Berklee Bassist Learns PANIC ATTACK as fast as possible (Dream Theater)

[@GillBoldberg]

One thing I've noticed about Myung is he digs in and plays super hard. He's also one of the most underrated bassists on the planet and a great lyricist.

[@ElmoRitter]

i think he’s underrated cuz the tone in the mix is usually um, leaving things to be desired. and i love DT

[@MnyFrNthng]

Underrated??? A few years ago a guitar magazine whose name don't remember now made a bracket kind of competition for the best basists for several weeks. So bassists went head to head in their bracket, and who won the more votes went to the next bracket. Etc. Myung and Iron Maiden Steve Harris went to the final and Myung won the top prize. So I don't think Myung is underrated at all.

[@subutaynoyan5372]

He's underrated? Not really because he's usually reckoned as one of the best bassists alive if not the best. DT seriously leaves him in the dark particularly after Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence era And with Petrucci's tone becomming overly dominant, Myung is just difficult to hear at times buy Myung is not underrated to me. He's a very reserved fellow who doesn't try to make himself too visible

[@Tkrain]

It's hard to stand out in a band with one of the best keyboardists and best guitarists on the planet. Only the best bassist on the planet could provide the groove for these giants to stand on.

[@pimsmise]

Lyricist ?? Does he know words ??? /s

[@AlexG-qv8ri]

Bass players humor, what a refreshing and warm feeling 🙂 You are pure oxygen guys 👏

[@dicebar_]

Sharon didn't just learn the song in 5 minutes, she managed to increase her _skill_ in less than 2 hours. That's flipping hard!!

[@jkorkea]

on a sidenote she learned one part of a 8+ minute song, but she did good!

[@Eireman_on_Twitch]

Dude, she has so much talent and ability! She learned on bass in a couple hours what I learn on guitar IN A MONTH. I am not jealous. I am not jealous. I am not… ok, maybe just a little.

[@RobVespa]

@@jkorkea Why oddly backhand/neg someone else's accomplishment?

[@theatticreview777]

@@RobVespait’s called jealousy and envy

[@montruo000000007]

@@theatticreview777 but... i mean its a matter a fact. learning a part of a song does not mean learning the entire song

[@FerNunezA]

Myung also plays with 3 fingers and Sharon is using just 2, wich makes it a extra hard. Great job!

[@bryden72]

Yeah 3 fingers was always hard for me when used to play. So fare play to her. She killed it considering the time she had. And track.

[@rodrigotellom]

Notice the same thing. I think that's what making the lower part more heavy and almost slapped, not just the top. I think I've seen Myung even 4 fingers.

[@FerNunezA]

@@rodrigotellom yep, that could be so, also John’s attack is brutal!

[@hexertion]

In the first part of the line where you have the open string I find 2 fingers (index-middle or index-ring) is a lot more intuitive because of how the accents fall on the fretted notes. The rest is easier with 3 yeah

[@markwarner5554]

Myung definitely hits his strings hard. He is not so much into the conservation of motion the way Petrucci is. I'd like to see Sharon do some of Amos' bass lines from TesseracT. Like "Of Mind - Exile" would be cool. It's a very different sort of vibe, with a different challenge.

[@bASS227]

He does but off course it's easier if the bass is tuned down.

[@rossfinazzo]

He smacks instead of plucking, that's how he gains that speed, at the expense of the sound

[@bASS227]

​@@rossfinazzo He is plucking.

[@marko_makinen]

@@bASS227 @rossfinazzo it's a blend of both actually. It's not smacking like Steve Harris but a hybrid of plucking and smacking. Source: Trust me bros, I aped my fingerstyle pretty much from Myung. :D

[@MassholeDrums]

Tesseract is sick

[@Gorbyrev]

Mr Allison, God loves prog! My son is going to be so stoked at this lesson. He's been trying to get Panic Attack under his fingers for months. Well done Sharon.

[@francissison6510]

Myung's rig is basically an Ashdown(he's a signature artist) and a Fractal Axe-Fx, but on the last record he did admittedly used a Neural plugin but didn't share the details. But the way he plays the bass makes his tone basically. he hits it HARD!

[@AtomizedSound]

He is a hard hitter like Geddy if you especially listen in isolation. I’m not sure what his current setup is nowadays besides the MM custom 6 he has for him but his tone is a hit or mix. Some dry with fuzz or octave FX thrown in

[@johanneswarn5488]

@@AtomizedSoundi don’t even think it’s custom. It’s just a Bongo with the tone controls blanked out afaik

[@atlasisshrugging]

​@@johanneswarn5488You're right on the tone controls, but from the very early days of Myung playing the Music Man Bongo bass, he has had them custom made with the FIVE-string sized neck on a six-string body and a custom bridge to give a narrower string spacing (closer to the five-string spacing). Also, Music Man FINALLY made a Signature model for Myung that more closely resembles what he plays on stage, along with a dual wood-type fretboard (ebony/rosewood I believe).

