Goal setting is tough. There have been times where I’ve looked back on the past year and felt disappointed at how little I’d grown as a bass player… playing the same runs and practicing the same techniques. I often don’t even bother setting goals at the new year fearing that I won’t follow through. So …
I love discovering new music. It doesn’t matter if it was released last week or 30 years ago – if it’s new to me and I like what I hear, I’m all for it! I don’t know about you, but when I come across a new track, artist, or genre, I instantly get the urge …
Greetings, bass players! Let’s talk about walking bass lines. I bet many of you reading this post have at least somewhat of an idea of what a walking bass line is (or have at least heard the term) but may not fully understand how to construct one yourself. I was in the same boat… up …
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 …
“O O O O’Reillyyyyy… Auto Parts… OW!” If you live in the United States you’ve likely heard this catchy, iconic jingle on the radio at some point in your life (heck, you probably sang that in your head as you read it!). But there’s more to this jingle than you probably think… did you know there’s …
As a self-taught bassist I’ve been through the ups and downs of learning the bass through trial and error… and I may’ve developed a few bad habits in my technique along the way. Luckily I was able to fix them before they got too out of hand. Identifying and correcting these flaws early in your …
Welcome to the first ever featured post here on Mastertemps Bass Blog! I’ve been wanting to do this for quite some time, and I’m thrilled to kick it off with New York-based Pete O’Neill, a professional bassist, guitarist, and educator with a passion for songwriting and arranging for solo bass. Pete’s solo performances have been …
Any private instructor will tell you there are countless reasons to have a consistent, structured practice routine. You’ll never see progress if you only pick up your bass guitar during your weekly lesson. Whether you take private lessons or not, setting time aside to practice on your own is imperative if you want to be …
Ever get the pre-show jitters? Sweaty palms, endless thoughts of worst-case scenarios. Yeah… fun times, right? Last weekend I had my first performance with my band Blither. Being the first rock show I’d played in a long time, I was nervous, excited, and everything in between. In the end it was a really solid show! …
Playing in power trios seems to be a trend in my life. Ironically, I’ve performed in three of them – modern worship, pop rock, and funk rock – and while the genres are different they all have one thing in common: less instrumentation means more responsibility for the bass player. That means you as the …
