So basically, grab a pick, play every note on the fretboard, and pay absolutely no attention whatsoever to what the drummer is doing. Trust me. Everyone in the band will think you're great. They'll even let you hook up with their girlfriends.
You know it's funny, I was looking to get a bass and I usually shop at guitar center so I went to Bass Pro shop thinking "oh there's a whole store for basses." I feel mislead by society.
Go to Sweetwater. Its one of the best places for guitars basses drum kits pianos amps picks autotune pedals its amusing to look but ive never gone and not bought picks or a strap for my guitars. Its nice and i recommend it greatly.
I keep saying that playing bass is like giving a kid on a swing a push every time he comes back to you. You don't push him through the whole swing range but just at that one crucial time that he stops moving back and starts moving forward again. You just have to give him that one little jolt. That has to be there, every time. When you got that down, whatever you do in between is up to you.
Every 2 hours in America a girlfriend leaves a bass player for a guitar player. Sadly at this time there is no known cure. Send your money to me and I promise to think about this problem.
The cure is to be at least somewhat charismatic and be actually good at the bass. Perfect example: Show last night - Polyphia. Bassist pretty much makes the show on his own and all the girls want his nuts in particular. Recreate, repeat. Keep your girlfriend and thensome.
Yeah, my perspective on this is that the type of music you play determines whether or not to use a pick. I can understand the one finger technique for rock or blues bassists, but if you’re playing something like thrash metal or death metal, you’ll want to use either two fingers or a pick. My fingers get tired and start to cramp pretty fast, which is why I use a pick.
Holy fuck, how have I just found this guy? It feels so refreshing to find this type UA-camr who really knows what they're talking about. Complicated musical terms, a load of theory and amusing cuts and clips all smoothly blended together by an intellectual guy. Adam, I don't play bass but I now feel a strong sense of motivation to learn.
Solomon Preece he knows 90% of what he's talking about. Adam has some oretty strange ideas about classical music, especially the contemporary stuff, and tends to fall into the same traps as many nonclassical musicians what discussing classical-specific performance practices. That's all fine, though,since the perspectives he brings from other genres are often enlightening and always entertaining.
Good, I'm glad we've established that. Now that I've got your attention, thank you for doing what it is you do. P.S. Have you ever lost a fellow musician to drugs or alcohol? If so, what gives?
This really helped as a guitar player. My father recently got a Beatle bass and I had been messing around with it. I thought, “this is wicked easy (coming from guitar).” So, I just got my own bass this past week and I realized something.... I suck at bass. 😂😂. This is exactly the type of video I needed. Thanks.
I like how despite how much Adam likes to hate on guitar, he can literally make an entire video talking about the topic seriously. Unlike other bass youtubers here........
been playing bass for a year and a half, still barely got the slap technique down, ain't no way a guitarist is gonna know slap when they pick up the bass
@@tabkg5802 Rob Scallon started as a bass player. He moved from bass to guitar (I say 'moved' but I mean he also plays). He has mentioned it many times.
anarchisttomato also, sorry, but I have to say: at your average gig, you are more likely to get struck by lightning in an underground cave than hear someone talking about how well the guitarist complements the drummer’s kick and snare.
ideitbawx Its a joke dude, I have a lot of respect for good bassists. I am glad you know the difference between a melodic minor scale and a toothbrush.
I play guitar and bass (need to switch a lot because there aren't many bass players around here) and I also need to tell people what to do except for the drummer, he is a league of his own.
I’ve been playing Guitar and Bass for awhile now and I’ve come to realize many Guitarist/Bassists are some of the most toxic musicians. I can’t tell if I just can’t handle the constant insults and memes Bassists and Guitarists throw around at each other’s expense or whatever. But one thing remains constant, the musicians who tell each other that the others instrument is lame, easy, takes no skill, or is just bad are typically bad at their instrument.
It's because they're *sort of* similar instruments and to a guitar player it's just playing fewer notes on fewer strings so at first sight seems like the easier one. Largely to blame on rock and metal music too which tend to underuse the base and overuse the guitar. Most who play one don't bother trying to play the other so never realize they actually feel quite different.
i doubt that most people actually take it seriously. i've made jokes about bass players and we both laugh about it , but i respect his skill because i couldn't do what he does and bass does make everything sound more full , so if someone really doesn't appreciate the other, they're probably just starting out or is ignorant. like most people that insult other musicians that aren't as good as them are more likely not as experienced themselves
I've played guitar for 20+ years, then switched to bass, that happened 15 years ago. The biggest challenges/changes to me were: 1) developing physical strength, 2) developing mental strength. ad 1) that's simple: bigger instrument, longer distances, bigger strings. You will adopt to with some practice. ad 2) in your role as the bass player you're forced to build and hold the foundation for your band: harmony, rhythm, groove, overall feel. Although every instrument (and even singer) should be occupied with these, as a bass player you suddenly feel the weight much more than before. So you have to develop mental stamina and strength to avoid loosing the musical tension.
Absolutely. Conflict in the really low tones also really suck the energy out of a mix, too. You get a lot of frequency cancellation and everything sounds muddy. Adam mentioned the fact that a lot of engineers high pass filter the bass around 75 Hz to minimize conflict with the kick drum for this reason. Rick Beato has a great video on this where he basically says that a conscious decision needs to be made about which instrument has the lowest frequencies, the kick or the bass. The other one needs to be high pass filtered. He also said that sub-bass frequencies (I forget his cutoff, but it's about 40 Hz) should essentially always be filtered out. Speakers can't reproduce them well and they really suck a lot of energy and clarity out of the mix. I'm listening to a live version of "Mr. Big" by Free from Free Live! right now through a pair of monitors.. whoever did the mix to that really knew their shit because the bass, drums, guitar, and voice all inhabit their own clear sonic spaces and they really work together, but that started from really good writing and arranging. Just checked the credits... it's Andy Johns. There ya go.
Thanks for your video. I'm playing guitar for about 15 years now. i always used to play bass on different occasions. like sometimes in the rehearsal room if no bass player was around or when i was jamming with the guys and there were too many guitar-players. i really was a cocky guy back then, thinking bass was "easy" - i really do hate myself for thinking like this back then. but nope. bass isn't easy when you really get into it. i started to like other genres of musik in the last couple years (i was a classical metal-head back then). i listen to a lot of psychedelic an stoner rock now (love it) and discovered some really nice bass players like AL CISNEROS from Sleep/OM. This mad lad is my absolute hero when it comes to bass-playing. i love his kinda-agressiv/kinda-groovie style of playing. i tried to learn his style, but it is really hard. much harder than i thought. can you bass-guys please give me some tips (like which scale(s) to use, "picking"-styles etc) to sound like al cisneros? Thanks for reading and sorry for my bad english. Greetings from Germany!
Thanks a lot. The 1-2-4 is actually really helpful. Our high school jazz band had 3 guitarists and no bassists so sometimes one of us had to take the position. My hands would always hurt afterward. I have a bass now but this is something that really can help. The plucking too.
