11:33 "That's why I think the whole world should learn to play music. Then we might understand that differences are a blessing, not a curse". What a lesson!
Rewatching this amazing video, and I notice around 1:35 Victor finishes speaking, goes to play the melody, but hears the applause and immediately switches back. He waits for the applause to subside before he plays the next section everyone can hear the melody, the beginning of the song. Incredible control and awareness.
Forget that I'm a bassist Forget that I'm a fan of Victor Wooten. That is an amazing commencement "talk." The quote from his mother might be the best quote I've every heard.
The best quote I ever heard (the one I needed the most to hear) came from another musician, Yo Yo Ma: “Think of your voice as your life, and live your life as an art form”
Hey ! this is not just a dude with a base ! This is Victor Wooten, someone who actualy understands what playing music is all about, who is a gifted teacher and a philosofer as well. And ohh yeah,,, he also plays the base.
Esther Hicks has a saying similar basically like "people only call you selfish when you are not serving them" Along those lines she says you do better service once you get yourself right first and not to worry about selfish people :)
The whole thing impressive...and the fact that this human being took the time to positively address the graduates was just an example of being a caring person and I hope he gets imitated.
And this is why Victor is so respected around the world. Not only he can play but he can also pronounce words of wisdom and inspire other people to be a good human being. He makes you feel you have a brother shedding some light on your path. Thanks Victor!
This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I love this to the moon and back. Thanks, Victor - for changing my life. In 2005 you changed my world, and I was blessed that you were my very first concert ever. I was 17, losing my mind in the front row of Market Square in Knoxville, Tennessee. I am simply blessed to have gotten to live my dream of working with you all for a short time a few years later. Thanks for everything.
the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. the next best time is now. do it with others, because when you include others with yourself.... it's OK to be selfish. words of wisdom - thanks Wooten.
Wow. Im a dj and record producer here in Jamaica. I have never seen or heard a speech like this one. It open my my heart, mind and soul. Thank you very much and congrats to all the graduates of the University of Vermont Rubenstein School. Btw, i stumbled on this by accident and i thank the universe for the detour.
I met and hung out with Victor in the early flecktone days. I actually had hands in building a bass for him when I worked at Roscoe guitars here in nc. He played his solo that night at Ziggy's on our bass! Super human being. Humble, respectful and appreciative.
Man that must have been a life changing experience. Definitely on my bucket list. A buddy of mine saw him play one of the many duos with Steve Bailey in the 90s. The promoter dropped the ball and only 8 people showed up. Those men played as if it was packed. They started just taking requests. The Sanford & Sons theme was a highlight. I really want to meet Victor before I die.
When Victor came to Atlanta in early 90s every real musician came to meet him and hear him. He put on a clinic, then I realized he is more than a musician, but a philosopher. He is an honorary everything
I'm a very different bass player but I learn from almost all styles and what blows my mind about Wooten is that he can get the bass to do what he wishes. I take inspiration from that.
wow... i remember 20 yrs ago being in high school jazz band and my teacher playing a video of bela and the fleck tones. I remember being blown away hearing victor for the first time. Now this guy is doing college commencement speeches. wow... a bass player evolved into this. absolutely amazing. Gohhhhhhtta love it...
I’m in deep tears .... I feel vindicated as a soul & human being as if some one just stood up for me .... His message is so what I believe and am about .... That’s what I regard makes him a true HERO 🙏🏽
Victor Wooten is amazing. The smile on his face is possibly the most infectious smile I’ve ever seen. Just watching him play can bring tears to my eyes. Not in a saddened way, but just from being so overwhelmed by the beauty of his music
I will always remember how nice Victor was when he came to hear the band I was in play(bass). I think he wanted to hear Jeff Coffin play but we talked. He emphasized the importance of giving it all you can. He had incredible positive energy and he even helped me with my gear afterwards. Thank you Victor! Your kindness and wise advice will always be remembered. I really can't think of a better man to give a message to young souls.
Wow, Victor is a class act! I LOVE how he honors his parents' memory in the story he tells. WHO HE IS *is* their legacy. What a gift to have him teaching in this way.
