Bass Guitar
The Low End ~ linking Harmony to Rhythm
"Rik is a terrific teacher who leads with passion and patience.
I had noodled on bass guitar for 20+ years without any formal musical training and no real progress, before I finally decided to take
the instrument seriously. In my first bass lesson ever, Rik acknowledged the courage and humility I'd need to make it worth our time,
and he welcomed me into his tutelage with the perfect mix
of discipline and enthusiasm.
"I had always attempted and failed to understand musical theory,
but Rik is breaking that all down for me in a thoughtful and
practical way that we often immediately apply to actual bass playing.
He also offers pragmatic advice about how to comport myself like a professional, and he's transparent about his own goal:
to get me collaborating with other musicians. It's a pleasure to spend time with Rik, and I look forward to my lessons with him every week
~ Jeremy
When I look back over my life as a musician there are
those singular moments that forever stand out. One of them was the day the 'bass seed' was planted - which I confess lay dormant for decades before bursting forth. Greg Lake's four bars of solo bass that preface the entry of the keyboard solo of ELP's rendition of Fanfare for the Common Man (Montreal 1977). The sheer magnitude of that rumble ...
I've been a guitar player pretty much my whole life and,
whether I like it or not, that's how people have come to identify me. But my attraction to the low end has over recent years ignited
a new passion in music in me, a new direction in sound,
a greater means of capturing, contouring and projecting the sonic heft of a band. All things being equal, if I were to move
forward with just one instrument, honestly I think it
would be bass guitar.
The bassists I have known over the years have all been
solid on music theory. They seem to have known instinctively where bass lines segue into chords, where arpeggios can be supplemented
by notes sympathetic to the key - these are also some of the
critical aspects of bass playing that I teach. There is no substitute for knowing the neck, but an understanding of how music works is fundamental in finding your place in and effectively
contributing to a group.
Walking, right hand technique, maintaining the pocket, locking
in with the kick, holding the parts of a song in your head, shaping the tone of notes, knowing when to get busy, when to
leave space, when to blend in, when to punctuate with authority.
Writing bass lines, integrating bass tone with guitar tone,
knowing how to balance vocals without losing bass rhythm.
If you've chosen bass, or if bass has chosen you,
welcome to the family.
