When I first studied music theory and I heard the major scale my immediate thought was "oh I hate the way that sounds, it's so sickeningly sweet" but learning the major scale is a great anchor to discuss other aspects of music theory, especially learning modes as "the major scale but with the third, sixth and seventh flattened" etc
I think it ultimately speaks to how little we really understand and have language around music. Most of our language borrows concepts from other mediums (color, warmth, mood, brightness, sharpness, etc.) because we don't really have a proper understanding of why music makes us feel the way it does. We don't have sound/music-specific terms that really nail down what we're talking about, so it makes it hard to explain why any certain passage of music does what it does. Add in art being subjective, and it's just everyone having their own experience.
My bass teacher in high school was actually an accomplished pianist. He taught me what I needed to know to play in jazz band at the time. That amount of theory has forever had me leagues ahead of most band mates.
Remember : artists that DIDn't knew music theory (40 years ago at the start of their career) were surrounded by people knowing it ! And a lot of them spend time on their instruments, lots of them had perfect ears which help.
Good company will get you places quickly no matter the subject. Luckily the internet and RUclips can soften the physical lack of socialization with skillfully-literate people.
Thanks for the great video! I wish I could have seen this 25 years ago when I first started learning. I'm around a Level 3 guy, playing occasionally in bar and party bands. I wholeheartedly subscribe to your practicality of levels and where they apply.❤
As a musician myself (piano teacher, organ player) it is funny how much energy people spend to talking about why not to learn music theory, doing ineffective stuff to avoid it, instead of sitting for 2 months, learning the basics and be better in music from the start 😀
The language learning analogy applies. Sure, some enjoy learning grammar and perfecting theory before anything else, but quite a few people learn better and have higher motivation to actually start using the language if they learn simple stuff they can start using right away such as ordering a cup of coffee at a cafe. And I’d wager that many of those would lose interest in language learning if made to study proper grammar first, whereas now they learn intuitively and by trial and error. It’s easy to say that learning theory first would be helpful and sure it would be, but if studying theory makes the person lose interest then it’s the opposite of helpful.
@@Mahtijanis Yes, that's why I am writing people avoiding it, like because they want to avoid. So that's a set of people who could benefit from knowing a theory. I am not talking about people who don't 🙂
@@Mahtijanis Learning how to properly conjugate verbs is super helpful when learning a language. Sure you can just learn phrases to get by on a vacation, but if you want to really learn the language you should sit down and learn how to correctly learn how to conjugate the verb "to be".
One thing to note about the circle of fifths: yes it is useless, but only if you want to play bass guitar and absolutely no other melodic instrument. For those who play several instruments it’s the best visual of intervals that can be used for any instrument.
In my experience, bang on with the "learn what's useful to you" angle. I'm very much a bedroom player, been doing it for about 4 years, no desire to take it further...but scales have been useful, ditto tab, and yeah, an awareness of classical notation helps. And I'm a huge fan of the harmonic scale (yes, thanks to Bill Bailey), have struggled with the circle of fifths and don't really get it, and need to learn my fretboard better. Have I wasted time on theory? Yes. Have I found really useful things in music theory? Yes. Do I want to understand music theory in detail? Yes. Can I be arsed? No, it'd put me off just playing for fun, which is why I do it.
The one piece of knowledge that changed the way I listen to music and appreciated the culture that I feel like everyone should here: Our knowledge of theory is entirely the language of European Classical composers, although often turned into something new: this is just one flavor out there. You can change the recipe anytime.
The amount of inductive gaps needed to jump over to learn anything related to theory when you first start learning bass is one of the biggest reasons people stop. There are very little resources that actually start from zero. Most assume you have some randomly varying level of knowledge that you then have to go out and learn to learn the thing you're trying to learn. This ranges anywhere from simply putting so much jargon in the "lesson" that it becomes unreadable to assuming you already know a ton about music structure, etc. Eventually I just quit *trying* to learn anything about theory and just ended up learning what was useful from theory by playing my instrument. Cool to see that validated, Josh. More people should really be open and honest about the actual importance of theory and where it should be applied!
The helpfull stuff is giving you an exercice... Usefull, but it'll say "also practice in all 12 keys, good luck for that mate". Worst advice is obviously "practice scale in two or three octave on all scales" (how ? what do you mean ? zefuck ?) It took me 2 years to be able to understand what does it means...
My first bass teacher taught me all of the "7" arppegios or "chords" from a given root positions and all the modes as same so that I could read lead sheets or improvise simple walking bass lines. I was stunned at music school to see in its library that a saxophonist's Master'ss thesis was titled "How to Compose a Walking Bass Line".
I cannot understate how much truth you've spoken here with no judgment. Appreciate you recoginizing that we all have different goals but also selling why the more advanced is still very helpful. Amazing work as always. Couldn't say any of this better.
Josh is one of the best teachers in the world. This video demonstrates why his method is so amazing. He knows how to balance knowledge to help you progress, based on your needs. His beginner to badass course is thoughtfully designed and meticulously organized. It gave me just the sufficient amount of theory to understand stuff that I needed to progress and awaken my curiosity to learn more.
Music PhD here, and long-time fan of this channel - reading the comments, I can't help but think of that anecdote about how learning physics won't prevent you from enjoying a sunset, but will actually make you enjoy it with renewed wonder. Studying things like harmony, counterpoint, granular synthesis, music history etc opened up a whole universe of sound to me. Harmony was one of the things that blew me away, and I could never listen to music the same way again - the thrills are still there, but much enhanced by the little knowledge I gained through studying music. I may or may not be a better bassist after that, but I sure am a happier musician.
The circle of 5ths is too often taught as an exposition of keys signatures and the relationship of keys, but that is NOT what it's usefulness is. It's an incredibly succinct visual chart of all the patterns of typical chords and notes in every key. It's so simple to read and takes barely a few minutes to learn how. I absolutely love all your videos, but think you're underselling the circle here!
Agreed completely. Josh is overselling underteaching. I was easily at level 1-2 on my own. Then I took one lesson and while I was killing myself trying to play Tom Sawyer, he had me open up page 1, Mel Bay and try to play Mary Had a Little Lamb.... and it was terrible. In an hour, he'd fixed my left and right hand technique with a couple of simple exercises (which I still do today), and taught me the basics of the Circle of Fifths. I went home and wrote out the scales and the notes for each chord in each key, saw the pattern and now it all made sense. I had been music adjacent by having some basic stuff in school, but this just UNLOCKED... as in the ROSETTA STONE, the basics of music.
To be honest the circle if 5ths has been the most practical and useful piece of music theory I've ever learnt. As a brass player, it has been invaluable for understanding how to transpose when playing with other instruments who don't play in my natural key.
Funny story, in Mexico one of the most popular pharmacy franchise is called Similares. (Yes, it comes from "similar", as they sell affordable generic drug). Anyways, if you're familiar with the circle of fifths, you probably already see that moving counterclockwise from C to F, then we have, in solfege, well, Sib, Mib, Lab, Reb, Solb (Fa#), then SiMiLaReSol 😅
The pattern of notes around the cycle of 5ths/4ths is important for stringed instrument players because it's the same pattern that occurs across the strings. If you know the notes on the fretboard, you're learning it anyway whether you think it's important or not
I feel like most of these are stuff that most of us know. Really the ones that would actually help. 1) recommended books for sight reading practice. 2) recommended exercises for ear training 3) tips on learning songs quickly. I enjoy music theory, so I know it. The issue is the actual practical stuff that will allow me to seek gigs with confidence.
