"What is Hip" - Tower of Power - Bass Line Analysis /// Scott's Bass Lessons

► Download the FREE workbook with TAB/Notation here: learn.scottsbasslessons.com/l...
"What is Hip" has got to be one of the coolest 16th note funk grooves ever written...
It was originally played by, the one of the original godfathers of funk, Rocco Prestia of the amazing band Tower of Power.
There's so much to be learned from mastering this riff...
- 16th note funk technique
- Plucking hand consistency and articulation
- Plucking hand stamina
- Playing octave patterns within a 16th note groove
- And heaps more...
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[@FranckBassist61]

R.I.P Mister Fingerstyle Funk Francis Rocco Prestia...you will be missed but not forgotten!

[@CapeFearConstrictors910]

Amen brother!

[@allen6924]

Jaw on the floor lesson Rocco is a genius. His technique is flawless and his groove impeccable.

[@devinebass]

👊🏻🔥🤘🏻

[@Gruuvin1]

I'm a drummer that plays a bit of bass. I'm lovin this bass lesson. The strictness of keeping consistent the index finger on all downbeats cannot be stressed enough, because the same goes for drums. You never want to get your hands turned around, and on the bass you never want to get your fingers turned around. And if you can build that muscle memory to always play your downbeats on the index finger, and play those sixteenths like playing drums, you're gonna become a monster on the bass! Props to Scott for really really great KZbin content.

[@echalko]

I don't even play bass, but love these videos because it helps me appreciate just how important and challenging bass can be. Groove on, TOP!

[@101AOK]

Stop and we'll hurt cha bad.

[@GregF71]

""I recently saw Francis "Rocco" Prestia with Tower Of Power in London and that was the closest i've come to being a punter again. He was absolutely marvelous; I've never heard or felt a groove stronger than his " Pino Palladino in March '92 Bass Player interview

[@GregF71]

actually i read that in Chris Jisi's Brave New Bass (interviews & lessons w/the innovators,trendsetters and visionaries) highly recomended bass book ;)

[@Sammy-nw3zk]

Greg F i

[@mastertemple8369]

Check out Mars Cowling's work with Pat Travers....especially Hooked on music live!

[@insomniagfx]

Punter?

[@Live4NowOK]

​@@insomniagfx Punter means a Fan

[@jasonbannan4024]

How Rocco did it is amazing. He couldn't read music and came up with iconic Funk lines, all the while staying so tight in the pocket with David Garinaldi. Not to mention, as he admits, that he was often drugged out of his mind. He was incredible!

[@noprocrastination]

ROCCO is one of the FUNKIEST Bass Players EVER...PERIOD!!!

[@devinebass]

🕺🕺🕺

[@just4stringsnme]

For what it's worth, coming from a percussion background, I try to think of my fingers as sticks in terms of R and L (drum music sometimes has sticking written in for tricky parts). So when you play this tune, in consideration of the 16th notes, you always have to hit the "ones" and "ands" with your index finger, and the "e's" and "uh's" with your middle finger. Then when the octave things come up, it'll be much easier and much more comfortable. Hope that's helpful!

[@qcichosz]

I come to this channel to learn a song as a reward for drilling scales and my favorite song was just posted. Scott, you are truly the man

[@malesmandi]

First time I knew Rocco, I was not amazed. Until I tried one of his bass line and failed big time. Thats the time my jaw was on the floor. Rocco is the man

[@pneumatic00]

I played with Rocco a fair amount 40 years ago in the late 70's; I played guitar but was always trying to learn about bass. He was one of those guys who you really could not imagine how he was playing what he played, and it was of course no effort for him. Like Vic Wooten. Not that Roccos' notes were that difficult, but that he could keep up that pace of relentless 16th notes was just amazing. And you really did not hear any accent on beat 1.

[@moshibass]

Great video! As someone who has always been taught to "rake" (use the same finger rather than alternate) when descending strings, this bass line is flipping my world upside down. I never felt like I could quite get it tight enough and recently started watching some videos of Rocco literally frame by frame at some parts. I was shocked to see him alternate fingers practically no matter what, even when descending strings.

