Contents

Issue 61 December 2010

30 VICTOR
WOOTEN
We catch up with Victor after a recent
European clinic tour for Hartke amplifiers

Regulars Interviews
08 THE LOW DOWN
Keep up with all the latest new gear, giveaways
and industry news …

14 BASS TO THE FUTURE: CHLOE

TREACHER
Introducing Chloe Treacher, bassist with
Unkle Bob

16 TAKE FIVE: ALAN LANCASTER

The founding ex-member of Status Quo reveals
his top five albums

18 BASSICALLY SPEAKING
We talk to Si Cantrill, Antonio Leva, Gabe Crisp,
Sandy MacKinnon, Joel Beeson and Fox Skinner

20 BASS DAY UK 2010

Our full report from this year’s Bass Day UK

37 ANTHONY WELLINGTON
The revered bassologist chats about life as bass
tech for Victor Wooten

40 NICOLE FIORENTINO & BILLY

CORGAN 46 NICK COHEN
Billy Corgan’s newest recruit talks us through the Jack Stevens tracks down one of the groovers
Pumpkins’ ninth studio album and shakers behind the UK’s funk scene

4 BASS GUITAR MAGAZINE

Contents_1nw.indd 4 12/11/2010 15:17

 50 FODERA Gear Reviews
VICTOR
WOOTEN
’83
MONARCH
CLASSIC
An outstanding bass
modelled on Wooten’s
own Fodera Monarch

56 ERNIE BALL
MUSIC MAN REFLEX
We audition the latest evolution
of the Californian company’s 25th
Anniversary bass

Bass Techniques

Y: TUITION TIP
ANDREW MCKINNE n 17
Read Musimusic c: Lesso – more notation symbols!
How To
in a series on reading
notation
The 17th
looked at have been
Staccato note shorter than
and symbols we have ‘detached’. Play this
So far, all the signs Staccato is Italian for following
repeated bars or repeated
sections. ‘detached’ from the
concerning repetition: in use in music written, so that it becomes would mostly
symbols and marks cut it is up to you and
There are many other a look at the note. How short you and the tempo of
we are going to have of the original note
notation, and this month depend on the length
articulation.
with phrasing and the piece.
symbols associated

Phrasing and duration Tenuto hold this note for its

represents the pitch , so make sure you
Standard music notation is so much more to Tenuto means ‘held’ this anyway, but just
to be played, but there are supposed to do
(rhythm) of what is deals with not full value. I know you don’t!
that. The topic of ‘phrasing’ of cutting it short –
a performance than As the song goes, in case you were thinking
but how you play it.
what you actually play,
ANDREW
Marcato for accented
it’s the way that you
do it!’ ‘marked’, so this is used
‘It ain’t what you do, note lengths, Marcato is Italian for make it louder than
for its full value and
MCKINNEY
dynamics, accents, notes. Hold the note
In music this can include etc. All of
tone, note placement the others.
at Tech Music School slurs, vibrato, timbre, ‘musical’ and ‘human’
Head of bass lead to a more
plays with the these things can help to hear musicians Bass Techniques
in London and who is why people still like Martellato
performance, which computers. Music notation Martellato is Italian
for
James Taylor Quartet. play and not just leave it all to the
This is another type of accent.
accented but short.
It
phrasing options, note is to be played
represent all of these ‘hammered’, so this
will never be able to are a few marks and drunk!
For the full Tuition Tip
archive,
want it to, but there you have to be really
and nor would you doesn’t mean that
including sound files
and
symbols used that
help guide the performer
along the way to
stefan redten
’funkyologies’bacher:
teacher or arranger intended.
videos, visit Andrew’s what the composer Slur notes of different
www. contain no phrasing that connects two
profile on the website: for bass guitar will A slur is a curved line connects two
A lot of parts written to you. There
techmusicschool.co.uk. you play things up different to a ‘tie’, which
marks, leaving the exact way you should be pitches. This is slightly the note values together to
be that
Each issue Andrew will markings, though, notes of the same
pitch, adding
is to make the

