Victor Wooten on Developing Your Musicianship

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With over three decades of work as the founding bassist for Béla Fleck and the Flecktones and countless hours of studio recordings under his belt, Victor Wooten - unarguably one of today‘s most acclaimed and accoladed bassists - has spent a lot of time thinking about his craft and the philosophies behind his approach to music. Sweetwater‘s Mitch Gallagher joins Victor for a deep discussion about finding your voice as a musician, never losing sight of who you are when the instrument goes in the case, and always asking why when understanding your motivation to play and write.
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0:00 - Intro
0:41 - What Has Victor Wooten Been Up To Recently?
2:32 - The Spirit of Music
3:42 - Music Comes First, Then Theory
5:13 - How Do You Flip Your Musical Orientation?
7:23 - What Does it Mean to Be "Good"
8:57 - Practice Less, Play More
11:24 - Improvising in Context
13:00 - What Does Victor Wooten Listen For?
15:39 - How Do You Develop Your Sense of Groove?
19:19 - Adapting to Different Musical Scenarios
21:17 - What do You Look For in a Musician?
24:05 - Knowing When to Play the Foundation or the Spotlight
25:37 - Playing Hartke Gear
27:17 - Playing Fodera Basses
29:24 - Heavy vs Light Strings
30:58 - What Makes a Great Musician?
32:25 - Wrapping Up
32:56 - Thanks for Watching!
#Sweetwater #VictorWooten #BassGuitar

[@sweetwater]

Play more, listen more, and never stop learning. If you enjoyed this interview with Victor Wooten make sure you like, comment, and subscribe!

[@josealfredfernandes]

Hey, need more of these vids. Loved it.

[@metothemoon1227]

@Sweetwater Please yes this man is a man of god , beautiful speeches , and the interviewer is very cool too . What a beautiful moment . I can feel a great positives vibes between Victor and This interviewer.

[@Pensivata]

The groove thing "last time he was here" (Sweetwater?) - any chance there's a link to that lesson - sounds fantastic, just what I need..

[@gregoryarrington5948]

Excellent segment guys learned a lot especially about the studio setup heavy gauge high action light gauge live stage action the experience studio the music recording is forever also the concept of likability much respect to you guys back to the study OG arrington

[@andrewgibb2663]

@@Pensivata Yes! @sweetwater please! I'd love to hear what you were talking about.

[@Mathisdebeaumont]

every time I click on a video that has Victor Wooten in it hoping to learn some music tips, I also end up learning life lessons from the man. Great video. Cheers Sweetwater and Victor✌️

[@DaheBajoBass]

X2

[@FabioRaitz]

We expect to learn some music and end up learning so much about life. Victor is a gem!

[@roger_001]

So true!!!

[@jaydgreen1]

Vic and Marcus Miller, you click for the tips about making music but get so much more. Amazing people.

[@bryanbrett8943]

Indeed

[@VexylObby]

Every musician should at least see interviews with the Wootens. They are very important for the art. Thanks, Victor. For making the art more philosophical. 🙏

[@daniellee9196]

Agreed agreed agreed

[@wesleyjackson3742]

Amen

[@basedguitarist731]

Victor completely changed my life. I'm in the process of learning guitar as a language. I'm not learning any songs or following any techniques. It has been extremely fulfilling.

[@Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee1]

Yeah. Songs and technique is super overrated.

[@BeatsAndGuitars]

His abstract approach to making music is incredibly inspiring.

[@percyvolnar8010]

If you 'Understand it' enough to be "inspired" by it, then it is no longer "Abstract".

[@albaal7035]

@@percyvolnar8010 that's not really what abstract means.

[@n3rfdr4gon99]

Music itself is abstract, it's just been widely pushed for centuries that learning it needs to be like sitting through calculus. The first music wasn't written down, it was passed down through generations as a means of expression; i.e. joy, sorrow, war, etc. Victor isn't doing anything abstract, he's bringing music back to the roots.

