Karel Honasan + F Bass = WIN!!!!

Congratulations kapatid! Mabuhay ka!

What: The Bass Place Holiday Bass Bash / Christmas EB

When: December 20, 2011 (Tuesday)! 8pm to sawa!

Where: Vic’s Place (The Bass Place HQ)

how to get there:

from quezon avenue, side ng quezon circle. go stright toward the direction of UST/classmate/pegasus. when you see santo domingo church, turn right. either before or after the church, it wont make a difference. then go straight. when you hit ATOK St. turn left. im not sure pang ilang street yun, but it’s around the 7th or 8th. when you’re there na, just go straight. look for #19. may naka sulat na Mont Michel School sa labas. yun na yun. door bell lang kayo.

kung galing kayong araneta avenue naman, just go straight all the way down from SM centerpoint. turn left after crossing Quezon avenue. yun yung may shell sa kanto. go straight then right on TIREBOY then left on ATOK street. tapos like the above, just look for #19. with Mont Michel School written on the front.

note:  If you’re bringing a car, please park on Calamba (the street parallel to Atok) …may Mont Michel School sign din sa may gate so you wont miss it

map:

* This is a free event and is open to everyone… gaya ng dati, ambag ambag tayo sa pang toma natin and dala tayo ng mga chips/pulutan/mga ma-kukutkot para mas masaya! dala rin tayo ng mga gears natin so we can jam and try out different gears…

…get a chance to win exciting prizes from Subsonic Pinoy, Nellden Music, at sa mga iba pa nating mga kaibigan. Mag-register po lamang sa Subsonic Pinoy to be eligible na manalo sa raffle.

September 21 is Jaco Pastorius’ death anniversary.  Bass players all over the world will once again pay tribute to a man who took the electric bass to a whole new level and blew away its limitations.  Those who knew him miss him.  They miss Jaco: the  musician, the artist, the bass player, the father, and the friend. For us who only knew him through his music, one thing’s for sure — he has definitely left a smile on our faces.  With every note that he played, he made an impact in our lives, even changing it at some point.  He may be gone, but his music lives on — in all of us.

As a young bassist during the 90’s, I listened to mostly all-American rock and metal bands. I was heavily into Guns ‘N Roses during those days so obviously, Duff McKagan was the first bassist that caught my attention (it also comes as no surprise that I first learned to use a pick until a friend encouraged me to use my index and middle fingers to play).  I was also into Mr. Big; Billy Sheehan blew me away with his exceptional skills on the bass and his amazing antics on stage.  My love affair with rock and roll went on until a friend of mine introduced me to jazz-fusion, a sound which was totally foreign to my ears. I wasn’t able to digest this new sound all at once.  It was like an on-and-off thing for me — I would listen to it for a few minutes, and then stop and go back to it again after days or weeks of listening to rock music. My lightbulb moment was the time when I was given a cassette tape with one of Jaco’s pieces, Donna Lee. When I first listened to the track, I didn’t understand what Jaco was doing  but it ignited a spark of curiosity in me. I wanted to find out more about his music and who he was. For me  his music wasn’t just outstanding — it was beautiful!

In the months that followed, slowly but surely, I became more interested in knowing more about John Francis Anthony Pastorius III, known as “Jaco” and the so-called “world’s greatest bass player.”  Trying to find his records on CD at that time was difficult because his albums and works with other artists were still on LP format here in the Philippines. But I was fortunate enough to have bought my first Jaco CD/record at a music specialty store  in Manila. The album was Curtain Call, a recorded live performance with Brian Melvin (drums) and Jon Davis (keyboards). This became one of my treasured rare finds. I didn’t even dare remove the price on the CD case (P420).

I then went on a mad hunt to find his other albums. I got most of them from the jazz section of the now-defunct Tower Records, where they used to have lots of great hard-to-find records at affordable prices (P250 at that time).  Some of my favorite finds were of course, his self-titled debut album Jaco Pastorius, Heavy Weather, 8:30 and The Birthday Concert.  I tried to grab as many Jaco records as I could to nourish myself with his music and to drown myself in the sweet  distinct sound that his beat-up, fretless Fender Jazz bass produced.

Jaco was right, ‘The tone IS in your hands.’ 