Gear
taught are a few common that have become With a slur, your job
featuring a specific class it is the Italian terms make one longer note.
aware of. Once again, as possible, so that
at the school, giving
you a bite- symbols, so I have
included the translations.
transition between
these notes as smooth
bass guitar the Mildly opinionat
Exploration 4: Not ed views on the world
and an standard for these seamlessly joined. On
size chunk of the lesson the notes sound almost a hammer-on,
insight into what it’s
like to be on to do this is either with
Average, gettin of funk
g funky with a bass
Articulation specified by the most common way notes. You’ll
note lengths are already or a pull-off for descending
a course. You may think that for ascending notes, notes on so that
rhythms used, and
you’d be correct, but
there are also symbols
As a result of this there
need to find a position
to play the slurred
string – hammer-ons
There seems to
and pull-offs don’t mispercep
be a common
To mute or not
tion that the plectrum
plectrum
length of the note.
that pertain to the
than one way to display the same
thing, and it is they are on the same
so well
stefan
otherwise! If this is impossible,
then just make is reserved for
I personally like
to
mute
playing rock or
to slightly palm- album, it had a
lasting effect on
can be more the writer thinks work
just a matter of personal
preference and what the transition as smoothredtenbacher
as you can. metal, or that it
mute, resting my
music written for singers, upon to play the
palm on the strings
is even frowned
picking-hand
me. If a pick was
Anthony Jackson,
good enough
for
but In classical music, and especially large slur mark pick as bass with the
near the then surely this
is clearer. of music, one
to apply to sections sections of music with bridge. It sounds
it might indicate was an invite to
Dynamics can be used notes, eg you can get whole Stefan ‘The Count’ to think of this player cannot play
very that the
you don’t palm-mut different if
experiment with
applied to individual This is instructing youRedtenbacher for my own purposes. it
you can also have dynamics Refer to the table across several bars.the bassist, bandleade like a line in is fingerstyle
a verse, with ‘proper’
e
strings ring openly. and let the
is quite a wide variety. connected phrase, r and writer . ‘Bah! Humbug! A few years ago
accents. Again, there above or section as a single,for the RB a breath at the end of this,as
I disagree vehemen ’ I say, I also came
looks when it is placed probably take Funkestra , a fortified To contradict what across Bobby Vega
to see how each marking and a singer would jazz-funk band funky bass tracks
here is what Carol
tly. Many
I just wrote, playing with a
middle. with a strong have been laid pick (I think he
below a note. rather than in theflavour down with
to share with me
Kaye wanted played the bassline
groove and tantalising of a pick. The way for ‘Sing A Simple
I see it, in a recent email Song’ by Sly
brass work. it is never about about pick playing: & the Family
playing style or Stone with a pick)
LS AND TERMS www.rbfunkestra.co techniques – it ‘Please let everyone on Bass Player
TABLE OF SYMBO m is always about know that TV. I can’t find this
UCTION funk first. the they don’t video
www.stef pick any longer
MEANING TRANSLATION/INSTR anredtenbacher.com
at all. Only at the
close to the bridge
that I watched
but I remembe
r
SYMBOL end of the neck it over and over
shorter than written Get up with the do you get great again as I could
‘Detached’ - play Opinions also seem
downstroke! sounds with not believe
the pick, and you how good he made
Staccato value to be divided should only it
IN ASSOCIATION WITH ‘Held’ - play for full on how to play
with a plectrum. pick with a flat
wrist (feeling one Surely he is plugged sound.
It seems to be of the strings on into the
and held for full value
Tenuto a rite of passage the funk motherbo
ard. Time to plug
‘Marked’ - accented for a young your thumb muscle) bottom of yourself into it
than writtenrock tunes bassist to play fast for complete with this month’s

74 THE
and played shorter

60 ASHDOWN 427
Marcato with downstro powerful picking track.
brought to ‘Hammered’ - accented only to be a ‘real kes record with all
that you can
Andrew’s column is Martellato or pull-off man’. Yeah, day and all night
Tech Music n whatever … Not
Play smoothly - hammer-o
you in association with … I think you should And also, use a felt mute Average
play with however on top of your taped This tune was created
School in London. Slur the fretboard many down- strings for the
Slide up (or down) or upstrokes you
need
dynamic clean
sounds recorded ‘Big Bottom’ after I

