I love your laid back and relaxed teaching style. It’s so much better than the typically hyper, high energy youtubers.. they can be exhausting to watch 😅
Yeah its not even the high-energy thing that deters me, its the fact the most the time it is not genuine. This fake energy youtube/twitch trend is sad, like geez calm down dude.
I’m a self taught bass and 6 string player for over 35 years. And this is just the simplest and best explanation I’ve seen of how to get understanding of the fretboard. I learned a few things I never really connected before. Well done and thank you!
@@psychedelicpigeon6089hes not alone. Ive been playing bass in church since i was 15. The only time im playing bass is at church during reheasel and event. Now im 32 and i just got cheap bass of my own and just started learning new stuff all over utube including this one. Lol. Having own bass is a game changer
I’ve never had a lesson, and followed three main steps. Know your fret board, play with drum tracks, turn frustration into opportunities. 20 years later I’m a happy bassist. Tip learn your octaves will help you memorize your fret board.
Thank you for the inspiration! You are an encouragement to me. I'm dealing with Stage IV Prostate Cancer and your lessons help me focus, exercise my mind and help me with my energy. I apply the techniques while praying and playing to Praise and Worship tracks. You're a blessing to me!
Your message is a blessing to me, Forrist. It makes me so happy to know that these lessons can help you, even in the smallest way. May God continue to bless you, my brother. I'm praying for your healing. 🙏🏾❤
Hi Forrist, I'm just some guy out here, in Canada actually, who saw your comment and wanted to send his best wishes for a full recovery and a full life! I have walked a similar path, only mine was a tumour in the spinal cord, which was my lottery ticket to Free Seating for Life! (In other words: wheelchair-bound for the rest of my days here on Planet Earth.) Eh, it's not as bad as it sounds, really. All in all, I'm doing pretty well, my attitude and mood are both very positive, although they DID take a bit of a nosedive for a year or two in the beginning, I'll be honest. I play the bass every day, and that probably played a big part in me keeping my head screwed on tight. I hope, wish, and pray: may the same be true for you too, my new friend.😁 BTW, you picked a great instrument to combine your musical and spiritual callings. Praise, Worship and Gospel are all very bass-oriented styles and feature the best bassists to work an axe since Jamerson or Rainey! Chuck Rainey (Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan, et al.) is my favourite bass player. How about you? Last Thing: As you probably know, our mental health plays a big role in our physical health. So "Chin Up!" and keep that smile on your mug, okay? All the best to you, take good care of yourself, buddy. Ciao for Now - JD, Montréal
@James Davis Thank you for the words of encouragement. Yes, the process/treatments has been very challenging, but I will keep doing the 3Ps ( Pushing, Persevering and Praying). My favorite bass player is Marcus Miller.
It's funny how we musicians sometimes overthink things, when really music is in fact simple, to some degree. Like when we hear a really fast bass line or guitar solo, or a chord, we think "OH GOSH I'd never be able to play that!" Then you learn it and it feels quite satisfactory.
A teacher I had in NYC in the mid 90’s, Keith Carroll, was a huge proponent of using a metronome while playing and calling out the notes on every string from the open one and back down again. Seeing this lesson brought me back to a very important bass lesson I never forgot. Thank you, Mr. Brown!
I often motivate myself by watching bass lesson videos on UA-cam, but I have a hard time keeping up with them because I can't understand English very well , but your lessons are very easy to understand, even for a Japanese person like me, and the lesson content fits my skill level. I know that It is not so easy to get better bass skills , but I am confident that if I continue to learn from you, I will make steady progress.
I do a similar thing where I pick a scale, start on the low E and ascend 3 notes per string, go up 1 step at the top then descend to the bottom doing the same thing, then going up a step, etc. Sometimes you get some inefficient fingerings, but by saying every note out loud and doing all the keys, you really learn where everything is.
I agree with the importance of learning every note on the fretboard and believe the best way to do that is to read standard notation, which also provides a comprehensive way to understand rhythmic patterns.
Yup x 10. Incredible, isn't it, that the Italians invented this crap, what, A THOUSAND YEARS AGO (!!!) and it's still as useful and relevant today! I mean, you can use it to write down the most heavily syncopated funk bassline or even worse, a Bjork song (😂). Hoo-duh-thunk?
I’m an ear player too and seeing you buckle down and re-approach your instrument this way is inspiring. And also you make it look doable enough that I feel like I could try the same thing without a paralyzing sense of dread, on guitar or bass. So glad you mentioned the connection between the 7th fret and the 5-string bass, which had never dawned on me before. I usually play guitar, banjo, and 4-string bass, and when I play 5-string, to keep from getting too confused I just think of it as a regular 4-string with a bonus lower string. I feel like this will help me level up if I put in the time. Thank you!!
MATT!!! Great to hear from you, my man. Thanks for the kind words. I'm working from the 7th fret to make myself more familiar with the 'twilight zone.' We'll get there, brother. All the best to you and yours.
