How to Play Blues Bass (in 5 Levels)

Рет қаралды 88,881

Ай бұрын

👉 My full beginner bass course: yeah.bassbuzz.com/blues-bass
Wanna get started with blues bass? These stupidly simple exercises will take you from basic fundamentals to off-the-cuff improv mastery.
Get the free PDF with blues song suggestions + more - www.bassbuzz.com/go/blues-levels
All the blues riffs played in the video - www.noteflight.com/scores/vie...
Bass-free backing track - / bfzfgiw9typwddjn9
If you're fixin' to get your dancin' fingers on that blues bass, you've come to the right place. This here video's gonna take you on a journey through five layers of true-blue, down-home bass lines.
We'll start at level 1, where we'll getcha to lay down the groundwork o’ dem fundamentals, and we'll climb all the way up to level 5, where you'll be strummin' and thumbin' your way through free-wheelin' improvisations…
clears throat
Oh sorry, Josh here, possessed by Willie Dixon. What I meant to say was…
Blues bass f**king rules. In this video, you’ll learn:
- The fundamentals of blues bass.
- The I-IV-V progression.
- How to use chromaticism to add spice.
- How blues inspired a trillion famous “rock” songs.
- How practicing blues bass can help you learn music theory.
- How to play real blues songs.
- How to break out of the “blues box”
- How Tommy Shannon’s playing set a rock solid foundation for Stevie Ray Vaughn
- How to impress old dads at the local blues jam.
You read all the way through this video description… you must really like bass lessons. Subscribe so you don’t miss the next one - yeah.bassbuzz.com/subscribe
#BluesBassLesson #BassBuzz

Пікірлер: 204

@BassBuzz Ай бұрын

Who’s your favorite blues bassist? 🎸 🕶

@exoticalpha5894 Ай бұрын

Jimi Hendrix

@AlessandroCassano Ай бұрын

Donald Dunn!

@KRUX71 Ай бұрын

JJ Burnell. AMAZING

@kimmorgan379 Ай бұрын

John McVie from Fleetwood Mac

@acebrawler Ай бұрын

Carl Radle

@Tragic_TV Ай бұрын

I thought you would like to know that I won best bassist at battle of the bands yesterday. Thanks for everything Josh!

@BassBuzz Ай бұрын

Congrats!

@RealEstateChris56 21 күн бұрын

Cool!

@billyjeffersoniv4344 9 күн бұрын

So awesome!

@ElDami Ай бұрын

Just wanted to say that Beginner to Badass is an amazing course, and Josh is an incredible teacher. Thanks man

@DropsofDiamond Ай бұрын

I'm planning to get it next month! So excited to learn bass from him

@ElDami Ай бұрын

@@DropsofDiamond Tons of fun and learning ahead!

@DahcipheR Ай бұрын

Totally agree. His course, combined with Rocksmith, changed my damn life. It's so accessible and really gives you a sense of direction.

@robertfuller2196 10 күн бұрын

You ain't lyin'

@randomgdyoutuber6538 Ай бұрын

It is a good day when Josh uploads

@phelinephrenzy2358 Ай бұрын

Haha! The drunk lady inching closer to the stage!! That's so real. 😂

@Fortnite87463 Ай бұрын

Your videos are unreal. I have learnt bass so quickly. You are a master teacher. Thank you

@scottstanley4378 Ай бұрын

I have to say that your video quality has gone way up over the years. I dig that you provide genuinely free resources for practicing what your videos cover. Thanks for existing and helping to promote bass learning!

@TPT1126 Ай бұрын

The Blues is THE reason I picked up the bass. Fortunately, I know enough theory to understand what you were saying! This is a great condensed version of exactly what I want to learn...sent along a little $ because I do love all the BassBuzz free stuff and this video especially deserves support! THANKS!!!❤

@Gregor9043 Ай бұрын

I like Donald Dunn, not a pure blues player but his lines are blues style bass lines. Solid, solid, solid.