Normally a beginner does not know even the possible goals in music, he is not ready to set specific goals yet or to judge it properly, the only think is to trust the teacher and pick the best he can afford
When I was a kid I played cello, and I was pretty good at sight reading. However, nobody explained one bit of music theory. To a mathematical/programming nerd type, I found playing unsatisfying. The notation seemed arbitrary and each song was just a long string of notes. I could tell patterns were in there but with nobody to explain the patterns, I remained ignorant. After six years I quit. Many years later I picked up bass and this time I wanted to learn the theory. I already could read bass clef, I knew the note names, so some of that boring stuff was already out of the way. The huge, aha/eureka moment was from a video that explained that playing every other note starting at each degree of the scale produced a characteristic chord. Once I saw how key determines chords and how the puzzle fits together, I was off to the races. Modes suddenly made sense. Once I understood those aspects of diatonic theory, I had a framework for understanding where secondary dominants etc fit in. Of course, even once you know the theory intellectually, it is a lot of time and work to internalize it and play with taste. I'm still working on that. :-)
I played clarinet for 6 years and I could sight-read and even shift my sight-reading to play sax, but never learned anything about theory. Took one year of choir in high school and learned major/minors, variations, chromatic scales, all the basic stuff. I was like "WHY DIDN'T I LEARN ANY OF THIS IN BAND?" Seriously, not one damn thing about intervals or anything.
Dude, I am your biggest fan. Bass Buzz: Beginner to Badass changed my life. I'm 46 and last January I bought your course. It was everything I needed for me to achieve my goals in learning the bass and set a foundation for a hobby that I hope will last me the rest of my life. In October I got on stage at a funk jam and played live in front of people without (too much) fear and I didn't die. I actually got complements! AND, I've started jamming with some guys twice per month, and they call me Thundarr, the bass carryin barbarian, which my inner child thinks is really, really cool. AAAAND when I was at GC trying out some amps, this guy came over and told me he was a drummer and that I sounded good and I was "in the pocket". I'm 46 but I was blushing like I was 13. For Christmas I was gifted a month of lessons at GC (so expensive) and my bass teacher told me today he was super impressed by how good I was for someone learning online and how good my technique is, which I attribute solely to you and your course. He described me as an intermediate player!!!!!!🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 Thank you for being awesome. Let me know if you ever want to interview me so I can gush in person. I am spreading the good word about your course everywhere I can. What you do is not easy to do well, and you are killing it. Crazy to think about how many faces are getting melted at any given moment because of your course. It's a gift to the universe!
Dude, as a bedroom player, wanting to go but being scared sh*tless to accept an invitation to a jam session is incredibly relatable. This is such a useful video to figure out on what to focus next!
I've played hundreds of gigs as a guitarist, many of which involved jamming, improvising, or depping despite having no formal training, no real knowledge of theory, and no ability or desire to read sheet music or tab. I _do_ know lots of chords and scales, and simply "read" their shapes on the fretboard, while using my ears to identify the key, time signature, and groove. For me, the best way to learn was in the bedroom, playing along with my favourite records, and then joining a band to play with people of similar ability.
I feel very fortunate that Music Theory was an elective in high school, and we could select it every year. The teacher, Mr. Binns, was super passionate about music and his enthusiasm was contagious. My guitar teacher has been teaching me some theory here and there, but it was awkward and needlessly complex, but this class laid everything out in perfect clarity. And he taught everything in the context of 4-part harmony, which I think made everything more obvious and related.
About 10 or 12 years ago I started taking bass lessons and quit after 2 months. I’ve made greater improvements through your RUclips channel. In a few months I’ll be able to afford to pay for the beginner to badass course. I can’t wait!
I've been playing basically fully self taught for 16 years. I've been in a folk band playing all the local pubs and now I play at my church. I have finally decided it's time to try and stretch past the plateau I've been chilling in for so long. I think I probably land somewhere on stage three and it's time to reach for stage four.
I’m still grappling with music theory as a level 1 bassist who wants to understand level 5 concepts. Having recently picked up the handpan, I’ve been trying to work out how best to approach the instrument. Since its tunings are often diatonic but tend to skip certain scale degrees, it’s making me appreciate intervals on a deeper level. Rather than just memorising diatonic chord progressions and the Nashville number system, I’m focusing on the intervals-like root, minor third, and perfect fifth-to form a minor chord. This is helping me slowly build my knowledge of different chords-major, minor, half-diminished, suspended, augmented, and so on-and how they fit into progressions. But cognitively, remembering the information is what I find elusive. My fingers seem to know what they should be doing for certain chords or melody lines, but my brain doesn’t always recall why I’m doing it that way. Very frustrating. Brilliant content. This reminds me of the importance of walking before running!
Well, here's some theory for you: A diatonic scale doesn't skip any of the notes. What you've most likely got is a pentatonic scale. If it's major, there's no 4th or 7th - so for C: C D E G A C If it's minor, there's no 2nd or 6th so for C: C Eb F G Bb C
@@nuberiffic I really appreciate that 😁 I just wrapped up a four-hour public music gathering, letting kids try my instruments. Never a thing broken (yet); it’s the adults I don’t trust! Once my brain recovers tonight, I’ll dig into your info!
@ No worries man. My advice is to just take some small part of theory and start applying to things. Write it out, make some charts. For me, it was learning that a major scale is just a set of intervals: Tone Tone Semitone Tone Tone Tone Semitone. Using that I worked out and wrote down all 12 major scales following the circle of fifths. You'll just start seeing patterns. Theory is like learning another language. If you hear two people speaking Mandarin to each other, it'll just sound like nonsense. But if you learn a couple of words, that'll give you something to latch on to, and you can start getting more from context. If you want to learn more theory, I'd recommend Signals music studio on YT as well.
It's not about remembering. It's about practice. Learn this stuff one small piece at a time. If you drill the theory everyday you will simply "know" it. It might take a month or it might just take a week. Just do the work and it will come together.
It crazy to think 2 years ago, I watch your scales video and finally understanding scales! I would consider myself a level 1 bass player then. Today it would be in the beginning of 5! Thanks Josh! Your channel has taught me so much!
Thank u so much that's exactly what I need right now, about to watch the scales video Learning at the same time as joining a band while being a total noob when most of members know theory is exciting to say the least !
Yess!! I kept seeing these comments that you should learn the circle of fifths. So I finally searched it on youtube and the first video I opened had this smug guy saying "well it's also the cycle of fourths" and then going through how you add those #'s in order. I was left screaming "what do I do with this information? I need someone to explain it to me like Josh does and starting with the WHY!" I was so happy just seeing the cover of this video 😅
Glad to hear a bass teacher talk about what isn't a priority at which level. Too often there is an "everything everywhere all at once" approach. One comment about the video-you can't always become a competent level 1 bass player by yourself in your bedroom. This said as a level 0.1 player. And thanks for saying that wanting just to play at home is an OK goal.
