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Bassist
Interview with Matteo Bennici
October 2010 Name: Matteo Bennici Bands: Tsigoti, Squarcicatrici, Motociclica Tellacci, Nostratic. Websites: myspace.com/matteobennici, http://afoforomusicclub.blogspot.com, espdisk.com, myspace.com/motociclicatellacci QRD – What was your first bass & what happened to it? Matteo – A red Vester (a sort of Jackson imitation I guess). I made a deal with a music shop to get a better one & one day I saw exactly that bass played by a young guy at a metal concert… he bought it! QRD – What’s your typical set-up from bass to effects to amplifier? Matteo – Cello &/or bass > pedal effects & processors > amp > cabinet QRD – What’s the most important part of your rig – bass, amplifier, or effects? Matteo – My brain & hands. QRD – What’s your main amplifier & why? Matteo – I mainly use a small Ampeg B100 Rocket because it’s portable & versatile enough for both cello & bass. QRD – Do you prefer upright or electric bass? Matteo – Electric. But upright rooocks! QRD – Do you prefer to use a pick, fingers, or a bow? Matteo – I use all those techniques. QRD – How many strings do you think a bass should have? Matteo – Between 1 & 4. QRD – Why do you play bass instead of guitar? Matteo – ‘Cause bass is better!!! Actually I’m more attracted by low-range instruments. QRD – How is a bass different than a guitar other than being lower in pitch? Matteo – Many things from the gesture to the role you have in a band. QRD – What’s your main bass & what are the features that make it such? Matteo – A Japanese Fender Jazz with no special features, but it feels perfect to me until I have enough money to get an old American one. QRD – What do you think of the thumb rests on some basses? Matteo – Cool, comfortable. I never had one. I like it better when it’s below the strings for playing with thumb. Very stingy! QRD – If you had a signature bass, what would it look like & what would some of its features be? Matteo – I love the old Gibson shape. I guess I would add some very good electronics & something bizarre like one fretless string. QRD – If you had a signature pedal, what would it be & what would some of its features be? Matteo – A four channel loop station with independent on/off switch & filters on each channel. QRD – How many basses do you own? Matteo – 2 electric, 1 upright. QRD – How & where do you store your basses? Matteo – Standing in a corner of my studio-room. QRD – What features do you look for when buying a bass? Matteo – It’s hard to tell. Usually I already know what I’m buying... anyway must sound, feel, & look like it’s good for me. QRD – How much do you think a good bass should cost? Matteo – Well I don’t think there’s an absolute price a bass should cost. Industrial stuff should be very cheap & I understand that a 60s Gibson must have its price. The real problem is actually how much food & basic services cost, but that’s another topic. QRD – Do you upgrade & customize your bass or just stick with what you get? Matteo – I adjust it when it has some problem, mostly in action. I stick with a lot of stickers! QRD – Are you after one particular bass tone & locking into it, or do you like to change your tone around a lot? Matteo – I have a reference one; but I often have to change according to different bands, spaces, or music. QRD – What are some basses, amps, & pedals you particularly lust after? Matteo – As I said before, an old American Fender J & a 4channel pedal board. QRD – What do you think are some important features to be on a person’s first bass that aren’t always there? Matteo – A decent sound even in a cheap instrument. Some are real shit, but if you’re a beginner you can’t know it & rarely sellers are honest about that. QRD – What have been the best & worst bass related purchases you’ve made? Matteo – Best: switching from Yamaha TRB to Fender. Worst: a lovely handmade fretless that once fell & seriously broke in half & now it’s there, still injured & unused. QRD – What are some effect, amp, & bass brands you particularly like or dis-like & why? Matteo – I like Fender, Gibson, Tobias. Also Boss, Danelectro, Electroharmonix. I dis-like a lot of stuff! QRD – What’s the first thing you play when you pick up a bass? Matteo – Nothing ritual, I just feel it. QRD – How old were you when you started playing bass? Matteo – I was 12. QRD – At what age do you think you leveled up to your best bass playing? Matteo – All those moments when you intensively play with other people make you grow up a lot. QRD – Do you feel bass