Nate Navarro

Eventide Blackhole Riffs

Here are the bass parts I came up with for the Eventide Blackhole Demo. I'm using a 5-string, but all of the examples, except for the last one, don't use the low B string. :)

Vulfpeck - LAX (Bass Cover)

A verbatim cover of Joe Dart's bass part for the recently released "LAX" by Vulfpeck!

Ichika Nito - i miss you (Bass Cover)

Ichika Nito's crazy cool guitar piece, "i miss you" inspired me to arrange it for bass.

BTS (방탄소년단) 'Dynamite'

I wrote this bass line around the original synth bass part and added some fun embellishments. Props to whoever the synth player/programmer is… very groovin’. :) 

a-ha - Take On Me

Hi All! I hope you’re doing well. Here’s my take on “Take On Me” by a-ha. :) 

Techniques used: Tapping, Slapping, Double Thumb, Fingerstyle, Strumming

GENZLER RIFFS :)

1. Latin Funk Thing

2. Harmonic Minor w/ Modal Interchange Plectrum Shenanigans

3. Mixed Mode Southern Rock

4. Flam Slap and Triple-Finger Pop

5. Old School kinda

6. Whole Tone Tap/Slap/Strum

7. Syncopated Double Thumb & Double Thumb Pluck

SCAT BASS SOLO // Ella Fitzgerald - One Note Samba

Watch out for the blisters guys... Practicing this one got me three on my index finger. haha 

There is a lesson in each measure of the song by "The First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald. Enjoy. :)

Surround Sound Bass Rig

Testing out Monophonic, Stereo, and Surround Sound bass rigs back to back. The surround sound aspect of this project made writing the bass parts a unique experience. On top of choosing what notes to play, I had to also choose which strings to play them on, because this determined the direction (amp) they would come from. Enjoy! 

Harley Benton Block-800B Demo - BASS RIFFS

Some tasty riffs from the below basses to demo the Block-800B...

Fender American Ultra Precision Bass

Spector Euro4 LT

NS Design NXT5a Radius

Dingwall NG3

How HIGH Can it Go? ...Uptuning my BASS

I tune my bass guitar up to the regions of the porpoise, approximately 150,000 hertz. Grab some popcorn and your pet dog, cat, or dolphin. The frequency range of this video is something for the whole animal kingdom to enjoy. 

40 Techniques in One UKULELE Solo

Just in case you happen to have a uke handy. ;)

How LOW Can It Go? ...Downtuning my BASS

There is a cavity between the surface of the earth and the ionosphere. It resonates at 7.83 Hertz. This is what it sounds (feels?) like on bass guitar. Note: Custom sound system capable of producing 7.83 Hertz required. Your iPhone should work fine though. :) 

Also, the riff is fun to play. It's in 12/8, for that nice swaying, triple meter feel.

The Jeopardy Theme in All 7 Modes [MODAL MODULATION]

Each mode of the major scale has a uniqueness to it that can sometimes be difficult to recognize at first. As an aural exercise/guide for those learning the modes, I modulated the Jeopardy Theme into each mode of the major scale and played them back to back. I chose the Jeopardy Theme because (1) it uses all seven notes of the scale and (2) the first eleven notes of the melody are the exact same for six out of the seven modes, the exception being Locrian. This enables the harmony to shine thr...

Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande - Rain On Me (GUITAR & BASS Cover)

Transcribing the vocal riffing on this song was a great exercise in finding tricks to more closely emulate vocals with slides and bends. I hope you dig it! Tabs for both of the guitar parts are included, as well as a no-bass backing track, and a no-guitar backing track. :)

Kirk Franklin - Love Theory (Bass Cover by Nathan Navarro)

I really admire Kirk Franklin's writing. The very colorful harmony he uses made coming up with bass parts a fun process. The energy in this song is outstanding. Have fun. :)

Slap vs Fingerstyle Bass Solo ft. Julia and Simon from Thomann

The Rules: Use a Slap-Only solo against a Fingerstyle-Only solo. Does Nathan have the self-discipline to play within these guidelines? Bill the dragon will moderate while Julia and Simon lay down the groove. 