It's simple: I wake up to a new BassBuzz video, I click it immediately. Seriously, Josh has made my bass journey fun and fulfilling. I'm definitely in the realm of Bedrooms, but it would be cool for me to grow into level 3 or (dare I dream?) level 4.
By far the BEST music theory video out there. Thank you so very much for posting this. I have solid level 3 knowledge that only does level 1stuff. And I just don't have it in me to learn any more. I always enjoy your content and did get your "Beginner to Badass" course but I only learn what I want.
I started learning theory in high school and quickly turned into one of those people who loves getting into all of the abstract concepts. Although, I never learned how to sight read and I still don't get non diatonic chords.
I love this Channel, we can see The passion on creating, searching sources and getting good information. Tank you Josh for sharing ALL this knowledge with us 👏🏾
I love your layout and framing of the "why?". I wish I had this video OR the ability to communicate this in such a way 10-20 years ago when I was often the only one among many playing music that had theory knowledge.
Music theory is infinite, but it’s nerd’s stuff and I love it. I strongly believe that to be a good bassist you need to play the bass, there is no way to cut corners on that. It’s the 10000 hours of playing that makes you sound good. But, studying harmony, and counterpoint these are really the coolest things to do in your life as a musician (not only a bassist). Sight reading is another great tool for a musician (unless you’re playing only with sight reading, so becoming easily like a cripple with a crutch). I am not a pro, and learning songs is still hard, but I am enjoying the process so much, I feel like I’m going through all the hard stuff and I feel happy.
And level 6 is contemporary music and microtonal 31 EDO (ok if you have a microtonal bass or a fretless). Also I believe it’s good to study the double bass and the bow (third year and I am struggling a lot). Great stuff indeed.
Wish I had been taught the circl- wait no- the major and minor scales sooner! I took bass lessons for 6 years before having an enthusiastic teacher who taught them to me, I went home and played for days on end playing to my favorite songs but adding small passing notes. I've played consistently for the last 4 years after that and now I'm able to read notation which as a musical theatre fan feels like a superpower :D
Another excellent lesson Josh. I am at Level 3 ½. I've been playing since I was 15 (self taught) and have learned so much more in the past 5 years after picking up the bass again (thanks to you and others here on RUclips) than I did for the first 20 years I played. Hmm, as for all those bands saying they don't know chords, etc, I think that's kind of BS. It sounds cool and gives you some street cred, but I don't buy it. I knew minimum, but at least I knew the name of the notes on the fretboard and the difference between major and minor chords. Haha, and I loved the Baseball analogy! SPORTS!!! Thanks for sharing. Oh, and jazz and Jaco just sounds like a bunch of noise to me.
This is why i charge 60 the consultation, because the first meeting is the most important part. Here people charge for free and don’t get into a real profile of the course the student needs
I am a freshman and I have been learning music theory for piano the past 3 years I would like to thank you for this because my bass comes in tomorrow and I really do not want to have to learn music theory all over again
Great video! The circle of fifths has its place, but for practical theory on bass, IMO, it's more useful to think of it as straight-line patterns on the fretboard. Take the same fret and the next string, and you are taking one step in the circle, and so on. This goes for almost all theory in that if you manage to think of things as patterns on your instrument, applying it can become almost automatic. Chord substitutions and secondary functions are good examples of how relatively complex things on the page often turn out to be pretty simple on the instrument.
The circle of 5ths is great, though I prefer the reverse order or the "circle of fourths." Not just for key signatures, it shows you the common movement of resolving down a fifth like soooooo much music does. Which also applies to 2-5-1s and other key changes. Really you just need BEADGCFBflat... and so on, but you might as well arrange it in a circle because it cycles back on itself anyway.
Great video, one thing I would add is that as we move up "levels", our understanding of how to shape the sound of our instrument becomes more and more important. i.e. playing near the bridge for brighter sound vs playing near the neck for a rounder sound, amplification and pedals, use of the tone knob, a sponge to mute the strings etc.... in other words understanding how to produce the "correct" bass sound that will fit seamlessly that particular project or session.
Excellent video, Josh....thank you. You're spot on. Especially on scales...I was fortunate enough to have a friend and bass teacher early on who showed me how to learn scales and apply them in a fun way. Massive impact. Thank you!!!
Glad I caught this clip. I'm a guitarist of many years-turned-bassist of late, well versed in theory although a very poor music sight-reader. Oh sure, I can read the silly chord references on sheet music along with single note references, maybe a tad more if I have time to study the sheet. I've recently started playing bass in my smallish church group. I have to learn 4 songs per week... piece-of-cake. Bottom line here is that knowing as much music theory as possible is a real plus whether you play guitar or bass. IMHO it's huge. 🙂🙂
Young boy goes to bass lessons When his dad asks him what he learnt, he said “I learnt the notes on the E string” Week later he goes to his next lesson. His dad asks him what he learnt “I learnt the notes on the A string!” Week later Dad asks how the lesson went “Didn’t go, Dad!” “You didn’t go? Why?” “I had a gig, Dad!” 😂😂😂😂
YES! Finally somebody understands how I learn! I put myself at a solid 3.5 and play in bar bands and a tribute band. Theory knowledge is about zero, but I can reverse engineer rock stuff by ear pretty well. And I'm happy at that level until they put me 6 feet under.
There were a lot of musicians in the past saying "yeah I don't know a thing about anything but I just do my stuff and it works". It works like that almost all the time. music theory is one thing but improvising and composing are something entirely different, it's the real deal! But that doesn't mean you don't need it. Don't be proud because you don't know the things you play thinking you're better being ignorant about it. Rockstars did in the past because there was no free advice anywhere, not because they didn't wanna know.
The theory everyone needs is (1) major scale notes 1, 2, 3, etc. and (2) chords formed from 1, 3, 5, etc. What is "a 7 chord"? Major 7? Minor? And so on - it is simple and essential. Anyone can learn these basics in a few minutes. Plenty of famous musicians say they don't read/write music, but how many of them don't know that the difference between a major chord and a minor chord is in the lowering of one note by a single fret (or semitone)? How many don't know that the lowered note is the 3rd? How many don't know that a 7 chord (as in A7) includes a note called "the 7th" that is two frets below the root? I think they know these things. The most primitive among them might not know the names of these things, but they know the relationships (lowering a certain note, etc.). About the cycles of 4ths and 5ths - they aren't just about which keys are similar, but maybe that was how you were taught. They are about a lot more than that. Many chord progressions follow a cycle of 4ths or 5ths like iii-vi-ii-V-I patterns or the chords of "Hey Joe". This is used so much that just knowing that circle chart will be a huge help when learning songs. So I wouldn't dismiss it.
