This is the real shit that actually makes you a better musician.

Vic is the Bob Ross of music. We don't have wrong notes, just happy accidents.

“Your body says this is good and your brain agrees”😂 this is probably the best bass video I’ve seen to date

As a veteran guitar player of 15+ years ,who just recently started playing bass for a band, I can confidently say that this one video has changed my entire perspective of how I look at the fret board. This man is a national treasure.

Victor needs a teaching channel. So good.

This is some of the most practically brilliant and encouraging teaching you'll ever see out here on the KZfaqs. Shout out to Victor Wooten, man 🏆

Did Wooten just demonstrate that if you play all the wrong notes with absolute confidence, people won't doubt your playing and assume you're just a genius? Dear God that's brilliant

I'm a guitarist who's been playing for 40 goddamned years, and it's rare that I run across a teacher who's informative, entertaining, gracious, smart and funky as Sir Wooten. He's taught me more here than probably a good 25 guitar teaching vids have. This guy is the bomb

Victor Wooten... destroying everything you've ever learned about music theory in 15 minutes.

this man is a genius. and what a great lesson: having to do it "right" is the biggest anxiety-inducer that ruins learning improvisation and forces you onto well-traveled (boring) paths.

I've been playing bass for over 30 years, and I tell ya, whenever I see Victor Wooten giving advice, I click immediately. I always come away with a big ol' smile on my face, and somehow absorb a whole bunch of knowledge that makes me go "Wait. I never even *thought* of that!" Much love.

"So it sounds more like i'm moving, but it's really the chords moving around me" Bro, no way to deny it: at the side of being an awesome teacher, this man is also a poet!

The way Victor breaks it down is masterful. But he's absolutely right, took me 10+ years to realize - it's not what you play, but how you play. I learned theory first, which was very helpful. But rhythm and dynamics - that came with time.

“Even though the note is technically wrong, the brain will accept it if you add rhythm to it. You paid for every note, use them all.” I’ll never forget those words.

This man is very kind and humble. As a beginner you feel encouraged, instead of blown away.

This man is like the best teacher I’ve ever heard for music

He played all 12 notes in the scale and it sounded better than anything I ever thought of playing. Thanks Dr. Wooten.....

When a person of the skill set of Victor Wooten can explain a topic that not only explains, but enables and removes the paralytic of fear from the topic, you know he doesn't just have mastery of the topic, but has the spirit of a teacher and a human being that wants us all to gain mastery as well. That takes take skill, heart and maturity.

I started playing without learning any music theory. Then I learnt music theory and it felt like a cage, trying to play what is "right". Then I listened to jazz and realised that there are no "wrong" notes. Just how you play them.

What makes Victor such an incredible musician for me is not his bass playing, but the humble philosophy he puts into practice that many other virtuosos lack. What a legend!!

Probably the best bass teacher ever.

I really appreciate that you show a lot of this with only one finger on the fretboard. It helps guide whats actually happening

I am a pianist who strictly goes along with the notes available to me in a key. But currently I am learning bass so I got here, and OH MAN was this so refreshing! Started doing improvs on bass with feel and rhythm only, and for the first time in my life have I allowed myself to finally let loose. Amazing stuff, God bless

'Oh G major that my key I gonna go dancing' you got me. Love your way of teaching man. Truly something else.

It's not by accident that he's one of the best bass player ever. So inspiring. Please, make a monument to this man!

You know, why is it that Victor is just comforting in general? If I have an anxiety attack I could just listen along with him and try to play on my bass. Is that just me?

This video covers the best musical advice I ever learned. I don't even play bass, I'm a guitar player, but while watching a Victor Wooten video 8 or 9 years ago I heard this tip: "No matter what note you start to play on it's never more than a 1/2 step away from a note that is "in key" for what you are soloing over." If you play a note that's not in key you can easily do a half step bend up or slide down and you are now in key! If your first note was out of key you now know that the note above AND below it aRE in key. You have 2/7 of the notes in the key already figured out. For years I would try to figure out the key by playing up/down the neck on the 6th string trying to find the root. As soon as I learned this I could almost instantly start playing "in key" with any song - even before I figured out what key it was in. I just wish I heard this tip back in the mid 80s when I started playing guitar. It would have saved me so much trouble. LOL

This video is just amazing. "You pay for every note. Use them all". I'll take that to heart. Thanks Mr Wooten.

