NATHAN AZARCON (BASS TALKS)

(The BASSISTS Edition)

(Nathan Azarcon bassist for Bamboo)

Get to know the man who hits the foundation of every instrumental accompaniment of a song. A guitarist by start, but since then been in-love with the four base-bass chords, E, A, D and G. He sees the universality of a bass-guitar role in the integrity of the song. He sees it in every drumbeat and in every guitar riffs that gives color to every song.

Simple philosophies do the drive for him. Where in it sounds good, find the groove and everything's done, now it's about rock and roll.

It's just as simple as looking the right thing at the right place. Or finding the right thing for the right you. He's slow at guitar chording so he turns his guile on the first four low chord strings of the guitar which are the bass parts. “Hindi ako magaling mag-gitara so nag-bass ako. Mas madali eh, four strings lang (laughs) joke lang. ‘Yun y’ung initial pero gitara ako dati. But then y'ung friend ko si Junji Lerma (Radioactive Sago Project) gitarista siya, naging kabanda ko s’ya dati. Sabi niya mas may tendency daw akong mag-focus sa mas makakapal na strings sa E, A, sa D pati sa G. Baka daw mas okey kung mag-bass ako. The fact na hindi ko kayang mag-chords, nag-bass na nga lang ako. ‘Yun pala mas mahirap mag-bass (smiles),” buffs nathan.

Nathan demonstrates the supremacy of bass people in the field of music and entertainment. Nonetheless, he starts picking up knowledge an eager loud for a bass guitar. “Kilala n'yo si Myong Pacanya? 'Yun y'ung naging mentor ko later on. Siya y'ung bahista sa Channel 2, sa Singing-Bee. 'Yung power ng bass niya sobrang lakas. That means we can dictate the note na tinutugtog ng lahat. Nagpaturo ako dati pero tinanggal nila ako lahat, hindi ko alam kung bakit. Mentor? Ngayon na lang n’ung matanda-tanda na ako.” He accommodates the thought of how a bass guitar spells its power on the jiving instruments, “let's say, kung y'ung keyboard or guitar player nasa A major 'yan kapag ako nag C, A minor na 'yun, so y'un ang power namin,” he asserts. His appeal to authority says yeah, it takes a genius for one to blow you ears with bass thing, “tingnan mo ang Beatles si Paul McCartney talaga ang siga d'un. Sa Led Zeppelin si John Paul Jones. Sa The Police si Sting and sa Red Hot Chili Peppers si Flea. Heavy weight talaga parati y'ung bahista,” he said.

Great part that makes him high with the low hitting notes he shares with the band is that, “yun na nga y'un, 'The Heart and Soul' of the band. Kapag nawala ang bahista tunog ipis y'ung banda (laughs), he said.


BASE TALK

Who are the bassists that you look for inspiration?
Sila Paul McCartney, Sting, Flea more on songwriter bass players. Si Sting kasi minimalist lang siya. Kung ano lang y'ung kailangan ng kanta. Since kumakanta rin s’ya y'ung kapag play n’ya nang bass hindi masyadong technical. Pero ang magaling sa kanya y'ung mga additive niya. Let’s say nag 5, 4, 7, 8 s’ya pero akala mo 4/4 pa rin. So y'un ang okey sa kanya. Si Flea ganun din mas more on pati funk. D'un ko unang natutunan y'ung funk, funk, funk. Lahat sila Paul, Sting and Flea y'ung genre nila from rock to funk. Ang dali para sa kanila, hindi mo maririnig or walang effort y'ung pagkalipat nila.

On influences, what bass parts were the most fun to reinterpret?
Bass parts? ‘Yung problema kasi d’yan unang-una ‘yung pinapakinggan kong music is Abba to Sabbah, masyadong malawak ‘yun. Pero kung papipiliin ako ng certain bass playing talaga d'un ako sa mga unknown like Old Motown. Hindi sila kilala masyado ganun din sina James Jamerson, I’m not sure, pero para sa akin gusto ko y'ung ganung tugtugan. Mga bahista ni James Brown, lalo na si Butch Collins.

What is your primary role as a bass player?
Ako? Supportive role lang talaga ang bass player. Kapag tiningnan mo sa buong banda akala ng mga tao wala lang. Hindi siya kasi katulad ng drummer na talagang maingay eh. Mas extrovert kasi kaming mga bahista. Usually kasi ang gitara pinakarinig mo hindi ba? Ganun din ang drums and vocals. Ang hindi nila (mga tao) alam na ang bass ang nagdidikit sa lahat ng ‘yun. So mas complex actually y'ung trabaho ng bahista. Kasi hindi ka lang rhythm, ang bass player ang puso at kaluluwa ng banda. Sorry pero y'un ang tingin ko.

What kind of warm-up exercises do you do?
Stretching muna ng mga five to ten minutes ng kamay tig-30 seconds each sa braso bago ako pumunta sa paa, tapos runs. Walang scale (counting one to four). Inuulit-ulit ko lang pero mabagal ko lang s'ya ginagawa (as he showed to us how he warmed-up). After n'un major scale muna ako tapos okey na ako d'un. Ang minor scale kapag iniba mo ang root n'un major scale na s'ya. Kaya lahat ng scale nasa isang scale lang, major scale y'un. Depende kung saan ka mag-start d'un lang mababago y'ung tawag sa kanya. Saka lang s'ya nagiging miksilidian, dorian, ionan or whatever.

