Finger Picking Guitar Lesson with Mike Overly

Follow Legendary GRAMMY® Nominated Music Educator Mike Overly as he presents essential Guitar Finger Picking tips, techniques, insights and more in this classic Vintage Video. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE3tXTQ-Hts&gt;

To discover more about Mike and 12 Tone Music Publishing, LLC, please visit: <www.12tonemusic.com>.

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Homeschool Guitar – by Mike Overly

Most home school parents I have met all seem to share this same basic concern: Can I really teach my child guitar if I myself don’t know how to play?

The joyous answer is, yes! But only if your teaching method is as simple and logical as a connect-the-dots picture. By using a music method for guitar that is clear and simple, your child will stay engaged long enough to experience the rewards of a successful guitar education. By learning in this connect and continue way, your child will know exactly what’s coming next and therefore will never get confused, frustrated, or even worse, want to stop and quit! In addition to the simple joys of playing guitar, there are many other wonderful benefits your child will gain by learning to play guitar, such as self-discipline, greater self-esteem and a higher IQ. So, I think it’s safe to say that learning music and guitar would be a good idea for you and your family. Now, let’s look at a few other common questions you may have about beginning a guitar curriculum in your home.

What Is A Good Age To Begin Learning the Guitar?

Although there is no one correct answer to this question, I have found that by the age of six, children have developed enough cognitive skills to learn guitar. For example, they know the alphabet, can count numbers up to 12 and higher, and most importantly, when properly engaged, can exercise the self control needed to sit with attention and awareness during a half-hour lesson. Also, by age 6 they are big enough to comfortably hold the guitar and have developed the finger strength necessary to press down a guitar string.It’s important to remember that at this age, when it comes to getting your child to play the guitar, the enthusiasm needed must come from them, not you. That’s why it is best to begin guitar instruction when your child asks to play, not later when their interest may not be as strong, or when you have determined that they should. Said a different way, never force your child to learn guitar if they don’t want to. But if they want to, and if you can afford it, you will want your child to learn correctly from the beginning, so it’s very important to find a guitar instructor who is effective with children. Quality instruction at this age is essential because some children tend to have short attention spans and are often easily distracted. These conditions can be correctively addressed by a qualified guitar teacher who is experienced with children. They will know how to apply just the right amount of fun and seriousness so that your child finds the lessons enjoyable and exciting and will want to continue to learn music and guitar.

Should I Encourage My Child To Play The Guitar?

Of course you should! If your child comes to you and tells you that she or he is interested in playing the guitar, then by all means, you should definitely encourage your child to do so. It’s equally important not to force them to play an instrument they don’t want to play. For example, if they want to learn the guitar, don’t make them play the piano. You may be surprised to learn that many parents can be pushy in forcing their child to play a particular instrument because it’s the one that they played, or they feel it to be a superior instrument. Let your child choose the instrument they are interested in, even if it’s the glockenspiel!

No matter what the instrument, learning to play music will help your child in many other areas of their life as well, for example, they will be able to concentrate and stay focused for longer periods of time. Learning music also enhances your child’s listening skills and teaches them that the art of continual practice leads to betterment. Lots of children want to learn to play guitar and that’s understandable because many of today’s music artists play the guitar. For many, this is what makes guitar “cool” and therefore, learning to play guitar is seen as more preferable to playing a band or orchestral instrument such as a trumpet or violin. So, it becomes important to remind your child that even with quality guitar instruction playing guitar will still be a technical challenge. It will take time to develop strong and flexible hands in order to press the strings tightly and strum the strings properly. But if your child is willing to devote the time to practice, good technique will come. To keep them dedicated to improving their technique and evolving the dexterity necessary to become proficient at playing guitar, be sure to support and encourage them often. Keep in mind that a quality instrument, a clear and in order music method, and a qualified teacher is the key to making the difference between your child quitting and succeeding.

How Long Should My Child Take Guitar Lessons?

The simple answer is: a lifetime! We never outgrow our need for the next musical thought or technical idea. However, with this said, the answer to this question depends on what level your child wants to take their guitar playing. Playing levels vary from being a hobby to developing mastery. Time will unfold a dedicated player from an amateur to a professional, or said more traditionally, from a beginner to an advanced musician. It’s important to remember that learning to play guitar is different from learning to ride a bicycle. With a bicycle, you only need to practice riding until you discover balance and no longer fall off your bike. When you reach that moment, you no longer need to practice. However, when learning to play the guitar, you will soon get to a stage where you can play a few simple melodies and harmonies, and if you’re happy with that, you could stop practicing at that point. But, if you would like to play more popular and complex music, you can’t stop there, you must continue to practice so that you get better and faster.

In addition to being able to play many songs, with more practice you will be able to develop advanced technical skills that will have your playing sounding much more professional. And don’t forget, if you really want to become an expert at playing music on guitar, you will need to practice even more. However, over time you will discover that the better you get, the more you will want to play, and the more you play the more you enjoy playing, to the point that playing guitar becomes a passion. Then, you won’t be asking yourself how much longer do you have to keep practicing because playing will be the only thing you’ll want to do!

How Do I Recognize A Quality Music Method for Guitar?

If you’re interested in learning to play guitar but cannot afford a qualified private music teacher to show you the way, you might have gone online to look for guitar instruction. You probably ended up being overwhelmed and confused with so many methods claiming to teach you how to play the guitar in a certain number of days, if not hours or minutes! Now, you’ve heard this before, if something sounds too good to be true, then chances are, it’s not true. Just because the method is published by a big company, is backed by lots of bells and whistles, has a flashy website with all the latest technology, comes with a 60 day money back guarantee and has more fake testimonials than you have time to read, doesn’t mean that the content is complete, connected in-order, or will lead to success.

The following is the scenario of a typical beginning guitar student and supportive parent:

1. Goes to the music store and buys a guitar and a traditional beginner’s guitar method book. If you study the options, you’ll discover that it doesn’t matter what brand of method book you buy because they are all the same! But don’t believe me, visit the music store and look through the top-selling guitar methods and you will see for yourself that they all present the same lesson plan. This isn’t because they succeed, in fact they don’t, it’s because the authors and publishers are vested in making sales rather than investing the time and money necessary to develop a music method for guitar that really does succeed.

2. Takes the guitar and the method book home and quickly becomes overwhelmed and confused. This common experience is the result of incomplete and out-of-order instruction. At this point, many beginners decide that learning guitar is too difficult for them and they quit, or, they blame themselves for not understanding or, they blame the author and go back to the music store to buy a different beginner book.

3. But nothing has changed, the same confusion and frustration is experienced and again they decided that guitar is too hard for them, they blame themselves and the author and quit or, in rare cases, decides to try it one last time. But once again, the result is the same and finally the guitar is pushed under the bed and forgotten.

I’ve witnessed many promising beginners go through this cycle and then give up and choose to do something that they know they can do, but it’s usually something which has no real benefit or lasting value… like video games!

Don’t let this happen to your child. Get them a quality instrument, a complete and in-order music method for guitar, for example: the Tone Note® Music Method for Guitar Book 1, a qualified teacher and encourage them to experience the joys of learning music and playing guitar in a revolutionary new and successful way.

’til next time, have some fun learning guitar at home… I’ll be listening!

www.12tonemusic.com/guitar/tonenote

Seven Ideas For One Sound – by Mike Overly

Let’s state the case simply, symbolic music is complex. By symbolic music, I mean the written symbols and signs of music and guitar that are needed to produce one sound. This lesson will present seven ideas needed to play a melody. Harmony uses additional symbols and signs and will be presented later in a different lesson. So, stay tuned.

Symbolic music on guitar is complicated because it takes seven ideas to make one sound: 1. key letter, 2. time signature, 3. tempo, 4. dynamic, 5. tone number, 6. note or rest, and 7. strum. Before we go any further, let’s ask a simple question: What is the difference between a thought and an idea? For many, this question may seem a bit esoteric, but really it isn’t. Think of it this way. A thought is an energy that moves in time through the space of the mind to find an idea to bring back to the thinker. Here’s an example. Consider this question as a thought: How much is 1 + 1? Now, consider the answer as an idea: more than 1. Easy enough, the thought question found the answer idea and brought it back to the thinker. Let’s continue. I’m sure you noticed that I didn’t answer the question the way you were probably expecting me too. This is because all that is needed to answer the question, how much is 1 + 1, is the concept of “oneness.” In other words, 1 + 1 is more than 1. Or, said a different way, how much more than one is 1 + 1? The answer is again 1. The point is, we don’t need to learn or know anything new to answer the question… 1 is all we need!This “1 + 1 is more than 1” example is analogous to Russian Nesting Dolls. By that I mean, after we know that 1 + 1 is 1 more than 1, we can “nest” the concept of “one more than one” into a new word… two. In other words, after all that thinking about 1 + 1, we can now simply say the number 2!I can hear you asking, “What does all this have to do with playing music on the guitar?” Well, here’s what. Consider this thought question: How do I make one sound on the guitar? And it’s idea answer: “nest” seven ideas. Let’s say it again, symbolic music is complex because it takes seven ideas just to play one sound! To help organize these seven ideas, we’ll divide them into two groups.

In the first group, before you play, there are three ideas needed: key letter, time signature and tempo. In the second group, as you play, there are four ideas needed: dynamic, tone number, note or rest, and strum. Let’s look at each of these seven ideas one at a time.

The first idea is key. Key is simply the letter of tone 1, and is symbolized by a letter in a circle. Let’s compare this with the “key-signature” of traditional staff-notation.

Traditional staff-notation uses a 5 line staff, a clef and a key signature which limits you to playing a song in only one key! In contrast, the revolutionary Tone Note® Music Method does not utilize a staff, a clef or a key signature. By eliminating these elements, you can play any song in any key! This is impossible with traditional staff-notation. Here’s why. The key signature represents the unseen letters of the staff, and when you change the key signature, all the unseen staff-note letters change. This is not the case with the Tone Note® Music Method, because when you change the key, all the tone numbers remain the same, and only the letter of tone 1 changes. Let’s proceed.

