How to play like Chris Squire of YES - Bass Habits - Ep 55

[@PaulDelBelloYT]

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[@babaji93]

Hey Paul...I think a lot of us would like to see you do a Bassline Analysis of "Roundabout"...

[@pedrodellallibera]

Chris Squire is the reason I play the bass. There's no better player to look up to as a bassist IMO

[@nyobunknown6983]

The fact that Squire played such intricate Bass lines in such complicated music made his work that much more impressive.

[@yessharp472]

RIP Chris, from T.Lorenz, a bass and Y3S fan from day 1 one 1968- now 2024.

[@jaspergillgannon4991]

He played bass parts as their own melody to counterpoint the other instruments, he almost never just only held the beat down.

[@jaysherman724]

Yet he always maintained a solid rhythm with his drummer

[@andrewpappas9311]

Chris was one of the reasons why I now own a Rickenbacker, his tone was definitely iconic as hell

[@Tomversal]

I recently got a Telenbacker because I wanted a bass that sounded like him but as a student I have little money, it works phenomenal for me so I can't wait to learn some of his stuff :)

[@EvilSean62]

yup me too ... also geddy ... but about 4 years into my career i needed an active 5 string so i had to trade it in ... i was robbed by scotlands "best" music store ...Mccormacks

[@devinthierault]

@@Tomversal how does that sound

[@tiffanymoser1558]

Are you a brown hatter?

[@andrewpappas9311]

@@tiffanymoser1558 A what?

[@outtathyme5679]

Rip Chris. One of the greats - and a great guy

[@DrTomoculus]

He's the best bassist Britain produced of his generation. Thanks for the video highlighting why :)

[@thefool2007]

Chris was the bassist I admired most. Still do. His artistry was simply amazing. RIP Chris.

[@tiffanymoser1558]

jon used to let chris brown his hat when they lived together in the 60s. It helped them become good songwriters. They were actually gonna call themselves the brown hatters.

[@laurencethornblade8357]

He's a guitar player.

[@tiffanymoser1558]

@@laurencethornblade8357 He is a brown hatter

[@magicalmystery1964]

No, he’s a BASS player.

[@Beamshipcaptain]

Seen him in concert many times in many states, from 1977 to 2002.

[@charlesnill6286]

Chris’s playing is so melodic and rhythmic at the same time! All that and dancing around the stage and singing harmony to Jon Anderson! He’s one of my top ten musical inspirations of all time…

[@andrewb.christian3424]

IMHO, Chris Squire was the best compositional bass player ever recorded. His bass lines were melodic and exciting. Couple that with the incredible sound he developed, I think its difficult to peg any player as being superior to his musicality.

[@Cesarpena]

Squire’s bass lines and tone took Yes’ music to another level. Super creative and surprising. Not to mention his background vocals and compositions.

[@revo1337]

When I was starting playing bass at about 13 I began with Beatles tunes who had some unusual bass riffs like "being for benefit of Mr.Kite". The strange counter melody always sounded brilliant to me. Eventually, I discovered "Close to the edge" and was immediately left speechles by Chris' powerful roaming bass. He beside McCartney is the reason I pick up the bass in favor of any other instrument. Thank you Chris !

[@relativeparadox9567]

Yes. What an incredible collection of talented people.

[@freddiesoverbite6162]

Chris Squire is the reason I began playing the bass

[@cliffords2315]

I Picked up his secrets and equipment back in 1970 Rickenbacker 4001 Rottosounds, with Two Fender Dual Showmans JBL 15's ran in Stereo out, one amp for the bridge pickup and the other amp for the neck pickup, using stereo output with Y conectors, years later i got HIWATT 200's to replace the Dual Showmans, later Sunn Collesiums and SVT's in the 80s also a Leslie Speaker for some of the songs Christ showed his equipment choises and bass in Hit Parader Magazine in 1970

[@juanjavierm]

This has been one of the saddest and unfair losts in rock music. Ever. I still miss him....😔

[@BigBass-xf5yi]

Chris,Eddie, Greg Lake and Keith Emerson and John Wetton really hit home for me. Too freakin sad.

