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The Lightbulb Moment: Habit Vs. Intuition
If there’s one thing I love doing, it’s pedaling eighth notes. So much so, you might say that I make a habit of it. There’s something incredibly therapeutic about playing one note, but playing it well,...
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What Should I Play At Soundcheck?
Q: What should I play at soundcheck? I always feel like I should be impressive or something when the sound tech says “okay, let’s hear the bass,” But maybe just pulsing on the open E string is enough?...
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The Lightbulb Moment: Time Games
Game #1: The Record Release Show Round 1—Rehearsal Time There’s something invigorating about working with a new artist, especially when they’re releasing a record and learning how to adapt their songs...
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Incorporating What We Practice
Q: In your opinion, how does what we work on when practicing make it’s way into our playing? I’ve been thinking about the best ways to incorporate what I shed into my “vocabulary.” A: There are as many...
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Playing Etiquette While Subbing
Q: While I am stoked that I have been asked, I am a wee bit apprehensive. I have been asked to be a substitute bassist for a classic rock cover and original band by the band leader. My current gig is...
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Staying Motivated Without Playing Opportunities
Q: I read your column for years, but I don’t know if you have answered this already: I have been playing bass for many years and, due to circumstances beyond my control, I cannot find people in my...
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The Lightbulb Moment: Easy Come, Easy Go
In true professional musician fashion, I recently received a set list for an upcoming gig and had a mini panic attack when I took a look at the final song. An anthem, that’s for sure, but one that is...
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Taking Criticism in a Positive Light
Q: How can I learn to take musical remarks/criticism from a bandleader/conductor in a productive way? I can’t help it, but I always get a little offended and/or insecure. A: Remember this: If you...
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The Lightbulb Moment: One, Four, Five
“Hey, so we’re in G and it’s a one, four, five thing. Cool? Count it off.” Here we go again… Whether it’s a local blues jam, and evening hang at your friend’s garage-turned-music-room, or a gig where...
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Getting Through A Bad Gig
Q: What do you do on a bad night? Like, if the gig is not happening, what’s the best way to avoid toxicity and frustration and make the best of it? A: This question extends far beyond just musical...
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Concentrating on the Gig
Q: I have a question about… mindset, I guess. I feel like I make a lot of unnecessary mistakes during gigs. I mean that it’s not a technical deficiency, and it’s not that I don’t know what needs to...
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The Lightbulb Moment: Three’s Accompany
When it comes to accompanying a singer or soloist, there’s nothing like the power of three. The rock trio. The jazz trio. The trio of cheeses provided in the green room. It’s the perfect way to get the...
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Shaping A Jam Session From The Bass
Q: I go to a few jam sessions in my city, which have given me great times and contacts. For the most part, I’ve been able to get over most of the pre-jam jitters and adopt more of a “whatever happens,...
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How Do I Become a Good Session Musician?
Q: Do You have any advice for those bassists aspiring to become session musicians? Not so much how to get exposure but how to handle yourself, gear, getting lines on the first take, being solid, etc…...
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Notes From The Bandstand: Timekeeping
In 2005 I traveled to Zurich for my first gig with an iconic jazz pianist (out of respect for his privacy, he’ll remain nameless). We haven’t rehearsed. We haven’t spoken about what we’re going to...
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How Do You Deal With Performance Anxiety
Q: Do you ever get scared? How do you deal with performance anxiety? A: I’ve written a fair amount about various types of musical situations I’ve found myself in, related anxiety, and how I’ve...
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Establishing Your Rates as a Working Bass Player
Q: I have been networking, going to jams, and have actually started to make some headway in my local scene. I’ve just gotten a call about doing a regional week-long tour. The money seems a little low,...
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Notes From The Bandstand: Supporting the Soloist
As jazz bassists, we know this scenario all too well: after taking their solos, the players in the front line head offstage, only to chat it up with each other until it’s time come back to trade or...
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Notes from the Bandstand: The Bass Solo
Bassists abound in NYC. It’s not uncommon to get on the subway to see two other fellow bassists fighting for a spot with their low-end leviathans. And, you can be sure; these bass commuters can do it...
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The Lightbulb Moment: Playing Inside The Box
Some people call it “serving the song.” In Ryan’s new “Lightbulb Moment,” she talks about playing inside - and sometimes - outside the box, including covering the literal box patterns on bass.
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How to Deal With Bandleaders That Change Your Part
A reader is dealing with a bandleader (pianist) who is rewriting the bass parts and asking them to be played that way. He asked Damian for advice on how to cope with this situation. Check out what...
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Mugging for the Camera on Stage
For this week’s “Ask” column, Damian decided to do it as more of a PSA - on musicianship, serving the song, and a trend he’s seeing that is sometimes counter to those things. Check out what he calls...
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Am I Selling Out?
Making money making music can be a tough road. Sometimes, some of the options might feel like "selling out," which is exactly the focus (and question) for Damian's latest "Ask" column.
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The Lightbulb Moment: Give The Drummer Some
Ryan is back with a new “Lightbulb Moment” column, this time focusing around the solo. And not just the bass solo, but what we can also do to support the drummer (and other soloists) too.
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On the Road (Again) with Peat Rains from You Bred Raptors?: Part 1
Peat Rains is on tour again with You Bred Raptors?, and he’s back with a brand-new tour diary series. Here’s part 1 of the 2019 series, with Peat sharing stories from the road.
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On the Road (Again) with Peat Rains from You Bred Raptors?: Part 2
Peat Rains is on the road (again) with You Bred Raptors? Here is Part 2 of his 2019 road diary series.
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On the Road (Again) with Peat Rains from You Bred Raptors?: Part 3
Peat Rains is back with the 3rd installment of his tour diary with You Bred Raptors? In this column, he covers their stops in Austin, Texas, Monterrey, Mexico, Houston, Texas, and New Orleans, Louisiana.
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What I’m Worth vs. What I Can Get
The topic of this week’s “Ask Damian” column focuses on the topic of money. This is a frequent discussion on social media and elsewhere, and Damian dives in on the subject of “What I’m Worth vs. What I...
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On the Road (Again) with Peat Rains from You Bred Raptors?: Part 4
Peat Rains returns with the fourth installment of his tour diary with You Bred Raptors? In this column, he covers their stops in Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
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Back on the Road With Peat Rains from You Bred Raptors?: Part 1
Peat Rains and You Bred Raptors? are back on the road for the first time since the world shut down in 2020. To document this brave new world, he’s writing a new tour diary for No Treble.
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