Hey Adam. I first saw this video around 4 years ago, I believe. I was mainly an acoustic guitarist at that time and this is where my interest in bass began. I found all these tips incredibly helpful when I did end up starting bass and I've now been playing for ~3 years with no intention of stopping. Bass opened up multiple opportunities that I never would have had as an acoustic player, and it really is its own animal with its own rewards. No one can understand how it feels to groove with it until they try it. It's an instrument that in a band can go unnoticed (depending on the audience) but the beautiful thing is to the player it's always a significant experience. The feeling of being "locked in" with the song is one I never had till I picked it up. It's often undercover work but there's nothing quite like it. I want to thank you for presenting the instrument in such a way that made me want to pick it up in the first place, and thanks for all the playing tips in this video that helped me not just be a guitarist with a bass, but rather a true BASSist. Much love, brother.
I like what Zappa said: I want the bass player to tell me what key I‘m in. Guitar players always want to find that magical note out there, somewhere. Very impressive tutorial!
love it! im a guitarist who just started playing a bit of bass and i wanted to see the proper method to pluck the strings and this is how i was already doing it so i am stoked! the taped fingers was pretty great too i may have to try that! thanks!
I wish I had this lesson 20 years ago, when I switched from guitar to bass, particularly the part about the Simandl method. I've only started hearing about it in the last year or two and it would have saved my left hand a lot of strain over the years, especially since I went to fretless shortly after switching. The thing that really helped me get a handle on the difference between playing guitar and playing bass was recording my own music. For the first time, I wasn't just the player or songwriter, but also the producer and it really changed my perspective. Because I started on guitar, I was drawn to bassists who played a lot of notes and I went into recording the bass parts for my songs trying to impersonate Geddy Lee & Chris Squire, but when I listened back to it in producer mode, it sounded horrible. I ended up stripping the bass parts down to the point where I was mostly just pedaling the roots and it sounded so much better.
I'm a big fan of simplicity on bass but you can do more than just pedal the roots. Listen to some old Police stuff. Many of Sting's bass lines are butt simple yet also quite interesting and add a TON to the song beyond just a low end punch. Also, don't be afraid to think of bass as a melodic instrument. A simple yet melodic line from the bass that blends in with the rhythm and harmony of the song can take a song from boring and generic to top of the charts. Then again, sometimes straight 1/8th notes on the root is the only way to fly.
Oh it’s this asshole gatekeeper Jason. Pay no mind to him, he’s a total bass elitist and he went on for several hours on why bassists should never *ever* use picks under any circumstances.
First, I am a drummer and I love your videos, your knowledge kicks ass and I learn a ton just from watching your videos. Second, I’m sending this to my will be bassist, he neeeeeeds this lol.
Yes! I’m a pizzicato guitarist and just got a bass for my bday. I’m gonna be great at this. I think becasue I started with clarinet so I like to use all my fingers.
When I came from guitar my bass teacher told me that a lot of times its actually more important where the bass is not playing, then where he is playing. Like you said leaving room for the snare. That helped me a lot.
I'm a guitarist, but I grew up with a professional bassist for a father, so oddly enough I can kind of play bass without ever having practiced it too earnestly. Don't get me wrong, I've played bass a decent amount, but I've never really practiced the fundamentals, although obviously a lot of the left-hand stuff is more or less the same as it is on guitar. Learning by osmosis is a very real thing.
Darragh Tate my dad is also a professional bassist, both upright and electric, and I'm a guitarist. when I got a bass (for recording purposes) I also found the instrument incredibly easy (for me) to pick up. The main difference is I found is in the mindset, rather than the technique.
Yeah I also had a bass veteran for a dad and even though I've been trying to play guitar for 11 years and I've barely touched my bass I can't stop thinking in bass terms.
ITT: A bunch of defensive bassists and condescending guitarists. Can we not all agree that people are all different, with different levels of knowledge and skill and experience, and that most instruments shine based off of the player behind them. And also that any given instrument's potential is confined by the musical space that the rest of the members give it. Yes? Ok. [lays out the rug for world peace]
Bass player for a metal band , been using my 3rd finger soo much cause i use to play guitar, taping the fingers going to put so much more ease on my hand , thanks
cmon guys, Glen talks about metal only. Adam is oriented for more general music genres. Playing pick u get only a flat equal attack single type of sound, with fingers you can achieve several type of sounds and even groove depends of finger play style.
That's ok, yes, fingers are great! I use three of them on right hand. But sometimes pick is that's what I need. You never get the pick-tone with fingers and vice versa. It's obvious. And yes, with pick you can reach many tones. If u can play pick.
You're the man!! ; ) I started guitar-playing when I was 15. But at the age of 28 I got MS and my right hand won't move anymore the way it did... So I switched to bass and naturally followed almost every advice you gave in this video in 2012.. Kind of reassuring that my brain is still capable of adapting different approaches to different instruments. Luckily my left hand isn't affected yet and thumbin' never was a problem for me..
Not really sure why switching to bass would help. Good bassists do just as challenging of shit as guitarists. Reach further, thicker strings, thicker spaces between strings, right hand technique way more complicated. Ohhhhhh. you said you followed all his advice... got it. Sorry to say, but a large portion of the advice in this video is bullshit. That being said, I wouldnt shit on you if you use the 124 method like I would anyone else, cause you have complications.
As bassist and very experienced listener of rock\metal music, I just must say this: in every good metal ock band bass is on the right place, and usually sounds great, and not only Butler plays on bass good. Maybe, better you listen more this music first?
just one d for the whole gig that you sustain with delay with a ridiculously long decay and play with the feedback with a filter and then the rest of the band can move around your d and you can go ha i gave that gig the d
As a bass player of over 20 years... I agree with all this. I enjoy going through videos for good reminders.. always checking if any new bad habits... I enjoyed watching this... thank you
Began as a guitarist, switched to bass, playing with my fingers. Once I was comfortable with my fingers, I folded the pick back into my technical repertoire. Adam gives good advice.
Fifty-three years playing, or really just trying to figure out how to play the guitar. Been wanting a bass for decades, and just got my first. Way rad.
I have no interest in playing bass, I just clicked on the video because I love that intro. Additionally, your videos are getting better on both educational and comedic levels so keep it up (Bass!)
People are commenting on his statement about picks. I use fingers and picks depending on the type of sound I'm going for. Adam is saying for a guitarist to get the right feel for bass put the pick down. This makes perfect sense. I would also say drop your ego. As a bass player you are part of the rhythm section. Lock into the foundation of the song you'll sound much better.
Just stumbled on Neely today. As one of those guitarist turned bassists, these are great tips. if you are fortunate enough to get a cheap functional stand-up bass, do it and practice on it. Changed my world. Definitely can’t use a pick!
"... maybe it takes switching to Bass to actually play with some purpose." Adam wins the internet today. Also I would say know WHEN to lead, follow or get out of the way.
I love this video for the humor and for the fact it made me a better bass player. I'm usually one of those "lead" guitarists who pay a lot of fast solos and since I'm going solo playing bass tracks for my music has gotten better from this. Thanks. Also Pick Lives Matter
I first watched this video when it came out, and just stumbled upon it again. It's still one of the best videos on bass basics that I've ever seen. Number four is absolutely crucial.
Oh sh*t! Played guitar for 45+ years, also picked up bass 3 years ago and absolutely love it, immediately put down the pick for bass playing. Can't stand using a pick there. Muting is a huge thing for me on both instruments, but the rest stroke is new to me! This is so great. Love it. This is essential.