I saw a victor wooten concert at college of dupage in illinois. None of my friends were free that night so I just went by myself. The entire “concert” turned out to be a victor wooten lecture just like this. It was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen in my life.
For years I thought Bono gave one of the best commencement speeches I have ever heard, until I listened to this. Mr. Wooten is amazing and has shown me that in addition to being a brilliant, prolific bass player, he is a fantastic human being and terrific speaker.
Mr Wooten, you are an amazing man! I enjoyed every minute of you Commencement talk. We are all blessed every minute you are on this earth to share your wisdom, kindness and music. Thank you! God bless you and all your family.
Profound Speech & Wisdom. I discovered Victor ( and his friend/ mentor Marcus Miller ) Wooten on this day January 14th 2023 . This discovery fills me with Joy & Hope.
salsaddict, I appreciate you posting that. I've seen so many talented people today that I've never heard of! I feel so ignorant bc I thought I knew more. What a speech, too!
My guitar teacher had the chance to see one of his talks in person: *Wooten performs a rhapsody in front of audience* My teacher (spontaneously): How many of those exact notes right now, did you know you were going to play? Wooten: How many of those exact words right now, did you know you were going to say?
@@oluwalekeogungbenika9105 I wasn't commenting just on Victor's bass skills, but I think he is an amazing human being too. However, I'm well aware of the brilliant bass players that come out of Africa in general. So much beautiful music. I've seen a few Nigerian bass players on CZcams already and there are some mad skills.
I've never seen faculty so happy at a commencement. 0:31 Check out the smiles on the two professors on the left. Love it. It's a serious occasion - but doesn't have to be so sad. Would love to see more faculty smiling at commencements!
What a special man. He has more talent and a bigger soul than every other contemporary musician out there, yet he never ONCE made this talk about HIM! Bless you Mr. Wooten, and may your music always be with us!
That blew me away........ EVERYTHING........... I love The Lesson ! To hear the speech with it was unreal ! Then busting into Norwegian Wood was unreal ! I know too many explanation marks but I can’t help it !!!!!!!!!! AWESOME 👏👏👏👏👏
I transcribed the lecture below: PART TWO "And it was that time that I realized that for me, music and nature would the same thing to me. Nature, what you guys are doing is that is the is the is the bridge between all of life's. So back then and not long after a few years of after that, I started running a musical camp where we combine music and nature. And it literally is changing people's lives, literally is changing people's lives. And I'm saying that not to talk about me, but to say that that's what your world is. You get to change people's lives in a good way. I've been working with a man named Bela Fleck for over 20 years. And I learned a lot about leadership from him. I always felt that music is a good way to address the world's issues. To be in a band, the best bands I've ever played in all the instruments were different. And we don't curse those differences. We bless them. That's why I think the whole world should learn to play music. Then we might understand that differences are a blessing, not a curse. Bela Fleck always said that he was a leader among equals, even though the band had his name in it twice. He's still treated us as equals. Whenever he would bring a new song to the table, he would never tell us what to play. He would just play his part and allow us to hear the song Fresh Bailleau Record and recognize that I would probably come up with a better bass part than him. I've never written a banjo part for him. So he would let me hear the song and come up with my own. And as simple as that was, I realized that's the way to leave. He led in a way that brought out the best in us. If he had just told us what the play, he would have gotten his idea across. But I wouldn't have grown from it as much so as you guys go out and become world leaders, which many of you will lead in a way that brings out the best in people. And be a leader among equals. Just a couple of ideas. Leave with you. You're going to need a lot of guts to get out there and do what you do for some of you. When I was getting an explanation of what a lot of you are going to be doing after you graduate, a lot of your jobs and I would say are a thankless job. You won't get the awards that I've done for just plucking awesome strains. Right. But I hope you're like me and not do your job for awards, but to do it because it's right. Because that's what the world needs. My aunt told me a story recently in which she was at my house for a family reunion back in the 70s. We were all young. I saw Upside's in the 80s. My mom's. My aunt said my mom was up pacing in the middle of night