The bass was Jaco’s speaking voice.  You could understand and feel what he wanted to say just by listening to his phrasing, his funky muted notes, his relentless 16^th-note pulsations, his beautiful harmonic and chordal patterns, and his impeccable time — all stunningly executed in perfect taste.  There’s no one like him. In fact, almost everyone wanted to be like him or sound like him. But there could only be one Jaco.

Jaco truly opened the door for us bass players… and we all walked through.  He showed us how musical the bass can be as a rhythmic and as a solo instrument.  He revolutionized the electric bass in a way that most bassists would truly understand, even incorporate in their own playing style.

Let me leave you with a quote from Bob Moses in the book The Extraordinary and Tragic Life of Jaco Pastorius “The World’s Greatest Bass Player”, ‘I come across students who play well and have good taste, who have good time and know the language — but somehow it’s not flying.  Jaco was just fearless. His id was wide open, and he experienced life on that level on a daily basis. To me, he was just the highest cat to be around.’ 

 Well, that was Jaco — he flew.  He played from his heart — free and without fear — Jaco, the man of bassdom.

"MS-Paint art by Rodney Vidanes

Thank you Jaco!

Pinoy bassists remember Jaco:

“Jaco was introduced to me by one of my closest friends and mentor, Noel Asistores. As a young college student and budding musician, I was always, immaturely, looking for the fast flurries and blistering lines as that was my criteria for what a “godly” bass player should be. Not getting my fill, I thrust Jaco aside and just simply acknowledged him as one of “The Greats” as deemed by my peers so as not to stray away from the general consensus. 

After a good 10 years though, I was revisiting some of my old records (majority of which, bass players) and was just running through my collection when I stumbled upon the infamous CD jacket with Jaco, cross-armed, wearing a thick turtle-neck in all his monochromatic glory. Memories flooded and I asked myself why I ever bought the damn thing (probably to fit in hehe.) I put the record on and went about my daily rituals. The CD player was on shuffle mode and it played the 3rd track, “Continuum”.  At that moment, time stood still and I found myself tearing up. Every detail was crystal… the the bed of cymbals and rhodes panning left and right and Jaco’s voice in all its majestic purity. I remember resigning to the thought, ‘Tangina, eto si Jaco?!!!’”

- Karel Honasan (bassist of YOSHA and Barbie Almalbis)

 

“Nakilala ko si Jaco sa instructional video nya. Nagpadala kasi sakin kuya ko ng mga instructional videos noon — bale 3 video tapes yun way back 1998 ata yun sa VHS pa! Aksidente lang yun pagkakapanood ko sa kanya kasi ang talagang papanoorin ko that time was instructional video ng mga drummer, because I used to be a drummer talaga. So noong chine-check ko yung mga video tapes, ang nai-play ko agad is yung kay Jaco! Dun palang sa opening ng video habang nagkakabit si jaco ng strings ng bass niya, hanep agad yung backround music, tapos yun nga napanood ko ’til jinam nila yun CHICKEN! Sobrang laki ng naging impact sa akin nung instructional ni Jaco na yun kasi di ko na namalayan na after ko panoorin yun, humahawak na ako ng bass guitar! Nakalimutan ko na bigla yun stick ng drums hahaha! Isa yun sa mga nag trigger sa akin para mag shift to bass. Natuwa kasi ako dun statement nya na “GIVE ME A GIG” …sobra yung passion nya hindi lang sa pagiging bassist, pati sa pagiging musician in general! All time favorite ko talaga is yung CHICKEN especially nung sila na nila Peter Erskein.” 

- Mike Bayas (bassist of Kitchie Nadal)

 

“Nakilala ko siya sa kaibigan kong Singaporean. Pinarinig sa akin at binigyan ako ng video, betamax pa yun! hehehe Favorite song ko noon yung Birdland at Chicken! Nagulat talaga ako nung marinig ko siya lalo nung sa backup niya kay Joni Mitchell! Galing niya ron grabe!!!”