I think it’s much simpler than all of this, IMO it all comes down to one rule: Copy your favorite bassists and bass lines. If your favorite bass players use picks, use pick. If your favorite bassists slap, slap. My favorites tend to use the 3 finger plucking technique, so I do so too (Billy Sheehan, John Myung, Alex Webster etc.) My favorite bassists strum chords when appropriate, so I do so too. I did this when I joined a local band as a bassist even though I’m a guitar player at heart and it made me the best bass player I can be. Also, feel the groove, man
hm well both are a vehicle, have two wheels, created by and for people, etc. etc. a motorcycle is just an upgraded bicycle. not a good comparison I don't think
I've never played guitar in my life, I've always played bass and this video gave me a few pointers especially think about what you want to play before you play it... I'm sure this will help many people out there. Good job
As someone who is mainly a guitarist it never occurred to me to start playing bass with a pick. I hate playing without a pick on a guitar and vice versa on bass. It just doesn't feel right to play with a pick on those thick strings and it feels equally wrong to be in direct contact with the thin strings of a guitar. The fingering hand tips are interesting though.
***** It's not something I never do. Sometimes when I find myself without a pick at hand I do try it. Same as I play bass with a pick every now and again. Still doesn't feel right to me. :P
I'm mainly a guitarist but i also love to play the bass (fuck yeah), and this video really showed me a lot. Thank you for sharing your knowledge man! You couldn't narrate it better, really easy to pick up what you've said. Keep up the good work please!
I appreciate some of your videos. Some of them are subjective, though. This is one of your videos that is full of personal subjectivity. Tip one, debunked: I studied classical & Flamenco guitar. I prefer to use my fingers on bass. However, I still struggle with playing bass like a guitarist. Also, I see very good bass players using three fingers. To me, it’s all about the mental approach & feel. That is why I am trying to learn to play various types of bass-heavy music, like funk (e.g., Bernard Edwards, Bootsy Collins). Learning to play certain funk songs is helping me to learn that “bass feel” & subsequently helping me to change my approach to writing & playing bass-lines.
#3.) The ring finger is useful in some cases, such as in the 3rd and 4th notes of the hook riff on Jaco's "Come On Come Over", where the following notes are on an adjacent fret. #4.) In some genres, the _back_ beat (snare) is very important to focus on; reggae is a prime example. As you said, the kick is where you should focus on putting the most accent but also, the backbeat is where you should roll-back the intensity. It's a good technique to develop if you're new to bass, and if you pay attention to the greats, they often follow this pattern. Oh, and yes, I like what you do. Keep up the good work. 👍
great counsel....i agree with it all -- i'm an advanced guitarist who is just now taking up bass and it's so easy to noodle and play lead riffs -- that's not what the bass is for, IMO, it's to help keep the beat with the drums and propel the song. You gotta accept that bass playing is not usually the star of the show....ha...And the kick-bass lock in is so important, but like you said, many guitarists are unaware of it -- or don't care. Lots of bass players don't know either -- though drummers usually do, I've found. i was in successful bands for 20 years as a guitarist and I only recall one conversation about the connection between bass and kick and it from the drummer.. But now I see that it can mean the difference between music and has punch and flows and music that just spins in circles and goes nowhere. just found your channel and subbed. thanks.
BRAVO! ... I have been playing guitar professionally in live settings for decades. Back when the Dead Sea was only sick I was a beginner guitarist. I went with my brother (AAA Trumpet player) to his college to listen to the music professors give a free once a month jazz concert. The guitarist was amazing, of course he had a DMA. After the show I went to shake his hand and thank him for the music. I was 15 years old at the timr. He said to me, "you're a guitarist? Buy a bass and you will never be out of work!" Then he walked away. As a working musician I have never received greater advice. I missed out on hundreds and hundreds of paying gigs. I just do not receive the same Joy for playing bass as guitar. Now in these tough times I have broken down and I'm learning to play proper bass guitar. I knew all along I should have learned it with guitar if for no other reason just to make me a better musician!
thanks so much, great vid! switched my main instrument from guitar to bass in '02; i thought at the time it was just a larger, deeper guitar. i know better now. bass is without a doubt the most important instrument in all genres of music - it ties the rhythm to the melody!! also, a bass player with backing vox will never be unemployed! :)
"Maybe it takes switching to bass to actually play with some purpose" Shots fired :D Seriously though, it was really cool to hear you talk about the relationship between bass and kick. I'm a keyboardist but I think about this stuff anyway as an arranger. Do you know of any videos that can show/talk about different relationships between kick/bass and how they sound? As you said, you don't want to just line them up all the time. (Obviously also important is the rhythm of the melody and whether or not the rhythm section is hitting any syncopations with the melody.)
Yep, true. It's also very objective so can be a tricky ground. As a guitarist primarily, I tend to think, what's the melody? Am I adding to that, extending it, or am I detracting from it. A good starting ground for some rock/blues/jazz sort of stuff.
I play some electric guitar and have just got a bass because I was curious about it, and inmediately noticed that something didn't fit, I was making a very "guitarist" aproach to it, and then I wondered if there was a video that covered my situation... I found the perfect one! Now I know where to start 😁
Thank you this video... im a Junior in high school who has played guitar on and off. I played a lot of video games but that isn't my muse anymore. I've been playing guitar again and recently got a shot at the bass in the drumline for my school.
TRASH. Yeah, you have to learn that, I guess. But, trust me, it gets easy pretty quickly. The mandolin was the first instrument with a pick that I ever played and I was sort of proficient at it within a few weeks. And then the electric guitar felt like a toy, given it has smaller intervals than a classical guitar, although you have to get used to the thinner neck, which will eventually force you to rest the thumb on the top side of the neck as opposed to the back. And then I played the oud (an old persian instrument; sounds pretty cool), which has no frets at all and is played with a unique plectrum which mostly works in downpicks, and this also took me some time to get used to, but eventually did. Each instrument has its quirks, but starting from classical - at least being proficient at it - you can basically play anything. Then teach yourself the bow and you can be a top notch violinist ;) (but I haven't done that yet)
P. Marios Christodoulou Sounds like quite the adventure! And yeah I guess it should help a lot. The only other instrument I play is piano and even on that I noticed how valuable it is to have prior experience. I'd love to get my hands on an alternative plucked instrument soon though, especially the oud you mentioned. I would love to finally be able to play quarter tones! Oh and hey if you ever feel like you have too much money I'd recommend getting hold of a decent liuto cantabile, I've heard it played live a couple of times now and I'm still pretty in love with the damn thing
Been playing guitar for 40 years. Just getting ready to pick up bass. Great video this really helped me a lot. Actually going to take some lessons starting next week. Thanks again.
Just picked up a bass for the fun of it and I find my previous classical training is a huge asset for both my left hand on the fretboard and my right hand with finger picking.
You have an AMAZING channel since you clearly know what you are talking about. I am a guitar player but I have always been in love with the BASS. Would you think trying to learn both instruments simultaneously would be better or worse than to learn them separately? I would appreciate your answer very much.
Not adam, but learning both IMO is a really good idea for understanding the music you play in a more rounded way. Of course, if splitting your time means you don't develop your technical skills as much on either, then that might be an issue.
Hi Adam, i want to know if you've ever studied different kinds of latin american music genres around the world, like tango, bossa nova, cumbia, candombe, etc, during your college days. I play bass and I find your videos really instructional and inspirational, it would be great to see how you aproach bass theory to genres like that. Cheers and sorry if my english is bad, just not my native tongue!
