The 10 Rules of Bass Playing (That Pros Break)
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- Опубликовано: 5 июн 2021
- 👉 My full beginner bass course: yeah.bassbuzz.com/10rules
Are rules meant to be broken? Here are 10 commonly taught “bass rules” - let’s see why the pros break ‘em, and if you should too.
According to Teacher Josh’s “proper” bass rules -
* Geddy Lee is plucking too hard
* James Jamerson doesn’t use enough fingers
* Chris Squire doesn’t either, but on the other hand
* Louis Johnson’s hand is all wrong
* Rocco Prestia’s fretting technique is a mess
* Robert Trujillo’s bass is too many miles from his head
* Peter Hook should be penalized by the FAA for flying that high
* Victor Wooten’s tone doesn’t count as “bass tone”
* Billy Sheehan don’t know enough theory to play that good
* Sting is missing the most important beat in his bass lines
Check out @TheArtofGuitar Mike's “Rules Pro Guitarists Break” video - • 10 "Proper" Rules That...
As you may suspect... I disagree!
In this lesson I’ll explain in detail why these legendary bassists are “breaking the rules,” and how it can improve (or hurt) your playing to follow their lead.
And at the end, I’ll challenge Teacher Josh to see if he can actually play the bass...
Click here to subscribe - how can ye have any pudding if ye don’t eat yer meat? yeah.bassbuzz.com/subscribe
#BassRules #TeacherJoshApproved 
Видеоклипы
Just got a letter from Teacher Josh… I’ve been expelled. 🎓🔨💔
Timestamps for this lesson:
0:29 - Rule #1
1:35 - Rule #2
2:36 - Rule #3
3:37 - Rule #4
4:29 - Rule #5
5:35 - Rule #6
6:46 - Rule #7
7:47 - Rule #8
9:20 - Rule #9
10:12 - Rule #10
You're an awesome person lol
You forget 1 rule that bring so many debates...play with close and tight finger space....not spreading fingers like spider legs
@@XVENDETTA100 the struggle is real.lol .that is one of the biggest challenges for me right now as a beginner bass player🙉
Wait how was this comment made a week ago?
@@debbypetersen8421 everyone has different hand size..narrower hand has difficulty to react in time to reach the fret...and yet the rule is same.....play with close fingering as close as possible..and yet sometime we asked to play with "1 finger per fret" style...
while we are struggling to make it tight and close....we also struggling to see the tutorial or playthrough from youtube with close fingering guys and keep predicting....what fret that he pushed ..actually ?
I believe John Frusciante said: "You learn the rules so that when you break them, you do it with finesse"
Ah yes, my favorite bassist
No srsly I love Frusciante lmao great quote
That's way too coherent for John Frusciante.
If you don't know the rules, you break them because you don't know any better.
If you DO know the rules, you break them because you KNOW what's better.
A professional knows the rules and why they exist so they can be broken intentionally.
An amateur has no idea what the rules are so even good ideas sound terrible.
Same way with driving you learn all the rules. To later in life fallow along in the way you think works for the situation. So you can’t just jump in a car and not care about rules because you don’t know ….
Geddy Lee: I attack the bass.
DM: Roll for initiative.
He gets mad bonuses ;)
And when Sheehan doesn't know the notes he's playing, it just means he min-maxxed into Str and Con and left the Int and Wis skills for the bard in the band.
@@kahwigulum You are awesome! :D
"It's a crit"
Yeah pretty sure they had to do away with dice when Geddy was rolling because to fit a big enough number on the dice it just looked like a ball
I think that he has a course from beginner to badass that he wants to share with us.
Oh yeah, I've heard of that course, I hear it's good. :P
It’s only 200 bucks for tons of content. Not a bad deal. If he keeps bringing it up in his videos I might just get it soon
Do it! It's a great course and resource!
@@Sin00b imagine having 200 bucks lol
It actually is good. It is a slow progression so if you are already fairly far into being self taught but really just go through the motions even if it’s stuff you already know.