Great clip from Amadeus. My first instrument was piano, where there's absolutely no debate -- you HAVE to learn to read music, because pianists read ahead to prep the shapes their hands are going to have to form. Whatever you're playing now is totally left-brain; you're not thinking about it at all. This might apply more to guitarists than bassists (I'm both, but I was a bassists first), but the situations where you need to learn to read music are really specialized. If you're going to be in a situation where you need to be able to do it, you'll know. Otherwise, it kind of doesn't come up? There are two or three ways to play the same note on a standard scale bass, each with its own tone, and sheet music isn't the best way to communicate that. If you're going to learn it, you should already know the general idioms of the bass; how tightly you're bound to the 1-2-3-4 and the reasons and effects of playing behind or ahead of the pocket; when to play a note on the fifth fret (usually) and when to play it on an open string, and so on. Then you can figure out which high C# you should play, and reading music is faster than tablature. And unlike other parts of theory, it is something you might have to learn to do multiple times: because sight-reading is a skill that requires maintenance.
Music theory is a codified language of music. If you took English class in school, you were really studying English theory. However, you can learn to speak and understand a language pretty well simply by communicating with people who do. In my opinion, theory needs to be learned in order, the same way you learned English in school. Alphabet = notes/scales Words = chords Parts of speech = scale/chord degrees Phrases = phrases Sentences = Melodies Rhythmic theory is math and, in fact, just fractions. You probably learned how to read and write these things, but it's most valuable to be able to speak and understand them.
I agree completely. I learned mostly by ear and my theory goes as far as a couple scales and knowing the notes on the neck. I play in a few bands around town, sub for a few others and do some session work. It's fun but it's a ton of work to learn a 3+ hour set because I have to memorize everything. Where this really bites me... I can't do anything last minute because I need time to learn it. My buddy that is versed in theory on the other hand just needs time to chart, usually a couple days. I'm working on this skill. Luckily that's based the major scale and I just need to memorize where that lives on the neck.
I started teaching a guy guitar and the first thing I asked him was what he actually wanted to do on guitar - be a player or a writer, and what genre? Now, I don't know if anything else I've done was correct teaching, but I can be happy with that part.
I just retired and turn 65 in 2 months. I want to get to Level 3! I took someone else's online course 6 months ago (when I first picked up a bass), and it did help me, but I'm signing up for your course today. Finally, an instructor who put out there what I'm looking for. And, DON 'T make us wait 2 months for another one of your videos!!!! Love your humor and clear, concise concepts!
Welcome to the club! I am almost done with the course and loving it. Don't let Billie Jean kick your ass, though. Get on the forum and ask for help if you're stuck. There are always lovely people to help out.
as an undergrad student in my last semester studying music, I can tell you that learning Upper chord extensions, sus, diminished, and augmented chords, polyrhythms, and non-diatonic chords will do wonders in your creativity alone, and also your playing. Those are not being "Jazz fusion nerd nutheads" but rather being able to understand more than the root not your playing. with the example of the english language mentioned earlier, if I say "wow that chocolate was good" then yah u understand it fine, but if I say "wow that chocolate was good because of how smooth and creamy the texture was and the balance of salty and sweet." Then you understand me BETTER. I agree with almost everything else said in this video just thought I should point out that as a bassist that usually doesn't go anywhere near jazz, the concepts of polyrhythms and different types of chords helped me so so so so so so much in being a more creative player and understanding how to create riffs in places.
Literally the only real thing I've ever learned from a guy on YT on music so far, is one guy who said "want to learn tons of 'trick' chords? the chords don't matter. The melody matters. The right chord is whatever support the story the melody is trying to say." It's like, suddenly it all made sense. Yes, know chords and how they work and look at what other people use. But ultimately, learning a bunch of chords doesn't write music. They only support the music.
as a noob who has done ALL of the things listed at level 5, it's true. It does make you able to express yourself better, but is in no way necessary in order to make bangers.
I was self taught guitar and bass. The only book I studied was a Green's chord and scale book. If you have the drive to become the best that you can then you can go from back porch picker to playing a 30,000 venue. The music theory book is good for reading material in the bathroom. And it doubles its usage when you rip out a page and wipe with it. Music is in your head and Transmitted to your hands that's your notes. How your hands respond is the feel. It's not in a book.
I'm at level 5 but with piano and uke, but I play in a level 3/4 band. Which is fine with me, because we do get spots where I can solo, so I can nerd out with whatever mode or scale I want.
JOSH I NEED HELP. I just went to a music school for the first time and the teacher is so weird and I have a few questions 1. He doesn’t cut his nails, he likes the sound. But I don’t, does it matter if you cut them or not? 2. Do I need to hum while tuning bc it seems weird to me, if I just listen I can do it too 3. What’s something I need to do that just DOESNT make me sound like a noob That’s it thanks
Okay wait even more sorry 😭 so, do I NEED to move and groove to play because it makes me feel so uncomfortable but he says I need to do it so, idk what to do.
What’s the one thing about music theory you wish someone had told you sooner?
HI HI HI HI HI
It's actually super easy if you go about it properly
When I first studied music theory and I heard the major scale my immediate thought was "oh I hate the way that sounds, it's so sickeningly sweet" but learning the major scale is a great anchor to discuss other aspects of music theory, especially learning modes as "the major scale but with the third, sixth and seventh flattened" etc
The harmonization of the major scale
You pay for 12 notes, play the 12
“The bedroom is a no pressure space to explore the instrument and have fun” is pretty good relationship advice as well.
And to push the analogy farther, it's even more fun with a group of friends.
@@miketo09😂
My dog had to come check on me to make sure I was okay, because I laughed so hard at this.
@@miketo09 Spicy haha
@@miketo09 Does it become too much when the audience starts cheering? XD
Favorite part of the video was the clips of musicians saying they don't know theory then gradually talking about the finer points of theory.
As always
Yeah, it's like a native speaker speaking effortlessly without knowing much "grammar"
So tired of people thinking "you either got it or you don't" like we all didn't put in tons of work
Exactly lol.
I think it ultimately speaks to how little we really understand and have language around music. Most of our language borrows concepts from other mediums (color, warmth, mood, brightness, sharpness, etc.) because we don't really have a proper understanding of why music makes us feel the way it does. We don't have sound/music-specific terms that really nail down what we're talking about, so it makes it hard to explain why any certain passage of music does what it does. Add in art being subjective, and it's just everyone having their own experience.
Dude the effort put in to this videos are unmatched
My bass teacher in high school was actually an accomplished pianist. He taught me what I needed to know to play in jazz band at the time. That amount of theory has forever had me leagues ahead of most band mates.
Awesome story-I've read it multiple times.
Same
Another quality content lesson.
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🎤
Thanks for the support @fenegroni! 🤘
Remember : artists that DIDn't knew music theory (40 years ago at the start of their career) were surrounded by people knowing it ! And a lot of them spend time on their instruments, lots of them had perfect ears which help.
Good company will get you places quickly no matter the subject.
Luckily the internet and RUclips can soften the physical lack of socialization with skillfully-literate people.
A lot of them hired session musicians who had varying levels of this kind of thing.
Thanks!
