在握威和 GC论坛的贝斯手的参与下，握威上海跟TM Stevens 联系成功，做出了这个采访~~~
（为了使得采访真实，直观，保留英文~ 以英文为主，中文系华裔人士翻译~）
1. 66036689：
I would like to ask TM Stevens, how do you manage to play to get a real flow and good rhythm in your music?
TM Stevens ：
Great question.. Working on your playing by yourself is the very first step. Work on your playing technique, practice with a metronome or drum machine to get your timing perfect, learn how to listen to your inner ear, (meaning that as you’re playing the music, if you’re just playing patterns that you’ve learned, then you’re playing like a robot and very mechanical.
If you’re playing from your heart, your insides will guide you, and give you ideas & grooves). Ideas and grooves that come from the inside, (meaning, your inner ear), is what we call inspiration, and that’s where the magic is. Learn all of your scales, patterns and theory, then forget it all when you’re playing, and just play!!!
问一下TM Stevens，如何让音乐变的更有律动
TM Stevens ：
这是一个很不错的问题。发自自我的演奏是首要的。如果只注重于你的演奏技巧，在节拍器或者鼓点配合下练习会让你的演奏会获得暂时的效果。但是只有聆听你心灵深处的感受才会得到真正的完美。就是说，是当你在演奏音乐的时候，如果只是按照你已经学会的方式表演，那么演奏出来的音乐会非常的机械化，像是机器人的表演。但是如果你的表演是发自自己的内心的话，你的内心感受会给你指导，并且带给你很多新的构想和思路，这些构想和思路只会来自内心。这就是我们常常说的灵感，也是最具有神奇魔力的地方。在你的演奏中，要做到忘记你已经学会的那些固定表演模式和理论，让演奏，就只是演奏！！！
2. 大虾米：
I just want to know, as great artists with many years of live experience, what advices can you give to amateurs like us? What are the right approach and attitude to have in order to get professional and better as a bass player?
TM Stevens ：
Hello.. I have had the honor and privilege to work with many great and classic artists in my career. The very first thing that I’ve noticed from all of them from James Brown, to Tina Turner, is that they are all 100% dedicated to what they do. Remember, in the beginning we were all amateurs, and the love and passion for what we do, is what got us all to the point where we’re considered professional and original. We have all had many disappointments, like record labels turning us down, not getting into a band that we wanted to be in, not having a great night playing in a concert on any given night.
When we fall, our pure love for what we do, makes us get right back up and get back in the fight. Don’t just like to play your bass, you have to LOVE to play your bass, and you never should play because you want to, you should be playing because you HAVE TO, and you can’t go on without it!!!
大虾米：
请问作为一名艺术家，您可不可以以您这么多年的从业经验，为我们这些对贝斯这项乐器了解尚浅的乐手们提几点我们在学习，演奏贝斯时需要注意的问题以及正确的方法以及态度。
TM Stevens ：
你好。在我的职业生涯中，曾有幸于许多伟大的艺术家合作。我首先关注到的是他们的一种态度，就像James Brown和Tina Turner，他们都是100%投入于他们所做的。你要知道，从一开始我们都是业余爱好者，是因为我们对贝斯的喜爱和热情让我们慢慢的变得专业并且纯粹。我们会有很多失望的时候，比如说唱片公司让我们感到失望，或者我们没有办法加入我们想要加入的那支乐队，又或者在特定的夜晚没有做到一场好的表演。当我们感觉沮丧的时候，我们做音乐的那种最纯的热爱会让我们很快就恢复并且继续战斗。
对于贝斯，你不能只是喜爱，而应该是疯狂的热爱，对于贝斯的表演，不是你想去做它，而是你不能不去做它，你不能没有它！！！
3. 冰块加可乐：
I want to ask TM Stevens , what kind of music style have you mixed into your funk music, and who were the musicians that influenced the most your style?
TM Stevens ：
My music is a culmination of all that I’ve heard growing up, and from all of the great artists that I’ve had the honor to play with over the years. I grew up listening to, and finally playing & recording with James Brown.
As a kid, when I first heard Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir”, that changed my life. Hence, my music is a combination of the funk and groove of James Brown, George Clinton & P-Funk, and the rock of Led Zeppelin, Pantera & Hendrix..My influences are many, however just to name a few, Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder, Motown’s band with James Jamerson on bass, Bootsy Collins on bass, Jack Bruce, John Entwhistle of The Who, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and so on..My influences are very wide, because I listen to many different kinds of music to be a wider player and person.