@YWHsDaughter Ай бұрын

A beginner at 50+ and this is just what I needed to help me understand. Thank you!

@nextabe1 22 күн бұрын

Love the SRV shirt. Not a bassist but a blues legend.

@christimko9296 Ай бұрын

Started playing around with the bass when I was 23… bought a couple beginner books, learned all by ear, which is good as long as you play every day… flash forward I’m 59 now and decided try and learn correctly! Thank you for the inspiration, this video is perfect, I will memorize it front and back!!!✌️❤️🤙

@ArleyMcBlain Ай бұрын

the perfect sounding use of a Squier bass makes your stuff so accessible. when i was getting started twenty years ago everyone was using high end gear always. great stuff.

@Andronicus2007 Ай бұрын

Fender U.S.A: assembled in the U.S, with Chinese hardware. Fender Mexico: Assembled in Mexico with Chinese hardware. Squire: Assembled in Indonesia with Chinese hardware.

@suesaraswati Ай бұрын

Thanks again to Josh for the Beginner to Badass Course. I went from complete newbie to playing in the pub, in 3 months. You are a great teacher Josh, I can't wait for your next course.

@coloaten6682 Ай бұрын

That's great, well done!!!

@iduncanw Ай бұрын

Impressive, nice work 😎

@phelinephrenzy2358 Ай бұрын

Damn! I tried playing with a blues band about 35 years ago. I bored myself to death and went back to metal and rock. Had I known what you are teaching in this video, I may have tried with another band. I also found blues bass players had to stay in the shadows and let the egos of the lead guitarist and vocalist shine. Especially if you're a female bass player. I hated that! Thank you for this video. It's inspirational and gives creative encouragement. Plus, now I have some patterns that can be added to my freestyle rock and metal. You really are a Bass God!! 🖤🤘🤘🤘🤘🖤

@Andronicus2007 Ай бұрын

Well, unless you're Jaco Pastorius!

@StevenClubb-uw6zl Ай бұрын

Thanks so much for putting these out. Only been playing four months and your videos are such a great help.

@neilmeadowcroft7569 Ай бұрын

Wow, i did not expect to see a Father Ted reference here! Down with this sort of thing.

@Legomanfred Ай бұрын

Great video Josh! Comprehensive and thorough. Always a pleasure. Thanks for this. 👍❤️💪

@barrysrcdump3557 Ай бұрын

How did you know what I was looking for yesterday? Thanks dude. 🤝🤝

@brenofig Ай бұрын

Thanks for teaching us with so much talent and fun!

@user-wz1nf3sj3i Ай бұрын

Thanks!

@BassBuzz Ай бұрын

Thanks for the support, rock on! 🤘

@davidwood351 Ай бұрын

Excellent lesson. It’s good to reinforce the basics, especially for newbies to this channel.

@JustRob96 Ай бұрын

I know it's not strictly blues, but if you want to practise the chord triad shapes, as well as practise in ancitipating a chord change, I'd highly recommend practising with the song "I'd Rather Go Blind" by Etta James. The whole song is a simple back and forth between the I and the ii. If you get lost you can immediately come home, giving you the freedom to try new things. You have both a major and a minor chord to practise with. And while you can use the triads shown in this video, you also have the recorded bassline to learn the inverted shapes for those triads too. It's pretty great!

@dsharton Ай бұрын

Thank you Josh! Great lesson and humor as usual

@larikoproduzimentos4501 Ай бұрын

That's gorgeous, awesome work

@frololal6142 Ай бұрын

I've been waiting for this!

@user-lg2xe5er7f Ай бұрын

As always…amazing video. I always learn so much.

@hanelmarte8249 Ай бұрын

Thanks, Josh, you've helped me out a TON!

