Go to our sponsor betterhelp.com/robscallon for 10% off your first month of therapy with BetterHelp and get matched with a therapist who will listen and help.
A short rant about one of the greatest instruments ever.
Gotta respect the bass.
Guest stars:
Yvette Young
/ yvetteyoung
Covet
covettheband.com/
/ covetband
Davie504
/ @davie504
Daniella Salgado on rollerblades
/ salgado2237
Videos & songs featured:
"How to Slap the Bass (in 30 minutes)": • How to Slap the Bass (...
"Killer Slap Bass" by Larry Graham: • Covet - "shibuya" (ft....
"Keys to the Lamborghini": Coming soon
"Otamatone Metal": • Otamatone Metal
"Shovel Metal": • Shovel Metal
"Sitar Metal": • Sitar Metal
"Dreamers We Never Learn" by Sitar Metal: • SITAR METAL • Dreamers...
"The Heaviest Banjo of the Universe (ft. Leo Moracchioli)": • Gojira - The Heaviest ...
"The Heaviest Matter Of The Universe" Drum Cover by KRIMH: • KRIMH - Gojira - The H...
"Church of Deviance" Banjo Cover: • Spawn of Possession - ...
"The Trooper" Banjo Cover: • Iron Maiden - The Troo...
"It's Halloween" by First of October: • ALBUM IN A DAY 2022! (...
"MudHook (ft. Nick Pierce)": • MudHook (ft. Nick Pierce)
"Every Instrument Song": • Every Instrument Song
"Shibuya" by Covet: • Covet - "shibuya" (ft....
"Lovespell" by Covet: • covet - lovespell (off...
My guitar courses are available within the Guitareo membership :)
www.guitareo.com
Also, my beginner course, GuitarQuest, is still available on its own too
www.guitareo.com/guitar-quest
The gear that I use: imp.i114863.net/yRLxmG
Win $1000s in FREE Gear at Sweetwater: imp.i114863.net/7mxBM5
Sweetwater’s deals page: imp.i114863.net/qnNGyg
The channel is supported in part by Sweetwater’s affiliate program. Thanks for that!
Commentary, song stems, and early access to videos when you super-subscribe on Patreon: / robscallon
Skating footage shot by Yandriel Silverio: / angstyteencrying
Video shot & edited by Jake Jarvi: / @jakejarvi
This video was made possible because of Patreon support from Rob Harper, Hypergnome, Fabio, rd1994, Isaac Briefer, Kevin Harris, JAMIyin Y, shasta, June, and many other awesome people on my Patreon page: / robscallon
Big videos go on this channel. Everything and anything else is on the 2nd: / robscallon2
Also...
Vinyls/Merch: store.dftba.com/collections/ro...
Instagram: / robscallon
TikTok: / robscallon
Facebook:
Twitter: tinyurl.com/twitter78
bass
I can't believe no one has seen this comment
Davie wassup
Guys I think this guy likes bass
Bass
Ain't no way
Rob is literally just the best dude. It was so sick hearing the stripped down tracks from all these classic videos.
@@syalda0001 how exactly do you figure? tinyurl.com/davie504ytstats
@@syalda0001 what are you on about
@@themoderatecuber8040i think he means "thicc"
Davie504 has entered the chat
Without headphones
your vids are amazing
FINALLY as a bassist, its really nice to see a big musician with a lot of influence talk about the importance of our instrument, and how its not just "boring" and "one note at a constant rate for the whole song" Thanks Rob!
Agreed
Yes indeed! My biggest inspirations are Michael Anthony of Van Halen, Les Claypool of Primus, Doug Pinnick of King's X, and most of all Muzz Skillings of Living Colour (seriously consider listening to his playing style and fills in any of the songs from the "Time's Up" album- absolute legend!) Doug Wimbish is cool too :)
Okay yeah but one note sometimes sounds great on bass based on the rhythm
@@sypwer true. There have been times where I've tried to add more to the rhythms I "felt" in a song like The Stroke by Billy Squier and it felt off. Other songs I've either tried to improvise or play along with using tabs have kind of helped make sense of why the bass is written the way it is. Still, doesn't hurt to experiment some :)
As I've learned more about the function and role of bass, I've been gradually switching from guitar to bass. Regardless of whether the average listener picks up on it, laying down the foundation of a killer groove is one of the most musically satisfying things.
