I SPY… SOMETHING CHROMATIC
Bass Player|October 2020
Chromatic movement means that we'll be moving in half-steps or fret by-fret on our instrument
Ryan Madora
I SPY… SOMETHING CHROMATIC

In session and stage bassist Ryan Madora’s debut lesson for BP, we discover the chromatic movement hidden inside our favorite bass-lines.

Hi there, fellow bass players—I’m thrilled to be writing to you for the first time! As a long-time reader of BP and someone who has obsessed over the bass guitar for years, I’m honored to share my insights with you. I like to think of bass players as thoughtful individuals—people who respect the heart that goes into music, who discover the beauty in nuance, and who find glory in the groove—and I hope to write with the attention to detail that you deserve.

With that in mind, I hope to inspire you with some musical tools of refinement. Our greatest tool? The ability to listen. To hone in on the low notes, the complex rhythms, and the stunning riffs that inspire us to pick up our instrument. This ability to actively listen, to comprehend what is happening in the music, and to integrate what we hear, is perhaps the greatest way to learn. This skill, in and of itself, must be refined over time.

I also believe that in order to actively listen, we must first choose to do so. After all, plenty of listening happens passively while we’re doing other activities—exercising, shopping, or driving to work. When we want to refine our listening, we must challenge ourselves and exercise our ability to perceive things that we may otherwise overlook. What better way to do so than with a game?

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