bennythebassman

Syrups - Backstage Pass

Getting back into these! I talk about pick playing a bit, and break down the elements to the song, and we work on the harder part near the end.

Foals - Syrups

Oooooooook, back after a little hiatus that I really needed to get my head on straight. Trying something new here too - as a lot of you can tell I'm basically a beginner with a pick, so please don't judge too harshly. Instead of just playing the tune fingerstyle though, I wanted to give it a shot. Looking at the video I can tell that I'm using way too much wrist and too little forearm... any other suggestions besides that??   

Such a cool tune by Foals. Thank you to the memeie...

Burned out, but coming back!

Hi all! 

I'm sure some of you have noticed that there hasn't been a video in the past few weeks. That's something that's been a constant source of stress and guilt for me, and I'm really sorry! Especially to those of you who are waiting for requests - it's on my mind literally all the time. I just wanted to write a quick post to you all, and explain what's been going on, in case you're wondering. 

My story is not at all a new one, but it's mine, so here it goes.  2020-05-14 06:25:07 +0000 UTC View Post

Evil Vibrations - The Rebirth

Getting west-coast funky this weekend with LA band The Rebirth. I have to admit I'd never heard of this band before Patron Marcin hipped me to them, but they're great. Killer bass playing, and great funk/soul grooves. 

This one in particular can be a great tool to practice your ghost notes in the 16th note "grid" - really chop-heavy but rewarding once you can get it up to speed. Don't be afraid to slow it down!!

Enjoy, all.

Home At Last - Steely Dan

Quarantine continues, and this tune just seems appropriate, for so many reasons.   

Plus everyone can use more Purdie Shuffle in their lives. If you don't know this should get you started https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1j1_...  

Enjoy all. Hope you're all keeping well.

Home Cookin - JR Walker (James Jamerson)

1st position madness!!

JJ gets psycho in Ab without ever leaving home base.. Some may believe that some of this could be played elsewhere on the neck but with all the open strings he's slipping in there I honestly believe JJ's trolling us all with this 100% first position tune. The rest of the instrumentation just seems like a vehicle for him to go off on his rhythmic vision quests..   

Enjoy all! And thanks to Patron Janek for the awesome request.

Gimme Gimme Gimme by ABBA, taken down

Sorry again all - I had to take this tune down, because a Eurpoean law firm issued me a copyright strike and had it taken down etc.

I re-uploaded a bass-only version (no music), but Youtube's content ID still recognized it (I guess my playing was that similar to the original, huh).. and I can't risk any more copyright strikes on my account so I just took it down for good. Message me privately if you'd like a copy of this video for practicing, etc.

Best,

BennyTheBassman

10:30 at the Airport - David Tao

David Tao is an award winning Taiwanese Singer/songwriter. He's got a great voice and has had a great career - and I'm very grateful to patron Ken for hipping me to this guy! As a result, I now know about Michael Ning, the bass player on this track and Fodera artist. Foderas are definitely my dream basses - that tone... One of these days! And Michael plays the crap out of his. His lines in this live show are very embellished and awesome compared to the album version of the tune, which is why ...

A Love Bizarre pt. 2 - Sheila E. & Prince

Here's the (long awaited!!) Part 2. 

Prince goes nuts in this half. Seriously. The man was a god. I did my best!

Enjoy, all.

Community Rules and Regs

Hi everyone! It's been just over a year since I started this page, and it's really exceeded my expectations already. I've met so many cool people, been shown so much amazing music, and yes, have been able to help put food on the table, and keep the lights on, thanks to you, the patrons. I'm very grateful for that, and also proud to know that the work I'm offering in return has helped you either learn, or reignite this passion that we all share for the best instrument in the world (!!!!) the b...

A Love Bizarre pt. 1 - Sheila E. & Prince

Another 2-parter comin’ atcha by way of Patron Tom! This one is a killer track from Sheila E. And Prince’s collab album called Romance 1600. Special treat for you all - it’s Prince on bass on this track! He kills it. Nails it to the wall. It’s so damn funky! A 12-minute 2-chord jam where Prince is able to just go off on super funky pick/slap bass is pretty much a gold mine for a lot of people, myself included, so huge thanks to Tom for hipping me to this. Part 2 next week…   2020-02-22 20:15:58 +0000 UTC View Post

Where are we all from?

Hey Patrons! Just wanted to make a quick post here - Hugo made a cool post on the community page - he's wondering where we're all from. If you've got a sec, head over to the community page and reply to his post! It'd be really cool to see the countries that we all represent :) 

Thanks all! Have a great day. Hope you're ready for some oldschool Prince funk tomorrow...

- BennyTheBassman

No video today! Sorry! Here's why

Hi Patrons! 

Just wanted to give you all a quick update on why you won't be seeing a video this week. I just had a crazy one! It started on Saturday with a Country artist show in Ottawa that I was the MD (musical director) and TM (Tour Manager) for, and we got back Sunday night around 5PM. While I was away my Fiancee found her wedding dress and she was super happy about it, so we spent the night kinda debriefing and talking wedding plans etc (Wedding's in November)

How Long Do I Have To Wait For You - Sharon Jones And The Dap Kings

Dap Kings time!!! Such cool grooves coming out of this legendary band, and such a vibe. Thank you to my Patron namesake, Ben, for this request!  