After the key letter is known, the second idea is the time signature. The Tone Note® Music Method uses the same stacked meter and value time-signature as traditional staff-notation.

The third idea is tempo, the rate of speed of the steady beat. The Tone Note® Music Method uses the same beats-per-minute sign as traditional staff-notation.

Now, let’s review the three ideas needed before you play “nested” into one thought: key, time signature and tempo.

Next, let’s present the four ideas that are needed as you play. The first idea is the dynamic sign, which tells you how quiet or loud to play a sound. The Tone Note® Music Method uses the same dynamic signs as traditional staff-notation, for example: piano (quiet), forte (loud), mezzo-piano (medium quiet), and mezzo-forte (medium loud). It’s interesting to note that traditional staff-notation does not use mezzo (medium) by itself, but only as a qualifier to piano and forte. I find that curious.

And here’s something strange. Traditional staff-notation defines the dynamic sign piano as soft, and forte as loud. This doesn’t make any sense. Here’s why. Ask your child this question: What is the opposite of loud? I’m sure they said quiet and not soft. So, how did traditional staff-notation get the dynamics of acoustics wrong? In other words, why does traditional staff-notation teach loud and soft, but never quiet and hard? The simple answer is, they confused force with dynamic. It helps to think of it this way. While it’s true that on an acoustic instrument a hard force is necessary to produce a loud sound, and a soft force is needed to produce a quiet sound, force and dynamics are not the same and should not be used interchangeably.

Okay, now that we know that dynamics is quiet and loud, the second idea is pitch as tone number. In traditional staff-notation a tone number is called a scale-degree. Simply stated, tone 1 is the key letter and is the first sound of any scale.

The third idea is rhythm, and it has two components: the note of sound, and the rest of silence. The Tone Note® Music Method uses the same notes and rests as traditional staff-notation, for example: quarter, half, dotted-half, and whole. The fourth idea is not a music idea, but rather a guitar idea: strum. Four strums are needed to play guitar efficiently: two strokes: down and up, and two ghosts: down and up. A stroke is a strum which produces a sound and a ghost is a strum that produces no sound. Now, let’s review the four ideas needed as you play into one thought: dynamic, tone number, note or rest and strum.Okay, let’s end this lesson by “nesting” the seven ideas needed to play one sound into one recapitulated thought: 1. key, 2. time signature, 3. tempo,4. dynamic, 5. tone number, 6. note or rest, and 7. strum.

’til next time, have some thought and idea fun… I’ll be listening!

www.12tonemusic.com/guitar/tonenote

image © 2014 SkinnyCorp LLC

Bassists or Bass Player – by Mike Overly

Let’s begin with a super simple definition of the bass. The bass is a low pitched stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers. Wow, perhaps that’s a bit too simple, let’s take a closer look at this essential instrument. We’ll start with the Double Bass.

The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, bass fiddle, bass violin, contrabass, stand-up bass or doghouse bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the Western classical music symphony orchestra. It traditionally has four strings usually tuned E, A, D and G, from the thick string 4 to the thin string 1. This method of tuning is known as standard tuning. The double bass is about six feet tall from scroll to endpin and is typically constructed from several types of wood, including maple for the back, spruce for the top, and ebony for the fingerboard. A person who plays the double bass is usually referred to as a bassist.

As was said, the double bass is an integral member of the string section of the modern symphony orchestra, however, it is also used in other genres such as jazz, blues, rock, rockabilly, country, bluegrass, tango and many types of folk music. While the double bass is nearly identical in construction to other violin family instruments, it also embodies features found in the older viol family. And even though it is traditionally aligned with the violin family, it is uncertain whether the instrument is a descendant of the viola da gamba or of the violin.

Like many other orchestral string instruments, the double bass is played either with a bow (arco) or by plucking the strings (pizzicato) with the fingers. In classical orchestral music, both arco and pizzicato are used. In jazz, pizzicato is the norm, except for some solos and occasional written parts that call for bowing. When the double bass is used in other genres such as blues and rockabilly, the bass is plucked.

When playing the double bass, the bassist either stands or sits on a high stool and leans the instrument against their body with the bass turned slightly inwards in order to more easily reach the strings. The double bass has sloped tapered shoulders, which separates it from the other members of the violin family. This narrower top area of the double bass facilitates playing the strings in higher registers.

The double bass is a transposing instrument and sounds one octave lower than notated  in the bass clef. This avoids excessive higher ledger lines.

The electric bass is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a longer neck and scale length, and four, five, six, or eight strings. The four-string electric bass is still the most common electric bass and is usually tuned the same as the double bass: E, A, D, and G. This tuning corresponds to the strings 6, 5, 4 and 3 of a guitar, one octave lower. The electric bass may be played with a plectrum (pick), or with the fingers or thumb so as to slap, pop, tap or thump.

Like the double bass, the electric bass guitar is a transposing instrument, which sounds one octave higher than it is notated in the bass clef. The electric bass guitar, which generally has a solid wood body and therefore very little resonance, is plugged into an amplifier and speaker(s) to supply dynamic volume.

Since the 1960s, the bass guitar has largely replaced the double bass in most styles of music including rock, metal, pop, fusion, Latin, funk, punk, country, reggae, blues, and jazz. While the types of bass lines vary widely from one style of music to the next, the function of the bass, which is to anchor the harmonic framework and keep the beat, is the same in most types of music. It should be noted that in the 1970s, the fretless electric bass was instrumental in the development of new approaches to the bass, such as harmonics and glissando (slide).

Now, here’s something strange. As was said earlier, a person who plays the double bass is referred to as a bassist, but in contrast, a person who plays the electric bass is usually referred to as a bass player. However, I like to avoid this comparative bias and consider both as musicians who play the bass!

The following is an incomplete alphabetical listing of influential rock, metal, pop, fusion, Latin, funk, punk, country, reggae, blues, and jazz musicians of both double bass and electric bass.

A
•    Wil-Dog Abers (Ozomatli)
•    Barry Adamson (Magazine, Visage, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds)
•    Martin Eric Ain (Celtic Frost, Hellhammer)
•    Dominic Aitchison (Mogwai)
•    Kianna Alarid (Tilly and the Wall)
•    Mike de Albuquerque (Electric Light Orchestra)
•    Juan Alderete (Racer X, The Mars Volta)
•    Miša Aleksić (Riblja Čorba)
•    Dave Alexander (The Stooges)
•    Mike Alexander (Evile)
•    Rustee Allen (Sly and the Family Stone)
•    Merle Allin (The Murder Junkies)
•    Karl Alvarez (Descendents)
•    Thierry Amar (Godspeed You!)
•    Jeff Ament (Pearl Jam)
•    Marten Andersson (Lizzy Borden, George Lynch)
•    Simon Andersson (Pain of Salvation)
•    Mark Andes (Heart, Spirit)
•    Felipe Andreoli (Angra)
•    Dan Andriano (Alkaline Trio)
•    Tom Angelripper (Sodom)
•    Josh Ansley (Catch 22, Streetlight Manifesto, HURT)
•    Michael Anthony (Van Halen, Chickenfoot)
•    James Anton
•    Daniel Antonsson (Dark Tranquillity)
•    Tom Araya (Slayer)
•    Doug Ardito (Puddle of Mudd)
•    Jennifer Arroyo (Kittie)
•    Reginald Arvizu (Korn, L.A.P.D.)
•    Talena Atfield (Kittie)
•    Melissa Auf der Maur (Hole, Smashing Pumpkins)
•    Eric Avery (Jane’s Addiction, Alanis Morissette)
•    John Avila (Oingo Boingo)
•    Kevin Ayers (Soft Machine)
•    Pedro Aznar (Serú Girán, The Pat Metheny Group)