and she asked my mom what was going on. My mom was agitated. She said my mom said, all my friends are getting on me because I didn't go see my sons play at the Coliseum. And they think, well, you don't care about your students. She said, I don't need to see them. I know my son. I mean, no one in my whole life. I haven't seen him play every day. I don't need to go see him at the Coliseum. She said, My friends think my sons are special because they play at the Coliseum. And I think I didn't say that this family reunion, we had probably 60 people. One of my brothers was sleeping under the kitchen table. Another was in the chair. Another was sleeping in the garage. You know, my mom said, I don't care that they're getting awards and the fact that they're playing at the Coliseum. She said, I care about the fact that they'll play at the Coliseum and then come home and sleep on the floor. And if my mom were here right now, she'd see that's what I'm talking about, is who you are as people. And you bring who you are to what you do. You're going to have to get creative. You guys are the future, and a lot of what you're gonna need to do hadn't even been invented yet. So I'm just going to pose one idea about creativity and inspiration. A lot of times when you get inspired, you get creative. You feels a certain way. It's like being happy. There's a tingle. For me, my body starts to tingle. I say the next time it happens, you feel creative and maybe like today, remember this feeling? Put it in a database somewhere. And remember what it feels like. There's one of the things I have learned to do. Through a lot of training with people like Matt and my other nature friends. I've learned the creative process, the inspiration process in reverse. When I need an idea, I create the feeling. I remember what inspiration feels like and I can create the feeling and the inspiration arrives. It shows up. So practicing in my work in parting, I just want you to imagine that as a graduation gift, each of you was awarded thirty six thousand. Five hundred and twenty five dollars. Not bad. But here's the cat. You're not going to get any more for the rest of your lives. So think about it. Thirty six thousand five hundred and twenty five dollars, you have cash. But you're not getting any more anymore. Think about how would you treat that money? How would you handle it? I'm sure some of you would take very good care of it, spend it wisely, spend it on things that matter, and maybe invest, give to people in need. Thirty six thousand five hundred twenty five. Well, if you lived to be one hundred. If you lived to be one hundred. That's thirty six thousand five hundred and twenty five days, including leap year. So a dollar a day and you can probably not buy a house. That's if you live to be 100, if you're male. Cut off a bunch of years. If you're a person of color, cut off a bunch more years. First two years of your life, you don't even make your own decisions. They tell us to sleep eight hours a day. That's a third. That's a year every three years. Time spent playing Candy Crush. How many days are actually left? There's a saying that says the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now. The best time to start living your life was 20 years ago. The next best time is now. The world is in the palm of your hands. You can create whatever you want. I just say do it wisely. And do it with others. In your mind, because when you include others as yourself, then it's OK to be selfs. My name is Victor Wooten. And I congratulate you guys and I thank you in advance for all the beautiful work you want to do. What is the world needs with just another musician? What the world needs is good people. Thank you, ma'am. When the going gets tough, that's a positive signal to keep charging. Thank you, Dad."
This is the most well orchestrated, well thought of, well presented inspiring seed of a commencement message!! Brings good aspirations, good deed and good being to the forefront on your everyday life when one ventures out on his/her own!! And Amazing Grace be upon each one of you who have heard this message!! @victorwooten You are indeed an inspiration like no other!
the fact that he's playing "The Lesson" gives this speech a little extra meaning. Absolutely amazing.
Well said sir
Vai Brasil 🇧🇷
You mean the talk right? 😂
Meanwhile the rella in the back falls asleep halfway through.
Amazing! Fav commencement speech 🎉
11:33 "That's why I think the whole world should learn to play music. Then we might understand that differences are a blessing, not a curse". What a lesson!
A good lesson while playing The Lesson
this speech is full of lessons
Words of wisdom fam
Rewatching this amazing video, and I notice around 1:35 Victor finishes speaking, goes to play the melody, but hears the applause and immediately switches back. He waits for the applause to subside before he plays the next section everyone can hear the melody, the beginning of the song. Incredible control and awareness.