Where has this been my whole life

He’s the best teacher because he removes all the pressure of “getting it right” and brings focus to the groove and having fun while playing.

This is exactly what I did when I started on guitar 30 years ago and knew nothing about chords or scales. I thought I was crazy, but you just legitimized my approach to soloing. Love this guy.

Love Victors approach to playing, and ive done this in the past subconsciously. Just slide up half step! Love it

More than 10 years ago, I wanted to play bass because of this man. Today, I'm still learning from him.

"Wrong notes" create those wonderful tension/release moments that pretty much everyone loves but don't know why. Victor Wooten, great lesson sir! Any musician can benefit from this lesson. Playing to loops made me into such better musician. Exhaust your possibilities!

I'm not nearly on this guy's level. I'm not even a bass player, but I know he would make me a better musician inside an hour. such a pleasure to listen to, watch, and learn from. thanks for taking the time, brother.

It is very appropriate for Mr. Wootens bass to display the Yin and Yang! A perfect balance. Incorporating wrong and right notes together 👍 brilliant. This has taken away all fears of wrong notes for me 🎸

3:10 blew my mind!! I'm currently focusing on making my own bass lines and this helped a tremendous amount 🤯

I've been playing bass for years, since I was 16, and I've always improvised a lot, just jamming, and always felt guilty because I know I play what some would call wrong notes in my bass runs. But on purpose. Not that anyone complained about my style of playing, but this is a lesson by Victor which actually makes me feel justified in what I've been doing. I've just never been able to explain it the way he does. Thanks Victor. I needed this.

Not only is he one of the best musicians of all time but also he is one of the best teachers ever. I didn't know before watching this. Such a treasure!

Victor Wooten - more talent in one finger than most people have in their entire body. LOL! But seriously, if you've ever seen him in concert, he can't help but teach then, either. He's always engaging the audience and dropping little nuggets of genius into them. I've been lucky enough to see him twice (I don't exactly live in a hotbed for live jazz), and both times have arguably been my favorite concerts ever. I took my wife to see him last year, and she said that hands-down it was the best concert she had ever been to.

Aside from being ( easily ) one of the absolute greatest bassist to ever walk the earth . He's by far the best teacher I've ever seen or heard . As it pertains to bass and music in general .

To really understand how good this is you just have to read the comment section. Not only does he make these lessons so easy to understand and interesting, he never comes across as pompous or condescending. You can see he loves to teach and pass on his knowledge as much as playing.

Mr. Wooten is a great teacher.

Victor is the Chuck Norris of bass. He says a note isn't out of key, so now it isn’t. Thanks for this. Takes the pressure off.

It’s so nice to have Victor on your side ! Motivation is the key and the way he speaks is even more than motivating! It’s ❤

Victor Wooten - every time he does a 10-15 minute clip for free for everyone to view on KZfaq you feel like you've been transformed in what you know and understand. Simply no one like him to put it in such simple understandable terms, and that proves his genius as a player and as a teacher.

One of the most common sense and useful music lessons on KZfaq.

You can't help but love Victor Wooten

This was the most helpful video by far I’ve ever watched of improvisation props to this guy

Victor Wooten never disappoints. He puts this magic into everything he does

He is a natural teacher, excellent!

Better a wrong note in the right time, then the right note in the wrong time! First time I saw Vic was Amsterdam '99 with Bela Fleck and I was flabbergasted how he combined Jaco's melodic side with fast, groovy funk chops. Shook hands at Namm 2018, hope we meet again!

I wish I had known this like 30 years ago. :)

This is brilliant! Simple concepts, but only simple because they’re explained by someone with such mastery!

I don't know but as a Zimbabwean beginner bassist, i find his lessons really helpful than all other bassists out there with to many licks and stuff. Really learn't a lot from this.

This is probably one of the most helpful music tutorials on KZfaq, Victor Wooten is amazing

I always appreciate - AND LEARN - from Victors videos! As a mediocre- (minus) bassplayer I always find so much I can use to evolve when watching Victors videos. Great teacher! Really!

Not even a Bass player but I'll sit and listen to a master musician talk about his craft any day.

what an amazing communicator.

