6 Common Mistakes Made by Bass Players and How to Avoid Them /// Scott's Bass Lessons

If you been following my bass lessons for a while you’ll be well aware that I try and tell you exactly what to do to take your bass playing to the next level - and beyond.
I’ve shown you licks, vocabulary exercises, technique workouts…
I’ve talked about grooves, soloing, and even how to get great gigs!
But, up until now I’ve never created a lesson that focuses on what NOT to do - so thought it was about time.
In this lesson I’m going to highlight 6 super common mistakes I see bass players making all the time.
Don’t be fooled, these mistakes aren’t just made by beginners - many of them are also made by bassists that have been playing for years. In fact, in my experience many bad habits are more engrained within a player that’s been playing for years vs someone who’s only been playing for a matter of months.
As with all bad habits, they are fixable. In some cases it’s more of an awareness issue, and simply knowing that you should be mindful of something is enough. In other cases that are more technique based, it can be trickier as you need to reprogram the old movements you’ve been making until you engrain the new ones. In that case, just start slow and be patient - it can be done, you’ll just need to dig in a little ;)
As always, see you in the shed…
Scott :)
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[@d-rob9265]

'Hey guys it's Scott from Scott's Bass Lessons from Scottsdale in Scotland."

[@RealGengarTV]

"Great SCOTT!" - Dr. Emmett Brown

[@DarthMazza1986]

Hey guys it's James McAvoy playing some bass...no wait....

[@kensteckelberg7013]

Gabriel Toledo that's funny. I thought the exact same thing the other day when I watched Split. 👍

[@bartvanbree4366]

Basslick from Runaway, Jamiroquai. Great!

[@alexanderjosephross]

he scott talent 🕺

[@firemedic542]

That chirping noise every couple minutes is your smoke detector telling you that you have a low battery and it needs to be changed. I'm just a firefighter who wants to learn how to play the bass 🙂

[@joeldsouzax]

+Michael Hess I always knew having a fire fighter bass player was important.

[@handohall3406]

Michael Hess hilarious

[@MatthewSmith-sz1yq]

You can also just bring a bass to a fire. If it's loud enough and the frequencies are low enough, it could actually produce enough low pressure pockets from the vibrations in the air that it could put out the fire by removing most of the oxygen.

[@Syrinx222]

That's...........technically not incorrect. Nearly impossible to achieve, but not incorrect :P

[@louei_l3305]

bloody hilarious :D :D

[@knedy]

I don't consider myself a technical bass player, but I picked up the bass after watching this and I had none of them mistakes WOO! I still kinda suck, but I suck in a correct way. :)

[@johnbifulco707]

Careful. If you suck it's probably due to poor fundamentals, which is exactly what he is covering.

[@seacadetalex]

Jim Stewart Cohen “I suck in a correct way” oh my fucking god

[@MichaelStoneham]

This is a great tutorial on how to avoid some common mistakes bass players can make. 1. Don't Cut Your Notes Short: Don't leave daylight in between tour notes. (0.40) 2. Note Length: Be aware of your note lengths. (3.36) 3. Muting: don't let other strings ring out. (6.50) 4. Lifting up other fingers: keep your other fingers behind down (8.18) 5. Flying Fingers: Not letting the fretting fingers stick out (10.18) 6. Lack Of Dynamics: how much weight you put on each note (12.55) Extra: Slow Things Down: To help you learn new techniques better gives brain better chance to learn things. (11.26)

[@DTAY45]

Michael Stoneham thank you so much this dude talks too much lol

[@neithere]

@@DTAY45 i have a mixed feeling about this. On one hand, sometimes I just cannot finish his video because my brain just cannot handle incoming talk anymore. On the other hand, he somehow recharges my creative energy. Interesting.

[@suap4694]

7. Practice with metronome, Scott

[@Rebecca-rb6xk]

thank youu

[@candersonll]

neithere What your explaining just means you need to pause it and focus on a specific idea he is talking about or write it down even.