Latin genres use bass more as a rythm instrument and they tend to play the base in the song (they give the solid platform to the song to have a full volume). I wouldn't say they are easy to learn but they aren't really complex unless you want to learm more technical approaches like more technical types of cumbia or latin jazz
I used to binge your stuff and fell out of it recently. I'm just now picking my bass back up and these tips are really helpful, and it might be time to start binging your stuff again :D
One cool tip I learned about bass + drums was to think of the bass as the note and the kick as the attack. So a really cool way to lock into the groove or to write really groovy parts is to think of the kick and the bass as one instrument. The kick hits when the bass plays a note. Doing that in addition to being the liaison between the guitars and the drums is why #basslivesmatter
I've been playing classical guitar for 3 years and cool to see you talking about things like not using a pick because I've learnt to play guitar without a pick and it's way better imo
@adamneelybass Hey Adam, sorry to bother, but could you tell me some good books to start learning music theory? I dont know much about it yet, but Im really interested on it. Keep doing this videos man, you are great.
This was extremely helpful to me. I recently switched to bass and it mostly confirmed things that I was already doing, but had no idea if I was doing properly.
Adam, I am having a great time picking up the bass. Youre videos are helping develop a proper technique from the start. I come from a fingerstyle/jazz/flamenco background on guitar so I already was playing solely pizzicato guitar. Not trying to pigeon hole myself but I am attempting to learning the bass to all of D'Angelo's discography. I would love if you could recommend some songs you learned to develop a tight pocket! Cheer from Texas
![AUDIATION - play what you hear [AN's Bass Lessons #31]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/KMqOOokv4TM/mqdefault.jpg)
![AUDIATION - play what you hear [AN's Bass Lessons #31]](/img/tr.png)
![Why You Shouldn't Use Tab (and it's not why you might think!) [ AN's Bass Lessons #26 ]](/img/n.gif)
I am reverse engineering this video to learn how to play guitar better
nice giorno pic
So basically, grab a pick, play every note on the fretboard, and pay absolutely no attention whatsoever to what the drummer is doing.
Trust me. Everyone in the band will think you're great. They'll even let you hook up with their girlfriends.
Big brain
@@SynthApprentice I don't wanna say you're wrong, but I've seen some guitarists that do just that.
Luke Beadles Step one: Ignore your drummer. Step 2: Scoop your mids. 3: Don’t feel the groove, man
*How to play bass in 5 easy steps*
1:Feel
2:The
3:Groove
4:,
5:Man
People don't do that that much anymore over all :(
Lawyer Morty as a bassist, yes
","... ...XD
Yes, but that doesn't tell you what notes to play.
Its all on the one man
You know it's funny, I was looking to get a bass and I usually shop at guitar center so I went to Bass Pro shop thinking "oh there's a whole store for basses." I feel mislead by society.
Go to Sweetwater. Its one of the best places for guitars basses drum kits pianos amps picks autotune pedals its amusing to look but ive never gone and not bought picks or a strap for my guitars. Its nice and i recommend it greatly.
All they have is nylon strings.
heh. Nah you're looking for the corner in guitar center next to the urinal.
xlaythe nice
💀💀💀💀💀
I keep saying that playing bass is like giving a kid on a swing a push every time he comes back to you. You don't push him through the whole swing range but just at that one crucial time that he stops moving back and starts moving forward again. You just have to give him that one little jolt. That has to be there, every time. When you got that down, whatever you do in between is up to you.
That sums it up nicely. Good metaphor!
What
@@Insomnia_tic ... you had to be there...
like bootsy collins said, you always gotta feel the 1
even if all the bassist does is play the tonic on the 1 of every bar, you'll notice when they're not there
As a classical guitarist, this was more of an insight into the brain of an electric guitarist than a tutorial on how to play bass
Every 2 hours in America a girlfriend leaves a bass player for a guitar player. Sadly at this time there is no known cure. Send your money to me and I promise to think about this problem.
Yeah, the fingers of a guitarist is what they want. Women love being fingered by a pick, lol.
The cure is to be at least somewhat charismatic and be actually good at the bass. Perfect example: Show last night - Polyphia. Bassist pretty much makes the show on his own and all the girls want his nuts in particular. Recreate, repeat. Keep your girlfriend and thensome.
@@xlaythe it's not about the bass or guitar or your skills. It's all about the hair!
Bill Knott I have been playing bass for around 10 years and can confirm these statistics.
jason biggs
Oh hey it’s you. Still shaming people for playing their instruments in the way they see fit?
*picks are people too.*
Picks sound better for different styles!
No they’re not silly
Yeah, my perspective on this is that the type of music you play determines whether or not to use a pick. I can understand the one finger technique for rock or blues bassists, but if you’re playing something like thrash metal or death metal, you’ll want to use either two fingers or a pick. My fingers get tired and start to cramp pretty fast, which is why I use a pick.
Metalhead Ryan yeah for example the basist of green day uses a pick and i guess their style is.....punk? or pop punk idk
Green Day (in my opinion) is the most iconic example for punk rock.
Holy fuck, how have I just found this guy? It feels so refreshing to find this type UA-camr who really knows what they're talking about. Complicated musical terms, a load of theory and amusing cuts and clips all smoothly blended together by an intellectual guy. Adam, I don't play bass but I now feel a strong sense of motivation to learn.
Solomon Preece he knows 90% of what he's talking about. Adam has some oretty strange ideas about classical music, especially the contemporary stuff, and tends to fall into the same traps as many nonclassical musicians what discussing classical-specific performance practices.
That's all fine, though,since the perspectives he brings from other genres are often enlightening and always entertaining.
music is win is a good one
Brandon Bell yea I'm a fan of him. But he always looks so serious lol
That 1 finger shit is bullshit
MAssimo ... would you tell James Jamerson that his technique was bullshit?
every musician should hear this: "just because you can play it doesnt mean you should" (paraphrased)
Except Slap. That requires some endurance though.
What I think everytime a singer jumps up an octave in the last "hallelUUUUUUUUUUUJAH" in hallelujah
@@ale305z underrated
Um. No I think I will
Comments be like
I play the mayonnaise why am I watching this
@@a_makarov mayonnaise
@@a_makarov smashing pumpkins song if i get the reference right
@@envybartowski8519 Bruh its a spongebob reference
@@panzer1613 Diogenes
actually there's a band called Mayonnaise. and yes, they are actually the instrument.
I clicked on this expecting a meme, but okay
Heyyy
Giuseppe cazzo ci fa un italiano sotto un commento del grande rudy
@@ilnegrus576 disliked and unsubscribed
You're cringe and unfunny
@@arturomohammad9767 stfu
I am a guitarist who is SOMETIMES asked to play bass guitar ... this video is a MAJOR help for me , thanks for sharing your knowledge
Have I ever told you I admire the shape of your skull?
on multiple occasions!
Good, I'm glad we've established that. Now that I've got your attention, thank you for doing what it is you do.
P.S. Have you ever lost a fellow musician to drugs or alcohol? If so, what gives?
I haven't, thankfully.
netenemy LMAOO
TOP COMMENT.
PERIOD.
(yes, caps were necessary)
This really helped as a guitar player. My father recently got a Beatle bass and I had been messing around with it. I thought, “this is wicked easy (coming from guitar).” So, I just got my own bass this past week and I realized something.... I suck at bass. 😂😂. This is exactly the type of video I needed. Thanks.
