The "Real" Role of the Bass Player /// Scott's Bass Lessons
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- čas přidán 15. 09. 2016
- I find that one of the biggest stumbling blocks for many bass players is actually understanding what the bass players role is within the band...
It may seem simple at first, but sooooo many players get this completely wrong - and because of this they really miss out on exactly what they should be focusing on to move their bass playing to the next level.
In this lesson you're going to learn:
- What the 'real' role of the bass player is within the band
- The key elements of building grooves and bass lines
- Why it's so important to know and how it relates to everything you practice
- Why you might be holding yourself back by focusing on the wrong things
- And way more...
PS. The new Academy course I told you about last week is now all wrapped up and ready to be released. The course is called the "Reading Charts Survival Guide" - it includes 19 focused step by step lessons, over 3 hours of video footage... and as always, 100% groove is guaranteed ;)
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Bass player, the curious job of combining a keyboardists left hand with a drummers right foot. With strings
I've never heard it put that way but you pretty much nailed it. Cheers
Well put
If you play with a piano player who hasn’t learned keyboard yet anyway ;)
The most underutilised bass technique is implied harmony. If you have dual guitar tracks or an otherwise very repetitive main riff, you can transfer the job of chord progressing to the bass player. Instead of playing the entire chord, they can play different root notes to change the context of the guitar part.
For some reason, no one wants to use this other than iron maiden, prog bands, and Metallica
I mean it’s the same with guitar except your combining the right hand with the drummers both hands. You gotta be able to play the drummer’s pocket
Bass is the most underrated and underestimated instrument. I didnt realize how cool it is until I was in a band with a bassist who knows the ins and outs and takes pride his craft. It shouldn't be treated as an afterthought, though it often is. A bassist kinda acts as the subconscious mind of a band; their contributions are mainly subliminal, but they impact and augment the final output so much. When the bass is tight and tasteful, the subconscious and consious minds are in sync, and the whole band is elevated. When the bass is obnoxious or even just boring, the two sides of the mind are out of sync, and the whole band suffers. This dynamic is so subtle and subliminal that it's hard for most people to pick up on, which is probably why bass is so underrated and underestimated.
Great words
I LOVE my trusty Antoria Jazz copy (1982) - must say though, psychologically speaking, one of the saddest things to witness is a bass player throwing shapes while playing - I prefer to stay relatively still, concentrate and ENJOY!
Obnoxious bass kicks ass .
Knowing when not to play is like a technique in itself. Silence is the note you don't hear. It's the one you don't hear but it's there putting the spotlight on the snare hit or the kick drum pop or the Rhythm guitiar chop. I love the feeling of that give and take.
I wish more bass players knew this...
At 19 years old and having practised a really bad guitar in my teens against early Beatles, I got a pretty good idea about chords and root notes. I can usually hear what the next chord should be based on its root. Even today, I can hear most chord changes in old songs I haven't heard in many years. A gift, to be sure! Anyway, a friend at that time handed me a bass and said ... no problem..just playit. Wow..I immediately fell in love with bass playing. It began to feel as if I was breathing, not tackling a new instrument. So, at 19, I got a gig playing with some excellent musicians in a popular restaurant. Wooo! All went really well. Four piece band, all instrumental. I learned a lot. Then the restaurant owner said he couldn't afford all four so one had to go. One weekend went by without me and the next weekend I was back. The other guys paid me my share out of theirs. They said it was hell to play without the bass! We are essential!
At that age, it really pumped my confidence and I never looked back. Since then I've played churches, school plays, half a dozen different rock bands, my own jazz trio, and later a jazz quartet. Oh yes, I took early ten years of classical piano which bored me to tears, and I sang tenor in many choirs...all helped train my ear.
Thanks for listening....Just a story told by a 74 year old guy, still hacking around, breathing my bass! Old guys have many stories!!
Thank you for sharing ✌️😎
Thank you sir.
I've always thought my ultimate job as a bass player was to tie the rhythm (drums) and chord structure/melody (guitars/keys, etc) together. Yes, outlining the chords is a part of that, but to get the rhythm groove while you're doing it is the real goal. THAT, to me, is what makes the bass the most important instrument in the band (and I feel that way whether I'm playing guitar, keys, drums or bass.)