This is Rob's latest attempt at softly making other guitarists learn music theory without telling them directly. And I'm all for it!
what music theory is here? from what I understood he is talking about the bass' place in the sonically...
@@ShadowD2C That's literally music theory.
@@cormacsmall9442 no music theory is Harmony, Melody and Rhythm. Ie the music itself. this is maybe production theory or sound engineer theory...
sound theory is a completely separate thing from music theory. music theory is what is being played, sound theory is how it’s heard
@@ShadowD2C That is one theory of music, yes, but it's far from the only one. I would argue that it is perhaps not the most appropriate one to use with regards to Rock and Metal, although I don't have a better one currently. Sincerely, a musicology student.
As a bass abuser I highly appreciate this video. Bass is amazing, electric, acoustic, synth or 808s. It saved many of my bad harmonies as a novice producer and made them have meaning
Midi? Get a bass!
agree! Bass is so good for disco also lol!
@@RyanStonedonCanadianGaming got one a week ago
@@syalda0001 bro on that zaza fr
@@RyanStonedonCanadianGaming both synth bass and a bass guitar can work together in a track well. respect synths too lol
Yvette is so cool, Covet has such a great sound
check out elephant gym too!
I love Yvette and Covet so much. I can never gush about it enough.
I just want to compliment the editor for this video especially on this part 11:15. Who ever did this clearly put a lot of effort into making both the music as well as the conversation as audible as possible. To have a full track playing this loud and clear while also having a conversation with half of it coming over phone is insane. Great job who ever did this.
not to disagree with you, but it's also just sonically a workable puzzle of frequency ranges. the conversation is essentially like vocals over a three piece band (and not to mention mostly clean guitar tones). and of course vocals fit well over metal instrumentation, or it wouldn't work as well as it does. not to invalidate your compliment because it was edited very well, just saying.
And this is the same audio engineer who made the disaster at 2:07. That speaker-destroying complete lack of audio normalization was poorly thought out--at best. I had to spend a significant chunk of this video turning my speakers down when the music came in, then back up when Rob started talking. This is not an indicator of good audio mixing.
@@kevinvotaw2916 also yvette's voice having the 'telephone effect' ie lows and highs cut out with mids boosted helps as that eq can cut through any mix.
@@shadowboy813 I think you just need better speakers or at least better equalization.
@@TRhys07 This is literally the ONLY video I've ever needed to do this. Including Rob's other videos.
I've never heard the Metallica bass line. Even in Burtons albums. But when I started to play bass I discovered, that it is huge. Bass is the bassment of music.
I'm still looking for it on And Justice For All.
@@lonerjuan The Bass Channel has a video where they cover the entirety of And Justice For All with the original sound and added bass. Anyone who thinks bass isn't important just needs to watch that.
@@AstromarineCorpse Awesome! I'll check it out. Oddly enough, I heard Kirk Hammett himself doubling down on that mix a couple years ago. Maybe someone should show him the video, or "And Justice For Jason". Thanks for the tip.
@@lonerjuan The AJFA album sounds so much heavier with the audible bass tracks.
Drums are the pace. Bass is the soul. Guitar is the emotion. Vox are the story.
No, drums are just loud... love them
@Aziz Azif 💀what
And Ringo was the drummer
I'm writing this down, making a note, so I don't forget. Perfect! Thanks!
i would argue that vox can be story soul and a LOT of emotion all at the same time
Drums are the spine, sending out the signals to the rest of the musical body, dictating how fast or slow the song will move. The guitars are the guiding hands, directing the listeners down the path. The vocals are the face of the musical body, giving listeners something to focus on. The bass is the legs, carrying the core of the entire song, walking the path, weaving around the twists, turns, and obstacles in the path.
Well, said.
I like the legs (im a drummer)
Love your metaphors. Keep it up. ✌️😎👍🎸
The keyboard is a really cool hat with a propeller and flashing lights on it (I'm a keyboardist)
@@Ragnarockalypse and the cowbell is a massive, thick, 8 inch... my lawyer has advised me not to continue.
Davie504 would be damn proud 😂❤ Edit: HOLY COW HE SCARED ME HE’S IN THERE
Davie and his repetitive humor has been a plague on the bass world.
