Recent content by apell

They were sending me emails with a $1 per issue offer!

Thats a great exercise in getting your head around bebop soloing. I'd also recommend checking out Jazz Improvisation for Bass from Carol Kaye at www.carolkaye.com

Sharp & pointy was so futuristic!

I always loved John Whettons big fat fuzzy bass tone in mid 70s King Crimson. Check out "One More Red Nghtmare" off Red for a good example. I've always loved Fleas tone in general too. Great fingerstyle and slapping sounds.

8:30 by Weather Report - Jaco at his peak?

A practice agenda and band members doing their homework is the key to a good band practice. Emailing recordings, charts around helps to get everyone prepared and then the rehearsal shouldn't take too long and be really productive.

You guys in America still get most guitars & basses at a much cheaper prince than here in Australia. Even when you calculate the exchange rate the cost of a Standard American Fender jazz Bass is almost double ($1800 US) compared to the RRP price in the US of about $900. I've known people who...

I was originally a guitarist that became a bass player due to a friend’s band needing a bassist about 10 years ago. I still play guitar but nowhere near as good as I used to – I was a Hendrix freak in high school. Moving to bass has resulted in more work and gigs for me and a different set of...

I saw Victor Wooten at a clinic he gave here in Melbourne Australia and he played solo bass for 45 minutes it was never boring. At one point he completely detuned the strings until they were all loose and floppy and it still sounded musical!

I recently completed converting my Squier VM fretless to a Warmoth fretless jazz bass. I was inspired to go for the unlined fretless look after watching Ralphe Armstrong play his unlined fretless P bass on the Mahavishnu Orchestra DVD. The colour is called “sunset orange” which is a red colour...

I am one of the house bass players for the jazz jams at Dizzys in Melbourne, Australia. The club has a house band for all jams that consists of a drummer, pianist and bass player. This ensures that there is always a professional and competent sounding backing to every tune that is played...

One advantage of being a bass player is at party gigs drunks dont come up to you and ask to play your instrument - this happens all the time to the guitarists in my band... BTW I am a guitarist turned bass player and one thing Ive developed as bass player that I didnt have as much as a...

Pauk McCartney. Probably because I was originaly a guitarist and sing and can play average keys and drums...

John Whetton in mid 70s King Crimson (Red, Larks Tounge In Aspic, Starless & Bible Black albums). Singing while playing agressive complicated odd-time grooves with Bill Bruford.

Here’s my list broken into categories (sort of!)... Heavy Rock/Metal Metallica - Master of Puppets Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath Rust In Peace - Megadeth Appetite for Destruction - GnR Aenima - Tool ACDC – Back In Black Deep Purple – Machine Head, Burn Van Halen - 1984...