How I absolutely changed my tone (using just 1 technique)

​It's the age-old argument: tone is in the fingers. But is it really?
Your bass playing starts with your tone. And improving your tone is largely a matter of cleaning up your technique and getting more control of the bass. But can the right player really make any instrument sound good?
In today’s new video, Ian Allison shares his #1 tone secret and the plucking hand concept that completely transformed his sound. This one simple trick is all you need...
As always, see you in the shed…
Scott :)
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[@jbassbike1111]

Love the positive energy of this guy. He was meant to teach.

[@filthydwarf]

Oh yeah. I liked him.eay better than Scott

[@adriancorralero5239]

This is the most important technique lesson for bass. It can be taught in very different ways, but it really pushes the quality of the sound one can produce to new heights. It also feels reeeeeal good. I became addicted to how the bass felt under my fingers after I got comfortable with this technique. I say that this is the most important lesson because I truly believe that once you love the sound you can produce with your plucking hand, and the way it feels to pluck the strings, you'll be more keen in teaching yourself everything else. It just makes bass playing more enjoyable over all.

[@IanMartinAllison]

Adrian, YES 🙏🏼

[@adriancorralero5239]

@@IanMartinAllison Great content as always Ian, thank you!! I think you're really good at comunicating musical concepts, and just an overall great bass player 🙂🙂 A wild request here... there's so little info out there about Sal Cuevas, one of the great innovators of salsa and the first latin bass rockstar. I'd looove to see him featured in one of your videos...🙃

[@thierry18]

I've always played that way, I'd never really thought about pulling up or "clacking." For me it just gives a more deep, round, and balanced sound. And since my action is extremely low, it helps a lot with fret buzz.

[@manfredoliveras3196]

Me too, I naturally leaned to the technique Ian is describing.

[@r3ality1]

Bravo! I started from the Geddy Lee school for EVER, but several years back Ian got this same idea stuck in my head and it absolutely changed how I play. I now have a much wider palette than I ever used to have. Great stuff, Ian!

[@IanMartinAllison]

Aww! Thanks Rom!

[@Fredzeppelin15]

This is amazing! I tend to be a “clacker” (watched a lot of Entwistle when I started learning), but I’ve been working to develop more versatility in my playing. This goes a long way.

[@weedywet]

if you can make it sound like Entwistle there's zero wrong with that. His touch was CRAZY light; it's hard to pull off (no pun)

[@Fredzeppelin15]

@@weedywet absolutely, and I most definitely don’t sound like him, just always favored that approach. I’m playing in a band now that covers a wide range of styles and some just aren’t appropriate for my normal approach, so I’m learning to shake it up a bit.

[@OrbitalDeathRay]

John Entwistle and Geddy Lee were both in bands with one guitarist. Their aggressive styles helped to fill out the sound. It’s all a matter of context imo. Pulling-through is absolutely preferred for session guys and most bassists, however. Both are valuable tools. :)

[@MrBrandoss]

@@OrbitalDeathRay That helps explain why I tend to be a more aggresive player, I've almost exlusively played in bands with one guitarist.

[@The_Ricardo_Sa]

This is amazing. 5 minutes in and I am sounding better already. And better, Incan identify and understand when I am not sounding good and how to correct it! Thank you so much Ian!

[@dinglebass]

one thing I notice about all this, is you can do all 3 versions of the technique. One thing I learned studying with my teacher on upright classical bass, was every time you play something that doesn't sound good, stop and learn how to re-create it so you master that "bad sound", have control over it and in that context, know what you're doing to avoid it later.

[@IanMartinAllison]

Good call Sam.

[@AlejandroCaicedoPUJ]

You could drop that bass in the floor and it would still sound amazing

[@IanMartinAllison]

Almost!

[@mjmason75]

It's probably already been dropped a few times based on it's age. Hey, it happens!

[@petebjerkelund5088]

As usual Ian, you give us players just what we want to learn because its these details that make the larger differences for us. Thanks man!

[@timpayne8238]

A real insight into right-hand technique Ian. - This is something as I've never really observed as a player!

[@jonsidell3338]

Hell yeah my man, that’s how it’s done! I’ve adapted a similar idea when playing 5 strings. The 5th string is so much looser, and my thumb tends to rest on the B so I began using my thumb as a downstroke when I don’t need extreme speed on the B. The notes really do bloom more and doing so makes the 5th string sound more congruent with the other 4.

[@Neenumb]

When someone can make difference in your playing in such a short amount of time, they're worth their weight in gold! Solid Gold, Thanks Ian.

[@lowblues]

OH Snap! After 30+ years of playing bass, then you show me this. Thanks! Putting this to very good use.

