Janek Gwizdala Podcast
Dive deep into the music universe with the podcast that unveils the journey of one of the most influential bass players in the music industry – Janek Gwizdala. Designed for bass enthusiasts and musicians alike, each episode is a sonic exploration into the world of groove, gear. technique, and artistic evolution.
Janek Gwizdala, renowned for his mastery of the bass, shares his life's narrative – from the early days as a budding musician to his current status as a sought-after sideman and solo artist. Whether you're a seasoned bassist or simply appreciate the magic of live music, join us as we unravel the layers of Janek's experiences, revealing the secrets behind his signature sound.
Expect in-depth conversations with Janek and special guests, offering unique perspectives on music, composition, and the art of creating an unforgettable groove. Explore the challenges and triumphs of a professional bass player, gain insights into the creative process, and discover the stories behind some of Janek's most iconic performances.
Whether you're looking for inspiration for your own musical journey or simply want to bask in the rich tones of the bass, "The Janek Gwizdala Podcast" is your backstage pass to the world of bass and music.
Subscribe now for an intimate look at the life and legacy of Janek Gwizdala's bass-centric career.
janekgwizdala.substack.com
This is How I Train My Ears
2025-02-12 19:52:34
Whilst sifting through old drives for B-Roll for another video I found this old overhead shot of me working on a Till Brönner transcription from a few years back. Obviously I don’t set up the camera and makes videos like this every time I transcribe something, but I do make a habit of transcribing on a regular basis. As my ear gets stronger, the material I’m transcribing tends to change. It’s quite rare these days to be transcribing linear ideas for instance as I’ve done so much of that over the past three decades. I’m more curious now about harmony and chord voicings, and how those might work for orchestration and arrangement purposes when I’m in writing-mode. As you can hear from this very raw voice note made with my phone, I’m focusing on harmonic development for this new album I’m planning to record in Europe later in the year. I’m working towards recording the trio (possibly Jojo Mayer and Tom Cawley) in the south of Germany, and then hopping over to Sofia to record the New Bulgarian Voices on top of the trio right after. Layering elements of Jazz, European folk music, electronic music, and some of my biggest influences from the classical world like Chopin, Brahms, Messiaen, Mahler, Schubert, Ravel and Rachmaninoff, is something incredibly exciting to me. Knowing I have access to some of the greatest musicians, engineers, and studios out there gives me a lot of hope that no matter what we do in the studio, we will make music we love. And when you add in the possibilities a choir could generate… I start to get a real buzz about the project even when we’re so many months away. This is a clip from my daily practice routine that I’m constantly documenting to make sure ideas aren’t lost. The one recurring melody throughout this improvised clip could end up being the main theme for a choral arrangement for instance. You just never know. That’s why I felt compelled to share these three things today. * The transcription clip represents where I’m coming from and the crazy amount of hours I’ve put into transcription and ear training over the years. * The audio clip gives you an idea of how I’m constantly making short voice notes of compositional ideas. * And the video clip is looking forward to this year’s recording projects as I continue to write as much as possible every day, and get used to a new instrument so I’m in the best place possible when the red light goes on to record. As always, be sure to stream the latest album with Mark Turner, John Ellis, Gretchen Parlato, Jojo Mayer, Elliot Mason, Gregoire Maret, and Tim Miller for free wherever you listen to music. My listening platform of choice happens to be Spotify. If you’re a fan of physical media, you can now pre-order vinyl of this latest release More soon, Janek Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
Whilst sifting through old drives for B-Roll for another video I found this old overhead shot of me working on a Till Brönner transcription from a few years back.
Obviously I don’t set up the camera and makes videos like this every time I transcribe something, but I do make a habit of transcribing on a regular basis.
As my ear gets stronger, the material I’m transcribing tends to change. It’s quite rare these days to be transcribing linear ideas for instance as I’ve done so much of that over the past three decades. I’m more curious now about harmony and chord voicings, and how those might work for orchestration and arrangement purposes when I’m in writing-mode.
As you can hear from this very raw voice note made with my phone, I’m focusing on harmonic development for this new album I’m planning to record in Europe later in the year.
I’m working towards recording the trio (possibly Jojo Mayer and Tom Cawley) in the south of Germany, and then hopping over to Sofia to record the New Bulgarian Voices on top of the trio right after.
Layering elements of Jazz, European folk music, electronic music, and some of my biggest influences from the classical world like Chopin, Brahms, Messiaen, Mahler, Schubert, Ravel and Rachmaninoff, is something incredibly exciting to me.
