“People don’t use enough downstrokes. That up-and-down crap is for the birds”: Tom Petersson’s 12 tips for bass players

Bassist Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick performs at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater on July 28, 2016 in Wantagh, New York. .

From their mid-’70s debut to 2016’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Tom Petersson and Cheap Trick knew how to harness the power of pop.

Except for his hiatus from the band from 1980-87 (when he dropped an “s” from his name and formed Tom Peterson & Another Language), Petersson's style crystallized with his Cheap Trick bandmates: powerhouse singer/guitarist Robin Zander, eccentric guitar hero Rick Nielson, and drum master Bun E. Carlos.