- Bong Gonzales (bassist of The Group and Ultrashock)

“The very first time I heard about Jaco Pastorius was at the Red Rocks bar (Club Dredd). The owners were holding a party for Jaco’s 2nd death anniversary. Nagulat ako kasi lahat nung tao sa bar pinaguusapan si Jaco at kung paano niya ni-revolutionize yung bass playing! Ako naman walang kamuwang-muwang sa kanya, hehe. Simula nun nag-research na ako kung sino sya. Swerte ko naman at binigyan ako ni Angelo Villegas ng VHS copy nung instructional video ni Jaco. Nung pinanuod ko na yung video, opening jam palang — Natulala ako! (literal) Tumigil yung mundo ko sa ganda nung ginagawa niya! Pwede pala gawin sa bass yung ganun?! Ang ganda nung naririnig ko, kahit alam ko hindi ko kaya tugtugin yung ginagawa nya. Since then, dahan-dahan ko na pinag-aralan kung paano niya ginagawa sa bass yung mga lines. Yung version ni Jaco ng “The Chicken” mga 2 years ko ata pinag-aralan bago ko makuha yung feel, groove & notes nung track na yun. Hahaha!

Favorite track ko “A Remark You Made”, kung binabasa mo yung book ni Jaco tapos yun yung background music maiiyak ka talaga…. Malaking inspiration sa playing ko si Jaco, kahit alam ko na hindi ko kaya tugtugin karamihan nung music niya, marinig ko lang … mapapangiti na ako — tapos hindi ko namamalayan hawak ko na pala yung bass ko.”

- Mally Paraguya (bassist of P.O.T. and Wunjo)

“Ako nakilala ko si Jaco sa mga kwentuhan dati sa peyups. Di pako enrolled noon — extension palang. If I remember correctly ang nagkwe-kwento ata nun si Bopip. Basta tungkol sa pagkamatay niya, yun nga na gulpe siya sa alley ng isang bar. Saka lagi ko nalang naririnig yung pangalan niya sa mga bahista. First material I got from him was yung instructional niya, VHS pa nun. Pinahiram lang sakin ng tropa (w/c hindi ko na ata nabalik kasi hindi ko na talaga maalala kung kanino yun). Naalala ko may part dun na parang ang dami nung tinotogs niya e. Apparently chromatic fantasy pala yun. Giba ako dun. Humingi pako ng material sa ibang tropa (na hopefully nabalik ko sa kanila, hindi ko na kasi talaga maalala e), tapos narinig ko yung Birthday Concert. Grabe ang bassline sa Invitation. Hindi ko maarok kung pano niya naisip yung bassline na yun over those changes. Pero all-time favorite ko malamang is yung Havona. Ang galing nung comp. Pwede pala yun?! At lalo nako na in-love sa Havona nung linabas yung “Word of mouth revisited”. Si Haslip pa yung nag interpret. Yun na.”

- Noel Asistores (bassist of Sinosikat and Henry Katindig & Friends)

“The first time I was introduced to Jaco was during my high school years in jazz band. The guitarist in my “garage band” had convinced me to try out, and despite having little exposure to jazz altogether, I agreed and surprisingly made it (probably for lack of bass players all together hehe). One of the first pieces I remember doing was our big band rendition of “Birdland”. Having little experience in sight reading, I got a copy of Heavy Weather to learn how the bassline went, and proceeded to be blown away. I remember of course being in awe of Jaco’s tone and phrasing, and went as far as considering turning my newly acquired jazz bass into a fretless (as Jaco had done) to attain the same sound as him (never did ’cause I wasn’t a handyman kinda guy, and figured I would probably just ruin my new bass). There are many a bass player that have taken the instrument beyond its traditional role, and he was the first one I had heard doing this. In essence he inspired me, not just in regards to bass playing but life in general, to challenge myself to go beyond what is expected and strive for excellence and individuality. With regards to my favorite tune, it would probably be “Opus Pocus”. I really just dig the grooves and feel of the tune.”

- Gareth Somers (bassist of Novus Luna)

“Sa akin, I was not influenced directly by Jaco in the beginning, but definitely through musicians who were his fans. And judging by how many and varied those fans are, and by how much I learned from them and, later on, through Jaco, I just have to give respect to the man himself – a troubled but brilliant bassist, a true pioneer and genius.”

- Richie Ramos (bassist of Cog and Cellar Doors)

“I can still vividly remember the first time I saw a video of Jaco. …sa isang cybercafe yun sa may DLSU. Ang bagal pa ng connection nun eh. I was searching for anything about Jaco. That time kasi the only CD I had of him was the album ’8:30′ — a live Weather Report album. Talagang blown away ako whenever I listen to that album. May super in-your-face version ng ‘Black Market’ dun and a really happenin’ ‘Birdland’. Plus of course his trademark ‘Slang’. Naintriga lang talaga ako kung sino ‘tong Jaco na to. Then yun nga, nag-search ako and I clicked on a link. What I saw was probably the worst quality na video ever! As in super low resolution… panay ang skip… and the audio was really crappy. Pero that video totally blew me away. That super olats video was a turning point in my life. Kung baga eh, binuksan nito yung isipan ko about the possibilities of the bass. 