[@anbercrombie4195]

1 common mistake made by owners of smoke detectors

[@westelp]

all the 9 volt batteries are used for the bass :P

[@averyetvspecial1487]

You don’t need smoke detectors when you have a bassist in the house, you can just listen for panicked rushed tempos.

[@guitarist6494]

The first problem can just be fixed by playing at night time ;)

[@jeremywilson3276]

Guitarist6494 booooo...just kidding that was pretty good.

[@imgonnabuss]

thought u was serious

[@FLAMENCO961]

Well I don't get it

[@superluigi2254]

FLAMENCO961 Because Scott said "get rid of the daylight", so the joke was to play at night time so you won't have any daylight.

[@ncg89]

🥁

[@graceybfrg]

It's Runaway not run for cover :) Man cool that you know Paul!

[@devinebass]

***** Paul's a great guy man - super down to earth. Gonna be doing an interview with him super soon so keep a look out. S :)

[@alexandrehenri338]

***** I think that's just a secret he just leaked! In one of his latest videos, he talked about creating a new section in the academy with transcriptions and all, something like Guitar Masterclass I think^^. And maybe the first cover he'll put online will be run for cover from Miller :D. That's very funny, because I began practicing runaway again 1 day right before he released his video, and I was amazed by the difficuly, right because of the dynamic I'd never put into it, although it seems simple at first glance

[@KevinSalt]

HOME EARTH You can find the answer to that question all over the place if you're interested. It's a medical thing which means that Scott can still play bass.

[@Scriibble4]

HOME EARTH he has like a skin(or nerve ending idk) condition, its just for protection, i dont think he has a video about it, but he mentions it in some of his videos,

[@susuzana2541]

+Kevin Salt .

[@tonton_1964]

Such a great teacher! Even when talking about mistakes, you're still in the positive affirmation. Instead of focusing on what NOT to do, we get to see how to correct our habits. Thank you so much!

[@nokumbaya]

Olivier Durin Indeed! Scott's positivity and lack of egotism makes me want to work at it, more so than watching someone who's just interested in showing off. I'll never be a flashy bassist (I have tiny hands with vienna sausage fingers), but nailing the correct technique and understanding the reason and emotion of the note is how we can make the most of what we've got to work with. Oh, and sorry to read that the glove is medically necessary; I just thought Scott was being helpful by highlighting his fingers on a maple neck! Great videos!

[@Scottie_S]

From one Scott to another, I started learning piano when I was 6 and when I was 13, I started playing bass. In 1972, I started playing bass in bands at the age of 14. I've been learning ever since. My style was both finger and pick and it has always been pretty fast and loose. I just came across your channel a couple of weeks ago and I love everything you do. They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but I love what you bring to the instrument and I've gone back over your vids and even though I'm bloody old, I've found that I can improve my technique. Consider yourself subbed.

[@2011littlejohn1]

I play bass only occasionally but found this very useful, well presented and unnpretentious.

[@topherm365]

I don’t remember this personality in Split.

[@karahinton1549]

Topher M lololol I was thinking that toooo

[@wadeworkman7283]

Lol! Good one!

[@cymess8385]

My GF is sleepin, im watchin you without sound but with subtitles. When im reading I can still hear ur voice in my head.

[@infinitesmall]

8:45 they caught you red-handed

[@user-jh1jj9rj3g]

Holy crap thats great. What is the red thong tho? Assume its something for tone or maybe detail in videos

[@chitchit2732]

sardinerecipe happy birthday

[@turq1824]

Lol

[@DrakeMartin]

Holy shit guys Professor X plays bass!

[@OldPeepaw]

Okay, he actually does look like the new professor X

[@moongarita]

He's the in-between of Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy

[@michaelsavides8856]

Yeah looks like James McAvoy

[@chrismurphy5467]

The best way not to make mistakes on bass is not to play bass. Its 100% guaranteed. The same concept can be applied to anything.

