Is This The Hardest Led Zeppelin Bass Line? [tabs & tutorial]

In this video, we're going to be taking a look at one of the most challenging Led Zeppelin bass riffs. This bass line is from the song "The Immigrant Song" and is one of the most requested lessons for the Talkingbass channel.
As any of you Zeppelin fans will know, it's the scales that cause the problem! So I'll be breaking down the scales and giving some tips on technique and how to develop speed and co-ordination as you cross the strings.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:32 Main Riff
1:45 Picking Technique
3:54 Backing Tracks
4:45 The Scale Section!
6:45 Fretting Hand
8:10 Picking Hand
9:52 Co-ordination
12:02 Backing Tracks
Lesson Material: www.talkingbass.net/is-this-t...
#ledzeppelin #johnpauljones #basslessons

[@mikeedwards1959]

I'm now 64 years old, and for the past 20 years I've been playing it wrong,as in I've not been playing the open e. In my defense we didn't have the internet back then 😊 or great teachers like yourself.

[@jasoncherry5849]

I agree it helps tremendously when you have a teacher like Mark to go over the fundamentals and then cover those fine details that we tend to overlook. Like finger position! 😂. I’m 47 and Ive only been playing for a few years but Marks lessons along with the Tabs and other KZbin channels have been a tremendous help in my learning process. We all want to play like J.P.J but then we wake up and realize we are mere mortals. Now back to practicing. 😅

[@scottbubb2946]

Same here. About 20-25 years. That album had some absolutely killer bass lines.

[@shipsahoy1793]

👍Interesting Mark. I play that little bit different; when moving up in half steps, instead of playing Mixolydian scales, I kind of outline the minor seven chord without the third and emphasis on the root note, and then when I get to the C, I do the same thing you do, oddly enough lol .. so, I don’t know, I never thought it sounded bad. Nobody complains, I just chalk it up to my style😉. The artists don’t even copy themselves exactly most times when they play live, so I don’t think it’s a crime if I don’t sweat over it. Also, I don’t try to hit the extra root notes between 1&2 or 3&4, since it’s cleaner sounding to me, and easier for me, so I let the guitar do it and just keep the steady beats.👨🏻

[@bethlehemeisenhour5807]

I know what you mean, in the 80's we played everything by ear that wasn't ours. We didn't do bad, I just thought, " You play as good as your speakers"

[@scottbubb2946]

@@bethlehemeisenhour5807 I actually started on drums, but switched to bass because a really good band I wanted to join needed a bass player. I took one lesson. I went and talked to the guy about taking lessons and he told me to bring an album with whatever song I wanted to learn on it. So I did. He sat and figured out the song and showed me how to play it. So I thought, "Hey, I can do that." And that was my first and last lesson. 🤣 I have to say, it was well worth the $5 I paid him.

[@xpatsteve]

I must have played this song over 100 times in a band way back in the 70's (yeah, I'm old and it's been ages) but I had to pause about 2 minutes in, grab my bass and see how I played it. Made me feel good, even after all these years, to know I've been playing it with the exact finger pattern you described. Thanks for letting me know I've been doing it right all these years. 😁

[@PeterTea]

I would imagine that the bass line on the Lemon Song would be one of, if not the hardest.

[@stuartmoore6310]

That's the one!

[@grantrogan]

Miles harder. Tried it from a book years ago. Stunning bass playing (not mine 😂)

[@xpatsteve]

Absolutely! Really shows the influence they got from Blues artists. In some old interviews they often said they always thought of themselves as more R&B than rock.

[@sebastianhamann9846]

If you think about it that bassline is really just blues improvisation.

[@caramelpants]

The Lemon Song is a great bassline, but it isn't particularly difficult to play. Hard to memorise, because almost every phrase is different, but there aren't any real technical challenges. I would agree that this section of the Immigrant Song is the hardest JPJ line to play. Others mentioned below, like Black Dog and Ramble On are pieces of cake by comparison (at least with my fingers)😀

[@jonathanzeppa2824]

Mark this is great!!! I have been wanting to learn this for ages!

[@arnoldfernbladst3875]

Thanks for posting this and breaking it down! Your videos are getting easier to comprehend and it's clear you're spending a lot more time on making them.

[@user-ir2bj3re1z]

This is one of my favorite Led Zeppelin songs. Thanks for the lesson.

[@svenramnefjell7742]

O.M.G! I love you channel. Your methode of explaining everything is so inspirational. It is exactly peaces like this I need. Relatives easy, but impressive to hear. Since I picked up the bass at a advanced age, my fingers are stiff and need some stretching. The good thing is, I have all the time in the world. Thank you so much!😁

[@bassman494]

Great tone! Sounds so clean and punchy!

[@StephenWillcock]

Excellent bassist - excellent teacher! "Co-ordination" section is extremely useful.

[@StevieBassFingers]

Wow! Such a clear explanation and great tips. Lovely bass tone too. Thank you.

