@MarkMichell

Mark Michell

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Hey Mark! Would you have any tips for hand position on the neck when playing? Sometimes my hand starts to cramp up after an hour of playing and I figured it was a result of my playing position.

Place your thumb directly in the middle of your hand position, that way you have equal (and relaxed) reach on either side, and push your wrist more forward than you may have it to allow your fingers to reach easily (and not have to strain to reach/stretch). Lastly, play as relaxed as possible, and with as little movement as possible. Any unnecessary movement creates wasted motion and leads to fatigue.
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Liked by: Jesse miller Bill Snyder

Will the background movie that you guys are using on this tour be uploaded somewhere? I didn't get to see it at my venue :(

Unfortunately not, just for our show!

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Does your right hand technique book cover slapping at all?

Yes indeed, a whole chapter on slap+pop, and includes double-popping as well. Chapter includes a lot of pictures showing hand position and technique, since slap is really easy to do incorrectly. Hope you can check it out!
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Liked by: Jesse miller

I apologize if someone has asked already, but what do you use in the way of strings? What brand and gauge do you use most often? Any particular reason why you choose that one?

Ernie Ball 6-string orange pack, 32-130

Do you guys have card readers for buying merch? Last show I went to they had one for each band and it was super nice.

We sure do! All credit cards accepted at our merch booth while in the US.
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What are you settings (or at least your rough "go to" settings) on your MB head? And you're using it with the Neo 410 right? You have the best tone of any GK artist, and that's saying something!

Thanks! Yes, NEO 4x10. I have treble and bass flat, low mids at 2 o' clock, high mids at 3 o' clock, and gain a little past noon for a bit of a hotter signal. Always remember that settings are really subjective in each situation...so for my bass, rig, band, style, technique, this EQ works for me but may not for everyone else!

Hi Mark! I was just wondering if you like some of the more extreme metal genres such as Death Metal. In my opinion the genre has some very good bass players such as Mike Florez, Jeff Hughell and Alex Webster. I will also purchase all of your books very shortly! I enjoy your music very much! =)

Hey, thanks for checking my books out. I'm an open-minded music lover so I can appreciate any style. I never used to be crazy about death metal but found a new appreciation for it when I realized how talented the musicians are, so now I really dig a lot of it. And yeah, Alex Webster has been a top influence for quite some time, I used to watch videos of him all the time years ago when I started bass.
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Liked by: Bill Snyder

What would recommend to someone looking to get faster at playing with his plucking hand?

The key is to be more relaxed than you think you need to be. You lose a lot of control when tensing up. I sacrifice a bit of volume when playing fast, in return for a lot more clarity, which actually gives the illusion that its just as loud in my experience. I cover all of this ground in my Right-Hand Technique as well!
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Liked by: Juan Dominguez Bill Snyder

Are you guys gonna hang out a bit after the Vancouver show? You need become canadianized by poutine and tim hortons ice Capp! Stoked for the show!!

Of course! See you there!

Any tips on getting endorsements?

When you are endorsed by a company, you're literally a glorified salesman for their products, so I work to promote the products I play as hard as I can, which includes playing them every day on stage for hundreds of shows over the years, the tons of YouTube videos I've done so far, pictures, photos, etc. It's a win-win, because I enjoy doing this stuff anyway, and I absolutely love the gear I play.
Companies want people to be interested in checking out their products because someone saw you playing them, and that's basically it. If you aren't in a touring band, get on your YouTube game. I know tons of guys who have a lot going for them endorsement-wise and aren't even in a band, but simply have amazing looking YouTube videos. Reach the masses by advertising and they'll come to you. Most importantly, be loyal to the products you play, play them because you genuinely love them.

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Liked by: Jesse miller

What made you want to pick up a 6 string?

I played a 7-string before a 6-string actually, and eventually quit playing those and settled on 6-strings. To answer the question, I did this as those basses allowed me to create the music I wanted to create, simple as that!

Please tell me your eq/tone settings for Atlas Novus

Krishnajit Bhattacharyya
For the whole record I just went Spector Legend 6 > EMG 45JX pickups > SansAmp BDDI > GK 1001 RB > DAW. High mids heavily boosted, low mids mildly boosted, treble and bass were flat. All of this is really irrelevant though because post-EQ is always done on the signal in post-production, and not entirely sure what all was done. Jamie King just did his magic.
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Liked by: Joey Seymour Yaresh-Bartholomeus Soekhlal

Thoughts on Dan Briggs?

He's definitely one of my top influences when I began delving into the progressive music scene and playing original music, and was influential when it came to tone as well. Great lines, tone, technique, approach, so this was all great to experience in person when his project Trioscapes toured with us back in 2012. It was a pleasure!
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Liked by: Yaresh-Bartholomeus Soekhlal Juan Dominguez Clay Lindstrom

Have you thought about switching to the MB combos and the MBP powered cabs? Would be a lighter and more portable (albeit less flexible) version of your current MB800 + Neo 410 set up!

I never really play combos anymore, It's easier to troubleshoot issues when cabs and amps are separate, and generally combos aren't suitable for the size of shows we play.

Will you be hanging around after the show on the 26th? I'd love to talk shop with you. Sorry if that sounds creepy haha

Of course, we always are if we can! See you at the show!

If you wrote a book on six string bass I'd so buy it

Well, 4 out of the 6 books I have out are written for 6-string. My "Sightreading 101" book can be played on anything, as notes are notes and there are no tabs in the book. My 4-string technique book is written for just 4-strings but can be played on a 6-string since all the exercises are just repeated on each string usually. Thanks anyway though!

How do you feel about touring with Terra, Monuments, Reflections, and Glass Cloud? I am a huge fan of every single band and I'm super pumped for Tuesday! It will definitely be a kickass concert

Really interesting and diverse line-up for us, but we love playing for all different kinds of audiences on each tour we do and it's going great so far! I've been a Monuments fan for quite some time, and briefly have checked out the other bands prior to the tour. Hope you enjoyed the show!
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Liked by: Bill Snyder Jesse miller

On a scale from 1 to 10, how frustrating is the "album-writing" process for you?

It can be frustrating at times, and as the band gets more and more popular, it intensifies the pressure each time to write quality music and material. However, I always try to look at the music as objectively as possible and compose in that manner. What the song really needs versus what I think it needs. At the same time, creativity and that whole process is therapeutical in so many ways and refreshing to get into that headspace, so I'd say more often than not it's extremely enjoyable!
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When you tap, do you write from arpeggios, chord shapes, scales etc?

Mostly chord shapes/scales. Scales if single note stuff, chord shapes if multi-note lines.
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