Jamaican here! Just want to add that we are taught that the defining characteristic of reggae is that it’s one of the only genres where the bass-line is actually the lead melody of the chune. Bravo on today’s lesson. BIGGUP!
@@StephenOconnor-g2o Reggae has that specific deeply relaxing feel, the bass slips and slides and often lives behind the beat, except for the 2 + 4 which tend to be tight. You know what reggae sounds like. Dancehall is a higher energy groove. It’s often done with drum machine/programmed beats. Look up a playlist of 80s dancehall, that’s where the style came from. For extra credit, look up Sly & Robbie’s impact on the grooves (they created whole new styles, several times).
Reggae bass is about tone, space and NOTE LENGTH! The last being so subtle that it's the first and immediate sign that someone is still learning the style.
100% on the space comment. I recently saw a band which played their original (kudos to them) reggae tune, but the bass player spoiled the feel with a heavily compressed constant stream of notes. Just ruined the feel.
@@baj5025 Oh man, Ive seen this a million times and I agree. Check out Wild Goose Chase from Steel Pulse. One of the ultimate examples of letting the song breathe using a very sparse bass line. Perfection.
Fams, Robbie Shakespeare, and Flabba Holt taught me everything I know about bassline creation, melody, syncopation, push and pull on the bar line, subtleties of attack and decay, muting, space in the mix, etc., pretty much everything. 100% essential players to study if you play bass in any genre.
Well put. Flabba Holt another one who is not recognized outside of deep reggae circles. Roots Radics were the next step in reggae rhythm sections. So much to learn from Fams’ timing and construction…
@@reggaefan2700 facts, and honestly being in the wailers is just the tip of the iceberg, he worked on numerous sessions. Jamaica's session scene was not gigantic, but the amount of recordings that were done is unparalelled by anything outside of maybe the stable at blue note records, or motown. He sessioned with alot of artists, and was always brilliant.
@@kingdeedee Stir It Up is a great example. How many of us can make an iconic, melodic line over I-IV-V? Brian Ritchie's line on Please Don't Go springs to mind, and it's also mostly built around arpeggios.
Man. Bass players who doesnt listen to Reggae!!? Didnt know they existed!!? Reggae bass is dope! It's life. The world would be a better place if everyone listened to Reggae every day...
Yeah. I'm surprised. It's a musical form where the bass is front and centre in a way that a bass should be, IMO. No widdly widdly trying to be a guitarist type solos, but complex, groove drenched, up front, and just triggering-movement-in-one's-body bass. Delightful. I became hooked when I was working with a reggae guy who'd moved to the UK and wanted to record some of his music. As a result, I did a lot of listening, and made some poor attempts to play some of the instruments then came away with a love of reggae and a huge amount of respect for the pioneers and their feel.
One thing I love about basslines in general is that - performing the rests at the correct time is just as important as performing the note at the correct time. Holding a note too long or too short just messes the whole thing up. You have to perform the rest at exactly the right spot. That's what makes the bass sound so good for me and reggae bassists know this!
Tottaly agree! And in some lines the right spot is "wrong". Like a lazy attack that comes a little after the beat. Its like when big audiences clap hands on time joining the music. The majority claps on time but some rush and some delays a little. It's that micro delay i'm talking about. It's not just dynamics, sometimes its really off beat, or better, around the beat, a little behind. Slave Driver is a perfect example of that lazy feeling.
About time. Aston FAMILY MAN Barrett and his brother Carlton Barrett, influenced GENERATIONS of musicians. You can't play just the CHANGES with Marley's music. The bass lines are inserted from Marley's vision and music.
Family Man was the one who got me to love bass as a child and always listen to the basslines in every kind of music (music without interesting basslines I didn’t listen to 😂) and then singing the bass lines.
20:51 i ran to my Bass and tried what Ian showed. I'm completely blown away. This is exactly the sound is was looking for all these years. Thank you Ian. I really appreciate this Tips by SBL 😙
@@tmcwilliam01 100% Don is really good at explaining the subtleties and concepts behind approaching riddim construction from the standpoint of a bassist.
I absolutely love this video, anytime I'm not having a great day or I'm stressed about something, Bob Marley and reggae as a whole just always makes me feel better. Thanks Ian and Scott!!
Just listened to the audio pod today whilst at work - pruning some trees in Somerset - and you guys and the tunes were such a joy in the sunshine, that I listened to the whole thing even though I couldn't hear your bass, Scott, on my crappy phone speakers. So here I am again to hear it proper! Thanking you!
Aston really needs more recognition in the bass community imo, I don’t listen to a whole lot of reggae but his playing was incredibly memorable and definitely helped Bob Marley and the Wailers’ music be as iconic and singable as they are so shoutout to the Family Man🤘
Please note the actual composer for basslines such as Stir it Up and Concrete Jungle was Robbie Shakespeare(RIP) . Aston (RIP)was out of the country and so Robbie stepped in for him in those sessions. Robbie himself revealed this in a bass magazine interview two decades ago..I was floored when i read it
Just FYI the term ‘one drop’ is generally only used to refer to the drum pattern: kick silent on beat 1 and played simultaneously with the snare on beat 3. It does not refer to the bass skipping or ‘dropping’ the 1 as mentioned in the video :) Purely semantics as it’s a great approach to playing some reggae bass.
It’s a bit of a myth that the snare falls on the 3 for a One Drop. The snare only really falls on 3 when the groove is a “Steppas” Have a good listen to Bob Marley’s One Drop and knod your head along to the groove. You would have to knod your head in double time for the snare or rimshot to fall on 3. No reggae bass player feels the groove in double time.
@@donstrumental8905 rockers, steppers and one drop beats all have snare on beat 3 - same as the ‘One Drop’ song you mentioned. Beat 3 as per the quarter note tempo as would be written in the drum notation :)
@@sbedfordbass The tempo would have to be counted off at double time for it to drop on the 3. Forget what the text books say. The snare on 3 would mean the pulse is around 120bpm. No drummer counts off at that tempo or no bass player that plays reggae moves their body at that tempo. Try it yourself. Put on a click at 120bpm and play along. Then put on a click at 60bpm and play along. It will actually make you play differently. One Love
@@donstrumental8905 You are spot on Don. Years ago I was listening to some reggae track, can't remember what, and you could hear the drummer count in; 1 - - - 2 - - - 3 - - - 4, real slow. It was an ah ha moment! The whole rhythmic structure makes so much more sense when you feel that "half-time" !
