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FORGOTTEN HISTORY: Victor wooten | History Defined

“He wasn't a fan of tapping or thumbstyle playing. Then he called and gave me one of the highest compliments I've ever received”: How Victor Wooten created one of the most groundbreaking bass albums ever recorded – and won over Anthony Jackson

Victor Wooten looks back on his debut release, which attained cult status through word-of-mouth and bootlegging way before it was ever on sale

Guitar World

“The label president said, ‘Angelo, I thought you were fast?’ I was taken aback. Then he said, ‘I want you to overplay all the time.’ He wanted the record to be abrasive”: Michael Angelo Batio tells the story of Nitro, hair metal’s most extreme band

Michael Angelo Batio became known as shred's most OTT virtuoso. He explains why the critics were kind of right about Nitro, the magic he cooked up with Wayne Charvel, and why he's living the dream with Manowar

Guitar World

“Jon offered me the gig and I turned him down. It still amazes me how close I came to not following this path”: Roger Glover’s path to bass greatness with Deep Purple

Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, Deep Purple formed the holy trinity of hard rock that would ultimately induce heavy metal

Guitar World

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“He actually signed it for me on the back of the headstock. That’s the most magical bass”: How Victor Wooten got his hands on his biggest hero’s bass guitar

Wooten idolized the bass hero, so knew he had to get involved when he started selling off his gear

Guitar World

“We’ve always been big fans of Nickelback – their guitarist came to see one of our shows and asked if we’d support them”: How UK riff-slingers Don Broco ended up recording with Muse’s bass rig – and collaborating with Nickelback

Recorded with the help of Muse bassist Chris Wolstenholme, Nightmare Tripping showcases bassist Tom Doyle’s Earth-shattering basslines

Guitar World

NAMM 2026: The best new things in bass from the biggest music instrument event of the year

From Aguilar to Ashdown and beyond, here’s a look at the new gear that had bassists abuzz at this year’s NAMM show

Guitar World

“Don’t get the gig and then complain about it. If you can’t find something good in the music, that’s your fault”: What it takes to get to the top of the bass world, according to Victor Wooten

Having overwhelmed countless bassists with his rapid-fire slap technique, Victor Wooten still has plenty of bass philosophy to share

Guitar World

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“I never thought I’d get hired by a pop band. Opening for Coldplay with Willow Smith was never a career goal”: Few bassists can match the technical ability of Mohini Dey, thanks to her work with Steve Vai, Willow Smith and just about everyone else

The very definition of ‘prodigy’, Mumbai-born bassist Mohini Dey has enjoyed a rapid ascent to worldwide renown. And she’s only just getting started

Guitar World

“It’s nasty and greasy and oozing funk. It’s a masterclass in funk bass”: Robert Wilson had his step-out performance on this Gap Band classic, which features two bass parts, both cut on a flatwound-strung P-Bass

The main riff is likely familiar to many via Victor Wooten’s song Bass Tribute

Guitar World

“I can’t play like I used to, but I still enjoy playing”: Victor Wooten opens up on his battle with the health condition that he says is turning him into a beginner bass player again

The revered bassist is battling focal dystonia – a neurological movement disorder that causes his fretting fingers to curl up

Guitar World

“Slapping was a matter of natural evolution”: 21 slap bass legends who made thumpin’ and pluckin’ their own

From the godfather of thumpin’ and pluckin’ to Victor Wooten’s game-changing slap technique, we bring you the players that you must know if you want to call yourself a true bass aficionado

Guitar World

“The bass is the instrument you need to play the longest to become truly funky”: 20 funk bass legends who took low-end groove to new heights

A rundown of the best funk bass players of all time, featuring the trailblazers, the early innovators, and the monster groovers around today

Guitar World

“I have a hair tie around the nut of my bass, and I pull it up to the 17th fret”: Just when we thought he’d settled into his routine as a bass superhero, Victor Wooten pulls out another surprise: a 25-cent hair tie?

Victor Wooten reveals the “secret” technique that makes his bass solos “pop with screaming harmonics”

Guitar World

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Guitar World

“I wouldn’t be able to play the technical stuff while wearing the mask. I’ve almost passed out a few times”: Slipknot’s original bassist Paul Gray on holding the middle ground in metal’s most extreme band

Slipknot are one of the most visually arresting bands still working today – but the late Paul Gray’s role was decidedly different

Guitar World

“The word on the street was, ‘No-one could be playing that without overdubs.’ Well, the secret’s out. I’ve come clean”: Still copping Victor Wooten’s 20-year-old bass licks? You’d better take another look

Victor Wooten reveals the musical formula behind his 2005 solo album, Soul Circus

Guitar World

“James would always try to break you down. Any time you played a great gig, he'd call you into his dressing room and say, ‘You just ain't on it. You ain't on the one!’” If you play funk, you owe Bootsy Collins – the bass legend who played with James Brown

Bootsy Collins is a legend not just for his interstellar bass playing, but also for his star-shaped bass guitars

Guitar World

“I knew Beyoncé would really belt it out there, so I wanted to play something more in your face”: Meet the unsung bass hero who laid down one of the noughties’ most irresistible basslines with Beyoncé

Jon Jon Webb laid down his standout grooves with a late-‘90s Fender Marcus Miller Signature Jazz Bass

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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

“I gravitate more towards Victor Wooten than the straight-up shredding of Billy Sheehan, but I’ve ripped pages from both books”: Jacob Umansky unpacks the origins of his cutting-edge slap technique

How the Intervals and JIA bassist powered up his slap technique – with the help of Victor Wooten and Billy Sheehan

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

“You’re always trying to get rid of buzzes when recording, so I came up with the idea of trying to make them groove instead”: How Victor Wooten created a groove without touching his bass guitar

Victor Wooten gives a track-by-track tour of his second solo album, What Did He Say?

Guitar World

The 20 greatest bass solos of all time – from the fastest ‘lead bass guitarist’ to the only bass solo James Jamerson ever recorded

We count down moments of bass guitar genius from Tal Wilkenfeld, Flea, Victor Wooten, John Myung and many more

Guitar World

How Billy Sheehan learned to slap

“I could never figure out where those notes were coming from. Then I’d go see Victor Wooten and just give up!”

Newcastle Herald

Get your eyes and ears ready for the king of the bass

'You're going to hear things you've never heard before.'

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