[@user-dl8yo3wv1t]

Chris Murphy You must be some kind of deep thinker

[@user-dl8yo3wv1t]

Chris Murphy You must be some kind of deep thinker

[@gort9623]

Chris Murphy a bitch I see

[@thomasdrake5655]

Jamiroquai, favourite band ever. Great to see you playing there stuff. I wish I had enough time to practice all your lessons, I do enjoy watching them though. Great stuff

[@devinebass]

Thomas Drake Awesome band Thomas - keep grooving man! :)

[@basslightyeah]

Scott's Bass Lessons How are you thinking about muse and their use of effects? My dad, who is something like my bass teacher criticizes them for using effects, and I do as well...

[@allrequiredfields]

Bass Lightyeah As a player who pretty much never uses effects, I have no problem with it, as long as it isn't covering for lack of ability or creativity. The point isn't to play an instrument 'right', the point is to make something that sounds good. Consider Peter Hook, of New Order - he's not much of a bass player, by classic standards (playing melodies high up on the neck, with chorus effects 80% of the time) but remove his parts and the songs seem to fall apart without them.

[@basslightyeah]

allrequiredfields Exactly, I think with effects you can do more creative stuff. For example playing a guitar tapping solo on your bass and stuff. I'm really experimenting with the sound and how it works with my own riffs.

[@itsaUSBline]

allrequiredfields Yeah. You can of course have both amazing technique and use some heavy effects. An example of an incredibly talented bassist who uses effects really heavily a lot of the time is Thundercat.

[@brenttauromusic]

I love your videos. I'm not a bass player. Couldn't play a quarter of the stuff that 90% of your subscribers. But I love your content just because it's such good quality, high value content that is just honest-to-God and brilliantly executed. Cheers, mate. (Also, I met you through Warren Huart's channel.) :)

[@devnarayan3225]

u

[@ald_ridge]

Hi man :P

[@cjbarrosocarlos]

Brent Tauro i

[@anthonyscott16]

This lesson was super helpful for a beginner like me. Thank you Scott.

[@andylovesburritos]

I've been playing bass for over 15 years and this is all valid content. this is really great information that typically isnt taught or explained well enough in class or private lessons. well done

[@veltonmeade1057]

Great videos Scott. Been playing bass since 1977 and you are spot on with everything you've said. My original bass teacher taught me scales and told me that I must learn those before anything else. I have seen so many bass guitarists that do not know their scales. Scales are the most important function of a bass guitar and I am glad that I listened to him.

[@QuistJam]

This is class Scott

[@Ferraday]

Thanks 200k sub music man from 5 years ago with 1 like

[@Dinckelburg]

It's great scott

[@Mofonqn]

what a teacher!!! awesome class!!! cheers from argentina

[@Jophime]

Thank you for doing this, man. Been playing for for 15+ years, but I get a lot out of your stuff and honestly just love listening to you play through the different riffs.

[@pauliejay4161]

I have been playing bass since 1987, and this is by far the best instructional video I have ever seen. Consider yourself subscribed!

[@feelssoft]

Love this so much. So helpful. I have to work on my flying fingers.

[@NathanielCoke]

'Runaway' in the intro! Great Paul Turner bassline! Nice one Scott!

[@scottsbasslessons]

Nathaniel Coke One of my favourite bass lines ever. Thanks for watching man! :)

[@Anarmedsocietyjw]

for playing guitar and banjo my whole life . and now a bassist for three months now I totally get what you mean and say and you're lessons truly help me out when I preform live . all of a sudden I'll think of something I learned from you and it just seems that our bands set just sounds better all the time. thanks for the free lessons. well appreciated.

[@rasamerlock4042]

I really respect what your lessons are all about. After a lifetime of experience I always continue to learn from each of your episodes. Respect👏

[@AdamRainStopper]

I'd think thumb-placement should've made the list. I see YOUR thumb is always on the BACK of the neck, and your wrist is straight as a result. This makes a huge difference in leverage, and also saves you a lot of pain later in life. A lot of guitarists also have trouble with this. I've seen some shredders who always have their thumbs hanging over the fingerboard. Unfortunately, if you play long enough to really get good using that form, it's nearly impossible to unlearn, and you'll end up killing your joints in the long run.