@@c-papagasket8363You can hear the count loud and clear in Waiting In vain. The myth that reggae drops on the 3 didn’t come from reggae players. There is no drum book written by Carly, Sly or Style Scott explaining that a one drop is on the 3. I Remember Jeff Berlin saying in bass player magazine many years ago “ academia and real life playing are 2 separate things” this is a typical example of what he meant.
Recommended listening for me would be Handsworth Revolution, the debut album by Birmingham band Steel Pulse. As a kid learning bass in the late 70s trying to figure out the bass line on Prodigal Son (a single off the album) was such an eye-opening experience. Released in 1978, the album is a wonderful piece of work and still sounds as angry and fresh today as it did back then. Sadly, a lot of the themes covered on the record are still relevant today…
Absolutely. That album is amazing, still in my top 10 favorites after all these years. The production is a big part of it (much more rich and orgranic than later albums) and the variation in instrumentation and percussion stands out compared to other albums.
Being born on Guam was a blessing..reggae was the first genre of music I was introduced to as a baby/toddler..from the second we woke up mom would put on her reggae mix cds and it’d be on playing in the house till bedtime. Soundtrack to our lives. The islands may be the 2nd biggest consumers of reggae music..so much so that we have our own sub genre..island reggae.
Great music and great feeling. So much groove and spirit. Thanks for doing this! 👍 Edit: About that secret tone trick; I'm an electronics guy. That trick will only really work on Jazz Basses and other basses that use a similar wiring schematic. Since the Jazz Bass doesn't have a pickup selector switch, it has to do it with the two volume controls. In order for this to work, they have to be wired "backwards" in contrast to a regular volume pot. What this means is, that the wiper is where you connect your pickup to. This leads to the interesting effect that the pickup sees a different load when you turn it down. The lower you set the volume, the lower the resistance of the volume pot gets, thus lowering the cutoff frequency of that lowpass that is created by the spool of the pickup and the parallel connected volume pot, thus dampening the pickup much more, than with a standard volume pot. So, on a P-Bass and most other basses that use pickup selector switches, this trick will not work to the same effect.
A friend of mine is a early reggea-rocksteady drummer and producer and when he come back from jamaica he told me a trick they used for recordings. Lot of bassists (not all) put a sponge on the bridge to kill the armonics, and lot of p-basses too. its was not pureley reggae, early reggae and Rockstady are older but the sound is very similar. great vid!
DUDES! I started watching this episode at 3am and I’ve been listening to reggae all day. I know the BASS and Jah’s Love never lets us down. Thanks for that.
Aston also played a Höfner in the studio. So did his ‘pupil’ Robbie Shakespeare. Aston really liked McCartney’s bassplaying a lot, perhaps that’s where he got that little double stop like part (Come Together) of the line from ‘Three Little Birds’ from...? What’s also great is the role of the organ/keys in the rhythm section! Not just going with the guitars all the time, but with the snare and bassguitar.
One of the two here, gets it. I really like this deeper look into Reggae bass, one of the better ones. It is very interesting to see where the power and impact comes from. The mix between a straight and a swing feel, or those two intertwined. Pushing and pulling, so far in the pocket it has a delay effect with the beat. Skipping the first beat, kicking in on the third and everything in between. The length of the notes which define so much. The punch the sound needs to deliver(lots of compression) and going low and still keep a clear mid and high section. The influence of Reggae on so many other styles and sounds of music is huge. Who feels it knows it.. Love to see more!
I’m not sure if this was addressed later in the video but, for the record, a “one drop” in reggae is the drum beat where the drummer only plays the bass drum/snare on beat 3. You definitely don’t want to show up at a reggae gig and call not playing on the one a one drop.
I've played drums with a reggae band for years and always appreciated the Marley bass lines in particular, but this session was still very enlightening and inspiring....Nuff respect!! Yes I.....
Nothing feels better than playing one drops on a subby rig. You feel it in your soul. And you NEVER go full steinberger Devine! And forgetting Stewart Copeland?! Criminal
Really? Fully Fullwood plays a Jazz bass half the time and a steinberger the other half. And he'll go months just using the steinberger. So I guess you hold him in no regard?
Guys i not only enjoyed this immensely, I tried to emulate all the lines Scott played and i cannot wait for the course release. You guys are a gem to the bass community
Jamaican music... ska, rocksteady and reggae in all its variations (early reggae, roots, dub...)... was the reason why I started playing bass over 30 years ago... and I'm still happy working hard on it!! Bless!! PD: its a must to learn that from the very early days ('64 ska, '67 rocksteady, '69 reggae).
I've been waiting for this one, great work, gentlemen. Learning classic Reggae bass lines note for note and jamming to the record is one of lifes great pleasures.
*Liquidator was released in 1969* Carlton "Carly" Barrett (Aston's biological brother and musical partner via drums) has said that the instrumental was originally for a song by Tony Scott, "What Am I to Do". Harry Johnson bought the rights from Scott, licensed the track to Trojan and credited it to the Harry J Allstars. Musicians involved in the recording included the core of The Hippy Boys: *bassist 'Family Man' Aston Barrett* , *drummer Carlton Barrett* and guitarist Alva Lewis. They later formed the core of The Upsetters and The Wailers. The organ was played by Winston Wright[4] who, as a member of Tommy McCook's Supersonics, was acknowledged as Jamaica's master of the Hammond organ. The bassist David Hood (Staple Singers) only added (an excellent) bridge to the bass line that's arguably/reasonably extremely close to the same bass line played by the guru Aston 'Family Man' Barrett in the instrumental Liquidator . "I'll Take You There" is a song written by Al Bell (using his real name Alvertis Isbell), and originally performed by soul/gospel family band the Staple Singers. The Staple Singers version, produced by Bell, was *released on Stax Records in February 1972* , and spent a total of 15 weeks on the charts and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. By December 1972, it had sold 2 million units and is ranked as the 19th biggest American hit of 1972. It remains one of the best-selling gospel songs of all time.
I love when Ian has that huge smile and says "Dude, this is making me so happy". This is most people's reaction to Bob Marley. Yet, the absolute genius of this music, to me, is that in many instances the lyrics act as counterpoint to that happy, lightness of the music. For example, taken from One Drop: They made their world so hard (so hard) Every day we got to keep on fighting (fighting) They made their world so hard (so hard) Every day the people are dying (dying), yeah (Dread, dread) From hunger (it dread, dread) and starvation (Dread, dread, it dread, oh dread) Lamentation
Stir it up is the first song I felt compelled to learn on bass when I just recently got a bass. I have played guitar a long time, but just now fooling around with bass. I didn't watch this video yet so I don't know if it's exactly what is said in the video or not... but stir it up is brilliant. Major triad simplicity and really great timing make for one hell of a good fun song to play and it was easy enough for me to learn by ear in a short time. Looking forward to watching this when I get some time
Reggae course hasn't been released yet (it's filmed and in the works right now!). In the meantime go to the mentors section and check out Danny Mo's last two seminars, also both on Family Man!
