Fredericksburg - Meet Alex Rodriguez! Q: Where were you born and how did you come to live in Fredericksburg? A: I was born in Los Angeles,CA but was raised in Mexico City, Mexico. I came to VA when I was 6 since my family wanted to live in the US and fell in love with VA when they visited some family we had here. Q: What made you want to play the Bass? A: I originally started off on the cello in middle school and would switch between the cello and bass to learn both. When I got to high school, they needed more bassists than cellists I decided to stick with the bass. Q: What are your musical goals? A: It is difficult to say what my goals are. I keep going between either being a teacher (I teach guitar and ukulele at Guitar Center), music recording/live sound, or doing music therapy. As for performance I just want to be a very diverse bassist that can take whatever comes my way. Q: Who are some of your heroes who inspire you? A: Oddly enough, my main hero in music isnt a bassist. Carlos Santana and the passion and the rhythm of his playing is what made me decide to become a musician. When I got into playing jazz I would learn from bassists like Jaco Pastorius, Paul Chambers, Alain Caron, and Victor Wooten (more for his philosophy than technique). Q: What gear do you play? A: My main basses are a 2006 Pedulla Pentabuzz (5 string fretless) and a Parker Fly 5 String. I also have a Fender Deluxe Active 4 string (MIM) and an Engelhardt upright bass with fishman pickups. I play through a Markbass 2x10 combo amp and have a pedalboard with 13 pedals: ABY Box, TC Electronic tuner, Morley Wah, Keeley Compressor, Pigtronix Disnortion, Pigtronix Envelope Phaser, Boss Bass Synth, EH Ravish Sitar, TC Electronic Chorus, Delay, and Reverb, and Pigtronix Looper. Q: What style/styles of music do you play? A: I am mostly playing Classical music at the moment but love to play jazz. I will play any other style as well. My next attempt is to get a guitarron (mariachi bass) and learn mariachi music. Q: What lessons have you learned along the way? A: Since I had many great teachers, it is hard to pinpoint one spot. I have learned many lessons in theory, phrasing, looping, and overall grooving. I also took some of the lessons from the classical stringed instruments and woodwind instruments to help me rethink the bass through the eyes of a classical player and from a soloists perspective. When I started going online and finding more of the philosophy for music, I started to open up and find the good in dissonance and really get into a freeform of music. Q: Anything youd like to say to the fredericksburg bassists? A: I just want to say you guys rock and whenever I see you guys come to Guitar Center when I am working I love to talk bass with all you guys because I never know if I may learn something new from you guys.
Posted on: Sat, 10 May 2014 14:48:05 +0000
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