious, whoever dubbed this video is a genius.

I dont know anything about music, I'm just the bass player.

I found this t-shirt while looking up bass books on amazon. (Click Here) I feel like someone just got lazy and slapped this onto a t-shirt.

Just when I thought bass clothing couldnt get any worse.

How many bass players does it take to change a lightbulb...

http://www.hueymcdonald.com/bassjokes.htm

I never really liked musician jokes, you know the cheesy ones that stereotyped people by the instrument they played. But they are funny sometimes. Here is the best list I could find of jokes about Bass Players. Most are chuckle worthy.

Bass Motivation 2

Michael Jackson - Thriller

Michael Jackson - Beat it

Michael Jackson - Billie Jean

Mike Clark & Paul Jackson

Gems like these are all over Youtube and are waiting to be found. Watch the whole thing. It will blow you away.

Motivation.

He does it all folks...

Apparently Mike Huckabee, presidential hopeful, not only plays the bass but also steals songs from shitty bands like Boston.

Huckabee got a letter from the founder of the band Boston telling him to stop using their songs.

Please Huckabee put down the bass. You are making the rest of us look bad.

But seriously, do. We don’t need you.

You have GOT to be kidding me...

This right here is to a replica of Jaco's famous Fender Jazz bass. I would be fine with it being just the model and type or whatever, but they actually put in the scratches and ware!

That to me is like buying a hat that already has the brim worn off.

I hope I never see anyone playing one of these unless they got it for free.

They are actually charging 4 grand for a pre-worn bass? I don't care who's name is on it you would have to pay me to use this bass as my main instrument.

I wish I was there during that marketing meeting. I could literally name 50 different basses in that price range that aren't NEARLY as pretentious. And that includes the Gene Simmons bass.(If there is one.)

Nirvana - Come as You Are

The tuner I use

Have you ever been stuck without a tuner? Well the link below is to a free online tuner. This is a link that I use so much that it is on my mozilla toolbar. Check it out, you can even preset it.

http://www.tunemybass.com/

The Smiths - Barbarianism Begins at Home

Bass Album Spotlight:

Violent Femmes (Self titled)

If you like rock bass solos then this is an album you should not be without. Bassist Brian Ritchie rips on an acoustic bass giving a brilliantly unusual tone to the bands crunchy-punk dynamic.

Check out the tracks:
1. Blister in the Sun
3. Please Do Not Go
4. Add it Up
9. Gone Daddy Gone

Green Day - Long View

Classical Thump/Me & My Bass Guitar - Chopping Out Medley

Rammstein - Engel

Jaming during rehersal

Charlie Brown Theme Tapping - Stu Hamm

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blackeyed Blonde

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Around the World (Part 2)

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Get Up and Jump

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Around the World (Part 1)

Gig Tip #1

Disclaimer - How to Use My Videos

Good Times / Rappers Delight

Sly & the Family Stone - Thank You for Letting Me Be Myself

Queen - Another One Bites the Dust

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Higher Ground

Rick James - Super Freak

War - Lowrider

Sly and the Family Stone - Sing A Simple Song

Express Yourself - Charles Wright

AC/DC - Shook Me All Night

Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused

Limp Bizkit - Rearranged

Cociane - Eric Clapton

Cissy Strut - The Meters

Take the Power Back - Rage Against The Machine

Justin Timberlake - Rock Your Body

Money - Pink Floyd

Float On - Modest Mouse

Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc.

Whatever it is I just cant stop - Jamiroquai