a really great video! more and more i start to send your videos to my bass students as an inspiration at home. You are killin' it man! I would love for you to get together with your drummer for a video to talk about the dynamics between you both and how you react to each other. SBL did a very good one on this with Ian and Steeve Goold, but we need more and we need a perspective from you! 🙂

I use to want to be a famous musician and eventually gave up. However, I've found in recent years that I just enjoy the process of woodshedding. I'm totally content with just focusing on my chops and being stoked about the cool stuff I can play because of it. Honestly, some people would scoff at this but I enjoy treating it both as an art, AND a sport. I could play for the rest of my life without ever getting anything out of it just because I love it

A good engineer will shut down any extraneous nonsense with a quickness. You definitely don't want to get on the bad side of the sound guy. It doesn't matter how good your band is, a bad mix will insure that nobody enjoys the show. If nobody enjoys the show you won't be invited back.

This is why I enjoy the DIY scene because if you think that you need to follow any of these rules (with the exceptions of the one's that just make you an obnoxious person), then you, respectfully, are a fucking idiot.

As a mixer: when you compress bass guitar digging in can knock that low end back. You have to get familiar with how a player plays and kinda figure out what they're going for when they dig in. If they dig in a lot of the time, hopefully they have good dynamic control and you don't have to compress too aggressively and a fast release can preserve that pleasant thump. The best is when the player is fully aware of this and they've integrated it into their playing and maybe into their rig using different compression depending on how hard they're playing. Then you don't have to solve for that because they already have.

I've always found it off-putting that the only guy getting paid a gauranteed fee for being at the show, the sound "engineer," can get away with bad mixes and unprofessional behavior (drinking, abandoning your post, ignoring polite requests from the band), and often flaunt that fact.

The RINGO thing. Ringo admitted that he never practiced. He was not really into the drums. And for your info, Paul often told Ringo what to play. SO, I can't possible say Ringo was one of the greatest drummers when he never tried to get better and advance his skill on the kit. Ringo had a killer pocket, but that's it. Pocket is the most important skill (my opinion) but so many other drummers devote their life to always improving and developing different styles and different genres. Ringo would rather party. I love Ringo, but let's be honest.

Being a ”better musician” is a very broad topic. It depends on what the music is going to be aimed at. Is it for yourself? To work as a session musician? Sell albums with your own music? Touring with coverbands? Teaching? To become famous and make money? People are talking about the ”Asian Kid” trope. But very few asian kids become rich and famous as adults. Many of them stop playing as soon as they have the power to override their Tiger moms. Some go into teaching or play in orchestras somewhere. The BEST way (for me) to evolve, was to play with other people. Playing in a band gave me more than playing on my own ever did. Iit didn’t matter what the genre I got into. I’ve performed in touring bands, in studios as well as a musical theatre performer in big theatres and ensemble work always gave me more than sitting in my room alone, or in the shed. Not to say I did’t do that when learning new music or when I needed it for personal reasons.

Awesome drum playing but this disturbes hearing the Bass Sound!

This is the video people should link to when theyre choosing between speaker sizes or thinking about the differences. I wish i could tell the algorithm or something, maybe save people a lot of time....

“Women must not be musicians because they’re victims!” Or it’s because they just choose not to be musicians as often? Who’s the sexist bud?

Where can I find some tracks to make basslines to?

Good'n'

Music is not always made to be shared. Assuming so is conflating art with entertainment, or at very least, artistic interaction. Yes, art can be entertaining, and entertainment can be artistic, but there is a distinction. Not all musicians who want to enter a musical wormhole or woodshed do so in order to come out a great entertainer and make a living in the music industry. No one can truly understand any one else’s motivations and expectations for artistic reclusiveness, solitary obsession, or experimental path, because it involves many psychological, physical, social, and artistic variables, unique to that person’s life. Those who it may be “dangerous” for are those for whom reclusivity in general is dangerous. For others, the privacy of their art may be of personal, emotional, psychological value. For others it may purely be about greater education and development of technique and individuality for the sake of music creation. Others may see it as an extended, private rehearsal from which to emerge as a more developed performer. Only that person knows.

I picked 5 because I love a p-bass, but I want the shorter scale and cool af looks of a Mustang. I'm buying a Mustang Player II in white in a few days, and this just solidified for me. Thank you!

I recently started an Ozzy tribute band and I think what keeps me going is feeling honored to play the band's music and to play it well and do it justice. Randy Rhoads is my favorite guitar player of all time and the sound he created feels much bigger than me in the best possible sense. Same goes for Jake and Zakk. I started playing guitar again a few years ago and I think what keeps me motivated is simply just playing the sort of music I want to play. Not just that, but finding songs I love that are within my skill level, and then pushing myself with songs that are somewhere beyond it. Playing the easier songs makes me feel like a rock star, the harder songs remind me that I constantly want to grow as a player and that I'll nail those songs in due time.

