How Music Works with Howard Goodall - 04 - Bass (Full Show)

Music is usually broken down into melody, rhythm and harmony. But what about the very lowest notes in music, that can have an impact on all three? In this film Howard looks at the abiding fascination musicians and composers have had with the bass.
For half a millennium instrument makers have been trying to construct instruments of all shapes and sizes capable of thudding, sonorous low notes. Only with the arrival of the synthesizer did they succeed in producing a rival to the mighty organ. With disco, dance, and drum 'n' bass, the bass has arrived centre stage.
But bass notes have another, crucial role. Far from just plodding away in the background, bass lines can have a critical effect on the whole structure of a piece of music, helping to drive the chord progressions.
Howard looks at the dark horse of the musical family, and its use in the hands of such diverse musical talents as Johann (and Richard) Strauss, John Philip Sousa, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Albinoni, Bach and Motown's resident bass maestro, James Jamerson.
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[@earlleonard]

I love how fair Howard is to all kinds of music

[@reivaz2155]

no

[@littleripper312]

omg the organ with a piano at the feet is awesome! I played an organ where you just have to push those two pumps with your feet and it took some getting use to.

[@CaetanoWGalindo]

Hey, Don Vince! About the music begining at 21:27... It is 'only' the harmony of Dido's Lament he is going to discuss next. Wonderful isn't it? Sounds so modern....

[@Joe_J-MT_Boy]

Ever since hearing Ray Charles in the early 60's, I've been a fan of a killer bass line in a song. Temptations, Four Tops, CCR, The Who, The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, Steve Miller Band, The Allman Brothers, Doobie Brothers, The Eagles, The Stones, Booker T and the MGs, Stevie Wonder... ALL of them got to their listeners by having that solid bass line upon which to build the rest of the song. In this installment, we learn just how that foundation is crafted... and why it is we are such whores for a song where that dark underbelly is what mystifies and addicts us to what lies above. This is a marvelous piece of documentary film-making.

[@vicee5868]

very informative thanks

[@MatthewMcVeagh]

"This video previously contained a copyrighted audio track. Due to a claim by a copyright holder, the audio track has been muted." Fffffffffffffffffffffff...................

[@saltech3444]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the bassline that Goodall composes with the sequencer at the end (41:01) seems to be the same as the Jeremiah Clarke bassline at the beginning (7:52). A little easter egg for those listening hard?

[@davide.gabert8458]

Foundation, Bass, bottom to top! d

[@Skankhair333]

"If you are the bass player, you are the conductor of the band (regardless of what anyone else thinks)" If the bass player knows what he is doing, then this is generally true and I agree with you, but a lot of bass players have no clue and are just following the guitar. They are not conducting anything just because they bought a bass. Also, if you are playing bass in an ensemble that has a conductor, he would take issue with you considering yourself the conductor.

[@ttst53A]

One of the bassiest genres is Jamaican Reggae's drum 'n' bass -- it's not mentioned. Many Reggae bass lines are melodic enough to have a sub bass part. This presentation was a Bass-101. Bass has evolved from I-V to counterpoint, and its lines can be harmonized.

[@StonedGoats]

Shame the quality of both the image and particularly the sound has been made so very poor. Why would that be then?

[@antigen4]

one of the weaker episodes it would seem

[@KevinMichaelCallihan]

I agree with the 'Top comments', mostly. Those comments worthy of notice are great to read while listening/watching the fact that in me, music is sacred. Bass Clef music is heavenly and closer to love while beginning in my life during 1968 when a dear friend loaned a beautiful upright double-bass to me so jazz lines could be studied. The band needed a tuba player in high school so my primary school at the end of the day drove me a mile up the road in a small 1200 population town in Greenup, Kentucky USA to sit in as the previous tuba player moved on to other adventures. It was when the passion for 'BASS CLEF' began in my life. This presentation is well done and thoroughly researched. I believe all music is sacred but if you take out the primary BASS, you simply lose far too much of gut full of passion required in classical and jazz music...Kevin.

[@LunaSeaSane]

Then mute the f@#$ing track... not the whole show!!!

[@LarryJazzLouis]

Where is Mr. JACO PASTORIUS In this documental about THE SOUND OF BASS?

[@JosueRosasjoscello]

Dice: vídeo no disponible. Mi pana

[@127eadgbe]

+Larry Jazz Louis Just in case you don't know, Larry, on www.primewire.ag is a documentary about him. Search: Jaco 2015. Enjoy.

[@127eadgbe]

+Larry Jazz Louis Sorry, just type jaco. It works better.

[@LarryJazzLouis]

Thanks for share

[@LarryJazzLouis]

127eadgbe thanks a lot

[@GregorExplorer]

Good stuff, I much prefer Howard Goodall's music theory to the Associated Board stuff because he delves into other musical cultures and styles apart from Western art music. Having said that, I was surprised when watching this series how pop, rock and jazz is in many ways not that different to medieval and baroque music. I guess there's nothing new under the sun, and (conventionally in the West at least) there are only 12 notes to play with.

[@Atlas65]

+Gregor Smith actually if you watch his show about the rithm, you will see that ther is alot new under the sun. But that mostly came to be in the 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's and the 70's, if we are talking about the 20'th centuy.

[@DaleHubbard]

Goodness, Howard's work is phenomenal. I wish I'd found this earlier!

