Ryan Martinie is an American bassist, best known for being the bass player of alternative metal band Mudvayne. He is well known for his complex basslines and unique playing style. He has been with the band since 1998.
Biography
Early life
Ryan was raised in a Christian non-denominational church where his grandfather was one of the choir leaders, so he was exposed to a great deal of hymns, orchestral music, and other forms of non secular music. His father also played guitar, piano and "has a nice voice that he has good control over". When asked why did he decided to play bass, he said "Why I requested the purchase of a bass is really still a mystery to me. I can only articulate that I remember being drawn by the sense of connection it shared with all of the other instruments". He grew up in Peoria, IL. He studied
jazz bass, and won several high school awards for classical vocals. He was also into
sword swallowing. Some of his early influences include
Jimi Hendrix,
The Beatles,
The Beach Boys and several big band jazz groups. He was in a
Dream Theater styled progressive rock band called Broken Altar.
Mudvayne
In 1996, Mudvayne was formed. They initially had a different bass player. In 1997, still with their old bass player, Mudvayne released their first CD: Kill, I Oughta. However, in 1998, after seeing Broken Altar live, Mudvayne asked Ryan to join their band. Although he was reluctant to leave Broken Altar at first, he joined Mudvayne upon realizing that they were serious about their band.
Personal life
Not much is known about Ryan's personal life, as he enjoys his privacy. He is married and resides in
Mebane, North Carolina. Ryan is known as a very spirited person, always in a good and talking mood. He is also a passionate reader. Some of his favorite musical artists include
The Beatles,
John Patitucci,
Chick Corea,
King Crimson,
Porcupine Tree,
Death,
Meshuggah, and
Mastodon.
Style of playing
Ryan utilizes many techniques to make the instrumental edge of the band even more rich. His bass playing is a key part of Mudvayne's sound. This is particularly emphasized on the song "A Key to Nothing" from
The End of All Things to Come, which he played with a fretless bass. He does not use any effect pedals, preffering a clean, natural sound from his bass. He stated on this matter that: "I like the natural approach to playing, and I'm not exactly…I'm not a purist, I mean, go for it. If you like synth bass, octave pedals and stuff, then utilize it. I'm not against any of that stuff, but I do like to find those things with my hands."
Right hand
Ryan is known for pushing the envelope that most metal bassists limit themselves to. His right hand is one of the major reasons for this, as he pulls from many different techniques and genres. He is known for flicks (found throughout his music) and a flamenco style, notable on "
Dull Boy" and the chorus of "Out To Pasture" in some way. On the chorus of "Out To Pasture", he does a "fast flamenco guitar-picking pattern that's as fast as my hand can possibly play. It's just this retarded-fast pattern, and it's a sleeper, because it sounds like I'm playing single-notes almost, or chords, like I'm strumming chords, but really what's going on there is something completely different..It's the only thing you didn't mention, which makes me really proud, because it's supposed to be transparent, which is maybe one of the most important things that has come to me – in playing and in relating to the other instruments and in particular my band." He has a unique heavy fingering technique from which he gets the percussive tone and the sharper, more extreme attack from his bass. He also uses
slapping and popping techniques on the song
Dig.
Ryan has developed his own tapping technique on the neck where he uses his index and middle fingers to tap an octave chord, usually high on the neck, while his left hand moves notes, doublestops or chords. This is very similar to a technique used by
John Entwistle. On the album
Mudvayne, he also plays complex bass parts in the intros of "Beautiful And Strange" and "I Can't Wait".
Ryan uses Hi-Beams Black Beauty DR strings (.045-.105/.135).
Amplification
Ryan primarily used Ampeg SVT Pro amplifiers until
The New Game was released, at which time he switched to
Warwick amplification. He currently uses the Warwick Xtreme 10.1 Amp Head and four Warwick WCA 411 Pro cabinets. He is also known for slaving Greg Tribbett's guitar cabinets during live shows.
.
He uses Avalon DI's for live shows and in studio.
External Links/References
http://www.bassplayer.com/article/mudvaynes-ryan-martinie/may-05/8498
http://modernrocklyric.blogspot.com/2009/05/ryan-martinie-with-warwick.html
Category:American heavy metal bass guitarists
Category:Mudvayne members
Category:1975 births
Category:People from Peoria, Illinois
Category:Living people