[@tiagorabelo7396]

Chris Squire ❤ The greatest of all times

[@davep8221]

I regret that I have but one upvote to give to this video. It must've been so bittersweet when Geddy got to play on _Roundabout_ at the RRHoF induction. I'll bet anything that he wished he hadn't had to. But he should've played his Rick! I loved Geddy's line: ~Without Yes there would be no Rush.~

[@tookmyjob]

The reason why I picked up a bass. Thanks, Chris.

[@Heatherofscots]

Good luck sounding like Chris ;) Truly an innovator and virtuoso. My favorite musician of all time. RIP

[@pensnut08]

100% dead on.... When you heard a Chris Squire bass line.... You knew who it was IMMEDIATELY!

[@beatlesrgear]

I used to play in the worship band in our church. I started playing counter melodies to the lead vocalist like Chris does (being an absolute Chris Squire freak) and the lead singer started getting cheesed off at me. I said, "What's wrong? I am just being creative whilst holding down the low end." He said he just wanted me to play 8th note or Quarter note root notes (on every song). He said it was his band so he called the shots and what everyone would play. But, like telling Jackie Stewart he has to maintain a 25MPH speed limit at all times, I physically and mentally could not do it. I just could not dumb myself down to that level for every song, so he threw me off the team.

[@stephenhookings1985]

Some music leaders, particularly in worship context, forget that God gives us all different talents and for his glory (not your ego) you should be allowed to express yourself. Keep doing the thing your were blessed to do - Chris did. Prog rock on!

[@paulsimmons5726]

Chris Squire was the most influential of the first generation of electric bassists; his tone and approach were magical! RIP Chris Squire! Good video, thanks for posting!

[@tomebasic2843]

I love Chris Squire, but considering that the Electric Bass guitar was around since the 50's and Yes was formed in 68'. I doubt He was a first gen electric bass guitar player. Then again, depends how you would define first gen.

[@paulsimmons5726]

@@tomebasic2843 I was thinking about 60's R&R; I guess I should've been a bit more clear on that. Thank you for your comment.

[@davidgroll-cook7125]

RIP Chris. You are still so missed.

[@gtgloner]

CS taught us all how to play bass...he showed what the instrument is capable of doing if you use a little imagination.

[@frankmarsh1159]

4:07 The Fish was recorded in 1971. The first chorus pedal didn't come out until 1976.

[@Latexhandske]

I am so proud that I meet Chris so many times from 1977 onwards!

[@Thorsten_Kueppers]

Chris had such a great tone 🤩

[@normanhacker3588]

Ric o sound and counterpoint lines and of course vocal harmonies

[@werners5191]

This is a very articulate and well-edited video, with several explanatory musical clips. Excellent job! Btw, one of my favorite Chris Squire parts is his explosive entrance in Roundabout.

[@freddiesoverbite6162]

Chris is the reason I started to play the bass. Can’t even begin to describe just how obsessed I was with Chris and his sound. Only within the last few years have I branched out a bit and started to try and absorb some other greats like James Jamerson, Bobby Vega, Lee Sklar, Larry Graham, Stanley Clarke… just to name a few. Chris Squire will always hold the most special place in my heart because he lit the fire in me.

[@hurdygurdyguy1]

Saw Yes during the Going For The One tour in Seattle and was fortunate to be close to the stage and Squire! He was mesmerizing! 1:55 ... "painted it cream") Well, how about that... I'd read somewhere that the cream color was originally white but turned cream over time. I know slap bass is all the rage (and there's nothing wrong with that) but Squire's use of a pick and approaching the bass more like a guitar has always appealed to me..

[@ImYourOverlord]

This is a wonderful presentation of Chris Squire's musicianship, and gives a comprehensive look at his techniques. All the key aspects are touched on; each could easily be expanded, but even just this video can get many players a great start along the Squire path!

