The Practice Room

I talk about a bunch of different stuff. But make sure you follow Roni Kaspi who is fast becoming my new favorite drummer. I jammed along to some of her playing on instagram in the episosde, so the least I can do is link you to her here: https://www.instagram.com/roniponi100/ One of the best young voices in music I've heard in over a decade. 

Study with Janek ► https://www.janeksbassstudio.com/ Our latest book is - Bass Player's Guide To Pentatonics: https://tinyurl.com/yclukay2 All our other books are here: https://store.janekgwizdala.com/SUBSCRIBE to the YouTube Channel for FREE videos ► https://www.youtube.com/user/janekgwizdala/

I am so exited, super proud, and a little exhausted still from the process, to present my brand new book Bass Player's Guide To Pentatonics. It's been some months in the process, and today's episode of The Practice Room takes an in-depth look at my practice routine, and how I use pentatonics for bass lines, melodies, composition, soloing, and technique building. The book comes with over 100 video examples, and over 50 play alongs, all available for streaming or download with your purchase. Don't forget to leave some pentatonic related questions in the comments below, and enjoy the episode! Pentatonic book digital: https://tinyurl.com/yclukay2 Pentatonic Book Physical: https://tinyurl.com/y8oq5o36 JG Bass Solo preset for the Line6 HX Stomp: https://tinyurl.com/y7yps2bj Take your transcription to the next level by checking out the Transcription Vault at Janek's Bass Studio: https://www.janeksbassstudio.com/courses/the-transcription-vault Sign the mailing list and be the first to know: http://eepurl.com/dCdyHz And check out all the books we have on jazz vocabulary, chordal harmony, and bass playing at the store: https://store.janekgwizdala.com/

Thank you for all your questions via Instagram for today's epic Q&A. We got questions ranging from "what bass strings do you use?" to "How do you transcribe fast Joshua Redman lines?". It was super fun to answer all your questions, and always great to talk about music, and relive some old experiences in the hopes of helping you on your quest to becoming a better bass player. We're right in the middle of the launch of our new book on on pentatonics which you can find here: https://tinyurl.com/yclukay2 I referenced two videos in the Q&A: How to learn material you've transcribed: https://youtu.be/gUsa8WMILK0 Transcribing using the old pencil and paper method: https://youtu.be/CjlFrNBOFvQ And with so many questions about transcription today, you might want to consider taking your transcription to the next level by checking out the Transcription Vault at Janek's Bass Studio: https://www.janeksbassstudio.com/courses/the-transcription-vault Sign the mailing list and be the first to know: http://eepurl.com/dCdyHz And check out all the books we have on jazz vocabulary, chordal harmony, and bass playing at the store: https://store.janekgwizdala.com/

George Whitty is one of the reasons I moved to America, due to his involvement in the live recording of the Return of the Brecker Brothers world tour in 1992, a VHS that I wore out on a daily basis and swore I would try and play with everyone in the band. My dream of doing that has come true over the past 25 years, and not only that, but it has led to one of my most cherished musical friendships, both professionally and personally. George and I have been playing in a somewhat co-led trio Third Rail (we both contribute songs to the band, although it was George's idea to put the band together) since 2012, and have played in the US, Europe and Japan, releasing one live album in 2014 "Live Across Europe", with the great Tom Brechtlein on drums. George is one of my favorite cats to be on the road with, and whenever we get a chance to play together, the music is always going to be big fun, and then the hang (something all musicians spend more time doing than playing music) even more so. George's credits are so deep and far reaching, it's hard to list them all in one place. Aside from the four Grammy Awards and one Emmy, he's produced music, played with, and arragned for Michael Brecker, The Brecker Brothers, Chaka Khan, Herbie Hancock, Carlos Santana, Dave Matthews, Celine Dion, Richard Bona, and many more. It was, as it always is, a real treat to sit down and pick his brain for an hour, and I'm psyched to be able to share this with you all. Check out George's Lessons: https://www.jazzlessonsonskype.com/ Take your transcription to the next level by checking out the Transcription Vault at Janek's Bass Studio: https://www.janeksbassstudio.com/courses/the-transcription-vault Sign the mailing list and be the first to know: http://eepurl.com/dCdyHz And check out all the books we have on jazz vocabulary, chordal harmony, and bass playing at the store: https://store.janekgwizdala.com/

