Spirit of Radio - Bass Cover

[@dissinyosandwich7548]

Something really cool I noticed about this particular is that Geddy simplifies his bass part ever so slightly during the run of the verse where he sings. Now whether he did that to not clutter up the part, to make it easier to play while singing or both it's a simple yet very cool trick that adds some really nice nuanced variation even though it's technically not as flashy as the 16th note runs he does during the purely instrumental bits.

[@BassCovers]

You're right! Good ear ;)

[@smittydestroys8270]

NERD

[@jasoncarpp7742]

I don't know why, but the first time I heard this song, I started crying. I don't know why, since Geddy Lee's lyrics sound quite cheerful. Some songs have that effect on me.

[@BassCovers]

I have tunes like that too ;)

[@jasoncarpp7742]

@@BassCovers It's crazy, since I'm not even sad.

[@mgkaiser1]

Geddy Lee is not just a musician. He's also a storyteller. A true bard.

[@crystalp7242]

More than likely, Neil Peart’s lyrics, as he was the band’s primary lyricist, although Geddy delivers them beautifully. But all three members made for a whole greater than the sum of its parts: Geddy’s vocals, bass, and synths…Neil’s lyrics and drumming…and Alex’s solos. They made wonderful music together and should be celebrated for what they were able to accomplish in their nearly 50 years together.

[@jasoncarpp7742]

@@crystalp7242 I agree. They all played great to make a great song.

[@td5272]

Best play along and transcription combo I've found out there.

[@BassCovers]

cool...thanks TD ;)

[@mmnormph8314]

It is good but try Cover Solutions their tabs are great

[@robertmacdonald1102]

Deft like Geddy. Good job. This song really makes the bass sound good. It's pleasing to the ear. The drums are obviously a main focus and stand out front. The guitars layered as an incredible wash of melody with the bass as the anchor beneath it all. Grooving as smooth as can be. Your ears just biting into cakey layer upon layer of sound. The tinga ting ting of Neil's cymbals. The guitars like frosting. The buttery bass. A sonic masterpiece

[@patrickgroves1765]

the tabs and staff and play along is fucking amazing. i learned this so quickly and have always been intimidated by the scale run. really not that bad! thank you so much for this.

[@BassCovers]

You're very welcome. I'm glad you liked it and congratulations for learning it! :)

[@sandman20011]

For the love of god this is one hard song to play on bass. Great job thanks you.

[@BassCovers]

haha...hi Gas Light...yup, it'll keep you busy :) Thanks!

[@deancamp4914]

One of my favorite bass lines in any song... the G# is a different play.. but so good. Thanks for posting. Well done.

[@BassCovers]

thanks a lot! :)

[@deancamp4914]

@@BassCovers I just watched again... and noticed (especially at the beginning) you don't totally follow the TAB - which is fine of course).

[@andyv4968]

BEST lesson video ever! Level sound, no talking and nice and wide tab. Perfect my friend!

[@BassCovers]

thank you very much Andy...cheers!

[@markjohnson9495]

Thank you for the clarification of that run in the opening of the song. There were always a few accidentals that were hard to hear. The rest of it is pretty straight forward like most all their stuff, but that fuzzy chromatic blur always sounded muddled on the recording.

[@donvape336]

Love this. Just got back in to playing. Definitely on the list.

[@BassCovers]

enjoy :)

[@XHuntinatorX]

Hey man just thought I'd let you know... That was Killer! Nailed it. Rush, Best band EVER!

[@BassCovers]

hi! Thanks a lot...I really appreciate that...cheers! :)

[@SouthShore100]

Dude, you just saved me HOURS! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! (Awesome job, by the way.)

[@BassCovers]

cool...glad I could help...and thanks! :)

[@xavierdistrict1600]

excellent cover. very well played . it reveals the level of complexity of the bass line and shows how a trio give you the impression to be 5 lon stage. thank you for sharing!

[@BassCovers]

Thank you very much. I'm glad you liked it...thanks :)

[@xavierdistrict1600]

@@BassCovers thank you for the answer. I intend to cover this song soon and wanted to know if you would be interested in a collab. I already covered Tom sawyer on my channel Xavier district 16 so you can get an idea. Same drummer would be part of this project. Thank you for your answer whatever it is. Xavier

[@BassCovers]

@@xavierdistrict1600 Hi Xavier, thank you very much for your offer and consideration. I will respectfully decline at this time though. Best of luck!

[@breakingblackmagic7617]

thanks for the tab ... learned it after a couple watches .... super fun song to play.

[@BassCovers]

Cool...glad it helped. Thanks!

[@markmatejka2949]

Perfecto - you make it look effortless - thanks!

[@BassCovers]

hi Mark...that's really nice of you to say...thanks :)

[@peacewolfwm]

Thank you for this great transcription. I hope you do more of Rush.