Great catch! Sign of a true entertainer.
Definitely a great catch. Victor's demonstrating great artistry and an inspirational message and thankfully the audience actually listens!
Forget that I'm a bassist Forget that I'm a fan of Victor Wooten. That is an amazing commencement "talk." The quote from his mother might be the best quote I've every heard.
The best quote I ever heard (the one I needed the most to hear) came from another musician, Yo Yo Ma:
“Think of your voice as your life, and live your life as an art form”
Yes, pretty pretentious.
@@emdiar6588 That is exactly what came to my mind after reading that
True
I've listened to more of his speeches than his songs.
Victors parents did a great job of raising him.
All of them......class acts and very humble
Yes o
The craziest thing is that as incredible as Vic is at bass, he is better at being a person :) his mother would be so proud
His Dad would be proud too.
@@brianholmes5638 yes
Nice comment☺️
@@practice_Chinese_yoga thanks heh
@tristan Kade Cheers, his playing reflects his beautiful soul
I'm a simple man
I see a bass, I click the video
SLAP like now.....lol
@@evracer fellow slapper
@@thegreatmcgeezy7527 Davie 504....Approve.
So there needs to be a seabass?
Hey ! this is not just a dude with a base !
This is Victor Wooten, someone who actualy understands what playing music is all about,
who is a gifted teacher and a philosofer as well.
And ohh yeah,,, he also plays the base.
"when you include others as yourself then it's ok to be selfish"
This is the best thing i ever heard in my life.
Esther Hicks has a saying similar basically like "people only call you selfish when you are not serving them"
Along those lines she says you do better service once you get yourself right first and not to worry about selfish people :)
The whole thing impressive...and the fact that this human being took the time to positively address the graduates was just an example of being a caring person and I hope he gets imitated.
"And be a leader among equals". *starts playing a hot latin rythm." His message and his music goes way beyond what he is saying. Amazing speach.
13:00
Grooving by himself. Then speaking and grooving simultaneously. Amazing.
We appreciate all your amazing comments on this video!
For a school to invite Victor Wooten for a speech like this.. I'm definitely going to apply here for another Post Graduate degree...
Mestre não sei inglês mas se você ler sou seu fã parabéns Deus continue abençoando mestre dos graves bom Jaime do Bass.
He is a blessing to the world.
Vic is god.
this might be the coolest thing ive ever heard. he is on a different level. this speech should be shown to every graduating high school senior
TheHeroicDoses
I agree.
Talk*
Would we have "better people" ? I doubt it.
The is the single best thing I have ever watched on CZcams. Victor Wooten is the absolute man.
Bubbleanddown I totally agree!
I agree 👍
And this is why Victor is so respected around the world. Not only he can play but he can also pronounce words of wisdom and inspire other people to be a good human being. He makes you feel you have a brother shedding some light on your path. Thanks Victor!
Raul and Compadres hey baul spell monarch basses
I couldn't stop crying from this speech. He's truly an angel!
Crying right now.
South Africa needs you Victor Wooten.
agreed !
We really need him in South Africa..
Would make it a better place. Im sure he made his parents really proud
I love that guy in the red that's always smiling
Watkins Bouche I think it’s Dwight Schrute from “The Office”! :) :) :)
Ken Wheeler
He appreciates the amazing talent of Sir Wooten...oh...and the message
ngl he looks like he lives in a society
he high af
Dwight Schrute 25 min smile
This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I love this to the moon and back. Thanks, Victor - for changing my life. In 2005 you changed my world, and I was blessed that you were my very first concert ever. I was 17, losing my mind in the front row of Market Square in Knoxville, Tennessee. I am simply blessed to have gotten to live my dream of working with you all for a short time a few years later. Thanks for everything.
Every time I see Victor Wooten play and/or speak I do some heavy reflecting. This dude is a blessing to this planet🙏🏾
I feel so blessed that I found this man. The modern day philosopher and perhaps the best musician alive all in one
And the Dalai Lama went online and watched this and said, "heck, why didn't I learn to play bass".
