Mercyful Fate's Timi "Grabber" Hansen. I can't put into words why his stuff sounds so good, but on the Don't Break The Oath album I think how he plays just compliments the songs so well whilst also standing out a lot more than most metal bass lines.
Here are two that should be considered legendary, but are mostly unknown to the west. You need to check out Toshiya from Dir en Grey and Tetsuya from L'Arc-en-Ciel. If you haven't ever heard anything from them. You should check out some of their stuff on RUclips. I would recommend you check out their music in general not just for bass. Here are a few recommendations: Dir en Grey - Different Sense to check out their heavier side, and Dir en Grey - Tousei for their mid range. L'Arc-en-Ciel - Fate, and L'Arc-en-Ciel - Coming Closer be sure to listen to Ken's solo in that song. I'd like to hear what you think of his playing.
Rex Brown has to be my favorite metal bass player. He really had a great command of space with Dime's guitar work, especially during solos. Not necessarily the flashiest player ever, but, in my opinion, quintessentially bass.
Uncle Ben I want you to know that I've tossed away my triangle necklace in honor of you. You were first. I will not steal your look and I hang my head in shame. ;) Great vid.
Geezer Butler is my favourite. While not underrated, he is often overlooked. I really love how he can accompany the guitar in one part and then branch off on his own the next. His basslines in Lonely Is The Word carried the song. My favourite basslines of his are on Buried Alive in the album Dehumanizer.
The owner of my local guitar shop back in the mid 80s said Geezer was atrocious...one of the worst bass players ever. I wanted to punch him, but I kind of felt sorry for him for being so pathetic.
I’ve never understood the whole fingers versus pick arguments for bass. Always felt it’s what suits the song. So glad to hear you say the same. People get so annoyed over this, it’s plain stupid. Thanks Uncle Ben for talking some sense.
Played alot of bass, gigged alot and I played both ways, but defaulted to fingers. When we'd just jam, rarely used a pick. . That said, certain songs, certain covers required a pick and that was cool. I'd go through a pile of picks, I'd just drop them, thrown them, get another placed under my pick guard . After the gig, I'd gather them up!
Peter Steele. His tone literally sounded like fire, his groove was so tasty and powerful and he could play fingerstyle with his non-dominant hand in a thrash band. Dude was an absolute BEAST. The clips of him playing without a pick in Carnivore are so insane. That guy had so much talent!
The owner of the one AND ONLY fretless Warlock I have ever seen. Also I agree, his tone was absolutely singular..........just like that Warlock. RIP Peter Steele.
Alex Webster takes the cake for me. Such a chill dude who’s passionate about his work and so humble at the same time. His technique is one of a kind and seeing it live was life changing.
Great stuff as always, Uncle Ben. I always love a bassist who knows that probably the most powerful thing the instrument can do in a band is just hold a pedal point. Cliff Williams, Michael Anthony - even a guy like Billy Gould, who has huge technical chops but knows when it's time to just thump the same note over and over as the chords change on top in the guitars and keys.
@Damon McNeill it's hilarious it even mentions in the album bio on RUclips music the the album was "heavily criticized due to its dry mix and nearly inaudible bass guitar". They shit the sheets hard with that album. As a bass player I will say that I think it is a great album however I don't give a single fuck to listen to it unless they were remaster the album with better bass. Bass is the TONAL FOUNDATION of any piece of music period
Jo Bench of Bolt Thrower is never talked about in these kinds of videos, but really deserves all our respect for her contribution to extreme metal bass playing. She uses movement and melodic ideas under the brutal guitars while still managing to keep it as heavy and brutal as tank plowing through a brick shithouse.
Justin Chancellor is my absolute favorite! I can vouch for Sweetwater customer service being TOP NOTCH! Almost unreal . What you mentioned about Cliff's playing, I feel is similar to Justin. I love the way he starts playing a riff , then Adam comes in a bit later and then Danny and Justin will totally go and play something else together. It creates such a push pull tension and interest because of being offbeat and unpredictable. I just can't get enough of it.
My favourite bass player has to be Jason Newsted, not for his bass ability per se, but his stage presence and performance were phenomenal. Back in the 90's when he used to do lead vocals on Creeping Death, that man was untouchable. Real frontman material and a godly voice🤘
NGL. I've got a healthy bit of resentment built up for the Metalli-guys for not letting Jason flourish. He's a phenomenal musician through and through.
@@HansyPants184 James, Lars and Kirk tried to replace Cliff way too soon, but that's water under the bridge. Especially since they're all at peace with it now. Jason leaving made room for Rob Trujillo, a phenomenal talent all his own.
@@PenguinzFTW Jason would love the fact that Metallica has played every song on the first 5 albums live since he left the band. He was always pushing the band to dig deeper in the catalog for the live shows.