[@drbassface]

Nice feel and muting Scott! I got to play What is Hip with Tower’s original What is Hip guitarist, Bruce Conte, in Danta Fe the band…Vegas Days. Bruce mentioned Rocco’s Muting….but he or no one else ever showed or explained it…. So happy to meet Rocco and see his instructional video explaining his left hand muting. On that video you’ll see his higher action too. He played my bass sitting in once and said he wished my action was higher. I said these strings has been soaked in alcohol and had lost some tension, so they were lower than usual. The next day he gave me a brand new set of Blue Steels Bass Strings. Cool guy.

[@yonickus]

Bravo, someone who actually got it right! I agree with Scott, the pumping may be a little over the top, Rocco actually plays it pretty straight. But I would advise people to learn it your way because with most drummers you're going to need it! Also, anyone who aspires to learn some of Jaco Pastorius' stuff should take the time to learn this because as Jaco once told me, Rocco was a big influence on him. Great lesson Scott!!!

[@desertsandcastles]

Absolutely the best bass line ever and period.

[@user-tr6mh5sv8w]

I recently got into Vulfpeck and was amazed by Joe Dart. When I saw that he listed Rocco Prestia as a big influence, I had to put on my Tower of Power records for a spin and rediscover how iconic Rocco Prestia was. This inspired me to relearn What is Hip and this video is just the right thing at the right time. Thank you so much for this, Scott. I have been following you for years and your videos are always full of knowledge and inspiration. For many more years!

[@outer4560]

No way hahah, I'm learning this in preparation for the string skipping that throws me off in dean town

[@danadane2501]

Been playing a little under 2 years and this video helped immensely. It's gonna take a fare amount of time to get this entire bass line under my fingers but that's half the fun.

[@nicoisbeta]

the open string finger-switch was a lifesaver, thank you so much

[@davidlopez-white3185]

Thanks for another great lesson Scott! I'm really astounded at what you have produced over the years, and love turning old musician friends as well as students on to your work. Even with my own years of experience studying and teaching music, your lessons have a range of depths that are always engaging. I was a student of Kai Eckhardt's between 2004-6, and still see him around town shopping for veggies from time to time. Also really dug your clips talking about your appreciation for his playing. Cheers!

[@kevinstone9638]

I have always wanted to learn bass and you and Victor Wooten are inspiring me to actually begin learning the bass. I play tenor and baritone saxophone, trombone and euphonium. Love all things bass, never thought I could ever play bass but you guys are showing me that it is possible. Thanks.

[@devinebass]

That's so awesome Kevin! Good luck on your bass journey 👊🏻👊🏻👊🏻

[@donaldbest7621]

God dang I love this bass line, I play it a bit different, but it still got feel!

[@omg_wtf]

I've found you need to stay so relaxed for this, otherwise your forearms just fry. He was a machine...

[@docbob1182]

Just play it once and loop it..."I'm done" lol

[@geeman1293]

@@docbob1182 LOL

[@diegoleyva2726]

Thanks for this glorious lesson Scott, it helped a lot! I'm definitely considering becoming a member of SBL for your beginner guide on Jazz, been playing bass for 5 years now and I feel it's the time to get to know the fret board inside out. Your videos are very explanatory but also feel close and fun, almost allowing me to experience the lesson as if I was in the same room even though a computer screen is separating our realities. I will also say you are as important and influential to me as any of the many bass idols we all know and love. Again thanks for your awesome work!

[@geeman1293]

I couldn’t agree more.

[@knotchbass]

With your help the Rocco Funk is oozing from my hands. Love your channel..........Thanks Bro

[@TheDukeofhazzard86]

I have struggled to nail this riff for months. I could play it in sections but not together. My hand would cramp up or I'd fumble all across the stings me I couldn't figure out why. Until now. Lead with my index finger everything comes together. Thanks Scott!

