This is a guest post from Young Pandas bass player, Kyle Nagel. For those who don’t know James Dewitt Yancey, better known as Jay Dee or J Dilla, he was a hip hop and R&B producer and rapper who had a tremendous impact on hip hop beat making and sampling culture from 1995 until his death in 2006. Yancey’s music has continued to influence and inspire long after his … [Read more...] about Unsung Bass Heroes: J Dilla
Bassists and Music
Consider the Following: What Makes a Good Bass Player Today?
What makes a bass player good is a very common question among bassists especially those just starting out. Naturally,we want to be the best we can at anything we do. It’s human nature to seek out the best practices and embody them in our own unique way. In a more objective field of study, what makes a good X might be easier to answer. But in an artistic field or an … [Read more...] about Consider the Following: What Makes a Good Bass Player Today?
6 More Modern Bass Players You Should Know
Great bass playing never ended. In fact, great bass playing never stopped. It’s still all around us. My belief is that we’ve become so enamored with the people who helped to shape the instrument, Geddy Lee, Jack Bruce, John Entwistle, Jaco and so on that we haven’t take time to look forward and admire all the new, flourishing bass guitar talent out there right in front of … [Read more...] about 6 More Modern Bass Players You Should Know
My Ode to Jack Bruce
Jack Bruce passed away this week at the age of 71 as a result of liver complications and failures this weekend and sent a shockwave through the bass playing community. I didn’t find out about the news myself. My dad, also a bass player, sent me a text early Saturday morning saying that Jack Bruce had died. I did a quick double take at the phone. Jack Bruce died. I said it over … [Read more...] about My Ode to Jack Bruce
9 Easy Bass Lines for Beginners You Won’t Find in a Book
Easy bass lines for beginner bass players are just about everywhere. Every band on the planet has some song that have bass lines that are very friendly towards beginners. The lines are intended to be supportive and not lead oriented, the notes tend to follow the chord changes of the guitar player and the lines give the budding bassist a great crash course in the very essence of … [Read more...] about 9 Easy Bass Lines for Beginners You Won’t Find in a Book
7 Must-Know Hip Hop Bass Lines
Hip hop: the newborn son of funk. The birth of a musical genre that took poetry and spoke it to a beat and a specific cadence seemed like a fad at the time; an underground sensation. No one – including lawyers or major labels – thought much of the musical style at the time that only seemed to flourish in New York’s boroughs. But all that changed when the genre began to … [Read more...] about 7 Must-Know Hip Hop Bass Lines
7 Bass Players You Might Not Have Thought Were On LinkedIn
Quick - when you think LinkedIn, what comes to mind? Maybe suits and ties? Or power networking professionals? How about CEOs and industry influencers? What about famous bass players? Probably something you might not have thought of but it's in fact a reality! - - - A few days ago when I was checking out and updating my own LinkedIn profile, I noticed show up in my feed … [Read more...] about 7 Bass Players You Might Not Have Thought Were On LinkedIn
Anti-Funk: How Chris Pravdica Brings Groove to Swans
So check this out. This article was a long time coming and it's only now that I have the time to get it out. About 2, 3 weeks ago, I bought a ticket see a show over at Toad's Place in New Haven, Connecticut to see a band Swans. For those unfamiliar with the band, I can't blame you. Swans is an experimental 'no wave' band from New York. The band has been around since … [Read more...] about Anti-Funk: How Chris Pravdica Brings Groove to Swans
YES to Release New CD, Heaven and Earth, on July 21st
The world's most beloved progressive rock band is back with a brand new album this July! YES has announced the release of their 21st (21st!) studio album titled, Heaven and Earth, scheduled for July 21st. The album is the first album to feature Glass Hammer singer, Jon Davison, instead of the band's previous singer to replace Jon Anderson, Benoit David. Check out the … [Read more...] about YES to Release New CD, Heaven and Earth, on July 21st
22 Memes Only Bass Players Will Understand
Where there's an Internet, there will be memes. Memes far and wide encapsulating some of the held stereotypes and inside jokes of different groups and cliques of communities and bass players have their own bass guitar memes showcasing their unity to the online bass guitar community. A picture and 2 sentences in Impact Bold font on the top and the bottom of the picture. … [Read more...] about 22 Memes Only Bass Players Will Understand