As a 70 year old novice, I’m learning a lot from this channel. My current goal is to become semi competent before I snuff it.
I've been playing for 50+ years and describe myself as 'merely adequate'.
"My current goal is to become semi competent before I snuff it."
Poetry.
love that, keep going man
Chris Squire was 6' 4"
Tall guy = big hands = wide reach = infrequent pinky use.
I'm 5' 9". I use my pinky all the time.
5'7 and I think I might overuse my pinky!
6'3" = frequent four finger/OFPF use.
5'4- Same. My hands are TINY.
I'm 6'7" and I use my pinky all the time!
@@BassBuzz know the rules, then break them, as others in the comments suggest?)
my preferred example for overplucking is Geezer Butler. He really fucking goes for the strings
I think a big part of his is he played guitar first. He plays bass for black sabbath because the already has a guitarist so he just grabbed a bass and started playing.
I’d say either him or Steve Harris, but he learned it from Geezer anyway.
@@lukebrogan6913 Steve Harris doesn't pluck that hard, he has a very low action and that gives him the sound he has.
I love how at 5:41 James Hetfield tells the sound engineer to turn Trujillo up. And Justice for All must have caught up to him! Haha
Thanks for giving Hooky some love, he pioneered "lead bass"
And he plays his bass waaaaaayyyy below the waist. So does Simon Gallup.
BTW New Order without him are just another synth band. He gave them an edge and an ID.
@@GVike Absolutely! If you listen to his Revenge and Monaco work, you can hear how integral he was to the sound of NO and JD!
And lets be honest, he has more personality and stage presence that the rest of NO combined. (Though Morris can be pretty funny)
Killer content, killer explanation, killer humour.
I'd like to say this exceeds my expectations, but this is BassBuzz, so it's quite the standard here.
❤️
Thanks Edoardo!
Teacher Josh: "Keep your bass above the waist"
Every metal/punk bassist ever: "No."
hell no
That one isn't just about looking cool, although that's the greater part of it. I've talked to a couple guys who do almost Trujillo low strap and they both explained there was a physical reason for it: by doing it this way your left (fretting) hand does not extend as far out from your body, which, for these two, was an energy savings. The only problem with this is your technique has to be specifically tailored to that strap height. It's not something you can just change from one day to the next expecting no issues.
I used to play my bass pretty low... but as I wanted to improve and play more advanced parts, it was just easier to become a nipple rider.
@@jasongall7634 it's a matter of choice my friend
If I was physically playing the way Victor Wooten is, I might be wearing my bass where he does. But I basically never slap and tap like he does, instead I play with a pick or with classical guitar technique, so I wear my bass a lot lower.
You forgot to mention the Lemmy Exception to bass playing: Break ALL of the bass rules, and play like you want to.
great take , RIP lemmy. FACT 1: guitar has been around since the 1600's, FACT 2: Bass guitar has only been around since the 1950's. that's 400 years of people making the rules for guitar... i'd say the true "rules" are still being written for bass guitar. which is why i have a love-hate relationship with this topic (bass rules). i wouldn't call any of these "Rules" maybe guidelines. but i hate calling any thing bass guitar related a set in stone rule. The instrument is just too damn young to say any thing is set in stone.
Geddy Lee - “I don’t do soft picking.”
You had me at hello, Mr. Lee.
Dynamics are the worst. Couldn't agree more.
I learned this from photography, know the rules then break them.
Same with my art teacher lol
Same
Yes, it's because you understand what the rules are for that you know when and how to break them.
While music theory isn’t needed, you should always try to learn as much of it as you can do you can improvise better, improve your technique, and communicate with other musicians. Learning the theory is an amazing tool that will always improve your playing. Don’t skip out on it. Billy Sheehan’s musical sense of mechanics is what gives him his patterns. He plays scale patterns a lot and that comes from the mechanics of his fretting hand more than anything.