Isa pang di ko malilimutan — yung tone niya.  Grabe talaga yung tone ng bass niya.  Sobrang tumatagos sa kaluluwa mo eh.  Umabot pa nga sa puntong talagang ginaya ko yung tone na yun.  hehehehe  Pero kahit anong pilit kong gayahin, di ko talaga maplaka eh.  Until I realized na yung tone ay part of the equation lang — it was his phrasing, attack, and his attitude.  Sama-sama na lahat!  Sobrang enlightenment para sakin yung realization na yun — na yung voice mo sa instrument, di lang siya sa bass na gamit mo or settings mo sa EQ nakukuha —- it’s YOU… the whole package!”

- Roger Alcantara (bassist of Ebe Dancel, Wickermoss, Eternal Now, Barbie Almalbis)

“Nung nagsisimula palang ako mag bass, 11yrs. old ako noon, una kong napakinggan na bass solo was by Cliff Burton dahil na rin sa dami ng mga taong nagtuturo sakin na panay ang banggit kay Cliff. Then there was this guy na friend ng uncle ko na binigyan ako ng recorded VHS tape na nakalagay Weather Report and ang sabi nya “idol ni Cliff yan”. As far as I can remember, nung pag play ko nung VHS ang 1st song was Black Market. Since open naman ako sa different kinds of music, tinago ko muna sya at sinabi ko sa sarili ko na gagamitin ko yun for future reference kasi hindi ko pa sya gaanong masakyan noon. Years went by, i saw the same VHS tape sa house ng friend ko na hindi naman talaga musically inclined pero somehow naging trip niya yung pag gigitara. I asked him kung bakit nasa kanya yun. Ang sabi nya pinahiram ko daw. Anyway to cut the story short, we played it and guess what? Bold movie! Na-recordan nya ng bold movie yung Weather Report! We ended up laughing nalang after that. Well yan yung blooper Jaco story ko.

Nagsimula akong ma adik sakanya when i was 15. Nakilala ko ulit sya nun coz kinekwento sya sakin ng grand dad ko (Eddie K) na nameet daw niya one time sa isang bar sa states (sorry I can’t recall kung saan exactly pero ang sabi nya the year was 1979) nung may tour sya dun. Then ang hilig daw jumam. Ang galing daw, yun nga lang nung pinakilala sa kaniya ang yabang daw. After that conversation with my grand dad, I began researching mga Jaco tunes. Grabe ang impact nya sakin coz from 15 to 22yrs. old na pag hawak ko ng bass gusto ko ganun lang ang tunog ko and I keep on imitating his lines kahit “sounds like” lang. Kay Jaco ko natutunan yung triplet feel a.k.a. swing feel which is until now nagagamit ko. Masyadong mahaba kung iisa isahin ko, but all I can say is siya yung isa sa pinaka malaking influence ko as a bassist. Sa sobrang naging idol ko sya, I even bought a sunburst jazz bass na relic! But since my younger cousin who’s also a bass player is into Jaco right now, pinamana ko na sakanya yung bass na yun. I know the feeling kasi when you idolize someone kaya gusto ko ma experience nya rin yung ganun. And hindi lang someone yung ina-idolize nya…. its Jaco Pastorius!”

- Empi Martinez (bassist of Alakpa, Jack Versus The Crab, Allona, Champagne, Cris Pastor, & Flight Skool)

“Jaco speaks in a language of his own —  a language that everyone understands. When I was starting out on the electric bass, he made me realize that even though as a bassist, I only occupy the low end, I can still fill up the whole spectrum of sound in a band setting.

In many ways, he influenced me to think outside the box, disregarding anything theoretical —  to think “practical” and not “logical”, to create vague conversations with intrigue, and to perceive sound in other perspectives.

 

Jaco revolutionized and  rewired my bass playing.”