Victor Wooten is arguably one of the most important voices not just in bass guitar, but in modern music. From his incredibly early beginnings, surrounded by a family of musical brothers who mentored and taught him, to worldwide success in bands like Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, and the all-star bass trio SMV with Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller, the journey has been action packed. Add to that, a stellar career as a composer and band leader, with 11 solo albums to his name, and you can start to build a picture of someone who lives and breathes music day in, and day out. But you would still only have half the picture. Now in its 21st year, Vix Camps host bass players and musicians from around the world, in one of the most successful music camps in history. With legendary guest teachers, live performances, and a hugely popular nature awareness component, Victor has cemented himself in history as a pioneer of music education, not only with his camps, but with best selling books, instructional videos, and a demand for him the world over as a clinician, and guest lecturer at the worlds most prestigious teaching venues. I am hugely proud to call him a friend, a colleague, and on some level a mentor through learning so much from his music over the years. I'm lucky enough to be able to present this interview for you, and give you a look into his world, his process, how he's dealing with being forced off the road like the rest of the world right now, and what his plans are for the future. Vic's Website: https://www.victorwooten.com/ Take your transcription to the next level by checking out the Transcription Vault at Janek's Bass Studio: https://www.janeksbassstudio.com/courses/the-transcription-vault Sign the mailing list and be the first to know: http://eepurl.com/dCdyHz And check out all the books we have on jazz vocabulary, chordal harmony, and bass playing at the store: https://store.janekgwizdala.com/

Unless you've been living under a digital rock for the past 5 years, you probably already know who bassist and YouTuber Adam Neely is. But what you might not know, is how he came to hit 1 million subscribers this month, all from a very niche lane of music theory analysis and video essay production. From topics as diverse as microtonal lo-fi hip hop and Shakuhachi Music, Adam has maintained a consistent upload rate of one video per week for the past 5 years. But that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his process. From posting bass videos and not having much of a working concept for the channel, to literally transcribing the internet, finding his niche, and reaching the coveted million-subscriber milestone this month, we unpack the journey of the bass player, turned YouTuber, turned music theory guru that is Adam Neely. Adams Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/havic5/ A limited number of private lessons are now available here: https://tinyurl.com/ycj6n7wo Take your transcription to the next level by checking out the Transcription Vault at Janek's Bass Studio: https://www.janeksbassstudio.com/courses/the-transcription-vault Sign the mailing list and be the first to know: http://eepurl.com/dCdyHz And check out all the books we have on jazz vocabulary, chordal harmony, and bass playing at the store: https://store.janekgwizdala.com/

Working hard every day to add this new modular synth sounding element to my pedalboard with the eventide H9, and Iron Ethere's Dubterranea and Xerograph Deluxe. I'm getting more comfortable with the patch switching, but there's a long way to go with the signal chain, the routing of the pedalboard, and the overall control I have of it with the expression pedals. The pedals I used in today's video are linked below. A limited number of private lessons are now available here: https://tinyurl.com/ycj6n7wo Take your transcription to the next level by checking out the Transcription Vault at Janek's Bass Studio: https://www.janeksbassstudio.com/courses/the-transcription-vault Sign the mailing list and be the first to know: http://eepurl.com/dCdyHz And check out all the books we have on jazz vocabulary, chordal harmony, and bass playing at the store: https://store.janekgwizdala.com/ Eventide H9: https://www.eventideaudio.com/products/stompboxes/multi-effect-processor/h9 Iron Ether Pedals: https://ironether.com/ Line6 HX Stomp: https://line6.com/hx-stomp/

I was up until 4am last night programming some voicings in the Eventide H9's "Quadravox" algorithm, and today's practice session is what was born out of that. I love the fact that I can program up to for voices over four octaves, but have yet to find a solution for programming parallel voicings, and not being tied down to a mode or tonal center. There's a lot of Michael Brecker EWI influence here, and I've been a big fan of Robby Kilgore and George Whitty who I know both did programming for Mike's setup. But there there is an equal amount of influence from modern pop and electronica producers as diverse as Diplo and Trentemoller. There will be an upcoming episode of The Pedal Studio that deals with exactly how I got these sounds programmed, but for now, this is what I'm doing with them to integrate them into my setup, and make them work in a live situation. Use the discount code JANEKSENTME20 and get $20 off your purchase of the Teletronix DI: https://www.teletronix.co/ Take your transcription to the next level by checking out the Transcription Vault at Janek's Bass Studio: https://www.janeksbassstudio.com/courses/the-transcription-vault Sign the mailing list and be the first to know: http://eepurl.com/dCdyHz And check out all the books we have on jazz vocabulary, chordal harmony, and bass playing at the store: https://store.janekgwizdala.com/

When it comes to playing music with Benny Greb, I have come to expect the unexpected. He is a true improvisor behind the drums, and is a rare thing in today's fast past and internet driven music industry: He's a musician who just happens to be a drummer. More concerned with the collective live experience than he is with flashy licks, and clicks and views, he is a musical force with whom you can build something original every time you step onstage together. I've had the pleasure of traveling to far flung corners of the world with his trio "Moving Parts", and have learnt a lot from both my time on the road with Benny, and my time spent hanging out and simply talking about life, and about music. He is one of my favorite musicians period, as well as being a pioneer of sound and time when it comes to the drum set. We talk about tuning for sound and not for feel, ghost busters, how to practice, and tons more in this interview that could easily have been three times as long.