That's why he's the GOAT! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

I'll cry the day I meet him and just say thank you:') there are lot of teachers and books stressing on scales, arpeggios, modes, theory, substitutions in a way that it is overwhelming and intimidating. But this is so reliving! DONT BE AFRAID TO IMPROVISE

I am honestly floored that we even have access to this. What an enjoyable experience! Thank you, Victor for sharing this incredible lesson with us!! 😊 🎶 💜

Best bass lesson on youtube. Hope the algorithm spreads its far and wide so every beginner bassist can enjoy the teaching of this brilliant man

" The note that after the one you think you got wrong corrects the one in front of it " - Miles Davis. Thank you Mr. Wooten for this 💎 of a lesson .

this was like talking to an old friend whom you forgot understands you. Same tribe brother. Excellent way to explain the infinite correlation between every single note without wrong or right just flow and see what shines. Thanks so much for this splash of facts mr wooten, i finally hear someone explaining how cool and beautiful dissonance could be. Rhythm is almost everything. I hope all players open this door

I absolutely love Vic Wooten!! His playing AND teaching styles are so unique, he's found the way to make making mistakes encouraging! Absolutely wonderful human being all the way around!!!

I started playing 30 years ago. I ended up with a VHS of Victor Wooten that changed molded my style. I know you have touched the lives of soooo many players. Thank you for what you do.

I love that you're explaining this, while sitting next to a Rubik's Cube - another thing that's easy when you know how to do it.

He's such a genius I bet if Victor Wootem sat down and composed music he'd be the Motzart of the 21st century

Best 16 minutes of my entire life!! I’d never learnt so much before and in such a short time. This helped me sooo much as someone who struggles to compose/improvise!! Victor is an absolute LEGEND👏🏽

"You paid for every note, so use them all", I wanna frame this, brilliant!

"The coolest notes are the ones that aren't in the key" .....🙏🙏🙏 I'm a guitar player and have been this dude since the mid-80's when I really started to get serious about guitar and have to say that EVERY time I've read an article or watched an interview he lays down some DEEP knowledge that is so beautiful in its simplicity. Just a legend in my book. 😎😉👍

This man is The Boss! Love his vibe. 👏👏👍🙏🎸🎸❤️😎

Literally the best video on improv I've ever seen. It's so simple you can teach it to a kiddo. Especially relating to the odds of hitting a "right note" and the idea that even if you hit a wroog note, so long as you do it with some sense of rhythm, it will sound good. Hence why we like chords that include #9s or #11, b13s etc.

I’m a guitar player and have been for about 8 or 9 years. Something has just struck me a couple weeks ago that I think it’s time I really dedicate myself to learning bass. I’ve found that, over the years, I care less about what the guitar is doing and more so how the bass and the kick drum are dancing with each other. Plus I feel like the way I write music and what I enjoy just fits the bass more than the guitar so now it’s just a matter of pinching the money together to get a bass and an amp and I’ll be practicing like crazy. But Victor Wooten’s videos always inspire me in such a massive way, he’s a hell of a teacher and gets you excited about things that some might consider boring: like music theory. I don’t find it boring and it’s super interesting to me regardless but Wooten just has that charm that makes him like a magnet.

Most humble and articulate man on the planet. I believe his philosophy truly transcends the realm of music and can be applied to pretty much anything. It’s no surprise Bruce Lee was an inspiration for him.

This guy is a great example of a real Master ❤

Pure genius, great teacher

"If there's a note that really rubs wrong, most people run away from it... I stay with it. Because now, that note doesn't sound bad, does it? If I had run from it, it would have left you feeling bad." Or, put another way: "Repetition legitimizes." Great video, I really enjoyed seeing your process on this. The idea of the rhythm of the improv being the most important really sticks with me.

A rarity Mr. Wooten, you are! Most savants can't even explain how they play, they simply play and hope that you enjoy. Meaning it's too out there and/or technical to grasp. ONLY they have the keys. But you teach us that's it's been right there all along for us and well within grasp. Many prodigy's like yourself, i listen, and move on b/c it's ONLY music I can HEAR, but not FEEL or even REPLICATE

Victor is the most humble, intelligent and and practical teacher of all time! And a musical genius with unbeleivable groove! Thank you for the music , maestro!

Awesome way to look at improvisation, I her a lot of musicians say "I can't improvise" Thanks Victor for the awesome knowledge and perspective, you inspire me to keep playing bass lol. Churr from NZ!

