Chris Hardy World

Fretless Bass Any Style

Chris Hardy World on SoundBetter

Creative and solid fretless tracks for your song in most any style, from simple songs to epic prog rock or jazz.

Fretless since 1990, and a former Army Band percussionist, so I can offer a solid sense of time & rhythm. I've recorded music in just about every possible genre and every level of complexity, so it'd be difficult to stump me!

My playing is influenced by Jaco Pastorius, Geddy Lee, Graham Maby, Will Lee, Steve Bailey and John McVie.

I believe I can offer your song a bass track that will fit!

Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Interview with Chris Hardy World

  1. Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

  2. A: In 1996 I played on Keith Gregory's album "Fact Of Life" and was given license to add my creativity to it. I like what I did!

  3. Q: What are you working on at the moment?

  4. A: Just finished a new solo album - I release at least a full-length album of original music every year. I've done 10 albums between 2012 and 2019.

  5. Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

  6. A: Not yet, I'm new here.

  7. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  8. A: I can do either - I've got an old Fostex 8 track reel-to-reel machine, but my fee reflects the extra time needed.

  9. Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

  10. A: As long as I'm provided all the info I need, you will be satisfied with my work.

  11. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  12. A: Learning new songs!

  13. Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

  14. A: Do you play hip-hop? Do you play metal? Do you play country? The answer is "yes", but those are not my strongest styles to play.

  15. Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

  16. A: That I can satisfy a client without any artistic direction. Eventually I can, but if the client can be as descriptive as possible, it eliminates revisions, which can be costly and time consuming.

  17. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  18. A: What are you looking for in a fretless bass part? What famous player could you envision playing this song? How simple or complex should it be?

  19. Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

  20. A: Just provide me with a simple rough mix of the song with a countoff, describe how you want the bass part to be played (busy, simple, outside-the-box, funky, etc) and a chord outline would be helpful.

  21. Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

  22. A: One Alvarez acoustic piccolo bass and 4 extra sets of strings!

  23. Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

  24. A: US Army Band at Fort Gordon, Georgia as a percussionist until 1988, now I write & record music and repair wind instruments. I've been playing fretless bass since 1990.

  25. Q: How would you describe your style?

  26. A: Balanced, but I can lay back into a simple groove and also throw down a shredfest. Whatever the client needs!

  27. Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

  28. A: Jojo Mayer (drummer) because his drumming is not human. He plays electronic style beats on an acoustic drumset.

  29. Q: Can you share one music production tip?

  30. A: Sure, stay away from 0db when tracking. I like to keep it at around -6db.

  31. Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

  32. A: Rock, pop, folk, acoustic, jazz, fusion, prog rock.

  33. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  34. A: Creativity.

  35. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  36. A: An interesting and solid bass part that doesn't draw too much attention to itself.

  37. Q: What's your typical work process?

  38. A: Client sends me a rough mix and a chord chart, I play through the song several times and then record a take that I think suits the song and the client's needs.

  39. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  40. A: Yamaha AW1600 for tracking, Audacity for any editing required.

  41. Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

  42. A: Jaco Pastorius, Andy Metcalfe, Pino Palladino, Mick Karn.

  43. Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

  44. A: I record creative and solid fretless bass parts for clients' songs.

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Energy Moves

I was the Bassist and everything else in this production

Terms Of Service

I usually make fixes at no charge until the client is happy with it, but if I'm not given any chord charts or any kind of rhythm track (or a click), I charge $50 per extra take.

GenresSounds Like
  • Jaco Pastorius
  • Geddy Lee
  • John McVie
Gear Highlights
  • Fender Jazz Bass Fretless
More Photos