The ONE Technique That Changed EVERYTHING

What connects great bass players like Jaco, John Patitucci and Billy Sheehan? For me, it’s their ability to move effortlessly around the fretboard without ever losing control.
When I see students jump to a different position on the neck, it’s often pretty easy to tell that something ‘difficult’ has just happened. A tricky shift can completely derail us. In this video I’m going to show you a technique that will help you to move up and down the fretboard super fast and without getting lost.
As always, see you in the shed…
Scott :)
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[@t.s.racing]

Billy Shehan, in 1984, the reason I wanted to play bass. Scott Devine, in 2021, the reason I actually bought another bass to learn again.

[@DamianSabre]

Well, I just got my first bass delivered today. Perfect timing.

[@merl7972]

Congrats! You've already become a better person. Happy practicing.

[@sabre22b]

You wish....sorry. Couldn't resist. Welcome to the community and a new love affair.

[@alexwitti6903]

So, how is it going so far Jesse?

[@iqi616]

Great lesson. Straight into usable content with no chit-chat. Excellent!

[@madelinecaples8141]

Just have to say the editing of this video is ON POINT.

[@leedsgh]

Thank you!

[@ixa-3140]

@@leedsgh gavs hot😂😂😂

[@outsider8831]

The new players path on SBL is amazing. Very impressed with how well put together it all is. Great work SBL!

[@fingers2play]

Thank you so much!!!!! This is what I’ve been longing for years, having my fingers to flow over the board like water. Great lesson my friend. God bless.

[@sebastianfors4491]

I'm primarily a guitarist with some bass experience, but I find this really useful for improving my lead guitar abilities as well! Thanks!

[@mickhealy9411]

Man, you asked the v. question I asked myself, thanks!

[@somMelon]

Hello there fellow baj forsen1

[@kane6529]

Im the same but recently have dedicated myself to bass and becoming a true thumpologist 🤩

[@DrKevGuitar]

Scott, LOVE that shirt, man! Great video too. Thank you!

[@merl7972]

+1 for Metal Gear Solid alert noise.

[@pushon10]

channeling davie504

[@SurfingSerpent]

Great advice Scott. I play fretless electric, so this shifting approach might be even more important since I don’t have frets to lean on during the shift.

[@jimhughes1070]

Yep I remember this one... That I didn't do the first year... Doing.. that.. all this week!! Thanks for the reminder!! You are the best brother

[@Symphonicrockfran]

4:34. Another one for my routine. Thanks Scott!

[@TristanJCumpole]

A good takeaway is that Pinky-up/Index-down provides a different type of motion, note availability and frequency of motion by distance to Index-down/Pinky-up. I'm unsure as to whether I would be correct in saying that one is better than the other since it all depends on how one implements any sort of exploration around the board. To me, PU/ID shuffles note availability under the fingers for a short distance of movement, which is by nature a more fluid and consistent style. PD/IU is more likely to break up fluidity given the larger sort of useful movements one might expect, but offers potential for moving through larger available range by distance. A useful lesson I learnt on guitar was playing "backwards", moving from high notes on lower strings and shifting my position downwards through the exact same notes up to the higher strings. It made me anchor in place less.

[@miamha]

Nice wee excercise! Great to learn sales over 2 octaves too. Pure dyno, cheers man.

[@Snibborwocky]

Man, that Ken Smith sounds heavenly. Wow.

[@MJTbreww]

Keen to try out your lessons Scott. I’ve been teaching myself for the past 2 years and while fairly happy with where I’m at, I’m hoping to bring it to the next level!

[@DeirdreSM]

I feel like I've leveled up in that I figured it out before you said what the answer was. *fistbump*

[@leegibbs5317]

'Shift' is the new 'PIVOT!!!!' Great content as always Scott.

[@agungandy836]

Love the bass tone

[@ES92-]

1:24 - The intro is Maaaad Bruv ', i kepts plying it over and over again. lol

[@ButchDrumster]

Scott , u are doing a great stuff. I've been playing bass for 15 plus years, but watching u makes me feel lame and makes me realize there's so much more to learn. Your stuff is great, inspiring and easy to learn and understand. Wish, I had a teacher like u so much more time ago, instead of that old prick I had to pay money for - u could practice forever and never be able to play it fluidly at least. So much wasted time. It's a pity. Keep on doing u'r thing and God bless u.