[@mattwarner2447]

Seemingly unrelated note: That lamp in the glass is real cool.

[@jonletts5635]

Thanks Scott! I've been playing for a long time and this one is a doozy. Great lesson.

[@drumsoup]

Ive been working the drum part with Garibaldi for 50 years..Ibdid a clinic with both Dave and Rocco...it was awesome..so for a drummer, Scott, i really locked into "I-M I-M...patterns with fingers..great lesson Brother!

[@peterknispel4020]

This is fascinating Scott. I just posted my drum cover to this song and I really loved Rocco's bass playing on this as he was really pushing through it all the way to the end. Fantastic. I also play a little Bass to. You played it so well Scott.

[@RemyTrahant]

Great lesson, my guitar teacher suggested this riff to me yesterday and this is very helpful!

[@TheDive25]

Thanks so much Scott. I was trying to learn this from the Finger style funk video but I just couldn't find the pocket. Thanks for slowing it down and helping me find the center of the groove. Now just got to get it up to speed.. Much love!

[@unkletonebeats1956]

aYYY SCOTT, I WENT DOWN A ROCCO AND TOWER OF POWER rabbit hole this weekend. I saw that lightning speed 1977 video of them It was really too fast, but I also saw the same song performed on a different video and it sounded more normal the key with me was listening to the singer on the fast one versus the more normal one. on the fast one almost had a getting to a chipmunk type vibe. That's when I realized the really fast playing one was altered in someway. This however does not change the fact that Rocco was a beast of a player. Interesting side note. Emilio Castillo, the band leader said, that when drummer David Garibaldi came to the band , this is what allowed Rocco to open up in his playing, it freed him up, Emilio says to do bass lines that they had never heard Rocco do before.

[@SamOconnorR]

Dude! Thank you! This channel is amazing. I am not even an academy member yet and my playing has improved insanely after studying your vids.

[@lewisbasham4907]

Sam O'Connor n

[@albertlarroca1271]

Good as always !! Love your clips !!

[@christianjoseph8500]

I remember trying to play this song in my high school jazz band and fucking it up miserably. This song has been the bane of my bass playing existence

[@dul22]

So nice! I've basically learned to play drums on this tune and "To the night club" on my dad's live record of Tower of power 30 years ago :)). Thanks, and oh yeah, you're amazing!

[@robertdowler5073]

That's even tougher on drums,heard the tune in 69.

[@GuitarGuruTeacher]

You're so concise, wish I could have known you 10 years ago...

[@63Baggies]

I love the way this guy plays.

[@pnojazz]

Old school. Now you're talkin' the music I grew up on!

[@NelsonMontana1234]

Good point about the right index leading the jumps to the G string. But the part isn't as accented as Scott is playing here. It's very even -- machine like and steady.

[@Gruuvin1]

True about the original not being as accented.... But, I really like the way Scott plays it!

[@moshibass]

I do think Rocco plays it more evenly. For me, I would probably attempt to play it with less accents if I had a drummer pumping the kick on those beats. Without a drummer, I personally like how it sounds with the accents added.

[@LaTigerGenesis]

rip rocco! btw Scott, my friends and I call things "rude" and it warmed my heart hearing you do it too haha. you can't listen to something like "Bad Reputation" by Thin Lizzy and describe it any other way besides rude. Like, the nerve of something being so cool--just rude :-)

[@billonbass2286]

Great lesson Scotty. Much appreciated.

[@robbieandkimberly]

I couldn't figure out this baseline until now!

[@v33punk]

Great tune and great lesson! Thanx!

[@robertstanderford8438]

Great vid. This is a great groove to exercise with! Muscle memory!

[@Shuzies]

The Best I have even see you Play

[@BassmanTeo]

LOVE ALL OF THIS!!! Thank you 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@boomshakalist]

man thanks so much for this one!

[@brianstahurski3456]

Very helpful! And well analyzed.

[@lieutenant_dan27lt.d45]

The funk is STRONG with this one.

