5 Tips About Bass Solos (that no one ever told you)

[@Riccardo_Silva]

That's what musicians need: a wise musician giving wise, sound advices! I'd wager you're wise as a person as well, aren't you? One never stops learning and, after 40 years of bass playing , i still find your tips absolutely precious! Thank you Rich, plenty of bass channels on the tube but your one...well, it gives answers!!!!

[@ЖеняЯр-ъ3к]

So what?yes Rick is a master of bass.A+ goodbye

[@armignac]

I did miss a lot of classes. But I never miss the BrownStone for sure!

[@richbrownbass]

I'm so glad you're here.

[@armignac]

@@richbrownbass So am I man! So am I

[@davidthompson2647]

So happy seeing your notification pop on my screen... I missed you, sure others did too

[@richbrownbass]

Thank you for being there for me. 🙏🏾❤

[@pascalmugambe1452]

I just think ur a very good father…maaahn, the composure n calmness when ur teaching 🙏🏽🙌🏼🙌🏼❤️.

[@justinbedell7902]

Rich - Point #4...SPOT ON!! I am a working bassist of 30 years and perform live in front of audiences on average once per week year round. I have learned from your previous videos on soloing to play shapes and based on melody versus what I call "pentatonic pyrotechnics" performance. The real flashy and super fast stuff. The BEST solo I've played all summer that got the best reaction not just from the audience but also from the BAND right after my solo is when I played a solo based 100% on all you said in Point #4 (I want readers of my comment to dig in and watch that in your video!). It ended up being a 3 minute solo (soloing is my weakest confidence within my playing). Thanks for putting this video out there. Cannot agree more with you.

[@girmaybass68]

5:14 You were not kidding! I was swaying on my chair listening to your bass solo! As always thank you for your great lessons!

[@bobyxd8189]

Thank you for all the value you provide to all of us. Love your work, keep going.

[@richbrownbass]

Thank you so much. I really appreciate you being here. Let's all keep going!

[@mycroft174]

my advice to anyone struggling to get beyond pentatonics is to learn your diatonic arpeggios! that was the step that finally broke me out of the box

[@liamstanderjunk]

Thank you, sir

[@tumbleweedtumbleweed]

Playing fast isn’t part of my repertoire but taking a Bass solo certainly is. Fred Wesley’s trombone playing on Funky People 1&2 was one of my first inspirations.

[@Bassic778]

WOW!!!!!! You continue to take the veil off the concept of soloing!!! Those who choose to ignore and/or disagree with you are doing themselves a disservice! Rich, you are undoubtedly one of my top 5 favorite bassists and soloists of all time! Thank you for continuing to be a blessing to the bass community!

[@Nickhannamusic]

Freddie freeloader 🖤🖤🖤

[@jamessteinhagen4969]

Yep major pentatonic is fun and a extra note really sounds good and adds the flavor wherever it may be :)

[@bassofworship3640]

Dear Rich, Thank you so, so much! I have already watched several of your videos. Fantastic. Also, the calmness and serenity you exude. Thank you for your incredibly helpful tips and suggestions. Dear Rich, you have brought back my joy in playing the bass. God bless you and all those close to you. With very, very warm regards from the Baltic Sea, Heiko / Bass of Worship

[@georgewenzler7867]

Thanks!

[@tillkatzmann9413]

thx for the insights. Esp. the things about the mindset approaching a solo really speak to me ;)

[@richbrownbass]

Thank you. Getting into the right headspace and having the patience to let the ideas come to you is key!

[@rlittlefield2691]

This guy is really smart. Great advice. I would only one thing though on the Pentatonic, I actually only play that when I can't figure out the chord progression.

[@shibicollection]

I started playing bass two years ago and still have a long way to learn so much. Love the way you teach and it encourages me even more to love the bass. I'm so thankful you share your knowledge with us! 🫶🏻

[@richbrownbass]

I'm so thankful for your time. Thank you for watching.

[@WCruttenden]

You ideas and advice are helping. Really.

[@vinsharrelson2246]

Thanks for sharing your wisdom! I've been hesitant to take solos in the past, but with some time in the shed focused on melodies along with developing a solid understanding of the composition, I could speak volumes in just a few notes!