I’ve just discovered your channel and you’re my hero! I quitted bass guitar 15 yrs ago - basically for lack of self-esteem (considering my family tree, I’m the only “musical person” in the house who didn’t make it/graduate in classical music) and because of a new dimension in life (young adult work schedule). But lately, somehow, something happened and I took the chance of brushing upon my bass practice. I’m not going to lie, I was moved - sooo surprised! - when I realized I was not that bad... your content is so well-structured and fun and passionate that I’m starting again. Can’t wait... Thank you so much, to me it’s like a breath of fresh air! Ciao from Milan, Italy 🤍
You're welcome Angie, ciao!
I love the reference to system of a down: "disorder, disooorder"
One advantage of learning music theory seldom gets much press. You can acquire new material much quicker. With four days, I played an audition with eight new songs for a band this afternoon. There'd be no way to remember that much new music if I couldn't read.
Yes! Also helps chunk the information mentally better when memorizing.
Yeah, but you can learn it even faster if you have good relative pitch.
@@aprilkurtz1589 Ear training is key to learning songs off the record. Yes.
That's how I started ear training, then, though I didn't think of it as ear training, I was just learning bass by listening to and playing along with the radio. I don't know how to read, or read tab, and I don't know theory, so if I must learn covers, I play along with YT vids.
@@aprilkurtz1589 It’s ear training alright. If it was a merit badge, you’d have earned it after a half dozen songs. Don’t be weirded-out by terms like music theory and ear training. They’re all the words we have for this stuff.
Just sitting here - without my Bass - ABSORBING Bass Knowledge. I like videos like that occasionally. Since I started watching your awesome channel two years ago my whole Bass Dream came alive again. I played my first set in front of a live audience on July 4th. My Daughter is excited about her Guitar again and my Son just bought a sweet keyboard. We’re learning to play Green Onions together. You and your teaching style and format made ALL THE DIFFERENCE, Josh.
Finally! More bass buzz! Watching this channel and practicing is probably my favourite past time
Thank you!
Rule 6: keep your bass above your waist UNLESS you wanna play like Krist Novoselic
Or Paul Gray
Rule 6 Corollary: Keep your bass under your head UNLESS you wanna get whacked like Krist Novoselic
Good video as always. Very cool of you to give a shout out to Mike G. I watched a lot of his lessons and I can confirm he is a excellent guitar teacher and a very chill dude.
Yeah, as soon as you said "don't pluck too hard" I thought of Geddy Lee. And a second later he appears in the video...😁
That guy _really_ manhandles his bass! 🙂
I had no idea how hard I played until I had a new bass set up. The tech was really proud about the setup.
Me: rattle clatter rattle clatter - can you raise it a bit?
Him: um yeah, I guess (makes some adjustments)
Me: rattle clatter rattle clatter - maybe a bit more?
Him: (more adjustments)
Me: some good solid notes with a little clatter - maybe a bit more?
Him: (sigh) dude, seriously?
I ended up with a spectacular setup, but we were both surprised at what it took 🧐
@@chadward And you're able to fret the notes comfortably?😁
Learned it from the OG John Entwistle. Dude banged his fingers on the strings.
I'm still a beginner learner after 46 years playing, but i still enjoy, and learn something from each of these videos, even if it is only going back to basics each time, and for that i thank you.
Thanks Greg!
Cool video! I admit I was a little disappointed that Hooky wasn't cited for rule 6, so I was pleasantly surprised to see him in the very next one! Good job on noting to drone the lower strings, it's something some people still miss.
the most entertaining bass vids on the WWW. thanks for great content!
❤️ for mentioning Chris Squire
Another great video! Thanks Josh and Teacher Josh.
In 30+ years playing bass, predominantly metal, but also a lot of rock, funk, jazz, blues, and progressive, I never thought of single finger plucking as a desirable technique. 3 finger is something I've been doing more frequently in recent years (abandoned using pinky to pluck).
Thank you josh for putting so much effort in your videos. What I most like about these is that every second of the video is entertaining and so learning is much more fun.
Thank you!