Knowing I have access to some of the greatest musicians, engineers, and studios out there gives me a lot of hope that no matter what we do in the studio, we will make music we love. And when you add in the possibilities a choir could generate… I start to get a real buzz about the project even when we’re so many months away.
This is a clip from my daily practice routine that I’m constantly documenting to make sure ideas aren’t lost. The one recurring melody throughout this improvised clip could end up being the main theme for a choral arrangement for instance. You just never know.
That’s why I felt compelled to share these three things today.
* The transcription clip represents where I’m coming from and the crazy amount of hours I’ve put into transcription and ear training over the years.
* The audio clip gives you an idea of how I’m constantly making short voice notes of compositional ideas.
* And the video clip is looking forward to this year’s recording projects as I continue to write as much as possible every day, and get used to a new instrument so I’m in the best place possible when the red light goes on to record.
As always, be sure to stream the latest album with Mark Turner, John Ellis, Gretchen Parlato, Jojo Mayer, Elliot Mason, Gregoire Maret, and Tim Miller for free wherever you listen to music.
My listening platform of choice happens to be Spotify.
If you’re a fan of physical media, you can now pre-order vinyl of this latest release
More soon,
Janek
Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
How to Update Your Practice Routine
2025-02-11 22:05:56
In today's episode I dig into the Wayne Shorter composition Capricorn , take a look at new chord voicings, and explain my process for creating a new challenge in my practice routine. Since the recent video about the dozens of books that got stolen from my porch we've managed to re-stock, so there are 10-Minute Manuals, Scales and Arpeggios, and almost every other book we have in stock right now! Don’t forget that the John Patitucci interview is dropping this Friday to celebrate the launch of his new album Spirit Fall . More soon, Janek Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
In today's episode I dig into the Wayne Shorter composition Capricorn, take a look at new chord voicings, and explain my process for creating a new challenge in my practice routine.
Since the recent video about the dozens of books that got stolen from my porch we've managed to re-stock, so there are 10-Minute Manuals, Scales and Arpeggios, and almost every other book we have in stock right now!
Don’t forget that the John Patitucci interview is dropping this Friday to celebrate the launch of his new album Spirit Fall.
More soon,
Janek
Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
TWO New Basses Have Arrived!
2025-02-03 07:29:01
As 2025 gets well and truly underway I have so many music-related things to be thankful for and excited about. My latest album, Mystery to Me - 20th Anniversary Edition , is now available for pre-order on vinyl. It’s the first album in 20 years of releasing music as an artist that I’m having pressed to vinyl, and I can’t wait to share it with you. Two beautiful new instruments have just arrived! One is my limited edition collaboration with RKM, and the other is the evolution of my Mattisson 5-string that is now hollow-body, headless, and passive! Watch and listen to this week’s episode on YouTube and get samples of the new instruments, details of the new vinyl release, and a ton of tour dates coming up over the next few months. More soon, Janek Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
As 2025 gets well and truly underway I have so many music-related things to be thankful for and excited about.
My latest album, Mystery to Me - 20th Anniversary Edition, is now available for pre-order on vinyl. It’s the first album in 20 years of releasing music as an artist that I’m having pressed to vinyl, and I can’t wait to share it with you.
Two beautiful new instruments have just arrived!
One is my limited edition collaboration with RKM, and the other is the evolution of my Mattisson 5-string that is now hollow-body, headless, and passive!
Watch and listen to this week’s episode on YouTube and get samples of the new instruments, details of the new vinyl release, and a ton of tour dates coming up over the next few months.
More soon,
Janek
Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
Dozens of Books Stolen From My House
2025-01-26 08:28:42
In this week's episode we get into Winter NAMM 2025, new basses being delivered, huge interview guest announcement, and a crap load of bass books get stolen from my house. We’re also launching merch for the first time in many years. Shop the store for super-soft hoodies, T’s, Baseball shirts, caps, and much more! More soon! Janek Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
In this week's episode we get into Winter NAMM 2025, new basses being delivered, huge interview guest announcement, and a crap load of bass books get stolen from my house.
We’re also launching merch for the first time in many years.
Shop the store for super-soft hoodies, T’s, Baseball shirts, caps, and much more!
More soon!
Janek
Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
A $3,299 Octave Pedal?!?
2025-01-19 09:07:07
I’m doing the full price breakdown of the new stereo pedalboard, and the number at the end of the episode is eye-watering. I’m always astonished at the kinds of prices people think they can get away with charging for gear, but as we run through the cost of each pedal on the new board, scouring Reverb.com for current prices, things get a little out of hand… More soon, Janek Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
I’m doing the full price breakdown of the new stereo pedalboard, and the number at the end of the episode is eye-watering.