🧸👌🏻💕🎶
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
plays drums... xD
czcams.com/video/WRMZzF1uCdY/video.html
That speech made me cry.
me too and in all honesty that takes a lot.....
Jim Anzalone me too - the "best time to start living was 20 years ago - the next best time is now" line did it. Amazing.
me too
Me too ,,,I like myself more whilst listening to Victor.
Jim Anzalone i cried too 🌠💐🔌💝
the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. the next best time is now.
do it with others, because when you include others with yourself....
it's OK to be selfish.
words of wisdom - thanks Wooten.
How did I miss this talent, while I studied music? What a treasure..
I didn't plan on watching this, but that was an unexpectedly pleasant emotional and inspirational 24.5 minutes.
Wow. Im a dj and record producer here in Jamaica. I have never seen or heard a speech like this one. It open my my heart, mind and soul. Thank you very much and congrats to all the graduates of the University of Vermont Rubenstein School. Btw, i stumbled on this by accident and i thank the universe for the detour.
Keep up the good work bud, your doin great.
Bless up bro, we need a serious music training program in Jamaica.
The best time to start was 20 years ago. The next best time is now. This was amazing!
His use of dynamics is incredible.
yess and the way he tunes his e string at the end is crazy like who thinks of that 😂
And that's why Victor is the Best
agreed.... along with Richard Bona
Agree!!
Nope. Music is the best.
Oh yeah.
Shout out to young Dwight Schrute in the back
Thank you🤣
Idiot idiot idiot 😂😂😂
Lmaooooo 😂
www.uvm.edu/rsenr/profiles/adrian_ivakhiv
ReignSupreme9 I was certain other people saw that dude! Seemed like he had to pee or poo the whole time. 👍🏾
I met and hung out with Victor in the early flecktone days. I actually had hands in building a bass for him when I worked at Roscoe guitars here in nc. He played his solo that night at Ziggy's on our bass! Super human being. Humble, respectful and appreciative.
Man that must have been a life changing experience. Definitely on my bucket list. A buddy of mine saw him play one of the many duos with Steve Bailey in the 90s. The promoter dropped the ball and only 8 people showed up. Those men played as if it was packed. They started just taking requests. The Sanford & Sons theme was a highlight. I really want to meet Victor before I die.
I cried watching this video. I love Victor Wootens music, but now i also love him as a person.
When Victor came to Atlanta in early 90s every real musician came to meet him and hear him. He put on a clinic, then I realized he is more than a musician, but a philosopher. He is an honorary everything
I'm a very different bass player but I learn from almost all styles and what blows my mind about Wooten is that he can get the bass to do what he wishes. I take inspiration from that.
wow... i remember 20 yrs ago being in high school jazz band and my teacher playing a video of bela and the fleck tones. I remember being blown away hearing victor for the first time. Now this guy is doing college commencement speeches. wow... a bass player evolved into this. absolutely amazing. Gohhhhhhtta love it...
CliffHuxtableSweater ....me too
I’m in deep tears .... I feel vindicated as a soul & human being as if some one just stood up for me .... His message is so what I believe and am about .... That’s what I regard makes him a true HERO 🙏🏽
to play like this while giving an improvised speech just shows how pure it is!!
Victor Wooten is amazing. The smile on his face is possibly the most infectious smile I’ve ever seen. Just watching him play can bring tears to my eyes. Not in a saddened way, but just from being so overwhelmed by the beauty of his music
I will always remember how nice Victor was when he came to hear the band I was in play(bass). I think he wanted to hear Jeff Coffin play but we talked. He emphasized the importance of giving it all you can.
He had incredible positive energy and he even helped me with my gear afterwards. Thank you Victor!
Your kindness and wise advice will always be remembered.
I really can't think of a better man to give a message to young souls.
U can see why he is a 6x grammy winner, n i'm honoured he's also a good friend......Victor Wooten,"Classic Gold"
Wylie J Miller he ain’t yo friend!!!😅😂😂😂😂
@@bootiedude you shady bruh! 3years, and still got burnt? smh LOL
It takes someone very special to hold the attention of a crowd for that long. This speech is almost like a new genre! Spoken word bass virtuoso.
