Another exciting month at Tech Music Schools has passed by. This Month was certainly all about preparation for the exams in week 10. As I write this I´m nearly through all of them and I think they’ve gone pretty well so far. Because we have both practical and theory exams it makes studying for them very varied and not boring at all. If you study for music exams it´s not really studying in the sense of sitting in your room for hours and reading a book or writing an essay. It involves different kinds of studying including rehearsing with other people and I think that makes it easier. The Transcribing assignment where we had to transcribe all parts of a 16 bar section was very time consuming but I think it´s a very useful skill to have.

Earlier in December we all went to another Tech event; The Best of Live Performance Workshop show where some of us would perform the LPW Songs we all learn so hard every week. It was a great fun and everyone sounded really good and professional. Well done guys! Thanks to David McDonald for organizing it!

This month I also went to a great Master class by American Bass player Stuart Hamm. He plays with greats like Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. You can probably say that he´s one of the most entertaining Bass players I´ve ever seen. During his show he told the story of his life underlined by his unconventional and technically perfect bass playing. One minute he would play piano on his bass using two-hand tapping and the next minute he would imitate drums with his impressive slapping skills. Nevertheless, apart from his strong technical abilities he pointed out the following:

"Regardless of how good your technique is, remember that music always comes first. You would never go to an audition for Madonna and start playing some two-handed tapping, would you?"

It was also my pleasure to interview this talented, funny and charming man, so listen to his wise words:

What´s your usual set-up like?
I usually play a Fender Bass and I have an acoustic Washburn Bass that I designed. And I use a Hartke 5500 head because it has a solid state preamp and either two 4 x 10” cabs or one 4 x 10” cab and a single 15” sub underneath.

Any Pedals?
You know, when I play with Joe (Satriani) I use effects but when I do solo shows I just go straight in. I think It can ruin your sound. When it´s just your instrument and an Amp you can relate even more on your fingers to create the tone.

At what age did you start playing Bass guitar?
I was 13 years old, I grew up in a very musical family so I played different instruments before, piano, flute and the trumpet.

Do you remember why you decided on the bass guitar?
Well, I remember there was a silly TV show when I was a kid about a Rock Band and the Bass player kind of looked like me. And I saw a bass player playing in a local park one day and he had this cool shiny red Bass and this really neat looking chrome amp so it just seemed like a really cool instrument to play.

You are a very diverse Bass player but are there any Styles you particularly like to play?
Well I worked hard to be able to play all kinds of music you know. I love to play the soul stuff, though. Or when I´m at home I love to just get up with a band and play some jazz standards just to get out my Fretless. And then when I meet Joe it´s fun just to bang it out and play some rock. But yea, I worked hard to play different styles to keep it interested and diverse.

What are your role models or influences?
Well at first it probably was Chris Squire from Yes and John Entwistle from The Who, because they were a bit more melodic and with a bit more of a distinct tone. And then I discovered Stanley Clarke and others but I must say that listening to Jaco (Pastorius) certainly changed my life.

I saw on your website that you give your guitars names. What´s the one you played today called?
Haha. I mean, they are all different, they all sound different. The one I played today for example is called OB for orange Bass and also Obi Wan Kenobi.

Can you tell me a bit more about current projects you´re working on.
I´m doing a lot of remote recording at the moment. People get in touch with me through Facebook or Myspace to play on their Songs. So they can sign up on tracksbystu.com and send me their Tracks. I´m also working on the second of my series of Instructional CD´s. The first was called Bass Basics for Beginners and The second that I´m doing at the moment is called Fretboard Fitness. My next record is about 30 percent done. And I´m gonna go on tour with Frank Gambale in Asia this February and also I´m doing a lot of teaching, going to schools like this ect.
Finally I also drive my kids to school, give piano lessons, the normal life, the important stuff.

What tips can you give all the young aspiring bass players?
Well yeah, don´t limit yourself to play just one kind of music. Don´t say you´re just a metal bass player or just a jazz bass player. And get out there and play with people. Don’t wait for the perfect gig. Get out there and join a wedding band or a top fourty covers band. Not just to practice but for the sake of being on stage, cos that’s the fun of it and then you meet people that are making music for a living and you´ll gonna find your way.

Thanks Stu!