@@ileutur6863 lol, calm down.
@@UncleRots Oh, so many things.
@@hedlund its kinda hard to ignore when you see his dumb jokes repeated everywhere constantly. And people started taking his pick joke seriously too
Whole vid I'm like "Man I just know Davie's gonna have something to say" and damn i wasn't disappointed! As a bassist, thanks for the love Rob
I never knew Rob was such a bass player, love the cameo at the end 🤣
Geddy Lee, Paul McCartney, John Myung, Cliff Burton and so many more, we have had so many different sounding bassists over the years and it's just so amazing that while being so different they all somehow fill that same role that really completes everything. Great video and it is sad that sometimes bass is underappreciated.
Don't forget Sting and Peter Steele!!
Martin Mendez of Opeth is up there too!
1970's prog bassists.
Steve Harris, Flea, Justin Chancellor, Geezer Butler, just to name a few others, without them you lose a ton
Rex brown, Paul gray, Jason newsted, John deacon, Krist Novoselic, Duff mckagan, Lemmy kilmister
former guitarist, now bassist as of 2 months ago. bass is so fun i love it
Robs gotta do more bass tutorials man these rock
The editing is nuts. Your editor can go as crazy as they do because your shot video provides a great foundation. ;)
As an amateur bassist, I love this. While some people may not appreciate bass as much as they maybe should, I feel like it definitely has gotten a lot more opportunities to shine in metal than one might expect. There are a lot of songs out there that heavily rely on bass guitar for their most interesting aspects, I mean half of Mudvayne's entire catalogue is defined by Ryan Martinie and his amazing playing. You've also got players like Lemmy Kilmister, John Myung, Martin Mendez, Cliff Burton (RIP), Paolo Gregoletto and many others that are core to the sound of the bands they play in. A local band that I really enjoy actually has 2 bassists and one guitarist for a really interesting take on metal, one plays a 5 string the other plays a 12 string (4 sets of three strings). Love the appreciation that gets shown to the instrument when it's allowed to really shine. Obviously there's also people like Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Davie504 and Charles Berthoud that can make a bass absolutely sing xD
"As a bassist" fixed that for you ;)
@@danielcohen3538 Exactly xD Ryan is the reason I got into bass.
Don’t forget me in that list
1. as a young bass player (less than 5 years experience, not age...I'm 28 and have 18 years of music experience), this is facts. 2. the editing in this is GOATED 😂💀
Can confirm. Saw Covet live on their latest tour and the rhythm section was absolutely tight and made it sooo much stronger. I've also played bass and guitar for the same band and I can feel how understanding both of them/coordinating when we're doubling and when each instrument is doing its own thing makes our live arrangements bump!
Covet is such a cool example here. I adore their music, but as a guitarist I am constantly focused on Young's playing. Gaining a fuller appreciation for the rest of band is awesome.
The editing in this one makes it feel like a second channel video. Also HOLY FUCK KHRIMZ? I've been following him for years and I didn't know you used some of his stuff for your rhythm sections :O
How did you comment 12 hours ago? The video's been up for 1 hour.
@@BananaFace301 probably a patreon user who saw it early
Dude, i've been playing guitar for like 15 years, and this literally just blew my mind. this totally explains why my loops sound so thin, it just broke my brain. it makes perfect sense, I just never caught on. This also explains why fingerstyle stuff usually has such a low tuned string or two. I need to pick up a REAL bass.
As a bass player myself, I must say that before I started playing I did not realize how cool almost any song sounds because of the bass. I was told to listen to the bass part of every song I listen to and I was amazed!!!! I never realized how BIG the bass parts are and how AWESOME some songs sound when all the instruments stop at the same time and you can only hear the bass riff... it's just exhilarating to me!!! Thank you so much for making this video, us bassists really appreciate (at least I do) the recognition because I've heard from the typical jokes from guitarists about bassists and I didn't find them funny at all.
Newly aspiring bass player here. I've been a sax player for most of my life and have dabbled in piano, but I've always been drawn to the bass. A couple of years ago, I built my own and have been learning how to play it. It's a lot of fun. Without the bass, there is no groove, and the groove rules all.