[@richbrownbass]

You so totally get it. That's exactly the right approach. You'll get there, my brother.

[@jxkera8157]

Great Tips! Great Video and now im goin to learn that Miles Davis solo!

[@anthonycook4297]

Thanks, Rich… Telling a story, and taking your time =Golden advice🙌🏽 I think so many times we get caught up in the excitement and anticipation that we jump right in and start flying 🤣 Really great, Rich .

[@7355days]

Let’s go! Rich Brown! 👌

[@charlieburns1385]

Wonderful thanks 👍

[@Crumsie]

You're the Mr. Rogers of musicians, always love your videos

[@richbrownbass]

Haha! Thank you for being my neighbour!

[@Tom-t2d]

mr brown! your videos helped me get going very well when i was a beginner and i just took a jazz course at a university near me - suffice to say i got to apply so much of what i learned from your videos in a jazz context and it was amazing!! thank you for posting this vid on soloing cause i still struggle on that. love you and your channel

[@bassclefconnoisseur]

Absolutely perfect tips to follow! I totally agree that space is THE place...and you affirm my belief with the pentatonic thing so, thanks for that! '): 🤘😎🤘

[@richbrownbass]

Pentatonics are great, bass players need to bring more than that. There are a lot of beautiful colours beyond the primaries.

[@cdarw]

+1 on leaving space! Not sure if I shared this already, but a former bass instructor told me he was on a gig, saw a musician he admired enter, and did an "insane" solo to try to impress him. During a break, said musician told y instructor "Interesting solo, Russ... perhaps if there were fewer notes, some music would fall out!" This philosophy has informed my playing ever since.

[@2maitree]

SAME AS CHOREOGRAPHY. collaborating with David Liebman as a choreographer, taught me so much the same.

[@mikoajmiszczyk7349]

You're the best teacher. Objectively.

[@AmranSidek]

wow again the thing im looking for..finally a lesson that is really understandable..tq master rich brown

[@snappycat100]

Great information! Thanks so much!

[@kenyonalexander933]

Thank you so much for you tips. I agree with what you said especially about playing fast.

[@beenardlitko3163]

Thank you so much. It is so nice to hear a more in-depth and easily explained teaching of a map that sometimes is not that easy to read.

[@marcgreene6343]

Rich, couldn’t agree with you more. I want to make melodies when I solo. My model is Charlie Haden. I saw him play solos that brought tears to my eyes. I want to move people not wow them.

[@richbrownbass]

Charlie Haden is another perfect example; from those albums with Ornette to the Liberation Orchestra to just playing duo with Metheny, Haden was a complete musician. Definitely one of my favs. I also like what you said about moving people as opposed to wowing them. So true!

[@dancwalsh]

I mostly agree with you with respect to the pentatonic scale, the way I teach it (and think about it) is that it's like a bare christmas tree. Like it's fine as is, and I would argue a lot of the melodies we know and love are made of the pentatonic scale, however, it's a lot prettier with lights and ornaments. Conversely, you wouldn't have much of a christmas tree if you just threw all your lights and ornaments on the floor, the pentatonic scale is a handy, familiar tool to hang other ideas off.

[@dancwalsh]

Also I loved the video and really appreciate your thoughts on bass playing and musicality! Please keep it up!

[@Dfingerzbass]

🎉🎉 thanks bro for openine up to this

[@abcbcd1834]

Man, just found your channel. Love how you explain things. Wish you were my teacher. I guess you are now lol. Cheers for posting your knowledge on here

[@12tomato34]

Good tips! Nice work of getting everything together. A good motivation to go and practice right now.

[@tjsmith3741]

Soloing has always been a challenge for me. Your insights are always so inspiring. I’ve also been studying the patterns you’ve described in other videos. Thanks for all you do RB!

[@richbrownbass]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@santiferreras5769]

Amazing teacher!! Thanks a lot from Spain

[@mikeechols5314]

Absolutely right Rich!!!! All points🎯💯

[@nabsdmusik]

Less is more I practice scales patterns, scales and arpeggios all the time to improve my solos, it helps a lot, I agree.

[@davidloflin3098]

I came of age in the 80s shred era and it was definitely about playing fast. Eventually I figured out that it was futile playing that game because there's always someone faster and more importantly, too much fast playing is BORING. Another great lesson of course Rich!