[@leelauder4411]

That bass sound is my youth growing up in Montreal!!! Chom FM played a lot of YES and other Prog rock bands!! Incredible rhythmic patterns!! Try any song , it's a challenge!!! Peace brother Rest easy Chris!!

[@Sammeep02]

Fishtastic 🐟 I don't even play bass (maybe bc I tried a toy guitar once and my hands are too small lol) but somehow Squire is still one of my inspirations as of late

[@hpatss4966]

Fifths, lots of triads, he was a fucking monster

[@satyammangroo1147]

Paul thank you so much for honoring one of the greatest bass players of all time. Chris will always be my hero. Keep up your great work.

[@luvyesmusici4886]

Hey, Satyam. Hope you are doing good/great. Seeing "the boys", yet again, this November. Couldn't get front row this time, but second row center isn't too bad. Stay well!

[@evankeal]

He had routed individual pickups to the two outputs, very noticeable live when you are getting this deep sound along with the Marshall side for the treble that just sounds different than crossover tricks.

[@ph6376]

Chris often credited his years in church choir as a major part of his musical foundations, and one of the big influences in Yes's vocal and instrumental arrangements. Playing bass didn't come until much later into his teens.

[@jamesalfaro3155]

Extraordinary guide to Maestro Chris Squire, R.I.P. Thank you for sharing, hopefully will be a part 2. All the best in 2022 !!!

[@yes_head]

Thanks. Some good insights here. I'm guessing that Chris' penchant for ascending scalar lines was a McCartney influence, possibly also a James Jamerson thing -- part of the walking bass tradition. Interestingly, Steve Howe coincidentally adopted the same scalar habits in his playing and solos (probably as a means to avoid relying on stock blues guitar licks.) The ascending modulations were also due to the way Jon Anderson wrote songs -- downright naive and simple in many cases. But Chris always fully exploited the simplicity of the basic song by creating interesting bass parts behind the changes (and as you pointed out, finding the counterpoint behind the vocal melody.) What's amazing about classic Yes music was that the bass could be very busy but still not step on the guitar and keys parts. This is part of Yes' replay value: you can listen to the same song over and over and still discover new and interesting things happening within. But it wasn't until the mid 80s that Chris' parts became noticeably simple. Still, he could deliver the goods on later songs like "Homeworld" or "Violet Purple Rose."

[@BigBass-xf5yi]

What a great video of the “Great One”…. So well done. Chris’s work with Bill Bruford was other worldly….

[@freshelfpie]

What about amplification? He did NOT use the mostly standard Ampeg stuff, but a pair of Marshall Majors, which gave a nice harmonic compression and smooth overdrive. Just the Rickenbacker and a pick won't quite get you there.

[@jensvide777]

My favorite bassist! My favorite Squire line is the chorus from South Side of The Sky. Very good video.

[@freddiesoverbite6162]

Mine is probably Gates of Delirium from Yesshows. The second half of that is some of the most intense brutal bass lines I’ve ever heard.

[@jaysherman724]

Both of those are amazing. Mine is probably the intro to Close to the Edge (after the nature sounds), one of Yes’ sickest most menacing riffs

[@joelaurino1448]

one of the most iconic and brilliant of all the rock bassists, his bass lines bring tears to my eyes, they are so perfect! it happens every time I listen to Heart of the sun rise...!

[@glennsvoboda6602]

My hart dropped in 2015. I put his photo up at the body shop i worked in in South Hampton L.I.N.Y. as a celebration of a great musician! God bless. I'm still fascinated

[@Mordred478]

Only two things I would add...First, Chris had the uncanny ability to play a bass line in one time signature while singing in a different one. Second, he picked up a trick from John Entwistle, whom he admired, which was to use a Marshal guitar amp and cabinet to allow his bass to deliver that punchy high end he was famous for. Oh, and he was tall. Really tall. ;-)

[@ikkenhisatsu7170]

Thank you for this post! Very insightful and entertaining. Chris Squire was my rock hero since I first heard them on the radio in about1971. I miss him like I knew him. RIP, Mister Squire.