👍🏼Yup
Agree 💯% ✅
He’s an ace, umm no, the ♠️ Ace 🎶 bass teacher on RUclips
And Josh actually reads his disciples’s Comments
Hey, why not?! Any uber positive feedback ie appreciative comments gotta be good for any teacher 👨🏫
BassBuzz Josh certainly doesn’t lack confidence or enthusiasm
And that enthusiasm is the 🔑 characteristic trait a standout teacher needs and shows and uses
Enthusiasm is infectious in the classroom
And I know whereof I speak as a English as a Second Language teacher at all levels from Beginner to College for the last 30 years
Your videos are so fun to watch. You crack me up lol. I never knew learning could be fun. Best Bass teacher.
Wonderful lesson Josh. Its always fun watching your videos. You give practical advice, great examples and all with some fun behind it. You're a terrific teacher.
Thanks Thomas!
I love your channel Jooshh!! I found extremely useful the way you explain everything. Using humor in the middle and nice examples.
Keep up the great work!
Thanks Matías!
Great vid, Josh.
You got the right mix between teaching/ Information and a good portion of humor, i like.
Take care and keep up the great vids.
Thanks Patrick!
Watching this video after just finishing the Roxanne lesson in Beginner to Badass today, I was waiting for the comment about wanting to sound like Sting and there it was
Wow, that was just great. I've heard at least half of these when I was learning years ago and as I was finding my own sound and traits, I sometimes felt a bit guilty of breaking a few rules like the thumb and pinkie one. Besides, it's been a long time since I was able to read music, and as I'm not a pro I don't intend to go back to it. However I've always faced these little quirks as part of who I am as a bass player and how they define my sound and approach. And I'm ok with it!
NIce! I really enjoyed this. I've been playing professionally and teaching bass for 40 years, this video made me smile. Great job!
Thanks Blake!
Your videos are sooo good! Fun and instructive, great editions, didatics, everything. Just wanna say thank you, sir!
Thanks Richard, I appreciate that!
brilliant haha cheers, loved the teacher bass songs at the end
Thank you for #5. It has finally settled the mystery for me how "What Is Hip?" was done. I've never been able to get a handle on that one, and I still won't be able to, but at least now i _know_ what it is I can't do.
Observe the rules so you know when you can break them and not look like a noob
Great job, Josh! Thanks a lot!!
Brilliant video. I learnt a lot. Thanks
Love your videos, Josh! Thanks for this awesome new video!!
You're welcome!
Awesome content - thanks for your pro-level advice.
Glad you mentioned the straight wrist in regards to bass height. I play in a Black Metal band so a lot of 16th note blast beat riffs and I've found if my arm/wrist isn't straight with the bass around my belt I can't play cleanly at higher tempos. Guys used to rag on me for how low I keep my bass but it's biomechanical, and yea it looks cooler. Lol
In Bass and in life you have to color outside the lines to be one of the greats, to discover new ways of doing the same ole tricks 😎
Yeah Josh! Kept sherching until finally found you with new lessons, but still enjoying BTBA course .keep up the great work.your awsome man. Thankyou so much! Sorry for typo
Josh, keep up the amazing work!
You videos are both - informative and entertaining. I'm always watching with a smile, while learning some useful stuff.
I'm glad you've put the same approach at your "Beginner to Badass" course, which I' use daily to progress with a bass much faster! *wink*
Thanks Vladimir! :)
When you talked about keeping the bass below your waist, I immediately thought of Krist Novoselic. My personal inspiration :)
Thanks for the insights into Thunderthumbs and Rocco. I think Mick Karn might be an even more dramatic example of not knowing theory given the originality of his harmonic/melodic/intonation sensibilities, the complexity of his music and the sophistication of his collaborators.
Josh, I love your videos, and as a bass teacher myself I appreciate your engaging approach.
Thanks Mark! :)
Duuude, i follow you since your early days on your old channel and you still got it and fresher than ever!
Thanks Ángel!
Loved this I have been playing for several years everything you suggested i already do. Great tips
Thanks Larry!