I've always wanted to play a bass but never have but this made me realize I play guitar like a bass. Weird.
Then maybe bass is your instrument. How are you going to function in a band if you play guitar like a bass lmaoooooo
@@User-lu3gv who says hes in a band
@@moddingmatrix2791 Okay then... guitar player.
@@User-lu3gv Bass peasant
@@moddingmatrix2791 I dont play bass....
You need to upload a 10-hour loop of your based video intro.
"base"
All your base are belong to us
Sometimes I just wanna shoot my base player in the fass
Fucking fail..I'm sure you just heard and saw the word bass like a million times in the video, and then come out here and call it a base..
nah it's just based
I like how despite how much Adam likes to hate on guitar, he can literally make an entire video talking about the topic seriously. Unlike other bass youtubers here........
I'm a drummer why am I here?
Charles Airsoft I'm a pianist..
Im a flutist...
Charles Airsoft two musicians and a drummer walk into a bar...
Because bass players and drummers drink from the same font my brother!
I'm drummer and guitarist :D
How to become the bassist - for guitarists:
Step 1) Be the least talented guitarist in your band.
Step 2) Now you're the bass player.
Ouch oof
Brutal but true lol
Then you’re a bad bass player too
It's sadly true
Ouch
Metallica: and justice for all bass EQ
Low 0
Mid 0
High 0
Gain 0
Volume 0
I tried this I’m surprised how exact it sounds
Likeability of Lars Ulrich: 0
Not really XD
If there was justice for all, James Hetfield would have been eaten by lions.
It's sad, but true
Why play pizzicato when you can SLAP
been playing bass for a year and a half, still barely got the slap technique down, ain't no way a guitarist is gonna know slap when they pick up the bass
Robert Oakes Rob Scallon, Justin King, Ichika Nito etc: Are you sure about that?
It's so eighties.
@@tabkg5802 Rob Scallon started as a bass player. He moved from bass to guitar (I say 'moved' but I mean he also plays). He has mentioned it many times.
@@zibbezabba2491 Techniques are timeless. You just know a lot of songs from the 80's that use slap-pop.
Learn the E string, then the A string, then the following week do your first gig. Couldn't be simpler.
I couldn't live without my G string and half the time I don't even have an E string. Drop D master race.
drop tuning on bass is just heresy.
"...then never get called back." You forgot that part.
Alex Paulsen I
anarchisttomato also, sorry, but I have to say: at your average gig, you are more likely to get struck by lightning in an underground cave than hear someone talking about how well the guitarist complements the drummer’s kick and snare.
how many bassists does it take to screw in a lghtbulb?
Just one but the guitarist needs to show him how to do it.
lol you obviously haven't played in my band. I'm the only one with any theory behind me and i have to tell the guitarists how to do *everything*
ideitbawx Its a joke dude, I have a lot of respect for good bassists. I am glad you know the difference between a melodic minor scale and a toothbrush.
+Jake Myers lol it's ok dude, i can handle jokes on the internet, just sayin'. lol.
I play guitar and bass (need to switch a lot because there aren't many bass players around here) and I also need to tell people what to do except for the drummer, he is a league of his own.
Get the keys player to do it with their left hand?
I’ve been playing Guitar and Bass for awhile now and I’ve come to realize many Guitarist/Bassists are some of the most toxic musicians. I can’t tell if I just can’t handle the constant insults and memes Bassists and Guitarists throw around at each other’s expense or whatever. But one thing remains constant, the musicians who tell each other that the others instrument is lame, easy, takes no skill, or is just bad are typically bad at their instrument.
It's because they're *sort of* similar instruments and to a guitar player it's just playing fewer notes on fewer strings so at first sight seems like the easier one. Largely to blame on rock and metal music too which tend to underuse the base and overuse the guitar.
Most who play one don't bother trying to play the other so never realize they actually feel quite different.
i doubt that most people actually take it seriously. i've made jokes about bass players and we both laugh about it , but i respect his skill because i couldn't do what he does and bass does make everything sound more full , so if someone really doesn't appreciate the other, they're probably just starting out or is ignorant. like most people that insult other musicians that aren't as good as them are more likely not as experienced themselves
Jokes are just that: jokes.
But ukulele is easy
Hans Franz And a surprising amount of jokes are meant to put down others.
I've played guitar for 20+ years, then switched to bass, that happened 15 years ago. The biggest challenges/changes to me were: 1) developing physical strength, 2) developing mental strength. ad 1) that's simple: bigger instrument, longer distances, bigger strings. You will adopt to with some practice. ad 2) in your role as the bass player you're forced to build and hold the foundation for your band: harmony, rhythm, groove, overall feel. Although every instrument (and even singer) should be occupied with these, as a bass player you suddenly feel the weight much more than before. So you have to develop mental stamina and strength to avoid loosing the musical tension.
"but mids suck!" had me rolling
SonSauvage so many people don't get that mids help you cut through the mix
Absolutely.
Conflict in the really low tones also really suck the energy out of a mix, too. You get a lot of frequency cancellation and everything sounds muddy. Adam mentioned the fact that a lot of engineers high pass filter the bass around 75 Hz to minimize conflict with the kick drum for this reason.
Rick Beato has a great video on this where he basically says that a conscious decision needs to be made about which instrument has the lowest frequencies, the kick or the bass. The other one needs to be high pass filtered. He also said that sub-bass frequencies (I forget his cutoff, but it's about 40 Hz) should essentially always be filtered out. Speakers can't reproduce them well and they really suck a lot of energy and clarity out of the mix.
I'm listening to a live version of "Mr. Big" by Free from Free Live! right now through a pair of monitors.. whoever did the mix to that really knew their shit because the bass, drums, guitar, and voice all inhabit their own clear sonic spaces and they really work together, but that started from really good writing and arranging. Just checked the credits... it's Andy Johns. There ya go.
When the sound guy scoops the mids
crimfan couldn't you sidechain the bass to the kick drum if the kick is too subby or would that piss off the bassist lmao
I'm a bass player, and I've been intending to do that very thing. Should sound epic.
"Play with one finger"
Hysteria: *Am I a joke to you?*
Don't frickin like this cuz 69 likes
Its 81 now, the previous people messed up. I am gonna like now cause we are too far gone.
Also Assassin or Stockholm Syndrome. I barley play these with two.
Good luck with one.
After watching Adam for years I finally got a bass and now this video has relevancy to me again.
Thanks for your video. I'm playing guitar for about 15 years now. i always used to play bass on different occasions. like sometimes in the rehearsal room if no bass player was around or when i was jamming with the guys and there were too many guitar-players. i really was a cocky guy back then, thinking bass was "easy" - i really do hate myself for thinking like this back then. but nope. bass isn't easy when you really get into it. i started to like other genres of musik in the last couple years (i was a classical metal-head back then). i listen to a lot of psychedelic an stoner rock now (love it) and discovered some really nice bass players like AL CISNEROS from Sleep/OM. This mad lad is my absolute hero when it comes to bass-playing. i love his kinda-agressiv/kinda-groovie style of playing. i tried to learn his style, but it is really hard. much harder than i thought. can you bass-guys please give me some tips (like which scale(s) to use, "picking"-styles etc) to sound like al cisneros?
Thanks for reading and sorry for my bad english. Greetings from Germany!