Thanks for the great video! I wish I could have seen this 25 years ago when I first started learning. I'm around a Level 3 guy, playing occasionally in bar and party bands. I wholeheartedly subscribe to your practicality of levels and where they apply.❤
As a musician myself (piano teacher, organ player) it is funny how much energy people spend to talking about why not to learn music theory, doing ineffective stuff to avoid it, instead of sitting for 2 months, learning the basics and be better in music from the start 😀
people also delude themselves into thinking theory are rules, when it exists to be descriptive and not prescriptive.
@@GypsumGeneration Yess 🙂
The language learning analogy applies. Sure, some enjoy learning grammar and perfecting theory before anything else, but quite a few people learn better and have higher motivation to actually start using the language if they learn simple stuff they can start using right away such as ordering a cup of coffee at a cafe. And I’d wager that many of those would lose interest in language learning if made to study proper grammar first, whereas now they learn intuitively and by trial and error. It’s easy to say that learning theory first would be helpful and sure it would be, but if studying theory makes the person lose interest then it’s the opposite of helpful.
@@Mahtijanis Yes, that's why I am writing people avoiding it, like because they want to avoid. So that's a set of people who could benefit from knowing a theory. I am not talking about people who don't 🙂
@@Mahtijanis Learning how to properly conjugate verbs is super helpful when learning a language. Sure you can just learn phrases to get by on a vacation, but if you want to really learn the language you should sit down and learn how to correctly learn how to conjugate the verb "to be".
Best humour based bass videos on YT. No one is close
One thing to note about the circle of fifths: yes it is useless, but only if you want to play bass guitar and absolutely no other melodic instrument. For those who play several instruments it’s the best visual of intervals that can be used for any instrument.
In my experience, bang on with the "learn what's useful to you" angle. I'm very much a bedroom player, been doing it for about 4 years, no desire to take it further...but scales have been useful, ditto tab, and yeah, an awareness of classical notation helps. And I'm a huge fan of the harmonic scale (yes, thanks to Bill Bailey), have struggled with the circle of fifths and don't really get it, and need to learn my fretboard better. Have I wasted time on theory? Yes. Have I found really useful things in music theory? Yes. Do I want to understand music theory in detail? Yes. Can I be arsed? No, it'd put me off just playing for fun, which is why I do it.
The one piece of knowledge that changed the way I listen to music and appreciated the culture that I feel like everyone should here:
Our knowledge of theory is entirely the language of European Classical composers, although often turned into something new: this is just one flavor out there. You can change the recipe anytime.
Yeah, it's fun to play along with music that's outside of Classical European music theory
The amount of inductive gaps needed to jump over to learn anything related to theory when you first start learning bass is one of the biggest reasons people stop. There are very little resources that actually start from zero. Most assume you have some randomly varying level of knowledge that you then have to go out and learn to learn the thing you're trying to learn. This ranges anywhere from simply putting so much jargon in the "lesson" that it becomes unreadable to assuming you already know a ton about music structure, etc. Eventually I just quit *trying* to learn anything about theory and just ended up learning what was useful from theory by playing my instrument. Cool to see that validated, Josh. More people should really be open and honest about the actual importance of theory and where it should be applied!
The helpfull stuff is giving you an exercice... Usefull, but it'll say "also practice in all 12 keys, good luck for that mate".
Worst advice is obviously "practice scale in two or three octave on all scales" (how ? what do you mean ? zefuck ?)
It took me 2 years to be able to understand what does it means...
Intervals are the single most important part of music theory because you use them to draw (ever sophisticated) chords.
Be more concise
My first bass teacher taught me all of the "7" arppegios or "chords" from a given root positions and all the modes as same so that I could read lead sheets or improvise simple walking bass lines. I was stunned at music school to see in its library that a saxophonist's Master'ss thesis was titled "How to Compose a Walking Bass Line".
I cannot understate how much truth you've spoken here with no judgment. Appreciate you recoginizing that we all have different goals but also selling why the more advanced is still very helpful. Amazing work as always. Couldn't say any of this better.
Josh is one of the best teachers in the world. This video demonstrates why his method is so amazing. He knows how to balance knowledge to help you progress, based on your needs. His beginner to badass course is thoughtfully designed and meticulously organized. It gave me just the sufficient amount of theory to understand stuff that I needed to progress and awaken my curiosity to learn more.
Also in one of Josh's previous lessons his simple explanation of bass tonality with eq frequencies made it easy to understand
Music theory is everything!!!! I don’t know a whole lot of MT but what I do know has been invaluable and helps me learn songs more easily.
Music PhD here, and long-time fan of this channel - reading the comments, I can't help but think of that anecdote about how learning physics won't prevent you from enjoying a sunset, but will actually make you enjoy it with renewed wonder. Studying things like harmony, counterpoint, granular synthesis, music history etc opened up a whole universe of sound to me. Harmony was one of the things that blew me away, and I could never listen to music the same way again - the thrills are still there, but much enhanced by the little knowledge I gained through studying music. I may or may not be a better bassist after that, but I sure am a happier musician.
The circle of 5ths is too often taught as an exposition of keys signatures and the relationship of keys, but that is NOT what it's usefulness is. It's an incredibly succinct visual chart of all the patterns of typical chords and notes in every key. It's so simple to read and takes barely a few minutes to learn how. I absolutely love all your videos, but think you're underselling the circle here!
Agreed completely. Josh is overselling underteaching. I was easily at level 1-2 on my own. Then I took one lesson and while I was killing myself trying to play Tom Sawyer, he had me open up page 1, Mel Bay and try to play Mary Had a Little Lamb.... and it was terrible.
In an hour, he'd fixed my left and right hand technique with a couple of simple exercises (which I still do today), and taught me the basics of the Circle of Fifths. I went home and wrote out the scales and the notes for each chord in each key, saw the pattern and now it all made sense. I had been music adjacent by having some basic stuff in school, but this just UNLOCKED... as in the ROSETTA STONE, the basics of music.
Was about to say, the circle of fifths is so useful!
To be honest the circle if 5ths has been the most practical and useful piece of music theory I've ever learnt.
As a brass player, it has been invaluable for understanding how to transpose when playing with other instruments who don't play in my natural key.
Funny story, in Mexico one of the most popular pharmacy franchise is called Similares. (Yes, it comes from "similar", as they sell affordable generic drug). Anyways, if you're familiar with the circle of fifths, you probably already see that moving counterclockwise from C to F, then we have, in solfege, well, Sib, Mib, Lab, Reb, Solb (Fa#), then SiMiLaReSol 😅
The pattern of notes around the cycle of 5ths/4ths is important for stringed instrument players because it's the same pattern that occurs across the strings.
If you know the notes on the fretboard, you're learning it anyway whether you think it's important or not
I feel like most of these are stuff that most of us know. Really the ones that would actually help.
1) recommended books for sight reading practice.
2) recommended exercises for ear training
3) tips on learning songs quickly.
I enjoy music theory, so I know it. The issue is the actual practical stuff that will allow me to seek gigs with confidence.
Normally a beginner does not know even the possible goals in music, he is not ready to set specific goals yet or to judge it properly, the only think is to trust the teacher and pick the best he can afford
When I was a kid I played cello, and I was pretty good at sight reading. However, nobody explained one bit of music theory. To a mathematical/programming nerd type, I found playing unsatisfying. The notation seemed arbitrary and each song was just a long string of notes. I could tell patterns were in there but with nobody to explain the patterns, I remained ignorant. After six years I quit.