He had one of the BEST recorded and Live bass tones EVER! His tone on Doomsday for the Deceiver are among the best sounding recorded bass tones ever recorded!
Bob Daisley absolutely kicks ass as a bassist, lyricist, and on song arrangements, he had those duties on Blzzard and Diary ,and I believe on a good chunk of Bark at the moon too. Those bass lines with Randy were so perfect to enhance Randy's already spectacular playing that some forget to listen to his outstanding and creative lines .I've played for 40years and certainly gets the respect he deserves from me ,didn't even mention his Rainbow and Uriah Heep. Probably my favorite lines off the top of my head would be S.A.T.O , Tonight, and I don't know
Favorite bassist is justin chancellor, to say his tone is unique is an understatement as well as his playing style, how he plays along with yet against adam without changing the overall feel or sound of the song
Especially Gustaf Hielm! That dude is CRAZY talented and ultra-versatile. One of the most sought-after bassists in Sweden, no matter which genre we're talking about. Not only did he play djent (sorry to all of those who don't like that term) with Meshuggah, but he has also played prog metal with Pain of Salvation, fusion/experimental with Mats/Morgan Band, jazz with Susanna Risberg, folk/country/pop with Tina Ahlin, punk with Charta 77 and black metal with Dark Funeral, just to name a few. That dude is a living legend and deserves WAY more recognition!
Alex Webster (his stuff in Conquering Dystopia is amazing, Eugene Abdukhanov (Jinjer)- he's doing some great stuff for modern metal bass. Btw, that Spector is *mwah*
@@BenEller oh 100%, I met him once at CC gig. He's really polite and thankful. Big fan, great guy. There's too many bassist to mention. Thanks for doing this
@@BenEller also, tha kyou for saying what you did at 18:26 (about the palm muting / percussion sound). Ghost notes are one of my favourite things about bass. So effective
@@ChrisPage68 agreed. Uses a lot of different techniques, borderline playing between just enough and overplaying, but it compliments the band well as they have 1 guitarist (where most bands using 2 guitarists will do what Eugene is doing). Hope that makes sense (tired and migraine)
I play bass with a pick AND a distortion. David Ellefson had really interesting bass lines in Megadeth. Lemmy truly added to the sound of Motorhead. Peter Steele also had an amazing tone and presence in Type O Negative and Carnivore.
Ngl when I was a Jr Metalhead and I heard Cliff's intro to FWTBT my jaw dropped because I had never heard any instrument make that noise. I never forgot the importance of bass ever again.
Martin Mendez is a very underrated bassist, and one of my all time favorites. Take note of how he plays the atmospheric bassline during the intro of the song The Drapery Falls.
Dominic Lapointe was a bassist that really caught my attention. His work with Beyond Creation was definitely awesome! To me his bass lines and solos really stood out.
Geezer was my first bass hero, but I’ve had to add Chris Squire, John Myung, and Martin Mendez to my favorites list in the rock realm. I really liked the m9 explanation in there. That was a cool sound.
Implied harmony is incredibly cool musically but can be super difficult for decoding songs and trying to play them on guitar, especially when the guitar and bass are occupying the low end (for example, tool). I never knew what that was called, thanks Uncle Ben!
Geezer is absolutely my favorite bassist of all time! Cliff might have introduced me to the idea of metal bass and Steve Harris kept me interested, but Geezer is the one that made me falls in love with bass. I enjoy playing his basslines so much I've dedicated a big part of my bass playing 'career' to writing down and covering his stuff note for note as best as I can on my YT channel. I have like 150 Sabbath covers, just cause their stuff is super duper enjoyable to play!
In terms of modern metal I feel like bassists should be closely studying Eugene Abdukhanov from Jinjer. He is really showing how tasteful, creative bass playing can be integral to modern metal.
Uncle Ben, how did you know I was writing bass lines for a metal band for the first time literally this weekend? Bro your lessons are excellent and this is so helpful. Thank you sir!
Mike Inez is one of my favorites, not just for his stuff in AiC but his work on Ozzy’s “No More Tears” album is out of this world and really compliments Zakk’s riffs very well in my opinion.
What a great vid Ben. One of the many things I love about the bass is how it commands the band even if no-one is aware of it. Just as you said Ben with implied harmony, if the guitars are playing a happy C major chord, the bass player says uh-uh, I'm playing A so it's an Am7 chord now. Also the bass is that intersection between rhythm and harmony, though in metal everyone has to be a strong rhythm instrument, otherwise it all falls apart. The other thing I like to think about when creating baselines is that the bass is a melody instrument: I love it when I can write something where I can sing the bassline... but of course there are times when all lines are completely unsingable, especially in metal; it goes with the territory. And one last great thing about the bass is that it has a longer reach than the guitar which is useful when you need to give someone a tap on the skull. Keep up the amazing work!
