Call me Al Bass solo and bass line breakdown

Here's a detailed run through with on screen transcription of Bakithi Kumalo's Fretless Slap Bass solo and bass line from Paul Simon's 'Call ME Al'. The Tracks is played at different tempo's so you can see it, hear it and learn it yourself.

[@glynhind5266]

when i first heard this song i thought my god , never be able to play that . i did play some bass in a covers band a long time ago , never really learnt to play the bass ...just messed about with it and learnt bass line s parrot-fashion . then retired from playing when i had my son 21 yrs ago...now im retired and thought get that bass out that s been collecting dust in a cupboard, so since july been learning it properly ...and now i find i can actully learn to play quite complicated riffs once you break them down, and learn and practice slowly at first. so thanks so much for breaking this down ..so good to be able to play stuff like this , just shows what you can do if you set your mind to it

[@JimmiClarkeDeeperIntoBass]

Excellent!!! Well done 👍

[@norwegianblue2764]

Thanks for sharing this. My background is the same as yours and my son is just now leaving the nest, so I've been contemplating dusting off the old bass. Haven't picked the instrument up in a long long time, but your story offers encouragement/inspiration.

[@prisonmike4971]

We had to cut this because our bassist couldn't do it smooth enough..and it's crazy because he was an amazingly talented bassist. The feel is the unique part though

[@glynhind5266]

@@prisonmike4971 I’m sure he could , just slow things down and practice....trust me if I can do it anyone can do it

[@glynhind5266]

@@norwegianblue2764 hi,,sorry for the late reply thanks .

[@joezullo7792]

Excellent performance. Great bass tone, presence, punch. Thanks for breaking it down the way you did. Love the bass. Yamaha is world-class in my book, mate.

[@elehnez5732]

Bamm. I always thought it was played reverse. 😂
Thanks for confirmation.

[@junehiggins1531]

Great video! Very well played and explained and not too long!

[@neilbrooker4784]

Great stuff . Thanks for the lesson .

[@one4band-covers195]

Very well played and explained. Thank you for the vídeo. Nice editing.

[@markjolley9931]

Thanks for the video Jimmi, really helpful.

[@OliverGarwood]

I recall you playing this riff at college all those years ago!

[@JimmiClarkeDeeperIntoBass]

Happy Days!!!

[@mejsjalv]

Nice content man. This is one useful breakdown. I'll subscribe.

[@chrishayworth282]

I'm subscribing right now.

[@robatisan]

Thanks for sharing!

[@ShaunStreet]

Excellent lesson. Saved me heaps of time learning it for a gig. Cheers.

[@stevanhartig5573]

Marcus Miller was talking exactly about that. In old days, when you didnt have youtube and tabs, you had to listen and try 100 different approaches until you find what he played. And in those experimentations, you would basically find your own style of playing.

[@karmajunkie108]

great video thanks for posting!

[@viktorhelgi]

You look like my uncle who lives in London. The funny thing is that we are both from a town in Iceland.
Another thing I wanted to say is WOW! Such quality but so few subscribers. You deserve more🙂👏👏👏👏

[@JimmiClarkeDeeperIntoBass]

Ahh thanks for your kind words!!

[@CraigBacon]

Love it mate! 👏

[@JimmiClarkeDeeperIntoBass]

Thanks 😁

[@chriscuthbertson]

I love the sound of fretless slap.

[@BossySwan]

Don’t we all

[@rileymakay2024]

Great video - nice punchy sound, thanks for breaking it down

[@JimmiClarkeDeeperIntoBass]

No problem, glad it was helpful.

[@illusorydreams02]

Brilliant!

[@WOOKMEISTA]

Thanks to this video I can now play the solo to this song🤘🥰
Appreciate it!!

[@thejbo777]

I KNEW THE BASS SOLO WAS REVERSED I WOULD HAVE NEVER NOTICED IT WHILE I WASNT HIGH

[@bordernova_border_collies]

It's actually "You can call me Al"

[@malicant123]

Great lesson. The band at my brother's wedding played this tune. The bassist was very good, but when it came to this fill, he just avoided it and played a totally different line. It was a bit of a let down :(

[@stefanosalmaso1073]

Ciao Jimmy! Very huge job! Can I ask: which Yamaha bass model is this?

[@nathanjordan1782]

This is definitely not the best choice for my second ever song to learn. I’m going to go back to With Or Without You for a bit and come back to this when I’m a bit more proficient

[@TomboHH37]

Nice 👍👍👍

[@JimmiClarkeDeeperIntoBass]

Ahh thanks!!

[@milkman81]

0:10 you lost me at “killer track”
But great video 🤟🏼

[@BoogieBMWE34]

What is the model / year of your Yamaha ?
Where did you get it :) ?

[@JimmiClarkeDeeperIntoBass]

Hey, it’s a Yamaha BB415, I bought it second hand about 10 years ago. I then defretted it and put a stingray control plate on it. It is vol, vol, tone with series/parallel switch on it. It seems to work fairly well as a fretless. I’m a big fan of the fretless jazz bass sound, but this bass has a nice ‘woody’ quality to it that I really like and it really usable.

[@JayAyers]

First 3 seconds: That's why I came here!

[@outdatedgear5036]

It’s fun and educational, until you try to play it 😂. My problem is making the notes staccato at full speed. I just gotta keep practicing.

[@bramsteenhoek2674]

U'll get there

[@bordernova_border_collies]

Lovely, but the name of the song is “You can call me Al”. You are a master though…!

[@JimmiClarkeDeeperIntoBass]

Thanks

[@nobodyimportant4264]

Anyways just take a look to my new baby hahahahaha