Berklee and FBPO instructor talks on the allure of the six-string bass

Exclusive video interview with FBPO’s Jon Liebman
December 9, 2019

By David Sands

Joe Santerre is a Boston-based bass virtuoso and teacher known for his mastery of slap techniques. A long-time instructor with Berklee’s bass department, he’s spent years teaching the ins and outs of bass to generations of aspiring musicians; some of his more accomplished former students include Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith), John Myung (Dream Theater), Chris Loftlin (Brian McKnight), Bryan Bellar (Dweezil Zappa) and  Chris Chaney (Jane’s Addiction/Alanis Morrisette). Not one to confine himself to the classroom, Santerre also has an extensive performance background of his own. He currently plays in the Jon Finn Group and over the course of his career has played and/or recorded with Eguie Castrillo, Tom Coster, Jeff Golub, Dino Govoni, Mike Mangini, Steve Morse, John Petrucci, Joey Franco, Ross Ramsay and Sal DiFusco.  Beyond that, he’s also released two solo albums, Straight Shooter and The Scenic Route, which are available via Audio Image Records. 

Of course, we’d be remiss not to mention that Joe is also a member of our own faculty and currently teaches an exclusive For Bass Players Only course on the six-string bass. FBPO’s Jon Liebman recently met up with Santerre to talk about his course, the appeal of playing six-strings and recent collaborations.

Watch our interview with Joe!

See Jon’s blog, with key takeaways from this interview, here.