[@frontlinebassist777]

I'm super guilty about flying fingers. I think I'm relatively ok for the rest. I'm encouraged I'm good on 5/6 things!

[@nelly8333]

Great list - just started playing so I'm watching it to avoid making bad habits. Fortunately I've come from cello, so am in the habit of keeping fingers down and having the right length notes - it's helped me so far

[@vladimirnikolenko2946]

I really glad to meet you teacher! I follow every your recommendation! Thank you!!!

[@Jma952]

They found us... HAHAHAAHHAHAHA

[@scottsbasslessons]

Joel Mota lol ;)

[@IsmaelAngelus]

Joel Mota HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[@Skadiowo]

JAJAJA que maestro

[@kizunadragon9]

proper technique + repetition = speed

[@TheMoonbeats]

This has become my essential tool to help my playing. Thank you for this, Scott. You're brilliant

[@norbmolina7]

Thanks Scott! This is a must see for all musicians. I try to teach my students the same things and I also try to think of them myself. Thanks again! A big fan. Blessing!

[@TimpBizkit]

1 Gaps and "daylight" 2 Note lengths 3 Muting 4 Hovering fingers 5 Flying fingers 6 Dynamics

[@LukeBass1000]

Scott's Bass Lessons Hey Scott! Really valuable content as always! Just wanted to also mention (as all bass players must at some point) your tone is what dreams are made of! Makes me want to grab my bass and jam :D

[@rhix]

I totally agree. It either makes me want to pick a bass up or quit bass altogether cause I'll never be as good haha

[@scottsbasslessons]

LukeBass1000 Ahhh thanks so much Luke! Groove on :)

[@rawstarmusic]

LukeBass1000 It's a real good tone on that Overwater bass. Beats all Fender's in my view.

[@waymanmathis4809]

Great Video, not just mistakes to avoid but this is essential knowledge for good bass playing. I have been playing bass for years and i still have to work on these techniques. Thanks for the info Scott.

[@uneducatedgeek]

I have not played bass in 7 years, but watching this video makes me want to start up again. Thanks. I remember playing bass guitar making me feel. thanks for the video. good luck in all you do.

[@toniperez1323]

Great bassist, but the hardest thing to do as a bassist is creating your own style and not sounding so artificial.

[@Amber57499]

It's often hard because many bands want simple bass lines. And often, Rule#2 applies.

[@toniperez1323]

+Amber57499 That's why you start your own band...to break away from most of those rules and create your art from what you hear in your head and heart.

[@sommersjagoe6941]

+Amber57499 RULE #2

[@andrewg9433]

Amber57499 I feel like a bassist should stay away from bands that don't allow them to have at least some hand in writing songs. Even if the guitarist is coming up with riffs and lyrics and all that, they should let the bassist build a good bass riff from that, since they presumably know what they're doing, instead of telling them what notes they should be playing. Any band that tries to limit the creativity of other members of the band is doomed to fail. This doesn't mean criticism shouldn't be welcome. A band should be open with each other. If a bassline isn't working out and it doesn't sound right, the other members should tell the bassist and the bassist should take that criticism.

[@euromarquee]

What makes this cat great? I can't find one thing that makes him great especially on his LONG winded "lessons" that are complex, out of all context and have little or nothing to do with performance of music in a group situation. Why is this guy making idiot points that comes from just playing in group situations and who have some understanding of Italian and French and German in classical music. They apply 100% to contemporary music. What a fraud.

[@devilsoffspring5519]

8:45 "Drop that bass! We have you surrounded!" Damn, never should have admitted to having dead-time between notes :)

[@KatnKeys]

Good material and good delivery. Thanks for posting!

[@geraintbevan3954]

A really helpful, mindful approach to practicing. As a convert from guitar to bass with a number of ingrained bad habits, this is exactly the kind of lesson that I can benefit from. Thank you Scott.

[@GrumpSkull]

What do you throw a drowning bass player? His bass amp... LOL

[@meuste8097]

+GrumpSkull How do you get the bass player off your porch?...Pay for the pizza!

