Contents

Issue 64 March2011

48 SKJOLD STANDARD ’92

This high-performance offering from
Skjold combines optimum playability
and versatile bass tones

Regulars Interviews
08 THE LOW DOWN 42 SAM DIXON
Keep up with all the latest new gear, giveaways Meet record producer, songwriter and bassist
and industry news, including a full rundown Sam Dixon
ahead of the London Bass Guitar Show

20 BASS TO THE FUTURE:

SIMON FITZPATRICK
Introducing the talents of Simon Fitzpatrick

22 TAKE FIVE: BILLY SHEEHAN

Billy talks us through his top bass albums

26 BASSICALLY SPEAKING
We talk to bassists Johny Chow, John Calabrese,
Bryce Sipes, Craig Finnie, Dave Clarke and Joseph
Kusionowicz

30 2011 WINTER NAMM SHOW

The pick of the crop from this year’s show in
Anaheim, California

38 GARY WILLIS
A must-see artist at the London Bass Guitar
Show, Mike Flynn charts Gary’s mind-boggling
solo projects and the imminent return of Tribal
Tech

4 BASS GUITAR MAGAZINE

Contents_1nw.indd 4 11/02/2011 14:17

 Gear Reviews

56 GALLIEN-KRUEGER MB200,
MB500 AND MB FUSION HEADS
Mike Brooks road-tests the latest trio of
featherweight, Class-D amp heads from GK

62 LINE 6 LOWDOWN
HD400
This feature-packed offering from Line 6
offers classic tones at an attractive price
Bass Techniques
cher:
stefan redtenba
’funkyologies’
stein
Exploration 6: Dr Hypen
a’- open your mind
to open strings
Open ‘String-o-Ram but also for Here are my reasonsa go:
for
mightily powerful sound, lot of grit giving open stringsstrings
Mildly opinion ated technical reasons. It
takes a
It sounds good, as open
views on the world
clean notes
and power to produce are truly powerful and
wonderful
strings down
of funk bass... when pressing the
Upright bassists things.
onto the fretboard.
stefan Jamerson did, Jaco
did, Marcus and
probably play a lot
more in the position shifts
redtenbacher should too … (they call it ‘half It helps to facilitate
Victor do … so you open-string positions A, B).
thing bassists. One (‘Dr. Hypenstein’ - letters
Open strings are a beautiful be an position’) than electric full use
to it is physically It allows you to make
Redtenbacher is – for any bassist it appears in the reason is certainly that of your bass and
Stefan ‘The Count’ play tunes bass to play of the range
and writer obvious choice to easier on the electric leaps into
the bassist, bandleader (minor over the neck. incorporate big-interval
a fortified keys of E or A, for example ‘closed’ positions all - letters
for the RB Funkestra, immediate and Fender your lines (‘Dr. Hypenstein’
a strong and major alike). It is Remember that Leo
jazz-funk band with powerful-sounding,
as open strings Bass to ‘free the A, B).
tantalising invented the Fender Bass Techniques
flavour of groove and can resonate to maximum effect
double bass players from their “dog
alternatives
the double It provides you with
brass work. and sustain. house” [as he nicknamed notes.
have been instrument on how to play ghost
www.rbfunkestra.com Many funk(y) basslines bass]’ and created an cool guitar-
r.com open E string, upon with It allows you to play
www.stefanredtenbache created based on the that at first was looked in ‘Dr.
include the open type licks like the one
featuring keys that
E and A for
suspicion by bassists, but was
quickly embraced by
guitarists who Hypenstein’– letter C).
ANDREW MCK
strings, in particular
bassists (‘Good Times’
by Chic, with
bass, comes to
suddenly found themselves jump
able to
It can add subtle shifts
of colour INNEY: TUITION TIP
Bernard Edwards on
to mention,
double on guitar and
bass. The
bass might and timbre to your
lines (‘Dr.
How To Read Mus
mind). Almost surplus
satisfying from guitar to double
but slapping is especially by Level have been one step too
Games’
far to even
reasons (oh yes,
Hypenstein’ – letter
D of the G blues scale
F; play the
run in the ic: Lesson 19
The 19th in a series
on reading music
in the key of E (‘Love attempt for physical string, rather
42, with Mark King
on bass, or ‘Run issues, there is 4th bar on the open notation: Readin
Sanborn, with
and besides fretting than the D on the 5th
fret on the g under directio
For Cover’ by David also the bow!). As with the last
few issues, we are n
are two great these basic assumptions A string). continuing today
Marcus Miller on bass, So, with to look at factors
involved in reading instrument as part
probably tens draw your
examples). There are aside, I would like to are showcased beyond just playing music that go of the band, so
worldwide strings As most of my points the right notes hands free all of they
the time. In musical-th won’t have their
of thousands of bassists the key attention to using open month, I want There are times and rhythms.
licks in rather than with the tune of this when reading music they will often
be playing keyboard eatre settings
that have a few slap within your basslines strings and need to follow
live directions from when you will

