“The last thing Bernard Edwards wanted to be was a bass player who used a pick”: Nile Rodgers on the funk behind Chic’s Le Freak By Nick Wells published 24 November 23 In 1978 Bernard Edwards helped define one of the most distinctive sounds of disco
“Fingers or pick? I’ll play bass with a drumstick! Whatever works for the song!“ How Amos Williams found his sound on TesseracT’s War of Being By Nick Wells published 22 November 23 TesseracT's Amos Williams on why he used parallel distortion and a “Swiss Army knife of overdrive” on the band's new album
“Early on I discovered that the bass player decides the chord – not the guitar player”: R.E.M.’s Mike Mills on finding the perfect bass part and becoming a “one-bass guy” By Karl Coryat published 21 November 23 From the Bass Player Archive: An interview with R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills
“I had the same punk-rock attack that Duff had. I wouldn’t be afraid to say I stole some of his stuff”: How Tommy Stinson survived the making of Guns N’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy By Brian Fox published 20 November 23 Tommy Stinson replaced Duff McKagan in 1998, but being the bassist in Guns N’ Roses takes work – a lot of it
“All these older blues players would come to Detroit to play local clubs. I was too young to get in, so I’d cut my hair short and glue a mustache on my face”: Tony Newton on playing with Gary Moore, Allan Holdsworth, and holding down the pocket at Motown By Andrew Daly published 16 November 23 A blues, fusion, and studio veteran, Tony Newton is a low-end titan who has covered incredible stylistic ground over the decades, but to him, it's all about simplicity. He recalls the lessons James Jamerson taught him, his experiences playing with guitar legends John Lee Hooker and T-Bone Walker, and what people don’t realize about the Motown sound
When Stanley Clarke met Paul McCartney: “Paul asked me to show him how to slap!” By Nick Wells published 16 November 23 Stanley Clarke made a key assist on Paul McCartney's early-80s albums Tug of War and Pipes of Peace
“I knew Eric was going to put his guitar on later, so the bass fills were like telegraphed messages”: Listen to Nathan East’s fill-laden bassline on Eric Clapton’s Change the World By Chris Jisi published 14 November 23 Nathan East recorded with his Yamaha Signature 5-string direct through a custom DI box
“It wasn’t like a normal bass gig where you have 30 songs: I had to learn 300!” Ida Nielsen talks touring with Prince, and how she tackled her Paisley Park audition By Joel McIver published 11 November 23 You put a video of yourself playing bass on YouTube. Then Prince calls…
“There was no intention to be clever. We didn’t know what we were doing!” Herbie Flowers on David Bowie’s Space Oddity By Bryan Beller published 9 November 23 Listen to Herbie Flowers give lift to David Bowie’s lyric about “floating in a tin can”
“You don’t just play the root notes – there’s always harmony there to make a bassline more interesting”: How Bruce Thomas transformed Elvis Costello’s (I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea By Brian Fox published 8 November 23 Bruce Thomas on the heyday of the Attractions and their most auspicious debut, (I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea
“Marvin Gaye was used to hearing James Jamerson, so he had me overdub a second bass part to fill out the original track”: An untold story from Motown’s Studio A. How Bob Babbitt's '65 P-Bass drove Marvin Gaye’s Inner City Blues By Chris Jisi published 7 November 23 By 1971, James Jamerson’s demons had started to affect his consistency, so Bob Babbitt was called for this Motown classic
“It’s hard to think who the greatest bass players are. You could say Flea, but he doesn’t need the plug!” Jack Bruce on the bass players that shaped his sound By Nick Wells published 6 November 23 Back in 2010, we asked Cream bassist Jack Bruce to nominate five albums that influenced his bass playing
“Steve Vai tried to school me on string bending, but you just don't do that on bass!” Pete Griffin reflects on his time with Steve Vai, and his latest solo EP By Nick Wells published 3 November 23 The seasoned sideman compares notes on Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt, Zakk Wylde and Dweezil Zappa
“The whole track is driven by the bassline!” How “Ready” Freddie Washington conceived the dance-funk classic that later became a massive hit as Will Smith's Men In Black By Chris Jisi published 1 November 23 The story of Patrice Rushen’s Forget Me Nots, the song that became more famous as the theme from the Will Smith and Tommy Lee film Men in Black and was sampled by George Michael
Best guitar cleaning kits and tools 2024: keep your guitar looking and sounding sweet By Richard Blenkinsop last updated 31 October 23 Take a look at our expert pick of guitar cleaning and maintenance products to help keep your instrument in tip-top condition
Best budget bass amps: punchy low-end for a low price By Richard Blenkinsop last updated 30 October 23 Keep your low-end punchy and your bank balance healthy with our pick of the best budget bass amps from Fender, Orange, Ampeg and beyond!
“When Michael McDonald first played it for me, I had him slow down and just show me his left hand”: Tiran Porter on The Doobie Brothers’ Minute By Minute By Bill Leigh published 29 October 23 Tiran Porter played the “cowboy-movie-theme-meets shuffle-feel” on a B.C. Rich Mockingbird with twin DiMarzio P-style pickups
“It’s Roger’s bass riff. He came in with the verses and the lyrics for Money”: Listen to the isolated bassline on Pink Floyd’s 1973 masterpiece By Nick Wells published 28 October 23 The iconic bass riff helped make Dark Side of the Moon one of the biggest-selling albums of all time
“When I'm not playing online, I love to blend with the band. I'm not the one who wants to stand out. But online, that's what it's all about”: April Kae is on a quest to inspire new bass players – and it starts with making bass sound good on phone speakers By Jenna Scaramanga published 27 October 23 From social media to the stage, the new face of Fender basses is broadening horizons for who can play the instrument. She reveals her secret to getting good bass tone on a phone, how she deals with trolls, and what it's like to jam with “the greatest drummer of all time” in Fever 333
“Unlike Jimi Hendrix, we never deliberately tuned down”: Listen to Jack Bruce’s bassline on Cream’s Politician By Nick Wells published 25 October 23 Jack Bruce wrote with Pete Brown for Cream’s third album, 1968’s Wheels of Fire