Repetition is key when learning new material, and this is exactly how I work on it. 

I'm working on an incredible Adam Rogers solo from a Michael Brecker quartet concert in London from 2000. I'm breaking down a bunch of things in the solo, and talking about why I think transcription is perhaps the most important learning tool available to you when it comes to learning jazz vocabulary. 

The mighty force of Swedish bass, Henrik Linder, joins me for an awesome interview. We talk about practicing, playing live, Dirty Loops new album, effects programming, and what it's like to be the bass player in one of the most well known modern fusion trios. 

After warming up on a minor blues for a little while, I dive into triads on the minor melodic scale, and work them into my practice routine to increase fluidity up and down the neck. 

In a special extended episode of the podcast, this is from a live streaming masterclass I gave based around my Chordal Harmony book. Questions were coming in live via YouTube, and Chelsea was moderating them. Enjoy!

I think the ideal way to practice bass groove is with other musicians, and preferably in a live situation. But when you don't have the luxury, and lets face most of us don't most of the time, there are many other options that can really enhance your playing. I'm working with some drum grooves by Nate Smith from the LoopLoft today, mixed in with a little keyboard from the great Larry Goldings. I do this way more than makes it onto the internet, and I'm going to make a conscious effort to do more of it in the podcast from now on.

Gary Willis was one of my musical idols as a young bass player, and remains so to this day. Some of my earliest memories of seeing musician live, and it having a life long effect on me, involved Gary on bass. A true pioneer of not just the electric bass, but more importantly of music, he is a shining example of originality, of humility, of calmness, and of being able to melt your face off at a show with his groove, having made you cry with a melody not 30 seconds before. 

Starting work early today with my morning practice routine, and getting back to regular programming here with what the practice room is all about. My main focus is always trying to listen to my body, see what needs the most attention, and then not rushing into the process. I also get to work on the Bottesini bass concerto #2 as part of my routine today. 

One of my favorite bass players, my great friend, and casually the owner of The Bunker Studio in Brooklyn, John Davis Ladies and Gentlemen! We chat via video call (including a few seconds of dropped audio where I stopped recording...) as John is the middle of mixing a new record for John Patitucci, who calls to check on the mixes half way through our interview. 

This is the kind of thing I'm looking to get out of my routine when I literally only have 20 minutes to practice. It's not always the same, this is an example of what it was today. 

I'm playing almost all of today's episode on the CNC prototype of Henrik Linder's signature 4-string by Mattisson Basses. This is fast becoming one of my favorite instruments, and I managed to find a ton of inspiration for today's practice session as a result.  

Sometimes you just don't feel as fluid or as consistent as normal. Today is one of those days. I cycle through a bunch of different ideas before calling it a day. I'm not sure if I was successful, but I did at least spend focussed, and meaningful time with the instrument, and for that I'm happy. 

Great fun to welcome my friend Mark Lettieri on to the podcast today. You will more than likely know him from his Grammy Award winning work with Snarky Puppy, his 5 solo album as a band leader, and for simply being at the forefront of modern guitar gurus both on tour and in the studio. 

I'm digging deeper into some of the stuff we got to in episode 63 with Gabriel Santiago, and really expanding upon the voice leading and resolution elements of those harmonic devices. 

Tim is one of the most interesting musicians I know, with experience in more walks of the music world than I can even comprehend. We get to gear, touring, corona, patreon, writing, recording, and much more. 

Quarantine, while the world figures out how to deal with this pandemic, is no fun for anyone. So I got Gabriel on the podcast today to discuss his practice routine, and give us some ideas for working with diminished vocabulary. 

I'm kicking things off with a pentatonic workout in today's episode, and then we get to an epic live Q&A via instagram. 

What to practice having come right off a tour is never an easy one to figure out. So I'm thankful to have the podcast to discuss it, and also to give me some discipline to get right back into my routine. 