I think what makes a bassline like this so compelling, is that it's basically an ostenato, ie the same figure over and over, but Bosco "Bass" Mann manages to slip in some kind of imaginative variation, almost every time it comes around. He does this without taking away from Ms. Jones (that'd be a difficult task!!!), but while at the same ...

Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes - Paul Simon

It's a milestone week for the channel. We hit 10,000 subscribers!!!! Thank you, everyone, for subscribing, watching, and liking these videos. It makes such a huge impact on me knowing you're all out there and that you appreciate the work. In return it's a truly humbling, and fun, experience for me to make these for you.   

To celebrate the number 10,000, here's another famjam (you OG subs will remember the one I did to mark 1000 subscribers, about a year and a half ago. In cas...

No Slack - Jaco Pastorius & Brian Melvin

Woo - patron Duncan trying to take my fingers off this Friday. 

This one is actually one of the last recordings Jaco ever made, recorded in late 1986. He was socially deteriorating fast at this point, but man could he still play the damn bass. This track is super interesting because he managed to give us a kind of distilled summary of his legacy, favourite riffs, and chops, all in one tune.   

Gone are the glory days of Weather Report, gone is his classic fretless (...

What A Fool Believes - Backstage Pass

Everything I can think of to talk about in regards to Yacht Rock, this tune, and the approach. Some chordal insights as well. 

Pokemon Theme - Backstage Pass

Let's step through the tune and the guitar solo! Also some insights into the style, a bit of theory, and some typically random general thoughts.

Send It On - D'Angelo

Silky smooth sliding our way into 2020 with this gem of a tune from D'Angelo, featuring none other than Pino Palladino on bass. Voodoo was an absolutely iconic album when it came out - I remember the waves it made - and every bass player I knew in college at the time would immediately go home and practice playing behind beat. If you don't know this album I'd say it's a must-have for anyone looking to expand their concepts of groove.   

Anyway, all that to say that this was a g...

Gestalt No Hakoniwa - Paranoid Void

Time to get Math Rock! It's Paranoid Void - a super crazy all-female band from Japan. Their tunes are nuts! 

To quote one of my friends - "Why do all your Patrons hate you?" Hah. I know you guys don't hate me. You just like pushing the my cranial limits each week, right??

Well anyway I did have a blast doing this one and have since been listening to math rock non-stop, so... send help. 

It's all you, Patrons. Thank you.

Streetlife - Backstage Pass

OK! So I broke out the new camera today, for the first time. THINGS I LEARNED:

- Don't play with your cats just before recording, because this camera picks up ALL THAT cat hair 

- Brush hair/shave/actually check your appearance before recording now because real HD is unforgiving - yikes. Sorry about all that.

- Learn how to colour correct because now with a proper camera and my lights, I look sick/pale (no, NOT going to put on makeup for these, haha)

- Fully charg...

We Could Be The Same - maNga

A really cool request this week from Patreon.com patron Tomel. This band is out of Turkey, and they made waves around 2009 when they were featured on some MTV Europe contest shows. This tune features elements of metal and rock, but with a really cool eastern flare. Apparently the genre is called "Anatolian" rock according to wikipedia, and it's a really cool sound. The bassline also obviously incorporates a disco influence and is really fun to play.  

Enjoy, all!

Limelight - Backstage Pass

Getting back into Backstage Passes for you $4+ patrons! Here's Limelight by Rush. I mostly focus on feeling the different time signatures, and how that's different from "counting". We go through the whole tune and talk about some of the other cool interactions between Bass and Drums in this Rush masterpiece.

You're All I Need To Get By - Marvin + Tammi

More JJ for your weekend! This one from the vault of lesser-known Marvin + Tammi duets... but still so quintessentially JJ. I have to wonder if he came up with all the slash-chord ideas himself - this one's full of them - and the lines he weaves through are once again a masterclass in lyrical, supportive and funky as hell bass playing.

Enjoy!

Continuum - Jaco Pastorius (pt 2!)

Part two of this Jaco classic! Part 1 was last week - see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcn6dMM1s18

Thank you again to Patron Nathaniel for requesting this one. It kicked my ass to do but it was well worth it.  

Enjoy, all! 

Continuum - Jaco Pastorius

Here we go with another Patron putting me through the ringer. Thanks Nathaniel for this extreme challenge... Had to break it up again into two parts because, well, it's Jaco at his finest. I've always been in awe of this solo - it's so exceptionally melodic and beautiful but also ultimately technical. The 16th note lines are crazy difficult but Jaco makes them sound effortless, and the way he weaves through the chord changes is absolutely incredible - he truly could play the bass like a horn,...

#ThankYouPatrons

It's Patreon.com's official #ThankYouPatrons day, and I just wanted to contribute my little part to it and thank all of you who support the channel. We're still small, but definitely mighty, and your continued support has been what's allowed me to keep posting these videos. 

Your comments inspire me, and your pledges allow me to spend the time to put each week's project together...

Isn't She Lovely - Victor Wooten (part 2!)

Heeere's part 2! Enjoy all. I'm not charging for this post - expanation at the beginning of the video! So enjoy your free one. Thank you, as always for your support, Patrons!

Isn't She Lovely - Victor Wooten

Another 2-parter comin atcha! Thanks to patron Tom for requesting this one. 

Vic was recorded going off with a loop station on Stevie's Isn't She Lovely - the original recording is here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eynnY... - and a lot of people's minds were blown. Dude's -so- good. 

In part one, we examine each of the loop layers, the melody, and one chorus or soloing. Next week I'l...