[@ewetoo]

I loved hearing how the notes bloomed, if that's a so-so bass, a good one must sound amazing.

[@MJTbreww]

Versatility in making different techniques work is the real key

[@gustavoborgesmichel153]

Such a good guidance. I remember when I was learning my teachers would guide me to play on top of the bridge. Whilst that was a good advice for learning so that my notes would be captured I saw myself years later looking for different areas of the bass to get a fuller sound. I feel like I have been following his advice for quite sometime without really noticing it. Today at church I tried to be more conscious of this technique and it makes such a difference for my taste. Keep up the good work, Ian 👌🏻

[@IanMartinAllison]

Man… this makes me happy.

[@pedrocucaracha]

Wow!! I found out I've been doing that instinctively forever! How awesome is that? Maybe that's why I've always found plucking the bass so natural. Thanks for the video! it's awesome!

[@derekbrown8450]

good teaching Ian. Thanks, i will try this.

[@pacechcz]

I came to bass from a classical guitar. Well, that is how I play bass. Interesting. You have so much control over the tone and timing using this technique.

[@normanbataille8865]

Same here, in classical guitar you have more defined this way of playing so I guess if you have this background it should be easier for you.

[@javierdelarco5762]

Really nice this one!!! Great video Ian

[@MrSolfreeman2]

Great tips. Working with the metronome really helps smooth it out. Thankyou

[@mattordiway1955]

I've been playing bass for almost exactly 6 years. When I first started I only used a pick. After about a year I started to teach myself how to use my fingers, and I did that plucking thing for about 3.5 years. I got pretty damn fast for having to use that much effort, but I started to get pains in my right wrist. I noticed that a friend of mine, who is the best bassist and musician I have ever met, played with the much more relaxed style featured in this video. It took A LOT of practicing to move away from that plucking, but once I got it to the point where it was the only way I played, even when noodling, my ability shot through the fucking roof. Every bass played needs to know that their right hand is 1000% the most important part of their playing. I spend an hour every single morning just on different right hand techniques (2, 3, 4 fingers, bounce slap, through slap, double thumb, pick) and I'm constantly amazed at what it does for my playing when I just let loose in a band setting. The more you push the bleeding edge of your ability in a strict context with a metronome the more relaxed and free you are to just play.

[@Simon-sly]

Thank you. Glad I took the time to watch this.

[@tasteapiana]

There is always one moment, whether it's a bass or 6 string guitar or cello playing pizzicato etc, that your mind goes back to when you think of a good tone. There is that ONE time with each instrument when you know you made that string vibrate perfectly for that instrument - and it was so obvious but at the same time such a subtle difference in technique that it freaked you out. When I was 4 I began taking violin lessons at SIUE and a student teacher was instructing me but she was a violist. I can't remember much about the rest of one specific lesson, probably in my second year with her before she graduated and bailed and broke my heart, but she described proper bow technique to me for making the body vibrate as loud as it could before reaching saturation and falling apart, literally the instrument can't absorb any more and it overloads and starts to naturally distort. It's not a volume thing, more like a specific maximum density of harmonics that any solid object can sustain and still produce pure fundamental frequencies. Anyway, she put that bow on the 2nd string (G) and played, I believe, an A.... that room changed. Everything in the universe at that moment was about that note and it was surrounded by a woody mid rangy viola thing that brings to mind marble and dense hardwood forests and a smell of old oaken casks. I went both tunnel vision and singularity all at the same time. That was in, iirc, 1978 but those 3 or 4 seconds that she sustained that note are like still brand new in my mind. I still hear it, I still feel it. It was like that sensation of something that makes your jaw lock up when someone else is singing. Totally freaky and illusive but the most mysterious thing in existence and the ONLY thing worth chasing for the rest of your life. Yeah, Ian, I get it. I have plucked, picked, bowed, slapped, snapped, thunked, popped, whacked and flubbed probably 100,000s of notes since the moment I just described but only a couple dozen of them were perfect and usually they happened when I was alone, not plugged into anything, and just was playing from a comfortable state of mind. I do, however, agree that there are techniques that put you in a much higher probability zone for producing perfect notes.

[@MrIrekK]

Absolutely fantastic! This video will change the way I’ll play and sound in the future. Thanks a million Ian!

[@simon_patterson]

This is transformative. As a guitarist very slowly learning bass, I appreciate this lesson at much!

[@doug5yuiop]

Such nice vintage style sound. Awesome. Your “clacking” also known as “digging in” reminds me of Geddy, Entwistle and especially Jack Casady style, all of which I like too. But good to know how to get away from grinding!