[@jimmiizzy6283]

+meuste What's the difference between a bass player and a pizza? A pizza can feed a family of 4! Ha

[@dragonslayergt287]

+jimmi 😂😂😂

[@gestapoboyz6375]

+jimmi izzy lmao

[@TallicaMan1986]

+GrumpSkull but you can use that amp for guitar.

[@marvioob5537]

dammit pinky do what I tell you!

[@ibacache6555]

+ermonski TUM TUMTUM, TUM TUM TUUUM

[@chitchit2732]

Marvioo B did manage to control your pinky?

[@nathanw32]

Marvioo B So true

[@bttmdweller]

Scott, you are such an amazing teacher. A great communicator, really! Your lessons are the best; very informative for players of all skill levels. Thank you, thank you, thank you... for all you do to educate us bassists. Oh, and you're an awesome player, as well! All the best to you.

[@SotosMoud]

Love how you explain things mate! Specially the thing about the slow practicing. I mean if someone had told us this thing when we were smaller, we probably would have seen practicing from a different point of view - it's so great to explain why.

[@MoPower2112]

Do I control me brain, or does my brain control me? O.o

[@scottsbasslessons]

Michael Osztertag Lol... spooky ;)

[@rawstarmusic]

Michael Osztertag You are you, Therefore: do I control my brain or does my brain control me? The answer is yes.

[@carolstevens1429]

Michael Osztertag The mass media controls your brain.

[@isleofwightdave2286]

Michael Osztertag Classic Karl ;-)

[@MoPower2112]

IOW Dave Play a record :P

[@unclepodger]

The riff is from Runaway by Jamiroquai... still can't play it properly. Gotta work on my mutant (muting)

[@neviatha]

I like playing that one.... got a nice groove and certainly works the fingers.

[@felfool4752]

hah mutant, he kinda looks like young prof Xavier

[@howardcoleman4748]

i havent been here for a while scott because i was ill and with trial and error i learnt with your playing to help me i picked up this other way of playing like i move up and down the neck slowly and still playing fast notes and accurately thanks for your help scott i hope your all great and getting plenty of work all the best

[@jovinobunny]

One of the best tips you give is at 12:30. Practice the material slowly. I've been working on some new stuff for an upcoming audition, and I've found that if I slow down the track (without changing pitch), it gives me time to let it all sink in. I don't do this enough, so thanks for the reminder!! As always, great material Scott! You are a master, and an inspiration.

[@chelfyn]

I got close to the end, really happy with my 30+ years of playing, thinking, "great, I'm not making any of these mistakes" until you mentioned flying fingers. Oh look, I have an uncontrollable pinky, goddammit! I'm not sure whether it's worth the effort of trying to correct this, as it doesn't seem too bad - but I have to really concentrate hard to stop it from lifting off and stay hovering over the fret like my ring finger does. How much is this holding me back? What will I gain if I fix it? Great work with the bass lessons, Scott - You are a great teacher and pretty inspiring as a player too.

[@tonton_1964]

Chelfyn Baxter Same for me. But I really think it's time to go back to a few scales to get rid of that. Someone already told me that I was losing a lot... musicality, speed, elegance but mostly, I think it is more painful because there's more effort in lifting the fingers out that much...

[@chelfyn]

Aside from the flying pinky, my focus for the last 5-10 years has been on minimalising hand movement (I'm one of those weird folk that really rate Sting as a player. Look closely - he's highly efficient) so I can play for hours without any pain. Also, the amount it flies out might aid in coming down with a little more force the next time it's fretted, which is something the other stronger fingers don't need, but my feeble pinky seems to require. On balance, I've decided to keep this flaw, but I'm really glad Scotts' lesson gave my pause to examine my hard-wired movements this closely. I've accepted, in both my 6 and 4 string playing, that my pinky is a limited finger that cant be relied upon for bends or vibrato. I'd rather spend my remaining years enjoying the skills I've learned rather than going back to scales in the hope of raising my ceiling a few inches. It would be different if I were younger though.