Lewis Points

'you can ignore everything I say' DONE

The shed (really, outbuilding) was my foley room when I was younger doing the sound effects for a video game (Demon Peak). I learned so much about how to make sfx. I used one of those really small laptops they used to make, like a pocket PC, and had my headphones plugged into that and I would listen to what I had just recorded, and then I would go into Audacity and manipulate the sounds. That is how I made the sfx 100% original (outside of a few when we changed things around later, we needed more for a certain new enemy that the coders and artist came up with very quickly and I didn't know). It was somewhat of a toxic environ. because it was just me and my thoughts, which can be sometimes harmful and harsh to me. I don't have the best self-image. I wish I was the type of guy like Amon Tobin. He kind of has all of his eggs in one basket, know what I'm saying? He is the type of guy that is not, like, insane like me. He has a good place to record sounds, I have my mom's outbuilding. I am glad that many people praised the sounds I made, especially when I was even doing the vocals as well. I used an old metal rod that I would speak into and it would make my voice sound different. I must've done over 100 sounds for them.

I, for the life of me, can't hear any difference. Same with compressors. I guess that's why I suck at this

Great tips! Thank you!

1. Not muting your signal while tuning between songs 2. Noticeable tension between band members while playing, ie arguing about set list or song order 3. Noodling between songs, or playing a recognizable riff from a song you are not going to play 4. Dead air between songs 5. Voicing any negativity on stage, should always stay positive even when things behind the scenes aren’t

If I were designing one larg cab, it would have a 15" or 18" neo mag woofer, an 8" or 10" mid or mids and a high frequency horn.

iPad on stage should be allowed as an instrument or control surface. See Suzanne Ciani for reference. Masterful iPad usage with her Buchla system.

Attempting to learn how to make music in my 40's has taught me to be humble and not disparage any musician, regardless of their skill level or style, and my own preferences. If you're doing your thing, and putting in effort towards an artform, that's great by me.

I always click on these videos, expecting to find out I'm secretly developing bad habits, and it turns out people just want you to be nice and respectful in your profession.

I appreciate a lot this kind of video, as a beginner myself. Hope you will make more. Thanks!

Very instructive

Me: Oh, good I don't really do anything on this list Vid: Unnecessary inversions Me: [ silent panic ]

absolutely enjoyed it, made me think more on creativity than equipment, thank you

Bass guitar is the way 😁😎

In 40 years of playing, I have never been late to a gig. Not about to start now.

Check all gear is in good working order should be a no-brainer, in addition to already having tuned before loading gear for departure to the gig.

Bring only the gear you expect to use at the gig. Having a gigging board that's separate from your studio/house board is a good idea.

No shorts on stage indoors at least.

Anti-Snark 100%. It's a bad look, and unprofessional.

There's often not a green room area, but rather (in the case of a bar or nightclub) the only hangout area is the common room, where the audience is. In that kind of space, it's good to not stay huddled with your band, but make contact with some of the patrons there. Even just an introduction, thanking someone for being there, small talk, whatever is sincere is a "good hang."

Yes, respect the engineer. You'll sound better through FOH, as if by magic 😁

Another cool video, thanks Buddy. I was wondering, where can you buy those leather guitar picks online? I went to their website and it just sends me to dealers (which I could do, but it would be easier to just buy direct, or maybe that's not how they do business). I looked on your links in the description and didn't see anything. Do you have a link to buy directly from them or for anyone else for that matter? Would like to see you earn a small commission if possible, so I would rather use your link, or code?

No

Great video, more of these please. One of my favorites you've done.

15mins of joy and enlightenment. So much in there! Thanks so much. Loads of love from Germany (just enrolled in Fundamentals, see you there)

I’d like to add that Mustache Phil Conrad is just on another level of chill when it comes to great musical insight. Thank you for the video and for all the work you do here.

Great video, thank you! I would also love a video on amp resistance and volume!

Whoa, it's uncanny how much you look like this guy named Ben on this podcast called Lemon Party. Fantastic playing!

Great vid man - unique, insightful and applicable. More like this pls

ringo star is my favorite beatle and if u talk bad about him im gonna tell all my friends and family and coworkers

I try to let the bass live in its own sonic range. The lowest G on the guitar is the same note as the G at the 10th fret of the 5th string of the bass (all standard tuning). So I favor the lower G on the bass, an octave below the guitar. Fills up the low end sonic scale and usually plays well with the kick drum. Use the higher notes for fills.

I just ordered mine. I play P basses with flatwounds 99% of the time, so your recommendation regarding this pedal with flats was the nail in the coffin for my bank account lol. For a great DI, a drive section, and a studio grade compressor this seems like a great deal. I’m also a Beach Boys fan, so that helps.

I really enjoy this kind of videos where you examine different ways to approach creation and creativity. Great stuff!