Bass Articles by Matthew Brown

1. Mastering Fretless Electric Bass
   
   Matthew Brown (9286)
   Posted on 6/17/2004 · 84344 Hits
   Starting out on a fretted Fender Precision and listening mainly to rock music, I had an epiphany the first time I heard Jaco Pastorius' playing on Pat Metheny's first album, Bright Size Life. Bass guitar suddenly offered whole new sonic vistas ...(more)
2. Position is Everything
   
   Matthew Brown (9286)
   Posted on 7/3/2003 · 65832 Hits
   There is little that proves more daunting for young bass players than realizing just how physically demanding it is to play bass. As novices watching our favorite bassists on video we think, "That doesn't look so hard! I can do that!" <br/><br/>...(more)
3. 'Tis a Gift to Be Simple
   
   Matthew Brown (9286)
   Posted on 6/7/2002 · 30804 Hits
   As a young bassist, I thought myself quite the hotshot, and I created every opportunity for myself to make my parts technically demanding, showy, and prominent in the band's sound. Years later, listening to tapes of those performances demonstrat...(more)
4. Understanding Music Theory
   
   Matthew Brown (9286)
   Posted on 3/14/2002 · 30307 Hits
   This article is not intended to explain music theory to you; rather, it is intended to help you understand what music theory is and what it can help you do. Many musicians beginning to study written music have an unclear understanding of how mu...(more)
5. Music and Motivation: Examining Your Goals
   
   Matthew Brown (9286)
   Posted on 11/21/2001 · 13953 Hits
   In teaching, we spend much of our time figuring out how to motivate students to learn. In the real world, motivation is often reduced to cheerleading combined with offers of money, and status. If you've ever seen a sales convention of real est...(more)
6. Sticking With It
   
   Matthew Brown (9286)
   Posted on 2/8/2001 · 13271 Hits
   Many beginners find their first encounters with the bass frustrating. The bass presents problems to new players that can only be overcome by patiently dealing with them head-on. In short, newbie bassists need to develop strategies if they ...(more)
7. Practicing to Improve Quickly
   
   Matthew Brown (9286)
   Posted on 1/7/2001 · 26803 Hits
   All right, you don't have any gigs coming up, your rehearsals with your group have grown stale, and you feel like a Ford Explorer, Firestones in a swamp, stuck in a rut. Weve all felt like this at some time, and its dangerous! What began as sw...(more)