[@VinceAnity]

7 : Don't put too much pressure on a fretted note because it'll bend and be outta tune

[@mycatis4257]

Vincent Rpl I mean, if you're playing a short scale where the strings don't have much tension. I've got an extra long scale length on my bass (35in), so I don't got to worry about that though

[@SLAMSTERDAMN]

Excellent pointers as always Scott, Aloha & thx! Many of these points are very applicable to expressive, dynamic & neccesary gtr functions.

[@FacingFears]

i really like the way you present all that info! im a guitarist and still can apply some of these techniques you showed keep up the good work sir!

[@ProphetTLK]

Scott, it's William G from the academy, that riff is badass at the introduction

[@devinebass]

99summoningpwns Heeeeey William! Groove on man :)))

[@decryptthestory861]

99summoningpwns 99 summoning pwns, but 95 prayer pwns more ;) and yeah, it's a pretty badass line haha

[@ProphetTLK]

Lmao, Made this account back when I did play runescape, I no longer play now, should probably should make a new account

[@decryptthestory861]

Classic game. Get awn it :'D

[@DigBipper188]

+99summoningpwns it's a Jamiroqai riff :P

[@GibsonLesPaul2273]

I think this daylight between notes is a common mistake on normal guitars too, ive known people who have played for decades to still do this and I dont have the heart to tell them they sound bad, its a bad habit, its all about touch but people want speed speed and more speed, those people are on YT by the bucket load, mostly kids who have had a wealth of music to call on and spent zero time learning the instrument and understanding it, they want to get from A to B ASAP but its the journey that matters.

[@tewbaguy]

love these videos! Keep them coming, and thank you

[@memereview9803]

why am i watching this ? i've literally never even touched a bass & i need to be practicing my ukulele right now . help . these videos are too fascinating .

[@wildvideos5662]

What is the strings spacing on this bass?

[@irunwithwolves]

Excuse my ignorance but why the red glove?

[@MagaMoberSkaterRE]

to protect his hands I assume

[@Sun-soilproductions]

+Diana Barreñada fashion

[@carolstevens1429]

+Diana Barreñada He couldn't find his blue glove.

[@beaujoseph6961]

+Joshua Lessore 😏😏😏 yesss

[@nrich6024]

+Joshua Lessore sick refrence bro

[@davidstewart4975]

Scott, thank you for showing me how to finger the fretboard properly and the introduction to functional harmony. My mind is blown and my technique will level up. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

[@russpc2]

Received a 5 string a few years ago, with the intent of learning a little something. Began lessons a couple months back, great teacher, but only deals with 4 strings. Thanks to your channel for showing me some fun stuff to try when not in class.

[@FrankenP]

Haha.Your bass has a new 9V battery but does your smoke detector ??

[@probusexcogitatoris736]

Tip #7 Don't breathe through your nose while wearing a lavalier microphone :D

[@TWOTOSrecords]

though his breathing is more important than all the other tips..,

[@f.demascio1857]

Thanks for #'s 4 & 5. My son needs to master both. I think your explanations will help.

[@danielbarba84]

Great vídeo, Great lesson. Thanks. The dinamic (Nr 6) explanation was awsome.

[@BigRawb666]

I didn't even realize my flying fingers until i watched this video

[@sc45470]

Runaway - Jamiroquai We'll forgive you though, Scott :p

[@scottsbasslessons]

sc45470 Lol... doh ;)

[@tonikoku3518]

Wow this video really made me appreciate band class,, i play bass for the band and reading sheet music immediately taught me note length, dynamic, musicality and how to play with others. I always thought it was lame but it taught me so well

[@bjoe74fm]

hey Scott, thats called fluency, it comes with practice, im 35years as a fussion player, but just a player, i love the instrument and call it my second language, your lesson are really informative and helpful for beginners to intermediates and also highend players, sad to think a person knows every thing has actually stopped learning, thank you for your time and passion to the instrument, cheers fabian

[@TriumphAventura]

the police is coming for you! run for cover lol :D

[@Mozart1220]

While I understand what he's saying, and clearly he knows what he's doing, on the other hand if you like the sound of what you are playing, there ARE no "mistakes".