[@Eireman_on_Twitch]

Both Myung and Petrucci have been swayed… it’s only a matter of time until all of the pedal effects go away and the laptop takes over.

[@johanneswarn5488]

@@atlasisshrugging ah yes you are right, i had forgotten about the neck thing lol

[@strykr82]

Of course I want to see Sharon learning Rush's "Cygnus X-1: Part One" as fast as possible! Great job btw.

[@devinebass]

🤔🤔🤔

[@JustinGoran]

@@devinebass ooooo great tune! or La Villa Strangiato

[@Jinballify]

​@@devinebass In fact, in honor of this track. How about malignant narcisim? Or Leave that thing alone? 😁 Rush riffs make the best content. (at least we don't offer Les Claypool. 😅)

[@SomaCoyote-z8l]

oh that's a fun one, especially feeling out his little variations

[@L5kman]

I love the banter between Scott, Ian & Sharon in your videos. My bass playing days are a lifetime ago but these videos make me want to drag my gear out and have fun with it. Thanks guys.

[@devinebass]

Do it! No time like the present to start playing again!

[@KaijuAlert]

Singing is the #1 transcription tool. If you can sing it, you can learn it and play it.

[@noGoodNickLeftForMe]

yeah, if you can sing it, you can wing it ;-)

[@seijirou302]

yeah but I can't sing though.

[@noGoodNickLeftForMe]

@@seijirou302 I wouldn't go as far as to state that I actually _can_ sing, but I do sing background vocals and I like it. However it is sometimes pretty hard to play bass and sing at the same time.

[@seijirou302]

@@noGoodNickLeftForMe I love *to* sing, i just *can't* sing. I can have a tune in my head, but if I try to sing it out loud I'm just as likely to hum out the wrong pitches as I am guessing at frets. The matching the fret with the hum thing works fine, the problem is the humming will be wrong. If I transcribe I have to have the song handy and play, pause, rewind, repeat and write it down as I go.

[@DMinorTrip]

I used to do A lot of open jams hosting and developing ear is the best thing... I would have people hum songs to me if my band didn't know it and we could usually pull it off.

[@tinplatedave]

That's the way you learn music right there. No matter what instrument, the key is to slow down and learn the song by measure. Only progressing when you have the previous section down perfectly. I loved watching you learn that so thank you very much! New subscriber here, but I must admit I'm not a Bass player, I was trained on Piano, played Alto Sax in Highschool band and I've been practicing Guitar for many years. But you are making me want to buy an 8 string guitar and learn how to play Bass on one of those.

[@matto9734]

You 2 are so gorgious and Sharon is a BEAST ;-) That channel is highlyeducating and entertaining at the same time. Showing the struggle that pros like you have is so helping us getting through the process. Thnx SBL for being what you are!

[@cienciegos]

OMG We need more of these!!! 😂 My take on this lesson: have fun in the process. 🤓What a blast. Thanks and congratulations SBL Team!

[@devinebass]

Appreciate that, more to come!!

[@forrestdean8665]

Man, this Drumeo theme for bass is gonna help me a lot. Keep these up!

[@creforce]

as a major dream theater fan and drummer I approve of this video. I mean all of them in dream theater is so beyond good, even the base has lines that is barely human, and you are doing a great work learning it

[@Tonatiuth]

Learning Panic Attack by ear is a super power ❤

[@jshox]

I loved watching Sharon’s process of breaking down this riff! I’m an old guy who likes mostly blues and jazz, but I think I need to check out some more DT!

[@rsantoz]

I'm picking my bass right now and tune down in solidarity too😁

[@xevilashx]

This has been one of the most fun videos the channel has ever done. Super fun to watch.

[@dionnpeterson]

i love these videos with Sharon. You guys have such a great banter. Shazz is a superstar.

[@devinebass]

🧡🧡🧡

[@Basslevels]

She is an awesome addition as she says what most of us thinks

[@SentientPickle]

Kudos to you and and all teachers out there. Musicians and all artists put so much beauty out there in the world. Those that create AND teach not only put their own beauty into the world but help others create. I don't think teachers are appreciated enough, so thanks!