[@GenoKreis]

Scott I am huge fan, you do great work. 2 things I agree with Gary below not so many accents, but a great way to build the foundation. Point 2, I have been lucky enough to hang with Rocco a couple times. Once he played Funkifize in a loud room, unplugged. Just me and him sitting there. I could not believe how hard he played the strings. I've seen him live and watched countless hours of video, but that's the sort of thing you can only experience up close. I played many TOP songs live for years and incorporated this heavy handed approach, it did add to the attack and tone. But wow it's hard. fantastic job!

[@Whiskey10209]

Such a great song.

[@jaredgollnitz1774]

Rocco made it look sooooooooo easy... but that was his mastery.

[@listert]

Took me while to understand the ' use the second finger' bit until I saw it as a drag/sweep to E string. Another great lesson!

[@imayhaveanunbelievablysmal7406]

These vids NEED to come back!!!!

[@whsky101]

Wow, that was great! Thanks.

[@markbass354]

Sounds great Scott.

[@ramen_hair]

Actually had to play this for a school band concert a few months ago

[@fabiosella584]

Esse groove é lendário!!

[@evrydayppl6296]

Looks like you're enjoying yourself. I dig it

[@TheJoeGrosso]

Nailed it dude

[@TheBassplayah]

RIP Franco Rocco Prestia...His bass playing will drive the botttom for eternity...Very sad day for me...Thanks for this Scott

[@TheBassfresh]

great breakdown!

[@BiszBassUrpa]

Our band leader brought into our repertoire A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing, I saw the sheet and thought, bah just eight notes with some sincopations. Hahah, I was never so wrong :D Prestia's grooves are one of the greatest schools for bass for sure. Playing Jaco and other super drilling grooves and I strugled a lot with Tower of Power songs, but they are soo good to play .

[@mikesaganor]

Thank you Scott,there are a few songs that has these Bass lines that I think, will always Blows the head away, What is Hip, Licking Stick by James Brown, Bootsie Collies, on Bass The live versions are the best,

[@thepanchotomasellibassicch3202]

great Job on that explanation...I will tell uncle Rocco about you.

[@robmorton7622]

The bass line for this song was the hardest one I ever learned!

[@sudabadri7051]

great tune thanks

[@kylek851]

Fantastic bass line! Gotta love that bass face. :D

[@donaldbest7621]

You got to show how that to do the bass for the last jam after the v-I half cadence......that is the coolest groove ever!

[@11rfpro]

Great video

[@nelsono4315]

Rocco was the man!

[@DanielRagoo]

this helps a lot! to get the real technique

[@Below-Average_Joe]

Seeing Scott get twisted up a bit teaching "What is Hip" shows just how tricky a line it is. He sailed through "Teen Town" effortlessly in comparison.

[@williamweiss6128]

Rocco!!!!

[@nenoilic7762]

Thanks❤

[@9ball07]

I love it when Scott says, 'here's it really slow' and i'm like, ok, but how about really, really, really, slow then.

[@DJV712]

Tokyo Groove Jyoshi did such an amazing rendition of this song

[@stevekirby7333]

Sorry, she doesn't. Whacking sloppy 16ths with the thumb completely misses the point of the part. Listen again as Scott describes the pulse. Rocco "rocks" over the beat with a pulse. Every eighth downbeat is slightly ahead of the beat and every other 16s upbeat rocks back slightly behind the beat. This creates a heartbeat like pulse. This stuff comes from organists like Chester Thompson essentially drumming between their left or right hand and their foot. Listen to Squib Cakes in the organ solo when Rocco lays out. You hear CT doing that same forward/backwards rocking pulse. And there are KZbin's where CT describes doing this. Many people seem to be unable to hear this, they hear it as straight metronomic 16s. Scott tries to simplify it by emphasizing the quarter notes and using the dominant leading finger on them. If you can't hear it, that's okay. Keep listening to old Tower, Sharay Reed and other gospel folks. Eventually you'll realize why your head bobs in the direction it does.