lines should echo & emphasize guitar & drum parts or be their own distinct elements? Matteo – It depends on what you want to do! For sure bass is a rule instrument, if making your music you refer to standards so you should follow some good rules, but my favourite musicians break these rules constantly. QRD – Would you rather people hear or feel your bass? Matteo – They have to smell it all over the place! QRD – Why do you think a bass fits you more so than other instruments? Matteo – Because it has more or less the same diapason of cell, which was & now is my first instrument again. QRD – Do you see your bass as your ally or adversary in making music? Matteo – That’s a funny image! How one can make good music with an enemy on? :-) QRD – Who are the bassists that most influenced your playing & sound? Matteo – Talking about famous people, in my early years Les Claypool was my hero (& I still appreciate him). Now it’s Mike Watt. QRD – Do you think people anthropomorphizing their bass is natural or silly (e.g. naming their bass)? Matteo – It’s not silly at all! I love people who give names to their favourite objects, I find it sensitive. But I never did it! QRD – What’s the most physical damage you’ve done to a bass & how did you do it? Matteo – My beloved handmade fretless fell on the floor & literally split in two. Sadly I wasn’t responsible of that. QRD – What do you do to practice other than simply playing? Matteo – I look more for musical & improvisational solutions than technical. Sound & drive are more important to me. QRD – How many hours a week do you play bass & how many hours would you like to? Matteo – I work a lot with composition & production so I don’t practice a lot. I would like to simply practice cello & bass 3 hours a day, but I can’t. QRD – What gauge strings do you use & why? Matteo – Both 0.40 & 0.45, depending on the bands I’m playing at the moment. QRD – How often do you change strings? Matteo – Whenever they end up sucking too much. QRD – How often do you break strings? Matteo – Not very often. I’m good at saving resources! QRD – Which do you feel is more proficient, your strumming/bowing hand or fretting hand & how does that effect your style? Matteo – I think in all string instruments the right hand is the one that gives the sound & the beat so it’s the most important to me. Left hand must be obedient & in-tune. QRD – What tunings do you use & why? Matteo – Mostly standard tuning because that’s the range that instrument is at its best. Sometimes I detune the E string to reach the range of a five-strings bass. QRD – Do you prefer tablature, sheet music, or some other notation system for writing down your own ideas? Matteo – My favourite notation system is ‘by heart’. Mostly I record & listen to my sketches, sometimes I write root-notes. Rarely notes on pentagram. QRD – What’s a bad habit in your playing you wish you could break? Matteo – Too many notes. QRD – Playing what other instrument do you think can most help someone’s bass playing? Matteo – Playing double bass is the hardest training you can do. It feels like flying when you get back to electric! QRD – What’s a type of bass playing you wish you could do that you can’t? Matteo – Perhaps good solo skills. QRD – What’s a bass goal you’ve never accomplished? Matteo – A convincing slap technique. But I don’t care. QRD – What’s the last bass trick you learned? Matteo – I can’t tell. I’m more focused on musical solutions. QRD – Did you ever take bass lessons & if so, what did you learn from them? Matteo – I did several times in the past, but not recently. It’s always good to learn from someone more expert. Personally, that gave me basics. QRD – What would you teach someone in a bass lesson that you don’t think they would generally get from a bass teacher? Matteo – To think of bass as a compositional instrument. QRD – What’s something someone would have to do to emulate your style? Matteo – My goofy faces! QRD – If a band has good bass work, can you ignore the rest of the band not being good? Matteo – Hahahaha, NO! QRD – What famous musician’s bass would you like to own & why? Matteo – Sid Vicious’s Fender. If I have to be a fetishist.… QRD – Who do you think is currently the most innovative bass player & why? Matteo – I’m not very updated about bassists’ world, but Mike Watt is my favourite! QRD – Where can people hear your best bass work? Matteo – Live on stage. Also on Tsigoti & Traumfabrick’s albums. QRD – Anything else? Matteo – Thank you for this interview.
Ciao!
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