B
•    Bob Babbitt (The Funk Brothers)
•    Johnny Bacolas (Alice N’ Chains, Second Coming)
•    Pat Badger (Extreme, Tribe of Judah)
•    Steve Bailey (Bass Extremes)
•    Victor Bailey (Jazz)
•    Alec Baillie (Leftöver Crack)
•    Harvey Bainbridge (Hawkwind)
•    Brian Baker (Minor Threat)
•    Carlos Balcells (The Dawn)
•    Peter Baltes (Accept)
•    Michael “Flea” Balzary (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
•    Tony Barber (The Buzzcocks)
•    Paul Barker (The Blackouts)
•    Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr.)
•    Aston Barrett (Bob Marley & The Wailers)
•    Arthur Barrow (Frank Zappa)
•    Colin Bass (3 Mustaphas 3, Camel)
•    Jens Becker (Grave Digger)
•    Mark Bedford (Madness, Voice of the Beehive)
•    Aram Bedrosian
•    Robert Levon Been (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club)
•    Garry Gary Beers (INXS)
•    Nick Beggs (Kajagoogoo, Iona)
•    Andy Bell (Oasis)
•    Robert Bell (Kool and the Gang)
•    Bryan Beller (Steve Vai, Mike Keneally, Dethklok)
•    Frank Bello (Anthrax, Helmet)
•    Carles Benavent (Paco de Lucía, Chick Corea, Miles Davis)
•    Jo Bench (Bolt Thrower)
•    Martin Bengtsson (Arch Enemy, Armageddon)
•    Pig Benis (Mushroomhead)
•    Max Bennett (Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa, The Crusaders)
•    Jay Bentley (Bad Religion)
•    Glen Benton (Deicide)
•    Stevie Benton (Drowning Pool)
•    Jeff Berlin (Jazz)
•    Dean Bernardini (Chevelle)
•    Guy Berryman (Coldplay)
•    Owen Biddle (The Roots)
•    Bob Birch (Elton John)
•    Pete Birrell (Freddie and the Dreamers)
•    Mike Bishop (GWAR, Kepone)
•    Matt Bissonette
•    Jonas Björler (At the Gates, The Haunted)
•    Bill Black (Elvis Presley)
•    Lori Black (Clown Alley, The Melvins)
•    Morty Black (TNT)
•    John Blackburn (The Mescaleros, Skin)
•    Alfonzo Blackwell
•    Jack Blades (Night Ranger, Damn Yankees)
•    Ron Blair (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
•    Jimmy Blanton (Jazz)
•    Johan Blomqvist (Backyard Babies)
•    Vicki Blue (The Runaways)
•    Bobzilla (Damageplan, Hellyeah)
•    Henry Bogdan (Helmet)
•    Tim Bogert (Vanilla Fudge)
•    Rachel Bolan (Skid Row, Prunella Scales)
•    Trevor Bolder (David Bowie, Wishbone Ash, Uriah Heep)
•    Richard Bona
•    Steve Boone (The Lovin’ Spoonful)
•    Zeta Bosio (Soda Stereo)
•    Joe Bouchard (Blue Öyster Cult)
•    Danny Bourgeois (Punch People)
•    Pierre Bouvier (Reset, Simple Plan)
•    Will Boyd (Evanescence)
•    Randy Bradbury (Pennywise)
•    Shanne Bradley (The Nipple Erectors)
•    Beverly Breckenridge (Fifth Column, Phono-Comb)
•    Eddie Breckenridge (Thrice)
•    Andrés Bretel (TK, Madre Matilda)
•    Dan Briggs (Between the Buried and Me)
•    Eric Brittingham (Cinderella)
•    Brian Bromberg
•    Dave Bronze (Eric Clapton, Procol Harum)
•    Harvey Brooks (Bob Dylan, Electric Flag)
•    Mark Brown (Prince and the Revolution)
•    Ray Brown (Jazz)
•    Rex Brown (Pantera, Down, Rebel Meets Rebel)
•    Baron Browne (Jean-Luc Ponty, Billy Cobham, Vital Information)
•    Jack Bruce (Cream)
•    Bunny Brunel (CAB)
•    Francis Buchholz (Scorpions)
•    Adam von Buhler (Anarchy Club)
•    Nicholas Bullen (Napalm Death)
•    Chris Brubeck (Jazz)
•    Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers)
•    Ian Burden (The Human League)
•    Hunter Burgan (AFI)     •    Mike Burkett (Nofx)
•    J.J. Burnel (The Stranglers)
•    Boz Burrell (King Crimson, Bad Company)
•    Heinz Burt (The Tornados)
•    Cliff Burton (Metallica)
•    Neil Busch (…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead)
•    Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne)
•    Tim Butler (The Psychedelic Furs, Love Spit Love)
•    Tony Butler (Big Country)

C
•    Chris Cain (We Are Scientists)
•    John Cale (The Velvet Underground)
•    Emperor Magus Caligula (Dark Funeral)
•    Juan Calleros (Maná)
•    Bernie Calvert (The Hollies)
•    Ben Campbell (Zed)
•    John Campbell (Lamb of God)
•    Richard Campbell (Dave Mason, Three Dog Night, America)
•    Tony Campos (Static-X)
•    Captain Sensible (The Damned)
•    Alain Caron (Uzeb)
•    Will Carruthers (The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Spacemen 3)
•    Ron Carter (Jazz)
•    Julian Casablancas
•    Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna)
•    Gerald Casale (Devo)
•    Ken Casey (Dropkick Murphys)
•    Martyn P. Casey (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Grinderman)
•    Louis Cennamo
•    Pete Cetera (Chicago)
•    Les Chadwick (Gerry & the Pacemakers)
•    Clive Chaman (Jeff Beck, Brian Auger)
•    Paul Chambers (Jazz)
•    Justin Chancellor (Tool)
•    Chas Chandler (The Animals)
•    Tim Chandler (Daniel Amos, The Swirling Eddies, The Choir)
•    Chris Chaney (The Panic Channel, Jane’s Addiction)
•    Jeremy Chatelain (Jets to Brazil, Helmet)
•    Stuart Chatwood (The Tea Party)
•    Chi Cheng (Deftones)
•    Sheila Chipperfield (Elastica)
•    Tony Choy (Atheist)
•    Johnny Christ (Avenged Sevenfold)
•    Greg Christian (Testament)
•    Sean Christians (Kamelot)
•    Bill Church (Montrose, Van Morrison, Sammy Hagar)
•    Dominic Cifarelli (Scars on Broadway)
•    Al Cisneros (Sleep, Om)
•    Annie Clark (The Polyphonic Spree, Bon iver)
•    Mark Clarke (Colosseum, Uriah Heep, Mountain)
•    Stanley Clarke (Jazz)
•    Les Claypool (Primus, Frog Brigade)
•    Adam Clayton (U2)
•    Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords)
•    Joey Clement (Selena Gomez & the Scene, Midwest Kings)
•    Annie Clements (Sugarland)
•    Rod Clements (Lindisfarne)
•    Jim Clench (April Wine, Bachman–Turner Overdrive)
•    Bud Cockrell (Pablo Cruise)
•    Tommy Cogbill
•    Bootsy Collins (James Brown, Parliament-Funkadelic)
•    Max Collins (Eve 6, The Sugi Tap)
•    Johnny Colt (The Black Crowes, Train)
•    Tim Commerford (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave)
•    Van Conner (Screaming Trees)
•    Stu Cook (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
•    John Cooper (Skillet)
•    Shaun Cooper (Straylight Run, Taking Back Sunday)
•    Glenn Cornick (Jethro Tull)
•    Andy Cousin (All About Eve, The Lucy Nation, The Mission)
•    Duncan Coutts (Our Lady Peace)
•    Billy Cox (Jimi Hendrix, Band of Gypsys, Charlie Daniels Band)
•    Mikey Craig (Culture Club)
•    Robbie Crane (Ratt, Vince Neil Band)
•    Evan Cranley (Broken Social Scene, Stars)
•    Jim Creeggan (Barenaked Ladies)
•    Chris Cross (Ultravox)
•    Juan Croucier (Dokken, Ratt)
•    Sheryl Crow
•    Justin Currie (Del Amitri)
•    Steve Currie (T. Rex)
•    André Cymone (Prince & the Revolution)
•    Holger Czukay (Can) D
•    Patrick Dahlheimer (Live)
•    Bob Daisley (Gary Moore)
•    Bobby Dall (Poison)
•    John Dalton (The Kinks)
•    George Daly (The Hangmen)
•    Mike Daly (Whiskeytown)
•    Paul D’Amour (Tool)
•    Sharlee D’Angelo (Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, Arch Enemy)
•    Traa Daniels (P.O.D.)
•    Rick Danko (The Band)
•    Mike D’Antonio (Killswitch Engage)
•    Mike Davenport (The Ataris, Versus the World)
•    Alan Davey (Hawkwind)
•    Stuart David (Belle & Sebastian, Looper)
•    Jeremy Davis (Paramore)
•    Michael Davis (MC5)
•    Richard Davis (Jazz)
•    John Deacon (Queen)
•    Kim Deal (Pixies, The Breeders)
•    Mike Dean (Corrosion of Conformity)
•    Chuck Deardorf (Jovino Santos-Neto)
•    Johan De Farfalla
•    Vance DeGeneres (The Cold)
•    Matt Deis (CKY, All That Remains)
•    Robert DeLeo (Stone Temple Pilots, Army of Anyone)
•    Tom DeLonge (Blink-182, Box Car Racer)
•    Joey DeMaio (Manowar)
•    Jay Demarcus (Rascal Flatts)
•    Michael Dempsey (The Cure, Associates)
•    Carlos Dengler (Interpol)
•    Rob Derhak (moe.)
•    John DeServio (Black Label Society)
•    David Desrosiers (Simple Plan)
•    Dr. Matt Destruction (The Hives)
•    Mark Deutrom (The Melvins)
•    James Dewar (Robin Trower)
•    Bill “The Buddha” Dickens
•    B. B. Dickerson (War)
•    Marty Dieckmeyer (Daniel Amos)
•    Steve Diggle (Buzzcocks)
•    Steve DiGiorgio (Death, Testament)
•    Allie DiMeco (the Naked Brothers Band)
•    Mike Dirnt (Green Day, Foxboro Hot Tubs)
•    Jerry Dixon (Warrant)
•    John Doe (X)
•    Chuck Domanico (Jazz)
•    Pat Donaldson (Fotheringay)
•    Lawrence Donegan (Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, The Bluebells)
•    Lee Dorman (Iron Butterfly)
•    Gail Ann Dorsey (David Bowie)
•    Chip Douglas (The Turtles, The Monkees)
•    Dave Dreiwitz (Ween, Instant Death)
•    Chris Dreja (The Yardbirds)
•    Uriah Duffy (Whitesnake, Lyrics Born, Christina Aguilera)
•    Chuck Dukowski (Black Flag)
•    Tom Dumont (No Doubt)
•    Dennis Dunaway (Alice Cooper)
•    Donald “Duck” Dunn (Booker T. & the M.G.’s, Blues Brothers)
•    Trevor Dunn (Mr Bungle, Fantômas)
•    David Dyson (Brainstorm, New Kids on the Block, Pieces of a Dream)

E
•    Robin “Graves” Eaglestone (Cradle of Filth)
•    Jimmy Earl (The Crusaders, Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea)
•    Nathan East (Eric Clapton, Fourplay)
•    Kai Eckhardt (Garaj Mahal)
•    Leif Edling (Krux)
•    Bernard Edwards (Chic)
•    John ‘Rhino’ Edwards (Status Quo)
•    Richie Edwards (The Darkness)
•    Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree)
•    Mark Egan (Jazz)
•    Steinar Eikum (TNT)
•    David Ellefson (Megadeth, Avian)
•    Atom Ellis (Psychefunkapus, Dieselhed)
•    Ben Ely (Regurgitator)
•    Shane Embury (Napalm Death)
•    Colin Emerle (Echo Orbiter)
•    John Entwistle (The Who)
•    Howie Epstein (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
•    Lennart Eriksson (Ebba Grön)
•    Chris Eskola
•    Roy Estrada (Mothers of Invention)
•    Dani Evans (Alestorm)
•    Ean Evans (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
•    Mark Evans (AC/DC)
•    Tom Evans (Badfinger)
•    Jason Everman (Soundgarden, Nirvana)
•    Tobias Exxel (Edguy)