冰块加可乐：
问一下TM Stevens在自己的funk音乐里都加入了什么音乐元素形成的自己的风格 又是受哪些人物或音乐的影响
TM Stevens ：
我的音乐是我成长过程中听到的所有音乐的精粹，它来自于这些年我曾有幸与他们共同演出的伟大艺术家们。我在成长中一直听James Brown的音乐，并且最后与他合作演奏和录音。
在我还是孩子的时候，第一次听到Led Zeppelin’s的一首叫做“Kashmir”的音乐，它便改变了我的生活。因此，可以说我的funk音乐是结合了James Brown, George Clinton & P-Funk, and the rock of Led Zeppelin, Pantera & Hendrix等人的音乐。我的音乐受到的影响很多，仅仅列举几个名字：Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder, Motown’s band with James Jamerson, Bootsy Collins, Jack Bruce, John Entwhistle of The Who, Miles Davis, John Coltrane等等。我的音乐受到的影响也很广泛，因为我总是听很多不同类型的音乐，它会让我不论作为音乐人还是仅仅生活中都变得更宽广。
4. Sevenmore：I have shake hands with him in the music show; his hand is really big…
I just want to ask:
As an Asian, my hands are very small, how can I manage to play efficiently the bass even with small hands?
Please do not say, hey guys, just take care of the sound, I could really use advices! Thank you.
TM Stevens ：
This is very interesting, as one of the first tours that I did was with Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, and we opened for Stanley Clarke when he had his hit School Days. We are still friends and speak together to this very day.
One night after a concert, I waited for him, we talked, and I shook his hand. To my surprise, his hands were so big, that they could’ve wrapped around my hand twice it seemed. Also, a very good friend of mine, whom I used to go to the health club with in New York, was a bassist you might know of, named Jaco Pastorius. I put my hand up next to his, and I felt like a mini person.
The point is, I do have big hands, and both Jaco and Stanley have bigger hands, however each of us, (and you), bring something different and unique to the instrument. It’s not how many notes can you hit with big hands, it’s rather being able to hit the RIGHT NOTE AT THE RIGHT TIME, AND WITH THE RIGHT FEEL, that’s important. Maybe someone with bigger hands can move quicker or play faster, however there is no race, as we all get to the end of the song at the same time!!! ps.. I do practice finger stretching exercises, and once your fingers are stretched, you can get around the bass quite easily. One finger per fret is the best way to do this..
Sevenmore：
我和他握过手在乐展上，他的手非常非常大
想问下他
作为亚洲人，我的手相当小，怎么弹好BASS这样的乐器
要注意什么！
要注意什么！
不要只说注意止音哦！
具体点！
TM Stevens ：
这很有意思，我跟Mahavishnu乐队的John McLaughlin的第一次巡演的开场是与Stanley Clarke一起的。到现在我们现在依然是朋友，还会经常聊天。
那是一个音乐会结束的晚上，我在等他，我们聊天、握手。令我惊讶的是，他的手真是大呀，大到似乎可以把我的手包住两次一样。
另外，我还有一个好朋友，以前在纽约的时候我们常常一起去参加health club，他名字叫Jaco Pastorius，你也许听说过。如果把我们的手放在一起比较，我觉得自己是一个迷你人。
关键是，我的手已经很大了，但是Jaco 和 Stanley的手比我的还要大。不论我们谁（包括你），总会带来一些不一样的独特的东西。不必在意你的手到底有多大，关键是要在对的时间关注对的事情，并且怀有对的感觉。也许一个拥有很大的手的人手指可以活动的更快，但是演奏贝斯不是速度的比赛，歌曲总是在固定的时间结束。还有，我会做一些手指的伸展练习，如果你的手指很舒展，你可以在贝斯上很轻松地碰触到任何地方。一只手指控制一个fret我认为是最好的练习方式。。
5. ono69:
Hey TM, can you tell us the main difference, soundwise, between your new Warwick TM Stevens Signature model and the Funkmachine you used to play?
TM Stevens ：
Dear Ono69, any bass that I play, has to have deep bottom, and be very clear and punchy on the top when I slap. The FunkMachine was my very first signature bass, and it was designed for slapping, and I installed an auto wah in the bass to add to the slap funk. The new Warwick TM Zooloo Funk Bass, is entirely a different animal, in that I can play deep reggae with a bottom that’s thunderous, and when I slap, I don’t need to change the tone at all, as it is like clear glass on top. The wood is far more dense and a little heavier, however this makes the tone really incredible. Studio & live concert engineers always compliment me on the tone and power of this Warwick treasure, and it’s very playable!!!
