I saw solo bass player Trip Wamsley last night in Atlanta...

tim99 · #1 08-24-2006, 09:37 AM

An interview with him here on talkbass:

Feature Interview: Trip Wamsley

His website:

http://www.tripwamsley.com/

His myspace:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm...endid=34065701

Trip will be back in Atlanta for the next bassup October 22:

http://www.bassup.net/

His photographs:

tim99 · #2 08-24-2006, 09:44 AM

Darn. I specifically made those two photographs the same original height so they would not look like that.

So..Trip Wamsley was in Atlanta last night at the Atlanta Institute of Music for a seminar to the students there.

Because he was there to talk to rather accomplished/advanced students, the stuff he talked about was not equipment or music theory. It was mostly about composition and dynamics.

He talked about how he sees beginning solo bass players making lots of fast loud noise, all at the same volume, maybe with the same technique during an entire song.

He talked about mixing up techniques and and volumes to create music that our mothers would enjoy, not music that other bass players would be impressed by.

Really really good stuff.

He also played lots of styles on several basses. Slapping, tapping, strumming fingerstyle, using a pick like a guitar player, banging on the strings like a drum. On an 4 string fretted, a 5 string fretless, and an 8 string fretted.

Through an amazing sounding and feeling Glockenklang amp and cab. Wow. Great sound.

He also talked about how there where lots of players who had monster technique that was beyond what he plays at, but that he is about melody and harmony and composition and feeling.

He also talked about allowing yourself to make mistakes and to work on a song composition for a long time. You can not just sit down and knock out a song in one night. He said that there are songs he has been working on for over a year. And when you sit down to practice and work out a composition, have the freedom and flexibility to make mistakes, because you are creating something new, and most of the time it will sound bad, and you have to keep at it and practice composition just like you would practice any playing technique.

He is coming back to Atlanta October for the next Bassup!. I saw him at the last one, with lots of other great bass players. This is a good opportunity for us in Atlanta to see some of the best.

Oh, one more thing. The fretboards of the two pictured fretted basses are completely flat. The nut and bridge of course create a radius of the strings as they get larger and slightly further from the fretboard, but the radius of each fretboard is infinity. Flat.

**j-raj** · #3 08-24-2006, 02:04 PM

wished I didn't miss his clinic... I was at that Open Mic Madness @ Smith's.

DaveDeVille · #4 08-24-2006, 02:18 PM

awesome bassist ...

i met him when he held a clinic here in S.A. ,
a very "down to earth" kinda' guy .

he does seem to have a little more grey in his hair these days ....

BTW , did you notice what brand of amp was he using ?

tim99 · #5 08-24-2006, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by david meissner

BTW , did you notice what brand of amp was he using ?

The brand of the amp and cabinet was Glockenklang. I do not know which model. I think the cab was a 1 by 12. Very very smooth and clean. He said he likes to have very little eq at the bass and the amp. He varies his tone by how he uses his hands on the strings.

In a previous clinic I went to he said he was searching for an amp that would put out what he heard in the studio through very very high quality powered studio speakers. When he heard the Glockenklang that was the sound he was looking for.

Papersen · #6 08-24-2006, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tim99

He talked about mixing up techniques and and volumes to create music that our mothers would enjoy, not music that other bass players would be impressed by.

Funny you mentioned that. My baby girl enjoys Trip´s music. How about that ?

Well, I put together a compilation with several tunes that my wife usually enjoyed. I played that record hundreds of times while she was pregnant. Now my little girl recognizes those tunes since they´re so familiar to her.

Track #1 is "Note to self" from his album "It´s better this way".

Jeff Martinez · #7 08-24-2006, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Papersen

Funny you mentioned that. My baby girl enjoys Trip´s music. How´s that ?

Well, I put together a compilation with several tunes that my wife usually enjoyed. I played that record hundreds of times while she was pregnant. Now my little girl recognizes those tunes since they´re so familiar to her.

Track #1 is "Note to self" from his album "It´s better this way".

Interesting. My pregnant wife attended the Lodo Bass Bash with me, and during Trip's set, our daugther was very active. She almost seemed to be dancing in the womb. Of course, we bought Trip's CD, and it is played in our house quite frequently.

Papersen · #8 08-24-2006, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Martinez

Interesting. My pregnant wife attended the Lodo Bass Bash with me, and during Trip's set, our daugther was very active. She almost seemed to be dancing in the womb. Of course, we bought Trip's CD, and it is played in our house quite frequently.

Nice coincidence !
Well, if there´s "Beatles" or "Stones" for babies out there, why not a "Trip for babies" album. We all know that lil´ kids fall asleep during trips

mark roberts · #9 08-24-2006, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Martinez

Interesting. My pregnant wife attended the Lodo Bass Bash with me, and during Trip's set, our daugther was very active. She almost seemed to be dancing in the womb. Of course, we bought Trip's CD, and it is played in our house quite frequently.

Trip is an amazing artist. I was at Lodo, too. I also have his CD's and they are regular spins for me. But, seeing him perform was/is huge. His energy is profound...yeah, I know...4 words..."his energy is profound"...but, you really have to see/hear him play, talk to the man and look into his eyes to know what that means.

I have been a fan of his from the first listen....for my own reasons...not to impress anyone else by dropping his name. This man and what he does for music with the bass is very special and deserves widespread recognition.

It's great to read that other artists and non-artists (yet!) enjoy what Trip communicates with his music.

Thanks.

King V · #10 08-24-2006, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Martinez

Interesting. My pregnant wife attended the Lodo Bass Bash with me, and during Trip's set, our daugther was very active. She almost seemed to be dancing in the womb. Of course, we bought Trip's CD, and it is played in our house quite frequently.

Yeah, Trip's performance at Lodo was mind blowing. I had never really heard much of Trip's music; mostly laid back....slow melodic tunes, but the guy is an absolute monster. And pretty damn funny too!