[@refractorymercury]

This is one of the core technique I got from my guitar teacher while ago I despaired to play on bass, got it ! thanks Scott

[@aarondavis4341]

Almost seems like common sense,after you think about it a bit. We spend so much time GETTING the double thumbs and taps techniques down we overlook the easiest things that would improve playing so much more

[@wabisaaby]

Thanks Scott, very useful - will definitely practice that during Groove Theory :D

[@PatrickLorrimer]

Scott says he's going to shift with his little finger, plays G major and immediately shifts with the 2nd to get to A and then plays the B without a shift and finally shifts the 4th finger to get to C. So if you say shifting is when you move your thumb, he's done it twice.

[@jaydubya7012]

Great lesson. I have been looking for one on how to do this. You explain it perfectly.

[@furiousajp]

I legit *love* the finger puppets (Is that what those are?) on the tuners.

[@brunocyclist]

String puppets. Badum! Tsh...

[@maxponsetis1948]

just brilliant as always a silk cut though a melodic tissue our internationnal Mister Scott is a man of taste and not gready he shares the good things that makes a genuine bass player honnestly Big Big respect stay all with the true cause playing is preaching God' s love

[@stramurto]

Oh boy, you started so well

[@maxponsetis1948]

@@stramurto and i ended much better i m gonna put a iron shirt etcetera etcetera

[@jhonystowcoelho9670]

Gosto muito ds seus vídeos! Apesar de não saber muito bem seu Idioma,mas da para entender a linguagem e ideia musical!

[@wayintobass]

Great video, as always. Thanks!

[@timothysmith7868]

excellent video through my sbl studies (lifetime member) I play with the scales sliding up and down and popping up and down the scale at different points to help solidify where all the patterns are... I love this slide technique and can't wait to try it.. :-)

[@jonsidell3338]

Lovely growl coming out of that bass!

[@djaimini]

hey guys was nice . Keep up the good work

[@martinheath5947]

Great lesson Scott! Super well explained 👍

[@maurocoimbra9624]

Great teaching!!!

[@ralfweifenbach2924]

Very interesting stuff! The curiosity: in highschool I learned the total opposite :))) (IF shifting up, LF shifting down when changing position). Maybe this is the reason why I cannot play bass half as good as you, Scott! :))) Anyway, my experience after playing bass for over 30 years, is: nearly every problem in playing smooth is coming from the right hand... Well done, Scott, thnx for the channel, learned many stuff meanwhile from your expertise!

[@ZodiacEntertainment2]

I always have problems with the left hand (fretting), not the right.

[@iqi616]

I'll use both but sometimes I find upshifting with the pinky gets uncomfortable if there's too much of it.

[@182Dwart]

Great advice as always. Thanks Scott!

[@johnmoser2689]

Great tips Scott your playing is very inspiring

[@marcus9312]

Perfect! Thank You very much!

[@lassel1644]

Nobody ever mentioned that keeping your palm straight related to the fingerboard is one of the secrets. That is not a natural thing. You feel like your wrist gonna break.

[@yamilgedeon6446]

Than you for share that, my head is open to a bunch of new stuff. Greetings from Dominican Republic.

[@SmlzBam]

ive seen the new intro before but never realised how fuckin dope it is good work whoever made that intro

[@aniketray1371]

sir ur videos has helped me a lot n i have improved so much.. thnk u so much scott sir.. 😁😁😁

[@bobbi2044]

what about the left hand thumb on the back of the neck? (how do you position that when doing sliding scales.)

[@josem.ignacio3370]

Fantastic lesson.. Thanks.

[@jean-philippemorin1176]

I learned that you should try to shift the earliest as possible when ascending or descending, instead of at the end of the phrase.

[@1badsteed]

When he goes "ooop" he uses his pinky...! Down is index finger. *commences to blaze across the board rapidly! Man your playing is amazing

[@carlosduran8189]

Scott muy. Buenas. Técnicas. Charly de. Chile saludos

[@alicanakdogan8426]

It was great lesson for me ! Appreciated .

