Russ Sargeant – Bassist & Multi-Instrumentalist

Tutorial – Live looping bass with Ableton and Mobius

russ — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 21:07:40 +0000

Here is a video tutorial showing live looping, running clips in Ableton Live and syncing with the Mobius looping software from Circular Labs.

All in the Fingers?

russ — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 20:41:13 +0000

I started playing bass when I was 14. My dad bought me a used ‘no-name’ bass from the local thrift shop; a Fender Precision copy made from plywood with a big, shiny, and very noisy, single-coil pickup. Once I was experienced enough to know good tone from bad, it became apparent that this bass sounded pretty awful. Yet I successfully auditioned for a band with it when I was 16…

Read the full article here: http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2010/07/08/all-in-the-fingers/

Seeing Through Hearing

russ — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 20:38:52 +0000

I’m an ear player… By that I mean I’m good at hearing something and responding intuitively to it on my bass, without necessarily knowing exactly what I’m doing. This has been both advantageous AND a disability to me. Below I’ve listed some of the pros and cons of being this kind of a player. See if you identify with any of them. Hopefully I’m being open enough for you to do so.

Read the full article here: http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2010/06/21/seeing-through-hearing/

Because it’s there…

russ — Mon, 03 May 2010 22:05:05 +0000

Some thoughts about innovation on the bass and how we are perceived as players.

http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2010/05/03/because-it%E2%80%99s-there/

There is a great discussion on Facebook regarding this article here.

I’m a city boy!

russ — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 14:38:15 +0000

I can quite often be accused of being a loner. I do my own company very well… as illustrated right now by me taking myself off to Birmingham for a coffee and a wander in the sunshine. But if I weren’t around people and the buzz of the city, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. Sure, give me a holiday away from everything and everyone, where I can appreciate the beauty of rolling hills or a blue ocean… but by the end I’m hankering for the city life once more.

I’m off to New York at the start of June. It’s my favourite place to be on the planet. Now that says alot! Plus, other than meeting up with a few musical friends from Twitter (and hopefully doing some playing ) I have absolutely NO AGENDA – and that’s just the way I like it. I’ll probably spend the rest of the two weeks I’m there just wandering around the city, visiting some jazz bars and chilling out – I can’t think of anything better. I’m VERY much looking forward to the trip. Lord knows, I need it right now.

So there you have it, I’m a city boy, born and bred. What are you? And why? And where’s your favourite place to be? Love to hear…

Gear Review: Boss RC-20XL Loop Station

russ — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 00:07:41 +0000

Until recently, due to limited budget, I’ve been using the free software looping solution, Mobius. A couple of weeks ago I came across the Boss RC-20XL Phrase Recorder in my local music store… Read my full review on NoTreble.com :

http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2010/04/19/gear-review-boss-rc-20xl-loop-station/

The DistraXion Factor

russ — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 17:45:56 +0000

Why was this guy with the sax and the dancing cat toy attracting such a crowd in Birmingham today? Was it the quality of his playing over pre-recorded backing tracks? Was it the fact that he bobbed up and down and looked at his feet the whole time? Or was it that amongst the myriad of religious, political and sandwich-based snack vendors coming at you from all sides and plying their wares that this guy was a welcome and fun sideshow? He played Bob Marley’s ‘Everything’s Gonna Be Alright’ over and over for at least 15 minutes as I sat in Starbucks opposite but unlike the X Factor, no-one judged him and coached him in star-quality, but he had something – the DistraXion Factor.

Just for a moment, I was tugged away from my solitary thoughts and into a place where everything WAS alright; the soundtrack to which was fun and without agenda… I drove home later humming Bob Marley. Thank you Mr Saxy Busker man for giving me a moment in my day where things were just ‘OK’

Building an Improvised Composition for Solo Bass with a Looping Device

russ — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 09:05:22 +0000

One exciting way of use a looping device with your bass is to enhance a composition.

http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2010/04/05/lesson-building-an-improvised-composition-for-solo-bass-with-a-looping-device/

Blue

russ — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 20:03:25 +0000

At the moment I’m working on producing several pieces of solo bass music for a collection I’m calling ‘Blue’. It’s an attempt to set to music my current emotional and spiritual state; to ‘get out’ what is going on inside. These pieces, I feel, are some of the most creative and personal I have produced. I’m amazed at the way negative personal circumstances can stir such creative output.

These are all one-takes with no overdubs. Listen using the Soundcloud widget below:

blue by Russ Sargeant

Time flies…

russ — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 18:05:43 +0000

Is it just me, or does the clock seem to be speeding along at a hefty rate of knots? I’m sitting in Starbucks watching the world outside go by. Don’t we grow up fast? Maybe it’s my contemplative state of mind at the moment.

In a large city like Birmingham, it’s possible to be alone while you’re amongst thousands of other faces; going about their business, and for the most part in a world of their own, oblivious.

There must be a story behind every face, every life – just like there is behind mine. I can’t help imagine a time-lapse video of what I’m watching. It would some it all up perfectly.