I used to hate the sound of reggae. (1990's kid). Everything changed when I started learning to play the keyboard. What a privilege to have learned music from the reggae perspective. Watching you guys laugh reminded me of the pure joy and musical highs and laughter that I shared with my musical mentor, a die-hard reggae enthusiast and bass player, we would play for 5 hours with ease. I wish I knew more people with a love for music like him. Great, great times! Bob Marley's One Drop was one of the first songs I learned. Love that bass line. That and trench town rock had to be played when we met up. Reminds me of home.
Dialing back the pickup output (volume) just a bit, as Ian does with the neck pickup on the Jazz bass, adds load (resistance) to the circuit, resulting in that darker sub tone. It's basically the same with any pickup.
So happy this vid came up on my feed! Thoroughly enjoyable and your appreciation of the genre and it’s simple yet complex design is infectious…Aston and Carlton were the heart beat and back bone of the whole outfit.
Hey guys appreciate the love! The one drop is the specific beat and style not dropping out the beat one. This is a rockers riddim in the example track, no one Jamaican would say one drop in reference to anything on this track.
my love for the bass started with listening to reggae tunes... so consistent, smooth and cool. it carries the music and gives your inner being the peace you never knew you could have at that moment... thank you guys for this video, i am already loading up my player for the the rest of the week and probably the month hahahah
❤play anything they ever did with Bob at a party doesn't matter if the party is stale or jumping play one song and watch the mood change everybody dances or at least sways to the Groove even the old people respond its universal
I watched the video till the end, big smile on my face and joy in my heart, then put a wailers record on, turned up the volume, listened to reggae music and the smile and joy got bigger and bigger:) That trick is a workin' for me... Bass on you guys!
Guys, concerning where the beat from the drums is in a "one drop" is a synchronization of rim click and bass drum just on the 3rd, not the 2 or 4. It is one drop of the beat on 3. Guitar chop is 2 and 4 around the drop on the 3rd. Count in half time and you will get there 😁
ive been listening to bob marley for a few years now and its really impacted my life for the better, it got me through high school on bad days and it inspired me (partially) to start learning bass last year in the first place, thank you for making this video
Rolling back the volume knob a bit can definitely alter the tone dramatically. I've been experimenting with that in the studio. It's scary because if you make any tonal adjustments on your bass, you're stuck with them. These days, we hate to commit to a particular sound, and so the usual approach is to go straight DI with your tone completely open and your volume all the way up. That gets you a nice "neutral" starting point, but it can be fun to commit to a specific sound.
A side note. Sometimes FAMILY MAN KEPT PLAYING. Some of the space that people here in RARE instances was when Karl Pitterson, the engineer and others, muted the bass. What we hear as arrangements were often choices made by the engineer, who was a vital part of the music creation.
Yes, Scott & Ian, reggae bass lines have that bounce. And yes it's all about leaving space to let it breathe. You need to do an interview with Don Chandler, i.e. Donstrumental.
Finally a great tribute to the unsung legend that's influenced more bass players who make an attempt to play reggae, he was The Wailers secret weapon. Too many of his lines to go for but please check out "Kinky Reggae" live version, Trench Town Rock, Natural Mystic and Rastaman Vibration. I get my students study his groove and his respect for the other musicians to compliment the song by giving them space/ RIP Familyman.
Familly Man soud must be the reason why I picked bass more than 20 years ago when I was a teenager! since then I discovered and explored many genre , styles and tones, but this music is still my favorite to listen to!! I don't know any bad song with Bob, and it's the only discography I can't get tired of....I still being discovering things in the tunes even though I have heard them since I was in my mother's belly! As a long time SBL follower I thank you for this one!!
Started my day listening to my fave band, The Police, then heard a live reggae band accidentally this afternoon, then wrapped it up discovering this video and laying down some reggae on my bass. Loving it, won’t forget this day. Thank you guys so much!
Why you guys don't make an episode about SKA basses? Really great bands and awesome lines there! The Specials, The Beat, Madness of course, Bad Manners, The Selecter...😀
I like the idea of a ska episode. Those examples are second wave ska. I’d love them to make tour from Jamaican ska (including played on double bass) through two-tone, then on to punk/rock ska like Fishbone, Operation Ivy, etc.
The verse phrasing he uses in Get Up Stand Up is what always fascinated me. That is a line that you really wouldn't come up with unless you were a multi-instrumentalist or really dialed into a different approach on bass.
My wife loves reggae (I don’t 😅) and she asked me why I was so quiet while doing the dishes. I said “believe it or not, I’m listening to reggae” and she was like 😮 Great one, mates! Loved the episode
It was a wonderful tribute to reggae music. I was taken back to those years where I used to listen and learn these songs to perform live in a band. You guys have taken time to deep dive into the nuances of the playing style and notes. I love you guys. Great work and continue to do similar videos.
As a reggae enthusiast loved the passion you two putted in there. It can seem a simple music from outside but it’s not easy at all. Like others pointed out, a collaboration with Donstrumental would be lovely. As an interesting detail, Stir it up bassline was composed by familyman teen student Mr Robbie Shakespeare supposedly by the age of 15 since Aston was not available that day. He made quite an amazing career also, RIP both of them reggae legends.
Yep now I am paying attention to the reggae bass more than ever before Also noticed stings bass playing in songs like “beds to big without you” and how he leaves the space and plays behind. Learned so much from this video. Thank you both
Thank you for mentioning Aston "Family Man" Barett. Its a crime how, in the euphoria of Bobs genius( well deserved accolade) we forget that the Wailers musical director was Mr Aston. The drum and bass of his brother Carlton are the basis and base on which reggae and Bobs music was bulit. Thank you for making my day. That Stir It Up reggae bassline is the second bass line that I learned after Jimi Hendrix "Hey Joe".Thank you..... thank you for mentioning the man behind the Wailers musical journey
I'm enjoying watching this so much, I play guitar in a Reggae band... last rehearsal was me and the drummer and he told me to go on bass. He's old school, even met Bob Marley as well, hes from Barbados. So watching this is like being in rehearsal w him showing me how to play Bob Marley on bass properly, he'd love u! lol well done! There are some videos in my channel of us playing as a band.