[@sollyismail1909]

Excellent series. Well done! Howard Goodall. Hope to see more of your genius in explaining this exciting but difficult field!

[@larsfriisc]

Thank you Howard Goodall - you have given music a NEW dimension for ME, and I will forever listen in another way. It has been such a joy to watch this food for brain.

[@reivaz2155]

wrong

[@hemiolaguy]

Mr. Goodall -- "Moog" rhymes with "vogue," not "fugue"!

[@ftumschk]

Great programme, although it would have been nice if room had been found for Bach's Passacaglia in C minor, where the bass line recurs over and over again without ever getting boring; in fact, the piece gets even more interesting as time goes by. Surely one of, if not THE, most masterful examples of an "ostinato" bass ever written.

[@MoonSafariFilms]

Thanks for uploading these. Interesting stuff

[@tidusheray]

I love this man

[@gigabloke]

Marvellous program. I learned and enjoyed much.

[@OrphanSeasun]

I got a little hot at 7:03 with all that deep throbbing muscle yada yada yada.

[@Atlas65]

+OrphanSeasun I got a little hot watching and listenning to Donna Summer at 39:58

[@KoDaring]

These seires helped see where all that music came from and how. love it

[@DJKoollord]

Music is as mysterious as the Pyramid of Egypt. How human as whole invented it. Im pretty sure other civilizations have discovery too, in our huge universe. Clownsec thanks for sharing the amazing documentary, is impossible to find such complex documentary in America's cable networks channels.

[@jlingviolin]

Brilliant!

[@bagualues]

why can't we find "Switched on Bach" by great Wendy Carlos anywhere on the internet anymore? I really miss to listen those excellent versions

[@baptistic]

4:24. Anybody know that lovely keyboard piece?

[@pamelacraig9049]

It is by Couperin : Les Barricades mystérieuses

[@RCAvhstape]

That guy playing the organ with his feet around 9:00. Wow. A good organist is superhuman.

[@sarahhall738]

Bass on a melodeon sounds amazing and you can feel it when playing it.

[@TheIamtheoneandonly1]

@43:00"Scuba diving with a nuclear submarine would create a similar buzz"....... Love it !

[@homeofdoom]

"SCUBA diving with a nuclear submarine" XD God I love that

[@originaluddite]

I'm surprised bass is so young. I wonder if droning in many kinds of traditional music would count as a kind of bass that is older...

[@JustinMoralesTheComposer]

8:40 that organ footwork :o

[@blackwash]

I thought you only use "tonic" to refer to the root note of an entire key. So if you're in the key of C, C is the tonic, and if you're playing a G chord in the key of C you don't call G a tonic; G is just the "root" of that chord, and no matter how you voice or invert that G chord (no matter what note is in the bass), G is still the "root" of the G chord. So am I mistaken? or are there different schools of terminology?

[@Scopophile23]

@caetano galindo & don vince it is chopin's prelude no20 in c-minor

[@MrPlasmaniac]

31:43 - "Yo, Johann, drop it hard!"

[@Skankhair333]

You are correct. I know Howard Goodall really knows his stuff, so I am sure he didn't just "get it wrong". This series, while entertaining, is dumbed down for non-musicians. I can only assume he used incorrect terminology during that part to make it as simple as possible for the laymen. Maybe they producers/writers felt that explaining the proper terminology would confuse people since this episode doesn't go into inverted chords or the names of scale degrees.

[@MICKEYISLOWD]

What was the music @4:45 on the Harpsichord...? it's beautiful.

[@simmme]

Couperin - Les barricades mysterieuses

[@MICKEYISLOWD]

Thx..so much. I love it so much.

[@ricardofreire7276]

translated into Spanish Please !!

[@hankmajor2]

"The Rhythm is the Bass and the Bass is the Treble."

[@qwe07]

Good looking cellist for Dido's Lament. :)

[@bingeltube]

Very recommendable

[@joesopeters]

I knew White Stripes had to be in!

[@DonVince]

Does anyone out there know what the piece being played at 21:27?

[@Kinitawowi]

Chopin's Prelude in C minor, also known as Could It Be Magic by Barry Manilow. :p

[@whiterottenrabbit]

This is the fuckest thing I ever saw ... this week. Copyright my ass!

[@kwaal]

Bauhaus FTW

[@zvidanyatvetski8081]

What's the music at 6:35???

[@ftumschk]

Bach's "Fantasia and Fugue in G minor"

[@mauroheffner8925]

subtitle spanish please

[@iannarsenault4447]

why

[@mauroheffner8925]

porque si van a compartir, que sea para todos

[@voiceoftreason1760]

what is the piece at 11:14?

[@VonSteinhofer]

+Enhanced Pyrotechnics - At 11:14 in the video, the piano is playing the last portion of Edward Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance, March No.1; "Land of Hope and Glory" - aka commonly in the USA as the "graduation march."

[@voiceoftreason1760]

***** ah, the host assumes the viewer is American, thats why it wasn't common to me. Thanks!

[@psychodad6601]

fuck yeahhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@mykenzymiller6288]

this is so boring

[@richardstocks9139]

Then you know nothing of music and don't need to watch.

[@pleximanic]

JACO PASTORIUS?

[@richsackett3423]

Please.

[@zainmunshi1793]

horrible s

[@darthnegrus9255]

Howard Goodall is a nasty producer too!!???? Thank you for posting this series.