Many years later I picked up bass and this time I wanted to learn the theory. I already could read bass clef, I knew the note names, so some of that boring stuff was already out of the way. The huge, aha/eureka moment was from a video that explained that playing every other note starting at each degree of the scale produced a characteristic chord. Once I saw how key determines chords and how the puzzle fits together, I was off to the races. Modes suddenly made sense. Once I understood those aspects of diatonic theory, I had a framework for understanding where secondary dominants etc fit in.
Of course, even once you know the theory intellectually, it is a lot of time and work to internalize it and play with taste. I'm still working on that. :-)
I played clarinet for 6 years and I could sight-read and even shift my sight-reading to play sax, but never learned anything about theory. Took one year of choir in high school and learned major/minors, variations, chromatic scales, all the basic stuff. I was like "WHY DIDN'T I LEARN ANY OF THIS IN BAND?" Seriously, not one damn thing about intervals or anything.
Dude, I am your biggest fan. Bass Buzz: Beginner to Badass changed my life. I'm 46 and last January I bought your course. It was everything I needed for me to achieve my goals in learning the bass and set a foundation for a hobby that I hope will last me the rest of my life.
In October I got on stage at a funk jam and played live in front of people without (too much) fear and I didn't die. I actually got complements!
AND, I've started jamming with some guys twice per month, and they call me Thundarr, the bass carryin barbarian, which my inner child thinks is really, really cool.
AAAAND when I was at GC trying out some amps, this guy came over and told me he was a drummer and that I sounded good and I was "in the pocket". I'm 46 but I was blushing like I was 13. For Christmas I was gifted a month of lessons at GC (so expensive) and my bass teacher told me today he was super impressed by how good I was for someone learning online and how good my technique is, which I attribute solely to you and your course. He described me as an intermediate player!!!!!!🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Thank you for being awesome. Let me know if you ever want to interview me so I can gush in person. I am spreading the good word about your course everywhere I can. What you do is not easy to do well, and you are killing it. Crazy to think about how many faces are getting melted at any given moment because of your course. It's a gift to the universe!
Dude, as a bedroom player, wanting to go but being scared sh*tless to accept an invitation to a jam session is incredibly relatable.
This is such a useful video to figure out on what to focus next!
Well said. This is what I tell my bass, guitar and pianist students and they start learning real quick. TO have fun and play in their bands.
Dude, great job on this video! Very well put from one professional/teacher/theory nerd to another. Bravo!
I've played hundreds of gigs as a guitarist, many of which involved jamming, improvising, or depping despite having no formal training, no real knowledge of theory, and no ability or desire to read sheet music or tab. I _do_ know lots of chords and scales, and simply "read" their shapes on the fretboard, while using my ears to identify the key, time signature, and groove. For me, the best way to learn was in the bedroom, playing along with my favourite records, and then joining a band to play with people of similar ability.
I feel very fortunate that Music Theory was an elective in high school, and we could select it every year. The teacher, Mr. Binns, was super passionate about music and his enthusiasm was contagious. My guitar teacher has been teaching me some theory here and there, but it was awkward and needlessly complex, but this class laid everything out in perfect clarity. And he taught everything in the context of 4-part harmony, which I think made everything more obvious and related.
About 10 or 12 years ago I started taking bass lessons and quit after 2 months. I’ve made greater improvements through your RUclips channel. In a few months I’ll be able to afford to pay for the beginner to badass course. I can’t wait!
I've been playing basically fully self taught for 16 years. I've been in a folk band playing all the local pubs and now I play at my church. I have finally decided it's time to try and stretch past the plateau I've been chilling in for so long. I think I probably land somewhere on stage three and it's time to reach for stage four.
I’m still grappling with music theory as a level 1 bassist who wants to understand level 5 concepts. Having recently picked up the handpan, I’ve been trying to work out how best to approach the instrument. Since its tunings are often diatonic but tend to skip certain scale degrees, it’s making me appreciate intervals on a deeper level.
Rather than just memorising diatonic chord progressions and the Nashville number system, I’m focusing on the intervals-like root, minor third, and perfect fifth-to form a minor chord. This is helping me slowly build my knowledge of different chords-major, minor, half-diminished, suspended, augmented, and so on-and how they fit into progressions.
But cognitively, remembering the information is what I find elusive. My fingers seem to know what they should be doing for certain chords or melody lines, but my brain doesn’t always recall why I’m doing it that way. Very frustrating.
Brilliant content. This reminds me of the importance of walking before running!
Well, here's some theory for you:
A diatonic scale doesn't skip any of the notes.
What you've most likely got is a pentatonic scale.
If it's major, there's no 4th or 7th - so for C: C D E G A C
If it's minor, there's no 2nd or 6th so for C: C Eb F G Bb C
@@nuberiffic I really appreciate that 😁 I just wrapped up a four-hour public music gathering, letting kids try my instruments. Never a thing broken (yet); it’s the adults I don’t trust! Once my brain recovers tonight, I’ll dig into your info!
@ No worries man.
My advice is to just take some small part of theory and start applying to things.
Write it out, make some charts.
For me, it was learning that a major scale is just a set of intervals: Tone Tone Semitone Tone Tone Tone Semitone.
Using that I worked out and wrote down all 12 major scales following the circle of fifths.
You'll just start seeing patterns.
Theory is like learning another language.
If you hear two people speaking Mandarin to each other, it'll just sound like nonsense.
But if you learn a couple of words, that'll give you something to latch on to, and you can start getting more from context.
If you want to learn more theory, I'd recommend Signals music studio on YT as well.
It's not about remembering. It's about practice. Learn this stuff one small piece at a time. If you drill the theory everyday you will simply "know" it. It might take a month or it might just take a week. Just do the work and it will come together.
i can't describe how much bass buzz has taught me
thank you so much!!
Why is saying "I don't know theory, but I can play amazingly well" somehow the holy grail of music?
It crazy to think 2 years ago, I watch your scales video and finally understanding scales!
I would consider myself a level 1 bass player then. Today it would be in the beginning of 5!
Thanks Josh!
Your channel has taught me so much!
So happy I came across this channel, it is an absolute goldmine of useful information! Thank you so much for these, Josh.
Thank u so much that's exactly what I need right now, about to watch the scales video
Learning at the same time as joining a band while being a total noob when most of members know theory is exciting to say the least !
Yess!!
I kept seeing these comments that you should learn the circle of fifths. So I finally searched it on youtube and the first video I opened had this smug guy saying "well it's also the cycle of fourths" and then going through how you add those #'s in order. I was left screaming "what do I do with this information? I need someone to explain it to me like Josh does and starting with the WHY!"
I was so happy just seeing the cover of this video 😅
The best bass content around, simple with humor as a bonus. Thx'lot!
Glad to hear a bass teacher talk about what isn't a priority at which level. Too often there is an "everything everywhere all at once" approach. One comment about the video-you can't always become a competent level 1 bass player by yourself in your bedroom. This said as a level 0.1 player. And thanks for saying that wanting just to play at home is an OK goal.
