Marcus Miller's Secret Weapon

#bass #technique #analysis #groove #funk #paulthompson
Marcus Miller has been laying down some of the funkiest bass lines EVER for over 40 years, but what's the "secret sauce" on top of his incredible playing and groove? I'll dig into it in this video! If we study the music of Luther Vandross, Miles Davis, David Sanborn, and others, we'll find ANOTHER amazing technique (and sound) that's just as unique as his slapping and popping--and one that people don't really talk about! Check this out! #glissando
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[@achenarmyst2156]

That was a heartfelt hommage to one of the truly greatest bassists of all time. Moreover Marcus is such a humble and likeable human being. 🎖🙏

[@bassvibasics479]

I'd never actually considered the Marcus Glissando before this video, but now that you mention it- it's everywhere in his playing!

[@bigweka]

Yeah as I think about it, he uses slides a lot. Like in Run for Cover there's that descending run where he approaches each note by sliding from the note above it. I think his solo in Frankenstein off Silver Rain also has great use of slides in the beginning.

[@shackzilla]

Exactly! When I think Marcus Miller, it’s slap and pluck, yet watching video, I realise it’s always been there.

[@basslinephunk3441]

I've always noticed them but I never realized the different types. This "cat" had so many dimensions. It's crazy!

[@Below-Average_Joe]

@@basslinephunk3441 Marcus is a sneaky sort of genius. Unlike Jaco, who played things nobody had heard before, Marcus mastered to the common vocabulary of the bass and refined in a way that only grows more profound the more we study it.

[@basslinephunk3441]

@@Below-Average_Joe yeah! Jaco was wild. His stuff came out of a whole different dimension...Lol It made sense once you sat down and listened, but Marcus is a "groove" master.

[@ShelleyAndKeith]

All the time you have invested in listening, transcribing, and owning your influences, makes you an outstanding presenter and educator. Great stuff!😊

[@B_Rye15]

Here, here! 🥃 This was an awesome lesson.

[@whostheblackprivatestick8565]

Yes! An outstanding lesson. I'm not a musician, but I've always loved those "slides" that have characterized Marcus' playing. Good to finally know what they're called.

[@mixc8]

Love Marcus's playing who doesn't. But when Mark Adams as many in the comments stated was also brilliant at it. When Mark did a slide on the E string on his Jazz Bass he made it growl.. I miss the brother RIP Hanssolor..... They are both legends.....

[@marcusjae3087]

Mark Adams solidified my decision to play bass

[@tromBoyer]

The slides are a trademark tech, made famous by Bootsy Collins. All of us from “funk school” (Marcus included!) are heavily influenced by the funky gliss. Also known as the “woom” in go-go circles

[@ericthered1140]

That gliss. The best technique in music....without question...pure art

[@ajamu7]

Once again, you've outdone yourself! What a fantastic choice to pick such a profound, LEGENDARY artist!

[@MrRawnerves]

Your descriptions and attention to detail in such subtle playing help us neophytes to appreciate the complexity of music and playing an instrument. Einstein said If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. You sir make that quote come alive in your explanation thank you🙏🏾

[@westleedrums]

My dad had the album Winelight and used to play it , crank it at the house when I was a toddler. Then he moved and didn't have a turntable, so didn't hear that music until he bought the CD years later. When I heard it again around 12 years old, it just really grabbed me and inspired me to play drums along to the songs. Another great bassist is Byron Miller! My dad had George Duke's "Brazilian Love Affair" album. Boy, does he get funky with George on that record. Super funk/soul/samba and jazz all mixed together . It's a George Duke masterpiece

[@OriginalOldSkoolFunk]

Another great video Maestro. MM is simply incredible and this is a concise breakdown of his impeccable technique. I'll mention two funky bass players from Ohio that are also known for using slides. Bootsy Collins, Make my funk the P-Funk, a long with other great hits and of course, the late Mark Adams from Slave who actually did a song called Slide.👊🏾

