What’s the one thing about music theory you wish someone had told you sooner?
@imzyqx119215 күн бұрын
HI HI HI HI HI
@Banjies12415 күн бұрын
It's actually super easy if you go about it properly
@mogullll15 күн бұрын
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
@Mcsixstrings15 күн бұрын
The harmonization of the major scale
@PonyMonbana15 күн бұрын
You pay for 12 notes, play the 12
@menhirmike15 күн бұрын
“The bedroom is a no pressure space to explore the instrument and have fun” is pretty good relationship advice as well.
@miketo0914 күн бұрын
And to push the analogy farther, it's even more fun with a group of friends.
@melodyburgess56114 күн бұрын
@@miketo09😂
@MrBaker45212 күн бұрын
My dog had to come check on me to make sure I was okay, because I laughed so hard at this.
@captainchunk40788 күн бұрын
@@miketo09 Spicy haha
@Sunesen5 күн бұрын
@@miketo09 Does it become too much when the audience starts cheering? XD
@doublea12515 күн бұрын
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.
@LearnCompositionOnline14 күн бұрын
As always
@Marta1Buck14 күн бұрын
Yeah, it's like a native speaker speaking effortlessly without knowing much "grammar"
@Meatball_Enthusiast14 күн бұрын
So tired of people thinking "you either got it or you don't" like we all didn't put in tons of work
@TehDFC14 күн бұрын
Exactly lol.
@JakeBass66612 күн бұрын
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.
@imzyqx119215 күн бұрын
Dude the effort put in to this videos are unmatched
@Brookerbass14 күн бұрын
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.
@TehDFC14 күн бұрын
Awesome story-I've read it multiple times.
@blazeesq20006 күн бұрын
Same
@PsyX9915 күн бұрын
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.
@SumNormy14 күн бұрын
Good company will get you places quickly no matter the subject. Luckily the internet and KZbin can soften the physical lack of socialization with skillfully-literate people.
@blazeesq20006 күн бұрын
A lot of them hired session musicians who had varying levels of this kind of thing.
@RudolfKlusal13 күн бұрын
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 😀
@GypsumGeneration13 күн бұрын
people also delude themselves into thinking theory are rules, when it exists to be descriptive and not prescriptive.
@RudolfKlusal13 күн бұрын
@@GypsumGeneration Yess 🙂
@Mahtijanis13 күн бұрын
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.
@RudolfKlusal12 күн бұрын
@@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 🙂
@pau1rose12 күн бұрын
@@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".
@MC-qe5qb15 күн бұрын
Best humour based bass videos on YT. No one is close
@lennygemar102114 күн бұрын
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.❤
@fenegroni15 күн бұрын
Another quality content lesson. 🫳 🎤
@BassBuzz15 күн бұрын
Thanks for the support @fenegroni! 🤘
@TheGeoffable15 күн бұрын
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.
@erikhuot115 күн бұрын
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.
@richardhobbs976814 күн бұрын
Also in one of Josh's previous lessons his simple explanation of bass tonality with eq frequencies made it easy to understand
@gwen382914 күн бұрын
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.
@briansong71376 күн бұрын
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.
@3eeToe14 күн бұрын
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.
@tramai15 күн бұрын
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!
@PsyX9915 күн бұрын
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...
@XenoghostTV15 күн бұрын
Intervals are the single most important part of music theory because you use them to draw (ever sophisticated) chords.
@mrbouncelol14 күн бұрын
Be more concise
@blazeesq20006 күн бұрын
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".
@LRHutch13 күн бұрын
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.
@ChristianBenvenuti6 күн бұрын
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.
@ebrann15 күн бұрын
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.
@randomguyontheinternet794015 күн бұрын
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.
@xenontesla1227 күн бұрын
Yeah, it's fun to play along with music that's outside of Classical European music theory
@ayushjha677415 күн бұрын
So happy I came across this channel, it is an absolute goldmine of useful information! Thank you so much for these, Josh.
@stephencoxbass12 күн бұрын
Dude, great job on this video! Very well put from one professional/teacher/theory nerd to another. Bravo!
@jlieberum15 күн бұрын
About 10 or 12 years ago I started taking bass lessons and quit after 2 months. I’ve made greater improvements through your KZbin channel. In a few months I’ll be able to afford to pay for the beginner to badass course. I can’t wait!
@gcdenton15 күн бұрын
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!
@ThomasLuongo15 күн бұрын
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.
@tientje9815 күн бұрын
Was about to say, the circle of fifths is so useful!
@woah695814 күн бұрын
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.
@aguilarrojasoctavio440214 күн бұрын
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 😅
@347Jimmy14 күн бұрын
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
@vinicastrobass15 күн бұрын
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 👏🏾
@MyJojomon13 күн бұрын
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!