F
•    John Fahnestock (Tons, Amen)
•    Bob Fairfoull (Idlewild)
•    Falco (Drahdiwaberl)
•    Pete Farndon (The Pretenders)
•    Sam Farrar (Phantom Planet)
•    Nick Feldman (Wang Chung)
•    Tracy Ferrie (Stryper)
•    Jim Fielder (Buffalo Springfield, Blood, Sweat & Tears)
•    Ric Fierabracci (Chick Corea, Frank Gambale, Yanni)
•    Richard Finch (KC and the Sunshine Band)
•    John Norwood Fisher (Fishbone)
•    Klaus Flouride (Dead Kennedys)
•    Herbie Flowers (T. Rex, David Bowie, Lou Reed)
•    Ben Folds (Majosha)
•    John Ford (Strawbs, The Monks)
•    Maya Ford (The Donnas)
•    Scott Ford (Twilight Singers, Gutter Twins, Camp Freddy)
•    Tim Foreman (Switchfoot)
•    Rayna Foss (Coal Chamber)
•    Mo Foster (Phil Collins, Jeff Beck)
•    Pops Foster (Jazz)
•    Murray Foster (Great Big Sea, Moxy Früvous)
•    Tom Fowler (Frank Zappa)
•    Jackie Fox (The Runaways)
•    Bruce Foxton (The Jam, Stiff Little Fingers)
•    Nikolai Fraiture (The Strokes)
•    Andy Fraser (Free, Sharks)
•    Matt Freeman (Rancid, Operation Ivy)
•    Misia Furtak (Très.b)
•    Nick Fyffe (Jamiroquai)

G
•    Tim Gaines (Stryper, SinDizzy)
•    Noel Gallagher (Oasis)
•    Simon Gallup (The Cure)
•    Craig Gannon (Aztec Camera, The Bluebells, The Smiths)
•    Greg Garbowsky (Jonas Brothers)
•    Juan Garcia-Herreros
•    Roberto García (WarCry)
•    Paul Gardiner (Tubeway Army, Gary Numan)
•    Chuck Garric (Alice Cooper)
•    Jimmy Garrison (Jazz)
•    Matthew Garrison
•    Rosko Gee (Can, Traffic)
•    Maurice Gibb (Bee Gees)
•    Derek Gibbs (The Forces of Evil, Reel Big Fish)
•    Melvin Gibbs (Rollins Band)
•    John Giblin (Phil Collins)
•    Brian Gibson (Lightning Bolt)
•    Christian Giesler (Kreator)
•    Peter Gifford (Midnight Oil)
•    Kristoffer Gildenlöw (Dial, Pain of Salvation)
•    Chad I Ginsburg (CKY)
•    Joe Gittleman (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones)
•    John Glascock (Jethro Tull)
•    Dann Glenn
•    Roger Glover (Deep Purple, Rainbow)
•    Eddie Gomez (Jazz)
•    Rodrigo González (Die Ärzte)
•    Jimi Goodwin (Doves)
•    Bruce Gordon (I Mother Earth)
•    Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth)
•    Martin Gordon (Sparks, Radio Stars, Jet, John’s Children)
•    Mike Gordon (Phish)
•    Billy Gould (Faith No More)
•    Graham Gouldman (10cc)
•    Larry Graham (Sly and the Family Stone, Graham Central Station)
•    Paul Gray (Eddie and the Hot Rods, The Damned, UFO)
•    Paul Gray (Slipknot)
•    Ric Grech (Family)
•    Karl Green (Herman’s Hermits)
•    Colin Greenwood (Radiohead
•    Billy Greer (Kansas)
•    Randy Gregg (Lauren Harris Band)
•    Paolo Gregoletto (Trivium)
•    Mark Griffiths (The Shadows, Hank Marvin)
•    Nigel Griggs (Split Enz)
•    Henry Grimes (Jazz)
•    Johnny Griparic (Slash’s Snakepit)
•    Markus Grosskopf (Helloween)
•    Richard Grossman (Divinyls, Hoodoo Gurus)
•    Kelly Groucutt (Electric Light Orchestra)
•    Patrice Guers (Rhapsody of Fire)
•    Abel Guier (Gandhi)
•    Trey Gunn (King Crimson)
•    Jeremy Guns (Brides of Destruction)
•    Steve Gustafson (10,000 Maniacs)

H
•    Mikey Hachey (Suburban Legends)
•    Kenny Håkansson (The Hellacopters)
•    Paige Haley (Orgy)
•    Bruce Hall (REO Speedwagon)
•    Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith)
•    Stuart Hamm (Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Frank Gambale)
•    Didz Hammond (The Cooper Temple Clause, Dirty Pretty Things)
•    Fred Hammond (Commissioned)
•    Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond (Jethro Tull)
•    Steve Hanley (The Fall, The Lovers)
•    Timi Hansen (King Diamond, Mercyful Fate)
•    Steve Hansgen (Minor Threat)
•    Robert Hardy (Franz Ferdinand)
•    Nick Harmer (Death Cab for Cutie)
•    Tim Harries (Steeleye Span)
•    Jet Harris (The Shadows)
•    Steve Harris (Iron Maiden)
•    Nigel Harrison (Blondie)
•    Douglas Hart (The Jesus and Mary Chain)
•    Jimmy Haslip (Yellowjackets, Gino Vannelli)
•    John Hassall (The Libertines)
•    “Evil” Jared Hasselhoff (Bloodhound Gang)
•    Michel Hatzigeorgiou (Aka Moon)
•    Robin Hawkins (The Automatic)
•    Charlie Haden (Jazz)
•    Stuart Hamm (Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai)
•    David Hayes
•    Daryl Hayott
•    Heath (X Japan)
•    Brian Helicopter (The Shapes)
•    Richard Hell (The Voidoids)
•    Jonas Hellborg (Bill Laswell, Shawn Lane, Buckethead)
•    Svante Henryson (Yngwie Malmsteen)
•    Mike Herrera (MxPx)
•    Marco Hietala (Nightwish, Tarot, Sinergy)
•    Dusty Hill (ZZ Top)     •    Ian Hill (Judas Priest)
•    Bones Hillman (Midnight Oil)
•    Chris Hillman (The Byrds)
•    Mike Hindert (The Bravery)
•    Taka Hirose (Feeder)
•    Derrick Hodge
•    Devin Hoff (Good for Cows)
•    Annie Holland (Elastica)
•    Dave Holland (Jazz)
•    Matt Hollywood (The Brian Jonestown Massacre)
•    Peter Hook (New Order, Monaco, Joy Division)
•    Dave Hope (Kansas)
•    Hugh Hopper (Soft Machine)
•    Mark Hoppus (Blink-182, +44)
•    Vinnie Hornsby (Sevendust)
•    Brad Houser (Edie Brickell and New Bohemians)
•    Hub (The Roots)
•    Mike Huckabee (Capitol Offense)
•    Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Trapeze, Black Sabbath)
•    Jimmy Hughes (The Banned, Cowboys International)
•    Peter Hume (Evermore)
•    David Hungate (Toto)
•    Darryl Hunt (The Pogues)
•    Carl Hunter (The Farm)

I
•    Mark Ibold (Pavement)
•    John Illsley (Dire Straits)
•    Michael Inez (Alice in Chains, Ozzy Osbourne)
•    Ricardo Iorio (V8, Hermética, Almafuerte)
•    Jeff Irwin (Griffin House, Cerys Matthews, Mat Kearney, Eliot Morris)
•    Fredrik Isaksson (Grave, Therion)
•    Marvin Isley (The Isley Brothers)
•    Chuck Israels (Jazz)
•    Chris Ivanovich (My Sister’s Machine)
•    Michael Ivins (The Flaming Lips)
•    Anders Iwers (Tiamat, Cemetary)
•    Peter Iwers (In Flames) J
•    J (Luna Sea)
•    David J (Bauhaus)
•    Adrian Jackson (My Dying Bride)
•    Anthony Jackson (Chick Corea, Chaka Khan, O’Jays, Quincy Jones)
•    Eddie Jackson (Queensrÿche)
•    Jermaine Jackson (Jackson 5)
•    Anthony Jackson (Jazz)
•    Lee Jackson (The Nice)
•    Randy Jackson (The Jacksons)
•    Marcel Jacob (Europe, Talisman)
•    James Jamerson (Funk Brothers)
•    Alex James (Blur)
•    Jason James
•    Rick James
•    Tony James (Generation X, Sigue Sigue Sputnik)
•    Alvaro Jardón (Darna, WarCry)
•    Steve Jay (“Weird Al” Yankovic)
•    Jerry Jemmott
•    Darryl Jenifer (Bad Brains)
•    Neely Jenkins (Tilly and the Wall, Park Ave.)
•    Joan Jett (The Runaways, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts)
•    Jiro (Glay, The Predators)
•    Chris Joannou (Silverchair)
•    Phil Joel (Newsboys)
•    Alphonso Johnson (Weather Report, Santana)
•    Gordon Johnson
•    Jimmy Johnson
•    Louis Johnson (Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Brothers Johnson)
•    Rick Johnson (Mustard Plug, Bomb the Music Industry!)
•    Bruce Johnston (Beach Boys)
•    James Johnston
•    Darryl Jones (The Rolling Stones)
•    John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin, Them Crooked Vultures)
•    Percy Jones (Brand X, Melon)
•    Richard Jones (The Feeling)
•    Richard Jones (Stereophonics)
•    Simon Jones (The Verve, The Shining)
•    Eric Judy (Modest Mouse)
•    Ju-ken (Gackt, Anna Tsuchiya, Vamps)
•    Larry Junstrom (Lynyrd Skynyrd, 38 Special)