Ono69:
T.M.能否介绍一下他签名的那款TM Stevens signature握威贝斯和他过去的funkmachine在音色上有什么区别吗
TM Stevens ：
亲爱的ONO69, 所有的我演奏的bass, 必须要有深深的底部，并且在我slap上部的时候要有清晰并且响亮的声音。FunkMachine是我最早的签名款bass, 他是设计成被用来slapping的。并且我在bass上装了一个自动的wah 来增加 slap funk. 新的Warwick TM Zooloo Funk Bass是个完全不同的家伙，我可以用他强有力的底部来表演一种更激烈的reggae，而且当我slap的时候，我完全不用变调，他的顶部就像有个清脆的玻璃。更密质的木制材料，质量也会更重一些，这些让贝斯的音调变得非同一般。录音室和现场演奏的工程师经常在音调和力度上夸奖我的Warwick，它就如同珍宝，真的很好用！！！
6. 废墟之草：
I am interested to know how you are managing your practice time. For example, how do you practice on a regular basis in a regular day at home? How do you deal with problem such as lack of inspiration or lack of motivation during practice?
TM Stevens ：
When I first started playing, I used to practice 12 hours a day, as I love it so much. In the beginning, it’s all about music, and once you get into the music as a profession, it becomes the music “business”, and just like managing a company or corporation, one now doesn’t have the time to practice 12 hours a day, as you have to run and maintain the business.
On tour, I sometimes play 6 – 10 concerts in a row without a day off, and we travel sometimes 5 – 10 hours a day in the truck to get to the next town & concert site. There are days when I’m really tired & not so motivated, however there is an audience out there that payed to see a great concert, and it’s not fair to them if I’m not giving my best. The people who came to the very first concert on a tour, got a great and fresh show, and the people who come to the very last show on any given tour, has the right to get the same great and fresh show, and motivating one’s self starts way before I pick up the bass. I usually practice before a show in the dressing room, and that’s where I get excited and motivate myself on demand, to go out there and slam it hard core. It’s a gift and honor to be able to play, and very few people can do this, so that should be enough to motivate you!!!
废墟之草：
我想问下平常他的练习分配都是怎么来分配的。例如一天在家中是如何来安排练习的。以及瓶颈时期是如何度过的。谢谢。
TM Stevens ：
当我刚开始练习贝斯的时候，我经常一天要练习12个小时，因为我真的是非常非常喜欢它。起初，全部练习都只是和音乐有关，但是当你对于音乐已经挺专业了，练习就变成了一种关于音乐的“生意”。就像管理一家公司或者企业一样，你不会在一天里花12个小时来练习，因为你要运行并且维护好你的生意。
巡演的时候，我有时要轮流演奏6-8场音乐会，一整天都不休息，我们有时甚至需要在卡车上待5-8个小时才能到达下一个城镇演出的地方。那些日子我真的是非常累也不那么有动力，但是，在远方有一个已经付了钱想听一场好的演奏会的听众，如果不给他们最好的，对他们来说是不公平的。那些看了巡演第一场表演的观众，得到了一场精彩并且新鲜的演出，但是那些去听巡演后期表演的观众，也有得到一样精彩并且新鲜演出的权利，这让我在拿起bass之前就充满动力。在表演之前，我通常在化妆间里练习，我在那里会开始兴奋并且充满动力，想要立马走出那里完成一场激情的贝斯表演。贝斯演奏是一种天赋也是一种荣耀，只有很少的人能做到，所以那绝对是你源源不断的动力所在！！！
7&8. htbrass&Walkin’Bass：
I would like to ask TM , what should we take care of while tuning the bass on the scene, are there any rules or steps about the tuning process that we can follow？
Second question is: While playing in a band, how can you make the badass bass sound sounds clear and be heard as an active part of the song? I know you are a specialist in this matter, please advise me.