@robinalves8314Күн бұрын
It’s wild how much time and effort people put into avoiding music theory, when just a bit of focused study can unlock so much. It’s like trying to navigate a city without ever looking at a map-you might eventually find your way, but you'll probably take a lot of unnecessary detours. For fingerstyle guitar, theory has been a game-changer for me. Understanding harmony, chord construction, and voice leading opens up so many creative doors. Suddenly, I'm not just memorizing shapes; I figure out how to build your own progressions, improvise, and even arrange pieces
@AndyB-rh1gp9 күн бұрын
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!
@aizak2315 күн бұрын
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 !
@eliassantos133415 күн бұрын
The best bass content around, simple with humor as a bonus. Thx'lot!
@Joeely61812 күн бұрын
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!!!
@Seanwins6 күн бұрын
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!
@Caddrel14 күн бұрын
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.
@Xiler_15 күн бұрын
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
@rycona987814 күн бұрын
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.
@olindodeboni11369 күн бұрын
Best bass teacher on youtube hands down! I watch all of your videos, buddy!
@matt479913 күн бұрын
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.
@himyusernameisveryverylonghehe15 күн бұрын
i can't describe how much bass buzz has taught me thank you so much!!
@fudgesauce14 күн бұрын
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. :-)
@JakeBass66612 күн бұрын
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.
@ThatIsSomePig14 күн бұрын
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
@andranik39496 күн бұрын
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!
@faustobrusamolino634514 күн бұрын
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.
@MotorGoblin14 күн бұрын
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.
@imzyqx119215 күн бұрын
BRUH EARLY I LOVE THESE VIDS AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR
@x_roosjeeee11 күн бұрын
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
@x_roosjeeee11 күн бұрын
No actually one more do I have to pluck realllyyyy hard? He says I need to but I’m afraid of that man
@x_roosjeeee11 күн бұрын
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.
@kimboberley15 күн бұрын
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 😵💫
@suburiboy14 күн бұрын
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.
@GraphicJ14 күн бұрын
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.
@kenster86513 күн бұрын
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. 🙂🙂
@LearnCompositionOnline14 күн бұрын
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
@SnackZaddy15 күн бұрын
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.
@thewonkyembouchure15 күн бұрын
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!
@nuberiffic14 күн бұрын
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
@thewonkyembouchure14 күн бұрын
@@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!
@nuberiffic14 күн бұрын
@ 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.
@Kevinschart13 күн бұрын
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.
@Saija_basso15 күн бұрын
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 😅
@jonquixote769115 күн бұрын
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.
@thomasfioriglio15 күн бұрын
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 KZbin) 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.
@travisreed596515 күн бұрын
Brilliantly Demonstrated For Simple Comprehension - And Congrats To The Bass Buzzers That Made This Episode Groove On , Cheers
@Ryan-gv7gy14 күн бұрын
This dude is the best I tell ya; the best. His course is worth the money. Lots of fun.
@jdhh180115 күн бұрын
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…
@crustyjusty711 күн бұрын
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.
@regularisnotcool9 күн бұрын
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
@1man1guitarletsgo14 күн бұрын
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.
@barondavis56929 күн бұрын
As always, totally enjoy your post and I learn from them too.
@DanCourtemanche12 күн бұрын
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.
@johnhmaloney14 күн бұрын
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.
@MrDanilop4515 күн бұрын
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.
@MrDanilop4515 күн бұрын
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.
@jimmybgoode-ch15 күн бұрын
We need the badass to legend course!!!!
@karlkendrick563814 күн бұрын
When is the follow up course, Badass and Beyond?? You're my favorite teacher, thanks!
@7171jay15 күн бұрын
ABSOLUTELY STUNNING PRESENTATION .
@controversialkitty15 күн бұрын
was bout to go searching about exactly this and boom first video is bass buzz as soon as i open youtube 😤 🔥
@crocholiday12 күн бұрын
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.
@The-End-Of-The-Line13 күн бұрын
Thank you for another excellent video. You make so much sense.
@inber15 күн бұрын
Great video. Great editing!
@felipe_durante15 күн бұрын
Another fantastic video ! Thank you very much for share your knowledge with us!
@T3L3cast3r14 күн бұрын
Why is saying "I don't know theory, but I can play amazingly well" somehow the holy grail of music?
@lukeserrano6213 күн бұрын
Fun video. Those level descriptions are hilarious. Imo if beginner musicians spent half as much time actually learning theory concepts with an open mind that they spend complaining about and avoiding music theory they’d be perfectly well educated for their needs and greatly enabled to do everything they want to achieve in music. But hey, complaining and staying ignorant is more rock and roll right?
@LaNoLaCola15 күн бұрын
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
@lsh3rd14 күн бұрын
Love the Snarky Puppy reference…. I’m watching this on the airplane back from watching the recording of their latest album!