[@MrDaneBrammage]

To me the big challenge of the bass solo, as opposed to other instruments, is to play something interesting and novel while still recognizably holding down the bass line. You can't drop the bass line because nine times out of ten there's nobody else there who can pick it up, and when the bass line is gone then everybody stops dancing and goes to the bar. One strategy is to play call and response. Play a bar of the original line, then respond to it with a variation, maybe in a higher octave. Then back to the original, or at least close to it, and so on. Or if you're a rockabilly guy, just play the same thing you were already playing, but louder and slap the bejeezus out of it. :)

[@frankbittermann2104]

Really great, love it! Thank you!

[@toddhughes7370]

Great to see you back! Always a pleasure to see your popup notifications!

[@ebkp50]

Mr Brown thank you so much Gods Blessings sir

[@richbrownbass]

You're so welcome. Continued blessings to you and yours.

[@garryjacksonbass]

You just got a subscriber here after the pentatonic comment. As a fellow teacher I wholeheartedly agree. More power to you sir! Much love dude!

[@wyrdstone85]

Much wisdom here. Thanks very much!

[@MrCaiovalente786]

Great! Always is! Thanks from Brasil!

[@marciamackey1645]

Love your vids:) you've helped me SO much. I play upright bass and it's been so great - once i learned some patterns i was suddenly able to play so much more easily in jam sessions. Now I'm into expanding that stuff into some thoughtful solos and this is just perfect 😊

[@markkangas7774]

Genius!! Sequential patterns and melodic melody. I've been doing a little bass solo in Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold" for about a year now. Those that know one doesn't exist there are surprised, and like it. But most think it's part of the tune. With some tweaking, a sequential pattern of minor thirds would be really melodic. I wonder how a minor tenth would sound? Off to the shed, thank you my guru friend!

[@mottahead6464]

Wise words, String Master.

[@jcrogers3854]

Thanks so much Rich this was brilliant ! Back to the woodshed with some clearer goals !

[@jonathanfurtado7611]

You the best! Objectively the best bass teacher ;)

[@faunobassvideo]

Always a pleasure to watch your videos! I particularly appreciate tip number 3. Thank you! 🤟

[@Omarencarnacion1]

WOW amazing tips and lessons, i really need those tips! muchas gracias!!!

[@richbrownbass]

My pleasure! Thank you so much for watching.

[@physiotherapiepraxisjohann8803]

❤ Beautyful and great. I love this lesson.

[@ZeahorseZealand]

Great stuff, very inspiring- it really resonates- although I'm new to soloing, and just trying to find a way to start 😊❤

[@joaniepeters2565]

I think intervals and are one of the most important things to learn for bass, especially with phrasing and soloing. Maybe the most important

[@AlexandarShmex]

There's an interval course by Kai Eckhart, I recommend it...

[@lyndunagan4868]

So much value here. Thank you!

[@stevenwyatt3172]

So glad your back Rich, your inspiration on bass soloing really helps.

[@waynefrance4545]

I like this. Amazing concepts!

[@richbrownbass]

Thank you so much. They really helped me when I was struggling.

[@randyclere2330]

Yay!! ya made my day sir!!! you da BEST!!!

[@BobSmith-fx5tt]

A lot of truth in this video. Really enjoyed it.

[@HB-ve4wi]

Great as ever, thanks! I found slowing down the improvisation process by writing alternative melodies over a set of changes really helpful.

[@vickynaski353]

Wow... I really appreciate and I wanna learn

[@mr.force1036]

Thank you sir. Much appreciated and inspiring. I like to think of soloing as entering the ‘flow state’. Where I leave my brain in the case and go by feel. 😎

[@jimkerak6404]

for tip 4, that's how my bass teacher has been having me practice since day 1. been doing scales/patterns/arpeggios every day for years now

[@joelgiroux3610]

As per, such a brilliant lesson, Maestro. And tip 5 was golden: "seriously, what song are you playing?" 😂 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@crispyblasian]

Just found your channel and am looking at starting bass! Glad to be on this journey with you boss

[@liamgaliano]

Awesome video as always - thanks, Rich!