Thank you lol. I swear if I hear one more musician say the circle of 5ths is so important without actually explaining what it means or how to use it…
It's simple: I wake up to a new BassBuzz video, I click it immediately.
Seriously, Josh has made my bass journey fun and fulfilling. I'm definitely in the realm of Bedrooms, but it would be cool for me to grow into level 3 or (dare I dream?) level 4.
By far the BEST music theory video out there. Thank you so very much for posting this. I have solid level 3 knowledge that only does level 1stuff. And I just don't have it in me to learn any more. I always enjoy your content and did get your "Beginner to Badass" course but I only learn what I want.
I started learning theory in high school and quickly turned into one of those people who loves getting into all of the abstract concepts. Although, I never learned how to sight read and I still don't get non diatonic chords.
I love this Channel, we can see The passion on creating, searching sources and getting good information. Tank you Josh for sharing ALL this knowledge with us 👏🏾
I love your layout and framing of the "why?". I wish I had this video OR the ability to communicate this in such a way 10-20 years ago when I was often the only one among many playing music that had theory knowledge.
Explaining level 5 was very validating in why my lessons felt so hard and I lost motivation for a while there. Modes make my head spin 😵💫
We need the badass to legend course!!!!
Music theory is infinite, but it’s nerd’s stuff and I love it.
I strongly believe that to be a good bassist you need to play the bass, there is no way to cut corners on that.
It’s the 10000 hours of playing that makes you sound good.
But, studying harmony, and counterpoint these are really the coolest things to do in your life as a musician (not only a bassist).
Sight reading is another great tool for a musician (unless you’re playing only with sight reading, so becoming easily like a cripple with a crutch).
I am not a pro, and learning songs is still hard, but I am enjoying the process so much, I feel like I’m going through all the hard stuff and I feel happy.
And level 6 is contemporary music and microtonal 31 EDO (ok if you have a microtonal bass or a fretless).
Also I believe it’s good to study the double bass and the bow (third year and I am struggling a lot). Great stuff indeed.
Wish I had been taught the circl- wait no- the major and minor scales sooner! I took bass lessons for 6 years before having an enthusiastic teacher who taught them to me, I went home and played for days on end playing to my favorite songs but adding small passing notes. I've played consistently for the last 4 years after that and now I'm able to read notation which as a musical theatre fan feels like a superpower :D
Best bass teacher on youtube hands down!
I watch all of your videos, buddy!
Another excellent lesson Josh. I am at Level 3 ½. I've been playing since I was 15 (self taught) and have learned so much more in the past 5 years after picking up the bass again (thanks to you and others here on RUclips) than I did for the first 20 years I played. Hmm, as for all those bands saying they don't know chords, etc, I think that's kind of BS. It sounds cool and gives you some street cred, but I don't buy it. I knew minimum, but at least I knew the name of the notes on the fretboard and the difference between major and minor chords. Haha, and I loved the Baseball analogy! SPORTS!!! Thanks for sharing. Oh, and jazz and Jaco just sounds like a bunch of noise to me.
This is why i charge 60 the consultation, because the first meeting is the most important part. Here people charge for free and don’t get into a real profile of the course the student needs
It's all about the GROOVE
and root notes
Great video. Great editing!
I am a freshman and I have been learning music theory for piano the past 3 years I would like to thank you for this because my bass comes in tomorrow and I really do not want to have to learn music theory all over again
One thing that REALLY helped me that i didn't know before was that theres formulas for major and minor scales.
Brilliant video! Thank you. That’s a really useful summary, I think the best theory summary I’ve seen. The gym comparison is spot on too. Ta!
BRUH EARLY I LOVE THESE VIDS AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR
Great video! The circle of fifths has its place, but for practical theory on bass, IMO, it's more useful to think of it as straight-line patterns on the fretboard. Take the same fret and the next string, and you are taking one step in the circle, and so on. This goes for almost all theory in that if you manage to think of things as patterns on your instrument, applying it can become almost automatic. Chord substitutions and secondary functions are good examples of how relatively complex things on the page often turn out to be pretty simple on the instrument.
The circle of 5ths is great, though I prefer the reverse order or the "circle of fourths." Not just for key signatures, it shows you the common movement of resolving down a fifth like soooooo much music does. Which also applies to 2-5-1s and other key changes. Really you just need BEADGCFBflat... and so on, but you might as well arrange it in a circle because it cycles back on itself anyway.
Great video, one thing I would add is that as we move up "levels", our understanding of how to shape the sound of our instrument becomes more and more important.
i.e. playing near the bridge for brighter sound vs playing near the neck for a rounder sound, amplification and pedals, use of the tone knob, a sponge to mute the strings etc.... in other words understanding how to produce the "correct" bass sound that will fit seamlessly that particular project or session.
Excellent video, Josh....thank you. You're spot on. Especially on scales...I was fortunate enough to have a friend and bass teacher early on who showed me how to learn scales and apply them in a fun way. Massive impact. Thank you!!!
1:48 But I like theory. It nerdy and weird. Like me!!
2:25 “months to get fluent.” LOL, he said “months.” 😂
ABSOLUTELY STUNNING PRESENTATION .
So i’m between a level 3 and 4! Lovely video, i’m mostly a casual jammer but i’ve played bars and i really dig the separation of levels here
Glad I caught this clip. I'm a guitarist of many years-turned-bassist of late, well versed in theory although a very poor music sight-reader. Oh sure, I can read the silly chord references on sheet music along with single note references, maybe a tad more if I have time to study the sheet. I've recently started playing bass in my smallish church group. I have to learn 4 songs per week... piece-of-cake. Bottom line here is that knowing as much music theory as possible is a real plus whether you play guitar or bass. IMHO it's huge. 🙂🙂
Young boy goes to bass lessons
When his dad asks him what he learnt, he said
“I learnt the notes on the E string”
Week later he goes to his next lesson. His dad asks him what he learnt
“I learnt the notes on the A string!”
Week later Dad asks how the lesson went
“Didn’t go, Dad!”
“You didn’t go? Why?”
“I had a gig, Dad!”
😂😂😂😂
YES! Finally somebody understands how I learn! I put myself at a solid 3.5 and play in bar bands and a tribute band. Theory knowledge is about zero, but I can reverse engineer rock stuff by ear pretty well. And I'm happy at that level until they put me 6 feet under.
There were a lot of musicians in the past saying "yeah I don't know a thing about anything but I just do my stuff and it works". It works like that almost all the time. music theory is one thing but improvising and composing are something entirely different, it's the real deal! But that doesn't mean you don't need it. Don't be proud because you don't know the things you play thinking you're better being ignorant about it. Rockstars did in the past because there was no free advice anywhere, not because they didn't wanna know.
