Aram Bedrosian
Encyclopedia
Aram Bedrosian is a bass guitarist known for composing and performing unaccompanied solo bass guitar music
. His work has been acknowledged in numerous international publications including Bass
Player Magazine, Bass Guitar Magazine and Performer Magazine and he has performed all over North America.
He is also a spokesman and endorsee for Jens Ritter Instruments
, Hartke Systems, DR Strings and Jim Dunlop Effects.
His pieces are performed on a four string bass guitar without any other instruments
or loop
ing. In addition, he is a professional instructor
and has a teaching studio
in Burlington, VT and gives webcam lessons globally.
, Vermont
. He began playing saxophone
in school at age 11 and picked up the bass guitar at age 13. After playing in several local progressive, rock, funk and jam groups and winning a state-wide stringed-instrument competition, he attended The University of Vermont
where he studied classical
and jazz
music. After several years of touring and recording as a first-call freelance bassist in the Northeastern U.S., he released his self-titled solo debut album which received international acclaim.
In 2011 he conducted an interview for the book Solo Arrangements for Electric Bass (Bassline Publishing, UK) written by Bass Guitar Magazine columnist Stuart Clayton.
As an educator, In addition to his private lessons, Aram instructs at various colleges and performs bass clinics around the US.
and The Knitting Factory, Aram
has shared concert billing as an unaccompanied soloist with international recording artists including Buckethead
, Joe Bonamassa
, Johnny A.
,
The Wood Brothers
, That 1 Guy
and Back Door Slam
. He has shared the stage with Jon Fishman
, Mike Gordon
and Jennifer Hartswick as
well as members of Phil Lesh and Friends
, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
, John Brown's Body
, Giant Country Horns
, RAQ
and Beats Antique
.
Aram Bedrosian: self-titled (2008)
A 32-minute collection of solo pieces ranging stylistically and recorded entirely with one bass alone with no layering of multiple parts
Track listing:
Jens Ritter of Jens Ritter Instruments
developed and created a special signature bass called The Supernova
for Aram which he received in early
2009. The instrument has several uncommon features including customized body and neck shapes, a one-piece master grade Burl
Maple body, LED
S and an LED AB Logo
on the 12th fret
as well the capability to send 4 separate string signals via
a piezo
system. Other notable players with custom Ritter Basses include Phil Lesh
, Michael Anthony
and Rob Derhak
.
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
. His work has been acknowledged in numerous international publications including Bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Player Magazine, Bass Guitar Magazine and Performer Magazine and he has performed all over North America.
He is also a spokesman and endorsee for Jens Ritter Instruments
Jens Ritter Instruments
Jens Ritter Instruments is a manufacturer of high-end electric stringed instruments. It was founded by Jens Ritter in the mid-1990s and was known as Ritter Bass Guitars until 2010 when Jens expanded his line to include Baritone Guitars. Jens produces 50 to 60 handmade instruments each year in his...
, Hartke Systems, DR Strings and Jim Dunlop Effects.
His pieces are performed on a four string bass guitar without any other instruments
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
or loop
Music loop
In electroacoustic music, a loop is a repeating section of sound material. Short sections of material can be repeated to create ostinato patterns...
ing. In addition, he is a professional instructor
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and has a teaching studio
Studio
A studio is an artist's or worker's workroom, or the catchall term for an artist and his or her employees who work within that studio. This can be for the purpose of architecture, painting, pottery , sculpture, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, radio or television...
in Burlington, VT and gives webcam lessons globally.
Biography
Aram was born on May 3, 1977 in BurlingtonBurlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. He began playing saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
in school at age 11 and picked up the bass guitar at age 13. After playing in several local progressive, rock, funk and jam groups and winning a state-wide stringed-instrument competition, he attended The University of Vermont
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
where he studied classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
music. After several years of touring and recording as a first-call freelance bassist in the Northeastern U.S., he released his self-titled solo debut album which received international acclaim.
"In a world that has been so lucky to hear the innovations of Jaco PastoriusJaco PastoriusJohn Francis Anthony Pastorius III , known as Jaco Pastorius, was an American jazz musician and composer widely acknowledged as a virtuoso electric bass player....
, Victor WootenVictor WootenVictor Lemonte Wooten is an American bass player, composer, author, and producer, and has been the recipient of five Grammy Awards....
, and Les ClaypoolLes ClaypoolLeslie Edward "Les" Claypool is an American musician and writer, best known as the lead vocalist and bassist in the band Primus. Claypool's playing style on the electric bass mixes tapping, flamenco-like strumming, whammy bar bends and slapping.Claypool has also self produced and engineered his...
, the performances on this album are no less significant in their brilliant, technical radiance." -Performer Magazine, March 2008
"..beneath the virtuosic surface of Aram Bedrosian lurks the
heart of a budding composer." - Bryan BellerBryan BellerBryan Beller is an American bass guitarist known for his work with Mike Keneally, Steve Vai, Dethklok, James LaBrie of Dream Theater, and Dweezil Zappa.-Career:...
, -Bass Player Magazine, March 2008
In 2011 he conducted an interview for the book Solo Arrangements for Electric Bass (Bassline Publishing, UK) written by Bass Guitar Magazine columnist Stuart Clayton.
As an educator, In addition to his private lessons, Aram instructs at various colleges and performs bass clinics around the US.
Performance history
In addition to performing in ensembles all over North America in venues like The House of BluesHouse of Blues
House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
and The Knitting Factory, Aram
has shared concert billing as an unaccompanied soloist with international recording artists including Buckethead
Buckethead
Brian Carroll , better known by his stage name Buckethead, is a guitarist and multi instrumentalist who has worked within several genres of music. He has released 34 studio albums, four special releases and one EP. He has performed on over 50 more albums by other artists...