"Serve the song" is still some of the best advice ever for bass players. Like you said, you don't have to use everything all the time. Nor should you. In addition to knowing how, there's a lot to be said for when, knowing when to(and when NOT to) approach a bass line a certain way. Geezer Butler is a big influence on me as a bass player and I've noticed over the years that he has three main approaches, depending on the song. Sometimes he just doubles the guitar riff for maximum heaviness and really makes Tony's parts sound huge. Sometimes he uses more notes and creates interesting movement underneath the riffing, without stepping on it, and sometimes he pounds away on a simple root or root/fifth based bass line.Knowing your techniques is half the battle. Knowing which to use and when is pretty much the other half.
Couldn't agree more. With great power comes great responsibility !!!! I like to lay back sometimes and just put down the foundation, as a newer player I err on the side of caution when it comes to playing too many notes. As I gain experience I will add a bit here and there if I feel it truly serves the entire song.
Geezer = Electric Jesus 🤗🤘🤘🤘
This really put it in perspective as a guitar player. As i guitarist I thought it was easy. I’ve been looking at bass as “Aw okay imma just play the root note and travel around the pentatonic” but now you put it in perspective as to why bassists always refer to the chords.
I've heard a lot about the bass players role in outlining chords. But I've never seen it so effectively demonstrated as in this video. Thanks so much!
Great lesson! I'm fortunate enough to have learnt that from the Scott Bass Academy. Just one year of learning to play the bass and I can already put so many arpeggios, chord scales, modes and chromatic notes into bass lines of a variety of tunes! It's great!
Boom! THAT'S what I like to hear! Awesome man :)
Scott's Bass Lessons thanks for this...it appears that I play a lot of chromatic notes, just never knew they had a name lol
Marrying the rhythm and melody/ harmony. That’s our gig.
Scott, you make the this world more beautiful by what you do and how you do it. Thank you for all the care you put into helping us be better in playing this instrument.
I love how you make look so easy and simplified, thank you Scott !
Scott, you are so freaking knowledgeable, I appreciate everything you show us and try to show us,thanx for bein there
Thanks for checking out the video dude! Glad this was helpful for you! 🙌🏻🧡🔥
I really appreciate that you give such great lessons for free, it has really helped me progress
Scott
There's a lot of bass players self taught that hold there own
Maybe not doing it by the book but they are happy doing what their doing
I started up bass 5 years ago
No experience of music
no one to teach me couldn't afford lessons
i learnt myself
I am 62 years young and haven't got the time to worry about how right i am or not
I joined a band and i have fun and for me i would love to know what you know and play like you but i never had the support
I can read tab which gets me by
I put a lot of smiles on people's faces including mine
most of all i enjoy it
I ACHIEVED IT ON MY OWN and build on what i can day to day right or wrong
One of the Best things i did in my life time i have three proud boys
love u Josehine
Bass players look like they are doing nothing, but actually there is a lot of concentration going on looking for opportunities to play what they would like to. It cant be done at the expense of the timing, or the phrasing of the the singer and lead guitar, it can't be so busy that it muddles up the song. The choice of note and where its placed has to be perfect. I remember having 3 or 4 variations of every bass part just to fit in with how the other band members were feeling the song on that night.
Charles, I was in a band too where I had to have variations of my basslines. The keyboardist used to play with himself a lot, er... play BY himself a lot, and between rehearsals would incorporate my bassline into his playing. On the plus side he wasn't one of those keyboard players who pounded out a bunch of unimaginative low notes to try to tell me what they thought I should be playing (as a sound engineer I would high-pass filter any keyboardist I spotted doing that).
well said
Knowing when not to play is like a technique in itself. Silence is the note you don't hear. It's the one you don't hear but it's there putting the spotlight on the snare hit or the kick drum pop or the Rhythm guitiar chop. I love the feeling of that give and take.
Knowing when not to play is like a technique in itself. Silence is the note you don't hear. It's the one you don't hear but it's there putting the spotlight on the snare hit or the kick drum pop or the Rhythm guitiar chop. I love the feeling of that give and take.
Good bassists are a bridge for the other parts and instruments in the band--like a nexus. :) It's a challenging role intellectually and mentally. It's not just about the rhythm section: kick, snare, fills, and pocket. I always try to pull in and nuance particles of lead guitar and vocals, tying them all in, with little flourishes and embellishments---without overdoing it---while staying with the groove and roots. We're pretty badass. Bass = the bridge where all things connect. We are excellent conversationalists, musically speaking: knowing when and what to say.
That moment when you have been playing wrong your whole life lol. Great lesson Scott!
The moment you realize you suck at bass xD
No one sucks at bass!!
Your way of playing is your way of playing
Ollie Heads yes, a lot of people suck at bass. I don't consider myself one of them though.