I've been playing bass for something like 37 years now. As a kid, my focus was speed and precision. I have been able to play fast & complicated stuff for a very long time. For the last decade or so, I've actually been learning theory and how music works. My biggest gains have come in the last 5 years or so from three things. #1 Consistent diverse playing. I've got two different projects going, so I've been playing with other people 2+ times a week for years now. #2 My hard rock band plays a few songs in drop D, and my garage jam project will routinely play songs in different keys depending on who is singing. Practicing transposing like this ALL the time has done fantastic things for my ear and ability to roll with what and where others are playing. #3 I've been working HARD at chords/triads on the A,D and G strings up around the 11th fret. It is pretty much all I do when jamming by myself these days. This practice is not directly beneficial to my bands, playing bass chords in a mix usually gets lost. But, it has done some absolutely magical things to my playing. First and foremost; I have finally connected my fret board top to bottom. Second; I can now hear minors, majors, dominant 7th chords, inverted chords and all the rest by ear. By being able to play those chords myself rather than just the roots, it has become WAY easier to frame the chords everyone else is playing. Third; I have always been jealous of acoustic guitar guys being able to one man band a song. I've now written a handful of acoustic bass/vocal songs I can bust out when someone sees my bass sitting in the corner and says "play me something".
I find that when you're musical intuition(your ear) and you're understanding of the harmonized major and minor scale meet, you'll really feel the confidence grow. Even when you don't know what the song is
Usually I don't like clickbait titles but this really is the most important lesson as a bassist and of all the students I've taught over the years, the ones that put the work into this are just simply more successful more quickly. Truth
This is brilliant , As a guitarist I've been playing chromatic scales as a warm up for over 50 years without ever thinking about what note I played, thanks for the wake up.
I did it a different way. I simply learned all of the notes (and their names) by learning them on the sheet music. I made up a bunch of exercises where I'd use quarter notes and I'd play two notes and repeat them in the measure. So it might be C E C E/A D A D etc. You'd be surprised how quickly you not only can read the notes on the page, but you also learn the note names too. It's only taken me a couple of months to get them all. Now, in truth, I don't read music well so the next effort is to practice various rhythms but at least I know what the notes are and what they are on the staff. Very helpful.
Brother I’ve been playing my whole life, had lessons etc and you broke this down in a way that just made it click for me. I just want to thank you. Kudos to you and God bless.
"...relaxed teaching style. It’s so much better than the typically hyper, high energy youtubers..." I am happy to agree with that. A very helpful video, thx.👍
Man Rich, I've been searching for UA-cam for several years for bass instructions that actually help. What I've constantly gotten were the same dry, long-winded, boring folks who seem more interested in showing me how "great" they are instead of helping me understand the use of this instrument. In other words, where have you been???? Thanks for putting things in a language that even I can grasp. New Subscriber for sure.
Advanced player here for at least 16 years. Mostly guitar, but I got my five string out and had a great time with this whole dang video! Especially that seventh fret B-E-A-D Thanks for sharing your scope, B-rown. You're one cool dude. 💯
Rich, I haven't picked up my bass in decades, and have been trying for the last decade to pick it back up. I haven't touched it yet, but watching this, just once, mind you has clarified so many things for me. I can't thank you enough.
im a novice to the bass as i sit in my room and try and learn this elusive creature off and on for the past two years playing along to videos . but i absolutely needed to hear you say that this is the most important lesson ever!!!! Thank YOu!!!
I am just getting started with Bass, started about four weeks ago. I’ve seen a lot of good lessons, and this is right up there with the best of them. Something else to put on my list to practice. As I learn the notes on the fretboard. Thank you for making this video.
I’m 74 and played bass since I was 16. I’m like you, I’ve played by ear, but lately I’m studying music theory and learning all the neck notes. Your suggestions are great. I hope to be playing music until I’m 100.
I'm also an ear player, so this was super helpful! Definitely doing this exercise. I find the more I get out of my ear comfort zone, the easier it is for me to be creative, which is what it's all about.
Thank you Mr Brown. Great lesson. Simply stated it is important to strive to be a conscious musician so that you can always find your way back home after tangential excursions.
Rich, I’ve been playing bass since 1978 playing most styles of music. I came over from piano and one of my teachers had me say the notes when I’d play. It did help me learn the notes on the keyboard. Why I never thought of this I don’t know but it’s brilliant. I know the fretboard but it was hard getting there so I may just start. Never too old to do something new if it makes you better.
Dude I love this! I sorta reached the same point in reverse, after going to school and working almost exclusively from printed music for years and years thereafter, I reached a point where I realized my childhood/teen abilities to learn and play by ear had turned to trash from neglect. At that moment I just started back at the beginning, and devoted my full attention to learning, and often re-learning hundreds and of songs (now), just by ear and memorizing them *without the charts was actually much easier, as it turned out. Some more complicated stuff, being able to write it out to learn it (or to teach it to others) is helpful, but learning both sides of your music like this takes you to an amazing new ability level in both. Bravo!
