Tag Archive for "bass"
Chorder
I will admit, out of the five of us I know the least about music theory. I’ve always learned by ear and simply by playing what I think sounds ‘right’. Initially, I learned by trial and error. One can argue the pros and cons of classical training versus teaching yourself, however I feel it is a moot point. If you can play, you can play. What goes on between your brain and the instrument is the true beautiful mystery that is music.
With that said, I’ve decided to make another attempt to learn the fundamentals of my favorite programming language: Sound. I’ve found a great site called ChordER. If you’re struggling with the basics, I suggest you check it out. Inside you’ll find a great interactive tool that will now only show you how to play chords, but what actually goes into the tonal structure of the sounds you’re creating.
Drum and Bass Jam
This was a jam that Chris and I had at practice, while Nicky was restringing his guitar. Enjoy!
A day in the life of Benny Dacks
I’d like to give our fans a quick insight into what it’s like to follow me around for a day.
I recently revived this Apple iBook with a dirty hack that I like to call the Hackintosh – HotWire Edition. The power button was broken when I received it. It’s previous owner had broken the plug for the power button clean off the motherboard. This left two insanely close, bare contacts. Here are a few shots of the process.
Here is the 'new' one and my old iBook G3 it's replacing.
A random piece of metal I decided to exclude from the rebuild process.
hmm... Heat shield maybe?
This ladies and gentlemen is how true geeks start their computers.
Here is a time-lapse video of the new Hackintosh:HWE in action!
After a long day of ripping apart laptops and eating soup, I’ll head to our studio to lay down some bass. We have some really cool gear at our disposal.
I love this amp. It belongs to our rehearsal studio.
Victor Wooten Bass Genius
When I first started playing the bass, I researched many bassists to learn from their styles, vary my taste in music, and gain an overall well-rounded understanding of my instrument. In my research, I came across Victor Wooten. This guy is the definition of innovation on the bass guitar. His style unique and unorthodox however incredibly effective. Take a moment to appreciate the part of the music that we normally feel rather than hear.
Mark King Slap Solo
Here is a sweet video of elite bassist Mark King. This guy makes popping look so easy.
Quoted as saying "Hold on a second, I can't hear you over the radiant awesomeness of this shirt"
Here’s a little info on Mark King, via Wikipedia:
Mark King (born 20 October 1958, Cowes, Isle of Wight) is an English musician. He is most famous for being the lead singer and bassist of the band, Level 42. In the early 1980s King popularized the 1970s-era slap and pop style for playing the bass guitar by incorporating it into pop music.
Mark King helped to develop and popularize the slap and pop style of playing the bass guitar in the 1980s. The slapping and popping style was developed in the 1970s by funk bassists such as Larry Graham and further developed by jazz fusion bassists such as Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller. King developed a rapid playing speed using this technique, and introduced technical elements that enabled him to produce a mix of percussive effects while still playing a bass line.
One of King’s greatest influences was the musician Tom Taylor who gave King guitar lessons at the age of twelve.
King’s bass playing style is largely based on continuous 16th notes (aka semiquavers), variously described as “machine-gun” style. The “machine-gun” style of playing consists of popping a note, hammering on, then slapping (occasionally with a left hand slap combined) very rapidly.
King and Level 42 are considered highly influential artists of the brit funk movement of the 1970s and 1980s.