WOODSHED
k e pitch your basslines sound to make the sound-destroying (without and phaser for with a pick
www.techmusicschool.co.u Slide note of with no discernabl good. The undertones the Funkestra’s
Short, percussive same applies and overtones fourth album, Concubine

SMALL BLOCK
020 8749 3131
Ghost Note 1 e pitch pick ‘correctly’.to how to hold the you get from the
note but with a discernabl I guess I have held electric bass).’ Chronicles. It made
Short, percussive my pick ‘incorrectl Again, let your it was indeed great
me realise that
Ghost Note 2 so what? I don’t
y’ for years, but
guide and see
ears be your
pick outside the
fun to use the
think someone which one of the rock genre.
in association will come out of two you prefer. ‘Not Average’ is
with the woodwork in the
and fine me for
it. Studying the and features blues-type key of A
pictures in the Inspiration by going up to harmonies
excellent book the IV7 and V7#9
The Fender Bass How A pivotal chords. The guitar
MAGAZINE Changed The World listening experienc riffs feature
82 BASS GUITAR by Jim Roberts,
11/11/2010 15:30 my early days was e in both the minor
it appears to me

Ashdown’s latest all-valve head is all about tone,

Al and major 3rd,
that even bass
titans hold their Casino, with Anthony Di Meola’s creating an A7#9
picks in many different Jackson sound; freely
This column is brought on bass (and the mixing minor and
ways. The now equally major 3rds is a
Andrew McKinney_1nw.
indd 70 by the Funk University, to you plectrum thickness
depends on
legendary Steve
Gadd on drums) classic trait of many
the the sound you tearing it up with funk tunes. As
online school mastermin are after. I generally always, there is
ded amazing a full and a minus
by bass icon Bootsy use Dunlop Tortex precision, a pick bass version on
.88 and the Funkestra’s
that offers lectures, Collins (the ‘green’ ones; mm picks
effect. His sound a modulation
SoundCloud page.
lessons, strangely they had a piano

tone, tone
exercises, gear tutorials come in packs wire quality to
a wealth of exclusive and of 72 …). it. Although it is
class 70s jazz-rock a
from Bootsy and media and not a funk
FU guest Not Average-intro
professors such
as
Ndegeocello, VictorMeshell The bass pickup
John B Williams, Wooten, features 10ths,
Divinity Roxx, jump from the chromatically approach
TM Stevens and low E string to ing the root A.
many more. 3rd, an octave the high G string, This might be a
For the price of above. ie skipping two little tricky as you
one strings to reach need to
in-person lesson, average from the low note
students learn to the major
from the greatest
assembly
of bass virtuosos

64 KUSTOM KB1 & KB20

the
has ever seen. Visit world
www.
thefunkuniversity.com
for more.

84 Bass Guitar
MaGazin e

These new combos from Kustom combine user-

Techniques
Stefan_1nw.i
ndd 74

12/11/2010
09:42

friendly features with a budget-friendly price

66 BASS COMPRESSION – A
SIMPLE EXPLANATION 82 ANDREW MCKINNEY
From soft- or hard-knee to optical or FET solid Tuition Tip: Reading Notation
state, Mark Beazley gets the low-down on bass
compression Regulars 84 STEFAN
REDTENBACHER
74 THE WOODSHED Funkyologies
We visit VDC Trading, home of Van Damme Cable
88 DAVE MARKS
76 ESSENTIAL EFFECTS Rhythm Section Development
The Analog Man Mini Chorus
90 JANEK GWIZDALA
78 THIS GOES TO 11 … Modern Bass Improvisations
Alex Claber explores the inner workings of pickups
92 FRANC O’SHEA
80 ON REVIEW Bass Beyond: The Tempered Scale
We preview the latest bass-related CD and DVD
releases from the likes of Marcus Miller and 94 JOHN CLEMENTS
Squarepusher Scholarship Diary

BASS GUITAR MAGAZINE 5

Contents_1nw.indd 5 12/11/2010 15:17