[@stevethebassman9740]

Great tutorial, So much great information for all bassist. How important the right hand is in playing great bass. Bravo!!

[@guillermodelnoche]

I Love that bass and this channel is completely priceless. As a professional bassist since ‘92 I must say the information on this channel is spot on and really inspiring.

[@garrettlowell7637]

Thanks Ian-I appreciate your insight on this technique.

[@AgustinDavidF]

Man, a big, big difference! I love how the bass sounds with this technique. Thank you so much!

[@furstlahst860]

Great lesson!!

[@YouYorick]

Excellent - real stuff for bass playing - all in the feel - empowerment is the key. Thx a lot :-)

[@previllazz]

This man is a real teacher. Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing. ✌🏾 Peace !

[@Pk_Nangz]

Ian really is one of the best teachers ive ever known, his passion is absolutely infectious and he does a really good job at explaining concepts and techniques in a way that absolutely everyone can understand. Bravo man, it’s truly impressive.

[@jazzbrew68]

It is amazing how we tend to pay more attention to the fretting hand but the plucking hand (engine) is so important! Moving to a rest stroke really made a huge difference to my playing and tone. Great lesson Ian!

[@IanMartinAllison]

YES. Thanks Eric

[@crimfan]

The real work on a guitar or bass is the picking/plucking hand. It's where the rhythm is, and the tone generation.

[@Mrpsblobsoflowendmung]

Exactly how I’ve always played , from a kid as my pops taught me . It’s the weight of the thwack , Mike Watt does it similar with two fingers anchored together, so much meat on the tone . Like the big Paul chambers or Scott laffaro thump.

[@pgroove163]

did that Motown cat James Jamerson play like this?

[@milobrosamer272]

the genius of scott lafaro 😶‍🌫️

[@astropraktikerandrehammon933]

What a phenomenal tip for a better bass tone. Thank you very much....

[@benoitrenaud519]

I am definitely going to try that. Thanks!

[@ken_wilkens]

Brilliant as always Ian!!

[@lindenellefson8558]

When I adopted the mindset you shared of “how can I make the band sound better,” everything in my playing changed.

[@IanMartinAllison]

That mindset is HUGE

[@isaiasrivera9302]

Wonderful class!!! Thanks for sharing 👍😊

[@idickman]

Thanks Ian for the reminder that I need to ease up with my right hand and let my amp do the work!

[@antoniopetricca]

Great lesson! Thank you so much!

[@LARRYWAITE]

Thank you for sharing this valuable lesson Scott -- this has opened my ears wider - you're top-notch teaching & a fine player

[@thefool2007]

Absolutely brilliant. You are spot on with the feel. Love it.

[@ThePabloreeves]

I love your thoughtfulness. AND totally agree with this technique.

[@johnmoser2689]

Excellent Ian thank you

[@ytspam1000]

Wow Ian, thanks a lot. This might very well be one of the most important videos on this channel. :)

[@onlinevideomasterypro]

Pulling through works for me. Thanks for the exercises, too!

[@ruizstudioproduction5]

I never thought of it like that. Thank you 🙏

[@BrunoMigliari]

Great lesson as usual, Ian!

[@blackswandominiscis7715]

Thanks a lot for this lesson!

[@leave-trace]

Great lesson!

[@brianengquist2110]

So love it. These are the kinds of lessons that stick with you. Really fundamental stuff. I still think there's ba place for clacking, heavy attack, whatnot, depending on what you want the music calls for, but this fat, thick sound is crucial to have control of. And not to get too much into the gear thing, but despite never being a flats guy I think I'm going to try a set on one of me Jazz basses after hearing this.

[@IanMartinAllison]

I love trying to break down SUPER fundamental stuff. And you should for SURE put flats on a Jazz!

[@orpheus1340]

Man, I heard you and tried this, and it changed everything! My sound is fuller now, and it doesn't even require more strength. I'm working on it though, to change my way of playing, I've got to relearn new habits. Thanks!

[@hintz9173]

Thanks for giving a shoutout to Terry Burns, he was the head of the bass dept at McNally Smith and my favorite instructor. Guy is a monster player, his "pentatonic platforms" approach forever changed my playing. Last time I spoke with him he moved back to New Mexico, hope he is doing well, keep up the great work with this channel!!

[@backdoorarts5243]

OMG, I am a Clacker!! I've been playing for 40 years and this is the first time I've heard someone make sense of what I NEED to do instead of what I'm doing. Time to unlearn bad habits.

[@jasoncherry3404]

This technique feels more natural and more technically clean, I’m just beginning my bass journey but this is the technique that I was taught to use. I’ve tried some other techniques and those my work for specific types of sound but this pulling technique seems to work in all aspects. Great lesson.

