Expressing Himself with a Bass and a Pedal

Fourth in a series

By Yas Mamemachi
Tokyo, Japan

★This article is written based on an interview with the musician which was held before the Tohoku-Kanto earthquake occurred.

Nomaguchi respects the bass guitar the most, and has been called a “magician” of sound effects. (Photo provided by Hiroshi Nomaguchi)

had an appointment to meet the fourth wah-wah aficionado at Tower Records Shinjuku, in Tokyo. The meeting place was near the “J” shelf of the CD section on the Rock music floor. I wanted to show some respect for Jimi Hendrix, the legendary blues rock guitarist and wah-wah pedalist.

The musician I met was Hiroshi Nomaguchi, a bassist who used to be a member of a famous pop group. I read his profile and checked out some stage photos showing him in his glam stage outfits, but I had never met or talked with him before. All the arrangements were made through an exchange of emails.

I know Freddie Mercury of Queen, one of the most famous British rock groups of the 1970’s, would not have shown up in his white tights if I had made an appointment with him before he died in 1991. Yet, I still wondered how Nomaguchi would look in his civilian clothes.

Carrying a Tower Records bag, a relaxed and calm adult appeared at the appointed spot in front of the “J” shelf. It was Nomaguchi the bassist, who said with a smile, “I did some impulse shopping and bought another CD by Frank Zappa.” (Frank Zappa has a reputation of being one of the most creative rock musicians.)

He released his first solo album, “Happy Go Lucky,” in 2005. The album is representative of his sense of Japanese pop. Some of the tunes are so good that even a senior writer like me can hardly resist singing along.

However, once he comes out of the band’s ensemble and has time for a solo, he becomes a “magician” of sound effects, including the wah-wah pedal, with his bass guitar.

Caring for a distinctive character

He has turned his back on the latest multi-sound effects, which are user friendly, and established a set of various sound equipments himself on each stage. He plays his bass through these equipments, using his legs as an organist or a drummer would.

However, he does not create his own techno pop bass lines for any player on just any occasion. “It depends with whom I’m playing with and for,” he says.

“Suppose I were a bassist in a piano trio, and the leader of the band asked me to make some songs a little bit ‘colorful.’ So, I give extra color to the sound using the sound effects in the songs.”

“So, I need to check whom I’m playing with. Let’s say, tomorrow night for pianist A, I had better bring this sound equipment and that one, too, but not this one to the pianist’s show, something like that,” Nomaguchi explains.

“Maybe I worry about that too much, but I tend to bring more sound equipment than I really need for a show.”

Nomaguchi also cares about each bass guitar’s distinctive character. “I know some players tend to make their sound solely with a variety of sound effects, simply ignoring what type of bass guitar they use. But I think the leading role is always played by musical instruments, not by sound effects. They should be kept in supporting roles.”

“If you use the same sound effects with different bass guitars, the sound of the effects varies depending on what type of bass guitar is used. You should develop your understanding of how such different sounds can be created through your experience,” says Nomaguchi.

A set of Nomaguchi’s sound effects (Photo provided by Hiroshi Nomaguchi)

“Needless to say, each of the sound effects has its own distinctive character. So, when compared to using typical multi-effect devices, you can create your own sound, which is subtle in difference by using a multiple number of single sound effects.”

An “edge” in sound

Nomaguchi says that one such single effect is the wah-wah pedal. He had never thought about using the wah-wah pedal for bass until one particular show several years ago.

At that show he wondered if he could give some “edge” to his sound, and then, came up with the idea that the wah-wah pedal could be used for bass guitar, just like the regular guitar he had used it for when he played in an amateur band.

However, “it was not as effective as I imagined,” says Nomaguchi. “The wah-wah pedal is a sound effect that changes tones. A typical bass guitar is a four-string instrument, which is designed to create a low and limited range of sound. So the tones could not be changed distinctively when using the wah-wah pedal.”

Moreover, he is bothered by the downside of using wah-wah pedal, which is that the sound of the bass guitar when it’s plugged into the pedal becomes weaker.

Through a trial-and-error process he has learned how to play bass guitar solos through a wah-wah pedal more effectively by plugging the pedal into a distortion effect, which distorts the sound, and a chorus effect, which makes the sound grander.

Nomaguchi says that only practice will make you a better bassist. (Photo by Yas Mamemachi)

Nomaguchi admits that he is not “the bassist.” He says that he is trying to express himself in music chiefly through bass guitar, exemplified by his first CD, the one on which he played all the instruments to create each tune.

“I’m working as an instructor at a local music college in Tokyo, and have the chance to talk to other instructors, including other bassists,” says Nomaguchi. “I’m surprised that other bassists have nothing to think about except how to play bass guitar.”

He says he has been asked by many students if using multiple sound effects through bass guitar can help them play easier and better.

“My answer is negative,” Nomaguchi says.

No matter how you play bass, the most important thing for being a good bassist is to practice over and over again, he adds.

“I often say to my students, ‘We aim to play bass just like we ride a bicycle.”

The story of the wah-wah pedal continues.

*LINK: Hiroshi Nomaguchi