TM Stevens ：
Part 1 – When you say tuning on the scene, I think that you mean how do you tune when you’re on stage already playing? First, I change my strings almost every night on a tour, and I change everyday in the studio, or if I don’t feel that the strings are still popping with tone, I’ll change my strings in between songs. As bass strings are larger, it takes them a longer time to stretch and stay in tune, so tuning is one of the most important things for me either live, or in the studio. Normal tuning is playing the harmonics on the 7th fret of the G string, and matching that note with the 5th fret on the D string, and h same with the A & E strings. When I change strings, I fully stretch them until they stay in tune. As I am also the lead singer in my bands, I sometimes have to keep playing and singing, and I’ll tune at the same time, (this takes practice, and over time you’ll get it). Lastly, I usually have to drop the E string down to a D or C# for certain songs, then I have to retune it back to the normal key for the next song very quickly. I have relative pitch, which means that I can memorize note pitches, which allows me to tune up much quicker than having to use a tuner for each song.
Part 2 – I’ve played on many hit songs, like Joe Cocker’s “Unchain My Heart”, Tina Turner “Simply The Best”, James Brown “Living In America”, The Pretender’s “Don’t Get Me Wrong” and so on. I always play what the music needs, then I add my signature touch.
The first thing is to work on the tone of your bass. I set my EQ away from the keyboards, guitars and singing, so that I have my own frequency, and the bass is clear and by itself at that frequency. Next, I feel what the song needs bass wise, then I color it to make it special. If you play what you’re hearing, most of the time it’ll be great for the song. If you play only from patterns and not from what you’re feeling at that point, then it becomes a bit sterile and normal. Joe Cocker played Ray Charles’ version of Unchain My Heart, and I immediately heard it a different way, and I played what I heard, and it was one of his biggest hits. Play what you hear inside and own it. If it’s not quite right, the producer will let you know, and you’ll hear something else from the inside, and get it jamming!!!
htbrass&Walkin’Bass：
请问TM先生，我们在现场调试贝司音色的时候应该注意什么，现场调试贝司音色的时候是否有一定的规律或是步骤，如果有请你说一个贝司在现场调音的时候应该 先做什么后做什么？？
我的第二个问题：在乐队合奏的时候如何让贝司的魔鬼音符听的更清晰，我知道你是这方面的高手，请你指教！！
TM Stevens ：
第一部分：当你提到“tuning on the scene”，我想你指的是当你已经在台上演奏的时候如何调音？ 首先，我在巡演的每天晚上的都会更换琴弦，并且我每天也会在录音室里更换他们。假如我觉得我的琴弦跟音调不匹配，我便会在两首歌中间调音。因为贝斯的琴弦更大，那就要花更多的时间来把他们固定并能够保持在合适的调上。所以调音对我来说，不管在现场表演还是录音室里都是最重要的事情。普通的调音是调节G弦的第七个fret使它们和谐，并且D弦的第五个fret也需要如此. H弦的调法同A弦和G弦一样。当我更换的的弦时，我把他们完全拉直，直到它们保持在一个调上。因为我在我们的乐队里也是主唱，有些时候我既要弹奏又要唱歌，同时我也需要调音。（这必须要练习，多练几次你就会了）。最后，我经常会在有些歌的副歌部分从E弦下滑到D弦或者C弦的时候做一个drop, 之后又必须很快在下一首歌前回到正常的key. 我有一些相关的pitch, 就是说我能记住一些主要的pitch, 这比我的调音过程比使用调音器调音还要更快。
第二部分：我有演奏过一些热门歌曲，就像 Joe Cocker的“Unchain My Heart”, Tina Turner的“Simply The Best”, James Brown的 “Living In America”, The Pretender’s 的“Don’t Get Me Wrong”等等，我不只演奏音乐所必需的，还会加上我个人的感触。
首要的是需要在你的贝斯的音调上做工作。我让自己的EQ离键盘，吉他和歌曲远远的，这样我才能够用发自自己内心的频率调音.贝斯在这样的频率下才能很清晰纯粹。其次， 我觉得有些歌需要更宽广的贝司音，所以我就润色它来让它更不同一些。如果你听到什么就演奏什么，大多数时候还是让歌曲表现不错。但是如果你只是根据键盘来表演，而不是用你的内心感受，那会使得表演变得很普通甚至有点枯燥乏味。在Joe Cocker演奏Ray Charles’ version of Unchain My Heart之后，我立刻从另一个角度感受到了它，并且演奏了我所听到的，这个版本成了他最好的版本之一。演奏你内心听到的并且拥有它。如果那有一点不太对劲，你的制片人就会告诉你，之后你会在内心听到一些其他的，它们会层出不穷的从心底冒出来！！！
谢谢 TM Stevens， GC 的贝斯手，握威上海和两位翻译 Hiko 和 Maggie.
TM Stevens 会在上海10月份的2010 Music Trade Fair 在握威的区里表演，有空来看看他 !