- Oneil Carantes (bassist of Kitchen Sync and Hungerstrike)

“After months of continuous playing and practicing, I eventually had the chance to go out of the country. Our keyboardist then was a big fan of Jaco Pastorius, so he basically introduced me to him. I started to ask fellow bassists in China about Jaco until I was eventually given a copy of Jaco’s instructional video. When I started watching it, I instantly fell in love with his style and his attitude towards music. I watched it almost everyday but I didn’t dare try to learn it, I just listened to it.

After our contract ended we went back home to the Philippines. We disbanded after a few months, but my keyboardist and I got an offer to go out of the country again so we accepted it. While we were in Singapore (early 2005) we went to a record bar inside a mall. I saw two albums of Jaco and bought it without even blinking (even if the CDs were relatively expensive). As I listened to the albums that night, I fell in love with Jaco’s pieces — all of ‘em — but the ones that really caught my attention were ‘Portrait of Tracy’, ‘Donna Lee’, ‘Continuum’ and ‘Come on, Come over’. How a person can come up with such brilliant ideas like those is beyond me. He is really a genius and I really admire him.

I started studying two of his songs, starting with ‘Come on, Come over’. It took me a week to learn just the chorus part, haha. Then I started learning ‘Portrait of Tracy’ — then I stopped. I just kept playing those two for like 9 months for me to somehow digest his style. After learning and practicing those two pieces my playing suddenly changed. I became more relaxed and confident, it gave me some sort of power, haha, sorry, I just don’t know how to explain it. My bandmates noticed it too and they started to appreciate me. And for once I finally heard someone tell me that I can be a good bassist in the future. Lagi na lang kasi lait naririnig ko simula nung nagumpisa ako. hahahaha! Pero totoo. I owe it to Mr. Jaco Pastorius. He opened my eyes in many ways. His pieces taught me how to be confident, somehow consistent, and how to be in control of the groove. Up until now I still listen to his works and I still learn from him. Even his idea about reading music makes a lot of sense to me. It motivated me to start learning how to read. I really feel blessed for having Jaco as one of my biggest influence, musically. Thank you mr. Jaco Pastorius for your music. Thank you Lord for creating such a masterpiece. God bless everyone!”

- Red Presillas (bassist of K24/7)

“Jaco is a 20th century musical genius. He took the bass and showed us what could be done as far as musical expression is concerned.

I remember hanging out at Nikki Cabardo’s house one day when he put on ‘8:30’ …yung live album ng Weather Report. When the song “Teen town” came on, my life changed.

The sound coming from his battered Jazz bass was beautiful! Saan galing yun? Melodies after melodies — he played as if it was his last gig. His undeniable groove was top of the list.

After that, I heard his work with Joni Mitchell — it was unearthly!

His compositions are in a class of its own. Listen to ‘Havona’ — you can see and hear the gift that he shared with us all.”

- Rommel dela Cruz (bassist of Freestyle)

“First song I heard was ‘Birdland’. Gitarista pa ko nun so wala pa masydong impact. When I shifted to bass, I got the ‘Heavy Weather’ album. Yun na. ‘Teentown’, ‘Havona’, ‘A Remark You Made’ which is still my fave song. After that there were only 2 options… be inspired or go back to playing guitar. Luckily I was inspired and still am.”

- Simon Tan (bassist of  Peryodiko, Akasha, WDOUJI, Lampano Alley)

“I first heard Jaco’s playing when I bought a Weather Report CD back in college. Back then, I haven’t heard of his name yet. I was blown away by the bass lines of ‘Birdland’ and ‘A Remark You Made’. That’s when I started researching on the Weather Report bassplayer. That was it for me. I got hooked to the tone he produced from his bass to the point where I used to use that kind of tone in inappropriate situations (ballads mostly) just because I was addicted to that kind of bass tone.

He is one of the pivotal bass players in bass history because of all his innovations in technique and tone. All that he contributed in music affects all musicians, not just bass players.”

- JC Magsalin (session bassist and a member of the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra)

“My first encounter with Jaco was when a friend let me hear ‘A Remark You Made’. Although I thought it was a really beautiful track, it didn’t strike me that hard on an emotional level. It was only after reading the Milkowski book ‘The Extraordinary and Tragic Life of Jaco Pastorius, the World’s Greatest Bass Player’ that I slowly started to comprehend the man and his music. 