K
•    John Kahn (Jerry Garcia Band)
•    Jari Kainulainen (Stratovarius)
•    Jim Kale (The Guess Who)
•    Kalma (Lordi)
•    Tony Kanal (No Doubt)
•    Arthur Kane (New York Dolls)
•    Mick Karn (Japan)
•    Junnosuke Kawaguchi (The Blue Hearts)
•    Carol Kaye (Beachboys, The Monkees)
•    Dylan Keefe (Marcy Playground)
•    Jesse F. Keeler (Death from Above)
•    Martin Kemp (Spandau Ballet)
•    Rick Kemp (Steeleye Span)
•    Ben Kenney (Incubus)
•    Clare Kenny (Amazulu, Indigo Girls)
•    Andy Kent (You Am I)
•    Steve Kilbey (The Church)
•    Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister (Motörhead)
•    Tad Kinchla (Blues Traveler)
•    James King (Jazz)
•    Mark King (Level 42)
•    Tim Kingsbury (Arcade Fire)
•    Karl Kippenberger (Shihad)
•    Cris Kirkwood (Meat Puppets)
•    Kisaki (Phantasmagoria)
•    Grutle Kjellson (Enslaved)
•    Mark James Klepaski (Breaking Benjamin, Lifer)
•    Steve Kmak (Disturbed)
•    Bob Knarley (Dread Zeppelin)
•    David Knights (Procol Harum)
•    Ivan Kral (Patti Smith)
•    Geoff Kresge (Tiger Army, AFI)
•    Greg Kriesel (The Offspring)
•    Bakithi Kumalo (Paul Simon)
•    Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian)
•    Adam Kury (Candlebox, Legs Diamond, The Kings Royal)
•    Alexander Kutikov (Mashina Vremeni)

L
•    Abraham Laboriel
•    Greg Lake (King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer)
•    Scott LaFaro
•    Rick Laird
•    Joe Lally (Fugazi, Ataxia)
•    Adrian Lambert (Biomechanical, DragonForce)
•    Alan Lancaster (Status Quo)
•    Dirk Lance (Incubus)
•    Tim Landers (Steve Smith, Vital Information)
•    Ronnie Lane (The Small Faces, Faces)
•    Steve Lang (April Wine, Mashmakhan)
•    Chad Larson (The Aquabats)
•    Dave LaRue (Dixie Dregs, Steve Morse Band)
•    Bill Laswell
•    Blackie Lawless (W.A.S.P., New York Dolls)
•    Jack Lawrence (The Greenhornes, Blanche, The Raconteurs)
•    Steve Lawson
•    Jimmy Lea (Slade)
•    Frédéric Leclercq (DragonForce)
•    Brett Lee (Six & Out)
•    Geddy Lee (Rush)
•    Sara Lee (The B-52’s, Gang of Four, Indigo Girls)
•    Will Lee (The CBS Orchestra)
•    Bill Leen (Gin Blossoms)
•    Russell Leetch (Editors)
•    Kelly LeMieux (Goldfinger)
•    Paz Lenchantin (A Perfect Circle, Zwan)
•    Martyn LeNoble (Thelonious Monster, Porno for Pyros, The Cult)
•    Matthew Leone (Madina Lake)
•    Michael Lepond (Symphony X)
•    Phil Lesh (The Grateful Dead)
•    Stefan Lessard (Dave Matthews Band)
•    John Levén (Europe, Brazen Abbot)
•    Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, Liquid Tension Experiment)
•    Daniel Vee Lewis (World Entertainment War)
•    Graham Lewis (Wire)
•    Mike Lewis (Lostprophets)
•    Steve “The Gangsta Rabbi” Lieberman
•    Dan Lilker (Anthrax, Stormtroopers of Death, Nuclear Assault)
•    Brian Locking (The Shadows, Marty Wilde)
•    John Lodge (The Moody Blues)
•    Joe Loeffler (Chevelle)
•    Danny Lohner (Nine Inch Nails)
•    Tony Lombardo (Descendents)
•    James Lomenzo (Megadeth, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society)
•    Peter London (Crashdïet)
•    Joe Long (The Four Seasons)
•    Alan Longmuir (Bay City Rollers)
•    Nick Lowe (Brinsley Schwarz, Rockpile)
•    Conrad Lozano (Los Lobos)
•    Matt Lukin (The Melvins, Mudhoney)
•    Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy)
•    Ken Lyons (38 Special, The Lemonheads)

M
•    Graham Maby (Joe Jackson, They Might Be Giants)
•    Bill MacCormick (Matching Mole)
•    James MacDonough (Iced Earth, Megadeth)
•    Ian MacKaye (Teen Idles)
•    Steve Mackey (Pulp)
•    Lawrie MacMillan (Stiltskin, Ray Wilson)
•    Mickey Madden (Maroon 5)
•    Matt Maginn (Cursive)
•    Tony Maimone (Pere Ubu, They Might Be Giants)
•    Dan Maines (Clutch)
•    Sean Malone (Cynic, Gordian Knot)
•    Olivier Manchion (Ulan Bator, Permanent Fatal Error)
•    Roger Manganelli (Less Than Jake)
•    Aimee Mann (Til Tuesday)
•    Michael Manring
•    Luís Mariutti (Shaaman, Angra)
•    Brian Marshall (Creed, Alter Bridge)
•    Jeremy Marshall (Cold)
•    Ryan Martinie (Mudvayne)
•    Nick Massi (The Four Seasons)
•    Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols)
•    Jeff Matz (High on Fire)
•    Joe B. Mauldin (The Crickets)
•    Chris Maurer (Suburban Legends)
•    John Maurer (Social Distortion)
•    Ricky Maymi (The Brian Jonestown Massacre)
•    Gerry McAvoy (Rory Gallagher)
•    Cecil McBee (Jazz)
•    Christian McBride (Jazz)
•    Paul McCartney (The Beatles, Wings)
•    Jason McCaslin (Sum 41)
•    Mark McClelland (Snow Patrol)
•    Andy McCluskey (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark)
•    Drew McConnell (Babyshambles)
•    Tim McCord (Evanescence)
•    Danny McCormack (The Wildhearts, The Yo-Yos)
•    Jeremy McCoy
•    Chris McCusker
•    Hugh McDonald (Bon Jovi)
•    Ron McGovney (Metallica)
•    Paul ‘Guigsy’ McGuigan (Oasis)
•    Tom McGuinness (Manfred Mann, McGuinness Flint)
•    Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver)
•    Allen McKenzie (FireHouse)
•    Ali McMordie (Stiff Little Fingers)
•    Dugan McNeill (Chameleon)
•    John McVie (Fleetwood Mac)
•    Michael Manring (Jazz)
•    Randy Meisner (The Eagles, Poco)
•    Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Beck)
•    Nate Mendel (Sunny Day Real Estate, Foo Fighters)
•    Martin Mendez (Opeth)
•    Marco Mendoza (Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake)
•    Mark Mendoza (Twisted Sister)
•    Buwi Meneses (Parokya ni Edgar)
•    Dave Meros (Spock’s Beard)
•    Robbie Merrill (Godsmack)
•    Johnny Lee Middleton (Savatage)
•    Marcus Miller (Jazz)
•    Mike Mills (R.E.M.)
•    Charles Mingus (Jazz)
•    Roger Miret (Agnostic Front, Madball)
•    Red Mitchell (Jazz)
•    Naoshi Mizuta (The Star Onions)
•    Gordon Moakes (Bloc Party)
•    Ole Moe (Immortal, Aura Noir)
•    A.J. Mogis (Criteria)
•    Billy Mohler (Jimmy Chamberlin Complex, The Calling)
•    John Mole (Colosseum II, Gary Moore)
•    John Monte (M.O.D., Mind Funk, Ministry)
•    Monk Montgomery (Jazz)
•    Craig Montoya (Everclear)
•    Alex Moore     •    R. Stevie Moore
•    Tom Morello (Street Sweeper Social Club)
•    Rockette Morton (Captain Beefheart, Mallard, Mark Boston)
•    Keith Moseley (The String Cheese Incident)
•    Peter Mosely (Inspection 12, Yellowcard)
•    Robin Moulder (TCR, Jack Off Jill)
•    Colin Moulding (XTC)
•    Gary Mounfield (The Stone Roses, Primal Scream)
•    John Moyer (Disturbed)
•    John Munson (Semisonic)
•    Chris Murphy (Sloan)
•    Dee Murray (Elton John)
•    George Murray (David Bowie)
•    John Myung (Dream Theater)

N
•    Samer el Nahhal (Lordi)
•    Johnette Napolitano (Concrete Blonde)
•    Me’shell Ndegeocello
•    Kim Nekroman (Nekromantix)
•    Billy Bass Nelson (Parliament-Funkadelic)
•    Gabe Nelson (Cake)
•    Jason Newsted (Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne)
•    Murdoc Niccals (Gorillaz)
•    Rob “Blasko” Nicholson (Rob Zombie, Ozzy Osbourne)
•    Kelly Nickels (L.A. Guns, Faster Pussycat)
•    Johan Niemann (Therion, Demonoid)
•    Prescott Niles (The Knack)
•    Greg Norton (Hüsker Dü)
•    Matt Noveskey (Blue October)
•    Krist Novoselic (Nirvana, Eyes Adrift)
•    Jonathan Noyce (Jethro Tull)