My bass player has a great feel like this. Even songs where you would just play the root, he walks around on the chords where he wants to spice the song up. Gives things a nice flavor.
Even as I’m playing a different style including slightly different requirements for my bassplaying - your videos still are very inspirational and helpful. Thanx for that!
Very beautiful lesson. Thank you. Outline the Chords - using fifths, thirds, sevenths and chromatics. God bless you real good ❤
Unbelievably useful and inspiring! So many of my favorite basslines break down to simply this! Thank you, Scott for so much!
You explained it the best way possible by adding chord notes gradually, it was made really easy. Using chords effectively was a bit tricky for me before this class. Thank you a lot, Scott.
This is one of the most important lessons I have taken, thank you Scott.
If I may offer an another view, I'd like to suggest that the bass player has a second and equally important job: to keep time. Like guitarists and keyboard players who share duties, so do drums and bass in the area of time. It's quite obvious in traditional walking bassist does this, but even in your R&B groove, you are almost always hit the root on the one -- and strongly. The rest of the band can lock on the bassist to know where they are in the song as what is the temp and feel of the tune.
This is one of my favorite lessons thanks Scott
The 💡just came on in my 🧠..... Scott you the best..... plz never stop.... I pray I’ll meet you one day✊🏽✊🏽💪🏽
Here, you've just shown the world the difference between an beginner, a decent, a good and a brilliant bass player. This is what I needed. Thank you =)
Thank you, indeed, for this extraordinary lesson on your channel. It is all new to me.
Cheers!
Really solid Scott! Great lesson on an important topic! Cheers!
This is the bit of information that I'm most grateful for for tonight
Thanks scott
This is the first time i ever heard you sound really really serious i love it
i've watched a faire amount of lessons from you now. Though I'm not too fond of your stile (to much jaco, if you know what I mean) I've realized that your tips and lessons are really good and valid. You focus on the fundamentals of bass playing not just how to play tunes and learn licks and that means a lot to me. keep up the good work in the shed.
Agreed.
Listening to Scott is the path to going from being a Bass Player to a musician on the bass guitar. He doesn't approach it as just a bass guitar.
And his approach in a few of his videos of "why this sucks" and then showing that either it doesn't, in its correct place, or how to solve it is really an excelent musical approach. It gets you to really listen.
I'm not really into Scott's jazzy style, either. But... that puts me in a different mind-frame to really examine what he's teaching.
love how this guy teaches
that was a great lesson Scott , well needed for me . thanks !!
I’m definitely going to binge watch all your vids! You got a subscriber!
Great lesson, thanks Scott!
You're a huge inspiration to me, Scott!
Always great tips Scott
Thank you sir for making these videos. I’m learning a lot! I’m a guitar player and now just started playing bass and loving it!
New to this channel...what a great player, great teacher, and all round great dude...so many great tips, looking forward to the next few hours watching these vids. I'll say it again...bloody great
My role is to play the best I can within the music I'm making. Fuck what other people think a bass player "should" play.
Punk rock will never die!
twocsies punk rock sucks
Wow this sequential adding of the notes was the real revelation to me!
Top vid! Great playing and really shows what is possible with a few simple chord
good stuff Scott always fun to watch your videos
Cheers Joe!
Great advice. Absolutely agree. Thank you!!
Great video Scott, Just taught myself your jam over the 7th's. Old territory in my journey, but I love your phrasing. Broke it down and learnt a lot. Thank you.
Can you do a lesson on putting aside theory and composing relying on your ear? I've found that just writing melodies note by note has really pushed my playing in weird and wonderful (and disastrous) directions over the years. Deconstructing it afterwards and figuring out what you've done has been a great experience for my students as well.
Part of me is asking just to see where your mind wanders with no rules. =D
Cheers again for the consistently killer content.
Thanks Scott!! This video helped me alot!!
Thank you very much Scott, the video was very helpful.
I'm going to be playing like you one day!
Thank You Soo much. Novice player here first time in a band. The CHORD OUTLINE task you describe will deff help me to become a more integral part of my group and improve our sound overall !!! Being I've played guitar in the past, so being familiar with many chords already gives me a head start. Thanks Again, very nice playing btw.
Great Lesson. Thank you!
I didn't really understand what you meant until you started playing it. Then I realized I do thst the most when I'm just jammin with friends. This video reinvented my view of being a bass player. I'm gonna try to implement this more in the music I play.
Awesome lesson!!! Vibes!
Great lesson!