Rule 1, I beat the shit out of the strings.
Rule 2 , I use 3 fingers, not 2
Rule 4, Thumb peaks over the neck for a look sometimes.
Rule 6, neck is just below waist level
Rule 7, Why have 24 frets if you are not going to use them?
Rule 8, Some highs, mostly lows, almost zero midrange
Rule 9, Playing since 1984. Started learning basic theory 3 years ago.
So I break 7 rules
the bass above the waist thing also could’ve counted krist novoselic
True, Krist got his Bass' by the knee
A lot more plugs in this one than in your other videos … but we will certainly not blame you. You are doing an excellent job. Thank you.
rly enjoying beginner to badass love u ashton kutcher
Dude where's my bass? :P
i love you man :)
I am a beginner but it makes so much fun and joy that it makes so much fun :)
Thanks Hansa!
A great video and a great lesson, now, let's practice!!
Billy Sheehan was who I thought of when you mentioned alternating between 2 fingers, he often uses 3 fingers :)
Re rule 8/9 heh
In the studio I just recorded "rythm bass" and "lead bass". Magic. We figure out what works best live eventually. Often my bass melodies are hooks, and the rythm guitar holds it down
Thanks I learnt a lot from this 👍
Great video!!
Thanks!
As a metal guitarist, i only knew a few of those bassist.
(Robert Trujillo, Victor Wooten, Billy Sheehan, Sting, and Getty Lee)
Also, as a metal guitarist, Rule 3 & 5 is the way i do power chords (so does James Hetfield & Kirk Hammett.)
I play index finger pluck on 1st three strings (EAD) and on 1st 4 frets playing the tonic note with index finger once when the chord changes or repeats...but thats just me. Great video thank you.
Love that Art of Guitar channel! My brother use to play the bass almost to the floor. I asked him why do you need a strap for? His was a chain.
I often play my bass with Victor Wooten or Les Claypool's tones. I use thin steel strings and roll off the bass knob a lot because I do a lot of playing like those people, so I have to have a nice crispy tone to hear all the nuances. It also helps me to be able to hear my high and low tones evenly when playing solo, and just generally hear what I'm playing when I'm playing in a group. Also, the thin strings allow me to do things that would just be impractical with standard strings like full harmonic solos, full bends, bar chords, and holding cords for long periods of time. The downside is that they're not good for drop tuning, but I don't need to drop tune because I play a six string bass. The thinner strings are a little harder to mute because they resonate more easily, which if you're looking for a deeper muddy tone can sound really good as well. Warmer flat tones can be good too, but I can't tell you how many times I've tried to listen to something and couldn't hear sh!t because their damn tone was so flat. "Yo man, check out this awesome solo by Jaco Pastorius!". Then it's like when you hear people talking a few rooms over but can't understand anything they're saying.
Great vid, thank you!
You're welcome Rick!
Actually had no idea that Sheehan didn't know theory. That's awesome. While I do get why many bass and guitar players strongly (sometimes too strongly) encourage theory, it's always cool to learn about virtuosos that don't know any.
I love the fact that all you great videos are done with a bass that pretty much every one can afford to play,not some multi thousand dollar rig , makes y feel like everybody can sound great
Such an underatted channel
You are the Bestahhhh. Rule 2,5 is absolutely the best lesson any bass student needs to respect.
Thanks Sebastian!
@@BassBuzz Get on with yer work!
The only 3 styles I learned from long long ago was the Ventures, Shadows and Paul's Hofner bass playing with a Pick. Still do it now. Don't care about other styles. Anyway, thanks for the vid.
Awesome channel! Been playing since '92. #1-- Never pluck strings at the top of the neck-- Unless you want to sound like Chris Squire, or emulate an acoustic bass----
Man I remember when this channel only had 5k subs. It hasn't even been that long. Good on you.
Thank you!
My favorite one was rule #2.5. From what I can see, a lot of people here are great at it already.