O
•    Berry Oakley (The Allman Brothers Band)
•    Marty O’Brien (We Are the Fallen)
•    Brian “Big Hands” O’Conner (Eagles of Death Metal)
•    Shavo Odadjian (System of a Down)
•    Bernard Odum (James Brown)
•    Tetsuya Ogawa (L’Arc-en-Ciel, Tetsu69)
•    Patrick O’Hearn (Frank Zappa)
•    Mike Oldfield
•    Nick Oliveri (Kyuss, The Dwarves, Queens of the Stone Age)
•    Stefan Olsdal (Placebo)
•    Peter Olsson (Europe)
•    Nick O’Malley (Arctic Monkeys)
•    Jerry Only (The Misfits)
•    Cait O’Riordan (The Pogues)
•    Benjamin Orr (The Cars)
•    Jackie Orszaczky
•    Joe Osborn
•    Franc O’Shea
•    Mat Osman (Suede)
•    Mark Owen (Take That)
•    Scott Owen (The Living End)

P
•    Mikko Paananen (HIM)
•    Sascha Paeth (Luca Turilli’s Dreamquest)
•    Richard Page (Mr. Mister)
•    Walter Page (Jazz)
•    Pino Palladino (John Mayer Trio, The Who)
•    Bruce Palmer (Buffalo Springfield)
•    Dave “Yorkie” Palmer (Space)
•    Chuck Panozzo (Styx)
•    Horace Panter (The Specials, General Public)
•    Felix Pappalardi (Mountain)
•    Dave Parsons (Bush, The Partisans, Transvision Vamp)
•    Drew Parsons (American Hi-Fi)
•    Jaco Pastorius (Pat Metheny, Weather Report, Joni Mitchell)
•    John Patitucci (Chick Corea)
•    David Paton (Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project)
•    Roger Patterson (Atheist)
•    Joe Payne (Divine Heresy)
•    Gary Peacock (Jazz)
•    Jeff Pearce (Moist, David Usher)
•    Justin Pearson (The Locust, Some Girls, Head Wound City)
•    Bojan Pečar (EKV)
•    Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (Jazz)
•    Share Pedersen (Vixen)
•    Dave Pegg (Jethro Tull)
•    Wendy Penney (Bermuda Triangle Band)
•    Jesse Peretz (The Lemonheads)
•    Tom Petersson (Cheap Trick)
•    Oscar Pettiford (Jazz)
•    Mauro Pezzente (Godspeed You! Black Emperor)
•    Kristen Pfaff (Janitor Joe, Hole, Palm)
•    Pig Benis (Mushroomhead)
•    Jeff Pilson (Dokken, Foreigner)
•    Jeff Pinkus (Butthole Surfers)
•    Doug Pinnick (King’s X)
•    Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. (Sepultura)
•    Brian Pittman (Relient K, Inhale Exhale)
•    P-Nut (311)     •    Pekka Pohjola (Wigwam)
•    Robert “Pops” Popwell     •    Mike Porcaro (Toto)
•    Lauri Porra (Stratovarius)
•    Tiran Porter (The Doobie Brothers)
•    Frankie Poullain (The Darkness)
•    Millard Powers (Majosha, Counting Crows)
•    Dougie Poynter (McFly)
•    Guy Pratt (Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, Roxy Music)
•    Pino Presti (Mina, Shirley Bassey, Gerry Mulligan, Astor Piazzolla)
•    Francis “Rocco” Prestia (Tower of Power)
•    Joe Preston (Sunn O))), Thrones, High on Fire, The Melvins)
•    Steve Priest (Sweet)
•    Joe Principe (Rise Against)
•    Joe Puerta (Ambrosia, Bruce Hornsby and the Range)
•    Dave “Herr Pubis” Pybus (Cradle of Filth, Anathema)
•    Howie Pyro (D Generation, Danzig)

Q
•    Peter Quaife (The Kinks)
•    Suzi Quatro
•    Nate Query (The Decemberists)
•    Jesse Quin (Keane)
•    Mick Quinn (Supergrass)

R
•    Carl Radle (Eric Clapton)
•    Will Rahmer (Mortician)
•    Chuck Rainey Steely Dan)
•    C.J. Ramone (The Ramones)
•    Dee Dee Ramone (The Ramones)
•    Jimmie Randall (Jo Jo Gunne)
•    Paul Raven (Killing Joke, Prong, Ministry)
•    Brian Ray (Paul McCartney)
•    Noel Redding (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
•    Zoran Redžić (Bijelo dugme)
•    Scott Reeder (Kyuss, Unida)
•    Keanu Reeves (Dogstar)
•    Tony Reeves (Colosseum, Greenslade)
•    Rufus Reid (Jazz)
•    Jonas Renkse (Bloodbath)
•    Deon Rexroat (Anberlin)
•    Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails)
•    Tim Rice-Oxley (Keane)
•    John Rich
•    Jim Richardson (If)
•    Greg Ridley (Humble Pie, Spooky Tooth)
•    Oliver Riedel (Rammstein)
•    Brian Ritchie (Violent Femmes)
•    Sam Rivers (Limp Bizkit)
•    Simon Rix (Kaiser Chiefs)
•    Dan Roberts (Crash Test Dummies)
•    Johnny Rod (W.A.S.P., King Kobra)
•    Steve Rodby (Pat Metheny)
•    Jim Rodford (Argent, The Kinks)
•    Omar Rodríguez-López (DeFacto)
•    Kira Roessler (Black Flag)
•    Kenny Rogers (The First Edition)
•    Marc Rogers (Philosopher Kings)
•    Leaton Rose (The Hot Lies, I Killed the Prom Queen)
•    Magnus Rosén (HammerFall)
•    Lars Rosenberg (Carbonized, Entombed, Serpent)
•    Chris Ross (Wolfmother)
•    John Rostill (The Shadows)
•    Andy Rourke (The Smiths)
•    Demis Roussos (Aphrodite’s Child)
•    Robb Royer (Bread)
•    Mike Rutherford (Genesis)
•    Kevin Rutmanis (The Cows, The Melvins, Tomahawk)

S
•    Michael Steele, formerly of the Bangles
•    Jeanne Sagan (The Acacia Strain, All That Remains)
•    Tetsuo Sakurai (Casiopea)
•    Tobias Sammet (Edguy, Avantasia)
•    Ian Samwell (The Drifters)
•    Paul Samwell-Smith (The Yardbirds)
•    Troy Sanders (Mastodon (band))
•    Mark Sandman (Morphine)
•    Max Santos (Aventura)
•    Gabe Saporta (Midtown)
•    Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Ozzy Osbourne, Dio)
•    John Baker Saunders (Mad Season)
•    Brad Savage (Band from TV)
•    Rick Savage (Def Leppard)
•    Taiji Sawada (X Japan)
•    Patrick Scales (Klaus Doldinger, Pee Wee Ellis, Chuck Loeb)
•    Tony Scalzo (Fastball)
•    Reggie Scanlan (The Radiators)
•    Mel Schacher (Grand Funk Railroad)
•    Jason Scheff (Chicago)
•    Jerry Scheff (Elvis Presley)
•    Richard Scheufler
•    Don Schiff
•    Dirk Schlächter (Gamma Ray)
•    Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne, Ivy, Tinted Windows)
•    Dan Schmid (Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, Black Francis)
•    Timothy B. Schmit (Eagles, Poco)
•    Dave Schools (Widespread Panic)
•    Jaye R. Schwarzer (Cancer Bats)
•    Derf Scratch (Fear)
•    Karl E. H. Seigfried
•    Thomas Seltzer (Turbonegro)
•    Henkka Seppälä (Children of Bodom)
•    Steve Severin (Siouxsie and the Banshees)
•    Carlo Von Sexron (Queens of the Stone Age, Mondo Generator)
•    Nick Seymour (Crowded House)
•    Tommy Shannon (Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Winter, Storyville)
•    Matt Sharp (Weezer, The Rentals)
•    Snowy Shaw (Dimmu Borgir)
•    Billy Sheehan (Niacin, Mr. Big, Steve Vai, Talas, David Lee Roth)
•    Ben Shepherd (Soundgarden)
•    Andrew Shives (Fear Factory)
•    Natasha Shneider (Eleven)
•    Scott Shriner (Weezer)
•    Ray Shulman (Gentle Giant)
•    Michael Shuman (Queens of the Stone Age)
•    Azharlevi Sianturi (Kekal)
•    Gene Simmons (Kiss)
•    Paul Simonon (The Clash, The Good, the Bad and the Queen)
•    Richard Sinclair (Caravan)
•    Ryan Sinn (Angels & Airwaves)
•    Ken Sinnaeve (Streetheart, Tom Cochrane, Red Rider, Loverboy)
•    Nikki Sixx (Mötley Crüe, Brides of Destruction, Sixx:A.M.)
•    Muzz Skillings (Living Colour)
•    Leland Sklar (James Taylor, Phil Collins)
•    Tim Sköld (Marilyn Manson, KMFDM)
•    Captain Sky
•    Spike Slawson (Swingin’ Utters)
•    Robert Sledge (Ben Folds Five)
•    Phil Small (Cold Chisel)
•    Derek Smalls (Spinal Tap)
•    Curt Smith (Tears for Fears)
•    Fred Smith (Blondie, Television)
•    Scott Smith (Loverboy)
•    Zach Smith (Pinback)
•    Bryce Soderberg (Lifehouse)
•    Scott Sorry (Brides of Destruction, The Wildhearts)
•    Ville Sorvali (Moonsorrow)
•    Esperanza Spalding (Radio Music Society)
•    Phil Spalding (Toyah, GTR, Mike Oldfield)
•    Joey Spampinato (NRBQ)
•    Barry Sparks (Dokken)
•    Mark Spicoluk (Avril Lavigne)
•    John Spiker (Filter)
•    Chris Squire (Yes)
•    Adam Stanger (Comes with the Fall)
•    Mike Starr (Alice in Chains)
•    David Steele (The Beat, Fine Young Cannibals)
•    Jeffrey Steele (Boy Howdy)
•    Michael Steele (The Bangles)
•    Peter Steele (Carnivore, Type O Negative)
•    Sebastian Steinberg (Soul Coughing)
•    Kai Stephens (Hard Fi)
•    Tony Stevens (Foghat, Savoy Brown)
•    Brad Stewart (Fuel)
•    Dale Stewart (Seether)
•    Sting (The Police)
•    Tommy Stinson (The Replacements, Guns N’ Roses)
•    Mark Stoermer (The Killers)
•    Gary Stonadge (Big Audio Dynamite)
•    Björn Strid (Terror 2000)
•    Jesper Strömblad (Dimension Zero)
•    Byron Stroud (Fear Factory, Strapping Young Lad, Zimmers Hole)
•    Dana Strum (Slaughter, Vinnie Vincent Invasion)
•    Hamish Stuart (Average White Band, Paul McCartney)
•    Neil Stubenhaus (Barbra Streisand, Quincy Jones)
•    Alex Suarez Cobra Starship, This is Ivy League)
•    Alec John Such (Bon Jovi)
•    Kasim Sulton (Utopia, Meat Loaf, Joan Jett, The New Cars)
•    Stuart Sutcliffe (The Beatles)
•    Magnus Sveningsson (The Cardigans)
•    Steve Swallow (Jazz)
•    Dan Swanö (Pan.Thy.Monium)
•    Leon Sylvers III (Sylvers, Dynasty)
•    Jack Syperek (The Trews)