I'm so glad you guys made this video. Barrett is one of the masters of groove and I feel that should be a prerequisite for many bass players for pocket playing and melodic playing
What a great video! Thank you, Scott and Ian. So much vital information about playing the bass and such a great tribute to Aston Man Family Barrett. I feel indebted to you all.
Thank you, guys. I've been waiting for this from you. Appreciate it very much as a Jamaican Bassplayer myself. Familyman is our teacher for everything reggae. 🎉
I love these lines: groove and space and patience over flash. There are some genres that are so bass-centric yet ironically get neglected or taken for granted by a lot of bass channels, and reggae is one of them, so it's cool to see you righting that wrong with a great video! (Now you guys should tackle late 70's/80's post-punk and alternative rock, where the bass is often very much front and center both sonically and musically.)
Thank you for this video. One thing I would like to add, the backing vocals of The Wailers are so much underrated. I mean the way they‘re arranged and how they support and interact with the lead singer is just waow. I‘ve seen and listened to many excellent Marley cover bands, but those ladies definately add the extra spice to the soup
Hey guys, Nico from Brazil. I spent the 90s listening to Reagge almost all the time. The parties, barbecues and, mainly, trips to the beach (which we did all the time), were all fueled by reagge. I share your emotion, since when listening to this magical type of music, what really moved me was the sound and power of the bass. like a kind of guiding thread that connected my feelings to the outside, to the environment. It was always the bass that played the main role in my enjoyment of listening to Reagge. Amazing video, I really enjoyed it here in Santana de Parnaiba, Brazil. Thank you very much for this excellent content. peace!
Great video! So good to hear these tracks again. Supported East Park Reggae Collective over 10 years ago and you let me use your rig. Good to hear you playing reggae again and yes, I’ll be pulling out the reggae playlist today. Cheers lads!
I played in a reggae band for a decade and I do the pinky mute a lot, i wondered if SBL was ever going to talk about that. Don't know why, but that was always the most natural way for me to mute for a lot of the reggae bass lines. I've even started incorporating this into other genres. Thank you for educating the world on the pinky mute haha
also, things to add about reggae arrangement. one of the guitars will double the bass lines a lot of times, it works like the Tictac guitar tones in old country music. It gives you the high end to cut through the mix while the bass covers the sub frequences. and one of the coolest things in reggae music is the bubble organ, espeically in modern reggae. it lives on the sides of the skank guitar (off beat guitar). Reggae music has perfect arrangement because everyone lives in their own frequency and their own rhythm.
I did it - exactly as you said but the reggae trip is gunna last a whole lot longer than a day. How can I have listened to these songs all me days and only NOW they understand why they’re soo good. Onya SBL one of your best!
Have to admit, i started using my right pinkie for muting a while ago (mostly when playing an open string, as left-hand muting didn't feel like an option), as an experiment. It's reassuring to know that there are professionals who also do this. Excellent video.
Tomorrow, I’m gonna listen to reggae all day. Thanks for making this video. I loved reggae as a teenager and it’s what got me into bass…still going a couple decades later. Maybe you guys can do a show on Sly and Robbie too…
Jamaican here! Just want to add that we are taught that the defining characteristic of reggae is that it’s one of the only genres where the bass-line is actually the lead melody of the chune. Bravo on today’s lesson. BIGGUP!
Absolutely 💯
Very cool to hear that from the source, thank you !
What's difference between dance hall / reggae
@@StephenOconnor-g2o Reggae has that specific deeply relaxing feel, the bass slips and slides and often lives behind the beat, except for the 2 + 4 which tend to be tight. You know what reggae sounds like. Dancehall is a higher energy groove. It’s often done with drum machine/programmed beats. Look up a playlist of 80s dancehall, that’s where the style came from. For extra credit, look up Sly & Robbie’s impact on the grooves (they created whole new styles, several times).
@@StephenOconnor-g2o dance hall is more explicit l, less conscience lol.
It doesnt hurt that the bassist and drummer are brothers and grew up playing together since childhood - you can feel the bond in the music
Such a tragedy that Carlton died at 36, shot by Junior ‘Bang’ Neil, clue’s in the name.
Neil?
yah, definitely, Ale and Pau Villarreal have that symbiosis on the rock side
@@fourortwelvestringsAle was born to play bass. Not just bc she was 3rd born..
@@OnTheOne. I think it's 💥 Bang…
For me, Aston Barrett is to reggae what James Jamerson is to Motown, and I love them both
And he notes James Jamerson as his #1 influence.
Word!!!
Well put man..
Absolutely 💯
Absolutely 💯
Black Metalhead here! You ruined my day with hapiness leading me to play reggae all day! ✌🤘✌
Never a bad thing, a bit of thrash death reggae in the morning.
Wait till here bad manners
You a Bad Brains fan? Fishbone? If not, check em out!
You need to rename this video: The hidden genius behind Aston Family Man Barrett. He's truly, hidden, a genius and Bob Marley's bass player.
There’s a lot going on with his basslines , it’s not until you start breaking them down you realise just how good he was, a true bass legend
Deceptively simple, that's the whole vibe of the Wailers
💯💯💯
I have always, just loved the leading A drone note. Just sitting slightly below tuning. It's so nice beyond words.
You need to rename this video: The hidden genius behind Aston Family Man Barrett. He's truly, hidden, a genius and Bob Marley's bass player.
Reggae bass is about tone, space and NOTE LENGTH! The last being so subtle that it's the first and immediate sign that someone is still learning the style.
Nice comment I agree
Great insight
100% on the space comment. I recently saw a band which played their original (kudos to them) reggae tune, but the bass player spoiled the feel with a heavily compressed constant stream of notes. Just ruined the feel.
@@baj5025 Oh man, Ive seen this a million times and I agree. Check out Wild Goose Chase from Steel Pulse. One of the ultimate examples of letting the song breathe using a very sparse bass line. Perfection.
Agreed. I always struggled with it until I got stoned! Lol
Fams, Robbie Shakespeare, and Flabba Holt taught me everything I know about bassline creation, melody, syncopation, push and pull on the bar line, subtleties of attack and decay, muting, space in the mix, etc., pretty much everything. 100% essential players to study if you play bass in any genre.
Well put.
Flabba Holt another one who is not recognized outside of deep reggae circles. Roots Radics were the next step in reggae rhythm sections. So much to learn from Fams’ timing and construction…
You need to rename this video: The hidden genius behind Aston Family Man Barrett. He's truly, hidden, a genius and Bob Marley's bass player.
@@reggaefan2700 facts, and honestly being in the wailers is just the tip of the iceberg, he worked on numerous sessions. Jamaica's session scene was not gigantic, but the amount of recordings that were done is unparalelled by anything outside of maybe the stable at blue note records, or motown. He sessioned with alot of artists, and was always brilliant.