What about Jethro Tull's song, 'Teacher' off of their album "Stand Up"? I appreciate your video & teaching style. Thanks for the Bass tips Josh!
Great video as always Josh! Looking forward to receiving my Beginner to Bad Ass course. Feeling a bit "plucky"! Lol cheers.
Thanks Mr. Anderson!
you learned that when you were 16 holy crap lol. This is why, and I say this with no snarkiness, bass players are often technically better musicians than us guitarists. At that age I was just jerking around with power chords on electric with some basic "cowboy chords" for acoustic. In college I had a band where I wrote the lead guitar for me and lyrics for our singer. Our bass player (I consider him a "lead" bass player by his style) was always the one who came in and added that final ingredient with his technical licks that brought the melody into motion. I'm constantly amazed by good bass playing.
Thanks got video Josh!
that look Chris gave when he actually did use his pinky
Thanks Josh, another gem!!!
Thanks Toby!
Early in there hoping to earn Josh’s love and affection 🎉
~~Duuude the slap section of the Beginner to Badass course is so hard; I’m really dragging my way through 😅😅
You've earned it just by picking up a bass! :)
Very nice Squier basses. I have that 2010s Squeir Classic Vibe Jazz bass. Very cool. :)
great video (especially if you're a peter hook fan as I am). I am enrolled in your Beginner to Badass course and loving it! I am especially thankful that you manage to be funny without any discriminating jokes (e.g. "G string", you did not go there thank you so much!!!). Which brings me to a tiny little critique of this video - weren't there any bass playing people who don't identify as male who are breaking the rules? I would have loved to have seen more diversity here. But all in all, as always: great channel, great content, great course! :)
Hey Isa! I try to include female bassists as examples whenever possible, it just didn't pan out for this video. Doesn't help that the history of bass is pretty male-dominated, as was the entire music industry. (minus Carol Kaye, basically) I'll keep keeping an eye out for options though!
"...unless you want to sound like Geddy Lee."
Who doesn't want that?!
Then there's John "Thunderfingers" Entwistle...then all rules go out the window through a chipper and made into particle board.
Damn couldn't click into a video fast enough! Good stuff!!
P.S: a video suggestion, your favorite bass under 500 dollars, thanks
Always excellent Josh :-)
Thanks Pete!
Whats the song Geddy Lee is playing when he first appears?
just a few notes from a guitarist:bad habits on guitar are #1 use the pinky,#2 no thumb over the neck,#3 don't hang your guitar that low!For that last one I might have issues with fretting,but it helps the wrist for picking,as mentionned for steve harris.
I remembered learning from some your videos when i just got a bass from a pawn shop in 2019, now its 2021 and i can whip out a bass solo (not so good one but still a reasonable solo) and always using Hammer-ons and pull-offs naturally
Nice!
Thanks for this video. My index finger is more than an inch shorter than my middle finger and found it super uncomfortable to play using alternating two finger style. So I play one finger style. I also attack my bass. It is working pretty well for me though.
Notice on rule 2 is that Geddy Lee uses one-finger plucking both on the up and down stroke (Flamenco-style), making him crazy fast with that one finger.
Thankx teacher josh....the reason I started play bass...I'm been influence by bass buzz zzz..oh yeah...rock on
You're welcome Roel!
excellent, thanx
In terms of tone, in my opinion, the genre and number of band members can make a difference. I find the thinner tone can be a focal point and come through cleaner / easier in Jazz trios or outfits where the music and the types of instruments provide a more dynamic (or diverse?) sound so the Bass isn't just a root instrument. Whereas in RUSH (a power trio), Geddy needs that distorted low end to provide a rhythmic foundation where playing higher on the neck is used to capitalize on statements just like Michael Anthony in VH (to me, they were a power trio as well). Just my .02
Holy shit I was not expecting you to slay that Wooten tune. I knew you were good but holy shit brother!
Thanks! Had to get some rust off of it. :P
Rule #11 - "don't palm mute because it kills the fullness of the sound"
David Ellefson - "and I took that personally"