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RARE PHOTOS: 6 - The Real Truth

“Technical bass players might be able to spell it out in print, but if the pocket isn’t there, it’s just dots on paper”: The Meters’ George Porter Jr on surviving Hurricane Katrina, the subtleties of New Orleans funk and his unusual slap style

According to George Porter Jr., his job as a bassist is to tie the groove and the rhythm together

Guitar World

“After one of the shows, Ginger said, ‘You are a great bass player after all.’ I couldn’t believe it – he’d never once said that in all the years”: In 2005, Jack Bruce reunited with Cream after 36 years – and realized how much his bass playing had changed

When faced once again with the bass role in the ultimate power trio alongside Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce hired a rehearsal room in London and brought in “every bass amp in existence”

Guitar World

“I play chords on the bass like a bluegrass or country picker would. It really works with the 12-string”: Dug Pinnick on pushing hard rock’s boundaries with King’s X

Dug Pinnick’s onstage presence with King’s X is made even more compelling by his unusual 12-string bass guitar

Guitar World

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“Jamerson pushed the intercom button and said, ‘Not bad for a white chick!’” How Suzi Quatro cut her teeth on Motown hit-maker James Jamerson

Suzi Quatro’s soul and Motown-influenced rock bass playing made her a huge star throughout the 1970s and beyond

Guitar World

“It started out as a 1962 Fender Jazz Bass, and then I got bored and did this to it”: Why Lee Sklar hand-carved his pre-CBS Fender

1971’s Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon featured some of Lee Sklar’s best work with James Taylor – and Lee Sklar's “total hippie bass”

Guitar World

The 20 greatest slap bass songs of all time

These masterful slap basslines chart the evolution of the quintessential bass technique, from Larry Graham to today's YouTube heroes

Guitar World

“Ozzy would never stand in front of the bass rig. He told me to turn it down one night, so for a laugh I turned it up”: Geezer Butler names the Black Sabbath album that captured his favorite bass tone

Geezer Butler’s pioneering bass tone with Black Sabbath helped set heavy metal’s mood before the term even existed

Guitar World

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“Most bass players are boring, standing at the back. I’m not like that because I was a guitarist first”: Lemmy, the godfather of heavy rock, on why he switched from guitar to bass

The Motörhead frontman switched to bass guitar while working as a roadie for Hawkwind

Guitar World

“It’s Chuck Rainey’s concept of ‘what you don’t play is as important as what you do play’”: After decades of studio sessions with artists ranging from Eric Clapton to Usher, Nathan East reflects on the business of bass

Nathan East looks back at some of his biggest tracks, and why he’d love to have a career like Pat Metheny or Marcus Miller

Guitar World

“As a guitarist you can come in after the one without the house falling apart. But as a bass player, you always have to be there”: How Jonas Reingold switched from classical guitar and became Steve Hackett’s go-to bassist

From Wire and Karmakanic to the Flower Kings and Steve Hackett, the Swedish musician loves to learn, and always strives to be a better team player

Guitar World

“When I was a kid, I thought bass playing was about throwing up and cutting yourself – I blame Gene Simmons and Sid Vicious”: Bad Religion’s Jay Bentley on his bass-playing influences and the “best-sounding P-Bass he’s ever heard”

Vomit and blood may be punk rock, but it’s not what you might expect from longtime Bad Religion bassist Jay Bentley

Guitar World

“It’s one of my favorite basslines. I don’t know how I came up with it – doing the session was like floating in space”: Verdine White picks his top 5 Earth, Wind & Fire basslines

Earth, Wind and Fire’s pocket-perfect bassist names his best basslines

Guitar World

“It was always magical playing bass with Tony Iommi. To me, he's the greatest guitarist ever”: Geezer Butler’s 10 best basslines with Black Sabbath

When it comes to influential metal bands, few can hold a candle to Black Sabbath. These are Geezer Butler’s 10 heaviest rock riffs

Guitar World

How to play bass guitar for beginners: start playing today

From basic finger techniques to slap bass, here’s what you need to get started on your bass guitar journey

Guitar World

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Guitar World

“I’d be there with bass pedals, a triple-neck guitar and keyboards, and Robert Plant would ask, ‘Can you sing, as well?’” How John Paul Jones became Led Zeppelin’s ultimate wingman

Armed with years of experience as a session bassist and arranger – having worked with the Yardbirds, Jeff Beck and the Rolling Stones – John Paul Jones could do it all

Guitar World

“I bought a right-handed Hofner, re-strung it and learned to play like a lefty, which was a nightmare”: How The Bootleg Beatles’ Steve White became a carbon-copy Paul McCartney

Think you can play a bit like Sir Paul? It’s not as easy as you think, says Bootleg Beatles bassist Steve White

Guitar World

“I was scared to death. Miles didn’t say a word to me. Afterwards, I asked what he thought of my playing. He said, simply, ‘It was cool’”: T.M. Stevens on playing with Miles Davis and James Brown – and what went wrong on Vai’s Sex & Religion project

Vai hired the “flashy bassist with the long hair” after spotting him in a Joe Cocker video

Guitar World

“Am I a good bassist? I’m a f**king good bassist!” Sting on bass playing, Cream and his “battered looking” P-Bass

From the Bass Player Archive: An interview with Sting

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Guitar World

“Playing with Victor Wooten? It’s always as much fun as a challenge. But I quickly learned that you should go first when it comes to soloing!” From the Allman Brothers Band to Dave Grohl, Oteil Burbridge has played with them all

The Dead & Company and Tedeschi Trucks man might wield a six-string bass, but he prefers feelings and intentions to technical wizardry

Guitar World

“I've always played with a pick, but up until the fifth Foo Fighters record, I never played downstrokes”: How Nate Mendel changed the way he played bass to “support Dave’s songs as best as possible”

From the Bass Player Archive: An interview with Foo Fighters bassist Nate Mendel

Guitar World

“The last thing Bernard Edwards wanted to be was a bass player who used a pick”: Nile Rodgers on the funk behind Chic’s Le Freak

In 1973 Bernard Edwards helped define one of the most distinctive sounds of disco

Guitar World

“Early on I discovered that the bass player decides the chord – not the guitar player”: R.E.M.’s Mike Mills on finding the perfect bass part and becoming a “one-bass guy”

From the Bass Player Archive: An interview with R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills

Guitar World

“That incredible musicality James Jamerson would bring to his parts – nobody wants to hear that today”: Duran Duran bass legend John Taylor on why music is becoming simpler

The British bass player says pop music has lost its complexity – and he understands why

Guitar World

John Lennon: “Willie Weeks was supposed to do it, but he was doing a George Harrison session”: In August 1980 John Lennon could have called just about any bass player on Earth. He went with Tony Levin

The King Crimson bassist recalls the making of Double Fantasy and why he laughed at The Beatle’s first ever words to him

MusicRadar

Paul McCartney's 12 greatest Beatles bass performances: "I did get quite proud to be the bass player. Once you realised the control you had over the band... They can’t go anywhere, man. Ha! Power!"

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