T
•    Robby Takac (The Goo Goo Dolls)
•    Billy Talbot (Crazy Horse)
•    Garry Tallent (The E Street Band)
•    Janis Tanaka (L7)
•    Pepsi Tate (Tigertailz)
•    John Taylor (Duran Duran, Power Station, Neurotic Outsiders)
•    Kavyen Temperley (Eskimo Joe)
•    Robert Tench (Gass)
•    Jay Terrien
•    Gary Thain (Keef Hartley, Uriah Heep)
•    Jeroen Paul Thesseling (Obscura, Pestilence)
•    Bruce Thomas (The Attractions)
•    Paul Thomas (Good Charlotte)
•    Danny Thompson (Pentangle, Richard Thompson)
•    Dougie Thomson (Supertramp)
•    Phil Thornalley (The Cure, Johnny Hates Jazz)
•    Scott Thunes (Frank Zappa, Steve Vai)
•    Gary Tibbs (Roxy Music, Adam and the Ants, Hazel O’Connor)
•    Jan Erik Tiwaz (Borknagar)
•    Ken Tizzard (The Watchmen)
•    Michael Todd (Coheed and Cambria)
•    Peter Tork (The Monkees)
•    Toshiya (Dir En Grey)
•    Sisely Treasure (Shiny Toy Guns)
•    Iracema Trevisan (Cansei de Ser Sexy)
•    Pete Trewavas (Marillion)
•    Derrick Tribbett (Dope)
•    Robert Trujillo (Suicidal Tendencies, Black Label Society, Metallica)
•    Fred Turner (Bachman–Turner Overdrive)
•    Martin Turner (Wishbone Ash)

U
•    Takeshi Ueda (The Mad Capsule Markets)
•    Futoshi Uehara (Maximum the Hormone)
•    Chad Urmston (Dispatch)

V
•    Kathy Valentine (The Go-Go’s)
•    Ross Valory (Journey, Steve Miller Band)
•    Wolfgang Van Halen (Van Halen)
•    Larry Van Kriedt (AC/DC)
•    Sami Vänskä (Nightwish)
•    Steve Vantsis (Fish)
•    Ken Vasoli (The Starting Line)
•    Jeroen van Veen (Within Temptation)
•    Sergio Vega (Deftones)

•    Morten Veland (Sirenia)
•    D.D. Verni (Overkill)
•    Sid Vicious (Sex Pistols)
•    Varg “Count Grishnackh” Vikernes (Burzum, Mayhem)
•    Rico Villasenor (downset.)
•    David Vincent (Morbid Angel)
•    Leroy Vinnegar (Jazz)
•    Miroslav Vitous (Jazz)
•    Phil Volk (Paul Revere and the Raiders)
•    Eerie Von (Samhain, Danzig)
•    Klaus Voormann (Manfred Mann, Plastic Ono Band)
•    ICS Vortex (Dimmu Borgir)

W
•    Matt Wachter (30 Seconds to Mars, Angels and Airwaves)
•    Andreas Wallan Wahl (Therion, Serpent)
•    Greg T. Walker (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blackfoot)
•    Jeffrey Walker (Carcass)
•    Jon Walker (Panic! at the Disco, The Young Veins)
•    Scott Walker (The Walker Brothers)
•    Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69)
•    Tim Ward (The Fall of Troy)
•    John Warne (Relient K, Guerilla Rodeo)
•    Andy Warren (The Monochrome Set)
•    Jared Warren (Karp, Big Business, The Melvins)
•    Rob Wasserman (Jazz)
•    Roger Waters (Pink Floyd)
•    Mike Watt (The Minutemen, Firehose, The Stooges)
•    Norman Watt-Roy (The Blockheads)
•    Nathan Watts (Stevie Wonder)
•    Peter Watts (Mott the Hoople)
•    Mikey Way (My Chemical Romance)
•    Alex Webster (Cannibal Corpse)
•    Willie Weeks (Stevie Wonder, George Harrison, Eric Clapton)
•    Danny Weinkauf (They Might Be Giants)
•    Andrew Weiss (Ween, Gone, Rollins Band, Regressive Aid)
•    Mikey Welsh (Weezer)
•    Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy)
•    Uwe Wessel (Gamma Ray)
•    Bob Weston (Shellac)
•    John Wetton (Asia, King Crimson)
•    Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads)
•    Chris White (The Zombies)
•    Jeordie White (Marilyn Manson, A Perfect Circle, Nine Inch Nails)
•    Verdine White (Earth, Wind & Fire)
•    Nick Wiggins (Aiden)
•    Tal Wilkenfeld (Jeff Beck)
•    Leon Wilkeson (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
•    Buster Williams  (Jazz)
•    Cliff Williams (AC/DC)
•    Hank Williams III (Superjoint Ritual)
•    Leo Williams (Big Audio Dynamite, Dreadzone, Carbon/Silicon)
•    Trevor Williams (Audience, Jonathan Kelly’s Outside)
•    Gary Willis (Tribal Tech)
•    Matt Willis (Busted)
•    Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys)
•    Eric Wilson (Sublime, Long Beach Dub Allstars)
•    Liam Wilson (The Dillinger Escape Plan)
•    Mark Wilson (Jet)
•    Paul Wilson (Snow Patrol)
•    Doug Wimbish (Sugarhill Gang, Living Colour, Joe Satriani)
•    Kip Winger (Alice Cooper, Winger)
•    Muff Winwood (Spencer Davis Group)
•    Nicky Wire (Manic Street Preachers)
•    Jason Wisdom (Becoming the Archetype)
•    Jah Wobble (Public Image Limited)
•    Tom “T-Bone” Wolk (Hall & Oates, Billy Joel, Carly Simon)
•    Chris Wolstenholme (Muse)
•    Matt Wong (Reel Big Fish)
•    Steve Wong (Beyond)
•    Chris Wood (Medeski, Martin and Wood)
•    Craig Wood (Avril Lavigne, Gob)
•    Stuart John Wood (Bay City Rollers)
•    Allen Woody (Allman Brothers Band, Gov’t Mule)
•    Victor Wooten (Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Vital Tech Tones)
•    Reggie Workman  (Jazz)
•    D’Arcy Wretzky (The Smashing Pumpkins)
•    Chuck Wright (Giuffria, Quiet Riot, House of Lords)
•    Eugene Wright (Jazz)
•    Rob Wright (Nomeansno)
•    Tomasz “Orion” Wróblewski (Behemoth)
•    Bill Wyman (The Rolling Stones)

Y
•    Sami Yaffa (Hanoi Rocks, New York Dolls, Murphy’s Law)
•    Brian Yale (Matchbox Twenty)
•    Takahiro Yamada (Asian Kung-Fu Generation)
•    Hiro Yamamoto (Soundgarden, Truly)
•    Tetsu Yamauchi (Free, Faces)
•    Adam Yauch (Beastie Boys)
•    Thom Yorke (Radiohead, Atoms for Peace)
•    Jasmine You (Versailles)
•    Sean Yseult (White Zombie)
•    Doug Yule (The Velvet Underground)

Z
•    David Z (Trans-Siberian Orchestra)
•    Buddy Zabala (The Eraserheads, The Dawn, Cambio)
•    Stuart Zender (Jamiroquai)
•    Regina Zernay (Cowboy Mouth)

As was said earlier, the above list is incomplete. So, if I left out someone you think should be on this list, don’t hesitate to let me know.

’til next time, have some double-electric-bass playing fun… I’ll be listening!

www.12tonemusic.com/bass

Interview with 8-String Bass Pioneer Igor Saavedra – by Mike Overly

Here is Igor Saavedra on the cover of the 2014 Volume 29 Number 3 edition of Guitar Digest magazine which features the following Mike Overly interview ~ Enjoy!

Born and raised in Chile, Igor Saavedra is considered one of the world’s most innovative and influential bassists and an absolute virtuosic Master of the Extended Range Bass. He has performed solo concerts and master classes around the world and has the honor of being the first South American bassist to be featured at Bass Player Live. Igor has been in almost all of the great bass magazines including: Bass Player, Bass Musician and Bass Guitar. He has also been seen and heard on TV and Radio, including a CNN interview. He is officially sponsored by some of the worlds most prestigious music and bass brands, including: Phil Jones Bass Amps, Prat Basses, La Bella Strings and Wittner Metronomes. Igor is currently writing, teaching, and performing. See what he’s up to at: http://www.bajoigorsaavedra.cl/

Mike Overly: Ancient Babylonians had bass-guitar-like instruments, and ever since then the bass has been evolving from acoustic to electric to electronic. Share with us your understanding of this evolution and the music it has inspired you to play.

