Dirk Lance with Willie's Nerve Clinic - New Tune!

Yo! I've just found out that Dirk Lance (Incubus founding member and all round bass legend) has formed a new group call Willie's Nerve Clinic. This self described "jazz/funk/prog" band have made a couple of songs from their upcoming album, Vampire Kiss, available for free download!

Here's my video I've just uploaded of me jamming over this awesome slap bass line, transcription of the main riffs from the tune are available to download from my transcriptions page.

Lick Of The Month #6

LOTM#6 is actually a bit of a mashup between a lick that of my own that I've been working on this month with an ending of Cannonball Adderley's.

Practising Melodies

An essential weapon in your arsenal as a bassist is the ability to play a melody as well as any trumpeter or pianist can. To play it with feeling and emotion, in the most beautiful way that you can. As a bassist this opportunity probably won't come along very often but when it does you need to be ready for it. The other benefit of this is that it will positively affect the way that you solo by bringing a more melodic and passionate version of what you could have played out of your instrument.

Claypool's bass sells for $50,599.99!!

Primus front man and all round legend has just auctioned his Pachyderm Prototype bass with a winning bid of a whopping $50,599.99 (or around £31,500). This was all for a very good cause as Les was raising money for his nephew who has been diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia. 

"Watching my younger brother and his wife go through one of the most heart aching situations that any parent can endure has been gut-wrenching," Claypool said. "On top of that there is the unbelievable expense of the treatments ($80,000 for one particular shot alone and Matthew needed two of them). I do what I can financially, and the fellows in Primus have been very generous to do performances as well as create special merchandise items for Matthew's cause, but unfortunately we are just pushing against a tide of debt that my brother will be dealing with for many years." 

The bass itself was built by Dan Maloney and (according to the eBay advert) designed by Les Claypool to be the most comfortable and easy to play four string bass to his standards.  This particular bass has a walnut top with a maple back and exotic wood pick guard.  It is 32” scale with LED lights in the side of the fingerboard and has a Kahler brand tremolo bar.  Keeping the electronics simple, Les equips his basses with one single custom split EMG pickup with a single control knob.  It has a bronze Pachyderm medallion set into the headstock. This combination of woods and electronics gives this particular bass a warm but punchy attack with a medium finish.  These basses are light and extremely comfortable in the lap as well as on strap.

It's good to see so much money going to such a good cause, as well as such an amazing bass going to a good home!!