[@talibe801]

Rick was the most creative and original bassplayer ever,he was an inspiration for millions of bassplayers worldwide.

[@member805639]

Great analysis, thank you.

[@danchstas]

very love chris, he best bass players in the world of all time and band yes too best bands ever, aslo chris have unique sound and pedals at tales of topoghraphic ocean, at song fortune seller, magnification and and of course the incredible effect wow,cool video, many people do not know about such a bass guitarist at all, it is necessary to spread the topic, by the way, you are well done for indicating the album abwh, this is in any case Yes

[@Thomas-od2ki]

The best bassist of all time

[@satyammangroo1147]

Fully agree with you

[@jkris2361]

Thanks for the video! I read that when Chris was younger he would put coins on a railroad track and then use the flattened coins as picks...he was definitely a sound chaser...

[@knoxlaw]

Diligently make sure to get used to using the flesh of the thumb to sweep along after the pick on the down stroke and reverse on the upstroke. It only works if you play regularly and have developed an extremely hard thumb callus. That, with a very heavy, beveled pick will get you closer the "Squire" bass sound than any of the axes and amps. Heavier picks, plus the callus make the harmonics "pop out". Depending on where you are hitting there string with your left hand, you'll get accustomed to hearing how Squire effectively harnessed a wider spectrum of bass tones. Mostly an acoustic guitar player here, but I get a great mock Squire tone on the only bass I've owned, a $200 Korean short scale Longhorn. Other than that... you can try a Y cable and run the extra cable through an overdriven small tube amp. My two cents, but just the aforementioned will get you 97% of the Squire tone. If you're actually a dedicated bass player, you're going to get way more out of this than I. And yeah, I'd wager he used the worn round ends of those old, primitive pics and definitely, it's gotta be round wounds. Also, if you want to nail his tremolo, look at Bluegrass tremolo mandolin instruction vids. IMO, Fish Out of Water offers his best bass tone. That album stuck with me years after, and despite growing out of/rejecting Yes in my early teens. Only realized much later, reading about his playing tech that I'd fumbled upon some of the same tricks he employed, though... probably would not have arrived there if his sound wasn't in the back of my childhood brain.

[@michaeloflannagen]

Squire was innovative and I love his double strike technique using his thumb nail and plectrum simultaneously giving him that fuller sound. Genius. If you listen to Wurm from Starship Troopers the chord progression is identical to the one used by Cobain in Heart Shaped Box by Nirvana.

[@andyhinds542]

I bought my Jackson Randy Rhoads from Rose Morris 30 years ago. I used to love going down Denmark Street to look at all the guitars and basses.

[@madzilla4785]

My fav bass player

[@starshiptrooper7670]

In the early 70s when I discovered Yes, Sir Paul dropped to #2 and Chris took #1. He still is. I miss the guy. Fish Out Of Water is an excellent record. So great to hear his singing up front. I'm not a musician so I really learned a lot Paul. Thank you for the video!

[@kingofallwhites]

He got his basses made and/or set up/modified by Mouradian near Boston.

[@seanconnors1613]

OMG you finally did it! I'm so excited!

[@gastonbatuco2391]

Congrats Paul for your wonderful analysis of one of the most bass player ever. I learn to play bass guitar listening the Yessongs album. I 'm stiil listening with the rest of their discography. Amazing work Paul👍👍👍👍 Greetings from Chile 🤟🎸

[@dcstevens8290]

Great video, Paul! I'd never picked up on Chris's use of ascending bass lines until you pointed it out. Thanks again! ~DC~

[@Timbretwo]

No mention here of his separate low and high amplifiers for the stereo Rick?

[@TotoDG]

You know how, sometimes, a KZbinr makes a video that you *swear* you've watched before? This was one of those examples for me.

[@td8778]

Good Stuff. Love these concise deep dives.

[@hv1461]

Really good analysis.