[@flubbah4265]

@@stevekirby7333 yet it sounds better

[@jerryclement5289]

I want that bass!

[@mikeh66]

I've ALWAYS....felt and believed, if you study Classical and or Jazz, you can play and do ANYTHING!!!

[@silviosantapaola2825]

nice sound

[@gordonsumner2085]

This line has been a major pain in my butt for a long time. It plays straight, then BAM!, syncopation curve-ball and jumbled up fingers! Arrggh! Apart from the technical bits, it's also quite tiring. Thanks so much for breaking this down into the separate parts.

[@gordonsumner2085]

I can't wait to get this thing down so I can be super stoked about ruling the groove and gettin my squinty-eyed "stanky-groove-face" on.! Didn't realize about the muting thing.

[@jasonbannan4024]

Scott, I am a newbie still in your beginner sections of the academy. But I love that song and I tried it as you showed Yikes! I find it easier to play it this way: E on the A string using down and up sweep using the index finger only. The higher octave E using a pinky hammer on, and low E using the middle finger. I find it easier to keep that rhythm and emphasis you highlighted, without messing up the finger sequence. Try it for giggles. Lol

[@Satchmoeddie]

My index finger was actually in acute physical pain after a few attempts at playing this song, but I was really digging in deep and hard on that accented note. The bass line makes the whole song. I also play trumpet and guitar, so this is an awesome song for me. The trumpet solo trails off and I come back on another track matching that high trumpet note on guitar and then lead into that solo. Without that bass line it's all meaningless.

[@duncanmathers76]

Great job Scott! Thanks for this. Now everyone go watch Leslie Johnson's cover of the live version and prepare to feel very depressed....

[@paddydaddyo]

03:21 Finger muting technique. With his fretting hand. Not palm muting. That would be with (the palm of) your picking hand.

[@emmaya00]

yeah thanxs

[@feraldrollerypdx]

So many times I've been in a groove trying to figure out where my lead plucker suddenly alternated. Usually I don't have time to worry about it, but other times I've compromised a groove that way, having been distracted by it.

[@slimyelow]

Great advice, keep your hands over, and guide your index finger for good notes.

[@GaryPaulHermus]

If you like "What is Hip" (and I very much do; used to play it in a classic rock band in the 90's on, of all things, a fretless fender), you have to take a few minutes to listen to Jeff Berlin's "Joe Frasier," where the bass line comes at you like a prize fighter doing a speed bag workout. He's cut several versions, but my favorite is still the original, with Bill Bruford on the "Gradually Going Tornado" album.

[@AleksandarStanojkovic]

May I suggest the next bass line Analysis video? :) "Don Blackman - Holding you, loving you" I mean, I know how to play it, its not that hard, but it is one of the most epic bass lines ever, just because of the rhythm and the weird syncopation :) Keep up the good work! Greets from Belgrade

[@danielhawkins4783]

Fender Precision of course!

[@swanofnutella4734]

Rocco doesn't actually pulse on his 16th groups. Listen to the track. He's using dynamics elsewhere, but on those 16th note groups, he's actually very uniform. The pulse is implied by the drummer. also, 19:46 ...thanks, I'm deaf now and will never have to concern myself with music ever again.

[@giovoniegallamore9618]

Played this song at Washougal high school shortly after mic Gillette came to play with our jazz band.

[@andreasfriedli7419]

Good Bass Lines is always been one of the most important element in Music....from Bach till now. So here I find as Arranger some nice Inspirations.

[@robertdowler8105]

"Thumper" was Super .

[@cyril_jq]

the right hand part in the b7 - 6 - b7 part in the riff is also tricky for me. Need to work on it more

[@mattiameis3300]

Rocco Prestia For President!!!! ;)

[@Greyareas27]

Rocco's great, I got no problem with that. ..But at this point, I'll take ANYBODY other than the current one.

[@omg_wtf]

Original is played 102bpm in case anyone was wondering how fast you need to get with the metronome :)

[@victorrattlehead2887]

Duuuuude thank you so much