[@siriusaldebaran7852]

Very Nice advice. I will try

[@dreadflintstone23]

Absolutely love this, adds dynamics but I find clack adds to easy in recording digitally with latency coming to play. Also as a metal player I recognise what you mean, also the Entwistle comment. Man's a god. Thanks for the heads up

[@AntonArhipov]

Such a nice groove!

[@devinadvani6502]

nice! great lesson...thanks!!!!!

[@johannestolonen4467]

Thanks! This was great insight, not as much as a sound thing, but as an approach for staying better in the pocket!

[@devinebass]

Thanks for tuning in!

[@antoniocamilloni2938]

Great illumination Ian, I’ve always thought that this playin’ technique was wrong on an electric Bass, but it sounded good to me and I kept doing it on R&B songs and on Rock n Roll tunes as well because the overall effect was a fat & warm matching with the Drums. Great tip! Thanks Bro.

[@jbognap]

I don't hate the clacking - just another tone tool in the arsenal.

[@markdaniels7174]

I’m definitely a clacker. Geddy Lee was my hero, the reason I play bass (a Rickenbacker!), and I want a Geddy Lee tone… not James Jamerson. I’m roundwounds, not flats. I’m Rock, not Pop/R&B.

[@seankent1807]

This is so good! Such a simple concept that makes a HUGE difference in sound…but I bet most players never think about it.

[@andylawson7117]

I've taken so much upright technique and put it on the electric. Sometimes even turning my hand so I can get that flipper action going. The more finger meat the better!

[@diamondmidnightgardener]

great lesson. A great bass player years ago showed me the same thing but used the samba as a way of teaching it..... everything just fell into place after that.

[@jimthethirdprobably]

i have always played like that since i started playing bass. i have always used this technique because it gives a very precise consistent sound, and, it makes it easier to play fast.

[@samcloake2421]

Indispensable lesson. I’ve never been taught and was starting, after many years of sh- playing, to intuit some of this. But to hear it said.... aAnd explained so well.... Many thanks

[@bntaft5133]

Thank you Ian.

[@richhillbass]

Absolutely had same teaching moment w my upright bass instructor, having been elec 1st ! Such a great point and explanation, thank you !

[@mathuwhycough6591]

I've found that spending some woodshed time on just your attack/pluck of the string, finding that perfect part of your finger to pull from and nailing your timing to a click or beat is THE best way to get your sound together in a super noticeable way. I'm a little unsure if the arm is actually playing a physical role in the sound, and I've heard conflicting perspectives about how it applies to upright, but at the very least it's engaging the physicality of your body and creating an idea of weight that sounds real good on strings. Zooming into that attack and timing IS everything! You are the man

[@MikeKobb]

Man, I really wish I could take lessons from Ian. What a great teacher.

[@williamwhren4275]

I like this a lot. I have been playing like this for years without thinking about it. Could you do a lesson on left (or fingering hand) technique ? I have had the pleasure of talking to my bass Sensei, Gerald Veasley. He pointed out only using as much pressure as needed on your fretting hand to avoid fatigue. Love all of your lessons.

[@markdaniels7174]

This is my problem, I’m sure of it. I put a lot of pressure on the string with my fretting hand, really *nailing it* to the fretboard to achieve each note, and my hand gets fatigued quickly. Speed and fluidity are probably compromised as well. I know this is an issue, yet fixing it seems near impossible. I want to lighten my pressure, but want to be sure I’m playing the note, not a ghost note or a harmonic.

[@AliceAprilMusic]

I am so trying this! What a huge difference!

[@JeremyMcCant]

This is CRAZY! I could LITERALLY hear a difference!

[@ImJustStandingHere]

When I was doing a summer program at Berklee a couple years ago, my instructor taught me this technique and it changed bass playing more for me than anything else at that program (including meeting and learning from Victor Wooten lol)

[@naturalfinish]

outstanding, as always...I was thinking of jamming that Dua Lipa bassline line tonight, my neighbors need some bass in their lives

[@serpentswyrls]

BTW applies not only to fingerstyle - Steve Swallow transferred his approach to picking (which is mostly upstrokes) from his prior upright experience, and it's well worth learning for anyone who plays with a pick, makes so much difference!

[@MichaelIppersiel]

You read my mind - I was thinking how could this approach be used when playing with a pick also. Where does Swallow demonstrate this?

[@serpentswyrls]

@@MichaelIppersiel frankly, I cannot readily pick up a video and point out: that's it, I've been listening to Steve Swallow more on records, than videos. It's just that I read at some point about it, and it clicked in my head: aha! that's where his tone comes from! And then I just took a pick and started to practice upstrokes with that idea in mind.