 Listening to Jaco’s work always has a tremendous impact on me. To put it simply, Jaco never fails to inspire and confuse me at the same time.

Favorite track? ‘Havona’. Very aggressive, almost rock in approach yet so precise, and then comes the solo section… wala na. Game over!”

- Louie Talan (bassist of Razorback, Kalayo, Spy, Cynthia Alexander, Loquy, Mishka Adams)

Battle of the Basses: A Tribute To Dondi Ledesma

image from noyprog.com

This special event will be held at Handle Bar on September 25, 2011 (8pm onwards)

with performances by:

Wally & Friends, Nathan Azarcon, Marlowe Mata , Rommel dela Cruz, Louie Talan, Yuna Reguerra, Vic Mercado, Ira Cruz, Johnny Allegre, Juno Limjap, Cowboy Santos, Bong Sotto, Empi Martinez, Nitoy Adriano, Wendel Garcia, Bea Lao, Wowee Posadas, Nikki Cabardo, Norman Ferrer, Reujen Lista, Nicole Laurel Asensio, Joey Laurena Rodriguez, Bambi Rodriguez, Kat Agarrado, Nino Mendoza, Manoling, Fuseboxx, Doc Ted, Reli De Vera, Paolo Manuel, Eggpie De Castro, Alex Cruz, Ronnie Badilla

and more…

Some of Dondi’s gear will also be auctioned off in the event

Musicman Sterling fretless Bass. He won this in an international Sonic Foundry composition contest.

Epiphone

Washburn XB-400 designed by Grover Jackson

Aria Pro II SL series P/J bass. (dark greenburst finish)

fretless Greco P/J bass

RJ Fretless bass (tobacco burst finish)

DNDI's RJ Boom Bass with maple fretboard. Converted to picollo bass. (maroon finish)

for more info, visit the official Facebook Event Page by clicking >>> here <<<

by Roger Alcantara

It’s every musician’s dream to go on the road and tour. But that also means he has to subject his beloved gear to the rigorous tortures of travel. It’s always a wise move to invest in a guitar case that could help prevent your gear from sustaining damage. I went looking for one such case and ended up getting the Mono M80 case for my bass. Here’s why.

 

The Mono M80’s looks can be deceiving. You wouldn’t think it to be such a sturdy guitar case because of its compact and stylish look. But don’t let the looks fool you. This thing can stand the most severe torture test you could think of.

To start off, the exterior is made of a military grade material which I’m sure could withstand abrasion and the elements. I know this because I’ve taken this thing out on countless rainy days, and even though I was completely drenched because of the heavy downpour, my bass stayed dry inside.

The plush lining of the interior not only keeps humidity in check, but also protects the finish of your instrument. Another great touch would be the innovative neckbrace. This helps prevent guitar necks (especially those with angled headstocks) from snapping into two when the case is accidentally dropped. It also keeps the guitar in tune during travel by keeping the tuning pegs away from the sides.

To prove the road worthiness of this gig bag, I subjected it to an extreme roadtest which involved travel by land, and every musician’s worst nightmare — by air. The gig bag fared extremely well on the initial tests. During the first test, I placed the guitar case inside the trunk of a car and took a 2 hour drive to a rehearsal studio somewhere in Manila. My bass was perfectly safe and remained in tune despite the bumpy ride. For the second test we took a commuter bus to Baguio, a trip that took around 8 hours, and as expected the gig bag did its job and passed with flying colors. For the final test, I have to admit, I had my doubts. But I proceeded to check-in my bass at the airport, putting my complete trust in the Mono M80. When we got to Cebu, I was relieved to find my bass in perfect condition. To my surprise, it was even in tune!

MONO = killer bass case!

The Mono M80 bass guitar case, which is exclusively distributed by Nellden Music is a must have for working musicians, especially those who go on tour a lot. You owe it to yourself to have peace of mind when you travel — by knowing that your instrument is safe and sound all the time.

…the MONO ultimate roadtest:

 

I’ve been getting a lot of questions regarding the importance of sight reading from my fellow bass players. Here’s my take on this matter.

Having the skill to read notes off a music sheet or book is definitely an advantage. For one thing, there are tons of books out there that teach you a lot about theory, practice techniques, transcriptions of music, and other music related topics. The only way that the music can be translated to visual instruction is by notating it on paper. Being able to read these invaluable information will maximize your learning experience in music.

