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Quora Question: How do I become a good bass player?

Some years ago, I wrote an essay on how I perceived the steps to mastery. These steps were partly derived from my study of history and the historical context of artist training and education, and partly from some of Bruce Lee's terminology when applied to mastery in martial arts training. That essay was lost -- which is sad, because it was one of the best things I've ever written -- but the fundamental principals haven't changed. These are the stages as I interpret them: How do you become a good bass player? The same way you get good at anything: Take lessons, pay attention, and practice. That said, over the years I’ve developed a sort of theory of pedagogy (teaching) that deals with the stages of mastery. It goes something like this: Stage 1: Rudiments Learn what the bass is, how it works, how to create notes, and what notes are. Stage 2: Techniques Learn how to play correctly and efficiently. Develop the muscle mechanics involved in the task. Understand how different sty

Review | Donner "Giant Metal" Distortion Pedal

Insane sound from a mini pedal After years of scaling back to just my amp tone, I've started getting back into guitar pedals. 20 years ago, if you couldn't afford the Boss or DOD pedals, you were forced to go with the only budget brand out there: Rocktek. Those things were awful, but affordable. These days, the budget brands are king, in my opinion, and the compact size of the circuitry makes it possible to grab anything you want and try it out for less than fifty bucks. I wanted to start out with a good distortion, and after playing around with online reviews I decided to take the leap to the Donner Giant Metal. This little powerhouse lives up to its name! Super solid aluminum construction, easy to use controls, a fairly wide gain profile, and surprisingly flexible tonal control. It just has the one tone control, and the switch boosts highs or lows (top or bottom), or runs right down the middle. I won't say that this can replace a high-end Boss distortion, but if y

Program Note: Haydn: Symphony No.82, “The Bear”

Originally written for the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra (TBSO, January 2005) Haydn’s popularity outside his native Austria must no doubt have surprised him. After all, it was not common for composers as well-settled in their particular stations as Haydn was by the 1780s to be heard outside of their home courts. But under a revised contract with the Esterházy family—in particular with Prince Nikolaus, who succeeded Haydn’s original contractor in 1762—the court no longer held exclusive rights to Haydn’s compositions, and they were published in nearly every major European city. This fact in itself led to the widespread distribution of Haydn’s symphonic and chamber works, and contributed nearly as much to his comfortable retirement as his pensions did. Haydn’s 82nd Symphony was the first in a series of six works commissioned by a Paris concert organization in 1785/86. It was unusual indeed for a composer under contract to accept foreign commissions, but Haydn’s outstanding service at Es

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