[@mpdjr77]

Wow. I didn’t grasp the concept until introduction of the metronome. Must be all those years of drumming. 😉 Grace and Peace

[@thomashemmenga5616]

Wonderfull Scott...

[@raygross8246]

I love this. I spent years switching between upright and my fretless p-bass and I was always asking my electric-only bassists friends why they keep tickling the string. Tug into that thing and play it like you own it, but gently. It's key.

[@PhantomLord114]

I can’t wait to dedicate some practice time to this idea! Like many who’ve already commented, I come from the Geddy Lee/Steve Harris/Geezer Butler when plucking with my fingers, and also like Ian, I’ve been rightfully accused of playing an upright too much like an electric. As much fun as I have wearing the in-your-face rock hat, it’s not always the most practical hat to wear on a given gig. Thank you immensely, Ian!

[@hubertried19]

Meanwhile my first action when I see an Ian Martin Allison Video coming up is to click the like button ... cause I know I gonna like it!

[@chuckhammond8266]

Using the pickup cover as a finger rest helps a LOT too !! Nice video !

[@Kcutthth]

Lol “my 1968 jazz bass isn’t all that special…..” I’m glad I watched the whole video though. Good stuff as always

[@pine3737]

Ian I don't know where Scott found you, but I am very happy he did! Let us know a little more about you.

[@IanMartinAllison]

Cheers Jon! More vids coming for sure

[@TakeMe2Cuba]

OMG! What goes around, comes around. You just changed my life, Ian.

[@MrPrincebass99]

Great lesson, Ian! I think I was doing this naturally and just unaware of it.

[@JamesDavisakaRemguy]

Hey Ian, Thx for the tip, will definitely give it a try next practice session (tomorrow)! Just to say, I thought the tone of that J was purdy DOPE! I don’t really trust earbuds, KZbin, Internet et al. to give a reliable tone, but from what I could hear, it sounds grrrreat! (Sorry, Tony). Keep on keeping on, love listening to you and Scott on SBL. ❤️ from Montréal - JD

[@BlackRootsUNLIMITED]

Nice video. Incidentally, that's how I pluck/pull through. I learned how to play Bass by playing an Electric Bass without an Amp (living in flats/apartments can do that to you). This really helped my tone and plucking hand big time! Having to play hard enough to hear yourself without an Amp does help.

[@alainbrasseur7083]

I did it that way too (no amp at the beginning ) : I strengh my fingers but it doesn't help my tone. I was plucking too hard , I was rushing the tempo, and with an amp, that's sound without nuances... a coin have 2 faces, I guess :-)

[@BlackRootsUNLIMITED]

@@alainbrasseur7083 true, but by the time I got to the Amp, I straightened out the weaknesses, but my tone was already kinda solid. Also teaching myself by playing with classic Roots Reggae Music helped my tone, learning all the bass lines of the 70's and 80's, which were mimicking Upright Bass and Fender Jazz/Motown records.

[@siggidori]

I used to refer to this as playing "through" the string to my students.

[@I.O.M.]

Nice video. As a primary upright player loading up the string and letting it go is a common method for teaching arco which seems to supplement the pizz idea of pulling with the arm. I’ll be honest I love clacking on the electric bass.

[@warplordfinch4975]

that was super helpful. I have a terrible habit of clacking coz of practicing unplugged for a long time.

[@markdaniels7174]

Bingo. This is my problem. I’ve spent *decades* playing unplugged - almost always unplugged - and it’s cost me. I should’ve always been playing plugged-in. Not only has playing unplugged caused me to be a “clacker” (in order to hear myself without the amp), but I also don’t play very cleanly, with good muting technique. If I’d been amped all these years, I think I would’ve naturally developed good muting habits out of self-preservation, to prevent the other strings from vibrating and ruining the sound of the *intended* note(s). But being unplugged, you don’t really hear the other strings vibrating and polluting the sound, so I never developed the necessary muting techniques. Playing almost exclusively unplugged has cost my development dearly. Play plugged-in, everyone! Learn the dangers of being “Unplugged” from my mistake.

[@terrydillon8391]

Yea, he's one of the best tutorial guys on here, I think ..always picking up new learning skills from him...

[@henlofrens]

Today I learned that the way I have been playing since forever is apparently not the most intuitive one? Interesting video, I will instead try the other methods for fun!

[@ClaudioOderich]

Splendid!

[@adamgordon]

Thanks. Now it turned out I usually play this way. Maybe that's why I always sound great on recordings.