[@OriginalOldSkoolFunk]

@@chetperry3384 As a beginning guitar player, the first baseline I learned that required me to change strings was Skin Tight by OP...so you know I love me some Marshall Jones. Bootsy doesn't even require any more comment because he's so amazing and influential. I also totally agree with you that Mark Adams was known for all those exotic tones that he would get. He went crazy on the Stone Jam and Stella Funk albums He even commented in the liner notes that there were no overdubs on those recordings. The amazing thing about Mark Adams and the rest of that group was they were just basically young kids but they were super talented and could definitely jam. Of course... you can say that about any 70's/80's Funk bands from the OH during that time.

[@OriginalOldSkoolFunk]

@@chetperry3384 Brother, that would be awesome. Truth is, I've got all these nice guitars and amps but I rarely play at all anymore. if I had someone to jam with and had the time, I'd be much better because that would force me back into playing like I used to years ago. If you're ever in Nashville, you'll have to reach out to me m and if I'm off the plantation and not at work, you got a deal. 👊🏾

[@B_Rye15]

@Oldskool Funk & @Chet Perry Wow, awesome, guys! Make that meeting happen. 👍🤝

[@bassfacekillah]

been a Marcus Miller fan for ages and have never considered how distinctive his glissandos truly are. Thanks for the great observation and well-researched video

[@binarytekk]

Very insightful video! Would love to see you cover Mark Adams from Slave at some point.

[@patrickselden5747]

Another lovely, informative, heartfelt essay, Paul - thank you very much. ☝️😎

[@Bassic778]

Excellent analysis!!!!! Marcus' style is unmistakable, often imitated but never duplicated! Another monster bassist who used slides very effectively but in a different way was the late great Mark Adams of Slave!!!

[@matthewlux9351]

"can't think of another bass player that uses slides and glisses in such a personal way." Stares in Mark Adams...

[@Derfunkmeister]

I always loved his Slides/Glisses and as a Bass Player U notice this. My personal faves by Marcus are mostly pre built in pre-amp. Tom Browne, Lenny White etc.

[@bassbaby82]

Great video. Those slides are so signature to his style and they’re not talked about as in depth as you just did. Thank you.

[@blakebass1]

Your videos are superb! Outstanding job of demonstrating these signature Marcus fills. Thanks for your great work!

[@battlegroundone]

this gave me a another way to identify who's on the bass. thank you

[@bassdog10]

Guaranteed that most bassists who watched this video will be adding more glissando on their next gig.😎

[@westleedrums]

We're on the same musical wavelength, thank you!

[@lundsweden]

Wow, another great episode- totally addicted to this channel and I love it!

[@JoshuaDb_The_Witness]

Man thank you! This gives me a lot to chew on. This was mad helpful.

[@mizotter]

I saw King Marcus on the Detroit riverfront, and every moment was breath-taking. I hope I get to see him live again. Thanks for your commitment to excellence in education. Sending you BIG LOVE. Be well.

[@rickdavenport9538]

I totally endorse this message!!!

[@IandiBoats]

I absolutely LOVE Marcus Miller. Since I started listening to Miles in 1990 down to Meshell Ndegeocello. I adore his work. A distinct sound indeed. Thanks for highlighting his rhythmical and tonal mastery. 🙏🏾

[@crieverytim]

Appreciate you as always!!

[@Below-Average_Joe]

Marcus Miller is a genius. PDbass, you are the best bass oriented KZbinr active. I am going to get one of your tee shirts.😊

[@FAMUCHOLLY]

Thanks professor Paul. M2 is one of my all-time favorite bassists... especially for his ability to seamlessly slide from jazz to funk to RnB and rock genres. But his soulful work on the bass clarinet and compositional skills also make him a standout, multiple threat artist.

[@achenarmyst2156]

Hope you don‘t feel threatened 😆

[@dr.garynelson4687]

Another great post. Keep up the great work!