Barrett’s lines are a masterclass in intentionality
Absolutely!
@@kingdeedee Stir It Up is a great example. How many of us can make an iconic, melodic line over I-IV-V?
Brian Ritchie's line on Please Don't Go springs to mind, and it's also mostly built around arpeggios.
You need to rename this video: The hidden genius behind Aston Family Man Barrett. He's truly, hidden, a genius and Bob Marley's bass player.
Man. Bass players who doesnt listen to Reggae!!? Didnt know they existed!!?
Reggae bass is dope! It's life. The world would be a better place if everyone listened to Reggae every day...
Yeah. I'm surprised. It's a musical form where the bass is front and centre in a way that a bass should be, IMO. No widdly widdly trying to be a guitarist type solos, but complex, groove drenched, up front, and just triggering-movement-in-one's-body bass. Delightful. I became hooked when I was working with a reggae guy who'd moved to the UK and wanted to record some of his music. As a result, I did a lot of listening, and made some poor attempts to play some of the instruments then came away with a love of reggae and a huge amount of respect for the pioneers and their feel.
not my world.
@@rebllion9866 if you play bass and dont dig into reggae, or soul or both, you may not actually be a bassist.
@@zeikerd neither are you
I listened to reggae ALL day today! It WAS a better day!
❤❤
Jah
One thing I love about basslines in general is that - performing the rests at the correct time is just as important as performing the note at the correct time. Holding a note too long or too short just messes the whole thing up. You have to perform the rest at exactly the right spot. That's what makes the bass sound so good for me and reggae bassists know this!
Tottaly agree! And in some lines the right spot is "wrong". Like a lazy attack that comes a little after the beat. Its like when big audiences clap hands on time joining the music. The majority claps on time but some rush and some delays a little. It's that micro delay i'm talking about. It's not just dynamics, sometimes its really off beat, or better, around the beat, a little behind. Slave Driver is a perfect example of that lazy feeling.
About time. Aston FAMILY MAN Barrett and his brother Carlton Barrett, influenced GENERATIONS of musicians. You can't play just the CHANGES with Marley's music. The bass lines are inserted from Marley's vision and music.
Family Man was the one who got me to love bass as a child and always listen to the basslines in every kind of music (music without interesting basslines I didn’t listen to 😂) and then singing the bass lines.
Sameeeeee😂
Absolutely 💯
20:51 i ran to my Bass and tried what Ian showed. I'm completely blown away. This is exactly the sound is was looking for all these years. Thank you Ian. I really appreciate this Tips by SBL 😙
SBL should try and get Donstramental on the show to talk reggae.
You are absolutely right about that! He's real good.
Don is gold
That would be a Classsic,dude great idea
YES! Don is the man!
@@tmcwilliam01 100% Don is really good at explaining the subtleties and concepts behind approaching riddim construction from the standpoint of a bassist.
Dudes… I listen to Bob Marley and the Wailers everyday now and the basslines and vibe makes my day better every time. Thanks for breaking it down.
I absolutely love this video, anytime I'm not having a great day or I'm stressed about something, Bob Marley and reggae as a whole just always makes me feel better. Thanks Ian and Scott!!
Just listened to the audio pod today whilst at work - pruning some trees in Somerset - and you guys and the tunes were such a joy in the sunshine, that I listened to the whole thing even though I couldn't hear your bass, Scott, on my crappy phone speakers. So here I am again to hear it proper! Thanking you!
Ian, you absolutely were in the right key when you sang the "Stir It Up" bass line.
As a reggae bassist, its all about the notes you don't play that's the key 🙂thank you Scott and Ian
Aston really needs more recognition in the bass community imo, I don’t listen to a whole lot of reggae but his playing was incredibly memorable and definitely helped Bob Marley and the Wailers’ music be as iconic and singable as they are so shoutout to the Family Man🤘
Familyman, Robbie Shakespeare and Flabba Holt are the Reggae Bass Trinity.
Please note the actual composer for basslines such as Stir it Up and Concrete Jungle was Robbie Shakespeare(RIP) . Aston (RIP)was out of the country and so Robbie stepped in for him in those sessions. Robbie himself revealed this in a bass magazine interview two decades ago..I was floored when i read it
Blackheart Man album by Bunny Wailer has Robbie on Bass with Fams on guitar. It's pretty difficult to notice it;s not Fams on bass.
Robbie was actually fam's Apprentice
Interesting
Just FYI the term ‘one drop’ is generally only used to refer to the drum pattern: kick silent on beat 1 and played simultaneously with the snare on beat 3. It does not refer to the bass skipping or ‘dropping’ the 1 as mentioned in the video :) Purely semantics as it’s a great approach to playing some reggae bass.
It’s a bit of a myth that the snare falls on the 3 for a One Drop. The snare only really falls on 3 when the groove is a “Steppas” Have a good listen to Bob Marley’s One Drop and knod your head along to the groove. You would have to knod your head in double time for the snare or rimshot to fall on 3. No reggae bass player feels the groove in double time.
@@donstrumental8905 rockers, steppers and one drop beats all have snare on beat 3 - same as the ‘One Drop’ song you mentioned. Beat 3 as per the quarter note tempo as would be written in the drum notation :)
@@sbedfordbass The tempo would have to be counted off at double time for it to drop on the 3. Forget what the text books say. The snare on 3 would mean the pulse is around 120bpm. No drummer counts off at that tempo or no bass player that plays reggae moves their body at that tempo. Try it yourself. Put on a click at 120bpm and play along. Then put on a click at 60bpm and play along. It will actually make you play differently. One Love
@@donstrumental8905 You are spot on Don. Years ago I was listening to some reggae track, can't remember what, and you could hear the drummer count in; 1 - - - 2 - - - 3 - - - 4, real slow. It was an ah ha moment! The whole rhythmic structure makes so much more sense when you feel that "half-time" !
@@c-papagasket8363You can hear the count loud and clear in Waiting In vain. The myth that reggae drops on the 3 didn’t come from reggae players. There is no drum book written by Carly, Sly or Style Scott explaining that a one drop is on the 3. I Remember Jeff Berlin saying in bass player magazine many years ago “ academia and real life playing are 2 separate things” this is a typical example of what he meant.
former reggae bassist here. so much joy watchin you two! blessings!
Cheers, appreciate that!!