Aw please please please do a part 2? 🙏 I like what Rex does behind dimes playing, especially on dimes solos 5 mins, walk, new level etc. Also lemmys style and how he describes himself as a rhythm guitar player on a bass. Great vid as always unc, and I’m mainly a guitar player 🤘
As a guitar player myself, its really cool to learn and play more atenttion to these bass details. Also, my favorite bassist is Dan Briggs from Between the Buried and Me, basically a shredder :)
I really love Billy Gould from Faith No More. Fun fact: I play in a Faith No More tribute, and I use a Peavey cab that used to belong to Billy. I kind of know him through mutual friends. He has told me personally that he likes our band and we do it justice, which is the best possible compliment I could even ask for.
I’ve been playing bass on and off for 15 odd years and I’ve gotten more out of this video than any other RUclips lesson I’ve ever watched. Thanks so much Uncle Ben!
In the vein of your lesson here, I'd say that an effective bassist is still something to hone in, rather than the meme of the failed guitarist. Dudes like John Campbell, Troy Sanders (who is arguably actually great), and the like. Guys who don't necessarily need to take the limelight, but follow a lot of these principles to support the music that they're playing. Thanks for a cool lesson dude.
Cliff is king! That dude was too good for this world. Sometimes I think about what these music legends would be up to right now if they were around in 20 fuckin 21.
Man, super great tips, they really make the bass lines much more memorable. That Spector is beautiful! A friend of mine picked up a used one years ago and it still is his favorite. I will need to start saving my pennies!
I've been playing bass for quite some time and this episode is my absolute favorite. I've incorporated both picking and fingering styles just as you said..."whatever the song needs". I've always said when the bass and drums are locked in, it allows the guitars to add the extra sauce to make the song shimmer.
The bassist from Krallice is absolutely brilliant, he has counterpoint melodies, diadic harmonies, chugging riffs, and amazing cutting tone that punches through the wall of guitars to assert his own voice in the mix.
at around the 10 minute mark..... thats what i like to hear bassists doing. start stops on the low side while the guitar is complimenting..... love it!
thank you for making a genuine video to help metal players, I knew palmuting was good and useful but every other bass creator says it doesn't sound good I notice when I improv I do a lot of this, mixing ear exercises with implied harmony will make your metal jams come to LIFE
It's crazy that Ben covered the Symphony of Destruction bass line literally the day after I decided to teach it to my 10 year old son! 🙃 Uncle Ben, please throw a few more bass videos out, this was great! And keep working that eyebrow, that shit never gets old! 😂🤣👍🏼
Thank you!! Self taught Guitarist/Songwriter here. Been playing off and on for 20+ years, but have been seriously playing again for about 5 years. Legit think I've learned more about harmonies and triads from this video, than a couple years of randomly searching out easy "Music Theory" videos... Some super useful info here!! Really great job!! David Ellefson is the GOAT Metal Bassist in my opinion!!
I've got two all time favorite bass players: Martin Mendez from Opeth and Peter Steele from Type O Negative! Both brilliant players on their own rights.
I highly recommend Dir en Grey. Their Bass Player Toshiya is the most vocal one there. Please check out their live version of unraveling, different sense and Vinushka.
I'm not a bassist, but I find this stuff fascinating. For me, the godfather of Heavy Metal bass is, of course, Geezer Butler. I like a busy bassist, but any bassist who has to fill in the sound in a band without a rhythm guitarist has to be busier than most (e.g. Geddy Lee, John Entwistle...)
I'll second that request. Saw Operation Mind Crime twice back in "the day" and was totally blown away by how crisp they sounded live. "I don't believe in love" and "Breaking the silence" are gold.
@@AJ82778 Wow! For me it would be Walk in the Shadows or Queen of the Reich, ostensibly simple songs which actually have really unique arrangements and chords - and every internet tab is COMPLETELY wrong. The Walk in the Shadows tab floating around is complete gibberish. Did you seem them on the Empire tour when they played all of Mindcrime? Or the original Mindcrime tour supporting Metallica? Both?
@@Thruuuth Walk in the Shadows is one of my favorites. And you're right, the tabs for just about everything they do are junk. I'm by no means a guitar guru, but just trying to follow any one of their tabs makes my brain hurt. Saw them on the Empire tour twice. So amazing.
@@AJ82778 check out Alex Ward. This guy is awesome for Ryche guitar. He has covered the entire Mindcrime album. No tabs but, I have learned how to play so many Queensryche songs watching him. I personally like to watch and copy rather than use tabs anyway. He did say he would do lessons a while ago but, hasn't uploaded anything in a while now. Trust me...you will thank me for this.
Iron Maiden makes much more sense musically speaking when you understand that Steve Harris is the band leader. It's his band. To a casual listener you might not hear that, but as a musician when you understand that, it all comes together.
Thanks for learning the secrets of the bass metal MASTERS! What other legendary bassist should we study next?
Ryan Martinie!