Thank you, I've been playing self taught bass for years but mostly just playing songs. I've always been intimidated by scales and improv, these exercises are helping remedy that!
I used to play years (around 4 years long), I 100% only played with tabs. I stopped playing 4-5 years ago because I was unmotivated. I could play many songs by tabs but it didn't feel like I know anything about bass and it felt like I would lie everytime I say "I can play the bass" Now 5 years later I forgot every single song I could play and I want to start again but with another approach. This video helped sooooooo much! I thought it is witchcraft how people know their notes on the scale but it's so easy! Thank you!
I used to play bass and guitar when I was in hs, years later I'm starting to find love for the instruments again and this video is exactly what I was looking for
Used to play the piano as a kid and now trying to pick up the bass for last few months. I don’t know why I ever thought of this, for a piano I wouldn’t even need a second to tell you what note is what, so having that same understanding with the bass fretboard seems like an absolutely an huge advantage
As a beginner bass player for 10 years or so. I’ve never been past the 5th fret. I was taking lessons but the guy only taught basic stuff in the first 5 frets. Thanks for making this easy to understand
playing guitar for ages, just switched to bass and you demystified the twilight zone in one sentence. I am in your debt and you have have new subscriber.
Just bought a bass for my daughter, really more of a family bass. I was working on this very exercise last night. Nice to see I was working on the right things! I've played a little guitar for many years, and working on piano as well. Hope to move past being a messing around and having fun player and actually learn a few things.
Absolutely. I've been an ear player for a long time too. Lately I've been tearing down all the guitar chords and playing it on bass, but naming the notes out loud like you just did. Makes a huge difference. A great way to keep things fresh too. Just found your channel, subscribed.
@@unclemick-synths it's a good way to know all the notes in the chord. Then you can start playing some different stuff. I'm experimenting with 100% harmonized lines. Doesn't always work, but it's a really fun exercise
Just came across your channel. I’m new, infantile, to the bass and playing music. Our church had been with a bass player for several months. After prayer God answered with a great deal on a 2014 Squire Jazz. Got it in April and countless hours of UA-cam videos later started playing with our Praise Team in late June. Everyday is a new discovery, the proverbial light bulb goes off in my brain. I like your smooth approach. This video will really help with knowing the fretboard and maybe I can ditch my cheat sheet.
That was a pleasure to watch. You have a gift. You can't teach someone to be a teacher. You either are or you're not. Im going to start doing this after 30+ yrs of playing & gigging.
im a 24 year old 5 string player this is somthing ive been trying to verbalise for a while and im grabing my bass to play along one thing i have considered is writing note names on clear tape and putting it under the fret board temporarily to help with visualizations first sharps then flats since i learned to read sheet on tuba
I really like the comment about thinking of the 7th fret notes as the open strings on a 5-string bass. That makes that whole chunk of the neck wayyyyy easier to understand/visualize. Thanks!
Excellent foundation for someone just starting out playing bass like myself, makes total sense, like learning to crawl first before walking, thank you for sharing this important knowledge.
Wow! When a plan...meets in the middle!! Just investigating tetrachords...which is leading me, finally, to circle of fourths/fifths. Puts me smack-dab in the 'middle' of carefully naming each note I touch. Timely My Friend!! Thank you!!
Thanks, Rich. I started with Double Bass in high school, and bought an electric four string maybe twenty years ago. I just started playing it regularly and I can use all the help I can get. I'm really a trombone player/lower brass, so bass playing is a challenge.
Knowing this should be a no-brainer, but I bet many excellent bass players (guitarists as well!) would have to take a moment to think if you pointed at a random fret in the twilight zone and asked them what note that is. What a great lesson, thank you!
Its so good to mention going up with sharps and down with flats. Even though so commonly we don't say Gb, but its super important. And once you look away from the board and have it layed out in your mind so you can use that and muscle memory to land on a note with your eyes closed and KNOW the note before you play it...
Hi, I am an amateur bassist from France, and frankly your lessons are very pleasant to follow, very relaxing, but full of meaning. Thanks again for sharing this knowledge ;)
Rich..... We appreciate your willingness to take the time from your busy life to sit with us..... we want to play just like you. I like the choice of bass that you have and have just like yours.... Its a lot to take in but I want to play just like you...... thanks for your patients....
your method of remembering the note names of the frets is a realistic foundation.I sometimes use the chromatic tuner on my bass to see what note I'm playing thinking that eventually I'll become more familiar with the note names by memory.I enjoy playing alongside a drummer and I'm a drummer also but supporting a good guitar player on the bass is what really stokes me so when the guitarist asks me to play a specific note I want to know where it is. Thank you for your time and I'll be on the lookout for more. ✌️😎
I appreciate your videos. I have always plucked my sons bass for years. Just messing around and a lot of budda budda budda on the E string.... I bought myself a bass last week and have been watching yours and a few others videos. With this video, I was able to learn all the whole notes on the fret board in 1 day. Your videos are slow enough but remain interesting. They are obviously well thought out and communicate the topics cleary... thumbs up. Edit: I found it really simple to learn the notes one string at a time and singing them while I play. Singing helped with the memorization and I used a digital tuner to check myself the first few times.
