“I WAS TRYING TO FIND A GOOD
bass teacher in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, and
one of the top studio players said he was too
busy to teach me!” says Roy Vogt. “I’ve since
made it my business to never be too busy to
teach anyone who wants to learn.” Now a wise
professor of 53, Vogt chairs the Bass
Department at Nashville’s prestigious Belmont
University, where he’s taught for 26 years. But
his educational commitment started when he
left jazz-oriented North Texas State for the
University of Miami (“North Texas State in the
1970s didn’t believe the electric bass was a real
instrument, but Miami did”) and became the first
electric player to achieve a Bass Performance
Masters Degree in the U.S. He’s culled his ideas
into a stunningly comprehensive 10-DVD/20-
lesson course called Teach Me Bass Guitar
[www.teachmebassguitar.com], a program he
designed to take someone from newbie to
groovemeister at his or her own pace.
Then there’s Vogt the player/composer. His
new CD, Urban Legend, skillfully combines elements
of jazz, fusion, R&B, and even “film-noirmeets-
gangsta-rap” for the slinky title track—
teaching listeners a bass lesson on the strength
of the music alone. Plus, Vogt the sideman has
worked all over the stylistic map, with Chet
Atkins, Jerry Reed, Engelbert Humperdink, and
the Allman Brothers’ Dickey Betts. Sounds like
his students are getting their money’s worth.
What kind of bassist generally
attends Belmont?
My students are drawn to the proximity of
the music business in Nashville, with many of
them interested in touring or studio work in
the contemporary Christian or country fields.
We’re one of the few schools in the
Southeastern U.S. that still awards Commercial
Music degrees on the electric bass.
What’s your “mission statement” as a
professor of the bass?
I want my students to become well-rounded,
versatile players who can gig in any style
on electric or acoustic bass, as well as specialize
in any area that interests them. They
should be able to sight-read, know standard
tunes, create a solid, grooving bass line on a
session, and be dynamic stage performers.
The bottom line is that I want them to leave
Belmont fully ready to deliver the goods.
Who are your three main influences as
a bassist?
Stanley Clarke—my first bass hero. Jimmy
Haslip—one of the kindest people I know, who
never stops reinventing himself as a musician.
He continually inspires. And Victor Wooten—a
good friend who has radically remade how I
feel about music and teach it.
How difficult is maintaining a playing
and recording career while teaching fulltime
at this level?
You have to be a master of scheduling. You
also have to realize that months at a time on
the road won’t be practical if you’re teaching
full-time. However, that opens up all sorts of
[local] opportunities. One day I might do a
jazz gig on upright, the next a country recording
session on electric, the third a singer/songwriter
project on both as well as producing. I
can also do short tours, but it’s nice to know I
don’t have to.
What are you studying right now?
I’m working through the New Technique
for Contrabass Vol. 1–3 by François Rabbath
[Leduc]. Also, A Chromatic Approach to Jazz
Harmony and Melody by Dave Leibman
[Advance]. Leibman’s book is like a very rich
meal. One example will keep me busy for a
long time.
CAN BE HEARD ON
Roy Vogt, Urban Legend
[RVM, 2009], Simplicity
[Shroomangel,
2003]; Jerry Tachoir Group, Travels
[Avita, 2008]
CURRENTLY SPINNING
Return To Forever, Returns [Eagle,
2009]; Victor Wooten, Palmystery
[Heads Up, 2008]; Donald Fagen, The
Nightfly [Warner Bros., 1982]
GEAR
Basses Carvin IC6 Icon 6-string,
fretless Carvin LB76W Claro
Walnut 6-string, Conklin GTBD-7
Bill Dickens 7-string, Carvin B4 (for
teaching)
Live rig Eden WT600 or WTX260
heads, Eden 210XLT cabinet(s), or
WT390 Time Traveler 1x10 combo
w/1x10 extension (small rig)
Studio rig Eden WP100 Navigator
preamp
Effects Behringer V-Amp Pro
Strings D’Addario, Carvin, or
La Bella nickel roundwounds;
Snakeskins on 7-string