The World’s Greatest Bass Solo

It wasn’t about chops. It only had one note. But it was the best solo I’ve ever heard.

Everyone knows a version of the old joke: When drums stop, bass solo begins. The bass solo could well be the Slim

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Big Ears

What up gang ? Well, it is that time again. Yes, one of the masses of bass players without any hair conversing on who knows what. For this month’s survival tip from the front line, I wanted to talk about the principle of “big ears”. Continue reading

Freelancing

A large number of professional musicians, bassists included, make their living in part or whole by freelancing. Believe it or not, the term “freelancing” goes back to Medieval times when knights with no loyalty would “freelance” or hire themselves out

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So You Play Bass – Now What?

Let’s say you’ve invested a number of years getting your skill set together as a bass player. You subscribe to one (or more) of the bass-oriented music magazines. You’ve maybe taken a number of years of private lessons with various

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Be One with the One and Five

Hey Gang, Sean here. Pleased to meet you.

So, for my first article for this series of articles, now on Bass Lessons HQ, I pondered multiple subjects that could relate to the world of as we low-enders know it. After

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Weather and the Working Musician

The midway at Bloomsburg fair after the rains hit.

Rain, rain, go away Come again another day When I’m not loading in! Adapted from nursery rhyme

One of the things that many musicians forget about when making plans is the weather. As a touring musician, I can tell you that’s a mistake!

Mother Nature is not nice – ever. She just pretends to be nice. Then, when you’re least expecting it, she throws a torrential rain storm at you while you’re loading in to a venue, a sends a tornado to chase you across a state while you’re headed to your gig. Let me give you an example: Continue reading

Playing in the Band

So, you want to see if you’ve got what it takes to make it on stage. Before you head out for the limelight, let’s make sure you’re ready, ok?

Playing in a band is about more than making good music. After all, even though we say we play music, we call it the music business. In order to be successful, you’ll need to be business-like in your approach to playing live. What follows are the basics of approaching live performance in a business-like manner. Learn these simple guidelines and you stand a much better chance of being asked back to the club you’re about to storm. Continue reading

Preparing for an Audition

Note: The following article originally appeared in the Bass Sessions webzine.

It doesn’t matter if you plan to make a career out of music, or if you intend to play music as a hobby. Sooner or later, you’re probably going to have to audition for a band. Even Jason Newsted had to audition for Metallica before he rose to fame. Continue reading

Making a Case for Covers

Throughout my career of more than 35 years, the subject of whether to play covers or not has come along more times than I’ve tuned my bass, or so it seems. There seem to be two camps of extreme opinions bookending the middle ground in which most players camp. One extreme opinion is that anyone who plays covers isn’t a “real” musician, is a sell-out. And it’s to this camp I’d like to offer some thoughts. Continue reading

I Am A Bassist

Put it this way: The drums may keep the beat, but it’s the Bass that makes you move your feet. ~Dominique Baldwin (Lane’s daughter)

Lane with his main bass – a Spector NS-6XL, custom made for him over fifteen years ago.

I am a Bassist.

When I first picked up a bass, it was love at first thump. That poor bass – a copy of a rip-off of a re-make of a Fender, played through an Ampeg guitar amp – was to me the ultimate instrument.

It seems that, even then at the very beginning of it all, I knew instinctively that while lead singers and lead guitarists might be the center of attention, I would be the center of the music. I would be the thread sewing all the pieces together into the fabric of the music. I would put one arm around my drummer and the other around the rhythm guitarist (or the occasional keyboardist) and guide my section mates through the coolest groove we could groove, coordinating each’s work with the other’s as well as my own.

I would enhance the vocalist’s melody, provide the foundation for the chords, and be the keystone of the rhythm. All at once. All the time. Continue reading

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