@MarkMichell

Mark Michell

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What's your favorite Scale the Summit bassline from the three albums released before you joined the band?

Jordan wrote some freaking catchy basslines that influenced me long before I joined. Tough to choose but the outro to "Black Hills" is a prime example of creating the melody with the bass line. Or the part near the end of Glacial Planet right before the intro reprise at the end.
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Liked by: steve sipler Clay Lindstrom

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what was the band that really got you to say "fuck, I want to play bass as long as my fingers can move" if there isn't a band then maybe a song!

Way back when, I'd say it was a solid tie between Zeppelin and Floyd at the time. The bassline for "Time" was so catchy how it could drive the music so significantly.
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Liked by: Adam St-Laurent

How strongly do you feel about writing your own basslines. For example, if you were in a band setting and one of the other musicians wrote all the bass in advance, would you play it exactly as they want it or would you want to rewrite the line yourself?

I'm open to do whatever the given setting calls for. Music is about expression, so if it's a band I'm a part of, I want the expression to me from me personally obviously. If I'm filling in for a gig or as a session player, maybe someone else who isn't a bass player wants to do the "expressing", and I have to channel that from them, through me, to my bass. I try to be sensitive to the situation in this regard!

What was the biggest reason you chose to start playing bass, and what kind of music did you intend to play back then? Plus I wanna know if you could play any other musical instruments before bass!

Something about the way the bass glued the whole song together and really drove it drew me in and I told myself I wanted to be a part of that in a band one day. I was into a lot of the "Oldies" music at the time, Motown, funk, and those basslines stand the test of time to this day. I started piano at age 4 and trumpet at age 11, and have been playing both ever since.

I'm fifteen and play bass i have a mate on guitar who could be going places and he really wants me to play bass with him, i really want some advice on how you became so successful as a bass player, How much time did you study? was music a subject for you? Love all the bass parts, love the band!

Thanks a lot...I don't ever think in terms of success, as that means I'm complacent, but I constantly just work hard to network and be involved in the industry. There's a whole 'other side to the music industry than just music. You can teach, do instructional material, session work, videos, and tie it all into your band and each endeavor springboards another. The key is having your hands in as many pies as possible these days, and I enjoy that aspect of it greatly. But always remember the music and enjoy playing your instrument, as it all reflects back on that. As for studying, I practice hours each day when I'm off tour, either writing or just keeping the chops fresh. I was a bit more serious about "rudimentary" practice back in high school/college, though. One summer I was doing 8-9 hours a day.

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Liked by: Bill Snyder

What do you think of modern metalcore bands that got barely no bass in their music? I mean a bassist you hear cause is between drums and rhythm guitar, but obviously don't play his own parts. I prefer guys like you locked with the drums and letting everybody some space both in the music and the mix!

To each his own. I'm open-minded to appreciate any kind of music, production, instrumentation, and voice people have. Sometimes being a frequency to simply round out the low-end of the mix is perfectly suitable for a song or style of music. Nothing against it! And thanks, my bass work is a little louder and more prominent, but that's just the style I choose.
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Liked by: Garrett Miller

Is taking private lessons worth it? Also, I know you play with a 6 string, but what 5-string would you recommend for a beginning player?

I'd say it totally is if you feel you've exhausted all other methods of learning the instrument and maybe need some one-on-one guidance. It just depends on what you're seeking, really. Check out the Warwick Rock Bass series, a good starter bass that feels surprisingly close to a standard Warwick.

What brand of strings would you recommend for the tapping technique? I've used elixirs for years now.. And I'm finding that they seem to dampen the tone when tapping.. I was heading towards rotosound next. I plan to sift through them all eventually.. But could you perhaps point me to my next trial?

BeauMiner’s Profile PhotoBeau Miner
I've been using Ernie Balls for the last 5 years exclusively, so these have always worked for me!! Nickel strings to be specific. For tapping especially, stainless steels are too rough and feel very sticky and friction-intense when sliding or tapping.
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Liked by: Beau Miner

Just watched the in-studio performance of The Levitated which was really cool! I may be mistaken but i'm sure I've seen your nails looking almost a pink colour in that video and others. Is it a coating on your nails or just their natural colour? Ever used any tricks for toughening your fingertips?

wut
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I'm not as schooled with bass pickups so I figured you may weigh in with a bit of advice- I have a Warwick 5 string corvette. Any tips on what to check out for giving my bass more power in heavier contexts. FWIW, I use an AXE fx for both clean and dirty bass tones.

