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Learn the Skills, Not the Lick by Jonathan Moody
The last week of working in the theatre has been interesting. During the “warm up” time before the show, the college students in the pit have been showing off their chops by ripping through famous players’ licks, all the while being goaded on by their peers. I’ll admit, it’s kind of fun to see these guys interested and passionate about their music. On the other hand, it reminds me of myself back in college, and the lesson I learned from Stanley Clark. Well, kind of.
Back in college I had been listening to Clarke’s self-titled album for a while and wanted to transcribe something from it; I settled on “Lopsy Lu” (the slap bass line was easily my favorite). The transcription process was challenging, but in the end I had it. I played along with the CD and it just wasn’t working; it felt flat. Sure, I could nail Clarke’s line note for note, but unless I was playing that song in a group, where was the need? Plus, I didn’t feel that I had learned anything other than how to rip off a Stanley Clarke line.
Upon the advice of an old teacher, I slowed it down and started diving into what Clarke was doing, where the chord tones fell, his right hand technique, how it sat in the overall arrangement, etc.. Once I sat down and started working on the technique and theory behind that seminal line, I started to understand what was really going on with that bass line. It became more than just a “Hey guys, look what I can do!” moment, but a masterclass with Clarke himself.
After a couple of weeks of analyzing it and picking it apart, I played along with the CD again and this time, I really nailed it. The feel was there! More importantly, I noticed during band practices during the months ahead that the time vested in analyzing the line was paying off in how I was approaching bass lines myself. I was incorporating some of the things I had learned into my own technique and not just “ripping off licks” from Clarke.
The lesson was learned. Don’t be so focused on the lick that you lose sight of the technique and theory used to create it. I spent a lot of time transcribing bass lines from famous players and until that moment, didn’t learn anything except how to transcribe bass lines. Revisiting those transcriptions opened up an entirely new experience and led to a lot of musical growth and enjoyment.
So, take a moment next time as you’re working up some new lick or line and really think about the technique that was used behind it, instead of just blazing through it. You might be surprised as to how much more you pick up.
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Photo: Self-portrait by Melissa Auf Der Maur
Melissa Auf Der Maur is a Canadian bassist who played with Tinker, Hole, and The Smashing Pumpkins. She released her own work and is a photographer with photos published in Nylon, Bust, and National Geographic. She released her ‘90s Rock Memoir “Even The Good Girls Will Cry” on 17 March 2026.
KB: Did you always want to be a singer-musician growing up?
I’ve played music my whole life. In school, I played trumpet and sang in a children’s choir, so music was always within me. My mother was the first female disc jockey on the Montreal airwaves; her record collection played a huge role in my inspiration and love of music.
KB: When did you start playing bass, and why this instrument?
When I was 19, the early 90s music explosion began to percolate in tiny clubs around the world. I was lucky to be a ticket girl at Montreal’s underground music club. In one year, I saw Hole, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, White Zombie, and The Breeders – all had female bass players. That’s when the seed was planted. By the age of 22, I was the bass player of Hole.
KB: Which brands of basses have you used in your career, and which one are you using now?
The first bass that I learned on was a vintage Squier Precision. Hole was sponsored by Fender guitars, so I upgraded to Fender Custom Shop Precisions. That is all I play, but I have a cool vintage 8-string Greco that I use on recordings to thicken up guitar parts.
KB: What equipment do you use or have you used with your basses?
Ampeg SVT amps and cabinets, a couple of Sans-Amp pedals, and that is it.
KB: How did you become a member of Hole, and what is your fondest memory of that time?
Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins was helping scout a replacement for (RIP) Kristen Pfaff, Hole’s bass player. My band, Tinker, opened for them on the Siamese Dream tour, so Billy had seen me play and could vouch for me. Courtney trusted her talented friend, and that was it. I initially said “no thank you” due to my commitment to my photographic studies and the drama and chaos surrounding the band during the “Live Through This” album release. Courtney took it as a good sign that I said no, so convinced me to reconsider, and soon after, I accepted their invitation, in the name of helping put females in the male-dominated landscape of rock music. My fondest memory is every show we played as a mostly female band, symbolizing what a woman could do in a rock band. Every show had a purpose: get more women to play music.
KB: You are a photographer as well. What makes a great picture? Do you shoot in color or b/w?
I started shooting photographs at age 15. Initially only shot black & white and worked in the art school darkroom. In university, I took a color photography course, and shifted mostly and forever to that, because it was easier to process film on the road when I joined a rock band. I experimented with many cameras, point and shoots, manual, polaroids, medium format, and vintage finds. The trick to a good photograph is to shoot many and all the time – the magic is in the edit and selection process.
KB: Are there artists you would love to collaborate with or wish you had?
??I’ve been lucky to collaborate with some of my favorite musicians in my career. I would still love to collaborate with a new generation heavy electronic artist on an analog bass, heavy electronic drums, and synths collaboration project. Take me out of my usual zone, merging the past and future: my love of 80s dark new wave and new artists exploring that genre. It was very futuristic back then, and we are now, after all, living in the future. I am in the mood to play bass to heavy beats I want to dance to.
KB: What are your 7 favorite bass lines in music across all genres? And why these 7?
“Mountain Song” – Jane’s Addiction (love a rambling, rolling bass line – feels like the ocean waves)
“Black Top – Helmet” (was the first bass line I taught myself)
“Gold Dust Woman” – Hole from “The Crow 2” Soundtrack (it was my first bass line contribution to the band)
“Get Ready” – The Temptations (Motown just feels so good, because of the bass)
“Lucretia My Reflection” – Sisters of Mercy (makes me want to hit the dance floor and play bass simultaneously)
“Be My Druidess” – Type O Negative (full chord bass playing at its best by iconic, demonic, Peter Steele, RIP)
“Romantic Rights” – Death from Above (1979 – unique distorted overdriven tone, combined dance rhythm and melodic intelligence, all in one shot – also! Shout out to a bass & drum only band, which is awesome, and we should have more of, but the bass player needs to be a killer to fill that role.
KB: What are you currently up to?
Releasing my ‘90s Rock Memoir “EVEN THE GOOD GIRLS WILL CRY”. Visceral healing process, it was to get it out of me and write it, but I suspect the real magic will begin by putting it into the world and reflecting with others on what the magic of the ‘90s was all about. Powerful music decade that carried us into what is now a brave new world of digital corporate weirdness – may the past shed a light on our future. That’s my hope for this book release and tour.
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