When I first discovered Plini's music, I wondered why his guitar tone sounded so heavy. Then after analyzing it closely and watching a bunch of videos, I realized it was the bass doing most of the work lol (edit) If you're bass player and you haven't checked simon grove I highly recommend looking him up, super inspiring player here in Australia
Simon Grove is one of the best bassists ever
@@bornofstardust5910 his tone and playing is iconic
I started appreciating bass when I started writing songs own my own without a band. This instrument is so much fun and it feels awesome because the vibrations take over your whole body, it's almost therapeutic.
You couldn’t have said it any better, Rob. I'm an amateur audio engineer myself, and I'm also a drummer, and I have a MASSIVE appreciation for the bass in rock music. The bass and drums is what drives any genre, and I even went as far as to turn some bass tracks up when getting the multitracks to games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band (which I actually choose to play on Bass more than Guitar or Drums). Why? Because I want to actually hear what the bass part does. I don't really care if it overpowers the guitars a bit, because what's important to me is to actually get a better way to listen to the bass. This video sums up my exact thoughts on what I think the bass should be. Well said!
I didn’t realize how important bass was until I started writing my own music and having to play bass for it. I loved that you used Covet as an example of how important bass is in the context of the song. I’m actually going to see them in May and I’m so stoked.
As a bassist with a love for metal: Thank you for this video! Thank you for putting this into words!
After starting to look at your videos, my appriciation for the layers of music have deepend so much! Thanks for what you do!
i really didn't expect me to tear up a little at several parts of this video - good job rob, apperantly i needed that!
This gives me so much confidence and a true sense of legitimacy as a bassist. You have a real role and responsibility in your band.
I'm a guitar player primarily, and I LOVE bass so much. It's so incredibly important. I like me some bass solos too, a good way to not have the low end drop out, is either have another instrument like piano take it over temporarily, or just do it in a section that had no low end part to begin with
THANK YOU ROB! Giving us bass players (and drummers) our time to shine! We always make guitarists shine, or shovels! 🤘
the editing was n these newer videos is so good. i’ve been a fan for years but i get so excited everytime i see you uploaded a new video
Bro your ad segment is absolutely genius. You made the worst part of the video genuinely entertaining. I have to hand it to you that is such a magnificent idea especially for such a sponsor as BetterHelp
I think it's the best BetterHelp ad I've seen yet. It's great to see Rob skating, and even better with another person.
I'm a guitar guy but recently I've been getting into the bass and it's given me a better appreciation of the roles of each instrument and how they come together to make music
Thank you! As a drummmer and bass player I really needed that🥲
Mad respect rob for giving us bassist a spot light. I went from being a guitar player in a metal band to being the bassist cause we lost our bassist. I have not gone back to guitar. playing the bass i thought was going to be the simple part of the band but my lord its hard to not want to be over complicated to try and show off and know that hey my job is to let others shine and its honestly beautiful in its own right.
I started playing bass from listening to Justin Chancellor and his sound in 46 and 2 just captured me and made me want to play and it's such an excellent journey going on 10 years now and to see Rob be so appreciative of what I play and the importance of it, it really does put a smile on my face
All your bass are belong to us.
Coming back to comment after a few days, and holy shit robs explanation of how the whole rythm section works literally made me hear songs differently. I have been enlightened, i feel like ive friggin ascended i can like much more easily pick out the instruments even on not the best headphones if im really listening. thank you rob, also appreciate rythm guitar a lot more now, as a drummer and bassist this discovery pleases me greatly
Rob is single-handedly making rollerblades cool again for an online therapy ad.
There can't be a video about Bass without Davie504
Rob seems like the most down to earth guy. This is what happens when a regular dude (who also happens to be an absolute master of his craft) gets famous or at least very popular. He’s just a regular guy, and I feel like that’s why we as an audience can connect with him and his videos. Also that davie thing at the end threw me for a loop lol.
This video was uploaded at the perfect time, I've recently taken a step back and wondered what bass should actually be doing, especially in rock and metal and this video did a great job at explaining. literally the video I've been looking for
Omg I've been waiting for a video with Yvette young for the longest time! I'd LOVE to see a collab with you guys, especially since you've made videos with Jessica already
I personally like bass solo's. Their emptiness makes them sound a bit eerie and when bands use that I just really like it.
