Paolo Gregoletto
Encyclopedia
Paolo Gregoletto is an Italian-American bass player
for the band Trivium
. Gregoletto resides in Pompano Beach, Florida
. He is Italian on his fathers side and American on his mothers side. Well known metal producer Colin Richardson
called him the best bassist he has ever worked with.
and Travis Smith
were in the studio demoing
new material for what would become Ascendancy
. Gregoletto was in the studio with Jason Suecof
next to where Trivium were demoing, and was told by Suecof that they needed a bass player. After jamming with Heafy and Smith, Gregoletto agreed to record for Ascendancy and tour to promote it with the band. Gregoletto originally had no intentions of staying with Trivium, but wanted touring experience. He joined just in time for the tour Trivium booked with Machine Head
. He replaced Brent Young just after the band had finished recording Ember to Inferno
.
Paolo is known to be most frequently interactive with Trivium fans, often answering questions, posting many videos, photos, and band updates via his official facebook
, youtube
and Twitter
.
magazine (July/August), Gregoletto revealed that he uses a variety of techniques to perform his bassline
s, as is typical of modern bassists. While he primarily used a pick
to perform during the tour for Ascendancy, he now more frequently adopts a two fingered plucking
style to pick out the more elegant counter-melodies
and rapid pentatonic
accompaniments necessary for some of Trivium's material. He will also frequently use a three-fingered plucking style, as favored by Billy Sheehan
, in order to achieve a gallop
rhythm (one eighth note
followed by two sixteenth note
s) in the style of Iron Maiden
's Steve Harris
. In the same article, he revealed that he prefers to warm up by performing chromatic
exercises up and down the whole neck of the bass, using both plucking and picking
styles.
Gregoletto is endorsed by B.C. Rich
. He has a signature 5-string
Warlock bass, as well as a custom Mockingbird.
Bass Player
Bass player can refer to:*Bass Player , an album by Rhombus*Bass Player , a magazine for bassists*Bassist, or bass player, a musician who plays the bass guitar...
for the band Trivium
Trivium (band)
Trivium is an American heavy metal band from Orlando, Florida, formed in 1999. Signed to Roadrunner Records, the band has released five studio albums, eleven singles, and twelve music videos...
. Gregoletto resides in Pompano Beach, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. He is Italian on his fathers side and American on his mothers side. Well known metal producer Colin Richardson
Colin Richardson
Colin Richardson is a British record producer, mixer and recording engineer. He has worked on over 100 albums, and is most frequently associated with heavy metal and its subgenres such as:*Anathema*As I Lay Dying*Behemoth*Bullet for My Valentine...
called him the best bassist he has ever worked with.
Trivium
Paolo Gregoletto joined Trivium in 2004 when Matt HeafyMatt Heafy
Matthew Kiichi "Matt" Heafy is a Japanese-American musician, best known as the lead vocalist and lead guitarist for the American Metal band Trivium. Heafy is also the vocalist for the band Capharnaum, along with Trivium's former producer Jason Suecof.-Biography:Heafy is Japanese from his mother...
and Travis Smith
Travis Smith (musician)
Travis Smith is the former drummer in the metal band Trivium. He was with Trivium since forming the band in 1999. Travis is best known for his very fast footwork, and intricate rhythms on the toms, a skill that has been noted several times by music magazines such as Revolver and Modern Drummer as...
were in the studio demoing
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
new material for what would become Ascendancy
Ascendancy
Ascendancy is a 4X science fiction turn-based strategy computer game. It was originally released for MS-DOS in 1995 and was updated and re-released for iOS in 2011 by The Logic Factory. Ascendancy is a galactic struggle to become the dominant life force; hence the title. The game's introductory...
. Gregoletto was in the studio with Jason Suecof
Jason Suecof
-Career:Jason is best known for his production and song-writing with the band Trivium. He produces most of his albums at his own Orlando, Florida based studio, Audio Hammer...
next to where Trivium were demoing, and was told by Suecof that they needed a bass player. After jamming with Heafy and Smith, Gregoletto agreed to record for Ascendancy and tour to promote it with the band. Gregoletto originally had no intentions of staying with Trivium, but wanted touring experience. He joined just in time for the tour Trivium booked with Machine Head
Machine Head (band)
Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. Formed on October 12, 1991, the group was founded by Robb Flynn and Adam Duce. There have been 4 member changes since their inception. The current lineup of the band comprises Flynn , Duce , ex-Vio-Lence guitarist Phil Demmel ,...