[@stagecoachrobbery]

I feel like we don't get a chance to see just how good Sharon is very often. Excellent video. Sharon crushes the bass.

[@johndyda5673]

Awesome Sharon. Fair play, you're bloody good!

[@CamiloDiaz]

Loved the Speed Prog Dog at the end 😂

[@aubreyapplewhaite]

Great content guys, loved it.

[@michaelmasiello6752]

I want to see Sharon work out Yes’s “Close to the Edge.” She is hilarious and awesome.

[@matv2436]

Level 42 - Lessons in love Mark King, the stamina needed to do that song is incredible. Great video, and you all have adorable dogs

[@devinebass]

💯💯💯

[@danhunter446]

I’ve watched most of these. This was funny! Thanks !!

[@LukeBass1000]

Something that helped me a great deal learning DT songs is separating the hands and thinking about the right hand as a constant motor (like a funk guitarist). for this song its semiquavers all the way through (at least the intro) so locking into that grid frees up my mind for trying to get the left hand in sync and time.

[@fpawluszmtg]

These videos are KILLER!!! Super cool to get to see the entire learning process!

[@Litoff90]

Dude, Berklee musicians are no joke, man!! I mean, Berklee does really accept just the best of the best musicians from all over the world. This girl Sharon Renold, just effin' nailed this DT song, arguably Myung's most challenging bass track ever. Kudos!!

[@MrMcToi]

Next, Turn the Page - Rush

[@rodrigodepierola]

It's official, Ian hates Sharon. How do you give her THAT intro? So, does Sharon hate open strings? I'm not sure

[@MetalJaska]

Oh my god this is so lovely, the energy between you two, so much fun, so much joy

[@devinebass]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@AdamAarts]

Myung’s sound has almost always been a bass with double HB pickups. Yamaha back then and Bongo bass now. Then he’s used a Demeter preamp for as long as I’ve seen his rig talked about.

[@geepike]

Second this. I learned this track with the low B string tuned up to C (as he does on “As I Am”) and raking the strings with Geddy/Geezer attitude on the intro. Not to say thats correct, but for anyone that hates detuning 😉😎

[@jasonbonilla9954]

He’s using Ashdown amps now instead of Demeter, supposedly he used Ashdown back in train of thought and has been Ashdown again since distance over time

[@tj2375]

Sharon is so awesome! What a talent!

[@bassplayer2011ify]

It could have changed as this was 6 or 7 years ago. But at the time Myung was running a micro SVT CL with a miced cab and a Neve RNDI for direct.

[@PapaBaush]

I’d take a lot of that time away too coz the big Shaz was also giving a down right lesson on learning. If we were to time fingers on string time it’ll be significantly less time. Awesome job

[@delicrux]

thank you for explaining the the part where you fix a mistake, i have played guitar for more than 20 years and never heard anyone say that i will try applying that in the future, thanks

[@francqui]

Love these vids. Thanks Sharon & Ian.

[@devinebass]

🧡🧡🧡

[@Zafersernikli]

It’a amazing how different a bassist hears this from a keyboard and guitar player (me). Hearing the two different sections is so rythm section point of view. I just hear a triplet arpeggio, just in different octaves and with different punctuations that I would find out in the flow.

[@kaynesantor8136]

Bro, her bass face is fucking awesome. She playin the shit outta that shit and its glorious. Also, nice work. Very impressive.

[@howhardcanitbe3333]

That was amazing, well done. I need to work on my ear training.

[@MikeGuerr]

Wow, what an amazing job Sharon!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@andrewpappas9311]

This was the first DT riff I learned to play on bass (or at least just that intro riff) and a personal favourite to play on my StingRay, it's so damn iconic and definitely one of Myung's best

[@eldiablosoundtracks6760]

You should try the intro of the song Domination by Symphony X.

[@leonhardkeller1291]

Ich liebe euern Humor und wie ihr zusammen arbeitet 🤣🥰

[@GraceGottlieb-k8b]

omg, that's the song I used for my berklee audition!! banger song

[@horrorshowbass]

Please more of these style videos. Love it

[@devinebass]

More to come!!

[@SuperSZahir]

this opening has been my kryptonite.... well i have about 20 million kryptonites in total but this one i have attempted and failed..... slowed down and tried speeding up gradually but could never speed up enough to pull off the string skipping smoothly.... the learning from seeing this is patience in practice solves everything....Loved the video and Sharon's process.... Now for some bassists struggling with Jazz lines

[@dannymusicman16.19]

Me agrada que le den un espacio para analizar y tocar una de las mejores canciones de mi banda legendaria Dream Theater. Saludos

[@matty_mcmattface]

Amazing job Sharon - JMX's parts are notoriously difficult to play. Thanks for showing us your learning process - that is helpful to all musicians at every level.