[@teeoh9192]

This song is on my bucket list to learn. I know the main riff, but getting that bridge down, AT SPEED, would be a dream come true!

[@marcgauvreau2663]

Once again the brilliant Mr. Smith comes to the rescue of all of us who have humbled ourselves; confessed our need for help but then asked for it. Thank you Mark...for your skill; effective teaching style and generosity of time in teaching us 'dullards'

[@klaiejah]

Fantastic- thank you 🙏

[@cgrovespsyd]

Damn. You’re good! Best bass instruction on the interwebs!

[@johnpatitucci7919]

One of my favorites to play!

[@timmcmaster6435]

great help man on an epic n timeless chore of a tune 😅

[@sylvaingagnon3211]

Thank you, Mark.

[@garymulter1571]

Another great one Mark. For another Led Zep song that challenges bass players perhaps sometime you can cover The Lemon Song.

[@jasoncherry3404]

Love this lesson, I’ve been trying to work this song out for over a year and I still stumble a lot. Another song I would love to see a video for is “The boys are back in town” by Thin Lizzy. Phil Lynott inspired me to pick the bass up in the first place and I would like to master that song as a tribute to the late great “Rocker” himself.

[@michaelanthony9068]

“A little chromatic spunk at the end”. I love it !

[@thevirtualworldofgaming3345]

Has got to be one of the best bass teachers ive heard from

[@artrogers3985]

Great stuff Mark. When I saw the title I didn’t guess the Immigrant Song

[@maxponsetis1948]

ingenious

[@wasteyelo1]

Great lesson. I think "Chromatic Spunk" is gagging to be the name a Jazz Funk album. 😂

[@talkingbasslessons]

Glad someone noticed it

[@alanwadey2848]

My weird brain initially read this as "Jazz Punk", this should now be a thing

[@nickchambers3935]

I feel uncomfortable seeing “spunk” and “gagging” in the same sentence

[@laljaz159]

There are also ghost notes in the main riff (during the "pause") which a lot of people ignore.

[@stevenordstedt2535]

John Paul Jones and all my favorite Bass Player’s of all times in the 60s 70s and even the 80s what an innovator, Bass Player keyboard, piano mandolin guitar, 12 string guitar, amazing studio artist.

[@annachiarasardella3757]

gooooosebumpssss

[@Cowdog1]

Annnnnnd, one minute in, I'm over my head. Hahahahaha... back to my lessons.

[@michaelanthony9068]

QUESTION: I’m not a distortion on bass kind of guy, but I do like the tone you’re getting here. What is getting you this distortion? Thank you Mark. You are the best.

[@BigChillBass210]

I think most of the tone is coming from the bass itself (pickups and the strings) more than any distortion.

[@hadmyfill8179]

I believe JPJ uses a pick on this one. But fingers da best! And yea, you’re right Mark, hardest LZ bass riff!!

[@johnstraley9057]

The chorus is the warm up I must run through before every gig.

[@davidmacleod9313]

Thanks, man!i was always the guitar player and singer doing this song but was always so glad I wasn’t the bass player for this! Lol Anyway, I have this Taylor Mini Bass and thought it would be nice to tackle this. Jesus! I’ve got it slow so… Lol But thanks again!

[@dulgee]

this is great! can you do The Lemon Song? its twisting my brain and my fingers!

[@Bassdriver71]

You can also start the 1st part with your index finger. Thanks for the video 🙂👍

[@Musouk66]

That tone is very impressive. I have a jazz bass and assume it's just both pick-up fully maxed on tone and volume?

[@dorianreu]

Thanks for the lesson Mark! Maybe I'm wrong but at the second B Mixolidian scale I hear a C intead of B as the last note.

[@docbob1182]

Gr8 stuff! And how much you asking for that bass? lol

[@NelsonMontana1234]

Yep, those scales are fast and give me trouble unless I'm properly warmed up to it. JPJ was a great musician.

[@jasoncherry5849]

I love this song and I’ve always wanted to learn how to play it. I think this will be a great challenge to practice and learn, even if I never sound as good as J.P.J. I still want play this song from start to finish. It would be great if you could cover some Thin Lizzy songs in some of your lessons. There are so many to choose from but if you only cover one then please hit “The Boys are Back in Town”. I’ve been trying to play that song for months and it makes my head and my hands hurt. I’m afraid that I’m going to disturb Phil’s spirt with my awful butchering of an amazing classic rock anthem.

[@charlesmartel3995]

I've listened to the isolated bass track using Moises and during the verses with Robert Plant's "Viking" wail, Jone's play the F# then the octave. However, when Plant is sining he plays F# to a minor 3rd which is a. Subtle but powerful difference.

[@JustK009]

Excellent video..How about out on the tiles

[@scottbubb2946]

Infectious Grooves did a version of this that starts out with just bass, played slap/pop style by Robert Trujillo. It's 118 bpm. I have a hard enough time trying to play it at the original tempo. 😅

[@frasertreglown3273]

The run during the chorus is very difficult but black dog is easily the hardest line as the complexity due to the time signatures

[@alderi9356]

There's a full mixolydian scale on the G in Pink Floyd's "young lust."