Thanks a lot. The 1-2-4 is actually really helpful. Our high school jazz band had 3 guitarists and no bassists so sometimes one of us had to take the position. My hands would always hurt afterward. I have a bass now but this is something that really can help. The plucking too.
Bruh all that shade you threw towards us guitarists, all these one liners and comments you said.. so accurate
Hey Adam. I first saw this video around 4 years ago, I believe. I was mainly an acoustic guitarist at that time and this is where my interest in bass began. I found all these tips incredibly helpful when I did end up starting bass and I've now been playing for ~3 years with no intention of stopping. Bass opened up multiple opportunities that I never would have had as an acoustic player, and it really is its own animal with its own rewards. No one can understand how it feels to groove with it until they try it. It's an instrument that in a band can go unnoticed (depending on the audience) but the beautiful thing is to the player it's always a significant experience. The feeling of being "locked in" with the song is one I never had till I picked it up. It's often undercover work but there's nothing quite like it. I want to thank you for presenting the instrument in such a way that made me want to pick it up in the first place, and thanks for all the playing tips in this video that helped me not just be a guitarist with a bass, but rather a true BASSist. Much love, brother.
☯️
I like what Zappa said: I want the bass player to tell me what key I‘m in.
Guitar players always want to find that magical note out there, somewhere.
Very impressive tutorial!
love it! im a guitarist who just started playing a bit of bass and i wanted to see the proper method to pluck the strings and this is how i was already doing it so i am stoked! the taped fingers was pretty great too i may have to try that! thanks!
Spent 5 years playing guitar, moving on to Bass. Thannks!
I wish I had this lesson 20 years ago, when I switched from guitar to bass, particularly the part about the Simandl method. I've only started hearing about it in the last year or two and it would have saved my left hand a lot of strain over the years, especially since I went to fretless shortly after switching. The thing that really helped me get a handle on the difference between playing guitar and playing bass was recording my own music. For the first time, I wasn't just the player or songwriter, but also the producer and it really changed my perspective. Because I started on guitar, I was drawn to bassists who played a lot of notes and I went into recording the bass parts for my songs trying to impersonate Geddy Lee & Chris Squire, but when I listened back to it in producer mode, it sounded horrible. I ended up stripping the bass parts down to the point where I was mostly just pedaling the roots and it sounded so much better.
I'm a big fan of simplicity on bass but you can do more than just pedal the roots. Listen to some old Police stuff. Many of Sting's bass lines are butt simple yet also quite interesting and add a TON to the song beyond just a low end punch. Also, don't be afraid to think of bass as a melodic instrument. A simple yet melodic line from the bass that blends in with the rhythm and harmony of the song can take a song from boring and generic to top of the charts.
Then again, sometimes straight 1/8th notes on the root is the only way to fly.
Listen to Tame Impala's Feels Like we only go backwards
I get where you're coming from.
But you're probably a better bass player for learning the "hard" way, putting your fingers through more strain.
I loled very hard on "Then why do basses have pickguards"
Too right. Pick guards usually have the controls mounted on them
Because they bought a cheap bass.
Oh it’s this asshole gatekeeper Jason. Pay no mind to him, he’s a total bass elitist and he went on for several hours on why bassists should never *ever* use picks under any circumstances.
@@DannyDog27 your giving me a hard on, following me and all? You want to like, go out or something?
So why can you take them off then?
First, I am a drummer and I love your videos, your knowledge kicks ass and I learn a ton just from watching your videos. Second, I’m sending this to my will be bassist, he neeeeeeds this lol.
Yes! I’m a pizzicato guitarist and just got a bass for my bday. I’m gonna be great at this. I think becasue I started with clarinet so I like to use all my fingers.
When I came from guitar my bass teacher told me that a lot of times its actually more important where the bass is not playing, then where he is playing. Like you said leaving room for the snare. That helped me a lot.
I'm a guitarist, but I grew up with a professional bassist for a father, so oddly enough I can kind of play bass without ever having practiced it too earnestly. Don't get me wrong, I've played bass a decent amount, but I've never really practiced the fundamentals, although obviously a lot of the left-hand stuff is more or less the same as it is on guitar. Learning by osmosis is a very real thing.
Darragh Tate my dad is also a professional bassist, both upright and electric, and I'm a guitarist. when I got a bass (for recording purposes) I also found the instrument incredibly easy (for me) to pick up. The main difference is I found is in the mindset, rather than the technique.
I played bass for years then I picked up a guitar. Easy transition, obviously not perfect.
I feel the switch from guitar to base guitar is similar to the transition from Violin to Viola. Similar instruments, different mindset.
Yeah I also had a bass veteran for a dad and even though I've been trying to play guitar for 11 years and I've barely touched my bass I can't stop thinking in bass terms.
ITT: A bunch of defensive bassists and condescending guitarists.
Can we not all agree that people are all different, with different levels of knowledge and skill and experience, and that most instruments shine based off of the player behind them. And also that any given instrument's potential is confined by the musical space that the rest of the members give it. Yes? Ok.
[lays out the rug for world peace]
No
[burns the cheap rug]
Maybe
[Replaces the rug then burns half of it]
@@User-lu3gv guitarist are also when you say they should play less
Thanks Adam, as a guitar player who would like to do a little bass at home this is really helpful, especially the bits about locking in to the drums
Bass player for a metal band
, been using my 3rd finger soo much cause i use to play guitar, taping the fingers going to put so much more ease on my hand , thanks
"Bass guitar not a toy one" Adam killed it. I lolled.
"glenn fricker was right about you!" lol
cmon guys, Glen talks about metal only. Adam is oriented for more general music genres. Playing pick u get only a flat equal attack single type of sound, with fingers you can achieve several type of sounds and even groove depends of finger play style.
Lexx Firecore Wow, nice post, Buzz Killington
"picks are people too!" :D
That's ok, yes, fingers are great! I use three of them on right hand. But sometimes pick is that's what I need. You never get the pick-tone with fingers and vice versa. It's obvious. And yes, with pick you can reach many tones. If u can play pick.
Now i looked who this Buzz is (lol)
You're the man!! ; )
I started guitar-playing when I was 15. But at the age of 28 I got MS and my right hand won't move anymore the way it did...
So I switched to bass and naturally followed almost every advice you gave in this video in 2012..
Kind of reassuring that my brain is still capable of adapting different approaches to different instruments.
Luckily my left hand isn't affected yet and thumbin' never was a problem for me..
Not really sure why switching to bass would help. Good bassists do just as challenging of shit as guitarists. Reach further, thicker strings, thicker spaces between strings, right hand technique way more complicated. Ohhhhhh. you said you followed all his advice... got it. Sorry to say, but a large portion of the advice in this video is bullshit. That being said, I wouldnt shit on you if you use the 124 method like I would anyone else, cause you have complications.
Imeadiatily subscribed. I'm a guitarist who's a bassist in a death metal band, and i think this helped me a lot. thanks!
eh, just play a d for the entire gig and that should be it
Kill Everyone sweet. thanks for the suggestion man.
As bassist and very experienced listener of rock\metal music, I just must say this: in every good metal
ock band bass is on the right place, and usually sounds great, and not only Butler plays on bass good. Maybe, better you listen more this music first?
man, don't forget to listen to classical music only and bash rock music, or not true.
just one d for the whole gig that you sustain with delay with a ridiculously long decay and play with the feedback with a filter and then the rest of the band can move around your d and you can go ha i gave that gig the d
As a bass player of over 20 years... I agree with all this.