This is how I taught myself guitar, keys are just points of reference but sound is the atmosphere you’re making so it legit can be anything

This is the best practical lesson I've ever seen

Man! I love him, he’s so cool. What a great masterclass. Thank you so much for sharing.

This video is gold. It made me remember how I became a multi-instrumentalist. Discovering for myself the stuff Victor shows in this brilliant video explains exactly how the theory-ignorant drummer I was had the balls to get up in front of people and make music on guitar, bass, keys, and other instruments. At first, I was just jammin'. I barely knew any theory at all, and all I had going for me was my ear, my sense of rhythm, and my love of making music. It grew from there. If you have The Burn, you can do it. 😎

I love this man, everytime i hear him talk, i want to hug him

This reminds me of a lesson a learned when first starting on bass. Someone at sometime said "never loose the groove to find a note". I've never forgotten that statement. Another one was "play bass like drums with notes"

This basically singelhandedly solved my greatest issue as a musician.

Great video! More than 20 years ago I just thought "Victor is a top slapping guy. But I'm not slapping, not my thing." But then I realised what a heartful great musician Victor is! Such a great grooving bass player and I love those videos, where he just starts with something really simple and _grooves heavenly_ ... even if he just uses one string, finger, whatever. _GROOVE and make the people FEEL_. Thank you with _respect and thankfulness_, best regards, Stefan

I shit you not, I watch this video every week because it the single best improvisation lesson ever. I always come back it because it grounds my playing and it reminds me what I have to focus on during improvs

Victor is such a chill sounding dude.

Почему виктор вутен такой классный? Я аж расплакался от его таланта быть самым лучшим мотиватором, человеком и учителем

personally, I dance to the key of songs. also - i've been playing for 19 years and this lesson was tremendously helpful. also - may God help the audience at whatever open mic has to sit through somebody working out this chromatic lesson live😂😂😂

*What your music teacher doesn't want you to know...* - but this is no clickbait scam! Brilliant! The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth! Keep up the good work Mister Wooten!

Thanks bro. I'm a guitarist/bassist, now learning to produce.I just bought a Bullfighter 5 string bass, same color. After this info, I feel better, still will focus on scales and patterns (loops). Thanks bro....guidance. 🙏🏾💯🔥

Letting the chords move around him which allows him to move less is such a valuable tip to make fast chord changes more manageable.

Back in college (geez, almost 50 years ago!) they needed a drummer for the improv class so I took it because I wanted to see what all the mystery was with the tonal instruments. The professor of this class talked about a lot of this same stuff. I remember the first day he played a simple solo over a G blues on the piano and the last note he played at the end of the first chorus was an Ab. As he cycled through the next chorus he just kept hammering the Ab as he talked making it feel like fingernails on a chalkboard. In the next chorus he demonstrated how to voice chordal extensions in a way that made that note suddenly correct. It was pretty cool as it was kind of a lesson in how to use altered chords (raising or lowering the 5 and 9) in ways that made the "wrong" note right. His point was basically to the rhythm section to keep their ears open and be team players by helping to bail out a soloist if they heard something land outside of the expected and to immediately adjust what they played to make the soloist's "mistake" into a whole new journey. He encouraged us to listen to recordings to hear this in the real world. We'd sit around listening to the great Miles Davis Quintet where much of what they were experimenting with was deliberately taking things out. Hearing the masterful ways that Hancock, Carter and Williams instantly shifted gears while Miles and Wayne (or George Coleman) would travel in and out to make perfect sense of it all. Using these kinds of approaches makes it so much more interesting than the sterile firing off modal or other scalar regurgitations. Sure, that stuff has its place but in the grand scheme of improvising it's more about creating in the moment without rules and restrictions and doing it collaboratively. Vic just laid the foundation for that right here.

"You play for every note. Use them ALL."😄😄😄 I like that.

There is something very comforting and anxiety reducing listening to this master of Bass. I'm here cos of Adam Neely - but I stayed because what he said actually resonated with me. OH no - you hit the wrong note on the scale - correct and practice more. Sometimes it makes it tough to always be "correct" and play on the scale. Here comes Wooten and just changes the whole perspective - by adding feel and rhythm. And being a drummer who plays guitar (sorry Adam) I can totally relate and understand what Wooten says. Thank you sir!