[@stevengoodner249]

I mean, there's bad technique that can lead to hand damage, or bad habits that prevent improvement as a player. So yeah, there are mistakes actually. I think the point here is to not fall into particular bad habits so they don't hold you back. He's more or less emphasizing smooth play and awareness of what you're doing

[@lbaldovini]

Thank you so much, Scott. You are very great and fun teacher.

[@DA-bd8xz]

excellent lesson! I over look some of these things. Thanks so much for the reminder!

[@exhainca]

what's up with the glove?

[@slapmyfunkybass]

Dystonia.

[@Crispy27]

He has a video about it.

[@Bozeman42]

He has a condition which causes his hands to shake unless they are being touched. The gloves take care of the touching.

[@matmc71]

His hands shake unless they are being touched? Even when he is playing bass? Id LOVE to see that!!

[@slapmyfunkybass]

matmc71 It's an involuntary motion, one of the many characteristics of dystonia. The condition only occurs when an activity requires fine movement, and is often isolated to it. So a guitarist will only experience it when playing the instrument, away from it they are fine - most of the time anyway. For some reason, and no one knows why, the areas of the brain which sends out the signals become blurred, trying to control the fingers independently is virtually impossible. One of the tricks to defeating this is to trick the brain, wearing gloves is one idea. The brain is not aware it's performing the same movement on the instrument so behaves okay. Another method is retraining the hands, this takes many years though. It's a serious condition and shouldn't be joked about. It has ended many a musician's career. One pianist said it took him over three years to overcome it, many don't though. In life, there's a fine line between perseverance and letting it go.

[@danielgood1218]

Smoke detector needs a new battery

[@christianscott6891]

Smooth!! Graceful, and fluid playing And good ears knowing the siren was police!

[@chaddy6045]

This video has been really helpful!! I just recently started playing the bass and everything you said here has made me more mindful with my playing. Cheers to you! :D

[@Crunkboy415]

You mean play legato?

[@_Majunior]

that's what I got out of it

[@joshuaft1]

sounds like a less high Brian Cox 😂

[@NWTMasterWolf]

TY For what you do man. I just wanted to plink on the bass while watching movies and so on. Now I am studying theory and everything you post. As well as the equipment and am going to learn to work on my own instrument as well. You are awesome bud

[@davefromrisca]

Really engaging stuff - you know how to communicate essential tips in absolutely the right way: thanks!

[@allrequiredfields]

I will never understand this bass tone - all I'm hearing is strings and frets. Brand new roundwounds are the absolute bane of modern bass playing. I can think of about maybe 5 bands where that thin, EQ-scooped rattling and clanging works in the music.

[@sam_klotz]

allrequiredfields right there with you. to me, roundwounds sound like a guitar tuned an octave down, way too many overtones and not enough fundamental pitch. rotosound jazz bass flat wounds are my personal favorite.

[@allrequiredfields]

Sam Klotz Agreed. The overtones fight everything from the guitar parts to the high hats. Though there are circumstances where I appreciate round wounds, but only if the strings are older and have died down quite a bit - then you get a real smooth, musical high-end.

[@riffgroove]

If you're playing in any sort of metal band, brand new roundwounds are a must. Especially when you're competing with 2 guitar players tuned to "drop z." And I've never heard someone describe new strings as "scooped" sounding. If that "clanging" is too much for you, dial back the high end on your amp a tad. The tone is still right there. It's way easier to remove something from the mix than it is to try adding it later.

[@Topsy_Krett]

+allrequiredfields IMHO, the problem is less the string type than the fact that the strings are too close to the frets, thus making all that clanging. Using very light gauge strings would contribute to the problem, if that was also the case. Anyhow, this bass's saddles should be raised and/or the truss rod loosed a bit... otherwise, flats would be the better choice. Cheers.

[@hihosilver666]

Yes, if my bass sounded like that I'd sell it!