Good lesson. My music teacher made me learn the note names of the neck twenty-seven years ago. Every bassist should be able to do it. Also, not every 5-string and 6-string basses are tuned to low B. I tune my 5-string from low E to high C, and six-strings from low E to high F.
I started my path in high school with cello/DB and my teacher employed a similar method and tested our acumen with flash cards ( I'm old(er)😄). When I picked up the electric bass in my late 20s I practiced breaking notes/arpeggios ( in 4ths) between frets 1-5, 5-8, 9-12 etc. I test my memory/speed in finding all of the notes with a tool ( free) online called Random Note Picker. Revisiting the basics/ foundations ...and great exercise to build fretboard confidence. Great teaching is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
as an ear player on the bass but a music reader on the trombone (so i can read bass clef, just not bass sheet music) this approach is EXACTLY what i needed. unlocked a lot of possibilities in my head that has already given returns in all my music mediums (keyboard included). this was the first video of yours i found, subscribed for sure, that tone tho on those intro/outro… dope af
Just discovered your channel. I’m a complete beginner and fed up of just playing walking on the moon and peaches. Time I understand the notes and shapes. Thanks dude.
I just picked up a bass for the first time yesterday. And I started doing the “name the note” automatically from fret 1-5. Because that’s how kids learn violin. They have to name the notes. In fact they write them on little stickers until they get it.
Oh Man! Mr. Brown, I am a beginning beginner 😜 bass player (on 4- and 6-string bass). I was hooked, within the first four minutes of your video, by your suggestion to play the first five notes on each string, reciting out loud each note up and down the neck. This is genius for me because it applies to the 6-string, as well, and, I believe, will expedite my facility on the more challenging instrument. Of course, the remainder of the video is the cherry/whip cream combination on top of the sundae! Thank you, so much, for this lesson. Blessings, Grace and Peace 😊
I have struggled with my fretboard since playing I feel like I have mastered the first 5 frets but like you my ear dose all the work above the 5 fret Thanks for inspiring me to learn this
Thank you for your channel. Our church was missing a bass player so about a year ago I decided to give it a shot. I found your videos about 4 months ago and they have been very helpful. ❤
I love your laid back and relaxed teaching style. It’s so much better than the typically hyper, high energy youtubers.. they can be exhausting to watch 😅
Haha! I totally agree, and thank you!
exactly!
yeah dude people really need to chill out.
It's very bassist!
Yeah its not even the high-energy thing that deters me, its the fact the most the time it is not genuine. This fake energy youtube/twitch trend is sad, like geez calm down dude.
I’m a self taught bass and 6 string player for over 35 years. And this is just the simplest and best explanation I’ve seen of how to get understanding of the fretboard. I learned a few things I never really connected before. Well done and thank you!
10 years playing bass and after watching this, all of a sudden a light has just switched on in my brain🤘🤘
Same here
It took you 10 years to learn chapters 1 and 0 in some of the pretend books I'm referring to. I get starting out just playing but 10 years my dude. 😢😂
@@psychedelicpigeon6089hes not alone. Ive been playing bass in church since i was 15. The only time im playing bass is at church during reheasel and event. Now im 32 and i just got cheap bass of my own and just started learning new stuff all over utube including this one. Lol. Having own bass is a game changer
I've been a bassist for over 30 years and this exercise is much harder than I thought it would be. Thanks Rich
I’ve never had a lesson, and followed three main steps. Know your fret board, play with drum tracks, turn frustration into opportunities. 20 years later I’m a happy bassist. Tip learn your octaves will help you memorize your fret board.
Thank you for the inspiration! You are an encouragement to me. I'm dealing with Stage IV Prostate Cancer and your lessons help me focus, exercise my mind and help me with my energy. I apply the techniques while praying and playing to Praise and Worship tracks. You're a blessing to me!
Your message is a blessing to me, Forrist. It makes me so happy to know that these lessons can help you, even in the smallest way. May God continue to bless you, my brother. I'm praying for your healing. 🙏🏾❤
As you’re inspired, your playing and praying inspires others. May the Lord continue to bless you with courage and strength. 🙏🏽☀️
Good luck with your treatment. I don't know you but you'll be in my thoughts and prayers. Good luck buddy.
Hi Forrist, I'm just some guy out here, in Canada actually, who saw your comment and wanted to send his best wishes for a full recovery and a full life! I have walked a similar path, only mine was a tumour in the spinal cord, which was my lottery ticket to Free Seating for Life! (In other words: wheelchair-bound for the rest of my days here on Planet Earth.) Eh, it's not as bad as it sounds, really.