[@roma5869]

Closing with Run for Cover. Jesus Christ that’s an amazing track

[@angelainyt]

Thank you for explaining Marcus Miller's style, I enjoyed this video

[@teddypantelas]

I’ve see. This before but had to see what you focused on when it comes to Marcus Miller. His slides. He’s my favorite electric bassist living because of too many reasons to even start naming them. The one thing I will say when I think about him is his groove and how he always lays back on the beat which causes his pocket to be so phat! I’m sure you can do a whole series of videos about him and wouldn’t be able to say it all. You picked something very unique to share and I’m glad you did! The slide. Thanks for featuring a living legend.

[@whostheblackprivatestick8565]

Like sooo many others, my intro to Marcus was "Never Too Much". Stopped my world in it's tracks. Ironically, since then..ANYTHING he does on bass is, never too much. This man adds value to ANYTHING he touches!

[@michaelanthony9155]

Hey there, love the channel, very informative. What your take of Mark Adams of Slave? That's my guy...

[@PharaohLawLess1]

Another great lesson professor

[@buddypearson]

Thanks for transcribing 'The Grease' for us, well done!! 👏

[@bigsarge9610]

Winelight was easily one of my favorite rhythms. You point out so much in your presentation, I can't thank you enough for the tutorials.

[@viktormuerte]

I listened to the sun don't lie for a couple of years after it first came out. It's still my favorite Marcus Miller recording and my favorite recording by a bassist.

[@mediawolf1]

My new favorite video of yours 🚀

[@alexfeatherstone8854]

An analysis as masterful as Marcus himself, bravo.

[@marcusjae3087]

Indeed a great Master of such discipline into art. I do have to add that Sir Nose D void of Funk although a totally different genre … was totally an out of the box bass creation by Parliament and Mark Adams of Slave had his own distinctive signature slides as well.

[@vicentevaldez7857]

Great video. Gliss, slur, womb. No matter the technical name, it serves to ready the ear and booty that something funky is 'bout to happen. Oscar Alston, Mark Adams and Marcus are the perfectors of this often overlooked weapon.

[@Ibkworld]

Thank you for bringing these things to light

[@ImJustStandingHere]

I never thought about the slides before, but the second you mentioned it, some of these examples and more from him over the years popped into my head and I had an oh shit moment

[@marcmoretti2502]

So happy to have discovered your channel! I never really picked up on these before but now I'll be looking out for them every time I listen to a Marcus track

[@shalamusic]

thx for the insight

[@GregLassalle2015]

Outstanding!!! Love your channel Paul. You constantly "dig a little deeper" (Brecker Bros.) and deliver great insight and commentary. Wish you blessings. 🙌🏾

[@vincentwright9143]

Man, you have taken the words right out of my brain! I listen to a LOT of Marcus and always love how he uses those slides aka "glis"'s to either open a piece, punctuate well chosen moments and/or transition to another section of the music. So, I'm hoping that you'll feature him again, specifically highlighting how consistent are his style of slaps and plucks. Actually you could do an entire series just on Marcus' perfection of specific techniques and how TASTEFULLY he uses them. As you said, he's become more and more conscious of using certain things sparingly because of how much more impact they have with restraint. As always, I am continuing to love your channel! Thank you, With Infinite Blessings, Vince Wright

[@ATLienForLife]

Hannibal and Big Time are two of my favorite Marcus bass playing songs!

[@lloydknight1730]

yo you are so right so I decided to challenge it on Da Butt. You are correct. Then I just listened to just the two of us. P. you nailed it amazing.

[@justinalec8718]

I cant watch a video of yours without picking up my bass. Thank you again man. Such a great channel.

[@zendobrendo0001]

Awesome video, already a fan of Miller but now I have a specific thing to to look for and appreciate.

[@josephromano7867]

This is techniques no one want to teach you Thank You Paul!!!!!

[@marcuswarren1320]

A Master of Slide worthy of greater recognition is the late, great Mark L. Adams of Slave. His slides are very different from Marcus', but they are oh, so powerful, thunderous and killer.