Igor Saavedra: This is true. In my opinion, the first bass instrument was the human voice. Sung by some tall and skinny Earthling from one hundred thousand years ago who was able to sing very low sounds rhythmically. Then later, instruments were created to accomplish something similar. I think the vibrations of low bass frequencies carry much more energy than higher frequencies. Lower frequencies make us physically vibrate, they move our guts, our chest, our hair and even our skin. I feel that the low bass frequencies are connected with the physical aspects of our being much more than the higher ethereal frequencies. I’m quite sure these are some of the reasons why I love and am attracted to the bass. I truly feel it resonates from within me.

MO: We all begin by imitating, to put it simply, do you remember a time when you moved from imitation to influence?

IS: Imitating is the first impulse of anybody who is attracted to someone’s performance. Imitation has something to do with self-confidence and matureness. The less mature the observer is, the more imitation will be triggered. In contrast, influence is the elixir extracted from the initial imitation process. In other words, we can go directly from experiencing the phenomenon to extracting an influence from it. The sadness of all this is when somebody doesn’t realize he’s imitating and remains doing so for the rest of his life. He leaves his own evolution and creativity undeveloped. That being said, I really don’t recall any moment of my ongoing evolution as a music student where I imitated somebody. I think that one of the things that helped prevented me from doing so was the fact that I started music so late in life.

MO: I am sure our readers would like to know when you started playing bass, was it your first instrument, and was learning to play it difficult for you?

IS: It was definitely my first instrument, and as I said, I started playing late in life. Many people think I’m joking when I tell them I grabbed a bass for the first time when I was 22 years old. In fact before that great day, music was not part of my life at all. I was in 5th grade studying to become a PE teacher and I was already a Kung-Fu instructor planning to do higher degrees in China at that time. For some unknown reason, mostly considering that I’ve always been a self-taught musician, learning the instrument was really easy for me. There was a deep connection from the very first day which remains strong to this day. There were many reasons which lead me to be a self-taught musician. Of course that doesn’t mean that I thought there was no one who had something to teach me. It’s just that it didn’t happen. Luckily, due to my Martial Arts and sports background, I was very self-disciplined which, in my opinion, is the main requirement for any musician, whether self-taught or not.

MO: Having grown up in Chile, we wonder if “blues” has any influence on your music, or, do you feel that it is just an American element?

IS: The world has gotten much smaller since I was starting to play bass. In South America we listen to blues as much as we listen to our own music. So yes, blues influences our music.

MO: Share with us your feelings toward maintaining cohesion among players in a band, and by extension, in business relations.

IS: The answer to this question could be very long, so, I’ll go straight to the point. I think the most important aspects in a group environment; no matter if it’s related with a music band, a football team, a husband-wife relation or a business partnership; is ethics and morals. Having a strong sense of responsibility is without a doubt the main value a musician has to have in order to be able to relate effectively with other human beings.

MO: Do you teach bass either one-on-one, or online, and if so, what motivates the topic of your lessons?

IS: Yes I do. I teach private and online lessons. The main topic of my lessons is to have the student understand what Bass is about, what its essence is, and what skills the student needs to develop in order to be a great bassist. I tailor the lessons accordingly to the students ability and interest and I always center my attention on developing rhythmic aspects first.

MO: Do you remember your first music or method book? If so, was it classical, jazz or music theory or something else?

IS: I remember The Evolving Bassist by Rufus Reid which is a jazz book. The Classical Double Bass book by Isaia Bille. And a great, basic music book written by Roger Evans called How to Read Music, which I think perfectly presents the language of music in a way that everyone can understand.

MO: When you’re at home, do you have a set practice schedule? Please offer some practice suggestions for the beginning and advancing bassist?

IS: I do practice a lot and I think I’ll always keep doing so. The way I practice has been changing through the years. I remember studying 17 hours a day for the first two years, then I started doing gigs and I didn’t have as much time to study. So, gradually I began to study less, but, I still practice a minimum of 4 hours every day on average. At the beginning I had a very tight practice schedule with every topic at its specific time. Now, I study what I need. I do it freely, as I feel it. It varies a lot from day to day and from time to time. I think every stage of the learning process has its own practice routine. I think the stage where I’m now needs different things to be learned and in different ways than at the beginning.

MO: What suggestions would you give a bassist on his quest for tone? For example, basses, strings, amps and processors.

IS: I’ve done the whole trip in relation to that! I’ve had so many instruments and so many amps and effect processors that I don’t even remember all of them. Eventually I came to the conclusion that I only needed a very simple set-up to achieve the sound I want. Just a bass with no knobs, no preamp, no pedals — just a power amp. That’s the way I feel I am able to achieve my very own sound. I’ve been playing like that for almost 15 years. I think that ideally every student has to take the full ride in order to arrive at a personal conclusion.

MO: Speak to us of your approach to the recording studio and share with us the percentage of preparedness in relation to improvisation. Contrast this to your approach to a live performance.

IS: It depends really on the gig. You have certain studio recordings where you are given a lot of freedom and others where you are not. The same happens in a live concert context when, depending on the music style or the musical project itself, you are going to be given a lot of freedom and space to improvise and in other situations you will have to stick to the arrangement exactly as it was written. If you ask me for my personal preference, I feel comfortable with a mix of 30% fixed and 70% improvisation.

MO: After all the accolades you have received, and incredible playing experiences you have had, what advice would you give beginning musicians playing the bass?

IS: I would just ask them why are they playing music and why are they playing the bass. In my opinion, the most important thing is to realize that the possibilities of becoming rich and famous are very slim in this field. However, if you do achieve that, you probably will have to give up a little bit and play commercial music. Also, if all you want to do is attract girls, then there are many activities that will get the same result: like sports, being a lawyer or things like that. Bottom line, I’d tell the beginning  bassist that it’s very important to find out if what they are doing is being done for the right reasons — not for reasons that they probably don’t even realize.

MO: Do you ever go to guitar/bass shows?

IS: I’m really lucky to have been invited to perform at almost all of the most important bass shows in the world and it has been great. I’ve been able to meet amazing people, truly amazing musicians, and have learned a lot from these experiences.

MO: What is your vision of music and technology in the future?

IS: In relation with my instrument, I said 15 years ago that the Bass and the Guitar were merging, that eventually they will be just one instrument that will be played either as a bass or as a guitar. This is happening right now! Every day we see basses with more strings, playing more chords and melodies. And at the same time, we see guitars with more strings added to the low register and playing more bass lines. In relation to technology, in the overall sense of the term, I think the biggest task is being able to identify when it becomes an end in itself. As far as I’m concerned, technology is a means to an end which is music and ultimately Art. I feel that the biggest problem of our time is the obscene excess of technology.

MO: Just for fun, if you were ever to record a collection of bass cover tunes, what songs would be included?

IS: That’s a great question! I think I would choose some tunes from the Pick Hits Live album by John Scofield, Face First by Tribal Tech, The Sun Don’t Lie by Marcus Miller and of course tunes from The Chick Corea Elektric Band and Weather Report.

MO: What are some of your upcoming projects?
IS: For the second part of 2014 I have a lot of activities. I’ll be playing at Summer NAMM 2014 in Nashville for my sponsors. Then I’m heading to Germany for the recording of my debut solo album and a performance at the Warwick Bass Camp. I also have upcoming concerts in Houston, Detroit, Shanghai, Colombia and Paraguay in the works.

MO: You are called the Pioneer of the 8-String Bass. Tell us more about this, for example, what led you to the extended range bass, who makes it, how is it tuned, etc.

IS: I am very happy that the bass community and the bass critics call me that. I take it with a lot of humbleness. Since 1999 I’ve dedicated my heart, my brain, and my soul to the playing and development of the 8 String Bass exclusively. My 8 String Bass is tuned from low to high F# B E A D G C F. The standard 4 string bass is right in the middle. I don’t go with an extra string below the 8th string F#= 23.125 Hz, because that is the last audible open string you can have if you want to keep the standard bass tuning in descending 4ths. One string lower would be a C# 17.32 Hz, and that is below the normal range of hearing. Regarding going higher, my 1st string is F=174.61Hz. The reasons for this is quite simple. I can play the sound of the 24th fret on a 4 string bass on the 5th fret of my 8-string bass where it is comfortable to play. Any string higher than my F string would have to be unwound and would lose the timbre of the bass sound. My 8 String basses are known everywhere as Octavius. Octavius 1.0 was made in 1999 by luthier Alfonso Iturra, then in 2006, Octavius 2.0 was made by luthier Claudio Gonzalez. Octavius 3.0, called the Igor Saavedra Signature RBHB, is made by the great Spanish luthier Oscar Prat and is now available to all.

MO: Anything else you would like to add?

IS: First of all I want to thank Mike Overly for making this interview possible. Mike is a GRAMMY® Nominated Music Educator and I fully endorse his Bass EncycloMedia which I think is really great! Secondly, I want to thank Guitar Digest for having me here and recognizing that the bass guitar is an important member of the guitar family. And finally, I would like to encourage young musicians to think of themselves as more than just rock stars and circus performers, gear owners and instrument collectors, but as Real Artists. Finding a bass player is quite easy, but finding a real bass artist within this music jungle is perhaps the hardest task — maybe even harder than finding a rose in the desert.

Here’s what Igor has to say about Bass EncycloMedia: “The depth of information and the author’s ability to find the best and most innovative ways to present the fundamental aspects of music surprised me. I found the use of scale degrees to symbolize sound on the fretboard to be a creative, realistic and direct approach that is of tremendous benefit. I highly recommend this fantastic educational tool to any one who wants to build a solid foundation of the melodic and harmonic aspects of the Bass.”

www.12tonemusic.com