[@devinebass]

🧡🧡🧡

[@JVR10893]

1:36 to answer your question, the tuning on this song is weird. John Myung used a standard tuned 6 string with the B tuned down a half step to Bb, but for the intro he also tuned the D down a whole step to C, so the recording is in two different tunings.

[@mwoody4560]

OG, but I’d love to see either of you breakdowns “bonin’ in the boneyard” - Fishbone. such a cool funky bass line. Sharon you kill’d it.

[@branlopgar]

He made Sharon learn a part of Lines in the Sand a few months ago (when she does not even like 6 string basses) and now the Panic Attack intro? I don't know what Sharon did to him, but she probably needs to buy Ian a few cold ones to make up for it. Because going with those two is almost plain evil.

[@branlopgar]

And next, if we're keeping the mean streak of monster bass intros (although, if she can pull off this one, she can pull off anything) let's roll with Domination by Symphony X

[@jdb44]

Ian and Sharon need to be cast in some kind of buddy road trip movie.

[@spittalmusic]

I’d watch that. Maybe they’d turn up in bars and have to play a set, then hit the road again, I mean, basically a tour. I’d pay to go to the gigs too, if they came to Yorkshire, as some kind of SBL bass supergroup 😮😅😊

[@overgrey]

love the blue fender so much.. so chick.. and the neck looks so metal.

[@Joe_Murphy-REV_Realty]

Great job, Sharon!!! You have a brilliant future ahead of you!

[@MrStarchild3001]

Respect! This was very hard, and you've done very well.

[@midik13]

I love the Bill Wurtz style "the hate will come towards me" 😂

[@devinebass]

🤣🤣🤣

[@kotzy210]

Go SHARON!!!

[@devinebass]

🔥🔥🔥

[@donkereazes2974]

All these cats on this channel are so good it makes me want to be better with every video drop 1000%

[@spenceremmons6200]

Good stuff Sharon. You all rock.

[@Squares1960]

Great stuff ,Sharon !

[@AtomizedSound]

Always down for more DT! Love that intro as always and it’s a love letter to MUSE too if you all didn’t know as that was around Absolution era MUSE and MP I know loved that album.

[@dkross82]

Nice one, Sharon! This ‘learn by ear’ video series rocks. Check the notation/tab for 2 bars starting at 14:07. Something to fix there. 😉

[@devinebass]

👍👍👍

[@christophlucke5654]

Yeaaaahh new AWESOME Video to start the Weekend 🤘

[@IFGchannel931]

Try the intro for Symphony X's Sea of Lies next!! Keep the prog content rolling!

[@geo-fry6372]

Or Domination by Symphony X, that bass intro is fire

[@IvanAntochiw]

Sharon totally crushed it... now she needs to see DT live... I've seen them play Panick Attack live and they take the experience to a whole new level

[@Chest3rTheSquirrel]

They just played it live for the first time in almost 10 years yesterday!

[@sebastianschilling7337]

I saw DT live back in 2005 down here in Chile, when this song was brand new, and they actually played the intro a little bit slower… so hey, maybe God did actually grant riff access to John Myung the day he recorded this one, and then went back to access denied mode!! Great job, Sharon! Awesome video, thanks once again SBL!!!! 🇨🇱 😊

[@moaprecision1828]

Watching the right hand skip-string plucking technique is mesmerizing. That is way harder than it looks

[@simonemurgia-wv3mo]

I watch all entire the episode...and I play guitar!! Great Job and awesome content!!

[@devinebass]

Cheers, appreciate you checking it out!

[@VillaNko]

I really dig this content, keep it up

[@devinebass]

Cheers, more to come!!

[@Lakefield_]

That was Shaz-tastic! 🤩 Love the videos with Sharon and Ian.

[@devinebass]

🧡🧡🧡

[@TheFatBeaRr]

SBL we request you to please talk more about the bass lines from the band Symphony X too ❤😊

[@devinebass]

👍👍👍

[@kronoscapes806]

Learning to play this song (on bass) gave me so much endurance on my forearm muscles!

[@robertp457]

I don't care as long as you guys are doing it, it's going to be fun no matter what.

[@kup9j]

Ok that was nice. Next piece is "entertain me" by Tigran Hamasyan :)

[@kaskasero]

I love that Majestic Dog behind Sharon

[@ValuelessPond22]

I started to play along and learn the song as well and man, I'm with Sharon I hate open strings lolllll ITS SO FAST

[@Matt-is8qj]

I suggest 'You pick me up (just to throw me down)' by Infectious grooves. It's a bass-oriented version of their song 'Therapy' featured on the 'Sarsippius ark' album. Also from this album, 'Don't stop, spread the jam' would make a great pick.