[@joshellyson]

Every time i hear Mr Victor speak, he reaches deep into the real meaning of music. And every time i am inspired to keep on playing even though i am clearly one of those "lesser musicians". Thanks for the richness AND depth of yourself you share.

[@joepietrzyk7881]

One of the best conversations on music I've ever heard personally.

[@icezydrift]

True, so uplifting

[@gabegmusic8156]

This dude is a gift to humanity and musicians.

[@metothemoon1227]

I feel a big connection between Victor and the interviewer :) A nice positive vibes. Two beautiful humans :)

[@Bangsey1]

What a fantastic interview. Not only is Vicor a magnificent guy and musician, Mitch gave him plenty of room to speak and answer the questions fully.

[@tonyanderson5905]

Such a Great Person! Victor has a gift of simplying the components of music as they relate to life!! This is something that anyone serious about being a better musician shhould look into! Thank you Victor !!!!

[@peteytwofinger]

such a great guy - wonderfully wise and kind human being . we saw one of his bass clinic and he mostley spoke about JUST being a good person . he wasnt going on about scales , harmonics , popping or slaping . it was really great and also a message that we all can benifit from . really admire him . my wife won the first prize raffle at the clinic . i over heard some cats remarking how "she signed up for me" but she plays bass ... she is still using the strings and practice amp she won. i remember there was one guy who sat near us who had brought his bass . he started jamming along with VW druing the performance . how rude ! One of the sam ash guys came over pointed his index finger , leaned in and gave him the scaryest "STOP that" i ever saw . Thanks you VW for a super great day .

[@ronwood7029]

This man is so refreshing to listen to ,and he is wise beyond words in music

[@stanlawson3472]

I love to listen to VW talk. Profound and wise. His message is consistent every time you listen to him.

[@jjones7837]

Vic is so much more than a Musician. He's a genuine Human Being helping the world. Bless you bro.

[@genekelly3961]

I love his explanations of making music as it relates to spoken language.

[@ftomasi]

Love that man! every time i hear him talk, i want to hug him.

[@samuelphillian1286]

I’m just a truck driver but I felt that too when he said it was the first time in her life he’d been home for more than 30 days in one stretch

[@Burnt_Gerbil]

When Victor speaks about music… you listen. 🥺

[@tjordulf]

His deeply philosophical understanding of music is inspiring, he and Geddy Lee are similar in that way. He explains it in a way that cuts through technical nonsense and gets to the root of music. It's this understanding that will ALWAYS differentiate us from Ai.

[@johngriffon2118]

Victor has probably been one of the biggest influences on my musical philosophy. I started guitar late at almost 30 and had completely fallen into that adult trap of right and wrong. I saw a video from him about the chromatic scale and how there aren't any wrong notes, just notes that need to be used in certain ways. That bled into my whole outlook on the guitar and music theory in general. Every note can be used if it's in the right context.

[@romeoraymond1754]

You are so an inspiration to any bass player that want to learn …you gave me a reason to keep going …your wisdom is so special ..so much good real life info .love you Victor

[@earledaniels4539]

Victor is not only an incredible musician but a philosopher and one helluva nice guy. Such an inspiration.

[@riccardoboom3618]

Victor has a very unique personality, the way he speaks, simple and clear while going so deep on meanings, is just wonderful, every person can learn a lot from him, not only musicians, thank you very much for everything, you are a great inspiration 👏

[@jabbawakka7286]

The more I hear Victor talk, and play, the deeper my respect grows for him....he has always been one of my favorite bass players, but his outlook on music, and life is so uniquely him, that it's always fresh, and absolutely inspiring.....Thank you Victor, from a grateful, eternal student of all things guitar. I pray God bless and protect you and your family abundantly 😎👏👏🙏🙏🇳🇿🙏👌👈🏼

[@BasstabsbyJason]

Thank you Sweetwater for all of these amazing video segments with Victor!