, Joe Bonamassa
Joe Bonamassa
Joe Bonamassa is an American blues rock guitarist and singer.-Early life:Bonamassa was born and raised in New Hartford, United States. His parents owned and ran a guitar shop. He is a fourth-generation musician...
, Johnny A.
Johnny A.
Johnny A. is an American guitarist/songwriter, born in Malden, Massachusetts.Growing up in Boston as a young child, he became interested in music, starting with drums at age six. Upon being exposed to The Beatles in 1964 , Johnny bought a $49 Lafayette Electronics guitar. In the late seventies, he...
,
The Wood Brothers
The Wood Brothers
The Wood Brothers are musician siblings Chris and Oliver Wood from Boulder, Colorado. Chris is a founding member of Medeski Martin & Wood, and Oliver played second guitar with Tinsley Ellis before forming King Johnson....
, That 1 Guy
That 1 Guy
Mike Silverman, better known as That 1 Guy, is an American musician based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He frequently performs and records as a one-man band, singing and using a variety of homemade musical instruments.-Early career:...
and Back Door Slam
Back Door Slam
Back Door Slam is the name of the blues rock band started by Davy Knowles on the Isle of Man in 2003/4. The band got its name from a Robert Cray song of the same name...
. He has shared the stage with Jon Fishman
Jon Fishman
Jon Fishman is an American drummer best known for his work with the band Phish. He is credited with co-writing 19 Phish originals, 8 of them as a solo credit....
, Mike Gordon
Mike Gordon
Mike Gordon is a bass guitar player and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Phish. Gordon is also an accomplished banjo player, and is proficient at piano, guitar, harmonica and percussion...
and Jennifer Hartswick as
well as members of Phil Lesh and Friends
Phil Lesh and Friends
Phil Lesh and Friends is an American rock band formed and led by Phil Lesh, former bassist of the Grateful Dead.Phil & Friends is not a traditional group in that several different lineups of musicians have played under the name, including groups featuring members of Phish, Little Feat, and the Zen...
, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals is an American rock band from Waitsfield, Vermont.-Career:Grace Potter and the Nocturnals' lead vocalist is multi-instrumentalist Grace Potter, who attended St. Lawrence University for two years before pursuing music professionally...
, John Brown's Body
John Brown's Body
"John Brown's Body" is an American marching song about the abolitionist John Brown. The song was popular in the Union during the American Civil War. The tune arose out of the folk hymn tradition of the American camp meeting movement of the 19th century...
, Giant Country Horns
Giant Country Horns
The Giant Country Horns were a group of musicians who joined rock band Phish for about twenty shows during the band's 1991 summer tour. The horn section, named after "Giant Country" White Bread, added new arrangements to classic Phish songs including "Suzy Greenberg," "Stash," "Split Open and...
, RAQ
RAQ
RAQ are a psychedelic, progressive rock quartet from Burlington, VT. They are a part of the jam band scene.-History:The group formed in 2000 with original keyboard player Marc Scortino and released their first studio effort "Shed Tech" a year later. In 2002 Scortino left the band and was replaced...
and Beats Antique
Beats Antique
Beats Antique is an experimental world fusion and electronic music group. Formed in 2007 in conjunction with producer Miles Copeland, the group has become noted for their mix of different genres as well as their live shows which mix samples and heavy percussives with Tribal Fusion dance and...
.
Discography
(as a soloist)Aram Bedrosian: self-titled (2008)
A 32-minute collection of solo pieces ranging stylistically and recorded entirely with one bass alone with no layering of multiple parts
Track listing:
- Space Opera
- Mezzanine
- No Words
- Thumpty Dumpty
- Sand Castle
- Hearing Voices
- Terracotta
- The Clearing
- Fly
- Code Red
- Reprise
The Ritter Supernova Signature Bass
Acclaimed luthierLuthier
A luthier is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with a term for the specialty of each maker, such as violinmaker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc...
Jens Ritter of Jens Ritter Instruments
Jens Ritter Instruments
Jens Ritter Instruments is a manufacturer of high-end electric stringed instruments. It was founded by Jens Ritter in the mid-1990s and was known as Ritter Bass Guitars until 2010 when Jens expanded his line to include Baritone Guitars. Jens produces 50 to 60 handmade instruments each year in his...
developed and created a special signature bass called The Supernova
Supernova
A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
for Aram which he received in early
2009. The instrument has several uncommon features including customized body and neck shapes, a one-piece master grade Burl
Burl
A burl or bur or burr is a tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner. It is commonly found in the form of a rounded outgrowth on a tree trunk or branch that is filled with small knots from dormant buds.A burl results from a tree undergoing some form of stress. It may be caused...
Maple body, LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
S and an LED AB Logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
on the 12th fret
Fret
A fret is a raised portion on the neck of a stringed instrument, that extends generally across the full width of the neck. On most modern western instruments, frets are metal strips inserted into the fingerboard...
as well the capability to send 4 separate string signals via
a piezo
Piezoelectric sensor
A piezoelectric sensor is a device that uses the piezoelectric effect to measure pressure, acceleration, strain or force by converting them to an electrical charge.-Applications:...
system. Other notable players with custom Ritter Basses include Phil Lesh
Phil Lesh
Phillip Chapman Lesh is a musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career....
, Michael Anthony
Michael Anthony
Michael Anthony Sobolewski , known professionally as Michael Anthony, is an American musician who is currently the bass player in the rock supergroup Chickenfoot...
and Rob Derhak
Rob Derhak
Robert Derhak, also known simply as Rob, is the bass guitarist and a founding member of the American jam band moe..- History :Derhak's earliest known time performing as a member of a band was on Halloween 1989, playing at a party with guitarist Chuck Garvey and a drummer named Ray Schwartz...
.