Basically when you know the rules and why they are there you know when to break them. I.e. at the right time or in the right context bass solos can be divine. Either if you leave them flat and empty or if another instrument fills the void or some of it at least.
@@morilot Yeah, songs like dream theater's of eternity do it perfectly.
Love those metal covers!! That’s what got me to subscribe lol
Thrilled by this video, going into details that are so important and talking with other musicians is so cool, so glad you could have Yvette !! I love your content and your original music, keep doing content that you like !! thank you rob !
I actually needed to hear this today. Thanks Rob!
I would love to mention that bass can be super melodic too! and IT STILL WORKS! I highly recommend Streetlight Manifesto for incredible melodic bass playing, that thing is just doing it’s own melodic jam underneath the entire song, constantly switching things up! I wish we could hear more melodic bass in more music, I prefer bass melody to rhythm bass!
My current band never had a proper bass player, they either had guitarists playing bass or friends who thought bass was "easy". Now if I miss a rehearsal, I come back the next week and half the set I hear "your bass is this song". For people who never thought bass was that important in a "guitar band", it's crazy how much the bass could bring that they never thought about
Awesome Rob! I love how the Bass sounds! Its so warm and deep feeling :D
as a bassist myself, thanks for educating me and many others as to how important this wonderful instrument is. much love :)
Steve Harris, Geddy Lee, Billy Sheehan, and John Deacon. All extraordinary bassists.
I feel SEEN right now! 😂 Bass was my first instrument, and one of my favorite things is (like you said) the authority you can wield. With a single note, the octave choice and inflection and tonal characteristics of the bass can determine the effect and mood of the music or even change the identity of the chords stacked on top of it! I find it to be a good example of how much more there is to good music beyond just what notes you play.
*laughs in piano*
@@Komatik_ I mean, don't get me wrong - I play piano too, and I love the expressiveness, polyphony and compositional freedom it gives. But when I want to write a bass part for a song, I don't reach for my piano or a minisynth or a human voice, I reach for an instrument that was specifically designed for that spectral range.
I absolutely love how much you can do with the rhythm section. Sometimes I'm particularly fond of exploring the absolute minimum it can be, like I wrote a song where the rhythm section is nothing but the same quarter note G on bass on beats 1 and 3 and a pedal hi-hat on beats 2 and 4 while other instruments do some modal stuff over it. Keeping it extremely simple can create this hypnotic effect you just wouldn't get otherwise, and I just love the concept of some instruments playing ostinato while other tracks move to recontextualise the same phrases.
Love this type of video. I feel bad, I've never heard of Covet, but I'm about to check them out. The little bit I got to hear in this video sounded awesome. Thanks Rob
This video will summon Glenn Fricker
My two favorite bassists are Ryan Martinie and Evan Brewer.
Glad to hear someone else mention Ryan Martinie. Criminally underrated and made LD50 the masterpiece it was.
@@NACHOTHEIST Yep, and Soften the Glare is a great band.
Thanks for pointing out what bass can do. As a guitarist, I've always had a hard time actually seeing what it brings. I might need to actually invest in a bass now to record with my songs.
Loved the topic Rob! When you used Covet - Shibuya as an example with the exact bass part that I like in the song was kinda trippy lmao
As a bassist I appreciate this 😂
As a one-person-band, former lead guitarist and temporary bassist, you are appreciated.
with bass you might not feel its presence when its there but you definitely feels its absence when its missing .. you miss the grooveness
Rob please make more videos! Daily vlogs or something I would love to see/hear more from you! So fun
Loved every second of this video Rob! - I've een struggling to get that solid low end on all my early music. Now that I'm getting into the ass into the ball park, my mixes are finally starting to feel nice!
As an ex bassist, I loved this and all your content over the years, thank you!
why ex? what are you doing now??
@@tassiegamer4516 left music, full time work etc got in the way 😅
If you were a bassist once you will never stop being one. Just part of life man. Maybe just not a (self)employed bassist for the bucks.
@@RichardHoogstad yeah exactly, I was a paid musician, gigging every weekend, nowadays I play once a year or so, madness
@@J.J._Mason sorry to hear that man, I hope it never fully disappears, thats a horrible thing
Long live the fabulous bass work of Christian McBride, Marcus Miller, and of course the one and only Stanley Clarke!
