[Bass Community Feature] Mark Gunner

Hello, bass players! I hope everyone has had a safe and healthy summer.

Back in February I kicked off the first ever featured post on the blog with Pete O’Neill. I’m excited to continue our Bass Community Feature series with Mark Gunner.

Mark is a UK-based singer-songwriter bassist. His solo bass act features the acoustic bass guitar, utilizing an array of techniques that make his one man show sound like an entire band.

I connected with Mark this week to get some further insight on his style, influences, and more. Without further delay, enjoy the conversation.

MG: Hi Ryan, firstly, thank you for having me on here! 

RT: No problem! Thanks for joining me, Mark. How did you get your start in solo bass? 

MG: It actually started a few years back while I was at university. I was playing a fretless bass in an Indie-Dubstep Fusion 3-piece (because obviously) but we ended up breaking up quite suddenly. I was bandless with a bass all of a sudden, and remember seeing Victor Wooton’s Amazing Grace solo and thinking “oh you can do some chords with the bass!” I then remember hearing Jaco Pastorius’ Portrait of Tracy and thinking “oh you can do LOADS of chords on the bass!” 

After that it was just a matter of my curiosity getting the better of me, including applying things like percussive techniques that I remember seeing by people like Newton Falkner. 

RT: What drew you to the acoustic bass? 

MG: Almost as soon as I started developing these ideas, it became clear to me that I was going to need an acoustic. I think that it’s because, although the bass is where most of the techniques are coming from, acoustic guitar is much more of a reference for me as far as musical influences as concerned.  

I see music as being most importantly about communicating emotion. Portrait of Tracy is very developed musically, but I’ve never felt it communicate anything emotionally, certainly in comparison to, say, The Man With The Green Thumb by Tommy Emmanuel. Victor Wooton’s Amazing Grace rendition communicates to me emotionally, but not as much as Nic Jones’ Canadee – I – O for example. It wouldn’t make sense for these guys to play on electric guitars, because it just wouldn’t sound as rich, warm or complete. Similarly for me on the bass. 

RT: As a multi-instrumentalist, how has playing other instruments impacted your bass playing? 

MG: Massively! I see my playing style as trying to play the whole band on the bass, and with each “part” I’m really just playing that other instrument and seeing how it could fit in. For example, the percussive stuff is a bit like drumming (or more like playing a cajon with one hand). Because of my drumming experience, I already know how I can add interest with the drum beat, and it’s the same with the other parts.  

Personally I think it really useful for a bassist or in fact any musician to get some experience playing a different instrument in the band. It gives a great view of the role of your chosen instrument from the “outside”, which helps you understand it and appreciate it better. 

RT: There’s a lot happening in your music – percussive hits, harmonics, etc. How do you approach your songwriting process, and how does it differ from that of an acoustic guitarist? 

MG: Imagine making a car by having an idea for a bonnet shape, then just taping other car parts onto it until you stop feeling uncomfortable when you hear it run. That is pretty much how I write songs. 

The fact is, using harmonics and 5 strings is hilariously constrictive creatively. I’ll often start with little more than a single riff or catchy line then use whatever I can get away with from there. It’s one reason why I love it. 

RT: I’ve noticed you sing in a lot of your videos, which can be a challenge for many bassists. Any advice on how to sing and play at the same time? 

MG: Is it?! Glad I didn’t hear about that before I started out!  

Certainly when I was starting to sing and play at the same time, I had the advantage that I had a riff and a melody, and however complicated the two may be, I just had to practice them until I got them right. Keep You Moving, which is a track on my SoundCloud account, has a chorus made entirely of 4 and 5 string bass chords and quite a different rhythm to the melody I sing over the top. I can do it now, but it took some practice! If you’d told me “just play something that complicated” I’d definitely have found it impossible, and would have found that a little discouraging. Over time it then becomes a more general skill you learn.

Another thing I’d suggest is to make your life easier and have the bass where you can see it when you’re singing. I have my bass pretty high anyway because I’m doing chords, but you look at the photos of people like Phil Linnot and even low-slingers like Rob Trujillo, the headstock of their basses are almost at their eye-line when they’re at the mic. Singing with the fretboard around your knees is always going to be a world of distracting guess-work because you can’t see what you’re doing. 

RT: In your Instagram bio you say “No looping, no backing tracks…” can you tell us why you choose not to use these tools? 

MG: I don’t use backing tracks and midi triggers because all of the noises you hear in my tracks are my voice and my bass, in the moment. That’s it. I want every performance to be a personal experience for everyone involved. I feel like the acoustic instrument is able to do that in a uniquely genuine way, even if it is mic’d up and has pickups just like an electric would have. 

The “no looping” thing is a little more nuanced. On the one hand, my music style can be quite frenetic, and I find looping a bit cumbersome in having to sit there while I build up the sound I wanted in the first place. The other aspect of it is that there’s always an expectation that I’m going to loop just because I’m playing bass, so it’s fun to be able to break that mould. 

RT: Biggest musical influences? 

MG: There’s a British folk singer called Nic Jones who’s had a big impact. He had this great way of getting into a groove with his guitar that brought you into the world of the music, which I’ve really been trying to emulate the whole time. Because (as far as I’m aware) this has never been done before on the bass, I’ve really looked to the folk artists for simple but powerful acoustic music. 

RT: How have you been doing through the pandemic? 

MG: Not too bad thanks. I’ve been living in central London for most of it, which has been a bit manic. The lockdown is gradually lifting in the UK, which is a relief. 

RT: Have you played any virtual gigs? If so, what are your thoughts? 

MG: Yeah, a few actually! I’m pretty technically minded, so I’ve been able build my own gig setup that I’m really happy with. I’ve been streaming on YouTube and Facebook at the same time with the comments on a big screen in front of me so I can respond to what people are saying on the fly. It gives an amazingly intimate feel to the gigs, as if I’m there in your living room. A few of the songs on my YouTube channel are literally lifted straight from those previous gigs. I’ve been doing them roughly once every month and a half, and might even carry on doing them after lockdown if people keep watching them. 

RT: Got any upcoming gigs? 

MG: My next online gig is on the 5^th September. Now that I’ve got a basic setup for online gigs down, I’m really keen to experiment with what else I can do with the streaming software. Instead of a vibe like I’m playing to you in your living room, imagine watching a music video that you can chat to in between the songs.

RT: Where can people find you and your music online? 

MG: I have two singles on pretty much all major streaming channels, including Spotify, Amazon and iTunes. I’ve also got a big release of two of my most popular tracks in the works, so look out for that on my Instagram and Facebook. 

If you’re wanting to check out more of what my technique is capable of, go to www.soundcloud.com/mgunnermusic to hear demos of most of my live set. I’m also putting up cover videos on my Youtube channel and on IGTV. 

Links to everything are on my website: www.markgunnermusic.co.uk 

Thank again, all the best!

RT: Thanks, Mark!

Big thanks to Mark for contributing! As he mentioned above, don’t forget to tune in to his online gig on September 5th via Facebook and YouTube.

If you’d like to be part of the Bass Community Feature series, leave a comment below. As always, thanks for reading!