Obviously cliff and les claypool
Mercyful Fate's Timi "Grabber" Hansen. I can't put into words why his stuff sounds so good, but on the Don't Break The Oath album I think how he plays just compliments the songs so well whilst also standing out a lot more than most metal bass lines.
Here are two that should be considered legendary, but are mostly unknown to the west. You need to check out Toshiya from Dir en Grey and Tetsuya from L'Arc-en-Ciel. If you haven't ever heard anything from them. You should check out some of their stuff on RUclips. I would recommend you check out their music in general not just for bass.
Here are a few recommendations:
Dir en Grey - Different Sense to check out their heavier side, and Dir en Grey - Tousei for their mid range.
L'Arc-en-Ciel - Fate, and L'Arc-en-Ciel - Coming Closer be sure to listen to Ken's solo in that song. I'd like to hear what you think of his playing.
Evan Brewer
David Ellefson is the masterbassiest of them all for sure!
Oh man...
I see what you did there 🤔
Ha ha ha. Poor junior, guy got caught with his pants down for sure.
hes really good a soloing a skin flute too
Grow up man.
I love Steve DiGiorgio’s playing on Death ‘Individual Thought Patterns’. He’s a master of fretless bass.
Cosmic Sea is one of my favorite instrumentals.
Steve Di Giorgio with Gene Hoglan... The dream rythm team
Oh man the outro of The Philosopher….I’d pay infinite amount of money to just hear chuck and steve trading off solos. So fucking good.
Death - created the entire genre of death metal because Jazz was not lucrative enough
Editor RBR possessed created death metal actually
literally, Martin Mendez is not talked about enough. He really pushes Opeth to the next level with his playing.
YES!!!
So true. I wish they turned him way up more, especially Still Life-Watershed
Their previous bassist Johan DeFarfalla was excellent too...his fretless work on Morningrise is really awesome.
Latinossss!!!!!
AGREED
Rex Brown has to be my favorite metal bass player. He really had a great command of space with Dime's guitar work, especially during solos. Not necessarily the flashiest player ever, but, in my opinion, quintessentially bass.
Quite underrated bass player actually. And his tone….
Uncle Ben I want you to know that I've tossed away my triangle necklace in honor of you. You were first. I will not steal your look and I hang my head in shame. ;) Great vid.
Love your Chanel Mike I love all your videos
@@gageclark2390 right on man
@@gageclark2390 agreed!
Hahahahaha THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE….. lol, keep it going, maybe people will start to think we are in a secret RUclips guitar cult?
@@BenEller please make that a thing
Geezer Butler is my favourite. While not underrated, he is often overlooked. I really love how he can accompany the guitar in one part and then branch off on his own the next. His basslines in Lonely Is The Word carried the song.
My favourite basslines of his are on Buried Alive in the album Dehumanizer.
Fully under appreciated
Hel ye
Loved his work on Dehumanizer. Underrated classic. Inspired me to take up bass, in fact.
Whether you like 13 or not, Geezer's tone is absolutely LETHAL on that record.
The owner of my local guitar shop back in the mid 80s said Geezer was atrocious...one of the worst bass players ever. I wanted to punch him, but I kind of felt sorry for him for being so pathetic.
I’ve never understood the whole fingers versus pick arguments for bass. Always felt it’s what suits the song. So glad to hear you say the same. People get so annoyed over this, it’s plain stupid. Thanks Uncle Ben for talking some sense.
The two options sound SO different too. Why bother comparing it?
100% and there are players who do it either way with incredible results. From Alex Webster to Rob Trujillo, Jason Newstead and Ian Hill.
Just metal elitist things. Spending their days comparing x and y, who's the best who's the fastest. Who cares?
Music is not a competition.
@@mcfa4644 Not just metal. It's a bass thing, transcends genre and time.
Played alot of bass, gigged alot and I played both ways, but defaulted to fingers. When we'd just jam, rarely used a pick.
.
That said, certain songs, certain covers required a pick and that was cool.
I'd go through a pile of picks, I'd just drop them, thrown them, get another placed under my pick guard . After the gig, I'd gather them up!
Peter Steele. His tone literally sounded like fire, his groove was so tasty and powerful and he could play fingerstyle with his non-dominant hand in a thrash band. Dude was an absolute BEAST. The clips of him playing without a pick in Carnivore are so insane. That guy had so much talent!
The owner of the one AND ONLY fretless Warlock I have ever seen. Also I agree, his tone was absolutely singular..........just like that Warlock.
RIP Peter Steele.
Alex Webster takes the cake for me. Such a chill dude who’s passionate about his work and so humble at the same time. His technique is one of a kind and seeing it live was life changing.