[@BassCovers]

Hi Greg, you're very welcome. I hope so too :)

[@brianlobo7163]

the rhythm of the bass line really makes this song - Neil and Alex play it heavy and straight, and geddy's syncopation on the top makes this song more intricate than a straight ahead rock tune . and a good example of the heavy influence of "the Police" on them back then.. nice bass cover!

[@BassCovers]

Thanks very much. Nice analysis of the song ;)

[@nelsonvaldes7823]

Outstanding playing and tone Greg! Masterful job! Long time bassist myself. Lot of tricky parts to this song to play it right besides the blazing fast runs Geddy does. You nailed it brother! The tab is right on. I noticed you played same notes but on a different fret on your bass than the tab. shhhh... I'll be a long time subscriber going forward. Your a badass! Jam on!

[@BassCovers]

Wow...thank you! It's very much appreciated...thanks!

[@subliminallabs]

Thank you this is so good and I'm finally learning this piece!

[@BassCovers]

That's great! So glad it's helping :) Keep it up and thanks again!

[@fugomaye396]

So clean !!!...... Thanks for sharing.

[@BassCovers]

hi Fugo...thank you...you're welcome :)

[@frankodonnell1462]

Thanks Greg this is the best tuition vid of this song ive seen...nice one..

[@BassCovers]

thank you Frank, I appreciate it :)

[@skytigers4552]

great well done video & notation great stuff

[@BassCovers]

Thank you very much :)

[@dobly58]

Twice in a week you've helped me out. Cheers Greg!

[@BassCovers]

hi Dolby! My pleasure...glad to be of help...cheers! :)

[@timbowabo]

Great to see you posting regularly, Greg! You're one of the best :)

[@BassCovers]

awww...thanks timbowabo :) You're very kind...cheers! :)

[@mathys2686]

Super great cover!

[@BassCovers]

Thanks a lot!

[@jasoncarpp7742]

Awesome song! One of my favourite songs by Rush.

[@BassCovers]

mine too!

[@jasoncarpp7742]

It's funny, since I didn't listen to Rush very often growing up. I was aware of the band, and I've heard a few songs over the years. I like *"Tom Sawyer",* *"Fly By Night",* and *"Spirit of Radio".* But I never collected any records, audio cassettes, or CDs by Rush.

[@BassCovers]

@@jasoncarpp7742 I listened to a lot of Rush growing up. I had a few of their records. Geddy Lee was one of my heroes for sure...and Moving Pictures...just blew me away! What an album. I lost a little interest after MP but always remained a fan.

[@jasoncarpp7742]

I didn't listen to Rush very often until I heard about the passing away of Neil Peart. Now, I'm listening religiously! (laughs) :)

[@sbaz1885]

great tab! That you for your hard work on this.

[@BassCovers]

My pleasure...thank you :)

[@Davotunes]

it was challenging but I finally got it thanks man!!

[@BassCovers]

Congratulations! :) It's a great feeling to finally get something you've been working on, and this is not an easy song. So enjoy the accomplishment :) ...and then move on ;)

[@MCLemonyfresh]

Just found out yesterday that I have to play an entire rush set tomorrow night 😱 (wish me luck). This is tremendously helpful, thank you so much!

[@BassCovers]

wishing you luck! :)

[@timothydukeman7619]

Great job, Greg! I had to dig into this (again) as we decided to add it to our setlist, behind our version of the R30 medley. The fast fills (7/8)... I've slowed the studio version down to ensure as much accuracy as possible... I hear straight 16ths through the entire fill (no 8th; second string 7th fret). Instead, I make that 'A' a sixteenth, go back up to 'B' (first string, 4th fret; sixteenth, as well), then continue on with the rest of the run.

[@BassCovers]

Hey Timothy, thanks for the comment. How you play it sounds like it will work just fine...rock on and thanks again! :)

[@cinnamongirl5410]

That is a gorgeous bass!

[@BassCovers]

thanks Cinnamon...she's my baby :)

[@rolandoriley]

outstanding Greg

[@BassCovers]

hi Rolando...thank you very much :)

[@markbass354]

WOW SOUNDS REAL GOOD

[@BassCovers]

thanks Mark :)

[@AntonioMarcos-yu4vu]

Amanzing man...congratulations!!

[@BassCovers]

Thanks man...cheers!

[@bobt5778]

Fantastic!

[@BassCovers]

Many thanks!

[@TexturaI]

That tone sounds so great! Nicely done

[@BassCovers]

Thanks a lot :)

[@astajayaputuagus4364]

Thank you, great bass video lesson

[@BassCovers]

hi Astajaya! Glad you like it...thanks for letting me know :)

[@jupiter7x7]

Great cover! Thanks. This will be very helpful in learning this song.