Wow, Victor is a class act! I LOVE how he honors his parents' memory in the story he tells. WHO HE IS *is* their legacy. What a gift to have him teaching in this way.
CZcams algorithm, I just wanna say that I love you.
I saw a victor wooten concert at college of dupage in illinois. None of my friends were free that night so I just went by myself. The entire “concert” turned out to be a victor wooten lecture just like this. It was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen in my life.
Some real words of wisdom here
How to play victor wootens the lesson:
1.Learn some double thumb
2.Learn tap
3. *Do a speech at a university*
oh yeah and don't forget you gotta be able to play harmonics on every fret somehow?
4. Be awesome
3 only if you're invited to speak 😂
And to top it all off....Amazing Grace at the end. This is a perfect speech!! This speech is life changing!
For years I thought Bono gave one of the best commencement speeches I have ever heard, until I listened to this. Mr. Wooten is amazing and has shown me that in addition to being a brilliant, prolific bass player, he is a fantastic human being and terrific speaker.
Mr Wooten, you are an amazing man! I enjoyed every minute of you Commencement talk. We are all blessed every minute you are on this earth to share your wisdom, kindness and music. Thank you! God bless you and all your family.
your your mom must be very proud of you, Victor.
Who's watching to this in 2021❤️ playing and talking is something different from playing and singing 😍😍 victor wooten is a god🎸🎸🎸
Profound Speech & Wisdom. I discovered Victor ( and his friend/ mentor Marcus Miller ) Wooten on this day January 14th 2023 . This discovery fills me with Joy & Hope.
I should watch this every morning
I should watch this everytime I feel too depressed
As wise, as meaningful, as honest, as heartfelt as any commencement address I have ever heard. I'd say his Momma done raised him right.
This guy just talked and grooved at the same time for 20 mins straight and still flexed on us with the slap in the end.
Legend.
its fitting that the song hes playing is called " the lesson"
salsaddict, I appreciate you posting that. I've seen so many talented people today that I've never heard of! I feel so ignorant bc I thought I knew more. What a speech, too!
He has a great spirituality. May be he is on another dimension. We must apply all his message to our lives.
Agree to apply in our lives. But I'm not sure about in another dimension. I think we just need to see the good things always.
My guitar teacher had the chance to see one of his talks in person:
*Wooten performs a rhapsody in front of audience*
My teacher (spontaneously): How many of those exact notes right now, did you know you were going to play?
Wooten: How many of those exact words right now, did you know you were going to say?
LUIS C. MUNIZ
Amen
From London England! ,
Victor Wooten Is GOD ! .
One of my many hero's ! .
The old guy next to grumpy arse got a awesome friendly smile.
As if it wasn't enough that this man is perhaps the best bassist to ever live.... The amount of wisdom and gravitasse he oozes....
Thank you, Victor.
I came here for some groovy bass. I left with a new appreciation for life.
I don’t think I have ever been so impressed!!!
Absolutely brilliant!!!! In every he had to say...
In everything he had to play!!!! BRAVO 👏
This reminded me of how important we all are to our Creator, and how bless we all are! my the LORD ALMIGHTY GOD BLESS all of you!!
Wooten is an amazing bass player, and an even better human being!
Victor is a gift to the world. Bless his mother and father for their amazing work and for helping to craft such an amazing human being!
You better come to Nigeria and see mad bassist far better than your best
@@oluwalekeogungbenika9105 I wasn't commenting just on Victor's bass skills, but I think he is an amazing human being too. However, I'm well aware of the brilliant bass players that come out of Africa in general. So much beautiful music. I've seen a few Nigerian bass players on CZcams already and there are some mad skills.
@@oluwalekeogungbenika9105 czcams.com/video/XVPuJA4Sfzk/video.html
This guy is outstanding!!!
@@oluwalekeogungbenika9105whoooo cares
Woah that little cover piece of Norwegian Wood was eye opening. It was beautiful.
still brings tears to my eyes. thank you VLW.