You might like Dylan Desmond of Bell Witch and Stygian Bough, too
Alex Webster is THE bass god as far as I’m concerned
Great stuff as always, Uncle Ben. I always love a bassist who knows that probably the most powerful thing the instrument can do in a band is just hold a pedal point. Cliff Williams, Michael Anthony - even a guy like Billy Gould, who has huge technical chops but knows when it's time to just thump the same note over and over as the chords change on top in the guitars and keys.
oh hi Adam
By the way, do you even have the time or interest to make music?
WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE lol
love your content btw
@@bardiabahrampour4166 EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING
I love Geezer Butler when he fills the space with bass lead lines. Especially over Tony Iommis Solos
Under Tony's solos.
@@FullertonRadioService Over 😂jk
@@FullertonRadioService Behind? Or even alongside? 🤔
I love it when he bends strings.
He and Rex Brown are truly masters of filling out the sound with massive underpinning riffs in one guitar bands
Rayan Martinie. He inspired me to start playing a bass. I think the whole Mudvayne sound is defined mostly by Rayan’s bass.
100%
Yes 1000 times yes!!!!!! I love Mudvayne One of my favorite bands of all time
"A good bassist is a quiet bassist"
Lars Ulrich, 1989.
The thing they did to Jason on and justice for all ?
That's sad as hell after you hear bass only of those songs
@Damon McNeill it's hilarious it even mentions in the album bio on RUclips music the the album was "heavily criticized due to its dry mix and nearly inaudible bass guitar". They shit the sheets hard with that album. As a bass player I will say that I think it is a great album however I don't give a single fuck to listen to it unless they were remaster the album with better bass. Bass is the TONAL FOUNDATION of any piece of music period
That’s because Lars is the shittiest drummer ever!
I’ll never understand how they thought that detracting from all the songs and the album as a whole was somehow “sticking it” to Jason…
A good metal drummer is a mediocre but in the right situation for my talent drummer....Lars Ulrich 2023 👍
Jo Bench of Bolt Thrower is never talked about in these kinds of videos, but really deserves all our respect for her contribution to extreme metal bass playing. She uses movement and melodic ideas under the brutal guitars while still managing to keep it as heavy and brutal as tank plowing through a brick shithouse.
Justin Chancellor is my absolute favorite!
I can vouch for Sweetwater customer service being TOP NOTCH! Almost unreal .
What you mentioned about Cliff's playing, I feel is similar to Justin. I love the way he starts playing a riff , then Adam comes in a bit later and then Danny and Justin will totally go and play something else together. It creates such a push pull tension and interest because of being offbeat and unpredictable. I just can't get enough of it.
I’ve had the same Sweetwater rep for 4 years. I know him better than some of my family. LOL.
@@editorrbr2107 heard that they recently got bought out by some ( non music related) corporation, so the hope is that service doesn't take a hit.
Oh wow yea you put that in words really well thank you
My favourite bass player has to be Jason Newsted, not for his bass ability per se, but his stage presence and performance were phenomenal. Back in the 90's when he used to do lead vocals on Creeping Death, that man was untouchable. Real frontman material and a godly voice🤘
NGL. I've got a healthy bit of resentment built up for the Metalli-guys for not letting Jason flourish. He's a phenomenal musician through and through.
@@HansyPants184 I often imagine where the band would be now if Jason was still in the band
@@HansyPants184 James, Lars and Kirk tried to replace Cliff way too soon, but that's water under the bridge. Especially since they're all at peace with it now.
Jason leaving made room for Rob Trujillo, a phenomenal talent all his own.
@@PenguinzFTW Jason would love the fact that Metallica has played every song on the first 5 albums live since he left the band. He was always pushing the band to dig deeper in the catalog for the live shows.
He had one of the BEST recorded and Live bass tones EVER! His tone on Doomsday for the Deceiver are among the best sounding recorded bass tones ever recorded!
Glad to see Ellefson get some love 👍🏼
@Autist Swim yeah Mustaine the bassist
@Autist Swim i did, Mustaine wasn't glad to see david.
He's definitely a masterbasser.
I don’t know is this is metal, but Bob Daisley is criminally underrated and an incredible player.
I mean, he was on all of Ozzy’s albums up to No More Tears. I’d call that pretty metal.
Bob Daisley absolutely kicks ass as a bassist, lyricist, and on song arrangements, he had those duties on Blzzard and Diary ,and I believe on a good chunk of Bark at the moon too. Those bass lines with Randy were so perfect to enhance Randy's already spectacular playing that some forget to listen to his outstanding and creative lines .I've played for 40years and certainly gets the respect he deserves from me ,didn't even mention his Rainbow and Uriah Heep. Probably my favorite lines off the top of my head would be S.A.T.O , Tonight, and I don't know
Favorite bassist is justin chancellor, to say his tone is unique is an understatement as well as his playing style, how he plays along with yet against adam without changing the overall feel or sound of the song
Bass content is always appreciated, also that Spector is pretty damn sick.
The stuff Alex Webster did with Blotted Science is nothing short of amazing.