Another advantage of reading music is being able to play notated music that you haven’t played or heard before with minimum practice time. I often experience this during session works with artists. Being in a session requires you to be able to play the music that’s written by the musical director and interpret it with little to no rehearsal.

But we must never disregard the value of a good ear. After all, music is an aural art form. For those who learn a song through listening and transcribing bass lines, you are developing your ears to hear the notes, as well as training your mind and body to react to where those notes are on the bass.

So for those who are still having trouble reading notes, don’t be hard on yourselves. Being able to learn a song by just listening to recordings is also beneficial to your playing.

That being said, our eyes and ears must work hand in hand to help us develop our skills as musicians. If you are a great sight reader, but have bad ears, it would be a good idea to buy some of those ear-training books and CD’s available out there. If you have great ears, but lack the sight reading skills, there are also books out there to train your eyes to sight read music (much so on basic music notation).

…it’s STILL under construction …pero pwede na kayo mamasyal ng konti

….coming soon mga kapatid!

…kape muna tayo at tambay sa Subsonic Pinoy Forum

by Vic Narciso and Roger Alcantara

Subsonic Pinoy dropped by Lyric to check out the NEW Warwick Rock Basses!

The new Warwick Rock Basses (Corvette and Streamer LX) are super fine basses with great attention to detail, superb tone, and top notch craftsmanship! The first thing we noticed was the super tight neck joint!  That’s a huuuuge +1 in our book, especially for the price point! It only shows how much work was put into these basses.  Plus it’s really great that they’ve also included the top loading Warwick bridge that was exclusive to the pro line before. It really completes the look. Super highly recommended!

G.A.S. starts in 3… 2… 1…

tech specs:

Warwick Rock Bass Corvette

• Bolt-on
• Available as 4- or 5-string
• Left-handed and fretless version available*
• Alder body
• Maple neck with Ekanga veneers
• Rosewood fingerboard (fretless with tigerstripe ebony fingerboard)
• Scale length: 34″ (long scale)
• 24 frets
• Fingerboard radius: 4-string = 504 mm (20″), 5-string = 664 mm (26″)
• Active MEC J/J pickups
• Active 2-way electronics
• 1 x Volume control, 1 x Balance control, 1 x Treble control, 1 x Bass control
• Patented Easy Access™ electronics compartment
• Warwick machine heads
• Warwick two-piece bridge
• Warwick security locks
• Chrome hardware
• Just-A-Nut III
• Weight: 3,5 kg (4-string), 3,8 kg (5-string)
• Warwick Red Label Strings: 4-string: 045″ – 105″ (42200M), 5-string: 045″ – 135″ (42301M)

Warwick Rock Bass Streamer LX

• Bolt-on
• Available as 4- or 5-string
• Carolena body
• Maple neck with Ekanga veneers
• Rosewood fingerboard (fretless with tigerstripe ebony fingerboard)
• Scale length: 34″ (long scale)
• 24 frets
• Fingerboard radius: 4-string = 504 mm (20″), 5-string = 664 mm (26″)
• Passive MEC “Dynamic Correction” pickups (4-string: P/J, 5-string: J/J)
• Active 2-way electronics
• 1 x Volume control, 1 x Balance control, 1 x Treble control, 1 x Bass control
• Patented Easy Access™ electronics compartment
• Black High Polish Finish
• Warwick machine heads
• Warwick two-piece bridge
• Warwick security locks
• Chrome hardware
• Just-A-Nut III
• Weight: 3,8 kg (4-string), 4,0 kg (5-string)
• Warwick Red Label Strings: 4-string: 045″ – 105″ (42200M), 5-string: 045″ – 135″ (42301M)

Subsonic Pinoy checks out this revolutionary pick distributed by Tone Marbles Music.  If you’ve always wanted to use a pick but don’t want to lose the warmth and roundness to your bass tone, then the Wedgie Rubber Pick is the pick for you!

For this installment of Bass Talk, Rodney chats with the awesome Simon Tan.

Subsonic Pinoy:  Who are your influences in playing bass?

Simon Tan:  Early on big influence si John Patitucci , Paul Chambers, of course mentor ko na si Meong [Pacana].

SP:  I noticed sila din yung mga versatile players ng upright bass. Pano ka sir natuto magbass?