Brilliantly Demonstrated For Simple Comprehension - And Congrats To The Bass Buzzers That Made This Episode
Groove On ,
Cheers
The idea of asking everyone who picks up a bass to determine their learning level based on what their musical goal is…. Simple yet profound ❤
The theory everyone needs is (1) major scale notes 1, 2, 3, etc. and (2) chords formed from 1, 3, 5, etc. What is "a 7 chord"? Major 7? Minor? And so on - it is simple and essential. Anyone can learn these basics in a few minutes. Plenty of famous musicians say they don't read/write music, but how many of them don't know that the difference between a major chord and a minor chord is in the lowering of one note by a single fret (or semitone)? How many don't know that the lowered note is the 3rd? How many don't know that a 7 chord (as in A7) includes a note called "the 7th" that is two frets below the root? I think they know these things. The most primitive among them might not know the names of these things, but they know the relationships (lowering a certain note, etc.).
About the cycles of 4ths and 5ths - they aren't just about which keys are similar, but maybe that was how you were taught. They are about a lot more than that. Many chord progressions follow a cycle of 4ths or 5ths like iii-vi-ii-V-I patterns or the chords of "Hey Joe". This is used so much that just knowing that circle chart will be a huge help when learning songs. So I wouldn't dismiss it.
As someone who recently got his undergrad in music, level 5 had me in tears. Modal frking interchange baby! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
2:33 currently in my Police phase, and I really liked that Roxanne was used as the example for the Tabs section
4:42 oh hell yeah, Stewart Copeland
was bout to go searching about exactly this and boom first video is bass buzz as soon as i open youtube 😤 🔥
As always, totally enjoy your post and I learn from them too.
Great clip from Amadeus. My first instrument was piano, where there's absolutely no debate -- you HAVE to learn to read music, because pianists read ahead to prep the shapes their hands are going to have to form. Whatever you're playing now is totally left-brain; you're not thinking about it at all.
This might apply more to guitarists than bassists (I'm both, but I was a bassists first), but the situations where you need to learn to read music are really specialized. If you're going to be in a situation where you need to be able to do it, you'll know. Otherwise, it kind of doesn't come up? There are two or three ways to play the same note on a standard scale bass, each with its own tone, and sheet music isn't the best way to communicate that.
If you're going to learn it, you should already know the general idioms of the bass; how tightly you're bound to the 1-2-3-4 and the reasons and effects of playing behind or ahead of the pocket; when to play a note on the fifth fret (usually) and when to play it on an open string, and so on. Then you can figure out which high C# you should play, and reading music is faster than tablature.
And unlike other parts of theory, it is something you might have to learn to do multiple times: because sight-reading is a skill that requires maintenance.
Music theory is a codified language of music. If you took English class in school, you were really studying English theory. However, you can learn to speak and understand a language pretty well simply by communicating with people who do.
In my opinion, theory needs to be learned in order, the same way you learned English in school.
Alphabet = notes/scales
Words = chords
Parts of speech = scale/chord degrees
Phrases = phrases
Sentences = Melodies
Rhythmic theory is math and, in fact, just fractions.
You probably learned how to read and write these things, but it's most valuable to be able to speak and understand them.
Best bass content on the internet hands down
This dude is the best I tell ya; the best. His course is worth the money. Lots of fun.
I agree completely. I learned mostly by ear and my theory goes as far as a couple scales and knowing the notes on the neck. I play in a few bands around town, sub for a few others and do some session work. It's fun but it's a ton of work to learn a 3+ hour set because I have to memorize everything. Where this really bites me... I can't do anything last minute because I need time to learn it. My buddy that is versed in theory on the other hand just needs time to chart, usually a couple days. I'm working on this skill. Luckily that's based the major scale and I just need to memorize where that lives on the neck.
I started teaching a guy guitar and the first thing I asked him was what he actually wanted to do on guitar - be a player or a writer, and what genre?
Now, I don't know if anything else I've done was correct teaching, but I can be happy with that part.
I just retired and turn 65 in 2 months. I want to get to Level 3! I took someone else's online course 6 months ago (when I first picked up a bass), and it did help me, but I'm signing up for your course today. Finally, an instructor who put out there what I'm looking for. And, DON 'T make us wait 2 months for another one of your videos!!!! Love your humor and clear, concise concepts!
Welcome to the club! I am almost done with the course and loving it. Don't let Billie Jean kick your ass, though. Get on the forum and ask for help if you're stuck. There are always lovely people to help out.
I’m 25% through the course as a complete beginner. It is already worth the money. Good luck 🤘
Love the Snarky Puppy reference…. I’m watching this on the airplane back from watching the recording of their latest album!
Excellent explanation
as an undergrad student in my last semester studying music, I can tell you that learning Upper chord extensions, sus, diminished, and augmented chords, polyrhythms, and non-diatonic chords will do wonders in your creativity alone, and also your playing. Those are not being "Jazz fusion nerd nutheads" but rather being able to understand more than the root not your playing. with the example of the english language mentioned earlier, if I say "wow that chocolate was good" then yah u understand it fine, but if I say "wow that chocolate was good because of how smooth and creamy the texture was and the balance of salty and sweet." Then you understand me BETTER. I agree with almost everything else said in this video just thought I should point out that as a bassist that usually doesn't go anywhere near jazz, the concepts of polyrhythms and different types of chords helped me so so so so so so much in being a more creative player and understanding how to create riffs in places.
I love this. You need to teach seminars for music teachers
Literally the only real thing I've ever learned from a guy on YT on music so far, is one guy who said "want to learn tons of 'trick' chords? the chords don't matter. The melody matters. The right chord is whatever support the story the melody is trying to say." It's like, suddenly it all made sense. Yes, know chords and how they work and look at what other people use. But ultimately, learning a bunch of chords doesn't write music. They only support the music.
as a noob who has done ALL of the things listed at level 5, it's true. It does make you able to express yourself better, but is in no way necessary in order to make bangers.
This is a really insightful video. Well done!
I was self taught guitar and bass. The only book I studied was a Green's chord and scale book. If you have the drive to become the best that you can then you can go from back porch picker to playing a 30,000 venue. The music theory book is good for reading material in the bathroom. And it doubles its usage when you rip out a page and wipe with it. Music is in your head and Transmitted to your hands that's your notes. How your hands respond is the feel. It's not in a book.
When is the follow up course, Badass and Beyond?? You're my favorite teacher, thanks!
Thank you for another excellent video. You make so much sense.
1:38 Me:"Unless your favorite songs are crazy Jazz Fusion.My situation.
Another fantastic video ! Thank you very much for share your knowledge with us!
I'm at level 5 but with piano and uke, but I play in a level 3/4 band. Which is fine with me, because we do get spots where I can solo, so I can nerd out with whatever mode or scale I want.
JOSH I NEED HELP. I just went to a music school for the first time and the teacher is so weird and I have a few questions
1. He doesn’t cut his nails, he likes the sound. But I don’t, does it matter if you cut them or not?
2. Do I need to hum while tuning bc it seems weird to me, if I just listen I can do it too
3. What’s something I need to do that just DOESNT make me sound like a noob
That’s it thanks
No actually one more do I have to pluck realllyyyy hard? He says I need to but I’m afraid of that man
Okay wait even more sorry 😭 so, do I NEED to move and groove to play because it makes me feel so uncomfortable but he says I need to do it so, idk what to do.
Another day, another banger by BassBuzz...