Beginners' Lesson
Bass Player|October 2020
Ensure a smooth playing experience with these tips from Steve Lawson
STEVE LAWSON
Beginners' Lesson

Welcome to BP 400! This month, we’re going to look at an aspect of controlling your sound that is often overlooked, but which for a number of reasons has become more and more noticeable over the years— giving notes their full length.

The amount of decay we want in a particular note—from ultra‑short palm-muted notes to infinite sustain— is a huge factor in shaping the sound of a line and its impact on the song. Today, we’re looking at the sustain end of the graph.

The reasons why this has become more significant over time are both stylistic and technological. Style‑wise, the prevalence of synth bass in much pop music has brought about a taste for incredibly smooth‑sounding bass‑lines—often with no gap between the end of one note and the start of the next.

Simultaneously, advances in bass guitar manufacture have also impacted the degree to which controlling the tail end of the note is a significant factor. A lot of older basses had a relatively short natural decay. That could be lengthened by using a compressor, but for the most part, there was a pronounced dip before the end of the note if we were playing anything longer than a half note at about 80bpm.

Denne historien er fra October 2020-utgaven av Bass Player.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra October 2020-utgaven av Bass Player.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA BASS PLAYERSe alt
Freekbass
Bass Player

Freekbass

The funk master talks us through five career high points.

time-read
1 min  |
Holiday 2021
ASHDOWN RM-800-EVO ll
Bass Player

ASHDOWN RM-800-EVO ll

What a lightweight! Kev Sanders tests the new head from Ashdown

time-read
3 mins  |
Holiday 2021
DUVOISIN Standard 5
Bass Player

DUVOISIN Standard 5

Mike Brooks gives this Swiss-style five a road test…

time-read
3 mins  |
Holiday 2021
I WAS THERE!
Bass Player

I WAS THERE!

A historic moment in bass world – recalled by those who were there to see it

time-read
2 mins  |
Holiday 2021
BAREFACED - One10T Cabinet
Bass Player

BAREFACED - One10T Cabinet

A new Barefaced cab? Kev Sanders feels the quality

time-read
3 mins  |
Holiday 2021
KRIST NOVOSELIC
Bass Player

KRIST NOVOSELIC

It’s 30 years since the release of Nirvana’s era-defining album, Nevermind, and high time that we revisited this 2011 chat with the great bassist turned political activist, Krist Novoselic, a musician who witnessed a truly chaotic period in music history

time-read
10+ mins  |
Holiday 2021
BASS PLAYER AWARDS 2021
Bass Player

BASS PLAYER AWARDS 2021

After a year off thanks to the pesky virus, BP’s annual Lifetime Achievement Awards return—and this time we add a new category. Raise your glass to this year’s winners, Marcus Miller, Gail Ann Dorsey, John Taylor and Charles Berthoud.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Holiday 2021
RUSH TO READ
Bass Player

RUSH TO READ

Rush’s Geddy Lee will release an “epic” memoir in 2022

time-read
2 mins  |
Holiday 2021
STAYING POWER
Bass Player

STAYING POWER

Tal Wilkenfeld’s recent album Love Remains features a five-string in tenor tuning with a capo. Ellen O’Reilly finds out why…

time-read
5 mins  |
Holiday 2021
Bass Player

TONEWOODS EXPLAINED

Do woods really determine tones?

time-read
3 mins  |
Holiday 2021