[@VynxeVainglory]

What i love about his philosophy is that it not only sounds good / makes sense, but its coming from one of the best technicians on his instrument. And his advice has very little to do with techniques. Very interesting.

[@bobasquid3339]

Wooten is what the world needs right now.

[@DrummerAndyTaiwan]

Not too familiar with Victor cause I’m a drummer but just a few minutes into this conversation I already respect him so much and I can’t help but agree on everything he said, what a legend! Thx for this I really enjoyed it! How can someone thumbs down this?

[@wjamyers]

I love listening to VW's perspective on music, it's so liberating.

[@MrGunwitch]

The best music teacher I've ever seen...a guru of music and life.

[@soundsokok]

what a guy. pleasure to hear from him

[@Hikaru109Ichijyo]

what makes a great musician . . . victor wooten . . ."honesty" . . . a great answer . . . explains why i like certain tunes and don't . . . wow victor is like a jedi master of bass man, leaning is fun with him thanks for this interview

[@bassinyoface64]

Such a good man. I am glad to have lived in this time.

[@TheSeeking2know]

Perfect analogy for space in music, "a sports player who doesn't have the ball is still playing." Makes so much sense!

[@metothemoon1227]

Victor have a beautiful vision. As an autistic Asperger/Bipolar I learn a lot with Victor

[@ariesram74]

VW really is like a Zen Buddhist Jedi master of music. I have never heard anyone talk about music the way he does.

[@StopPanakinAnakin]

Victor is a staple in bass guitar, music and teaching. It's incredible how much you can learn every time he talks.

[@MrEnterbox]

one of the wisest musicians ever, i truly admire Victor wooten.

[@craigghelfi3796]

OUTSTANDING. Love Victor Wooten! Good interview.

[@GregRband]

Love Wooten live, in video, in person, in book, etc. also been a fan of Mitch for many years now. Great to catch this video conversation

[@kirkmulder1599]

Brilliant, wise and humble soul. Deep. Thank you 🙏🏽

[@nickclicks1242]

Man... Victor W. is my real life hero. He's down to earth and being a musician myself, I learn and relate to this guy. Kudos to him for really teaching and mentoring a lot of musicians via youtube and also his private camps. I've seen some glimpse of his camps and if I'm on that level (which I'm not yet), I'd love to attend one.

[@tofunmibabalola6675]

This man is my favorite bassist. I love you sir Victor. You are my mentor sir.

[@adikickass84]

@20: 50 "Playing space". Wow. Never heard someone put it in those terms. How incredibly profound..

[@suetruett3812]

I never feel like I should lessen my practice sessions. I am eager to learn all I can. This video will be so cool to watch. I will never stop learning.

[@tcmuze1835]

Great Interview!! Victor Wooten always has a knack for profound yet easily relatable. Thanks @sweetwater.

[@flynbil]

Victor! What a musical mind...

[@derickdoveglass]

What a kind soul

[@gregoryelliott8521]

Thanks for the interview! Awesome...

[@RabidHobbit]

Thank you very much for this interview!

[@DikiBolz]

Mr Wooten has an incredible amount of perception for using the metaphores that he throws at us!

[@jameschandler_]

Thank you for making these videos and for asking such great questions

[@jonathangriesy4652]

So grateful for these videos! Thanks to Mitch and Sweetwater!! I met Victor at a clinic at GC in Roseville (Minneapolis) and he was such a humble and laid back gentleman. Aside from immerse myself in his music I love to hear him speak on learning an instrument.

[@DanielMartinez-nz1jr]

So much wisdom, thank you!

[@starligthstarligth9203]

Legend and super wise humble down to earth guy 🤘🏻

[@MrJdsenior]

Real talk, down to Earth, by a master of his craft who is humble. Great ideas, too. What is not to like?

[@stephenalcaide1778]

This is totally required watching. Awesome!!!

