‘Bass 101’: Blu DeTiger

Blu DeTiger, the 21-year-old bassist who went viral on TikTok thanks to her skills, breaks down the intricacies of the instrument, gives a beginner’s class on music theory, and helps fledgling bassists pick out the right instrument in this installment of Rolling Stone’s 101 series.

DeTiger, whose debut EP How Did We Get Here? is out today, also discusses her own path toward mastering the bass, from learning simple scales and how to read music before advancing toward the bass-driven genres like jazz and funk.

“Funk music is my thing now, it’s my favorite of everything,” DeTiger says. “Funk-style playing is more rhythmic and syncopated.”

The bassist also breaks down her songwriting, which, on her new EP, deals with the desire to be back to pre-pandemic times.

“I was really thinking about how much I miss dancing and how much I miss listening to disco music. I was thinking about ‘Love Come Cown’ by Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King, one of my favorite songs,” DeTiger says. “I’m like, ‘Uh, I would love to be hearing this in the club.’ I was just feeling that.”

Previous installments of the 101 series have included Jeff Garlin teaching improv comedy, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg giving a crash course on screenwriting, Aneesa Folds and Anthony Veneziale schooling on freestyle rapping, and Voice Acting 101 with John DiMaggio.