[@richbrownbass]

Hey Liam. Great to hear from you, man! Thanks so much!

[@kellyvibert7861]

I had an epiphany watching this, so grateful, thank you.

[@bassomatic6055]

Long time follower, Rich - good to see you back. This is quite useful for me as i try to expand on my soloing ability. Thanks.

[@HunnysPlaylists]

Thank You!

[@richbrownbass]

Thank you! 😊

[@HunnysPlaylists]

@@richbrownbass You're Welcome!

[@MonikMoka-q2o]

Thank u so much🫶

[@eugencalin5346]

Thank you! ❤

[@takeawaybenji]

My favorite bass solos (and drum solos) are those where the bass player continues to hold down the bottom and outline the chords, while creating something special.

[@UnoUrong]

The pentatonic is not bad... It's just makes me very lazy. I always fall back on it... even when I don't know what I'm doing. And at the end... it's all I play and it becomes boring. So yeah doubling down on learning other scales and patterns will help familiarizing our ear to other flavours. Thanks for the tips!!!

[@richbrownbass]

It's so disappointing when I only hear one pentatonic scale over a series of chords. We gotta do better.

[@alexandrinefalcot2301]

Thank you maestro !

[@antoniopizarro7670]

100 on this. Very persuasive.

[@daveminor7b546]

Beautiful Rich, thank you for a fantastic video. Your insights are spot on! My only question is “What is your fav SW song? My is and always will be…..As!

[@normg2242]

Thanks! And ... Fistbump...!

[@markfoster_mkfbass]

THANK YOU! Amen re your point about sequential patterns! If they "work" for (random list) Slonimsky, Messiaen, Trane, Ray Brown, Stevie Wonder, both Breckers, Anthony Jackson, etc., ad infinitum...then they work for me. Study the pedagogy and performance of music from ANY part of the world and...what, reliably and invariably, do you find? In oral and written traditions? SEQUENTIAL PATTERNS. And the congregation intoned: " RAMEN!" 😋 ETA pentatonic commentary, yes; telling a story, yes!!!!! Love what you do. Carry on😎

[@richbrownbass]

MY MAN!!! Always great to hear from you, brother Mark. Dude! That Slonimsky book is a treasure!

[@8981USMC]

Love the videos thanks!

[@josephromano7867]

Thank You RIch so much!!

[@lougaru2445]

You could've done 5 separate videos on each tip ❤.. love the space and sequential segments!

[@aaronteague8050]

Thank you Mr. Btown!

[@richbrownbass]

You're very welcome, brother. Thank you for watching!

[@ikechukwuokorielong8443]

ALL HAIL MR. BROWN! I’ve been waiting for you to speak on this challenge for many of us. Thank you Thank you Thank you. I will definitely employ these tips. Also, have you considered a Patreon page, a live zoom, or even a way for us to connect with you? Thanks again!

[@richbrownbass]

I have thought about it. Life is pretty hectic these days. The level of commitment to those platform is particularly challenging these days. But I'd love tot do it. Hopefully in the not too distant future.

[@pillowfight614]

haters be slick till they find out that man is voice of king from one punch man

[@willieelliott352]

Some of the best advice I ever heard about soloing, but how do you feel about playing safe around the Root note, because you may not know where to go along the fret board. Thanks

[@mozr5053]

I felt like you were talking to me directly. Because that is exactly what I'm struggling with 😅😮😢😂😂

[@Beelvpink]

how to learn groove for beginners, please make a tutorial🙏👍👍👍Thank You

[@flapp-jck1226]

yessirrr!!!!! 🕺🏿❤️.

[@michalkbass]

Great advice as always. One thing: any advice on rhytmic changes in solos? I can play the "right" notes but struggle with creating cool rhytms, it's all quarter notes or eight notes.

[@MattGiffin]

Deep lessons here for all musicians

[@ralphmanak]

Hard truths, delivered softly. You're the master of that. Keep laughing!

[@philippemelkonian6485]

Great tips. My teacher is telling me the sames

[@maurice7274]

❤

[@grahamtrout9441]

I froze when you said space like some schoolboy caught doing wrong. I was so into the solo looking for the space...😅 when you said space, I just realized this isn't very Spacey....