Lennon Stella ft Charlie Puth - Summer Feelings - Bass Boosted Cover

Here's the latest addition to my "Bass Boosted" cover series. Enjoy! :) 

The Weeknd - Blinding Lights (Bass Cover + Tabs, Guitar Pro, and Backing Track)

Here's another "bass boosted" cover, where I take a currently trending pop song and go bananas with the bass. You can take out the fills I added (as shown in the tabs), to play the song as it is, or have fun with all the extra parts. The backing track has the synth bass removed from the original song, as well as a low pass on the additional synths to help you bass stand out in the mix. 

I hope you're well and having a good one. :)

How to Play SLAP BASS for Beginners

Here's an in-depth slap lesson for beginners and those wanting to brush up on the technique. Enjoy! 

Part 1: Thumb Technique 0:09

Part 2: Muting While Fretting (Slap-Specific Concepts) 2:17

Part 3: Pop Technique 5:12

Part 4: Drum-Based Grooves 8:22

FINGER INDEPENDENCE Exercises for BASS - A Mathematical Approach

Grab a bass and join me in this play along practice session covering exercises that focus on diversity of motion with a little help from our friend, combinatorics. 

Drum & Bass JAM - Charlie Engen & Nathan Navarro

Advanced 5-string slapping, tapping, strumming, and fingerstyle bass parts with Charlie "Engine" Engen of Five Finger Death Punch, Scale the Summit, and Ideology. This dude can PLAY! 

I'll post an in-depth lesson for these parts soon. Let me know if you want to see these techniques adapted for four string. :) 

Beginner Bass Lesson 1

This video is aimed at beginners, but I suggest that more advanced players take a look at the "Playing Fingerstyle" section for my approach to right hand positions. This will set you up well for moving into three and four-finger plucking hand techniques. 

1. The Parts of the Bass

2. How to Hold the Bass

3. Tuning

4. Fingerstyle 

5. Tabs / Tablature

All my best,

Nathan

Live Bass Solo with Devin Townsend - Albert Hall, Manchester, UK

Taking an "out of the box" approach to this solo using mixed modes and symmetrical scales... my favorite. :D 

Heads up, I'm working on a beginner bass lesson this week! While it is aimed at beginners, it uses my specific approach to muting, so you may want to check it out to see if it would work well for you.

I hope you're all staying healthy and doing well.

All my best,

Nathan

I want your feedback!

Hi all! What kind of videos are you most interested in seeing from me?

Please leave a comment to let me know in greater detail. :)

Dua Lipa - Don't Start Now - Added Bass Solo

I took a swing at writing a bass solo over the bridge section and extending it a bit for a quick reharmonization using harmonic minor and modal interchange. The chordal section is useful in learning more chord shapes and the rest of the song covers slap, tap, palm muting, and some fun syncopated fingerstyle. Enjoy. :) 

Subspace Riffin'

4-String Bass and Guitar riffs that work perfectly well with or without distortion. If you haven't tried DGCF tuning, give this one a try. 

Davie504 Vs Nathan Navarro || BASS BATTLE

What a fun one! Slap like for Davie, y’all!

Bass Guitar Comparison

Fender, Warwick, Spector, ESP, Mayones

I had some fun putting a few of my favorite bass manufacturers head to head. Which one is your favorite for what you do? 

Devin Townsend - Genesis Bass Playthrough

Hey, guys! I just got back from an EU tour with artist, Devin Townsend. He's super cool. He began his professional career in music at the age of 19 as Steve Vai's vocalist, and went on to form and lead Strapping Young Lad, the Devin Townsend Project, Casualties of Cool, and others. For this video, I took footage for the duration of the tour. Europe, you're beautiful!

Here are the bass parts that I played live and in the studio for the song, Genesis, from the album, Empath. There's a tri...

Fender American Ultra Precision Bass Riffs

1. Swingin'

2. Slidey Modulation

3. Phrygian Dominant Picking

4. Sustain in A