Thank you for this lesson! I have seen few lessons where the importance of a certain skill has been outlined so clearly and understandable. This has made me want to practice stuff i've considered as boring before. Best Regards from Austria
For me, the bass is the most important rhythmic instrument in any band. The best compliment I ever got was when my drummer told me that my bass lines made him want to dance. So true. Even more than the drums, it's the bass line that gets people dancing! 💃🕺
Great lesson Scott. thanks. Not quite there yet... will keep practicing 👍🎸
Sometimes you make me love our instrument even more with your words and playing :)
Scott. Drums and Bass. The inseparable union. The Bass player ties the rhythm section together. Joined to the beat of the drummer, bound to the notes of the melody, a complete musical experience is produced. Underscore the significance of the relationship between drums and bass in your next iteration of this important message.
Great lesson
Such an enlightment for me. I was always trying to add something extra, but didn't realize you just have to follow the chord guitarist is playing.
I love learning all of this and enjoy gathering the knowledge but it can be so hard to practice and apply.
i always enjoy your videos dude. i knew that from other videos that you made just by looking and practicing but know that you said it, the few questions that was in my mind flew away hahah thanks bro from Panamá City blessings
must admit that this one helped much more to get significantly further on bass than those rather technical lessons.
The sound of the bass was great !!
Scott just seems like such a nice person super chill really helpful 5 stars
That's a great bass lesson.
Sweet chops there scott! :)
Thanks man!
I always thought the role of the bass player was to be the bridge between the rhythm and harmonic section. Like outlining the chords being played while following the drums. I guess just outlining the chords is more important then?
You hit the nail right on the head
yep bass marries the rythum to the harmony
it varies a bit with respect to how many peices your band is
for example
a bass player in a trio plays different than a bassplayer in lets say,a four peice rock combo
It seems that Scott answered that exact same question at 6:53. "Yes, it's to create great rhythm, to lock in with the drums. And lock in with the rest of the band... but you should be able to outline the chords." The job of all musicians is to outline the music as it goes along. As Scott said at 3:55 "As bass players, our job is exactly the same as the guitar player or the keys player. It's to outline the chords as they go along in the song". That is to say that outlining the chords is the job of all players of tonal instruments.
Thank you I needed this
Great guidance
Good show mate!
you are a true visionary and flame to inspire one... i havent stopped playing bass since i’ve been watching your vids, i have “learned” pickin’ (yah that thing i was too unco to do) and that rubber washer/straplock suggestion was GOLD. unless you’re bothered by too much money and need to fork out for the schaller shiny real deal (ugh no thanks) 🙂🙂🙂
A bass player's job is to meld the rhythm section with the melodic elements of a tune. You have the most weight and ability to move a person's body aside from the kick drum. It's your job to make people attach the raw movement of an atonal beat to the more melodically rich elements. You are the glue between two worlds.
💯💯💯
As a new bassist that has several years as a guitarist under his belt, one challenge I have is trying not to overplay. As I'm learning new material, I approach it like this - start out forcing myself to learn the basic changes with the root notes and any riffs or walking bass lines that might be deemed key to the song. Once I have the basics of the song, I begin to learn fills or any kind of things I can play such as passing notes and the chord tones to make the bass line more interesting. I find by doing this approach I'm less likely to go crazy and overplay. Especially since the focus of the early stage of learning the song was an exercise in self restraint.
Scott is my hero
I don't know if I've ever commented on one of your videos, but I want to make sure I thank you for all the great work you put out. stellar lesson!
Ahhhh thanks Daniel!
@@devinebass awesome
The bass is what makes the booty shake. I've been playing bass for 35 years. The bass player is driving the bus in the band. Everyone else is riding the bus. You're welcome. ;)
i agree, it makes the beat
Smh... Everybody's in the driver seat you condescending wonka.
Lol. I couldn't have said it better. No, I mean, really. I'm a bass player. I'm the dark, silent one with the big guitar. If you pay attention, I'm actually there. :D
Yeah. Just look at john paul jones. Only person in ledzep that never missed a beat.
Usually the Bass Player get the least credit, both from audience and mostly less experienced players. As drummer I often say: you can replace me even with a nice drumloop - no problem, no offense. But you can't replace a good Bassplayer. He or she are breathing life into your music.
great lesson. Plus I finally found my answer about how you can sound so Motown in a moment and then supper sapping and modern. Tone knob and volume to compensate.
Adding in all those chromatic notes reminded me of what McCartney was doing around the time of Pepper and Abbey Rd. Listen to his Bass line on the track, Something.
Loving your videos! If it was in the budget, I'd subscribe to your lessons as well. Very well done!