All in all, I'm doing pretty well, my attitude and mood are both very positive, although they DID take a bit of a nosedive for a year or two in the beginning, I'll be honest. I play the bass every day, and that probably played a big part in me keeping my head screwed on tight. I hope, wish, and pray: may the same be true for you too, my new friend.😁
BTW, you picked a great instrument to combine your musical and spiritual callings. Praise, Worship and Gospel are all very bass-oriented styles and feature the best bassists to work an axe since Jamerson or Rainey! Chuck Rainey (Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan, et al.) is my favourite bass player. How about you?
Last Thing: As you probably know, our mental health plays a big role in our physical health. So "Chin Up!" and keep that smile on your mug, okay? All the best to you, take good care of yourself, buddy. Ciao for Now - JD, Montréal
@James Davis Thank you for the words of encouragement. Yes, the process/treatments has been very challenging, but I will keep doing the 3Ps ( Pushing, Persevering and Praying).
My favorite bass player is Marcus Miller.
So simple it's hard to believe how much sense it makes.
It's funny how we musicians sometimes overthink things, when really music is in fact simple, to some degree. Like when we hear a really fast bass line or guitar solo, or a chord, we think "OH GOSH I'd never be able to play that!" Then you learn it and it feels quite satisfactory.
Lol, simple? Good stuff for sure, but almost as difficult as training your ear to be able to identify every tone.
@@mjsmjs7905simple in theory
A teacher I had in NYC in the mid 90’s, Keith Carroll, was a huge proponent of using a metronome while playing and calling out the notes on every string from the open one and back down again. Seeing this lesson brought me back to a very important bass lesson I never forgot. Thank you, Mr. Brown!
incredible simplification!!! Thank you!
I often motivate myself by watching bass lesson videos on UA-cam, but I have a hard time keeping up with them because I can't understand English very well , but your lessons are very easy to understand, even for a Japanese person like me, and the lesson content fits my skill level. I know that It is not so easy to get better bass skills , but I am confident that if I continue to learn from you, I will make steady progress.
Really smooth teacher.
“We’re gonna do it in chunks of three.” Brilliant approach and not daunting at all.”
I do a similar thing where I pick a scale, start on the low E and ascend 3 notes per string, go up 1 step at the top then descend to the bottom doing the same thing, then going up a step, etc. Sometimes you get some inefficient fingerings, but by saying every note out loud and doing all the keys, you really learn where everything is.
I agree with the importance of learning every note on the fretboard and believe the best way to do that is to read standard notation, which also provides a comprehensive way to understand rhythmic patterns.
Yup x 10. Incredible, isn't it, that the Italians invented this crap, what, A THOUSAND YEARS AGO (!!!) and it's still as useful and relevant today! I mean, you can use it to write down the most heavily syncopated funk bassline or even worse, a Bjork song (😂). Hoo-duh-thunk?
I’m a guitarist who started playing bass and absolutely love it! This is a great exercise for bass and guitar!
Started learning the bass again, and I’m past 40 years old. Loving the vibe!
Been playing bass for 27 years now. An ear player, like you.
This totally blew my mind. And it's so simple. Thanks!
I’m an ear player too and seeing you buckle down and re-approach your instrument this way is inspiring. And also you make it look doable enough that I feel like I could try the same thing without a paralyzing sense of dread, on guitar or bass. So glad you mentioned the connection between the 7th fret and the 5-string bass, which had never dawned on me before. I usually play guitar, banjo, and 4-string bass, and when I play 5-string, to keep from getting too confused I just think of it as a regular 4-string with a bonus lower string. I feel like this will help me level up if I put in the time. Thank you!!
MATT!!! Great to hear from you, my man. Thanks for the kind words. I'm working from the 7th fret to make myself more familiar with the 'twilight zone.' We'll get there, brother. All the best to you and yours.
Like what you doing wanna stay in touch thank you
I've been playing bass for something like 37 years now. As a kid, my focus was speed and precision. I have been able to play fast & complicated stuff for a very long time. For the last decade or so, I've actually been learning theory and how music works.
My biggest gains have come in the last 5 years or so from three things.
#1 Consistent diverse playing. I've got two different projects going, so I've been playing with other people 2+ times a week for years now.
#2 My hard rock band plays a few songs in drop D, and my garage jam project will routinely play songs in different keys depending on who is singing. Practicing transposing like this ALL the time has done fantastic things for my ear and ability to roll with what and where others are playing.
#3 I've been working HARD at chords/triads on the A,D and G strings up around the 11th fret. It is pretty much all I do when jamming by myself these days. This practice is not directly beneficial to my bands, playing bass chords in a mix usually gets lost. But, it has done some absolutely magical things to my playing. First and foremost; I have finally connected my fret board top to bottom. Second; I can now hear minors, majors, dominant 7th chords, inverted chords and all the rest by ear. By being able to play those chords myself rather than just the roots, it has become WAY easier to frame the chords everyone else is playing. Third; I have always been jealous of acoustic guitar guys being able to one man band a song. I've now written a handful of acoustic bass/vocal songs I can bust out when someone sees my bass sitting in the corner and says "play me something".