What's the heart of your technique?
Wala ano lang if sounds good then keep doing it. Basta mahanap mo lang y'ung groove.

What can you tell about your plucking and picking techniques?
Plucking? I just dig it hard y'un lang. Para sa akin ha, you gotta sh*t some skin to get some tone man! (laughs)

What are some of the things that have influenced your sound?
Sa local? Si Buddy Zabala. Oo, ang galing n'yan. Siya talaga ang 'Quintessential Bass Player'. Siya y'ung lets say nasa G silang lahat s'ya nasa B (laughs).

What do you think makes a great bass lines?
Bass lines? Sa akin ha, harmonically independent from the melody. Nakadikit pa rin nandun pa rin ang harmony n'ya. I think 'yun y'ung magaling na power names si Buddy, Paul McCartney. Ang dami kasing bass player sa atin na magagaling, ang problema hindi mo marinig sa album. Si Buddy maririnig mo talaga s'ya.

Do you play pick?
Hindi ako nagpi-pick eh.

What part of your bass playing are you experimenting with the most?
Wala. Pero more often you can practice any scale or any run or slapping, popping techniques or whatever. But what will work best is y'ung pinaka-simple, less is more.

How has your playing attitude changed over the years?
Relax lang. Unlike n'ung bata-bata pa ako tensionado eh. Ngayon wala ng kaba, siguro excitement. S'yempre excited akong tunugtog y'un lang hinihintay ko sa isang linggo ang makatugtog (smiles). Y'ung kaba na baka magkamali ako? Hindi naman siguro.

Where do your bass lines come in when recording an album?
Sa songwriting pa lang. Like sa Bamboo y'ung recording process namin is live eh. Tutugtog kami sabay-sabay. Ang gagawin na lang y'ung vocals over-dub na lang next time or additional guitars but siguro mga 80% to 90% y'un ang ginagawa namin. So kung ano gagawin mo sa recording y'un na y'un. Habang buhay na 'yan (laughs).

How has your bass style evolved through the course of your band's career?
Oo naman. Pero s'yempre hindi ko nakikita kasi ako y'ung nag-e-evolve eh. Na-refine lang siguro but I think ganun pa rin. Ako kasi ay maingay, mainit tumugtog, passionate 'yan (smile).

Which one of your songs gives you the biggest thrill when you're up there on stage?
Walang particular song, pare-pareho lang. All our songs, I think parang baby namin lahat 'yan eh. Of course may araw na 'bro huwag natin tugtugin 'yan, h'wag ngayon.' Siguro kasi depende sa tao, depende sa mood mo kung hindi mo trip.

What's something you've learned lately, either on the road or in the studio?
I've learned lately? Ah...teka muna, nawala kasi gitara ko sa Las Vegas, y'ung #1 guitar ko nawala so kapag nasa States ka bantayan mo talaga ng mabuti. Y'ung mga labelling kasi nasa San Francisco ako y'ung gitara ko nasa Las Vegas. Pero nahanap naman na, pabalik na dito (smiles).

Is there a certain sound that your listeners have come to expect from your band?
Wala naman. Sa ngayon for the last five years nasa isang mode kami. Pero I'm sure for the next album (after their 2008 release) mababago na ang tunog namin. Ngayon ha, parang tapos na y'ung era ng okey rock, makabayan. Ang hirap kasi sa akin iba ang tunog eh, hindi ko alam talaga kung ano ang tunog namin. Kayo ang nakakaalam n'un (smiles).

What musical concept have you had to learn the hard way?
Swing bebop, back to square one ka d'un. Kailangan mo makalimutan y'ung napag-aralan mo bago mo gawin ito. Nagsimula ako twelve bar blues di ba? Johnny B good, nag trash na ako, nag-reggae bigla pagdating ko sa part na ito kailangan ko ulit balikan y'ung twelve bar blues na y'un para matutunan y'ung swing pati bebop. Although y'ung reggae isa s'yang challenge for me.

What non-musical thing inspires you the most?
Lahat ng bagay may tunog eh, paano y'un? It's kinda hard, outside music ano ba? Marshall Arts, y'un lang.

What are your preferences when buying bass guitar?
Kailangan more or less Fender dude. Lahat ng design n'ya like precision bass, jazz bass, after noon nag music man s'ya. Hindi ka na lalayo sa unang design n'ya eh. Meron lang ako naligaw d'yan na hindi n'ya dini-sign. Parang ginawa lang hi-tech, the same ang itsura, same y'ung design hindi lang kahoy.

Your tips when playing bass guitar?
Totoo lang masyadong mataas ang 105 ibaba bila sa 100 y'ung gauge ng strings nila. Karamihan ng mga bahista na sikat hindi 100 y'un 95 'yung gamit nila. Para mas madali tugtugin, magdudugo talaga ang kamay mo d'un.

How many bass guitars you owned?
Marami akong bass, mga fourty sila. Dami ko nga dala d'yan eh (he brought in 3 bass guitars at
the photo shoot).

Usually in recording process which part is the longest to time record between bass, drums and guitar?
S'yempre y'ung drums ang pinakamatagal. Kailangan maganda at maayos ang tunog. Kapag hindi maayos ang tunog mo hindi ka aalis d'un. Bass kasi ang dali i-record, p'wedeng idiretso na, direct vox ka lang okey na y'un. Set up pa lang ng drums umaabot na ng two hours. Pero kung mainit y'ung drummer like me, enough to work with the best drummers in the Philippines. One take lang kadalasan.

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