Recommended listening for me would be Handsworth Revolution, the debut album by Birmingham band Steel Pulse. As a kid learning bass in the late 70s trying to figure out the bass line on Prodigal Son (a single off the album) was such an eye-opening experience. Released in 1978, the album is a wonderful piece of work and still sounds as angry and fresh today as it did back then. Sadly, a lot of the themes covered on the record are still relevant today…
I second this , this is the Montreux part of reggae . Dazzling musicians
Absolutely. That album is amazing, still in my top 10 favorites after all these years. The production is a big part of it (much more rich and orgranic than later albums) and the variation in instrumentation and percussion stands out compared to other albums.
I love the bass on unseen gest too, from tribute to the martyrs album.....stepper is an incredible player
You guys should invite Donstrumental to collaborate on a reggae course for SBL. It would be epic!
I go to Donstrumental and Pual Martshell a lot
Would love to see that, don chandler is my go to mentor
Great idea. He's really on top of it, playing and teaching.
@donstrumental Whatchoo think, Bruv !?
@@ngolinyirenda6421 That's up to SBL.
Robbie Shakespeare, robbie Shakespeare, robbie Shakespeare. His catalog of songs is enormous
Robbie 💯 ✅
A student of Familyman.
Indeed, actually he created the Stir it up bassline (with 15 years old), because familyman was not available that day
@@abeybass6740 Robbie also he played 'Concrete Jungle', an incredible Bass line.
Also big up Flabba Holt.
I've been into reggae since 76, check out Dub to Africa by Prince Fari featuring Flabba Holt
Being born on Guam was a blessing..reggae was the first genre of music I was introduced to as a baby/toddler..from the second we woke up mom would put on her reggae mix cds and it’d be on playing in the house till bedtime. Soundtrack to our lives. The islands may be the 2nd biggest consumers of reggae music..so much so that we have our own sub genre..island reggae.
Great music and great feeling. So much groove and spirit. Thanks for doing this! 👍
Edit: About that secret tone trick; I'm an electronics guy. That trick will only really work on Jazz Basses and other basses that use a similar wiring schematic. Since the Jazz Bass doesn't have a pickup selector switch, it has to do it with the two volume controls. In order for this to work, they have to be wired "backwards" in contrast to a regular volume pot.
What this means is, that the wiper is where you connect your pickup to. This leads to the interesting effect that the pickup sees a different load when you turn it down. The lower you set the volume, the lower the resistance of the volume pot gets, thus lowering the cutoff frequency of that lowpass that is created by the spool of the pickup and the parallel connected volume pot, thus dampening the pickup much more, than with a standard volume pot.
So, on a P-Bass and most other basses that use pickup selector switches, this trick will not work to the same effect.
Bob Marley was a healer (who wdidn´t wanted to get healed - so sad). And you guys are so wholesome to take us on journeys the ways you do, thanx...
A friend of mine is a early reggea-rocksteady drummer and producer and when he come back from jamaica he told me a trick they used for recordings. Lot of bassists (not all) put a sponge on the bridge to kill the armonics, and lot of p-basses too. its was not pureley reggae, early reggae and Rockstady are older but the sound is very similar. great vid!
Similar to what their major James Jamerson of Motown used to do.
Absolutely
@@JayGhost93 sponges and flats on every bass i own. Rub a dub breddah
Scott has such an appreciation for the history of the instrument in different genres. It is just infectious to see him so happy about it.
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Gotta get the joint ready for viewing
DUDES! I started watching this episode at 3am and I’ve been listening to reggae all day. I know the BASS and Jah’s Love never lets us down. Thanks for that.
Aston also played a Höfner in the studio.
So did his ‘pupil’ Robbie Shakespeare.
Aston really liked McCartney’s bassplaying a lot, perhaps that’s where he got that little double stop like part (Come Together) of the line from ‘Three Little Birds’ from...?
What’s also great is the role of the organ/keys in the rhythm section! Not just going with the guitars all the time, but with the snare and bassguitar.
Robbie's Hofner was gifted him by Fams
@@admarhermans1 the bubble and bang of the organ in reggae is probably my favorite sound in the world.
One of the two here, gets it. I really like this deeper look into Reggae bass, one of the better ones. It is very interesting to see where the power and impact comes from. The mix between a straight and a swing feel, or those two intertwined. Pushing and pulling, so far in the pocket it has a delay effect with the beat. Skipping the first beat, kicking in on the third and everything in between. The length of the notes which define so much. The punch the sound needs to deliver(lots of compression) and going low and still keep a clear mid and high section. The influence of Reggae on so many other styles and sounds of music is huge. Who feels it knows it.. Love to see more!
I’m not sure if this was addressed later in the video but, for the record, a “one drop” in reggae is the drum beat where the drummer only plays the bass drum/snare on beat 3. You definitely don’t want to show up at a reggae gig and call not playing on the one a one drop.
I've played drums with a reggae band for years and always appreciated the Marley bass lines in particular, but this session was still very enlightening and inspiring....Nuff respect!! Yes I.....
Nothing feels better than playing one drops on a subby rig. You feel it in your soul.
And you NEVER go full steinberger Devine!
And forgetting Stewart Copeland?! Criminal
Really? Fully Fullwood plays a Jazz bass half the time and a steinberger the other half. And he'll go months just using the steinberger. So I guess you hold him in no regard?
Guys i not only enjoyed this immensely, I tried to emulate all the lines Scott played and i cannot wait for the course release. You guys are a gem to the bass community
Cheers, we appreciate the warm words!!
I’m flat on my back with Covid, but you guys dropped some reggae sunshine into my day. Thanks.
Feel better soon!!
Jamaican music... ska, rocksteady and reggae in all its variations (early reggae, roots, dub...)... was the reason why I started playing bass over 30 years ago... and I'm still happy working hard on it!! Bless!!
PD: its a must to learn that from the very early days ('64 ska, '67 rocksteady, '69 reggae).
Huge reggae fan. Great video from the masters of Reggae bass
I've been waiting for this one, great work, gentlemen.
Learning classic Reggae bass lines note for note and jamming to the record is one of lifes great pleasures.
*Liquidator was released in 1969*
Carlton "Carly" Barrett (Aston's biological brother and musical partner via drums) has said that the instrumental was originally for a song by Tony Scott, "What Am I to Do". Harry Johnson bought the rights from Scott, licensed the track to Trojan and credited it to the Harry J Allstars.
Musicians involved in the recording included the core of The Hippy Boys: *bassist 'Family Man' Aston Barrett* , *drummer Carlton Barrett* and guitarist Alva Lewis. They later formed the core of The Upsetters and The Wailers. The organ was played by Winston Wright[4] who, as a member of Tommy McCook's Supersonics, was acknowledged as Jamaica's master of the Hammond organ.
