Bass Guitar Worship Blender

We're Having a Reggae Christmas - Episode 9

Merry Christmas listeners!  This episode features some tips on adding Reggae-style grooves to your alter calls, options for less common Christmas songs to listen to, an overview of how chord charts lie (especially at Christmas), and yet another version of Angels We Have Heard On High.

Fretted vs. Fretless Bass - Episode 8

There's a lot of interest in fretless bass but not everyone has immediate access to one to try it out.  We go over what it is like playing a fretless bass and how it compares to a fretted, plus all the instrument's pros and cons.  Additional segments on Worship Around the World, What We're Listening to and a few stories to tell since the last episode.

Cody Fields of Westminster Effects - Episode 7

Westminster Effects is a Christian-based company building some outstanding effects pedals for guitarists and bass guitarists. In this episode I interview Cody Fields, President of the company, about his products for bass guitar and the clever Christian church history-themed naming conventions of his products. 

Website: Westminster Effects Website

Podcast: Westminster Effects Doxology Podcast

On their website, check out the Wittenberg Bass Preamp (based on the Yamaha NE-1) and the Calvin Compressor.

Us Vs. Keyboard Player's Left Hand - Episode 6

This is a busy episode with 4 segments, the primary segment being how to deal with a keyboard player's bass heavy left hand. Other segments address playing through injury, an interesting exercise to confirm your knowledge of your fretboard, and an overview of some of the basses I played at various music stores.

Using Plugins for Synth Bass - Episode 5

Need to play some synth bass on the platform, but don't know which synth to buy? How about trying plugins with a MIDI controller? In this episode I overview options for both paid and free synth plugins and why they might be a good choice.  Another segment discusses protecting your hearing when you play and how I'm doing that on a noisy stage.

Episode 4 - Using Plugins on the Platform

If you're a bass player that has to go direct instead of using an amp, but you already have a laptop and a portable audio interface, then you may already have a setup you can use live, instead of an expensive pedal board.  In this episode we explore IK Multimedia Amplitube Ampeg SVT and Overloud MarkBass plugins.

Our second segment is on the controversy of click tracks, and in our third segment we bring a little Jesus into the mix, with a short overview of a Roman's Bible study.

Episode 3 - Getting "Aged Out" From the Platform

In this episode, we talk to Dave, a favorite contributor on the P&W Bassist Club on TalkBass.com. Dave is pro on bass and has been serving on worship platforms for years. However, this year he was told by his church he no longer fit the visual - he was considered too old! Dave still plays just fine and he's really not that old, so what's going on here? We explore Dave's situation in detail to discuss this troubling trend of axing anyone over 30 that is creeping into more and more churches.

Episode 2 - Imitating a Synthbass Without Pedals

This episode's featured segment is on how to imitate a synthbass on your bass guitar without having to buy any new equipment.  Even if your signal is bass to direct box, you don't have to spend money to sound like that spiffy contemporary worship song.  Most of the time the best solution is adjusting your technique.  Additional segments on alternate ways to play octaves and a crazy idea for a fretted fretless bass.

Episode 1 - Who's This Hack?

This podcast is for those that serve from the bottom up.  Since this is a new podcast by an unknown host, I spend time explaining who I am, along with a brief musical history.