Gear
ion with
in associat
to you
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for that very strings as the to write about open musical director. a conductor or but in pop bands at the same time,
of E in their repertoire to just using the open D or notes a little more. This presents
any
Also, in a pop music of the musicians can be the MD.
know, I used of B, E, A, ghost certain challenge
reason – trust me, I tonic notes in the key there are some
directions and s and and the tempo
setting, once a
song has started
in the bass tunings, the terminology you
work in a music store G (I will talk about drop s (See below)
be aware of. need to to change, has been establishe
the Hipshot Ghostnote so all the MD really d, it is very unlikely
beloved key of D and
department!
Upright bassists, of
course, also
tuner another time).
ANDREW
Example 1 shows a
vamp, a little bit à la
typical funk
Verdine White Conductors specific cues and needs to
directions for repeateddo is give any
make full use of their
open strings
for sonic
MCKINNEY
from Earth, Wind and
Fire. In classical music,
an orchestra will
endings. However,
they may start
if the MD isn’t happy sections and
with the tempo
at all times. This is partly Head of bass at
conductor. The
overall sound and
always have a conducting and
you need
strings have a Tech Music School performance of wishes. If they are
playing an instrumen to follow their
reasons, as the open in London and who
orchestra is their
responsibility. During the time this may not
James Taylor Quartet.
plays with the they direct the
musicians with a performance follow the establishe t at the same
baton) to control their arms (often classical conducto d patterns that
the with a r would – you may a
Ghostnotes mood of the piece. tempo, dynamics and also general a series of head nods and gestures, need to interpret
d For the full Tuition There are specifi some shouting and maybe even
including
Tip archive, how the tempo
is to
c conventions for too!
sound files and be indicated, but a
directions for things lot of the other
videos, visit Andrew’s
teacher indirect and can
like dynamic and
mood are more In Performance
and profile on the website: be interprete The
www. calm the conducto d by how agitated main challenge presented
techmusicschool.co.uk or to the reading bassist
. These aspects of
r looks! when following
direction is just
Each issue Andrew
will be discussed
performance can
also be read music and
that – you have
to
follow direction
featuring a specifi
c class taught
during rehearsals
, and it should always up your music at the same time.
the conductor stand so that you Set
Roxx, at the school, giving who has the final be conductor in your can see the MD
you a bite- sergeant major, say. They are the or
size chunk of the and the musicians to prepare, try to
peripheral vision.
If you have time
more. lesson and an
insight into what
unflinchingly in
the line of duty!
report directly and
you can confidently
memorise important
sections so that
learn a course.
it’s like to be on The tempo of the
piece is indicated look up at the MD
your head buried and not have
pattern of arm
or baton movemen by a specific in the music.
of which depends ts, the
world on the time signature. exact nature Terms and Symbo
music performan
ce we In popular- ls
tempos as consistent are generally trying to keep Here are some
terms and symbols
for more. as