[@twitch.101]

Anybody ever tell you you look like James McAvoy?

[@chrisberardi2304]

Great lesson - nicely filmed and good sound. Thanks for sharing.

[@AbhiBass96]

I have such an amazing time learning from you. Since I am leaving for college next year and I wouldnt be able to go for Music Classes hopefully with your videos i can learn techniques and everything else. Thankyou

[@Generalbas1972]

If you see intermidiate players make these mistakes they are NOT intermidiate, simple as that

[@devinebass]

Funkmaster K I've heard professional players with muting issues, techniques issues, dynamic issues - it's a lot more complex than first meets the eyes - or ears in this case. Thanks for watching man :)

[@Generalbas1972]

Scott's Bass Lessons i agree and i've seen it too, but my point is still that in my World, if they those mistakes they are not pro. These are the basics of bassplaying and if you look at the real pros. they are very aware of this and they pratice it. Just look at Jaco

[@scottsbasslessons]

Funkmaster K You'd actually be very surprised. I've personally helped at least 3 "A Players" (for lack of a better term) in the last 12 months with some technique issues they were struggling with - as in, I can't name name's for obvious reasons, but these guys are people you will 100% heard of, have been on the front of bass players magazine, yada yada. My point is, many pro players have faults in their playing, just like many pro golfers have faults in their swing, and in-turn have coaches that work with them constantly. Does Tiger Woods have a coach? Of course he does. I've also helped countless pro players with other issues too - ability to improvise, expanding on their ability to create grooves etc, and again, these pro's are 'serious musicians' in their own right. Just because someone is a pro musician (i.e. making a living from music) doesn't mean in anyway that they won't have little issues and gripes within their bass playing along the way - that's just how it works. We're human, right ;) And, Jaco - yes, he was undoubtedly amazing, but in my opinion you can't compare a 'pro musician' with Jaco, that would be like comparing a regular business owner who's doing ok, to Donald Trump. As in, being a professional musician doesn't mean you're going to be a 'bass super star', it simply means you'll have raised your ability on the bass to a level in which you can work professionally. Good conversation Funkmaster... keep funking! :)

[@bargoldstein4898]

the biggest mistake: buying a Presicion Bass How to avoid it: BUY A MUSICMAN

Bar Goldstein - I used to own a P-BASS. Playing that was MURDER. The best bass I ever played was a Guild Pilot Bass.

[@bargoldstein4898]

Musicmans are better

[@alexnicolaou3579]

why a musicman? the necks on those things are horrible, Ibanez and harley bentons have the best necks on basses under 1000 pounds

Alexandros Nicolaou - Proud owner of an Ibanez here. They easily give the megabuck brands a run for their money.

[@bargoldstein4898]

but Musicman sounds like a bass P bass sounds like a strat with lower notes

[@MarshallTN982016]

Well done, been playing for 45 years , and you gave me some things to think about

[@audiophile102]

I realllllly appreciate you talking about flying fingers. It's a major issue for me personally and I really appreciate the info.

[@youdontneedtoreadthis]

you're a good bassist but i don't think tutoring is your forte :)

[@FoltzwithBoltz]

always a pleasure learning from Professor X

[@deliberatelypositive5812]

I really want to get into bass, this is really helpful and giving me a whole new respect for the instrument. I'm gonna be listening to bass a lot differently now.

[@dinosalas6953]

Thank you Scott! Love the bit about slowing things down!

[@connorwood4069]

A lot of this is actually great, simple advice for anyone looking to develop groove in their instrument. Thank you for sharing!

[@krishnagurung5434]

Excellent tips explained so well practically.Slow practice to perfection with economy of right notes and finger motion and rhythmic touches flowing out from deep within oneself making it unique.Sir,thank you.

[@mfcb]

Thank you so much for this!! Helped me a bunch!

[@Mk101T]

Awesome points of instruction ... and I like how they all blend into the next ... just like your first point of instruction. You are bookmarked sir ... and I'll be viewing a lot more of your video's ;)