stonecoldbass

Thanks Paul!

Hey guys, as some of you may know I recently launched my own teaching website and have been busy recording youtube video bass lessons and playalongs for it. My idea for this video was to take 7 iconic funk bass players - Rocco, Jaco, Flea, Jamerson, Louis, Larry and Bootsy - and write a groove in the style of each player, then segue them all over the same backing track to show how each bassists approach to the groove shapes the music. I also wanted to do them all on the same bass to show as much as possible that it’s possible to get pretty close tonally to these players sound without having to use the bass they used, and my F Bass VF5 did the job quite well I think.
I plan to do an individual lesson series breaking down and discussing each groove as well so stay tuned for that. In the meantime you can download the PDF for each groove at my website: [url="http://www.basslessonsmelbourne.com"]http://www.basslessonsmelbourne.com[/url]
I hope you enjoy watching the video as much as I did making it, these bassists really are masters of funk.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q9E8Ytf9fU[/media]

Hey guys
Just wanted to let you know I've finally launched my bass teaching website. You can check it out here [url="http://www.basslessonsmelbourne.com"]www.basslessonsmelbourne.com[/url] but in the meantime here is a short clip I put together to promo it.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IuIIQHwYoY[/media]
Cheers
Craig

Woo! We made it onto the no treble video of the day page!
http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2015/01/19/pickpocket-north-by-north-west/

Haha yeah the old saxman can get a bit carried away, but I dig his enthusiasm

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]'Elucubrations of a Strawberry Hedgehog' HAHA! Well, I guess that's the beauty of music, it's always open to interpretation. Thanks for the kind words tho, pretty optimistic about our future as that was essentially just a 'rehearsal recording': first time with the keys player and 2nd time the drummer had played with us! I figure if/when we actually go into a studio and do things properly it can only sound better.[/font][/color]

Hey thanks Mike! Been following your playing for a few years now too so nice to know you dig what I'm doing as well Yeah it's an F Bass VF5, their take on a jazz style and it absolutely KILLS! You're right though, running a band of this size isn't quite as easy as a trio, but I love palette of colours and density you are able to create in a larger ensemble. Luckily all the guys are really into it and I haven't really had any issues trying to get people together.

Hey guys,
My funk fusion band Pickpocket just released a video of a live studio recording we did in December. There are some rough bits around the edges but overall we're pretty chuffed with how it's turned out and hopefully we can use it to get some decent gigs and build a fan base here in Melbourne.
If you like what you see, by all means head over to our bandcamp and download this and other tracks for FREE!
[url="http://pickpocketfunk.bandcamp.com"]http://pickpocketfunk.bandcamp.com[/url]
And also head here and 'like' us to keep up to date with new releases and gigs:
[url="https://www.facebook.com/pickpocketfunk"]https://www.facebook.../pickpocketfunk[/url]

So here's the tune, called North by North West it's about my time spent living in the awesome city of Vancouver, Canada.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ93c87kQrM[/media]

Interesting thread, My f Bass VF5 has a compound radius, meaning that the further up the fingerboard you go, the flatter the radius. This feels very natural and comfortable to me, especially compared to my Iceni Zoot Funkmeister made by Mike Walsh... Which has subsequently had the neck replaced as it warped so badly and he had glued the truss rod in place.....

Interesting. I was offered this exact same contract from the same agent, as well as another friend of mine down here in Oz. As tempting as it was to do a 'local' cruise gig and make a ton of cash, I decided it best to honour the few musical commitments i had made here and look at it as an investment for the future where I won't need to consider taking such contracts as I'll be busy enough on land.
Glad you managed to smooth things out though, even if it did cost you a pretty penny...
Also, thanks for sharing such a situation, I'm sure a lot of the people commenting on here wouldn't have been so open about such a thing.

Awesome stuff man, Hadrien is no slouch!

Hey people, been recording some loops and grooves over the last month or so with various basses and fx and thought I would post my results here for your perusal.

First up is my F Bass VF5 recorded straight into my interface with a little post comp and EQ. Just oging for pocket and clarity (slap bass warning )
[url="https://soundcloud.com/pickpocket-1/bouncesandounces"]https://soundcloud.c...ouncesandounces[/url]

Next is the same bass but this time I'm playing through my recently acquired Boss OC2 into my MXR M80 DI+ and a DOD Milkbox Compressor. Going for huge rock n roll riffage fun!
[url="https://soundcloud.com/stonecoldbass/75-stones"]https://soundcloud.c...dbass/75-stones[/url]

Now we come to my 70's Jap P bass copy which I recently snagged off Gumtree for $300! This recording has the original strings on it (according to the previous owner they've been on there for 25+ yrs) and is via the DI on my Markbass big bang. Some slight post processing. Going for Jamerson style blues.
[url="https://soundcloud.com/stonecoldbass/the-p-bass-blues"]https://soundcloud.c...he-p-bass-blues[/url]

And finally the same bass but with some fresh Hartke strings (purchased a bunch from JB Hi Fi when they were selling them for $10 a packet!) same signal chain but different groove:
[url="https://soundcloud.com/stonecoldbass/the-p-bass-blues"]https://soundcloud.c...he-p-bass-blues[/url]

Would love to know what you guys think about these sounds and grooves, I'm open to suggestions, questions and interrogations haha!

Hey people, been recording some loops and grooves over the last month or so with various basses and fx and thought I would post my results here for your perusal.