[@clementealfredoobrador4822]

You have a beautiful way of describing music, lad

[@walteradmiraal7642]

love it ! nice show

[@thaddeuslanders4177]

I love listening to you my Brotha...outstanding ,keep doing what your doing,I always look forward to it

[@JohnHancotte]

Great topic! Even his written line in the intro and verses on Just The Two Of Us has short whole-step glissandos. A very inventive and essential part to such a melodic and rhythmic figure, played in different octaves as well.

[@jimmycarter9286]

This is really good! Marcus’ slides are more just simply one of his “isms”. He’s repeatedly displayed how effective they can be when strategically placed. It’s one of those things that even non-musical audience member really respond to when you do it right! I truly appreciate how you broken down and executed 4 different examples! Thanks for another great vid, man! 👍🏾

[@insidejazzguitar8112]

Those glissando‘s are definitely part of his style, but I never thought about trying to work them out. I’m impressed

[@dtsdigitalden5023]

Oh wow. I always just thought "Marcus Miller" when I heard that, and never unpacked it as you just did. Just as the term glissando roughly translates to, Marcus does slip and slide on the neck in such a unique and distinctive way. Thanks for another great video!

[@LowEndLobster]

Loooooooooove Marcus. One of my biggest influences. The king wears a pork pie hat!

[@LowEndLobster]

@Text Me ①⑧⑥⓪⑥③④⑤⓪⑥⓪ Noooo. Bad spam bot! Bad! Also, why are you trying to giveaway a guitar on a bass channel? Dumb spam bot! Dumb and bad!

[@MacTeee]

Marcus is awesome! As far as glissandos, Lee Sklar's playing uses a lot them too just to add a nice little bit of grease but they are subtler because his tone doesn't have the same kind of cut that Marcus' does.

[@andymelendez9757]

Glad you mentioned this!

[@RoneySmithseedoflife]

This video is a great lesson for any composer and songwriter too! 🎸❤🎉🤯

[@derekdocjohnson3158]

Great view of the glissando! I’ve always took note to this 👍🏽🤘🏽can u do Mark Adams of the group Slave?

[@garethonbass]

Loved that, thanks so much. Not trolling, and I genuinely mean this - I feel the same way about Gene Simmons’ slides. They’re perfectly placed, have so much character and really ratchet up the excitement level for what’s coming next.

[@trevorjonesbass]

Love this video, Paul! I remember listening to Beyonce's track "All Night," and when I heard the first slide, I thought it could be MM. Then, when his slides into the 2nd chorus hit, that was confirmed!

[@emathews1]

As much as I try to listen on my cell phone, I always have to put on my good speakers to hear what you are sharing with us. And it's always worth the effort!

[@martinheath5947]

He knows how to connect with an audience regardless if they know the first thing about bass or not, by his sheer physicality and delivery.

[@mrflynn01]

1st! Yes we all know Marcus Miller, 🔥🔥🔥

[@michaelanthony9068]

Great lesson !

[@ShamrockNRoller]

Great video!

[@kcameo1]

Love every single video you make to educate us and bring knowledge of and from some of the greatest songs and musicians. Knowledge is, indeed, key and power. By understanding (a little better) what you are hearing, a lot of music will even be more powerful. Once again a big, big thanks for your efforts!! I have been so lucky to be able to see the great, great Marcus Miller live on more then a few occasions and always wonder if his inspiration for the slides comes from Paul McCartney. There is a lot of excellent music to be heared. There are many great musicians. But there are very few who's undeniable individual and universal reconizable tone and phrasing is so distinct and so pleasing to hear as Marcus on bass. Simply put: Heavenly. Truly one of the greats.

[@anthonycandullo3264]

another wonderful video! love your breakdowns!

[@OlandoMcCall]

Love this channel!!

[@marcuswarren1320]

Another monstrous slidealicious example from Mark Adams is Thrill Me. The group apparently recorded different versions, but the I one I believe is best can be found on the Vinylcloud KZbin channel, from August 1, 2012.

