Professor Plays Bass
From the studio
Stories about songs, recording, and production.
Songs · Oct 9, 2026
Picture Slash standing on a cliff, delivering an epic guitar solo. Now replace the cliff with a hot tub, the guitar with a bass, and the solo with Rancid's "Time Bomb." That was the plan. What actually happened involved a derailed vacation, a race against the clock, and another surprise performance from my wife.
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Songs · Sep 13, 2026
After finishing a beginner guitar course, I put those new skills to work on Weezer’s “Beverly Hills”—playing both guitar and bass, learning to use a pick on bass, and sharing the virtual stage with myself.
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Songs · Sep 12, 2026
I started working on “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher” because I couldn’t keep up with it. Months later, the problem wasn’t whether I could play the song anymore — it was whether I could finally stop chasing perfection and call the recording finished.
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Songs · Sep 5, 2026
A personal look at revisiting James Brown’s “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” nearly two years after first learning it as a challenge song during an online bass course. With an early January 2025 recording for comparison, this post reflects on practice, progress, pocket, and how a song that once felt intimidating can eventually feel like an old friend.
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Songs · Aug 29, 2026
Behind the scenes, “Seven Nation Army” came together with three bass tracks, three video attempts, Florida heat, one framing failure, and a surprise dance break designed to entertain everyone except the bass player.
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