The Bass Geek » Bass Guitar

Retro-Geek Bass Porn

Ryan — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:45:42 +0000

Please tell me why we don't have a sample for this instrument yet. I'm intensely curious as to the tonal properties of early-80s-era injection-molded plastic casing.

Also, since there are no tuning knobs on the bridge, I'm guessing it has a regular headstock. Which is a shame. Given the vintage of this instrument, it should feature a headless design. And be used to play synth-based pop. At all times.

The Aristocrats!

Ryan — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:29:56 +0000

Aside from the fine clinic to be taken in (and it was - great insight into tone and playing as a unit), part of the reason I traveled to Ft. Wayne Monday evening for Bryan Beller's bass clinic was the fact that I knew I'd be missing the Indianapolis stop for his band the Aristocrats. Beller is a fine bassist (from assorted Zappa family members to Steve Vai to Dethklok and more), and his writing and lessons are nothing short of inspiring. Nevertheless, a poorly scheduled business trip takes me to Chicago, a large city that surprisingly has no Aristocrats stop on this leg of the tour.

So, please - go see this show at Birdy's on Monday, May 21st. Not only for the amazing music and great show, but because I'll be kicking myself for not making it. Here's some sound:

Here's the website:

http://the-aristocrats-band.com/

Have at it, and enjoy!

Wanna Confuse Yourself?

Ryan — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:40:54 +0000

Take the 5-string bass you've been playing for a decade and restring it with a high C instead of a low B. Nothing groundbreaking here - it's good enough for Matthew Garrison, Steve Swallow, and Janek Gwizdala (among others). But man, it's messing with my head. Having the extra high end makes for easier chording and more defined melody lines, but I'm still getting used to the positions. And being a fourth or fifth off at random times is never fun. Still, I like the setup, and it actually seems to be better for my Stingray 5 - a lighter gauge with the higher string agrees more with the action on the bass, and it's much easier to play and maintain.

So I'm going to try using it in the new production Songs in the Key of Blues for Q Artistry, opening tonight in Irvington. Should be fun!

In The Movies . . .

Ryan — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 01:41:33 +0000

If you saw me roaming around downtown Indianapolis or leaning over the railings near the White River with a portable audio recorder late last year, there was a very good reason for me to be doing so. I was recording background and foley sounds for Catherine Crouch's new short film A Pirate in Alphabet City. She was also gracious enough to use some incidental music I composed. Cast and crew got to see the final product last Sunday, and I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. What surprised me was how much easier it is to put music in video than when I first started researching the subject years ago. No more messing with SMPTE code - just play along to the video (I did all of my work in Reason) and nudge the clips as necessary.

The movie should be hitting the festival circuit soon, and hopefully I'll get to do more work like this in the future.

Spectacular FAWM.org Failure

Ryan — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 13:57:18 +0000

Not the site at all, mind you - just my ability to actually put together an album in one month. Not sure if I'm going to blame a rather busy freelance writing schedule this month or the fact that I'm a first-time songwriter in this regard, but there it is. Got starts on three songs, nothing recorded, and definitely not the 14 tracks FAWM expected. So, I'll continue it into March. Nobody says I have to stop writing, no? Look for results on Soundcloud as they become available.

Friday’s Bass Porn

Ryan — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:06:17 +0000

No Treble brought this beauty to my attention, and the audio clips pushed it over the edge - I love the way it looks and sounds, and I'm intrigued by the use of guitar tuners for the high strings.

These kind of posts are totally not helping with my FAWM.org efforts, which are woefully behind - maybe they'll accept an EP?

Quick FAWM Update

Ryan — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:48:50 +0000

It's kicking my butt. So far this month, I have two songs. Kinda. And we're half-over, and I'm still looking at two independent book projects, too. Might have to amend this to FEPWM, but I'm sure they don't have a URL for that. Back at it.

Dammit, Now I Have To Do Something . . .

Ryan — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:52:06 +0000

So I made some noise about solo shows at the end of last year, and I went ahead and signed up for February Album Writing Month as a prompt to write some solo material.

And now I actually have to do it. Crap.

14 songs before the end of the month. Any ideas accepted.

I'm playing with the Loopy HD app for the iPad, which interfaces nicely with the SoftStep - I can choose and mute tracks fairly quickly, and the recording is a simple process. I'm still getting a weird fade in at the beginning of the loops, but I suspect playing with the noise gate will remedy that.

Now I just have to write 14 songs. Dammit.

Welcome, New Friends!

Ryan — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:00:28 +0000

This post at cnn.com might be driving some new traffic to the site, so let me take a moment to re-introduce myself and state the purposes and intentions of this blog.

My name is Ryan Williams. I write and play bass, not necessarily in that order. And I make my home in the beautiful Fountain Square district of Indianapolis, source of much art, culture, entertainment, fine cuisine, and loud rehearsal noise emanating from my neighbor's house.

The reason that story came out this week was, of course, because of the huge party we're throwing for Super Bowl XLVI this year, and because we want to let everyone know what Indianapolis has to offer. Fountain Square is but a quick trip from downtown, there will be shuttle buses, and I bet the bike taxis will even trek down here. Let me know if you have any questions or just want to hear me lay down a groove for a bit. I will accommodate all reasonable requests.

Online Bass Lessons Across the Frickin’ World!

Ryan — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:21:46 +0000

Hat tip to Jon Silpayamanant for bringing this article to my attention (although I question the wisdom of enabling future bagpipe players). I've been collecting names of bassists that teach lessons via iChat, Skype, or similar online means for awhile - both for my own learning purposes and to share with others. The one thing that strikes me about this is that these are extremely talented and noteworthy players who otherwise people wouldn't have access to unless a great deal of travel and scheduling was involved. I can personally attest to the wonderful insight and value Todd Johnson and Anthony Wellington have brought to my playing, but there's no doubt that any of these folks would be of great assistance to you, provided you take the following steps (that apply to all lessons, Internet or no, really):

Listen
Ask good questions
Prepare for the lesson beforehand
Practice diligently what you've learned
Don't waste their or your time

So here's the list - I'm still in disbelief at some of these names:

These are just some of the famous names, and it certainly doesn't discount the other talent available out there - feel free to add additional resources in the comments. It also doesn't address sites like the Funk University or Music Dojo, either (although these are great resources and I'm currently using FU). These are one-on-one lessons - amazing what technology can do, isn't it?

EDIT: Just found out Dave LaRue is on this list, too - I used to watch his instructional video all the time, and just going back to it reminded me of all I learned from him. Great stuff!