[@BassCovers]

You're welcome...enjoy - it's a good one! :)

[@kedb]

Great cover and transcription! The little "twiddly bit" that first occurs at ~0:57 in this video, that you play between the B and the open A, was a bit of a forehead slapper for me. I spent forever learning to play that between the B and the G# on the E string, but it's an absolute bitch to pluck that way (for me anyway!). I can still only hit it accurately maybe 3 times out of 4. I had thought that maybe I was finding it hard because I can't do that peculiar "one finger up-and-down" plucking technique that Geddy Lee uses, and that rhythm across the strings doesn't lend itself to a more ordinary two-finger plucking style like mine. It never occurred to me to just use the open A (Doh!). It does still sound like a G# to me on the recording, but the note goes by so quickly I guess it doesn't really matter.

[@BassCovers]

haha...I've learned the very hard and long way to always try and find the easiest way. Open strings are a life saver sometimes! Thanks for the comment :)

[@lucybarney1]

Brilliant job

[@BassCovers]

hey Paul...thanks :)

[@fauvert]

THANK YOU! (So many inaccurate transcriptions, and the sucker is very hard to learn by ear alone...) :)

[@BassCovers]

Hey Timothy...so glad you like it...enjoy :)

[@kristopherkrueger4617]

Well done sir

[@BassCovers]

Thank you Kristopher :)

[@Strat_Twelve_in_Pit_Lane]

Amazing Song, play and Tab 🤘❤🎸

[@BassCovers]

thank you Bastian :)

[@SynZ777]

The jazz bass really makes the difference here. I've been playing this on P bass with the tempo dialed back like 20BPM to be able to play it. I tried a jazz bass the other day and it just clicked lol. So much easier to play.

[@BassCovers]

I couldn't imagine playing it on a "P" bass. I agree and find the Jazz bass much faster and easier to play. Thanks!

[@ericaschreiber7018]

Well done Sir, ty! I've got my work cut out. A little at a time. Cheers!

[@BassCovers]

that's right...small steps ;)

[@gondeskudus8362]

Thank you very much .. it help me alot ...again thankyouuu

[@BassCovers]

You're very welcome...glad it helped :)

[@guilhermejunji8707]

Amazing cover with tabs

[@BassCovers]

Hi Guilherme :) Thanks!

[@hectorchaparro31]

OH YEAH! THANK YOU!

[@ErnieLeblanc]

''click,..'' - Perfectly Precise!

[@BassCovers]

cheers Ernie! ;)

[@steliospasiardes678]

at 3:36, when you play the intro again the first two tabs are written as 8, i think it should be 7 as the first intro (and you're playing 7, or a D in the video). Otherwise, perfect!!

[@BassCovers]

yes...you're right...sorry about that. I'll fix it in the score and the corrected version will be on Muzeno. Good eye and thanks for letting me know ;)

[@steliospasiardes678]

Greg Fairweather no problem, no-one would notice as the intro is the same so everyone instinctively plays it correctly ahah. Good job though^^

[@BassCovers]

thanks :)

[@MattBlackUK]

Awesome 😁

[@BassCovers]

thanks :)

[@yvindglende1578]

Great!!

[@BassCovers]

thanks Øyvind :)

[@jwstrock22]

I love the music displayed below the video

[@BassCovers]

hey jw...thanks! Hope it helps :)

[@terifinnegan6649]

👍 Right on

[@BassCovers]

Thanks 👍

[@magicpassos]

Amazing

[@BassCovers]

Hey Rick...thanks ;)

[@mimiDchi]

I ♥️ Geddy Lee, but this is above my pay grade lol. Saved for later... Thanks ♥️

[@BassCovers]

project song...something to pick away at :)

[@mimiDchi]

@@BassCovers yes. That's what I meant I guess. I can play the last 3 notes for now, lol. Baby steps.

[@BassCovers]

@@mimiDchi you got it ;)

[@ericbarbosa3759]

You are amazing

[@BassCovers]

haha...thanks Eric :)

[@danielpacholuk9566]

Curious Greg," Do You use flat wound strings? If So , can you explain the difference Flat And round wound" "sound' I Find With flat I get More of a thump than a resonating ring! '.. of round wound " I get More Air between the notes as well, Is That Why some players prefer Flat? Also I use my fingers as apposed to a pick " I find my Right Hand can pluck faster than when I used round "per say Steve Harris" Fill Me In!!!??? re inventing My Sound... I use Jazz's And Pre's thru SVT...ALSO Excellent, Tab And Vid of this Song I'm Learning, Thanks Greg Really Enjoy Your Work!!

[@BassCovers]

Hi Daniel, thank you for your question. It's going to be short response though. I've never used flat wounds before. I've always just used round wound. Roto Sound or D'Addario. I'm using some Fender's now but only because they were the least expensive :) I hope that helps...thanks! :)

[@GeorgeOnBass]

3:36

[@Jamesivansongwriting]

Great job! Where can I find the bass backing track for this to practice with? Thanks.