I’m always astonished at the kinds of prices people think they can get away with charging for gear, but as we run through the cost of each pedal on the new board, scouring Reverb.com for current prices, things get a little out of hand…
More soon,
Janek
Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
New Pedals, New Album, New Website!
2025-01-09 08:59:31
I have some new pieces in the pedal library that are going into the new stereo setup. I’m actually most excited about the one pedal that makes no sound at all: The Walrus Audio Stereo Canvas. More on that in the episode! Could it be the solution to a Stereo/Mono all-in-one board that I’ve been looking for? If it is, that board might get even crazier with a stereo loop switcher in the end going out to four DI’s… Massive thanks to everyone who has streamed the new album. It’s by far my most successful release based on Spotify streams in the first week, and it’s growing every day. I’m very happy to see this music get a fresh lease of life, and hear your feedback about the new bass tracks I recorded for the album. We also have a massive update to the website that I hope will give way more access to the books across the world. I’ve been racking my brains about how to solve the issues we’ve had over the past year with crazy shipping costs, and not having the ability to bundle digital and physical products together. Well… we’ve solved both of them! And have moved to Shopify for a way more streamlined and smooth user-experience. In some cases shipping is actually going to be free now! Shipping, to so many parts of the world, has been as much as the cost of a book itself. We’ve set some thresholds for each part of the globe that, if met, shipping will go to zero. That way we end up sharing the cost of the shipping a little, and you get more products for your money rather than burning it all on Fedex. It’s the start of a new chapter, and I’m sure there will be a few bumps along the way. I appreciate both your support and your patience as always, and look forward to bringing you much more very soon. Janek Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
I have some new pieces in the pedal library that are going into the new stereo setup. I’m actually most excited about the one pedal that makes no sound at all: The Walrus Audio Stereo Canvas. More on that in the episode!
Could it be the solution to a Stereo/Mono all-in-one board that I’ve been looking for? If it is, that board might get even crazier with a stereo loop switcher in the end going out to four DI’s…
Massive thanks to everyone who has streamed the new album. It’s by far my most successful release based on Spotify streams in the first week, and it’s growing every day. I’m very happy to see this music get a fresh lease of life, and hear your feedback about the new bass tracks I recorded for the album.
We also have a massive update to the website that I hope will give way more access to the books across the world. I’ve been racking my brains about how to solve the issues we’ve had over the past year with crazy shipping costs, and not having the ability to bundle digital and physical products together.
Well… we’ve solved both of them! And have moved to Shopify for a way more streamlined and smooth user-experience.
In some cases shipping is actually going to be free now!
Shipping, to so many parts of the world, has been as much as the cost of a book itself. We’ve set some thresholds for each part of the globe that, if met, shipping will go to zero. That way we end up sharing the cost of the shipping a little, and you get more products for your money rather than burning it all on Fedex.
It’s the start of a new chapter, and I’m sure there will be a few bumps along the way. I appreciate both your support and your patience as always, and look forward to bringing you much more very soon.
Janek
Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
Stereo Delay on BASS?!
2024-12-29 08:37:30
I know that stereo anything is probably not front and center when you're leaving the house for a gig to play bass, but there is a use-case once in a while for delays and reverbs and they sound amazing in stereo! I'm digging the Del-Verb from UAFX, and will soon add the Golden Reverberator to the signal chain to see if I can get where I want to go with ambient soundscapes. Make sure you get in the comments on YouTube and let me know what you use, how you use it, and if you've ventured into the land of stereo bass yet! Don’t miss our last sale of the year: Buy any signed physical book and get any digital book for just $5, and get 25% off all digital book bundles. The sale runs until midnight on NYE, and all discounts are added automatically at checkout. Happy reverberating, and more soon! Janek Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
I know that stereo anything is probably not front and center when you're leaving the house for a gig to play bass, but there is a use-case once in a while for delays and reverbs and they sound amazing in stereo!
I'm digging the Del-Verb from UAFX, and will soon add the Golden Reverberator to the signal chain to see if I can get where I want to go with ambient soundscapes.
Make sure you get in the comments on YouTube and let me know what you use, how you use it, and if you've ventured into the land of stereo bass yet!
Don’t miss our last sale of the year: Buy any signed physical book and get any digital book for just $5, and get 25% off all digital book bundles. The sale runs until midnight on NYE, and all discounts are added automatically at checkout.
Happy reverberating, and more soon!