52 SPECTOR LEGEND CLASSIC

thefunkunive rsity.com the case in the possible, but this is not always directed music – refer to commonl y used in
performance of action. All of these the exercises to
conductor will classical
often vary the tempo music. The require a conducto see them in
dramatic effect, of the piece for give the signal r or an MD to
and the orchestra or cue so that the
should be alert together as one, whole ensemble
and follow these rather than each acts
subtle, or even up their own mind individual
MaGazine
tempo. dramatic, changes
of and everyone pulling making
74 Bass Guitar Other17:08
10/01/2011 directions. in different
main features of
cueing musicians a conductor’s job
when to start (or include
when they are stop), Vamp
not playing throughou particularly

We take a closer look at Spector’s budget bass

74 Also, they conduct t the entire piece. This can be written
Stefan_1nw.indd
any specific endings above a repeated section
either at the beginning
marks – refer to
the Terms and Symbols and pause with repeat marks , at the end or both. of music,
Check out the clip list. is usually repeated A section
of Mr Bean ‘Salvation section is performed once, so the
Carols’ to see him Army Band twice in total (fi
having a go at the repeat). If ‘vamp’ rst time and
being a conducto is written, then
r!
IN ASSOCIATION Musical Directo repeating that
section until the
you are to keep
WITH rs to continue to MD gives you a
In many popular-m the next section signal
usic settings there common in musical of the music. This
a similar role to is someone with theatre where a is very
a conductor, and
to as the ‘musical they are often referred repeated while some action section can be
Andrew’s column director’ (MD), and onstage. The length or dialogue is taking
exactly the same the place
you in association
is brought to – they are responsib principle is time, so a vamp
of this may not
be the same every
with Tech Music and performan le for the sound allows the music
School in London. ce of the band. long or as short to continue for
style, and a big Each MD has their as required as
part of performin own Rit and Rall that time.
is understanding g under direction
www.techmusicschool. and interpretin Rit and Rall
directions. g different MDs’
co.uk ‘Rit’ is short for ‘ritenuto’,
020 8749 3131 The main difference
between following – they both indicate and ‘rall’ is short
in a classical-m a conductor for ‘rallentando’
usic setting and that the tempo
pop music setting following an MD slow down, so you will is to gradually
is that an MD will in a piece of music. often see this at
to give continuou be much less likely Two other Italian the end of a
s direction, ie conductin conjunction with terms
throughout – also
known as ‘carving’. g the tempo ‘rit’ or ‘rall’ are ‘molto’, you may see in
down to the fact This is mainly or ‘very’, and ‘poco’ meaning ‘much’
that they will often , which means ‘little’
be playing an would mean a . So ‘molto rall’
dramatic slowing
80 BASS GUITAR would indicate down, while ‘poco
to slow down a rall’
MAGAZIN E little bit.

Andrew McKinney_1n
w.indd 70

11/01/2011
11:47

66 THE
WOODSHED
Techniques
80 STEFAN REDTENBACHER
Regulars
Funkyologies

84 JANEK GWIZDALA
Modern Bass Improvisations
68 THE WOODSHED: SKJOLD
DESIGN GUITARS 86 ANDREW MCKINNEY
Introducing custom luthier Pete Skjold Tuition Tip: Reading Notation
74 ESSENTIAL EFFECTS 88 FRANC O’SHEA
Chris Hanby uncovers a future classic in the Bass Beyond: A Journey into Rhythm
Foxrox Octron2

76 THIS GOES TO 11 … 90 DAVE MARKS

Rhythm Section Development
How we hear low frequencies

78 ON REVIEW 92 JON CLEMENTS

Scholarship Diary
We preview the latest bass-related CD releases
from the likes of Doug Johns and Tony Grey

BASS GUITAR MAGAZINE 5

Contents_1nw.indd 5 11/02/2011 14:17