I enjoy going through videos for good reminders.. always checking if any new bad habits...
I enjoyed watching this... thank you
Began as a guitarist, switched to bass, playing with my fingers. Once I was comfortable with my fingers, I folded the pick back into my technical repertoire. Adam gives good advice.
Fifty-three years playing, or really just trying to figure out how to play the guitar. Been wanting a bass for decades, and just got my first. Way rad.
It's a year later... how did it turn out? You still bassin? 20 year guitar player here... considering expanding my sonic horizons.
0:57 "then why do basses have pick guards?" lmao
Same reason why a 65 yo has a Porsche.
He doesn't mean you shouldn't.... oh never mind.
IIRC It made them easier to build as they just routed a cavity in the top of the guard.
Fun to see people that don't get he is talking about a sentence that was in the video.
@@hughtwg Leo Fender was a genius at lowering costs
I have no interest in playing bass, I just clicked on the video because I love that intro. Additionally, your videos are getting better on both educational and comedic levels so keep it up (Bass!)
People are commenting on his statement about picks. I use fingers and picks depending on the type of sound I'm going for. Adam is saying for a guitarist to get the right feel for bass put the pick down. This makes perfect sense. I would also say drop your ego. As a bass player you are part of the rhythm section. Lock into the foundation of the song you'll sound much better.
Just stumbled on Neely today. As one of those guitarist turned bassists, these are great tips. if you are fortunate enough to get a cheap functional stand-up bass, do it and practice on it. Changed my world. Definitely can’t use a pick!
"... maybe it takes switching to Bass to actually play with some purpose." Adam wins the internet today.
Also I would say know WHEN to lead, follow or get out of the way.
I love this video for the humor and for the fact it made me a better bass player. I'm usually one of those "lead" guitarists who pay a lot of fast solos and since I'm going solo playing bass tracks for my music has gotten better from this. Thanks.
Also Pick Lives Matter
I like the "Glenn Fricker was right about you "!
I first watched this video when it came out, and just stumbled upon it again. It's still one of the best videos on bass basics that I've ever seen. Number four is absolutely crucial.
Oh sh*t! Played guitar for 45+ years, also picked up bass 3 years ago and absolutely love it, immediately put down the pick for bass playing. Can't stand using a pick there. Muting is a huge thing for me on both instruments, but the rest stroke is new to me! This is so great. Love it. This is essential.
I think it’s much simpler than all of this, IMO it all comes down to one rule: Copy your favorite bassists and bass lines. If your favorite bass players use picks, use pick. If your favorite bassists slap, slap. My favorites tend to use the 3 finger plucking technique, so I do so too (Billy Sheehan, John Myung, Alex Webster etc.) My favorite bassists strum chords when appropriate, so I do so too. I did this when I joined a local band as a bassist even though I’m a guitar player at heart and it made me the best bass player I can be.
Also, feel the groove, man
Saying a bass is like a guitar is like saying a motorcycle is like a bicycle.
Bass is the bike tho
hm well both are a vehicle, have two wheels, created by and for people, etc. etc. a motorcycle is just an upgraded bicycle. not a good comparison I don't think
Bass is the motorcycle
they're both motorcycle if you play them in the right way
More like unicycle to bicycle.
The bass line at 4:02 is dope
You got any idea if its original or from a song? Would really like to learn it.
I've never played guitar in my life, I've always played bass and this video gave me a few pointers especially think about what you want to play before you play it... I'm sure this will help many people out there. Good job
Well said, I found most of these things out from going from guitar to guitar and bass but you also taught me somethings I didn't know, thanks...
As someone who is mainly a guitarist it never occurred to me to start playing bass with a pick. I hate playing without a pick on a guitar and vice versa on bass. It just doesn't feel right to play with a pick on those thick strings and it feels equally wrong to be in direct contact with the thin strings of a guitar. The fingering hand tips are interesting though.
Hybrid picking on guitar opens up new worlds for you. I didn't star using it but I saw some videos by guthrie govan and he plays like a champ.
***** It's not something I never do. Sometimes when I find myself without a pick at hand I do try it. Same as I play bass with a pick every now and again. Still doesn't feel right to me. :P
lead&rhythm 13 gauge strings (almost acoustic size) bass 3mm pick helped me alot but I'm primarily a fingers guy either way
Never trust a guitarist who plays with fingers. Never trust a bassist who plays with a pick : P
It's really really good to know how to play both ways on a bass.... and somewhat the same on guitar
I'm mainly a guitarist but i also love to play the bass (fuck yeah), and this video really showed me a lot. Thank you for sharing your knowledge man! You couldn't narrate it better, really easy to pick up what you've said. Keep up the good work please!
I appreciate some of your videos. Some of them are subjective, though. This is one of your videos that is full of personal subjectivity.
Tip one, debunked:
I studied classical & Flamenco guitar.
I prefer to use my fingers on bass. However, I still struggle with playing bass like a guitarist.
Also, I see very good bass players using three fingers.
To me, it’s all about the mental approach & feel. That is why I am trying to learn to play various types of bass-heavy music, like funk (e.g., Bernard Edwards, Bootsy Collins).
Learning to play certain funk songs is helping me to learn that “bass feel” & subsequently helping me to change my approach to writing & playing bass-lines.
#3.) The ring finger is useful in some cases, such as in the 3rd and 4th notes of the hook riff on Jaco's "Come On Come Over", where the following notes are on an adjacent fret.
#4.) In some genres, the _back_ beat (snare) is very important to focus on; reggae is a prime example. As you said, the kick is where you should focus on putting the most accent but also, the backbeat is where you should roll-back the intensity. It's a good technique to develop if you're new to bass, and if you pay attention to the greats, they often follow this pattern.
Oh, and yes, I like what you do. Keep up the good work. 👍
This is still one of the most valuable videos you've put out. It deservers a part II or a refresh at some point!
Personally I love playing bass with a pick. I love punk and alternative music
great counsel....i agree with it all -- i'm an advanced guitarist who is just now taking up bass and it's so easy to noodle and play lead riffs -- that's not what the bass is for, IMO, it's to help keep the beat with the drums and propel the song. You gotta accept that bass playing is not usually the star of the show....ha...And the kick-bass lock in is so important, but like you said, many guitarists are unaware of it -- or don't care. Lots of bass players don't know either -- though drummers usually do, I've found. i was in successful bands for 20 years as a guitarist and I only recall one conversation about the connection between bass and kick and it from the drummer.. But now I see that it can mean the difference between music and has punch and flows and music that just spins in circles and goes nowhere. just found your channel and subbed. thanks.
I've been playing Guitar for 5 years, I'm good but not amazing.
How would you best describe your Guitar capabilities?
Haha the octaves. I was guilty of that when switching from guitar to bass
BRAVO! ...
I have been playing guitar professionally in live settings for decades.
Back when the Dead Sea was only sick I was a beginner guitarist. I went with my brother (AAA Trumpet player) to his college to listen to the music professors give a free once a month jazz concert. The guitarist was amazing, of course he had a DMA. After the show I went to shake his hand and thank him for the music. I was 15 years old at the timr. He said to me, "you're a guitarist? Buy a bass and you will never be out of work!" Then he walked away.