I got back from Canada a couple of hours ago, and am leaving for Europe in two days. So today was spent trying to figure out what to practice between tours, and how to be best prepared to hit the ground running in Germany in a few days. 

I got a call yesterday from Steve Smith asking me to cover a tour with his band Vital Information at the last minute, and I can only do one of the shows unfortunately. But it's a big one, and I happen to be on the same festival with Benny Greb already, so at least some logistics are going to work out. But it is a ton of music, and this episode gives you a look inside my process for learning a huge amount of music, for both Steve and Benny, in a very short amount of time. 

I'm digging deep into the soundscape possibilities of the HX Stomp as I prepare for a bunch of upcoming touring. And by the end of the episode I get to a brand new composition that I'm really excited to find out where it goes. 

A solid episode of deep diving on technique up and down the neck today, as well as developing the chords changes to a new song. 

With a festival looming next week in Canada with Benny Greb, I start getting stuck into the process of being as prepared as possible for another one off with one of my favorite drummers in the world. I'm always trying to eradicate any doubt in the performance, so I generally start working on the material I need to reboot around two weeks out from the gig. 

So good to have some brand new sets of Hi-Beams from DR that arrived minutes before I started filming this episode. And I get into an extended minor pentatonic workout, playing minor pentatonic over major 7 chords. 

Searching for a new string company has been over a year in the making, and I'm so happy to announce that I signed a contract with DR Strings today. I will make an more in-depth video about the entire process on YouTube, but today marks the first day of being a part of the DR family. 

I first heard Gary at a clinic in London when I was about 16 or 17, and hearing his sound in person was one of the most life changing moments in my early development as a musician. There is no substitute for hearing live music, and I encourage you to get out and see your heroes play as often as you can. 

I'm working on a new course for Janek's Bass Studio diving into all the most important transcriptions I did when I first started playing the bass, and then on through my career. Today I'm looking at a Pat Metheny solo from the song Like Sonny, from Kenny Garrett's album "Pursuance. The Music of John Coltrane". 

I'm getting into the pitch shifting side of the HX Stomp, and am shooting it out with the Eventide H9 today to see which I like the best. 

Sometimes I have a day like this where the practice session turns into almost pure maintenance, because I'm not focussed or playing with the right intent to work on melodic content. The trick is to make the most out of this time no matter what you feel like playing. 

I'm getting closer to having a really nice array of sounds programmed in the Line6 HX Stomp, and today I got to an ambient idea with a momentary switch function (suggested by my friend Lars from Line6), which turned into a pretty cool looping performance at the end of the episode. 

I managed to connect with DR strings at this year's winter NAMM show in CA, and put a set on the Mattisson last night to check them out. Love what I'm hearing and feeling so far!

Today's episode features a book/CD giveaway, as well as the first test of the Aguilar SL112 as my studio amp setup. I also get to your questions from instagram and get deep into playing melodically. 

About half way through today's episode I start working with the metronome on beats 2 and 4, playing through the changes of Moment Notice. It's not the most soulful duo partner, but it does keep you honest.

Super lucky to be a temporary custodian of two prototype Henrik Linder production Mattisson basses after this years winter NAMM show. I have a 4 string and 5 string here, and give them both a work out in today's episode. Really happy for Henrik as these are stunning instruments, and the fact that the CNC versions of these basses are such high quality, makes me really excited for my own signature Mattisson instruments to go into production. 

In the middle of a super hectic week, I'm carving out just over 20 minutes today to keep some consistency in my playing. 

In preparation for a recording session in a couple of days, I'm putting in some time with my Japanese made medium scale jazz bass. I'm not sure if they're available in the US now, but when I purchased this about 10 years ago, I had to go to Japan to pick it up. Love this bass, and have it strung with nylon tape wound flats. 

There's nothing like time spent with the instrument to put me in the zone for recording or performing live. With two very important days of recording up coming up in three days, I'm hyper aware of wanting to be as relaxed as possible when we hit record, and not feeling like I could have done a way better job of prepping for these sessions. 

With the possibility of playing some fretless bass on an upcoming record date, I'm starting to spend some time with the instrument and get some fundamentals back into my playing and my intonation. 

I'm looking for a polyphonic version of my "Baby Elephant" sound (Boss PS5), and am digging into the TC Electronic Sub 'n Up pedal today. 

It doesn't always work out that I get to stick to my practice routine at a civilized time of the day. So today I'm getting to the instrument at 11pm today, and trying to make the most out of what little time I have left in the day to be productive. 

Have two fairly heavy gigs in town in Los Angeles two days apart isn't particularly regular for me, but this episode takes a look at my process for practicing when that happens.