[@DaheBajoBass]

16:07 - Victor is learning spanish 😎 Great news for all his spanish-speaking followers.

[@cchavez248]

Man, that was a good 'un, a cake can't be all icing! Great interview, thank you!!!!

[@J.C...]

Interesting. When I pulled my dad's album collection out of storage and went through it, I found all of the greats. The Allman Brothers Band, Pink Floyd, The Band, The Beatles, etc... And there was 1 I didn't recognize: Chick Correa. Looks like Dad really has great taste in music! I had no clue who Chick was when I found that album that day. Oddly enough, I don't remember ever seeing it back in the day, either. That would've been the 80s & 90s. I guess he just never put it on the turntable. I also found his original, first pressing of The Allman Brothers Band 'At Fillmore East' with the pink label. I couldn't believe what I was holding in my hands when I found it! 🙏❤️🎸

[@bubblehouse544]

Dad was definitely a music lover and sometimes there are also private collections that they know aren't for everyone. I got to see Chick Corea later in life and it was another level. Not for everyone but definitely a musician's musician.

[@remley8877]

The best musician I ever met was Ed Logan, a former member of The Memphis Horns. He was in a band with my dad and he'd played on so many awesome soul albums and was on Elvis's last Hawii tour and attended his funeral. He told me the best advice anyone could give. "Music is a way of directly converting an emotion to an audience. Love, loss and reconciliation is the most powerful series if emotions to lead them through, and ALWAYS pick one woman in the audience, and play just to her. ". That changed my entire outlook on music and my approach as well as helped me overcome stage fright.

[@martinmichaels234]

the man is a Sage... mind blown every time I listen to him

[@KKMDStyle]

Victor Wooten is one of the coolest guys n the business. I met him at Paisley Park in 2001, the guy is a natural teacher.

[@PhilRounds]

Great interview...always great to hear and hear from Victor!

[@gabrielmartey9688]

God bless you sir Victor

[@markr.9626]

Love his book "The Music Lesson" great role model

[@animalsoverpeople_]

Wooten and Santana just have such great knowledge and a deep understanding of the connection between music and life. I aspire to have this level of understanding and awareness someday. Great interview!

[@jackmerucci2398]

Victor describing refueling and recharging by taking a break from music is exactly how I attack it. Spooky to hear it straight from the man 😮

[@gastonsitio]

absolute class for every aspect of life

[@dalejones9404]

Calm articulate and inspiring, thank you mr. Wooten 🙏🙏 such wise insights

[@elihyland4781]

I love everything about Victor

[@gregkunkel8704]

For the metal maniacs, Victor bass-ed one of the greatest albums ever, More Machine than Man. Theres a wild solo on AVTD. Can I say that here🤣👍Thanks

[@michaelanderson4265]

Great interview..!!! 💯 My friend Vic

[@Losbass]

Such a gifted player , well spoken , and very grounded! When Vic speaks I listen , because the words he speaks are truly genuine and wise. Thank you for this interview, loved every minute of it! Keep on grooving and most importantly just have Fun!

[@daveyJ213]

Thanks Sweetwater for a truly inspirational interview. Not only is Victor an awesome instrumentalist, but he seems like he is a fantastic human being. We could hang out on the spot, and really enjoy the company of one another. I think the magic of Victor is that now, at this point in time, the bass is just a physical part of himself. He controls that base like he controls his fingers when he is making a fist, or his tongue when he's eating or speaking. No thinking is needed. It's just, "What do I want to say - then say it." So cool. Thanks for posting.

[@denissullivan2360]

I'm just discovering Victor Wooten fairly late in my musical journey - fortunately, just in time!

[@SereneWaves1111]

Victor is such a great human and musician

[@wpecor99]

I am 36, two kids and have been attempting to teach myself music theory/guitar for the last three years. I find myself gravitating to anything Victor Wooten is in because he has a way of making me feel excited about making music! His general passion for music has been a huge motivator in picking up the guitar every day, even on bad days. He really focuses on the individuality and voice of your music and some-days I feel like im 12 years old in my bedroom learning about a whole new universe. I pray I can have even a fraction of this musical inspiration on my kids as they get older :).

