Hey, guys.
My first "Viewer's Comments" video got quite a bit of traffic, and I really got some great responses.
I must thank Rezaka116 for his question, "What about a 'how to be a good bassist' video?"
That's a fantastic suggestion. You asked for it, you got it.
Be careful what you wish for.
[Intro music]
Bassists. Nothing raises my hackles in utter contempt like a bass player.
The murderers of music, exterminators of entertainment,
The demolishers of dreams, the executioners of enjoyment,
If there's ONE THING I dread more than anything else in the studio,
It's recording the meathead known as the bass player.
When most bands form, it's usually a group of friends.
And it typically goes like this:
The talented guys play guitar and drums.
The guy who can't play at all, winds up as manager.
And the shitty guitar player winds up on bass.
Now, the problem here, is that the role of the bass guitar in a band is so rarely given the respect, and importance that it deserves.
Bass guitar not only adds bottom to the guitars,
It also locks in with the drums.
And this is incredibly important in metal.
A great bass tone performed by a competent bass player, will make your band sound huge.
It will add girth to the drums,
And a gigantic bottom to the guitars,
Creating a massive mix.
So, when you put the shitty guitar player on bass, you wind up with a shitty bass player!
And, guess what?
Your whole band sounds weak!
One doesn't have to look very far to see great bass guitar players in metal.
For example, Steve Harris.
Geezer Butler,
Cliff Burton,
And Billie Gould from 'Faith No More'.
And you don't have to look very far to find some lousy ones, either.
Nicki Sixx was notorious for not being able to play his bass very well on the first couple of Mötley Crüe albums.
And, to his credit, he did get better.
But, you don't have to be a shredder to be a good bass player.
I look at Ian Hill from 'Judas Priest' as a great example.
This guy has had a 40-year career playing to massive audiences all over the world.
He creates tension when needed, yet keeps his playing in key, and on time.
And by doing so, he became the foundation of the band.
And, if you want to play bass in a metal band, that should be your first goal.
Be the foundation. Be the guy who's always on time, and in key.
So, when things get crazy on stage, everybody looks to you.
Be the reliable one.
Because bass guitar should never be approached as, "Guitar, but lower."
A bass can counterpoint a guitar riff,
Or stay on a root note, and it can create tension and release.
Bass is also about working with the drums,
Driving the rhythm, and accentuating the fills.
So, when I'm working with a bass player in the studio, I'm looking for two things.
Knowledge of the song, and technique.
If you don't know how a song goes, if you don't know the arrangement,
If you don't know how long a verse goes before the chorus,
How many choruses, that sort of thing,
THEN, DON'T COME INTO THE STUDIO!
You're just wasting everyone's time and money.
PRACTICE YOUR SHIT.
You should be able to play everything with ease before you walk into a studio.
Because, a studio is for capturing a great performance.
It's not the place for learning a song.
That's what rehearsal is for.
As for technique, this gets lost on a lot of people.
The strings on a bass guitar are much larger than on a regular guitar.
That means, more energy goes into making them move.
That energy also bleeds all over the place, creating sympathetic vibrations on the other strings,
Usually out of key.
So, when I talk about "Good bass technique", I not only mean the notes being played,
But equal importance must be given to what's not being played.
A bass player must learn to mute the strings at rest, so they stay silent.
This can be done by the pick hand, or the fretting hand, or by a combination of both.
It's critical to learn good muting technique.
Otherwise, it dilutes the overall sound of the band.
Out of key strings buzzing away sound like absolute shit.
And the reason I hate bass players so much, is because they usually miss the obvious.
It's usually a lack of motivation in tandem with deficient intelligence.
It really pisses me off when a meathead comes into the studio,
Doesn't know his material, and expects me to fix everything.
The "Instant Rockstar" button does not exist.
If you want it, you're gonna have to work for it.
And what's really aggravating is, I see people with genuine mental disabilities
Far more motivated than these jackasses.
It's like, "For FUCK'S SAKES, you've got all of your abilities, do something, be something, FUCKING PRACTICE!"
And if you don't know how to change the strings on your own bass,
DON'T COME INTO MY STUDIO!
Because, that tells me everything I need to know about your ability.
If you wanna be good on bass, LEARN YOUR INSTRUMENT.
Learn how to maintain it,
And, by crumb's balls, change your fucking strings more than once every three years, you cheap bastard!
Oh, and here's one final tip.
The easiest way to a great tone, is fresh strings.
I like to put 'em on right before recording.
But, if you're just jamming, and you wanna save a few bucks, you can bring your bass strings back to life by boiling them.
I'm not making this up, it actually works.
That way, you can spend your money on what you think is more important than your band.
Like a new tattoo.
Captions by Davin Liming