Janek
Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
The Secret To a GREAT Bass Tone
2024-12-22 09:26:53
Bass tone isn't just in the fingers and the pedals... There's the key ingredient of who you work with, both live and in the studio, and how they capture your sound. In this week’s episode we take a deep dive into my journey as a recording artist and highlight some of the engineers and moments along the way that have helped shape my sound to where it is today. Make sure you take advantage of our final sale of the year with digital copies of our books discounted by 80% off when you purchase a signed physical book. Add ANY digital book to your order of a signed physical book and you’ll get an automatic 80% discount on the digital version at checkout, up to 10 books in an order. You can also get 25% off any Digital Bundle , including the Complete Library , through December 31st at midnight. Happy practicing, happy holidays, and we’ll be back with more soon! Janek Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
Bass tone isn't just in the fingers and the pedals...
There's the key ingredient of who you work with, both live and in the studio, and how they capture your sound.
In this week’s episode we take a deep dive into my journey as a recording artist and highlight some of the engineers and moments along the way that have helped shape my sound to where it is today.
Make sure you take advantage of our final sale of the year with digital copies of our books discounted by 80% off when you purchase a signed physical book.
Add ANY digital book to your order of a signed physical book and you’ll get an automatic 80% discount on the digital version at checkout, up to 10 books in an order.
You can also get 25% off any Digital Bundle, including the Complete Library, through December 31st at midnight.
Happy practicing, happy holidays, and we’ll be back with more soon!
Janek
Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
What Makes a Bass Boutique?
2024-12-11 01:57:57
Boutique is an often misused term for our instrument, and in this episode I'm going to try and get to the bottom of what makes something "boutique" in the bass world, and shed some light on the process of choosing the right bass. As mentioned in the episode I have a couple of pedals available for sale at the website. It’s something I almost never do, and it’s rare for a pedal to be on its way out of the library than on the way in! Brand new and with the original boxes: Hungry Robot Wardenclyffe Dexule GFI Systems Specular Tempus first come first served! Good luck! Janek Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
Boutique is an often misused term for our instrument, and in this episode I'm going to try and get to the bottom of what makes something "boutique" in the bass world, and shed some light on the process of choosing the right bass.
As mentioned in the episode I have a couple of pedals available for sale at the website. It’s something I almost never do, and it’s rare for a pedal to be on its way out of the library than on the way in!
Brand new and with the original boxes:
Hungry Robot Wardenclyffe Dexule
first come first served!
Good luck!
Janek
Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
The New Bass | The Verdict is In!
2024-12-03 00:13:37
Having played the new bass live and spent some time in the studio with it, the verdict is in! It's always interesting getting to know a new instrument and figure out where it sits in the lineup. I've found some cool use cases for it, and am getting more comfortable with the preamp and controls each day. There are minor details that need adjusting, but the prototype plays incredible well and pretty much does exactly what we set out to do with this experiment. I really hope some of you get the chance to play it at the NAMM show, and potentially get your hands on one of the 10 units we’ll offer in 2025. I’m super curious to see where they end up in the world, and how you guys use them out in the wild. Make sure you take advantage of all the things on sale for Black Friday and Cyber Monday through December 4th at midnight. All discounts are either added at checkout or shown on the product page * eBooks and eBook bundles are buy one, get 50% off another (up to four products per order) * The Complete Library is super discounted and includes the new scales book * Line6 HX Stomp Presets are 35% off * Physical books on Amazon are discounted 20% Happy Practicing and more soon! Janek Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe
Having played the new bass live and spent some time in the studio with it, the verdict is in!
It's always interesting getting to know a new instrument and figure out where it sits in the lineup. I've found some cool use cases for it, and am getting more comfortable with the preamp and controls each day.
There are minor details that need adjusting, but the prototype plays incredible well and pretty much does exactly what we set out to do with this experiment.
I really hope some of you get the chance to play it at the NAMM show, and potentially get your hands on one of the 10 units we’ll offer in 2025. I’m super curious to see where they end up in the world, and how you guys use them out in the wild.
Make sure you take advantage of all the things on sale for Black Friday and Cyber Monday through December 4th at midnight. All discounts are either added at checkout or shown on the product page
* eBooks and eBook bundles are buy one, get 50% off another (up to four products per order)
* The Complete Library is super discounted and includes the new scales book
* Line6 HX Stomp Presets are 35% off
* Physical books on Amazon are discounted 20%
Happy Practicing and more soon!
Janek
Get full access to Janek's Newsletter at janekgwizdala.substack.com/subscribe