First up is my F Bass VF5 recorded straight into my interface with a little post comp and EQ. Just oging for pocket and clarity (slap bass warning )
[url="https://soundcloud.com/pickpocket-1/bouncesandounces"]https://soundcloud.c...ouncesandounces[/url]

Next is the same bass but this time I'm playing through my recently acquired Boss OC2 into my MXR M80 DI+ and a DOD Milkbox Compressor. Going for huge rock n roll riffage fun!
[url="https://soundcloud.com/stonecoldbass/75-stones"]https://soundcloud.c...dbass/75-stones[/url]

Now we come to my 70's Jap P bass copy which I recently snagged off Gumtree for $300! This recording has the original strings on it (according to the previous owner they've been on there for 25+ yrs) and is via the DI on my Markbass big bang. Some slight post processing. Going for Jamerson style blues.
[url="https://soundcloud.com/stonecoldbass/the-p-bass-blues"]https://soundcloud.c...he-p-bass-blues[/url]

And finally the same bass but with some fresh Hartke strings (purchased a bunch from JB Hi Fi when they were selling them for $10 a packet!) same signal chain but different groove:
[url="https://soundcloud.com/stonecoldbass/the-p-bass-blues"]https://soundcloud.c...he-p-bass-blues[/url]

Would love to know what you guys think about these sounds and grooves, I'm open to suggestions, questions and interrogations haha!

Hi Bert
Thanks for checking out the site and for your comments. I'm not entirely sure what you mean by progress structure... do you mean a structered lesson programme starting at ie 'beginner' and going to 'advanced'? At the moment I think the plan is just to offer some helpful videos on a range of topics.
Thanks!
Craig

Hello people,
Just wanted to bring to your attention a new website that has been launched by some buddies of mine here in Vancouver, BC. It's called [url="http://www.rockbassnow.com"]rockbassnow[/url] and is designed to offer high quality bass lessons for players of all levels in a friendly informative way. I have contributed 3 lessons so far and had a blast working with the guys who are both pro bass players themselves. Please jump on over and give it a look, there are some really interesting lessons on there from some other bass players in town and hopefully we can grow the site together into a valuable online resource.
Thanks
Craig
[url="http://www.rockbassnow.com"]www.rockbassnow.com [/url]

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1365509246' post='2040423']
You are never further than 9 feet away from a looper these days. I see very many videos of bassists using them to do improvised solos, usually the ol' 6-stringers. But they all sound much the same.

Now, I understand how useful they are for practice and that, but are they another reason that ERBassists all seem to have similar approaches, licks and sounds?
[/quote]

Maybe because those kinds of players find it hard to fit into a band situation, enter the looper: the ultimate obedient band

The U5 is the mutts nuts.

Hey guys,
Been a big fan of Dane's playing since I saw him at the Victor Wooten clinic in Melbourne a few years back and then also saw him tearing it up at a jam session during the jazz fest.
Here he is giving an absolute master class in soloing but keeping the pocket. And he's playing what looks like a Pino sig bass (might not be though) instead of his usual 'fusionesque' Pavel Custom.
Utterly amazing I think!
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TrcZ_QQaEM[/media]

Stellar stuff again my friend! Time is uber critical to getting so many aspects of your playing sounding right, but most of rarely focus on it as in depth as you present here I'm guessing! Being comfortable with drummers who imply other times and have fun with polyrhythms can be real gig saver (as you know I know..!) so being able to confidently understand what a the drummer is doing and either choose to follow him or stick with 'regular time' is really important.
Keep 'em coming man!
C

Just discovered this on Spotify today (was one of those 'recommended' albums they have on load up) and I am absolutely loving it! So glad to hear he has left all that horrible 90's style drum programming behind and gone with more organic feel on this album using bass, drums, gtr, keys and some horns, the album really breathes because of it. The compositions are a big step forward for Marcus I feel, no more predictable structures and melodic/harmonic movements but it still retains his signature sound. The performances are outstanding from everyone involved with Marcus showcasing his usual impeccable chops, tone and timing but with a few new twists here and there.
I guess this is ultimately the album I would love to write: groove based jazz/funk with strong improvisational elements but a heavy emphasis on melody and pocket.
I'm so glad he has written this album!
What do y'all think??
C

Nice one man! Just checked out a few of the other videos, Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes is such a great track. I love that whole album! Respect!

Hey guys
Rainy day here in Vancouver (home for now) so seemed like a good time to do some shedding on the fretless. Heard some classical music on TV earlier that inspired me to tackles some cello pieces again. I have a Bach cello study book back home that is great form sight reading practice and it also has some nice little duets that are fun to play. So I did a search for some free cello charts/midi files and came across this little ditty:
[url="http://soundcloud.com/stonecoldbass/polovtisan-dance-borodin"]http://soundcloud.co...n-dance-borodin[/url]
Nothing too tricky but just good sight reading and ear practice. I tried to be as expressive as possible, especially in the final section, while concentrating on getting the thing in tune!
Hope you enjoy the sounds.
Feedback welcome!
Craig

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1337342902' post='1658456']
here it is again -
[/quote]
Jeez that's a hard arrangement!! Great study tho, checking out all those mad harmonies! What a cool tune... thanks for the link to the arrangement.

Man, Jaco's hands are absolutely MASSIVE!!! Surely that was an advantage....?!?!

[quote name='vax2002' timestamp='1336769774' post='1650962']
I wonder if James Jamerson would have thought after all these years, modern bass lines would be so influenced by him.
This could have been his line, straight from the Jamerson books.
[/quote]
Very astute! I agree.