I've really only used EMG pickups the last few years and are the only pickup company whose product line I'm familiar with. They have a ton of models and sizes and something should be able to fit that for sure. Try out the X series. That's what I use and works and sounds great for me. Good luck!

Back when I was in undergrad, I got the impression from others that they considered bassists to be a dime a dozen, and I wasn't too happy about that. Have you ever encountered sentiments like this, and how did you get past it if so?

Everyone has opinions, so what? That kind of stuff has never mattered to me and shouldn't to you either!
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Liked by: Yaresh-Bartholomeus Soekhlal Clay Lindstrom Robert Percy

In your bass solos, for example Narrow Salient, would you work off of a scale of just play whatever you feel like? when I try and improvise solos I can't ever get them to sound so fluid and melodic as yours. Do you use any specific methods/scales/techniques when doing so?

I find with basslines sometimes I really want to work at them and write them as a reaction to what's going on in the music, so it's made me very used to exclusively being creative that way. With solos, I literally just put the section to be solo'd over on loop and just play what I hear in my head. That whole solo just came out of me and then I connected the dots, using the correct scales and key obviously. Sometimes for solos, compositionally, I think of solos as stories, where they have an exposition, rising action, falling action, climax, slow parts, fast parts, and an overall dynamic.
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Liked by: Beau Miner Mitch Baker Bill Snyder

Hello Mark! From Mexico City, I want to know your opinion about the Chapman Stick.

OrsonMontero’s Profile Photoπ
Cool instrument, first found out about it due to Tony Levin, and have wanted to play one ever since. I feel like it'd force some interesting creativity from me being that the only option is tapping (I know you can still pluck the strings, but still).
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Liked by: Beau Miner π

Hi Mark, I just got an Ibanez Gio Soundgear (I know I know, but I wanted to try 6 string before I invested a ton of money in it). would you say that is a really shitty bass to learn on?

Not at all, those basses are really easy to play compared to most 6-strings I've played. Every time I grab one off the wall at Guitar Center it's always very playable and set up well. I dig the thinner body shapes they have. It's no Warwick though : )
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Liked by: π

You uploaded a video where you played Hell's Kitchen by Dream Theater. Do you like to play any other songs by them, and how difficult is their music for you?

Well, being a musician who enjoys playing progressive music, I naturally was really influenced by them for years and are still arguably one of my favorite bands, so at one point, I think I've taken a stab at almost all of their songs and still know many of them pretty well. Too many to list here! Their music is definitely no pushover obviously...
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Liked by: Courtney Riley Bugra Sisman

Do you or have you ever played upright bass before? and how did you like it?

In all honesty I don't think I have, I regret not learning this instrument earlier on and would love to play/own one someday! The sound is infectious.

Can you explain how exactly to create a harmonic note? It gives examples and exercises in your book but it never actually says how to play the note(Im assuming your left hand finger is using less pressure?)

Harmonics are created by allowing all but one overtone of a string to be muted and letting the lowest pitch overtone resonate. There are certain "nodal points" on the string where overtones are the most prominent, which is where all harmonics are located. The most resonant ones are on frets 5, 7, and 12. With harmonics, you want to lightly touch your finger to the string over the actual metal fret, not the fret space where you would normally play. So find the actual 7th metal fret on the neck, lightly touch your finger to it, and pluck the string. You'll hear a high pitched note ring out. This is the bare minimum to create the note. From here you must refine the technique, flow, and timing of the pluck to allow it to ring at its fullest tonal potential. When I play harmonics, I pluck the strings much more forcefully and abrasively (plucking with the very tip of the finger and plucking away from the body of the bass). Also you want to remove your finger from the string, like, a split second after you pluck it. It takes some practice to get the timing and technique down!

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