It is always interesting to see how the effect of one’s nationality or culture plays into the music they make. Boasting a background that includes Classical studies as well as modern Jazz, French bassist Frederic Schneider approaches the bass with a passion for beauty, purity and sense of drama. His flowing lines resemble the romantic air of a walk through the streets of Paris; his use of sound to create a mood is more in step with the French Impressionistic art movement than standard bass chops.
 Of course, Schneider has the capacity to completely burn when he wants to but the fact that he does not only adds to the tension in his music. If we had to make a short-list of “Bassists You Must Check Out Now”, Fred Schneider would surely be there, so read on for more on this highly individual bassist. |
Can you give a little background about your self; when did you begin playing bass?
I was born in France in 1967 and I began playing music very early, from the age of five. It is necessary to say that my father is a musician as well. Being so young, I studied the cello first and then was self-taught on the guitar at about fourteen. As for real musical studies,
I went to the National Academy of Marseille in the age of thirty.
Who are some of your influences?
“Elegant Punk“ by Jonas Hellborg was a revelation for me, because it was the first time I heard a CD interpreted only with a bass and it was a very new sound. From then on I said to myself that the bass was a separate instrument, or as Anthony Jackson says, “I do not play the bass but the low guitar”. Weather Report, Claude Debussy, Erick Satie, Bella Bartok, Stanley Clark (for his double bass work), Garry Willis, John Patitucci, Allan Holdsworth, Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul and Tony Levin are also big influences on me.
Who are some of the artists whom you have performed with?
Rippert Band was very important for me because we had the luck of playing the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1993, which was a major factor in starting our career as creative musicians. In addition to the festival, we also released our first CD “Indidhryl” and played a lot of shows in France and abroad. It was Jazz Fusion where each player had his own part in the creative process.
I also had the pleasure to play with different artists such as Jerry Marotta (drummer for Peter Gabriel), Juju Child (Temptation), Wolf Mail (from San Diego), Louis Chedid (French singer) and jamming with Alex Lingerwood (Santana), Salif Kaeta, Todd Rundgren, Richard Bona, Marcus Miller etc.
Your solo music is very soothing and melodic – how did you develop this?
I like ballads, peace and respect for the space. I think that the bass is an instrument with multiple facets; she can be very sensual, very sweet or very violent. I like composing for this instrument, I am not a very big technician but I try to make my sensibility show through the bass.
Describe your approach to using sound to create moods.
It is necessary to think of the frequencies that the bass generates and to find the place that she has to occupy in that space. I like to use 2, 3 or 4 different basses to create music like in "Little fugue in G" on my new CD. All of the performance lies in the interweaving of every bass - they must coexist mutually and with respect to the music of JS Bach.
How has Aguilar gear helped you achieve your sound?
I am very happy to use my Aguilar equipment; it is with me in every situation I enter! My AG500 SC and my GS 212 are very simple and transparent; like crystal glass. My amp is ideal for what I make with my bass in any circumstances because it shows the real sound of my bass. Two years ago I stopped using amplifiers because amps generally color the sound of the bass too much. When you plug your bass into this amp, you hear the true sound of your bass. It’s also the simplest amplifier I’ve ever used.
The GS 212 cabinet has been great as well; it is not heavy to carry, the sound is incredible and I love the Aguilar look although I recently saw your new White Hot color and it is magnificent! Now, I want the same to use with my band “Lag I Run”!
For these two sound clips, Fred plugged his Paul Lairat PL6 into his AG 500 SC/GS 212 rig. The cabinet was mic’ed with a Shure SM57 and went direct into his computer running Cubase SX3 with a Terratec sound card (Phase 26).
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What projects are coming up for you in 2009?
There are many projects for this year: soon I will go to Frankfurt for the Musikmesse show. I will be there as a demonstrator for Paul Lairat Basses, Harvest Leather Bags and also to make some demonstrations at the Aguilar booth.
I also have completed an album with a new rock group called Lag I Run. There will be a tour of the concert with Eclat and Jerry Marotta with Quartier Nord. I have some master-classes in France and Europe and some solo gigs which are always fun. I’m hoping to release a new album under my name later in the year as well.
Where can people buy your CD’s or MP3’s?
On the website of my label Musea Records, Or at the Guitar Euro Shop
Thank you Fred for taking the time to talk to us, recording sound clips and being a part of the Aguilar Family!
Be sure to check the following links to hear more from this very unique and inspired bassist!
http://fredschneider.fr, or http://www.myspace.com/fredguyschneider