Boredom, burnout, depression, disillusionment… Am I the only one who’s hit the wall and put down their instrument for some length of time, wondering why they still play? I doubt it. The love of music, like any relationship, is cyclical; highs and lows are part of the natural order of things. Maybe you’ve quit developing [...]
Life is sweet during the garage band days. You buy an instrument, you hook up with friends, and you are born a musician and bandmate simultaneously. There are no questions about ability; you’re all learning together. But eventually, in your life as a musician, there comes a time when you can’t just walk into a [...]
This month, the lighter side of bass playing. Welcome to my tongue-in-cheek Top Seven list for bass players only. It should have been a Top Ten, but there aren’t 10 good reasons to play bass. At least none that I could think of, and I should know. Paul… can I have some theme music please? [...]
What’s so hard about playing bass? You pick it up, hang it on a strap, and pound the crap out of it with your hand. You can play it around your knees like Geezer Butler, or play it with the headstock pointed at the ceiling like Fieldy. It ain’t rocket science. Is it? If you’re [...]
If you want to be a musician, be prepared to spend most of your time, at least initially, playing with yourself… Start a daily routine. Lock yourself alone in your bedroom (or even the bathroom). Take out your equipment. Always treat it with care. Remember, you want it to last a lifetime. Start out slowly, [...]
New bassists, young and old alike, ask this question all the time: What gear should I buy? I generally answer them with a level of detail that makes their eyes glaze over. Is it fear? Boredom? It’s difficult to tell sometimes. To spare you the pain of experiencing this yourself, I felt that writing an [...]
Summer is the time for outdoor fun. No news there, but with the great selection of acoustic bass guitars (ABG) these days, now you can add jamming to your list of summer activities. I’m pleased to have an even bigger list of models and manufacturers to bring you this summer. Did I miss one? Leave [...]
If you’re like me, you have a good day job and play music for fun and (sometimes) profit. If music isn’t putting the food on your table, why not use your position to help a deserving charity? How? Here’s some suggestions. Wear a T-Shirt that promotes your favourite non-profit organization. How easy is that? Put [...]
Readers may recall that back in June I broke the story of the Bass POD Bug. Essentially, If you shut off the unit with a patch in memory that used the analog chorus, the Bass POD would freeze when the unit was turned on again. A memory reset (holding the preset up/down keys while switching [...]
After owning my Line 6 Bass POD for a week (and being thoroughly in love with it), I experienced a strange problem. That day, instead of using the presets, I decided to use the manual mode and just play different combinations of amps and effects to see what interesting tones I could discover. No problems [...]
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