[@commentconnoisseur1001]

Scott is your favourite bassist John Paul Jones because you sure love to Ramble On

[@ramiromillanfraile7399]

that bass sounds huuuuge i can feel the wood only by hearing it

[@potsos1]

Great as usual Scott.

[@caneestra]

Thanks. I always tried to shift position down from index to a little finger, and from little to index when going up. It was just jumping from one box to a neighbour box.

[@johndobson1899]

You've obviously nailed this whole thing Scott and I congratulate you. I was listening to the radio just and heard Ibiibo sound machine . Their bass player John Mckenzie obviously a session guy. I checked him out on wIki and it said he died last month ! Do you know of him ?

[@drumstudiomonchengladbach8131]

Thank you Scott, that lesson is really great and opened many doors for me. What about a similar lesson for the Aeolian and Mixolydian scales...Just for the "lazy" ones of us who are too impatient to figure them out??? Please

[@ric_guitar2886]

Thank you Scott !! 👍🏼

[@jamesmstith]

great exercise...thank you

[@johnnyragadoo2414]

It's been a long time since I spent hours a day with an instrument. I worked for the opposite shifts, which was also what my string bass instructor recommended in my college music courses. Please take me with a grain of salt, but I'd like to throw out some food for thought. When you shift up on the pinky or down on the index, you are adding compression to your hand position, a force pushing your fingers together that you have to oppose with muscle effort. Shifting down on the pinky will naturally open your fingers without muscle effort. Shifting up on the index does the same thing - it tends to drag the fingers into an open position. I will grant the forces on a string bass are significantly higher than on an electric, with the exception of the lofty action my first warped bass had. That was a nightmare. Whichever your preference, you will need to be able to shift as required without trashing your hand position. Another point I would make is that finger ergonomics are almost universal. You can improve your speed and precision, maximizing the time the valves are fully open, if you play trumpet with your fingers in an arch like a pianist should use. I found the same arched fingers improved my flexibility and endurance on bass. Air between the neck and the palm, thumb behind the nasty finger, and fingers kept arched and apart.

[@DrewSorensenMusic]

Thank you for this video. I think it will change my life. Time to shed!

[@PARAMONARIOS]

Good piece of info, worth repeating!

[@pandasmooth]

Can we get a tab for this Scotty to Hotty? Just wanna thank you man, your course is awesome. I have learned a ton.

[@nesis93]

Thats a great opportunity to learn the major scale pattern You go up from root-wholestep-wholestep-halfstep-wholestep-wholestep-wholestep-halfstep(root) And youve got yourself the tabs :)

[@ronaldsassano1813]

Good video, great lesson

[@bojanstojanov6431]

This is awesome. Thanks

[@lowstringc]

This caught me by surprise as it is exactly opposite classical technique. Here is the rationale of the classical “open hand shifting”: Moving with the focal point on the closed end of the hand (closed hand = fingers on the side of the hand in the direction of movement; focus = leaving and arriving on the same finger leads toward retaining the leaving note full value and arriving at the next note on time) tend to have the effect of your finger hanging on to the first note into the movement of the hand, thus bunching up the fingers in the hand position by the time you arrive. This is core string playing technique, and while more advanced techniques expand on or even break this basic technique on a situational basis for musicality and facility, it is still core. Perhaps the differences in instruments cause this variance: frets negate a large amount of intonation issues and allow for much looser standards for precise hand position (Scott’s hand position is impeccable however he shifts though!); the relative ease and shorter string length of playing on an electric bass allows for some looseness in this technique; the more dominant box playing approach as opposed to the more linear, up/down the string, playing on the double bass allows for less full position skipping shifts and utilizing more “pivots” instead of “shifts”; or maybe it’s something else. I’ve never studied primary electric bass, I’m not at all saying this is bad electric technique (just opposite, and in many senses would be bad technique on the double bass), and Scott is a consummate professional, so perhaps it’s just my lack of knowledge and experience in this instrumentals techniques, but it strikes me that this is exact opposite of how I was trained classically. I still see the classical rationale to be of value, especially for those of us less practiced and technically sound as Scott who would unknowingly fall into the pitfalls of bunching and poor hand position that would never happen to him due to his deeply trained and practiced hand position that would stay consistent no matter how he shifts.