I find that when you're musical intuition(your ear) and you're understanding of the harmonized major and minor scale meet, you'll really feel the confidence grow. Even when you don't know what the song is
Usually I don't like clickbait titles but this really is the most important lesson as a bassist and of all the students I've taught over the years, the ones that put the work into this are just simply more successful more quickly. Truth
Its not "clickbait" if it gives you the information it promises to deliver.
This is brilliant , As a guitarist I've been playing chromatic scales as a warm up for over 50 years without ever thinking about what note I played, thanks for the wake up.
Inspiring to see how someone of your level revisits the "weak points" in his playing. Pure gold this lesson!!! Thanks Rich!!!
32 years of playing and I’ve never looked at the fretboard like that. Subscribed for more content. Well done.
32 years playing but how many hours per week are you putting in?
I did it a different way. I simply learned all of the notes (and their names) by learning them on the sheet music. I made up a bunch of exercises where I'd use quarter notes and I'd play two notes and repeat them in the measure. So it might be C E C E/A D A D etc. You'd be surprised how quickly you not only can read the notes on the page, but you also learn the note names too. It's only taken me a couple of months to get them all. Now, in truth, I don't read music well so the next effort is to practice various rhythms but at least I know what the notes are and what they are on the staff. Very helpful.
This is fantastic. 24 notes across 4 strings and you boiled it down to two learning tasks.
Brother I’ve been playing my whole life, had lessons etc and you broke this down in a way that just made it click for me. I just want to thank you. Kudos to you and God bless.
"...relaxed teaching style. It’s so much better than the typically hyper, high energy youtubers..."
I am happy to agree with that. A very helpful video, thx.👍
Man Rich, I've been searching for UA-cam for several years for bass instructions that actually help. What I've constantly gotten were the same dry, long-winded, boring folks who seem more interested in showing me how "great" they are instead of helping me understand the use of this instrument.
In other words, where have you been???? Thanks for putting things in a language that even I can grasp. New Subscriber for sure.
Advanced player here for at least 16 years. Mostly guitar, but I got my five string out and had a great time with this whole dang video! Especially that seventh fret B-E-A-D Thanks for sharing your scope, B-rown. You're one cool dude. 💯
Rich, I haven't picked up my bass in decades, and have been trying for the last decade to pick it back up. I haven't touched it yet, but watching this, just once, mind you has clarified so many things for me.
I can't thank you enough.
im a novice to the bass as i sit in my room and try and learn this elusive creature off and on for the past two years playing along to videos . but i absolutely needed to hear you say that this is the most important lesson ever!!!! Thank YOu!!!
This channel is the reason why I can survive back to back YT ads
Thank you agree with the other about you being a very calm and easy listening ❤❤❤
Danke!
I am just getting started with Bass, started about four weeks ago. I’ve seen a lot of good lessons, and this is right up there with the best of them. Something else to put on my list to practice. As I learn the notes on the fretboard. Thank you for making this video.
This really changed the way I look at my bass playing. Thank you so much for this video.
It's very important to have such deep lessons about your instrument because, If you understand something better, you get better at it.
Thank You.
B R I L L I A N T lesson, my brother!! 🙏
That means a lot coming from you, brother Paul! 🙌🏾
Everyone hush... Two legends are speaking....
@@adriannavarro388 Paul’s channel is my favourite thing on the UA-cams!🙌🏾❤️
@@richbrownbass Yes, he's channel is also one of my favorites. I am actually subscribed to both channels...
I’m 74 and played bass since I was 16. I’m like you, I’ve played by ear, but lately I’m studying music theory and learning all the neck notes. Your suggestions are great. I hope to be playing music until I’m 100.
I'm also an ear player, so this was super helpful! Definitely doing this exercise. I find the more I get out of my ear comfort zone, the easier it is for me to be creative, which is what it's all about.
Thank you Mr Brown. Great lesson. Simply stated it is important to strive to be a conscious musician so that you can always find your way back home after tangential excursions.
Rich, I’ve been playing bass since 1978 playing most styles of music. I came over from piano and one of my teachers had me say the notes when I’d play. It did help me learn the notes on the keyboard. Why I never thought of this I don’t know but it’s brilliant. I know the fretboard but it was hard getting there so I may just start. Never too old to do something new if it makes you better.
Dude I love this! I sorta reached the same point in reverse, after going to school and working almost exclusively from printed music for years and years thereafter, I reached a point where I realized my childhood/teen abilities to learn and play by ear had turned to trash from neglect. At that moment I just started back at the beginning, and devoted my full attention to learning, and often re-learning hundreds and of songs (now), just by ear and memorizing them *without the charts was actually much easier, as it turned out. Some more complicated stuff, being able to write it out to learn it (or to teach it to others) is helpful, but learning both sides of your music like this takes you to an amazing new ability level in both. Bravo!