Meshuggah bassists deserve some love, Peter Nordin, Gustaf Hielm and Dick Lövgren !
Especially Gustaf Hielm! That dude is CRAZY talented and ultra-versatile. One of the most sought-after bassists in Sweden, no matter which genre we're talking about. Not only did he play djent (sorry to all of those who don't like that term) with Meshuggah, but he has also played prog metal with Pain of Salvation, fusion/experimental with Mats/Morgan Band, jazz with Susanna Risberg, folk/country/pop with Tina Ahlin, punk with Charta 77 and black metal with Dark Funeral, just to name a few. That dude is a living legend and deserves WAY more recognition!
@@MrGul I'm being blessed by his bass playing right now listening to the Mats/Morgan LIVE album :)
@@t3hgir It isn't Gustaf Hielm on that album, it's Tommy Tordsson (the original M/M bass player).
@@MrGul oops! thanks for clarifying!
When I first started getting interested and really into bass, my inspiration was Frank Bello. Seriously underrated
I back you up on that , A Skeleton I the closet is an absolute blast to play on bass
Love steve digorgio on individual thought patterns
Alex Webster (his stuff in Conquering Dystopia is amazing, Eugene Abdukhanov (Jinjer)- he's doing some great stuff for modern metal bass.
Btw, that Spector is *mwah*
Plus Alex is literally the nicest guy on earth!
@@BenEller oh 100%, I met him once at CC gig. He's really polite and thankful. Big fan, great guy.
There's too many bassist to mention. Thanks for doing this
@@BenEller also, tha kyou for saying what you did at 18:26 (about the palm muting / percussion sound). Ghost notes are one of my favourite things about bass. So effective
Eugene is the most creative bassist in Metal at the moment.
@@ChrisPage68 agreed. Uses a lot of different techniques, borderline playing between just enough and overplaying, but it compliments the band well as they have 1 guitarist (where most bands using 2 guitarists will do what Eugene is doing). Hope that makes sense (tired and migraine)
I play bass with a pick AND a distortion. David Ellefson had really interesting bass lines in Megadeth. Lemmy truly added to the sound of Motorhead. Peter Steele also had an amazing tone and presence in Type O Negative and Carnivore.
Steve Harris 2:51 4:16
Cliff Burton 8:57 10:07
Martin Mendez 13:23 14:26
Joe Roland 16:48
David Ellefson 19:13
what song was the steve harris one
Ngl when I was a Jr Metalhead and I heard Cliff's intro to FWTBT my jaw dropped because I had never heard any instrument make that noise. I never forgot the importance of bass ever again.
Martin Mendez is a very underrated bassist, and one of my all time favorites. Take note of how he plays the atmospheric bassline during the intro of the song The Drapery Falls.
The king.
Martin's subtle fretless on Face of Melinda is so tasteful.
Dominic Lapointe was a bassist that really caught my attention. His work with Beyond Creation was definitely awesome! To me his bass lines and solos really stood out.
absolute god
Have you checked out his work with First Fragment? He's a legend
@@the_BattleGoose Absolutely, Glorie Eternelle is such a dope album.
Geezer was my first bass hero, but I’ve had to add Chris Squire, John Myung, and Martin Mendez to my favorites list in the rock realm. I really liked the m9 explanation in there. That was a cool sound.
There are some great Metal Bassists 🙂
16:00 "It also adds in the german interval, the NEIN!" xD
Implied harmony is incredibly cool musically but can be super difficult for decoding songs and trying to play them on guitar, especially when the guitar and bass are occupying the low end (for example, tool). I never knew what that was called, thanks Uncle Ben!
i always loved the sound of picked bass! rex, ellefson, newsted
Nice shout-out to Rex. A 5 string Spectre is oh so Rex.
Geezer is absolutely my favorite bassist of all time! Cliff might have introduced me to the idea of metal bass and Steve Harris kept me interested, but Geezer is the one that made me falls in love with bass. I enjoy playing his basslines so much I've dedicated a big part of my bass playing 'career' to writing down and covering his stuff note for note as best as I can on my YT channel. I have like 150 Sabbath covers, just cause their stuff is super duper enjoyable to play!
In terms of modern metal I feel like bassists should be closely studying Eugene Abdukhanov from Jinjer. He is really showing how tasteful, creative bass playing can be integral to modern metal.
Was gonna say this myself. That guy is a beast.
@DELORM disagree
@DELORM Don't be ridiculous.
Ryan Martinie devotee for sure.
Cliff, Alex Webster, Derek Boyer, Steve Harris, and Peter Steele are some of my favorites!
Uncle Ben, how did you know I was writing bass lines for a metal band for the first time literally this weekend? Bro your lessons are excellent and this is so helpful. Thank you sir!