Deep message given by a super bass and music virtuoso. Thanks! 👏
The Guy with the red shirt at the back, should be the next joker
Wooten is a living legend....
nice platitude
Music was with me through my high and low moments in life. Thank you Victor, God Bless you, you are one of a kind.
That was amazing. I feel blessed to be able to have his wisdom spread amongst us all.
This is message we need to hear at this moment in history. This is the greatest bass guitar player of all time ladies and gentlemen.
hes an awesome person
I've never seen faculty so happy at a commencement. 0:31 Check out the smiles on the two professors on the left. Love it. It's a serious occasion - but doesn't have to be so sad. Would love to see more faculty smiling at commencements!
Didn't come here for the speech, but man, he really has a great point and attitude on life.
The speech alone was so special, so right.
How blessed are those students to have experienced that? Awesome words Vic!
Proof that music is the Universal Language. It speaks to everyone, anyplace, and on any level.
This man is a class act - I had the pleasure to work a small video project with him in 2021 - he is this man in real life
This man is a treasure. We should all appreciate him. Amazing bass! Amazing human!
I love how he’s playing the lesson while talking at a school
Bro im graduating in a week and this speech is what I needed to hear. Thank you. I'm living my life today :)
I came here after looking for slap bass lessons... first time hearing victor wooten and i've learned far more than I expected I would
This has got to be one of the best things I have ever seen on CZcams. A truly amazing person and musician!
THE most incredible cat on bass right here ladies and gents. If there is a heaven sent talent, this dude is it.
Nope, nothing but hard work.
What a special man. He has more talent and a bigger soul than every other contemporary musician out there, yet he never ONCE made this talk about HIM! Bless you Mr. Wooten, and may your music always be with us!
This is the best thing I have seen on CZcams....Period.
That blew me away........ EVERYTHING........... I love The Lesson ! To hear the speech with it was unreal ! Then busting into Norwegian Wood was unreal ! I know too many explanation marks but I can’t help it !!!!!!!!!! AWESOME 👏👏👏👏👏
Man, this hit me right in the feels.
Society NEEDS more people like Mr. Wooten.
indeed.
I keep coming back to this
What this man was doing should be called translating music into words. Everything he says fits perfectly with what he is playing
I feel sorry for my right ear, it doesn't know what it just missed!!!
Swap your earphones .... and enjoy replaying the vid ..😁
I hear brains can help with that
@@peteypete9357 what an asshole you are.😂
It makes me wanna cry... How lucky the world is to have such a beautiful person like Vic
The knowledge that Vic is on this earth makes my soul happy and hopeful
I transcribed the lecture below: PART TWO
"And it was that time that I realized that for me, music and nature would the same thing to me. Nature, what you guys are doing is that is the is the is the bridge between all of life's. So back then and not long after a few years of after that, I started running a musical camp where we combine music and nature. And it literally is changing people's lives, literally is changing people's lives. And I'm saying that not to talk about me, but to say that that's what your world is.
You get to change people's lives in a good way.
I've been working with a man named Bela Fleck for over 20 years.
And I learned a lot about leadership from him.
I always felt that music is a good way to address the world's issues.
To be in a band, the best bands I've ever played in all the instruments were different. And we don't curse those differences. We bless them. That's why I think the whole world should learn to play music. Then we might understand that differences are a blessing, not a curse. Bela Fleck always said that he was a leader among equals, even though the band had his name in it twice.
He's still treated us as equals. Whenever he would bring a new song to the table, he would never tell us what to play.
He would just play his part and allow us to hear the song Fresh Bailleau Record and recognize that I would probably come up with a better bass part than him.
I've never written a banjo part for him. So he would let me hear the song and come up with my own. And as simple as that was, I realized that's the way to leave. He led in a way that brought out the best in us.
If he had just told us what the play, he would have gotten his idea across.
But I wouldn't have grown from it as much so as you guys go out and become world leaders, which many of you will lead in a way that brings out the best in people.