The bassist David Hood (Staple Singers) only added (an excellent) bridge to the bass line that's arguably/reasonably extremely close to the same bass line played by the guru Aston 'Family Man' Barrett in the instrumental Liquidator .
"I'll Take You There" is a song written by Al Bell (using his real name Alvertis Isbell), and originally performed by soul/gospel family band the Staple Singers. The Staple Singers version, produced by Bell, was *released on Stax Records in February 1972* , and spent a total of 15 weeks on the charts and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. By December 1972, it had sold 2 million units and is ranked as the 19th biggest American hit of 1972. It remains one of the best-selling gospel songs of all time.
Nice post. I’ve always included Jackie Jackson’s bass line on Alton Ellis’s “Girl I’ve Got a Date” (Treasure Isle 1967) in this discussion.
I love when Ian has that huge smile and says "Dude, this is making me so happy". This is most people's reaction to Bob Marley. Yet, the absolute genius of this music, to me, is that in many instances the lyrics act as counterpoint to that happy, lightness of the music. For example, taken from One Drop:
They made their world so hard (so hard)
Every day we got to keep on fighting (fighting)
They made their world so hard (so hard)
Every day the people are dying (dying), yeah
(Dread, dread) From hunger (it dread, dread) and starvation
(Dread, dread, it dread, oh dread) Lamentation
Finally reggae ! 🎉🙃 Family Man is the man! Thanks. I begin every day with a reggae song !
Stir it up is the first song I felt compelled to learn on bass when I just recently got a bass. I have played guitar a long time, but just now fooling around with bass. I didn't watch this video yet so I don't know if it's exactly what is said in the video or not... but stir it up is brilliant. Major triad simplicity and really great timing make for one hell of a good fun song to play and it was easy enough for me to learn by ear in a short time. Looking forward to watching this when I get some time
Wow! I'll not just listen to reggae, as I'm a member, i'm going straight to the reggae course in sbl. I had no idea there was so much in this!!! Love!
Reggae course hasn't been released yet (it's filmed and in the works right now!). In the meantime go to the mentors section and check out Danny Mo's last two seminars, also both on Family Man!
I used to hate the sound of reggae. (1990's kid). Everything changed when I started learning to play the keyboard. What a privilege to have learned music from the reggae perspective. Watching you guys laugh reminded me of the pure joy and musical highs and laughter that I shared with my musical mentor, a die-hard reggae enthusiast and bass player, we would play for 5 hours with ease. I wish I knew more people with a love for music like him. Great, great times! Bob Marley's One Drop was one of the first songs I learned. Love that bass line. That and trench town rock had to be played when we met up. Reminds me of home.
Dialing back the pickup output (volume) just a bit, as Ian does with the neck pickup on the Jazz bass, adds load (resistance) to the circuit, resulting in that darker sub tone. It's basically the same with any pickup.
So happy this vid came up on my feed! Thoroughly enjoyable and your appreciation of the genre and it’s simple yet complex design is infectious…Aston and Carlton were the heart beat and back bone of the whole outfit.
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Hey guys appreciate the love! The one drop is the specific beat and style not dropping out the beat one. This is a rockers riddim in the example track, no one Jamaican would say one drop in reference to anything on this track.
Stir It Up is a one drop. The bass plays consistently on the ones
my love for the bass started with listening to reggae tunes... so consistent, smooth and cool. it carries the music and gives your inner being the peace you never knew you could have at that moment... thank you guys for this video, i am already loading up my player for the the rest of the week and probably the month hahahah
❤play anything they ever did with Bob at a party doesn't matter if the party is stale or jumping play one song and watch the mood change everybody dances or at least sways to the Groove even the old people respond its universal
Been bass player 40yrs (am 66 )and YOUR RIGHT,,, Reggae makes us ALL MOVE 🎸🤠
PLEASE MORE REGGAE VIDEOS THANK YOU 🗣
I watched the video till the end, big smile on my face and joy in my heart, then put a wailers record on, turned up the volume, listened to reggae music and the smile and joy got bigger and bigger:) That trick is a workin' for me... Bass on you guys!
Guys, concerning where the beat from the drums is in a "one drop" is a synchronization of rim click and bass drum just on the 3rd, not the 2 or 4. It is one drop of the beat on 3. Guitar chop is 2 and 4 around the drop on the 3rd. Count in half time and you will get there 😁
You can count both ways :)
ive been listening to bob marley for a few years now and its really impacted my life for the better, it got me through high school on bad days and it inspired me (partially) to start learning bass last year in the first place, thank you for making this video
Rolling back the volume knob a bit can definitely alter the tone dramatically. I've been experimenting with that in the studio. It's scary because if you make any tonal adjustments on your bass, you're stuck with them. These days, we hate to commit to a particular sound, and so the usual approach is to go straight DI with your tone completely open and your volume all the way up. That gets you a nice "neutral" starting point, but it can be fun to commit to a specific sound.
I shot the sheriff is one of the most fun bass lines to play. Awesome breakdown.
A side note. Sometimes FAMILY MAN KEPT PLAYING. Some of the space that people here in RARE instances was when Karl Pitterson, the engineer and others, muted the bass. What we hear as arrangements were often choices made by the engineer, who was a vital part of the music creation.
Wow thanks
Yes, Scott & Ian, reggae bass lines have that bounce. And yes it's all about leaving space to let it breathe. You need to do an interview with Don Chandler, i.e. Donstrumental.
Very excited for the reggae course 😎👏🎶✌️
We're excited for it too!!
This is my favourite SBL podcast of them all. Reggae is the gift that keeps on giving for bass.
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Finally a great tribute to the unsung legend that's influenced more bass players who make an attempt to play reggae, he was The Wailers secret weapon. Too many of his lines to go for but please check out "Kinky Reggae" live version, Trench Town Rock, Natural Mystic and Rastaman Vibration. I get my students study his groove and his respect for the other musicians to compliment the song by giving them space/ RIP Familyman.
Familly Man soud must be the reason why I picked bass more than 20 years ago when I was a teenager! since then I discovered and explored many genre , styles and tones, but this music is still my favorite to listen to!! I don't know any bad song with Bob, and it's the only discography I can't get tired of....I still being discovering things in the tunes even though I have heard them since I was in my mother's belly! As a long time SBL follower I thank you for this one!!
killer episode Dudes! great info
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@devinebass thanks Scott!! Excellent Information 🙌
Started my day listening to my fave band, The Police, then heard a live reggae band accidentally this afternoon, then wrapped it up discovering this video and laying down some reggae on my bass. Loving it, won’t forget this day. Thank you guys so much!