As a working musician I have never received greater advice. I missed out on hundreds and hundreds of paying gigs. I just do not receive the same Joy for playing bass as guitar.
Now in these tough times I have broken down and I'm learning to play proper bass guitar. I knew all along I should have learned it with guitar if for no other reason just to make me a better musician!
thanks so much, great vid! switched my main instrument from guitar to bass in '02; i thought at the time it was just a larger, deeper guitar. i know better now. bass is without a doubt the most important instrument in all genres of music - it ties the rhythm to the melody!! also, a bass player with backing vox will never be unemployed! :)
"Maybe it takes switching to bass to actually play with some purpose"
Shots fired :D
Seriously though, it was really cool to hear you talk about the relationship between bass and kick. I'm a keyboardist but I think about this stuff anyway as an arranger. Do you know of any videos that can show/talk about different relationships between kick/bass and how they sound? As you said, you don't want to just line them up all the time. (Obviously also important is the rhythm of the melody and whether or not the rhythm section is hitting any syncopations with the melody.)
"musically appropriate" - so hard to get a lot of players to understand that there is such a thing...
Very true. Part of the problem is that there is no definition that's not extremely vague - its something that tends to be learned.
Yep, true. It's also very objective so can be a tricky ground. As a guitarist primarily, I tend to think, what's the melody? Am I adding to that, extending it, or am I detracting from it. A good starting ground for some rock/blues/jazz sort of stuff.
one in a million understand that, and Radiohead's got five.
And that is why someone who's only played guitar won't switch over to bass and automatically be a virtuoso.
ABSOLUTELY
I play ukulele what am I doing here
Adorable
That’s so normie it hurted my soul
Well probably because you might be interested in getting a new bass
Idk but get a bass, you'd be surprised with how fun it is to play!
or better yet, get a BASS UKULELE
I play some electric guitar and have just got a bass because I was curious about it, and inmediately noticed that something didn't fit, I was making a very "guitarist" aproach to it, and then I wondered if there was a video that covered my situation... I found the perfect one! Now I know where to start 😁
Thank you this video... im a Junior in high school who has played guitar on and off. I played a lot of video games but that isn't my muse anymore. I've been playing guitar again and recently got a shot at the bass in the drumline for my school.
hoping this will be the spark to my music life
Adam: "play fewer notes"
Japanese bassists: "there is no such thing"
Sounds like it's easier for a classical guitarist like me to learn to play bass than actual non-classical guitar
Ok nvm 3:53 is outright blasphemy
It is terribly easy. In fact, once you learn classical, you can play literally any plucked string instrument, from any place around the world.
+P. Marios Christodoulou I've never played with a pick though, so playing on instruments of the mandolin family would probably be pretty tricky😅
TRASH. Yeah, you have to learn that, I guess. But, trust me, it gets easy pretty quickly.
The mandolin was the first instrument with a pick that I ever played and I was sort of proficient at it within a few weeks.
And then the electric guitar felt like a toy, given it has smaller intervals than a classical guitar, although you have to get used to the thinner neck, which will eventually force you to rest the thumb on the top side of the neck as opposed to the back.
And then I played the oud (an old persian instrument; sounds pretty cool), which has no frets at all and is played with a unique plectrum which mostly works in downpicks, and this also took me some time to get used to, but eventually did.
Each instrument has its quirks, but starting from classical - at least being proficient at it - you can basically play anything. Then teach yourself the bow and you can be a top notch violinist ;)
(but I haven't done that yet)
P. Marios Christodoulou
Sounds like quite the adventure! And yeah I guess it should help a lot. The only other instrument I play is piano and even on that I noticed how valuable it is to have prior experience.
I'd love to get my hands on an alternative plucked instrument soon though, especially the oud you mentioned. I would love to finally be able to play quarter tones!
Oh and hey if you ever feel like you have too much money I'd recommend getting hold of a decent liuto cantabile, I've heard it played live a couple of times now and I'm still pretty in love with the damn thing
7) Listen to Geezer Butler :)
and jack bruce!
Especially meaningful since he was a guitarist at the first place
Been playing guitar for 40 years. Just getting ready to pick up bass. Great video this really helped me a lot. Actually going to take some lessons starting next week. Thanks again.
Just picked up a bass for the fun of it and I find my previous classical training is a huge asset for both my left hand on the fretboard and my right hand with finger picking.
You have an AMAZING channel since you clearly know what you are talking about. I am a guitar player but I have always been in love with the BASS. Would you think trying to learn both instruments simultaneously would be better or worse than to learn them separately? I would appreciate your answer very much.
Not adam, but learning both IMO is a really good idea for understanding the music you play in a more rounded way.
Of course, if splitting your time means you don't develop your technical skills as much on either, then that might be an issue.
Hi Adam, i want to know if you've ever studied different kinds of latin american music genres around the world, like tango, bossa nova, cumbia, candombe, etc, during your college days. I play bass and I find your videos really instructional and inspirational, it would be great to see how you aproach bass theory to genres like that. Cheers and sorry if my english is bad, just not my native tongue!
Your English is a lot better than a lot of Americans I know.
You have great English sir. Better than most native speakers.
Latin genres use bass more as a rythm instrument and they tend to play the base in the song (they give the solid platform to the song to have a full volume). I wouldn't say they are easy to learn but they aren't really complex unless you want to learm more technical approaches like more technical types of cumbia or latin jazz
I already play guitar and want to learn how to play bass and drums too.
I used to binge your stuff and fell out of it recently. I'm just now picking my bass back up and these tips are really helpful, and it might be time to start binging your stuff again :D
Actually, in classical terminology, comprises two varieties, referred to as and - this wording is preferable to that of mentioned in the video.
One cool tip I learned about bass + drums was to think of the bass as the note and the kick as the attack. So a really cool way to lock into the groove or to write really groovy parts is to think of the kick and the bass as one instrument. The kick hits when the bass plays a note. Doing that in addition to being the liaison between the guitars and the drums is why #basslivesmatter
Also, going out of your way to avoid playing during the snare hit works wonders.
"Another One Bites the Dust" immediately springs to mind.
"But mids suck!"
Omg died laughing at me as a teen....
Can you talk about TONALITY??! 🌞
I've been playing classical guitar for 3 years and cool to see you talking about things like not using a pick because I've learnt to play guitar without a pick and it's way better imo
Adam I love your videos so much, I’m here and I only play piano and I’ve barely ever touched a bass.
@adamneelybass Hey Adam, sorry to bother, but could you tell me some good books to start learning music theory?
I dont know much about it yet, but Im really interested on it.
Keep doing this videos man, you are great.
4:33
Triggered because I feel this on such a personal level that I feel like a walking guitarist stereotype and I'm not OK with that. XD
Same
5:42 toan is king - toan in swedish is the toilett x)
and the toilet is sometimes referred to as the porcelain throne haha
This was extremely helpful to me. I recently switched to bass and it mostly confirmed things that I was already doing, but had no idea if I was doing properly.
Adam, I am having a great time picking up the bass. Youre videos are helping develop a proper technique from the start. I come from a fingerstyle/jazz/flamenco background on guitar so I already was playing solely pizzicato guitar. Not trying to pigeon hole myself but I am attempting to learning the bass to all of D'Angelo's discography.
I would love if you could recommend some songs you learned to develop a tight pocket!
Cheer from Texas