. He replaced Brent Young just after the band had finished recording Ember to Inferno
Ember to Inferno
Ember to Inferno is the debut album from American heavy metal band Trivium. It was released on October 14, 2003 on Lifeforce Records.-Background:...
.
Paolo is known to be most frequently interactive with Trivium fans, often answering questions, posting many videos, photos, and band updates via his official facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
, youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
.
Techniques
In an interview with Bass GuitarBass Guitar (magazine)
Bass Guitar is a UK-based music magazine established around 2003 and continuing to the present day . The magazine was originally a bi-monthly publication until 2009 when it became monthly. The magazine includes interviews, features, album and gear reviews.In the U.S., Bass Guitar was a quarterly...
magazine (July/August), Gregoletto revealed that he uses a variety of techniques to perform his bassline
Bassline
A bassline is the term used in many styles of popular music, such as jazz, blues, funk, dub and electronic music for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, tuba or keyboard...
s, as is typical of modern bassists. While he primarily used a pick
Plectrum
A plectrum is a small flat tool used to pluck or strum a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick, and is a separate tool held in the player's hand...
to perform during the tour for Ascendancy, he now more frequently adopts a two fingered plucking
Pizzicato
Pizzicato is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument. The exact technique varies somewhat depending on the type of stringed instrument....
style to pick out the more elegant counter-melodies
Counter-melody
In music, counter-melody is a sequence of notes, perceived as a melody, written to be played simultaneously with a more prominent lead melody. Typically a counter-melody performs a subordinate role, and is heard in a texture consisting of a melody plus accompaniment...
and rapid pentatonic
Pentatonic scale
A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave in contrast to a heptatonic scale such as the major scale and minor scale...
accompaniments necessary for some of Trivium's material. He will also frequently use a three-fingered plucking style, as favored by Billy Sheehan
Billy Sheehan
William "Billy" Sheehan is an American bassist known for his work with Talas, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, and Niacin. Sheehan has won the "Best Rock Bass Player" readers' poll from Guitar Player Magazine five times for his "lead bass" playing style...
, in order to achieve a gallop
Gallop (drumming)
A gallop is a drum beat typically used in metal songs, mostly using a double kick pedal .The gallop is usually formed around this skeleton: H- x---x---x---x---| S- ----o-------o---| B- o-ooo-ooo-ooo-oo|...
rhythm (one eighth note
Eighth note
thumb|180px|right|Figure 1. An eighth note with stem facing up, an eighth note with stem facing down, and an eighth rest.thumb|right|180px|Figure 2. Four eighth notes beamed together....
followed by two sixteenth note
Sixteenth note
thumb|right|Figure 1. A sixteenth note with stem facing up, a sixteenth note with stem facing down, and a sixteenth rest.thumb|right|Figure 2. Four sixteenth notes beamed together....
s) in the style of Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
's Steve Harris
Steve Harris (musician)
Stephen Percy "Steve" Harris is an English musician and songwriter, known as the bassist, occasional keyboardist, backing vocalist and primary songwriter of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, which he founded in 1975...
. In the same article, he revealed that he prefers to warm up by performing chromatic
Chromatic scale
The chromatic scale is a musical scale with twelve pitches, each a semitone apart. On a modern piano or other equal-tempered instrument, all the half steps are the same size...
exercises up and down the whole neck of the bass, using both plucking and picking
Flatpicking
Flatpicking is a technique for playing a guitar using a guitar pick held between two or three fingers to strike the strings...
styles.
Gregoletto is endorsed by B.C. Rich
B.C. Rich
B.C. Rich is a manufacturer of guitars and bass guitars founded by the late Bernardo Chavez Rico in 1969. Currently, most B.C. Rich guitars are manufactured in Asia, but luthiers of the company's custom shop continue to hand-make instruments. The Hanser Music Group, based in Kentucky, operates B.C....
. He has a signature 5-string
Extended-range bass
Extended-range bass refers to an electric bass guitar with greater frequency range than the standard 4-string bass guitar. Bass guitars tuned one octave lower than a standard four-string instrument are also considered an extended-range bass...
Warlock bass, as well as a custom Mockingbird.