[@spemer12]

This struck me as well. I feel like upright bass fingerings do apply to the electric bass in a way that really helps you learn the fingerboard but they can only get you so far in unlocking the potential speed of the electric bass. I was taught NEVER to shift down using the index finger on the upright bass.

[@TheOverlordOfProcrastination]

This guy is fucking elite. Who the hell is giving this video a thumbs down?

[@DolganoFF]

Very interesting, I'll try that!

[@nateconklin2118]

Scott, in so many of your awesome videos you do an exercise and then at the very end of the exercise you strike a chord on the base which sounds awesome and puts a nice bow on it. Pleasing to the ear. Can you explain what chord it is? Is it simply the chord of the last note played in the exercise?

[@NikToSho]

Damn that's a badass intro to your channel

[@eduardoreginaldo3000]

Yeah....production value is super TIGHT.

[@cokeandtwirl]

Super useful!

[@cristianodelphs135]

Great thank...

[@Biomar51]

Top. Aguardo tradução legenda em português 🇧🇷

[@joshmayer5419]

1000% helpful!

[@ClearStreamsUK]

LOVING the sound of the Smith! I wish John Pattatucci still used his! Sorry, I preferred it to the Yamaha!

[@lauriehwrdlh]

That's interesting, will give it a go. I've always shifted up in the index finger, maybe because that felt like I had my full hand available where I land. Also how Double Bass playing taught it?! This looks like the shifts are more frequent but smaller shifts.

[@jefdapaixao1]

excellent

[@toddparnaby972]

Thanks for the vid ! And I have a question, what head units do you use ?!?!? I use and ashdown with a trace Elliot 4x10 cab

[@ianlayton6949]

Dunno if I'm missing something here, but I can think of numerous points in our current set where this seems problematic. For example - we do a cover of Foghat's Slow Ride, where the bass comes in on pretty quick (at least for me!) sixteenths with a move from the 10th fret to the 8th (so theoretically leading with the first finger if I understand correctly) - followed immediately by a note on the 6th. I've been leading the move down with my ring finger, to have my first finger ready for the 6th - and my ring finger ready for the following two notes on the 8th. (All on different strings for interest) Hitting that first 8th fret with my first finger seems to make the quick run that follows far more difficult - or am I missing something?

[@fenderespoco]

Excelente, thanks.

[@BassistStefanFuhr]

Hey Scott, when ever I go on your website, my laptop fan is cranking up. Have you heard other experiences like that? Maybe my laptop is just junk.

[@OpinionatedMonk]

Great video, so... what's with the glove?

[@profk3742]

1:04 Huh? What was that noise? SNAKE!?

[@carlosblank6629]

Can you tell me the make and model of the bass you're playing here? Thanks

[@Metalbass10000]

I completely understand why to do this, and why it can add some consistency, and order, to one's technique. But what if I am playing groupings of five notes over quartets of 16th notes, or 3 notes over quartets, or groups of 3 notes, 4 notes, and 5 notes, over a triplet feel, and one of the ways which helps keep track of where you are, for me, is to say play those five notes on one string,, or for nonlinear groups of notes, to play that all in one position, like playing an arpeggio, or the first three notes of an arpeggio and then tasty sixth and seventh, or sixth and 9ths? I also like to be playing a phrase and slide up into a higher position and immediately the note where I stopped the slide up I pull off to hey semi tone, holton, or third below that. Alternatively, I may play a trill or a pull off hammer on legato phrase and slide up to a higher position, and then hammer on to a note above that, and sometimes it isn't a convenience, or logical move to perform that slide using my index or pinky finger because I may have had a two or three note phrase which leaves me on my middle finger playing a third below the previous note and then sliding up to a higher note which I want to pull off Hammer back on and then hammer on the note above that that.. I also, in playing the progressive metalthat I am commonly playing, although I play blues and rock and jazz as well, and On guitar I also play a fair amount of classical, in addition to the musical genres I also play on bass. In certain parts of certain songs, whatever it is, I want to be able to be playing a much more staccato style, using much more punchy notes where every note has an abrupt attack and fairly abrupt decay, because it just fits the music, and appeals to my picky finicky ear, and playing a slide on every phrase, or on every string at every fourth note in the phrasing, just does not fit the music I'm playing, at all. It actually stands out and in that case does not add the style or flair or tasteful something that you're referring to, it kind of stands out in the middle of staccato phrasing and sounds kind of sloppy. Is there anything that would be sound technique to be able to make those moves maintaining a staccato "pronunciation," of those notes, of those position shifts? Sounds like a lesson or two or three, if you think of all the applications and variations on playing these things. Here's a different situation, though it is similar. I'll play an ascending phrase and end that phrase by pulling off, or hammering on to my third finger or middle finger, or just playing the notes individually but ending up not on my middle finger or third finger, not my pinky or index finger,, and then slide that note up (often I am making a slide of several frets) and then I will pull that note off to the next note lower and proceeded to play an arpeggiation or several intervals descending, and then ascend back up using arpeggiation, intervals and linear phrasing, and may play a similar thing where I am ending up on mymiddle finger or third finger and will slide up or down, and then begin that phrase by pulling off ...