Why you guys don't make an episode about SKA basses? Really great bands and awesome lines there! The Specials, The Beat, Madness of course, Bad Manners, The Selecter...😀
I like the idea of a ska episode. Those examples are second wave ska. I’d love them to make tour from Jamaican ska (including played on double bass) through two-tone, then on to punk/rock ska like Fishbone, Operation Ivy, etc.
Maybe we will at some point!!
The verse phrasing he uses in Get Up Stand Up is what always fascinated me. That is a line that you really wouldn't come up with unless you were a multi-instrumentalist or really dialed into a different approach on bass.
My wife loves reggae (I don’t 😅) and she asked me why I was so quiet while doing the dishes. I said “believe it or not, I’m listening to reggae” and she was like 😮 Great one, mates! Loved the episode
Awesome, glad you enjoyed this one!!!
It was a wonderful tribute to reggae music. I was taken back to those years where I used to listen and learn these songs to perform live in a band. You guys have taken time to deep dive into the nuances of the playing style and notes. I love you guys. Great work and continue to do similar videos.
As a reggae enthusiast loved the passion you two putted in there. It can seem a simple music from outside but it’s not easy at all. Like others pointed out, a collaboration with Donstrumental would be lovely. As an interesting detail, Stir it up bassline was composed by familyman teen student Mr Robbie Shakespeare supposedly by the age of 15 since Aston was not available that day. He made quite an amazing career also, RIP both of them reggae legends.
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Yep now I am paying attention to the reggae bass more than ever before
Also noticed stings bass playing in songs like “beds to big without you” and how he leaves the space and plays behind. Learned so much from this video. Thank you both
Thank you for mentioning Aston "Family Man" Barett. Its a crime how, in the euphoria of Bobs genius( well deserved accolade) we forget that the Wailers musical director was Mr Aston. The drum and bass of his brother Carlton are the basis and base on which reggae and Bobs music was bulit. Thank you for making my day. That Stir It Up reggae bassline is the second bass line that I learned after Jimi Hendrix "Hey Joe".Thank you..... thank you for mentioning the man behind the Wailers musical journey
I'm enjoying watching this so much, I play guitar in a Reggae band... last rehearsal was me and the drummer and he told me to go on bass.
He's old school, even met Bob Marley as well, hes from Barbados.
So watching this is like being in rehearsal w him showing me how to play Bob Marley on bass properly, he'd love u! lol well done!
There are some videos in my channel of us playing as a band.
I'm so glad you guys made this video. Barrett is one of the masters of groove and I feel that should be a prerequisite for many bass players for pocket playing and melodic playing
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What a great video! Thank you, Scott and Ian. So much vital information about playing the bass and such a great tribute to Aston Man Family Barrett. I feel indebted to you all.
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Thank you, guys. I've been waiting for this from you. Appreciate it very much as a Jamaican Bassplayer myself. Familyman is our teacher for everything reggae. 🎉
I love these lines: groove and space and patience over flash. There are some genres that are so bass-centric yet ironically get neglected or taken for granted by a lot of bass channels, and reggae is one of them, so it's cool to see you righting that wrong with a great video! (Now you guys should tackle late 70's/80's post-punk and alternative rock, where the bass is often very much front and center both sonically and musically.)
Thank you for this video. One thing I would like to add, the backing vocals of The Wailers are so much underrated. I mean the way they‘re arranged and how they support and interact with the lead singer is just waow. I‘ve seen and listened to many excellent Marley cover bands, but those ladies definately add the extra spice to the soup
Hey guys, Nico from Brazil. I spent the 90s listening to Reagge almost all the time. The parties, barbecues and, mainly, trips to the beach (which we did all the time), were all fueled by reagge. I share your emotion, since when listening to this magical type of music, what really moved me was the sound and power of the bass. like a kind of guiding thread that connected my feelings to the outside, to the environment. It was always the bass that played the main role in my enjoyment of listening to Reagge. Amazing video, I really enjoyed it here in Santana de Parnaiba, Brazil. Thank you very much for this excellent content. peace!
Are you by any chance a fan of Midnite, Dezarie or any of the other Virgin Islands reggae bands?
Thanks for showing this bass lines. I was playing some of them by ear but now i know what i was missing and what i'm playing.
This is the video I’ve been waiting for! I loved every minute of it. Thank you both so much. 🌴
Great video! So good to hear these tracks again. Supported East Park Reggae Collective over 10 years ago and you let me use your rig. Good to hear you playing reggae again and yes, I’ll be pulling out the reggae playlist today. Cheers lads!
One of your best videos Scott & Ian, brilliant stuff and a great breakdown of Aston's playing, Cheers!
I have always, just loved the leading A drone note. Just sitting slightly below tuning. It's so nice beyond words.
I played in a reggae band for a decade and I do the pinky mute a lot, i wondered if SBL was ever going to talk about that. Don't know why, but that was always the most natural way for me to mute for a lot of the reggae bass lines. I've even started incorporating this into other genres. Thank you for educating the world on the pinky mute haha
also, things to add about reggae arrangement. one of the guitars will double the bass lines a lot of times, it works like the Tictac guitar tones in old country music. It gives you the high end to cut through the mix while the bass covers the sub frequences. and one of the coolest things in reggae music is the bubble organ, espeically in modern reggae. it lives on the sides of the skank guitar (off beat guitar). Reggae music has perfect arrangement because everyone lives in their own frequency and their own rhythm.
Salute to you guys for this. As a Jamaican, this warmed my heart.
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Man. Oh man. These tunes always always deliver. Family man rubs my belly everytime.
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What a great moment I had watching this video. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I love the feel of Sting's bass on Walking On The Moon. Very simple, but the groove feel is so addictive!
Respect Scott and crew for the tribute to family man...Big respect!
Who needs celestial TV when youve got shows like this on the YT
Bloody marvellous guys ❤
I did it - exactly as you said but the reggae trip is gunna last a whole lot longer than a day. How can I have listened to these songs all me days and only NOW they understand why they’re soo good. Onya SBL one of your best!
Have to admit, i started using my right pinkie for muting a while ago (mostly when playing an open string, as left-hand muting didn't feel like an option), as an experiment. It's reassuring to know that there are professionals who also do this.
Excellent video.
I like seeing you take on this very different style. As said, it's good material to learn on and to understand the intentional spaces
Tomorrow, I’m gonna listen to reggae all day. Thanks for making this video. I loved reggae as a teenager and it’s what got me into bass…still going a couple decades later. Maybe you guys can do a show on Sly and Robbie too…
This was a joy. I grew up listening to a lot of dub too. Mimicing the recording/mixing techniques can be fun.