THE TRUTH ABOUT TONE: WHY PRACTICE STILL WINS

By Bunny Brunel

When people ask me how I found my sound, I always say, “You don’t find it—you build it.” I didn’t come out of the womb knowing how to groove or solo. It was 10 hours a day of practice, every single day, for years. I was living in France, still in my teens, and my life revolved around my instrument. That’s what gave me the freedom to play with Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Tony Williams, and others later on.

“Usually if you’re doing what excites you . . . the universe puts you in the right place at the right time.”

What excites me is tone. For me, tone is personal. And tone comes from how you play, not just what you play. You can have a $10,000 bass and still sound terrible if you don’t understand how to pull the sound out of the instrument.

I always tell young players: stop obsessing over gear and start listening to your fingers. The nuance is in your hands. The gear helps—but it’s not where your voice is. That’s you.

And it’s not about being perfect—it’s about being deliberate. If you want to build great technique, isolate your problems. Work on your timing. Record yourself. Then record again. You’ll never know what’s off until you hear it back.

Jazz isn’t something you coast through. You become it by committing. You don’t get magic by skipping steps.

Today, I still practice. I teach. I write. I produce. I push boundaries. But none of that works without the daily foundation: a love of the craft, and respect for what it takes to grow.

If you want to be original, start by being consistent.

And please—tune your bass before the downbeat.

 — Bunny