Eres un crack macho! Tus vídeos me ayudan mogollon, sigue así!
I had your video loading in background, listening "any color you like" by pink floyd, as the video starts...the intro match perfectly within the song. Actually I wasn't aware until I heard that "scott" lick
Great explanation
I never truly understood the importance of a bass before until my stepdad got me one and I started practicing on it frequently. When you take out the bass out of a song it just doesn't sound right anymore, I can't specifically explain it but bass is just like the cherry on top
BRILLIANT!
This looks like it’s confirmation that the arpeggios I need to be playing are in fact not just Major arpeggios when in a major key.
i.e.: When playing a II-V-I, in the Key of C, the II arpeggio is minor, and the I & V are Major arpeggios.
e.g.: M m m M M m dim.
[Wow, 2016! Hmm... 🤔]
ALSO, See this lesson: “Killer Bass Exercise to Build Your Technique, Fluidity and Harmony Chops...”
It confirms the different arpeggio types.
For some reason my brain was stuck on using Major arpeggios throughout the C Major Key.
Now my brain is fixed - at least on that topic. 🙄
Thank you Scott!
Keep in mind that the chords are typically ii-7 V7 and IMaj7. Those sevenths matter.
Great talk man ! Cheers froms south america
What Ecott is saying about the role of the bass is as true now as it was back in the Baroque era with figured bass and continuo
Basically, not just keeping Rhythm but also being able to Harmonize using the individual notes within a Chord/Scale.
As a good listener, i always though that the instruments sounded isolated from eachother when the bass is absent.
I would compare music without the bass element to 2D visual art. Very linear. But once the bass plays, it becomes 3D. It creates a dimension in between that "glues" all the individual instruments together.
Interesting way of putting it. I've always loved the way the bass guitar sounds and subconsciously listen for it in a song. Most of my headphones were/are mediocre and my phone doesn't have stereo speakers but I think these AKG headphones I'm getting will amplify that bass a bit. If there's one song i could not bear to hear without the bass, it's Make It Real by Scorpions. It makes the song so catchy and even reflects the emotion of the message (if thar makes sense). I've kind of noticed that the bass also "softens" the guitars and makes whatever riffs they're creating "feel lighter or heavier" (that harmonic effect). I'm no musician but that's what I get out of it.
The electric bass is the rudder that steers the chordal ship along its musical journey. From the first note struck, until the final trace of sustain decay, the bass player directs the different sounds of the intricate combinations of chords and rhythms, produced by the other band mates. With his/her defining outlines, the bassist charts the course, and sets sail for the inner spiritual destination that the composition takes us to. Every member of the band is critical to the song. The electric bass and its captain are indispensable to the music. 👑🎸🎵
Some bass players can outline chords by ear, but the theory doesn't hurt them either :) Good lesson! I jam a lot with random songs on the radio etc. Great for your ear and a lot of fun
Yep..I have always been able to hear the chords and where they are going...transitioning is where things happen for the bass...lead into the next chord. Playing Random songs is a great exercise..until you get to a piece where the original is beyond my skills!😎
Bass provides (1) context (2) groove (3) movement.
(1) The lowest note gives context to all other notes.
(2) "Pulsing" of low frequencies shakes the music's booty.
(3) And all the note choices, articulation and phrasing of other notes (be they chord tones, scale tones or chromatic notes) provide movement that links the chord changes together. The bass is most able to provide this last element because it's operating in a frequency range and with a tone that doesn't get in the way of the lead elements of the music.
awesome
9:20
*I HEAR THE DRUMS ECHOING TONIGHT,*
*BUT SHE HEARS ONLY WHISPERS OF SOME QUIET CONVERSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATION*
*BUM BUMBUM BADUM BUM BUUUUUU-*
Thanks for this.. :-)
I thought the role of the bass player was to be Glen Fricker's best friend! LOL
He'll still think you're a useless ****.
remember the rule #2
I have t-shirt with rule#2 lol
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!
Read your story re the glove. Well done sir
hell yeah. u told the whole truth right now
It's actually great to feel like you are basically a toddler with a maraca. It gives you motivation. :)
He is right. Every instrument has fundamental techniques that should be learned first and until you learn them you will never be very good at your playing. My experiences in teaching is that many kids and teenagers want to learn how to play like Geddy Lee of RUSH and they have no interests in playing 1, 4, 5 as in an old Beatles song. Too boring for them. But until they learn the fundamentals, they'll never truly understand their bass guitar and what it can do. I also teach them to "learn your fretboard" until you have it memorized.
Great videos Scott.