[@BassCovers]

I don't know? I didn't use one.

[@NomadQazaq]

ПОЗДРАВЛЯЮ с НОВЫМ ГОДОМ !!!

[@BassCovers]

happy new year to you too! :)

[@Defmusicman1]

Here’s a silly question……Is there a Rush song that’s easy to play?

[@BassCovers]

haha...I can't think of one? :)

[@hyperbiscuit2284]

Limelight isn't too bad, though I can't quite play it perfectly, and also play it with a pick.

[@hyperbiscuit2284]

@@Defmusicman1 it also depends on if you're trying to sing at the same time.

[@Defmusicman1]

@ I’m deaf so that’s not even an option.

[@finnz602]

Wow! So, so helpfull! Where do you have your amp-settings to get this Bass-tone?

[@BassCovers]

I use Garageband. I just looked at the settings and on the Channel Eq, I boosted the high end from 350 and up. To me, Geddy Lee has a midrange/bright sound, so I played with the EQ until I got to what I think is close. I also used a "Punchy" Bass Amp and a PeakLimiter...hope that helps...thanks :)

[@finnz602]

Yeah, that‘s verry helpfull! Thanks👍🏼

[@Crewz97]

0:10

[@Crewz97]

0:09

[@magicpassos]

Emotional Catastrophe - Dr. Sin Please?

[@BassCovers]

Hi Rick :) Thanks for your request. I had a quick listen and although it's an interesting song, I'm going to pass.

[@omarcortez7854]

Muy bien!! Haz Roll the bones por Favor

[@jacksonpalmer8955]

Wait, Geddy sang while playing this...? WHAT?!?

[@jacksonpalmer8955]

I'm a trombonist, played in a major college marching band, and I still cant play the main riff at 0:17 at 3/4 speed on my trombone. Granted, its in a key that makes it physically a nightmare to play, let me bump it up a half step.

[@BassCovers]

hehe...and you're playing it on a trombone! I can't imagine? :)

[@Snipely]

Nice job on the transcription. One thing I'm confused by is that the repeated figure by Alex doesn't seem to follow the odd signatures you have (5/4, 7/8) but continues in a regular meter, alternating 4/4 and 6/4. Maybe they're all just fitting the notes in somehow?

[@BassCovers]

Hey Snipely. Thanks for your question. I just don't know what the answer is? :)

[@arthurdiniz7469]

🇧🇷🤘🏻

[@BassCovers]

thanks :)

[@Shazeen82]

The tab is wrong. I mean its not always n the same positions you playing.

[@BassCovers]

ya, I might've forgotten what position I played it in when I did the TAB. Sorry about that...

[@Shazeen82]

@@BassCovers I think its the B note you playing on the E string instead of the secound position on the A string.

[@measuringcup7080]

I can't move my fingers that fast.. it won't be a sin to use a pick, will it?

[@BassCovers]

haha...no man. Do what you gotta do ;) But you know, good things come to those who practice :) If I can do it...trust me...you can do it ;)

[@randyfurness2415]

Holy shit that is hard to play . I love Rush , but I'll stick to John Denver type music .

[@BassCovers]

that's cool too...to each his own :)

[@randyfurness2415]

@@BassCovers I meant that the easy stuff is all I can play . I love progressive rock , metal and everything else . Just don't have the talent to play it . But I'm hell on the air bass : ) . Geddy Lee is the master that showed me that the bass can certainly be a lead instrument , and that's what got me started .

[@BassCovers]

@@randyfurness2415 hey Randy. I got ya now ;)...now worries :) I actually like the "John Denver" type music. I listen to some Don Williams from time to time (one of my playlists) and that stuff has a solid groove! Simple can be groovy ;) As for not having the talent? Give yourself some time, take care of your basics and pick away at some "project" songs. You just might surprise yourself ;)

[@TriumphAventura]

the first 4 4 6 is just 4 6

[@BassCovers]

there's a tie....

[@TriumphAventura]

@@BassCovers thanks for you work Greg :)

[@BassCovers]

@@TriumphAventura hi Gonzalo...you're welcome :)

[@brinovicente]

you look like bruce dickson lol

[@anthonyanderson221]

The notes are correct but the tabs don't match what he plays.

[@BassCovers]

ya, sorry about that. Some times I forget how I played it...but I'm sure you know there are different ways to play the same thing ;)

[@shukryustvolskaya4775]

Maybe i am the only one who use speed at 0.25. Pity me :(

[@donovantibbels307]

Can you maybe not look so relaxed while playing this so I don't feel bad about sucking at it?

[@BassCovers]

hahaha...keep at it and don't feel bad :)

[@nxxtsa_]

woahhh thats amazing!

[@BassCovers]

haha...thanks!