Bass Playing
Sometimes when I’m onstage playing with a band the image
of a river comes to my mind. With the sounds of generally
faster moving, higher frequency instruments swirling and rushing
around and above me, I imagine deeper, slower moving currents
underneath - sometimes pushing, sometimes pulling and sometimes
just flowing along with the momentum of the music.
My approach to bass playing tends to be very song oriented. Even
as a soloist, especially on the fretless bass, I often get
more enjoyment from playing a part that I’ve developed
(composed) than I get from “riffing” or “blowing” through
a solo.
While I can take much inspiration from players who are pushing
the boundaries of playing bass and exploiting it’s potential
as a vehicle for virtuosity, I haven’t set out to follow
that path. For me the joy of playing live music comes
from working as part of a team and in really listening and
reacting to what’s going on around me onstage.
The virtuoso bassists who hold my attention tend to be players
who are also great composers – Stanley Clarke and Marcus
Miller come to mind - but many of the players who are most
inspiring to me are not known for their virtuosity. A
few of my favorite bass players: Graham Maby, Paul Chambers,
Doug Stegmeyer, Dee Murray, Charlie Haden, Colin Moulding,
Willie Weeks, Chris Squire, Lee Sklar, Nick Lowe, Carol Kaye,
Sting, Paul McCartney, Ron Carter, Tony Levin, Tim Commerford,
Dave Holland, Chuck Rainey…
After many years of being away from it, I recently started
playing upright bass again. As anyone who has ever stood
behind the doghouse knows, it’s an addicting instrument
and somewhat physically demanding. Strength and endurance
are important factors in achieving good tone and intonation,
so it’s gotta be played every day. Practice, practice…
TOOLS
For over a decade my main axes have been a pair of Sadowsky
basses, one fretted, one fretless. I also have a customized
Fender Precision and a “Mutt” fretless, pieced
together over many years of experimenting.
I’m currently enjoying playing through the Mesa Boogie
M9 Carbine bass amp and Mesa 2x12 cab. Recently picked
up a really sweet sounding Bergantino 1x12 cab for smaller
gigs.
Basses:
Sadowsky 24 Fret 5 String Bass (NYC)
Sadowsky 24/5 Fretless Bass (NYC)
“Mutt” Fretless – Yamaha body, Warmouth Tele neck, Bartolini
preamp and pickups, Bad Ass bridge…
Fender Precision Plus, modified: Duncan pickups, Bad Ass bridge,
Aguilar Preamp
Christopher’s Workshop Busetto styled Double Bass
Amps/Cabs:
Mesa Boogie M9 Carbine
Mesa Boogie Powerhouse 2x12 Cab
Eden WT 400 amp
Bergantino HT 1x12 ER
Aguilar GS 1x12 Cab
Aguilar GS 2x10 Cab
Acoustic Image New Yorker combo amp
EQ/Effects
Radial Tone Bone
EBS Octabass
Aphex Punch Factory
Boss LMB-3 Limiter
Lexicon Reflex Reverb
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