Bass Musician Magazine - 8th Anniversary Issue with Stu Hamm | Page 21
We’re in a time where anyone can
Why wouldn’t you want to learn to read treble
learn licks through a number of means.
clef, bass clef, and sight read and learn that
What’s the appropriate way to bridge
way of the language and learning ideas? Not
the tradition of bass with the evolution
taking anything away from cats that just play by
of bass?
ear. I know cats that are just so fast at learning
that way and whatever cultural traditions came
There’s no way. While I certainly have my
form that style of learning music – it’s all very
opinions, I think the whole world gets in trouble
valid. Whatever you do is going to work for
when we confuse opinion with fact. Everyone
you. I would certainly like to always err on the
has their own journey in life as a person and
side of knowledge. Why wouldn’t you want to
their own journey musically. I certainly have
learn that?
my opinions, which are that I’m glad that I
approached music the way I did, having a real
It’s like TAB – I’m not anti-TAB, because there
sound background from playing piano, violin,
are books of my transcriptions. TAB is a great
and drums from an early age, and choral music,
way of saying “Hey, I play this note on the
and just learning to speak that language. The
15th fret of the A string”, where someone may
first time that I had to learn a rock song by ear,
look at it and say, “I’m going to play it on the
it was “Whipping Post”, it was a very different
10th fret of the D string” It can be used as a
experience for me. A lot of people come to
tool for fingering and it’s wonderful. As far as
popular music from the other direction.
people that are learning by just looking where
to put your fingers, well, that’s great if you’re
Part of me would have to take the tack of, if
a first or second grader! And too, if that works
you are going to be a traditional musician or
for you, that’s great, because yesterday, at a
really care about being good, why wouldn’t you
guitar workshop in San Diego a