Death had some great bassists, especially Conlon and Di Giorgio
Mike Inez is one of my favorites, not just for his stuff in AiC but his work on Ozzy’s “No More Tears” album is out of this world and really compliments Zakk’s riffs very well in my opinion.
Inez didn’t play on the NMT recording. That was Bob Daisley. Inez wrote the line and appeared in videos.
What a great vid Ben. One of the many things I love about the bass is how it commands the band even if no-one is aware of it. Just as you said Ben with implied harmony, if the guitars are playing a happy C major chord, the bass player says uh-uh, I'm playing A so it's an Am7 chord now. Also the bass is that intersection between rhythm and harmony, though in metal everyone has to be a strong rhythm instrument, otherwise it all falls apart. The other thing I like to think about when creating baselines is that the bass is a melody instrument: I love it when I can write something where I can sing the bassline... but of course there are times when all lines are completely unsingable, especially in metal; it goes with the territory. And one last great thing about the bass is that it has a longer reach than the guitar which is useful when you need to give someone a tap on the skull. Keep up the amazing work!
Thanks dude!!!
Aw please please please do a part 2? 🙏 I like what Rex does behind dimes playing, especially on dimes solos 5 mins, walk, new level etc. Also lemmys style and how he describes himself as a rhythm guitar player on a bass.
Great vid as always unc, and I’m mainly a guitar player 🤘
As a guitar player myself, its really cool to learn and play more atenttion to these bass details. Also, my favorite bassist is Dan Briggs from Between the Buried and Me, basically a shredder :)
The most interesting relationship between the main three instruments in rock I found in Tool's music.
I really love Billy Gould from Faith No More. Fun fact: I play in a Faith No More tribute, and I use a Peavey cab that used to belong to Billy. I kind of know him through mutual friends. He has told me personally that he likes our band and we do it justice, which is the best possible compliment I could even ask for.
I’ve been playing bass on and off for 15 odd years and I’ve gotten more out of this video than any other RUclips lesson I’ve ever watched. Thanks so much Uncle Ben!
Glad to hear that!
In the vein of your lesson here, I'd say that an effective bassist is still something to hone in, rather than the meme of the failed guitarist. Dudes like John Campbell, Troy Sanders (who is arguably actually great), and the like. Guys who don't necessarily need to take the limelight, but follow a lot of these principles to support the music that they're playing.
Thanks for a cool lesson dude.
Good on ya for shouting out Mike Dirnt. Mark Hoppus has got some good moves too.
Cliff is king! That dude was too good for this world. Sometimes I think about what these music legends would be up to right now if they were around in 20 fuckin 21.
Tim Commerford. Groove, baby.
Man, super great tips, they really make the bass lines much more memorable. That Spector is beautiful! A friend of mine picked up a used one years ago and it still is his favorite. I will need to start saving my pennies!
Your videos helped me become a "more better" guitarist. And now I feel like trying bass too. You make the best lessons. Thank you.
I think Uncle Ben is spying on me, I just cracked out the big guitar yesterday and started playing around with it again.
I've been playing bass for quite some time and this episode is my absolute favorite. I've incorporated both picking and fingering styles just as you said..."whatever the song needs". I've always said when the bass and drums are locked in, it allows the guitars to add the extra sauce to make the song shimmer.
The bassist from Krallice is absolutely brilliant, he has counterpoint melodies, diadic harmonies, chugging riffs, and amazing cutting tone that punches through the wall of guitars to assert his own voice in the mix.
at around the 10 minute mark..... thats what i like to hear bassists doing. start stops on the low side while the guitar is complimenting..... love it!
"A major chord sounds happy, a minor chord sounds sad ... a power chord ... just kind of ... sounds" I just fucking loved that !
That was absolutely excellent, and inspiring. Thank you, Ben!
The "tapping arpeggio" sounded really cool when played slower. It sounded like something you would've heard off the Gutter Ballet album by Savatage.
thank you for making a genuine video to help metal players, I knew palmuting was good and useful but every other bass creator says it doesn't sound good
I notice when I improv I do a lot of this, mixing ear exercises with implied harmony will make your metal jams come to LIFE
That was a great exploration of space and harmony in metal. To the point and informative. Thanks!
Another killer lesson , Love the way u teach Ben!
A part 2 of this would be great!
Cliff Burton and Ryan Martinie and Charles Berthoud!
That steve harris thing you said really blew my mind, it is so fasinating! Thanks a ton
It's crazy that Ben covered the Symphony of Destruction bass line literally the day after I decided to teach it to my 10 year old son! 🙃 Uncle Ben, please throw a few more bass videos out, this was great! And keep working that eyebrow, that shit never gets old! 😂🤣👍🏼
That's a slick bass ya got there Uncle Ben, my top 3 bassists that influenced me are Steve Harris, Cliff Burton, and of course Lemmy, rock on UB 🤘
Excellent class Ben, thanks!