[@ronallen2458]

Sharon has the BEST bass face. Laser focus.

[@RodrigoSchmidtAdv]

Neste vídeo, o baixista da Berklee, Ian, tenta aprender a linha de baixo de "Panic Attack", do Dream Theater, o mais rápido possível. Ele enfrenta dificuldades com a velocidade da música, principalmente por causa dos riffs rápidos e complexos. Ian explica que, para evitar aprender erros, ele para de tocar a cada vez que erra e tenta reprogramar seu cérebro para tocar corretamente. Ele destaca a dificuldade em aprender essa linha de baixo, especialmente a velocidade e a complexidade rítmica. Ele menciona que, embora possa ter aprendido a música em cinco minutos, levar horas para aperfeiçoá-la e atingir a velocidade desejada. No entanto, ele acredita ter aprendido a música com sucesso, mostrando seu processo de aprendizado e os desafios que enfrentou. O vídeo destaca a dificuldade em aprender músicas rápidas e como a prática e a paciência são essenciais para o sucesso. Ele também mostra como a velocidade e a técnica podem variar entre os músicos e como a experiência e a prática ajudam a aprimorar a execução. No final, Ian convida o público a comentar e sugerir músicas para futuros desafios, mostrando sua abertura a sugestões e seu desejo de continuar aprendendo.

[@thewaldfe9763]

The outtakes in the end are incredible 😂

[@devinebass]

🤣🤣🤣

[@MarcosRavena]

Every video that has Dream Theater in its title deserves a like in advance. Myung is a Bass Monster.

[@Scoots1994]

Playing this is a new party trick. "Hey everyone, just play along" and watch the jaws drop.

[@tinplatedave]

I would really be interested and thankful for a Liquid Tension Experiment song or live video with a Bass play along, if that's even possible? I am completely aware that the Bassist is Tony Levin, but I want to see a Chapman's Stick translated into regular Bass music.

[@lockharthorsburgh8601]

Kudos to Sharon, that's very impressive. This makes me very relieved that I only had to learn "Pull me Under", but that one still took me a couple of weeks (and there's one part I still can't get right). Next challenge: a slightly oscure one would be something by Ne Obliviscaris. Maybe the tapped bit from "Curator" (which was a video release covering the third part of a 16 minute song) . . . Alternatively, something by the late, great Sean Malone with Cynic. Feels like it's Ian's turn to suffer. ;)

[@cosminconstantin5775]

Ah, Sharon and Ian talking and playing Dream Theater. Legendary. You guys create some of the greatest content around here nowadays. Kudos for keeping the JM stuff coming! ❤

[@devinebass]

🧡🧡🧡

[@Seregor_6]

Now, this one might not be as technically challenging as Panick Attack, but YTSE Jam would be a super fun one to try. Catchy song

[@devinebass]

Good choice!

[@milton_roza]

Sharon, the legendary Goddess of prog... 🤘 That was really cool, guys... Cheers!

[@bayhakansimsek]

Sharon is an absolute gem! This video made me laugh out loud several times

[@devinebass]

🧡🧡🧡

[@AdamRobertshaw]

You should try and get some classic metal bassists on your channel, you'll see a huge difference in the amount of force used to play the instrument - when you hear heavy it really is, recording is tiring just on 1 phrase often with the sheer attack strength etc. Just have a look at ICS Vortex photos of him playing live as an example, you'll see how far they pull on a pluck, it's not a graze like other genres.

[@Tungil90]

Question. The hard endpart: is it not played in (super fast) triplets? I know John Myung plays with three fingers instead of two. Or am I dreaming?

[@fredquevillon3727]

You know what. Myung is playing that $h*t with 3 fingers hitting so hard with each fingers.

[@mileshbhana23]

Amazing work from Sharon as always. For a challenge, check out something by Streetlight Manifesto. Very busy 5-string basslines, like "Everything Went Numb".

[@DanChristle]

Great job! Would love to see a Rush song covered next, such as YYZ or 2112.

[@unclepumpkin4171]

Great episode and great job, Sharon! I’m wondering since I believe John plays 6 strings primarily, could that opening line be all played on the open C string without having to tune anything down? I used to have a Pedulla 6 back in the 90s…

[@It_is_I_Stupid]

LOLLED so hard at 4:01! 😂😂