Love this! I’m a 52 year old novice. Just discovered your channel. Glad I did because I will be back. Thank you
Thank you, I've been playing self taught bass for years but mostly just playing songs. I've always been intimidated by scales and improv, these exercises are helping remedy that!
I used to play years (around 4 years long), I 100% only played with tabs. I stopped playing 4-5 years ago because I was unmotivated. I could play many songs by tabs but it didn't feel like I know anything about bass and it felt like I would lie everytime I say "I can play the bass"
Now 5 years later I forgot every single song I could play and I want to start again but with another approach. This video helped sooooooo much! I thought it is witchcraft how people know their notes on the scale but it's so easy! Thank you!
I used to play bass and guitar when I was in hs, years later I'm starting to find love for the instruments again and this video is exactly what I was looking for
Used to play the piano as a kid and now trying to pick up the bass for last few months. I don’t know why I ever thought of this, for a piano I wouldn’t even need a second to tell you what note is what, so having that same understanding with the bass fretboard seems like an absolutely an huge advantage
As a beginner bass player for 10 years or so. I’ve never been past the 5th fret. I was taking lessons but the guy only taught basic stuff in the first 5 frets. Thanks for making this easy to understand
Just got back into the bass after 8 years. Back when i was playing i never had access to anything like these videos. Will definatley donate!!
playing guitar for ages, just switched to bass and you demystified the twilight zone in one sentence. I am in your debt and you have have new subscriber.
Thank you so much. Welcome to the channel!
You are a real blessing to the musical community. You have a real gift for teaching! Thanks for all that you do, we are all so grateful!
This comment is a blessing to me. Thank you so much.
Thank you Rich, your such a great mellow instructor. No pressure. 😊
Make it look simple... Mr. Brown, I'm floored! Thank you for this
I'm going to do this exercise for 5/10 mins a day. I bet in few weeks I'll be able name the notes much easier. Thanks, Rich.
Just bought a bass for my daughter, really more of a family bass. I was working on this very exercise last night. Nice to see I was working on the right things! I've played a little guitar for many years, and working on piano as well. Hope to move past being a messing around and having fun player and actually learn a few things.
Absolutely. I've been an ear player for a long time too.
Lately I've been tearing down all the guitar chords and playing it on bass, but naming the notes out loud like you just did. Makes a huge difference.
A great way to keep things fresh too.
Just found your channel, subscribed.
Thank you so much for watching, and subscribing! That means a lot.
Book, tearing down the guitar chords is a great idea - I'll start doing that.
@@unclemick-synths it's a good way to know all the notes in the chord. Then you can start playing some different stuff. I'm experimenting with 100% harmonized lines. Doesn't always work, but it's a really fun exercise
This video has read my mind. I've been playing bass for 15 years and have always played by ear. I need to step my game up
Just bought a bass last week. After long searching of how to play/memorize fret video, this one is the best method. I'll try to learn this thanks
Just came across your channel. I’m new, infantile, to the bass and playing music. Our church had been with a bass player for several months. After prayer God answered with a great deal on a 2014 Squire Jazz. Got it in April and countless hours of UA-cam videos later started playing with our Praise Team in late June. Everyday is a new discovery, the proverbial light bulb goes off in my brain. I like your smooth approach. This video will really help with knowing the fretboard and maybe I can ditch my cheat sheet.
We've been dancing with Mr. Brownstone. He keeps knocking. He won't leave me alone.
That was a pleasure to watch. You have a gift. You can't teach someone to be a teacher. You either are or you're not.
Im going to start doing this after 30+ yrs of playing & gigging.
im a 24 year old 5 string player this is somthing ive been trying to verbalise for a while and im grabing my bass to play along one thing i have considered is writing note names on clear tape and putting it under the fret board temporarily to help with visualizations first sharps then flats since i learned to read sheet on tuba
I really like the comment about thinking of the 7th fret notes as the open strings on a 5-string bass. That makes that whole chunk of the neck wayyyyy easier to understand/visualize. Thanks!
Excellent foundation for someone just starting out playing bass like myself, makes total sense, like learning to crawl first before walking, thank you for sharing this important knowledge.
_"I realized I could play better if I knew what the f**k I was doing."_
Good thinking, Watson! 👍🌟🏅
Wow! When a plan...meets in the middle!! Just investigating tetrachords...which is leading me, finally, to circle of fourths/fifths. Puts me smack-dab in the 'middle' of carefully naming each note I touch. Timely My Friend!! Thank you!!
Once again rich is the best and he makes it so easy for us!!!!
I’m excited to practice your revelation. Thanks.
Very important lesson. You have to know the neck to communicate with others learning songs.
I love your attitude towards growth! Thank you for the video, you are awesome!
I like the sharps/flats ,, sharp notes climbing the scale and flat notes descending the scale .🎶
The first five frets, the most important area of the fretboard on the bass, great lesson!!