@12ryudragon13 күн бұрын
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.
@andrewd513915 күн бұрын
One thing that REALLY helped me that i didn't know before was that theres formulas for major and minor scales.
@rolandwheeler484215 күн бұрын
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!
@DutchXFangirl15 күн бұрын
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.
@Ryan-gv7gy14 күн бұрын
I’m 25% through the course as a complete beginner. It is already worth the money. Good luck 🤘
@jessejordache186913 күн бұрын
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.
@edgarmatias14 күн бұрын
This is a really insightful video. Well done!
@Killianoso15 күн бұрын
As someone who recently got his undergrad in music, level 5 had me in tears. Modal frking interchange baby! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@lowandslow111313 күн бұрын
Best bass content on the internet hands down
@LeeFKoch15 күн бұрын
Hey Josh, thanks for this video. I play guitar, but decided to try the bass, and I gotta admit, playing bass is fun! It's kind of hard for me to answer your question on theory, as I started in Middle School as a percussionist, then moved from mallets to piano, so I've been reading music pretty much right from the start. I started teaching myself guitar in the early 90s - no youtube, no money for lessons, just a cheap nylon-stringed guitar and a book of camp-fire songs with chord diagrams. I don't like tabs very much; I really prefer playing from a lead sheet. I guess - if pressed for an answer - I'd have to say that it would have made my musical journey a heck of a lot easier if I'd have known the Nashville Number System.
@LearnCompositionOnline14 күн бұрын
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
@demian843915 күн бұрын
1:48 But I like theory. It nerdy and weird. Like me!!
@TMNTfever6 күн бұрын
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.
@Imjonrel14 күн бұрын
I love this. You need to teach seminars for music teachers
@BartFunkBass15 күн бұрын
It's all about the GROOVE
@georgespaceagency989415 күн бұрын
and root notes
@isaiahmesina45444 күн бұрын
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.
@tiltman_42012 күн бұрын
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.
@vvatashi42598 күн бұрын
The circle of 5ths is a must-have if you want to compose your own tracks (not the basic ones on three chords from a single key, but using borrowed chords and modulations). However for an instrumentalist who is just learning to play and playing existing pieces it doesn't really make much sense.
@Mezurashii513 күн бұрын
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.
@ngknm_1414 күн бұрын
You're a legend Josh! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge in a very easy going and understandable way with a lot of humour!
@joaoericocaldasdelima773515 күн бұрын
Great video. Not only for bass players,.
@stevem662210 күн бұрын
Another great video. Thanks!!
@JazzyJonas15 күн бұрын
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.
@Allisin-pp2ko15 күн бұрын
Excellent explanation
@viktortjernell543614 күн бұрын
I don’t agree. (I thought I was up until the list of your last level though) Some of the things in your last level are key to be good at earlier levels. The modes for the last level!? I’d say this should be tought after learning the pentatonic basic minor and major, and maybe blues scale. Once I understood modes it was like walking over a hilltop. Everything makes so much more sense and all scales will be easier to learn and understand because they are put in context. Also a lot of modern popular music is based on different modes. Being limited in your knowledge without the modes will make it much harder to learn and understand a lot of songs you may play at gigs etc. ”Just understand the scales” doesn’t make sense to me. Understand the modes instead and the scales are there within them and you will have a much more complete picture that makes sense. Understanding odd time is also something that can greatly improve your sense of rythm and timing in general. And odd time signatured are not that uncommon either. Harmonics is also really really useful stuff to understand that I feel not enough people know about. Even a lot of pro musicians. Understaning harmonics will improve you sense of pitch/intervals, choosing the right sounds for your instrument, choice of where on your instrument to play a certain note, play with fingers or a pick, where to hit the string etc. That are really important to how you sound.
@viktortjernell543614 күн бұрын
Oh, I’ll add that I don’t think theory really is that important. Most important thing is to use your ear. Often it takes very complicated theoretical explanations to make sense of some things you think sound good, so I find theory is more often than not a waste of time. However, it’s good for comunicating while playing with other musicians. But I feel like between learning the pentatonic scales and the last level, theory is kinda pointless (besides the communicational point) Unless you have a very good thoretical knowledge there is a big chance the theory will limit your creativity and playing rather than making you better. That’s my experience as a music student, musician, guitar teacher, and sound engineer. With that said. We are all different and learn things differently, see things differently. You can view a lot of theoretical stuff from different angles, and my angle may make perfect sense for some, while some may view it from a completely different angle that makes much more sense for them.. Personally I usually ignore theory as much as I can, but the ONE thing I really kind of think about when playing is modes. Not even scales really, I kind of have my own way of viewing the fretbord and I don’t really think scales. I listen more for a feeling and have connected my fingers/patterns to that. I also know which feelings represent which modes. Really helpful stuff.