[@scottkretsch4887]

Hey Mark, a music theory question for you: why does the Mixolydian Scale pattern work over three different chords, A, B, and C? How is that possible?

[@scottkretsch4887]

I’ve played those “damn scales” for over two years and never seem to be able to play them consistently. I’ve tried everything except the suggestion of start out by playing just one segment of one scale and so on. I’ll see if that helps. Thanks.

[@scottkretsch4887]

Wait, doesn’t John Paul use hammer-ons to breeze through the scales? That’s how I learned it. What say you, Mark?

[@prashantmalani823]

HI Mark, Any tips on how you got that great tone?

[@talkingbasslessons]

Used a Darkglass overdrive for this one.

[@stuartmoore6310]

@@talkingbasslessons and I'm guessing you have Active Electronics as I see little blue lights on the high side of them. Thanks for the lessons!

[@murphymoe9220]

🍋🎶🎸

[@chrisrobinson679]

I dont think its their hardest bassline, but its frustrating. Love that advice on "i cant play fast enough" ..."try playing slower" HA!

[@66mmpow]

Ramble on id say is pretty hard to

[@calken546]

I would of thought the bass lines in the song "Thank You."

[@kevinplante1667]

Jones doesn't play the high octave on the f# verse part, just thumps on the low f#

[@billyroche1951]

JPJ is so underrated.

[@atomkraft69]

A tune that has been giving me problems is "Dream Fantasy" by Loudness.... 😐😐

[@marudebaka6041]

Great video, but the A scale is actually a major scale, not mixolydian. He plays the A major scale twice, then the next two scales are both mixolydian. There are videos with the original bass boosted and if you slow down the playback it becomes clear that the A scale is a regular A major scale. I have been working on this line for quite some time, and even when playing it by myself it just sounds correct to play major then mixolydian. Otherwise, fantastic lesson. Thank you.

[@caramelpants]

I think only the B is mixolydian, A and C straight major. Maybe. 😀. Actually, the second scale section is definitely mixo on all three.

[@oreally8605]

Does John Paul Jones play it with a pick? Or no?

[@BaldoFlores_godmetal]

I knew i had picked the wrong Zep song to learn first 😂😂😂

[@davidbalan6571]

I liked rhythms Melody's bass tones freth octave ✋ liked Sam River Group Band of Limp Bizkit and Chad Smith's Group Band of Red Hot Chilli Peppers .

[@harshtimes23]

I find The Lemon Song as the harder song to play. This song only has two sections that you can get up to speed. My opinion only

[@BBaldwin]

Surely The Lemon Song has to be near the very top.

[@thepaulmacfarlane]

The F# repeated riff doesn't have the octave matching Jimmy. Strange but true.

[@8ulls3y3]

Also Good Times, Bad Times.

[@ryplay08]

It would be easier if you played it with a pick, I’m sure John Paul Jones originally played with a pick anyway

[@megadawg342]

you played a minor 7 in that major scale. ???

[@talkingbasslessons]

It’s not a major scale.

[@patrickgallagher4212]

yes, a major scale with a minor 7th is called mixolydian

[@AtomizedSound]

Yeah the fast scale run during the chorus is the hardest part of this song to learn.

[@sornord]

I think JPJ uses a pick on this song.

[@kimmorgan379]

I've always thought this was picked. Is it? I TRY to play it with a pick, but ... yes .... will have a go with fingers. So I can' NOT play it two different ways!

[@xpatsteve]

There aren't many live performance videos available but I've seen him play this song both ways. I use fingers or a pick depending on the song but for me, this one is definitely fingers.

[@kimmorgan379]

@@xpatsteve Right. Okay. Hmm. Well, I can't play it properly with either pick or fingers so there we go!!!

[@cesaraugusto8630]

Achilles last stand is the hardest.

[@mylescourier4459]

That low E isn't played every single time in the main riff Its hardly played at all in the song and only played with finesse and for effect ~ coloring the main riff😮

[@mylescourier4459]

Original Studio Recording kzbin.info/aero/PLMmd10177iHvxz_xRVdDqJfIHtX01mNwN Alt Mix kzbin.info/www/bejne/n4q2go1uhJuFrrc Live 71 kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKCzgGind6uVq68 Live 72 kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJ2xmXdmpLhops0

[@RicardoIsTheGoatBaby]

It's not really hard, it's a little complicated on the A, B to C notes

[@floouk]

Hello Mark Best channel and thanks for all the lessons and info but. . . It sounds like your slightly out of tune, especially your D string which sounds slightly flat. All the best

[@jeffreedy2605]

SORRY, that's being played incorrectly in this video..... I''m serious...

[@josephbiancorosso3179]

It’s not the right scale. It’s A B C C# E F F# A.

[@maliwilliams7262]

"HARDEST"?? LOL!!