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The JUAN ALDERETE DE LA PEÑA Appreciation Thread

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palm grease

Dec 10, 2007
659
4
47
NYC
#1
This guy has been a huge influence on my playing for some time now. It's great to see he's getting some exposure of late.
Aside from his Mars Volta work, I must say that this BIG SIR project is a must listen for any and all bass players!

Im hooked on- Und Die Scheiße Ändert Sich Immer (not to mention the new TMV record)..... of which you can hear some super tasty fretless work (great tracks on their myspace too- Link Removed)

I raise my glass to Mr. ALDERETE!
 
#4
He is a beast on the instrument, very tasteful and intricate lines, they just kick you in the face like on L´via L´viaquez, what an absolute tone MONSTER, by the way thanks to the OP for the The Big SR link, awesome fretless playin´ here goes this one

Link Removed

kinda long link...??? but thats the one i copied and pasted from his MYSPACE for the Vato~Negro project where Mr. Thunderfingers ALDERETE joins Mathias Jerrod for an all imporvisational rumpus, check it out, it´s all good.
 
#6
the mars volta is my favorite band. i've been listening to juan kill it since he joined the band in 2003. even though it's not my favorite, their new album has some of his best work. he has influenced my tone a lot and i think he has some of the best sounding tracks i've ever heard.
 
#8
juans been getting mad rep around these boards lately, its about time. This guy is sick, if anybody has seen him live from the mars voltas most recent tour you know what i mean. He holds them together during the set, because with Prigeon(drummer) doing what hes doing, it would be impossible to hear the groove without Juan. WOOT!
 
#11
Juan Alderete is my favorite bassplayer of all time. I saw him last month on "The Bedlam in Goliath" tour and he was OUTSTANDING. He even nodded to me when i yelled his name out haha. This man is a monster player and he's up there with the bass greats in my opinion.
 
#13
His chops slay. His sounds slay. His lines slay. Is there anything about this guy that isn't absolutely awesome? Easily my biggest influence. Mucho appreciation.

Has anyone seen the live video of TMV at the Electric Ballroom? His tone is ridiculous on that one, and his solo in Take the Veil makes my booty shake on its own accord.
 
#15
walkinglines30 said:
Does anyone have Juans instructional video by chance? what does he go over?
Click to expand...

Yes, I have a VHS copy of his instructional video. I was a huge shred fan and John (as he was known then) was a guy who I attempted to rip off as much as possible. I honestly have not listened to a lot of his newer stuff but I learned a lot of his Racer X stuff note for note for a band I used to play with, although I used a pick instead of fingers like he did. It’s challenging music.

So what was on the video? Well first off the production quality is so-so and he is not a natural in front of the camera, still there is a lot of good stuff to learn here. There are a couple of live jam sessions that he uses to introduce segments (no Paul Gilbert but Bruce Boullet is there along with Scott Travis). He also goes over all of his gear which at the time was all Fender Jazz basses with Bartolini’s and a D-tuner. I can’t remember what he used for amps, SWR maybe? My memory has faded a bit here.

He went over his alternating two finger technique but didn’t down using a pick or other methods. He stressed the importance of learning your modes and in turn learning how to apply them musically. Of course there were tips on building speed but he stressed the importance of being able to play cleanly when you play fast. He also went over some tricks and flashy stuff.

All in all I enjoyed it.
 
#16
I give respect to anybody who can play like him. In Racer X he basically defined speed. Mars Volta= creativity. Big Sir= groove. He's such an all around player. Regardless of the style he happens to be playing, he is a bassist's bassist. He's not a metal, psychedelic, or groove player. He's a music player. Props to Juan.
 
#17
He went over his alternating two finger technique but didn’t down using a pick or other methods. He stressed the importance of learning your modes and in turn learning how to apply them musically. Of course there were tips on building speed but he stressed the importance of being able to play cleanly when you play fast. He also went over some tricks and flashy stuff.

All in all I enjoyed it.
Click to expand...

can you (or anyone who has seen the video) please elaborate on his alternating two finger technique? i would greatly appreciate this.

EDIT: oh and what were his tips on building speed?
 

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