[@ChrisChapin_chapes]

I love this video like Chris Squire loves stepwise motion ❤

[@alanshewitt]

Funny you should mention the triumvirate of Squire, Entwistle, and McCartney together, as these three were exactly the players who influenced me in equal parts to pick up the bass when I was 12.

[@ciarancooling3014]

Been waiting for this video since I’ve been subscribed, excellent analysis as always Paul

[@ObsidianLife]

Thank you so much for the well researched info! I remember reading about the shaving the finish and making the bass sound different!

[@jaysherman724]

If you take requests, on the topic of ‘70s prog greats, Greg Lake is way underrated as a bass player (and as a guitarist, but another channel can handle that)

[@cliffbungalow9373]

Play a Rickenbacker with a pick through a Marshall and be really good at it.

[@justsomedude5727]

Holy shit he does pinch harmonics constantly

[@ImYourOverlord]

It's no surprise that Chris had the approach he had to playing bass guitar, and its role in music, when you consider that he looked to John Entwistle for inspiration and admiration :)

[@thebones]

Chris went way beyond John.

[@ImYourOverlord]

@@thebones I respectfully disagree, but I have CS next in my short list of the most impressive and innovative bass guitarists. Those I most admire as a listener and as a player are Entwistle and Squire, then John Paul Jones, Geddy Lee, Steve Harris, and Cliff Burton.

[@mmeshutoz]

Спасибо, один из любимейших Басистов!!!

[@paolomaiorana2543]

He was so instrumental.

[@ChrisChapin_chapes]

truly

[@carloscastan2115]

love it! good work!

[@david_brodie]

Another awesome Vid Paul, I've just been listening to Meat Loaf all day at work to reminisce and I cant believe how awesome the bass lines are and Kasim Sulton is so prominent in the music, even though there is so much going on. I would love to see him come up on your ' how to sound like ' videos.

[@Chloe-cv6wm]

Yes were called mabel greers toyshop and played some gigs as the brown hatters in the 60s

[@joako9265]

How to sound john wetton pls

[@szrnkabela]

Nice breakdown!

[@2_refined]

What is the live performance at 0:36 ?

[@oliviertilanus]

Fantastic video! Would love to see a second part

[@stefanosabbatino3897]

Thank you for sharing!

[@jaysherman724]

I’ve been waiting for this one LFGGGG

[@greenvelvet]

How do you "underpin" the vocal Melody??? How is that different from any other bass part, where you are holding down the rhythmic and harmonic foundation?

[@josephdato2606]

You Can add Greg lake as well

[@vellvet_]

please can you do Jesse keeler from death from above 1979?

[@latentsea]

Great job dude!

[@depa988]

Finally !!!!

[@cheaptrickfanatic3496]

Hmmm... well, in all due respect, I'm confused. If one is attempting to sound like Chris, wouldn't the FIRST recommendation be to get yourself a vintage Marshall half stack? Or something that sounds like one? I find bass players to be so disinterested in amp information. It's all about the instrument. Yet, with a guy like Chris, I think his choice of amplification was even more important than his guitar. You could have put a Jazz bass in Chris's hands. He would have split the signal to low end only through an Ampeg and highs and mids through his Marshall's, and you would say to yourself, "that's Chris!" So, I would argue his amp set-up was even more central, than his guitar. No?

[@bluethunder4911]

More talking about pick bass player plzzzzz~~!!!! Next one Joe Osborn?

[@obscurehighlights]

need a vid for chris hillman! perhaps the most underrated bass player ever

[@markrobinson8410]

he also used a marshall amp

[@zeelias_zezito65]

Squire was outstanding. Yes nowadays, without him, sounds not event 20% good as it used to be. Ray Shulman was another superb bass lines' creator.

[@glennhynes5263]

Great vid. Thanks

[@dreidoodles2321]

Great video as always, you already made a video about cliff and Jason from Metallica, can you make a video about rob next, cheers man

[@markgabriel5797]

Great Video.

[@markbass354]

GOOD VIDEO

[@jacobbuxton932]

Hell yes!