ST:  Nagsimula ako sa gitara. Nag aral ako ng classical sa UP pero nung nahilig na`ko sa jazz bass yun nagustuhan ko,  mas may control sa tugtugan haha.

SP:  Ok. So may difference ba between the methods and principles in classical guitar and bass?

ST:  May similarities sa technique.

SP:  I see. Would you recommend a beginner bassist to learn to play the guitar first bago niya aralin ang bass?

ST:  Not really. Ok din to study piano or guitar at the same time para matuto sa harmony.

SP:  Ano sir ang gear mo? What basses you have and paraphernalia?

ST:  78 Fender p-bass with flats. Yamaha TRB6P. Dame 4 string jazz bass. Double bass.

SP:  Any pedals?

ST:  Nope. Planning to get into that someday.Minsan ginagamit ko yung Fodera preamp ni Karel [Honasan] pero most of the time straight lang.

SP:  Ok. Dream bass mo ba sir yung TRB?

ST:  Yep… pero syempre may mga bago nang lumabas na gusto ko ngayon.

SP:  Ano ang trip mong bass ngayon sa mga bagong brands?

ST:  Sa ngayon interesting yung Roscoe.

SP:  Nasubukan mo na?

ST:  Hindi pa nga eh.

SP:  E di punta ulit sa hongkong hehe.

ST:  Wala atang dealer dun eh. Can`t afford din haha.

SP:  Ilang tugtog lang yan hehe..magkano ba range ng price nun?

ST:  Nasa $3k average nung brand new.

SP:  Mahal nga..halos parang mga Fodera basses din. What about Fodera sir?

ST:  Mas mahal yun..medyo hi fi na yung tunog.

SP: Di ka sir fan ng ganong klaseng tunog, like you said hi fi?

ST: Ganito na lang kung bibigyan ako hindi ako tatanggi haha.

SP:  Mismo haha!

ST:  Pero gusto ko yung Fodera ni Anthony Jackson.

SP:  Wow! Meron bang available nun for interested buyers, Anthony Jackson signature?

ST:  Lagpas 10k ata presyo nun.

SP:  Grabe!!!

ST:  Kotse na yun.

SP:   Oo nga. Anyway ano mga ineensayo mo, do you still do finger exercises or scale patterns?

ST:   Mga bagong technique, memorize a standard song…. mga ganun ba.

SP:  Interesting. What can you say sa technique nila Matthew Garrison or Hadrien Feraud?

ST:  Nakakaaliw. Mahirap nga lang.

SP:  Wow! I wanna see you do it. It`s good to hear from you that you`re incorporating new techniques into your playing style. Sinubukan mo din ba yung thumb technique ni Wooten?

ST:  Dati…pero parang di ako hiyang haha.

SP:  Ano projects mo ngayon sir besides monday gigs with Akasha?

ST:  Still playing with Noel Cabangon, Skarlet, AMP big band and Nonet, and Peryodiko, then there’s session work.

SP:  How do you balance your time in the sessions you do? Any tips sir?

ST:  It balances itself most of the time hehe. Have a good sub.

SP:  What motivates you to play? Do you experience downtimes in your career?

ST:  Knowing that I’ll be playing music that I love with great musicians. I haven’t had a shortage of gigs in a while now…not many high paying though haha.

SP:  What`s the advantage of being able to sight-read?

ST:  Being able to play written music on the spot plus you get more session work.

SP:  What other things that interest you besides bass, bass, bass?

ST:  Other than music… cooking mode ako these days.

SP:  Kung di ako nagkakamali, si Jimmy Haslip mahilig din ata magluto eh..ano ba ang klase ng mga putahe ang niluluto mo sir?

ST:  Paborito ko rin yan si Haslip lalo na nung napanuod ko sila dito ng live..

medyo baguhan pa ko kaya mga traditional pinoy ulam madalas ko iluto…di pa masyado adventurous.

SP:  May dream gig ka ba sir? or international musician na gusto mong makasama sa trabaho?

ST:  Hmm ang dami … siguro makatogs si Brian Blade and Brad Mehldau.

SP:  What do you think of President Pnoy?

ST:  Sana siya na nga.

SP:  Any young and upcoming bassplayers that you admire these days?

ST:  Daming magagaling ngayon.

SP:  Your message to young and aspiring bassplayers…

ST:  Just practice, play and most of all listen.