[@rationalmuscle]

Best bass teacher ever. Thanks Scott!

[@477bus]

Life must be so much easier when you can place the tips of 4 fingers on 4 separate frets. My pinky has to move up and down to play an octave. Perhaps I can find gloves with fingertip extensions? I'll check Tony Levin's website.

[@iqi616]

Rather than stretching your hand, move it. Check out some of the videos by female bassists, some of them have tiny hands. Having big hands myself I've had to train myself out of a bad habit of locking my left hand into rigid shapes.

[@jyutzler]

Not four separate frets. Four separate strings. My pinky is way too short to reach all the way across the fretboard. I have to three-finger almost everything.

[@Jin-Hu]

Look at you at your fancy new bass, fancy pants!

[@lucasguida43]

you da man!

[@paulasturi4199]

Hmm... looks pretty shifty to me.😥 Good, useful lesson. Thanks, Scott!

[@nigelbass]

i joined SBL because i love how Scott teaches. but there hasnt been a 'just' Scott course in years! when are you going to come up with another course that YOU teach?! i love all the guests but your teaching brought me there. it bugs me that you only post your lesson on KZbin or on a second paywall site when im already subsribed to your flagship website

[@victorcurtis6400]

As a former member I would second this. All the second pay walls are the reason I left.

[@km1842]

Scott's a decent teacher but not a great player. Has to use hype to keep people subscribing. Nothing new in lessons on SBL in past year. Memberships to those same old lessons are a ripoff.

[@ralfspitaler8921]

🙏🏼 thx 😊

[@raulomarcarrasco]

¡¡ Te gustó el Ken Smith !!

[@zacharycanto9106]

quick question, does anyone know what type of effect Scott is using for his bass I really love that sound effect, Thanks!!!

[@jamesstephenson6621]

He’s added a tiny amount of delay, that repeats at around a 16th note and feedback set to die out after a couple of repeats...any cheap old delay will get you there. Behringer rip off all the best brands and are great bang for buck or buy a Boss and it will last a lifetime...Buy it off eBay 2nd hand and if you don’t get on with it you can sell it on 👍🏼

[@zacharycanto9106]

@@jamesstephenson6621 Great!!! Thanks for the products

[@Jozz_Music]

Is it just me, or does the downward traversal (at 5:21-ish) start on the 14th fret and the first four notes are 14-12-11 (shift) 9, instead of 12-11(shift) 9, 12 (D string as shown in the tab) etc.? Asking for a friend ...

[@avikmicro]

awesome

[@sm26801]

I learned that i should only shith with finger 1, in both directions! I thought that was Jacos way!

[@jeremiahmbuyambadinanga7947]

That was great

[@sesclaytpoop8525]

I never thought about that but I do use this technique But when I move to high notes sometimes I shift my ring finger too It depends from the lick I choose to play Interesting video, thank you Sorry for my english

[@297229]

this is extreme legato

[@stevencorley3296]

and the glove helps a lot