Thanks, Rich. I started with Double Bass in high school, and bought an electric four string maybe twenty years ago. I just started playing it regularly and I can use all the help I can get. I'm really a trombone player/lower brass, so bass playing is a challenge.
Knowing this should be a no-brainer, but I bet many excellent bass players (guitarists as well!) would have to take a moment to think if you pointed at a random fret in the twilight zone and asked them what note that is. What a great lesson, thank you!
Just starting my journey, this videos fills like bless from above
Thanks! I am a beginner and am eager to learn.
Its so good to mention going up with sharps and down with flats. Even though so commonly we don't say Gb, but its super important. And once you look away from the board and have it layed out in your mind so you can use that and muscle memory to land on a note with your eyes closed and KNOW the note before you play it...
Hi, I am an amateur bassist from France, and frankly your lessons are very pleasant to follow, very relaxing, but full of meaning. Thanks again for sharing this knowledge ;)
Rich..... We appreciate your willingness to take the time from your busy life to sit with us..... we want to play just like you. I like the choice of bass that you have and have just like yours.... Its a lot to take in but I want to play just like you...... thanks for your patients....
your method of remembering the note names of the frets is a realistic foundation.I sometimes use the chromatic tuner on my bass to see what note I'm playing thinking that eventually I'll become more familiar with the note names by memory.I enjoy playing alongside a drummer and I'm a drummer also but supporting a good guitar player on the bass is what really stokes me so when the guitarist asks me to play a specific note I want to know where it is.
Thank you for your time and I'll be on the lookout for more. ✌️😎
I appreciate your videos. I have always plucked my sons bass for years. Just messing around and a lot of budda budda budda on the E string.... I bought myself a bass last week and have been watching yours and a few others videos. With this video, I was able to learn all the whole notes on the fret board in 1 day. Your videos are slow enough but remain interesting. They are obviously well thought out and communicate the topics cleary... thumbs up.
Edit: I found it really simple to learn the notes one string at a time and singing them while I play. Singing helped with the memorization and I used a digital tuner to check myself the first few times.
Good lesson. My music teacher made me learn the note names of the neck twenty-seven years ago. Every bassist should be able to do it. Also, not every 5-string and 6-string basses are tuned to low B. I tune my 5-string from low E to high C, and six-strings from low E to high F.
a friend highly recommended your channel, as a 55 year old, who hasn't touched a bass since high school, I see why cheers 🤘☠️🤘
I started my path in high school with cello/DB and my teacher employed a similar method and tested our acumen with flash cards ( I'm old(er)😄). When I picked up the electric bass in my late 20s I practiced breaking notes/arpeggios ( in 4ths) between frets 1-5, 5-8, 9-12 etc. I test my memory/speed in finding all of the notes with a tool ( free) online called Random Note Picker. Revisiting the basics/ foundations ...and great exercise to build fretboard confidence. Great teaching is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
What a brilliant lesson and teacher I have just found! Thank you!
That was cool .Thanks
❤
You are so patient…thank you for your insight!! See you again soon!!
as an ear player on the bass but a music reader on the trombone (so i can read bass clef, just not bass sheet music) this approach is EXACTLY what i needed. unlocked a lot of possibilities in my head that has already given returns in all my music mediums (keyboard included). this was the first video of yours i found, subscribed for sure, that tone tho on those intro/outro… dope af
Just discovered your channel. I’m a complete beginner and fed up of just playing walking on the moon and peaches. Time I understand the notes and shapes. Thanks dude.
Thank you. I’m a brand new left handed bass player and I appreciate the information you shared a lot!
So far mr brown is the only guy who I've been watching a lot more than any other teacher ❤
I just picked up a bass for the first time yesterday. And I started doing the “name the note” automatically from fret 1-5. Because that’s how kids learn violin. They have to name the notes. In fact they write them on little stickers until they get it.
Oh Man!
Mr. Brown, I am a beginning beginner 😜 bass player (on 4- and 6-string bass). I was hooked, within the first four minutes of your video, by your suggestion to play the first five notes on each string, reciting out loud each note up and down the neck. This is genius for me because it applies to the 6-string, as well, and, I believe, will expedite my facility on the more challenging instrument.
Of course, the remainder of the video is the cherry/whip cream combination on top of the sundae!
Thank you, so much, for this lesson.
Blessings, Grace and Peace 😊
I have struggled with my fretboard since playing I feel like I have mastered the first 5 frets but like you my ear dose all the work above the 5 fret
Thanks for inspiring me to learn this
Very happy I’ve found this channel- I’ve been playing bass since I was teenybopper back in early 80’s… and all this info is great
Thank you for your channel. Our church was missing a bass player so about a year ago I decided to give it a shot. I found your videos about 4 months ago and they have been very helpful. ❤
I love that. Thank you Davy. That means a lot.
Very good lesson very relaxed style of teaching I am a complete beginner with the Bass Thanks
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