And be a leader among equals. Just a couple of ideas. Leave with you. You're going to need a lot of guts to get out there and do what you do for some of you. When I was getting an explanation of what a lot of you are going to be doing after you graduate, a lot of your jobs and I would say are a thankless job. You won't get the awards that I've done for just plucking awesome strains. Right.
But I hope you're like me and not do your job for awards, but to do it because it's right. Because that's what the world needs. My aunt told me a story recently in which she was at my house for a family reunion back in the 70s.
We were all young. I saw Upside's in the 80s.
My mom's. My aunt said my mom was up pacing in the middle of night and she asked my mom what was going on. My mom was agitated.
She said my mom said, all my friends are getting on me because I didn't go see my sons play at the Coliseum. And they think, well, you don't care about your students.
She said, I don't need to see them. I know my son. I mean, no one in my whole life. I haven't seen him play every day. I don't need to go see him at the Coliseum. She said, My friends think my sons are special because they play at the Coliseum.
And I think I didn't say that this family reunion, we had probably 60 people. One of my brothers was sleeping under the kitchen table. Another was in the chair. Another was sleeping in the garage. You know, my mom said, I don't care that they're getting awards and the fact that they're playing at the Coliseum. She said, I care about the fact that they'll play at the Coliseum and then come home and sleep on the floor.
And if my mom were here right now, she'd see that's what I'm talking about, is who you are as people. And you bring who you are to what you do. You're going to have to get creative. You guys are the future, and a lot of what you're gonna need to do hadn't even been invented yet. So I'm just going to pose one idea about creativity and inspiration. A lot of times when you get inspired, you get creative.
You feels a certain way. It's like being happy. There's a tingle. For me, my body starts to tingle. I say the next time it happens, you feel creative and maybe like today, remember this feeling? Put it in a database somewhere. And remember what it feels like. There's one of the things I have learned to do. Through a lot of training with people like Matt and my other nature friends. I've learned the creative process, the inspiration process in reverse.
When I need an idea, I create the feeling. I remember what inspiration feels like and I can create the feeling and the inspiration arrives.
It shows up.
So practicing in my work in parting, I just want you to imagine that as a graduation gift, each of you was awarded thirty six thousand. Five hundred and twenty five dollars. Not bad. But here's the cat. You're not going to get any more for the rest of your lives. So think about it.
Thirty six thousand five hundred and twenty five dollars, you have cash. But you're not getting any more anymore. Think about how would you treat that money? How would you handle it? I'm sure some of you would take very good care of it, spend it wisely, spend it on things that matter, and maybe invest, give to people in need.
Thirty six thousand five hundred twenty five. Well, if you lived to be one hundred. If you lived to be one hundred. That's thirty six thousand five hundred and twenty five days, including leap year. So a dollar a day and you can probably not buy a house. That's if you live to be 100, if you're male. Cut off a bunch of years. If you're a person of color, cut off a bunch more years. First two years of your life, you don't even make your own decisions.
They tell us to sleep eight hours a day. That's a third. That's a year every three years. Time spent playing Candy Crush. How many days are actually left? There's a saying that says the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now. The best time to start living your life was 20 years ago. The next best time is now. The world is in the palm of your hands. You can create whatever you want.
I just say do it wisely. And do it with others. In your mind, because when you include others as yourself, then it's OK to be selfs. My name is Victor Wooten. And I congratulate you guys and I thank you in advance for all the beautiful work you want to do. What is the world needs with just another musician? What the world needs is good people. Thank you, ma'am. When the going gets tough, that's a positive signal to keep charging.
Thank you, Dad."
Nice transcription here.
So cool of you to do this. Did you do a PART ONE (but I just can't see it?)
@@JulieVoice Thanks. For Part One look further down the comments.
This is the most well orchestrated, well thought of, well presented inspiring seed of a commencement message!! Brings good aspirations, good deed and good being to the forefront on your everyday life when one ventures out on his/her own!! And Amazing Grace be upon each one of you who have heard this message!!
@victorwooten You are indeed an inspiration like no other!