Bro, I’m a guitar player and never really paid much attention to bass lines but your video literally BLEW MY MIND! Thank you!
Ive always loved Steve Di Georgio's fretless bass work on Death's 'individual thought patterns' - It's a very unique sound
There are a lot of great bass players in metal and hard rock, but Billy Sheehan is my absolute favorite. He's a league of it's own.
Thank you!! Self taught Guitarist/Songwriter here. Been playing off and on for 20+ years, but have been seriously playing again for about 5 years.
Legit think I've learned more about harmonies and triads from this video, than a couple years of randomly searching out easy "Music Theory" videos... Some super useful info here!!
Really great job!!
David Ellefson is the GOAT Metal Bassist in my opinion!!
One of the more brilliant videos of concepts of being a great bassist.
I tip my hat to you sir!!!
Cool video! I think my favourite metal bass players are probably Tony Choy, Steve DiGiorgio and Alex Webster. Oh, and the late Sean Malone too.
Billy Sheehan! Another bass hero.
Nice vid Ben.
I still go back to the neoclassical duet with him and Paul Gilbert. Also his bass maintenance videos are a fun watch.
@@skaman125 Try looking up a solo he did in 1982 or 1983. Quite similar to Cliff Burton at the time.
This video taught me a lot thanks!
when ever we get stuck at creativity,its always better to go back to basics,great job
Ryan from Mudvayne. He was always playing something different than the guitar... so when they did sync up it is heavy AF.
The KING
A master of his craft for sure
BRRR BRRR DENG
I've got two all time favorite bass players: Martin Mendez from Opeth and Peter Steele from Type O Negative! Both brilliant players on their own rights.
very well laid out, thank you very much
Great vid', as always! That Arch riff and tapping is sick! Very good job!
Ryan Martinie (Mudvayne) and Justin Cancellor (Tool) would top my list.
Oh HECK YEAH!!!
BRR BRR DENG IS THE BEST!!!!
I highly recommend Dir en Grey. Their Bass Player Toshiya is the most vocal one there. Please check out their live version of unraveling, different sense and Vinushka.
Yes, yes, yes! Dir en Grey in general has some "weird" techniques and melodies you simply never hear in most western metal. So refreshing, love them!
Dominic "Forest" Lapointe single handely made me love and learn myself 6string Bass (Fretless), he is a vituose on it and plays like noone else
Incredible video, an important reminder of the role songwriting and band cohesion plays in good metal music
That bass looks sick
I'm not a bassist, but I find this stuff fascinating. For me, the godfather of Heavy Metal bass is, of course, Geezer Butler. I like a busy bassist, but any bassist who has to fill in the sound in a band without a rhythm guitarist has to be busier than most (e.g. Geddy Lee, John Entwistle...)
Matt and Toby from The Omnific have been my constant inspiration since I discovered them a few years ago
Lovely bass you got there, Uncle Ben. Thanks for the lesson!
The tapped NEIN riff is amazing! O_o
Great tune! Gonna try it out on my bass and check out what you did with Arc for sure. :)
UNCLE BEN, Please make a Queensryche video! They have the worst tabs of any major band, and there are surprisingly few.
The bass playing and bass tone on Operation Mindcrime are absolutely incredible.
I'll second that request. Saw Operation Mind Crime twice back in "the day" and was totally blown away by how crisp they sounded live. "I don't believe in love" and "Breaking the silence" are gold.
@@AJ82778 Wow! For me it would be Walk in the Shadows or Queen of the Reich, ostensibly simple songs which actually have really unique arrangements and chords - and every internet tab is COMPLETELY wrong. The Walk in the Shadows tab floating around is complete gibberish.
Did you seem them on the Empire tour when they played all of Mindcrime? Or the original Mindcrime tour supporting Metallica? Both?
@@Thruuuth Walk in the Shadows is one of my favorites. And you're right, the tabs for just about everything they do are junk. I'm by no means a guitar guru, but just trying to follow any one of their tabs makes my brain hurt. Saw them on the Empire tour twice. So amazing.
@@AJ82778 check out Alex Ward. This guy is awesome for Ryche guitar. He has covered the entire Mindcrime album. No tabs but, I have learned how to play so many Queensryche songs watching him. I personally like to watch and copy rather than use tabs anyway. He did say he would do lessons a while ago but, hasn't uploaded anything in a while now. Trust me...you will thank me for this.
I am a guitarist entering as a bassist into my friends deathcore band and your video really opened my eyes for writing bass lines 💪
Very cool and informative. Thanks!
Wait, no Geezer?!
Iron Maiden makes much more sense musically speaking when you understand that Steve Harris is the band leader. It's his band. To a casual listener you might not hear that, but as a musician when you understand that, it all comes together.
Martín Méndez is one of my favourite bass players, so glad someone else points out how underrated he is! Great stuff.
Really glad you still included Dave Ellefson!