Been a guitar player on and off for years now, recently picked up a bass to treat myself and I gotta say I'm in love. Still in the beginning of the journey getting to know its quirks but it has given me so much joy so far, can't recommend it enough!
Rob, you just blew my mind...thank you for that simplified explanation of music theory! I think it will really help me out in future musical endeavors! Also I lmao at that outro, thanks for sharing!👏🎵🎶
Bass in metal?
rob, listen. i love your old content, so so much. it was so massively influential in developing my interest in music and weird instruments. but the stuff you’ve been putting out lately? absolutely at the top of your game. i can’t express how much i love the content you provide us
Awesome video, Rob! You explained bass perfectly and I’ll definitely be watching this video again!
Davie504 approves.
super cool to get insight into these things!
Great video, Rob. Great editing too! I've always thought of you as equally proficient on both bass and guitar, regardless of the type of bass or guitar. Truly a professional musician. Much love and respect from a bassist who also owns one of your Chapman 6 signature guitars!
Awesome video! Thanks for the really nice tips on how to record bass! 🤘
Great video! In the genre that I normally listen to and produce, the base is often melodic and some people will listen and hum the bass
I started my musical life at 4 yrs old wanting to play drums. I had the beat in me. I got a guitar for Christmas. Good enough. Guitar music is still music. I played guitar from 7 yrs old until I was about 25. I learned how to play guitar alongside some great drummers, so my style was very percussive and I really learned to appreciate good timing. When I was about 25, I was given the opportunity to play bass because we couldn't find one that could play our particular type of music and we didnt have time to train anyone. Soon after is when I realized I was a better bassist than a guitarist. Plus, I was a good guitarist in a sea of excellent guitarists. On bass, I was a pretty good bassist in a sea of mediocre bassist. I had no problem finding spots in bands. Plus, I learned how to listen better and I understood frequencies and where each instrument fell in the mix. So I started recording duties in my bands. I am 51 now. I am not in any bands at the moment but I am definitely a better musician. I still play bass & guitars and program drums for my own demo music.
Thank you thank you 🔥 I am a bassist through and through and appreciate your bass appreciation
I discovered Covet via this video and I'm stoked to discover more of their songs!!! Too bad I don't live in the USA to see them live :(
It's good to see you talk about bass more! And I can't believe you still have the green strings that I sent you on your starter bass!
As a guitarist who has been getting more into bass, thank you!!
Rob! I have always loved the way your Sitar Metal sounded, not just because of the sitar, but because of how tight it is with the bass track! I would love to hear the isolated bass on it, I've always wanted to learn it!
Great timing for this video, as this morning I have just bought my first bass guitar! I am a drummer but wanted to pick up some more music skills and bass is a natural step for me. I now just need to practice for a few months.
Love this video as a metal bassist. Makin me feel loved
YEAH! Thanks man!!
I have to admit I haven't played any of my basses for years now regrettably, and with all the other stuff I indulge in for entertainment, sadly I don't think I really have the time these days. But even without the presence of playing it in my life presently, music will forever be a ubiquitous part of my life. And as someone who knows and greatly appreciates the importance of bass in music, this is the kind of video I always long to see. It's such a fun instrument, especially when you start experimenting with different playing techniques (slapping, tapping, etc.) and the use of pedals like I frequently did when daily practice was a constant for me.
a video about my favorite instrument, with an aggressive inline ad read. just amazing
I got my old Cort active bass restored recently and am finally starting to dive into the instrument :)
I needed to hear this today. Really been in a funk with music production lately.
Bass is a tonal instrument, but it's also percussive, especially when played slapped. It's the glue that binds the rhythm to the melody. It bridges the gap between them and provides a space for them to come together in a seamless way. You might not always notice it, but you'd definitely notice it's absence. When your drummer and bassist find a pocket and snuggle down in there, they can make just about anything sound good. I love bass, I love playing bass, and I thank you for making this video. Not a lot of people that aren't bass players themselves talk about this, so it's nice to see once in a while.
Love these ideas. Very inspiring
Immediately an essential video for me to show others!
Thanks for this Rob
i started dabbling with putting a bass track on my loops, definitely does a lot for the whole situation and I need to get a lot better at it, but what I really respect is those moves you were bustin on the roller blades
As a bassist, thank you Rob.
Amazing editing by the way