[@markkirschenmann3925]

Thanks so much for this, very informative!

[@casperbass68]

Yes!!! On point!

[@ebertmahon8939]

Excellent examination of the things that make Marcus the unique player he is. Thanks for your analysis.

[@wdwilson]

Marcus is top 3 on any list of bassists. Number 1 on mine

[@joffyjazz]

I remember a Marcus interview where he stated something like he was studying with somebody, may have been Denzil Miller. He wanted Marcus to practice this one slide over and over. The guy even left and wanted Marcus to continue. He kept up for a while but then started doing something else. He didn't start again until he heard the guy returning.

[@rickemmet1104]

Hey Paul, great video! Marcus Miller is my all-time favorite bassist, he's completely off the hook! There used to be a video on YT where Marcus played the bassline to Slam. Watching him play I realized that I had only ever heard about 20% of what he was playing and I'd heard that tune about 2,000 at that point!!! Oddly, my second favorite bassist is Mark Egan - the two are almost polar opposites!

[@drbassface]

Another great video Paul!

[@pacomahone]

Bravo!!! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@andrewlybbert9527]

Really enjoy your analyses! Thank you for all the great content!

[@tompass82]

I picked up a MM bass amp because it fit my playing style so well. And since then I have been flabbergasted by the number of tracks where his playing has influenced my own, but I never put a name and face to the man behind it all. I guess that it’s better to be late than never. Miller is truly one of the best ever.

[@jazzpunk]

Way back, when I started attempting slap/pop...I obsessed on keeping it ulta-clean & articulate. Eventually, I wandered out & watched the local guys that I liked...playing "in the cracks". It was a revelation! It had a life unto itself. Back to the shed to unlearn everything. 🙂 Cool thing on WINELIGHT. I think a lot have forgotten MM was on that album...a very early Smooth Jazz album, part of its canon. 🙂

[@sonojon0]

Gliss is bliss 😌

[@MrClaydoe]

Another great example of Marcus Miller's slide technique can be heard on Will Downing's "Island".

[@SandrinesVoxServices]

On top of all this, Marcus has yet another skill, he is a very good French speaker!

[@achenarmyst2156]

... and he plays bass clarinet. 😊

[@klapsigaarenbasgitaar1931]

Just a great topic, indeed such an important element of MM's style. I remember when I started off on electric bass I tried to copy some of these glissando but what I ran into was that they sounded way too loud. Probably because of my high action. For those interested I would like to mention the tune Virgo Rising on Wayne Shorter' High Life album where he, while switching from muted thumbing to slapping, plays a full bar of glissando fills. 🤗 BTW another bass player that comes to mind who likes to use these glissando's is James Genus, as I remember from some live recordings with the Brecker Brothers (check out Live in Barcelona right here on YT).

[@deanirwin3645]

Don't forget about Mark Adams from the funk band Slave... He's also a Glissando King!

[@txa1265]

I bought Sanborn’s Voyeur when it came out after hearing it on radio, and became lifelong Marcus fan from that! ❤

[@klapsigaarenbasgitaar1931]

A MM glissando is actually the first thing you hear on that record😂

[@philgayii6788]

Dope 🔥🔥🔥

[@j.d.thompson3505]

Jon Evans does some killer bass slides on Scarlets Walk album by Tori Amos. The bass makes that record. Especially the song Taxi Ride.

[@Johagorn]

Greaaaat content!!!!Great channel!!!!

[@Hiphopdabop]

Yes.. Though this technique was apart of the 70's R&B .. Paul Jackson.. Mr Mark Adams.. Larry Graham.. even Billy Cox used slides and slur phrases

[@mattfoley6082]

Rio Funk by Lee Ritenour opens with a Marcus slide. Also has a wicked bass solo.

[@Kemet09]

Another cat who is great with the gliss, Mark L Adams - The Hansolar!