[@Clown321321]

Thank you so much for this great video!

[@ChristopherOrth]

Victor is one of the most important voices of our time.

[@pilgrim9392]

Wow, this was hands down the best musician interview I have ever heard...I just discovered Victor Wooten today I am ashamed to say as I am 65 years old and have been a guitarist for 52 of them years...Victor is so in touch with what is the real meaning of why we love music... A few years ago when a friend gave me a Hendrix CD that I left laying in my car's glove box for months. I was so into the shred guitar scene and thought that a guitarist from the 60's couldn't possibly be worth listening to, yes I knew that he was supposed to be the greatest rock guitarist ever but I had never seriously listened to him... One day being bored sitting in my car waiting for my wife to finish her shopping I put the CD on and to make a long story short I was captured as Victor puts it by this guitarist's ability to not just amaze me with beautiful sounds but speak to me musically like no other musician ever had before...I was dumbfounded as his technical abilities were not like today's guitarist, at least not on the surface, but his way of playing touched my heart like no other guitarist ever had before...After hearing, Victor's simple but profound explanation of being able to speak musically to people was more powerful than technique, because it is more natural it now makes perfect sense...Instinctively I was beginning to think this, but Victor's way of saying it made it very real and personal...Thanks, Victor I am so glad I discovered you and I will buy both of your books and be looking for your music...Thanks to you too Mitch for the way you thoughtfully conducted this interview.!!!

[@maxxhenry]

Playing as opposed to practicing is the most true and effective method. So true.

[@gvbjr.6693]

THANKS VICTOR!!!

[@43loudman]

Watching this video interview for the last 9 times, it becomes evident just how humble and kind Victor is, This man is a fine example of a professional musician, adapting his skills and abilities, also sharing the necessary education, and the realization, he conveys on how to get along and adapt to be able to enjoy others, no ego, no BS , just the pleasure of being in the musical mix, .. THIS is TRULY a LIFE LESSON, THANK you Victor Wooten, just my HO, but this video should be required learning in music schools,..Again, thanks to sweetwater for the great learning videos,..........

[@user-Throbzilla]

This was awesome!

[@joemisek]

Victor is Bass Yoda.

[@terrymiller111]

Exactly. You nailed it.

[@pabloferrer1839]

INDEED.

[@JodyB5-String]

Thanks Vic! (I appreciate you)!

[@43loudman]

This is by far one of the very best interviews i have seen from sweetwater, Victor Wooten is my idol, and this company is A-1 the best, staff is excellent and so very knowledgeable, prices are great, shipping is super fast, and it is videos like this that we all get to learn so much from the very very best in this business,....

[@ariesram74]

He is totally right about getting along with musicians! Plenty of bands stay together and hate one another.

[@arepas2012]

This is great, more interviews please.

[@image30p]

I love this interview. Support is so important. I do it with rhythm and bass. I still love to hear technical bass too. I'm going to play some more now

[@FlowieFX]

Wow, Victor Wooten is so relaxing & inspiring to listen to!

[@icecold337]

Victor Wooten is my spirit animal

[@Azajndo]

Victor Wooten is not only one of the best bass players on Earth. Also he is the greatest musical guru, every video is a joy to watch. I don't know this message will reach Mr Wooten, but if it will: Thanks for everything.

[@khalaziafaqih367]

So inspiring !!!

[@Jvaldes609]

Amazing video. Thanks. Sweetwater.

[@guitarcoder]

The wisdom here is inspiring

[@PhiladelphiaDon]

Mad 💜 n Respect 4 Victor Wooten! #Fedora4TheWin💫 Shalom

[@MartinLohmueller]

Victor is the Dalai Lama of music. His expressions are so spiritful and clear.