@bozzerwolf1595 Ай бұрын

Perfect! Exactly what I was looking for to exercise more, thank you Josh. I've started B2B in November and now I'm in Modul 12, My Sharona. 👌🤘

@dejancela 10 күн бұрын

love your tone

@owenconant Ай бұрын

How serendipitous. I just was looking into blues bass a couple days ago.

@thomasfioriglio Ай бұрын

Another fantastic lesson Josh. Some really great ideas here that you can plug and play and get started with the blues. And I like your advice about really spending time with these. Thanks for sharing!

@dylanaird4437 Ай бұрын

Huge helpful tips as I’m going to my first Blues jam this week! Thanks!

@blackswandominiscis7715 Ай бұрын

Absolutely great video. Thanks a lot for putting everything in the same place. I will spend several month on this one !

@Bassman1964 Ай бұрын

Just want to say thank you for everything you do & teach 👏🏼👏🏼 , been playing Bass for 40 something years now and wish there was someone like you to each, inspire and breakdown what you do… I’m sure would have cleared up a bunch of stumbling blocks as I learned, you are one of the best instructors I’ve seen online as you truly make everything you plain, simple, fun & to understandable I still pick up many tips and tricks from you that help inspire me to continue learning and evolving. I truly believe you can never learn enough.. any young players who watch and learn from you channel are extremely lucky to have you, a far cry from say watching “Stu Hamm’s” Slap, Pop Bass instructional video and after watching wondering why you are even rying to play Bass 😳😂🤣 seriously just a thank you and keep up the amazing work

@CL_Audio_Tuning Ай бұрын

Awesome video as always sir!! Thanks for making learning the bass fun! :D

@hydroman99 Ай бұрын

Great vid, as always Josh.

@rogers8085 Ай бұрын

These are very useful Josh, thanks man!

@jonhillman871 Ай бұрын

josh is so good at breaking things down into understandable chunks. i wish he could have my high school and university math classes.

@jimjamjul Ай бұрын

Thanks for another great vid Josh! Also, i love the jazz bass you use

@swconnexion Ай бұрын

Thank you a lot Josh !

@stefanroth4458 Ай бұрын

Thank's a lot! Great Video.

@1234drums Ай бұрын

I especially enjoyed this one, let's see what's next ❤❤❤❤

@mohamedabdul1544 Ай бұрын

❤u r a good teacher thanks I have learn a lot from u

@brianermovick5944 Ай бұрын

Josh's videos are awesome, as always (as is his course!). I just always seem to get stuck with putting it all together. So frustrating - like there's some secret trick everyone else knows that I can't grasp 😆

@CotalCosta Ай бұрын

No kidding, tomorrow I'm going to pick my first bass cause I want to understand blues better (I'm a harmonica player). You're a blessing!

@markbass354 Ай бұрын

AWESOME JOSH

@BlackJackLopez Ай бұрын

Great video! And great timing, too; I'm about to sub for a cool bassist of local lore, and the band plays covers from Deep Purple and Status Quo, heavlly based on blues, so this one comes in handy! Let's be frank, blues bass is one of the first things you actually learn when you're self-thought and just passed the point of mere 'copy phase' (the first songs you learn), but somehow that makes you underestimate its importance. I think one of the best songs to 'catch the blues vibe' is "The thrill is gone" by B. B. King, it really let's you get creative when you get it, but also teaches you when to do it, not overplay and where to let the vocals and the guitar solos do their thing without 'getting in the way'.

@AlexMusicOvery Ай бұрын

Cool lesson thanks :)

@karccrn Ай бұрын

Loved this lesson! I have played guitar for 40 years but now find myself as the bass player in the band. It would be cool if you did a lesson on mistakes guitar players make when playing bass. Also, I am also lead singer and there are some songs that I just cannot sing and play bass at the same time. Frustrating. Any tips for singers who play bass? You are awesome and I love your style. Now I am going to go pursue your videos and do a marathon! Thanks!

@tark126 Ай бұрын

After a month i took my guitar and opened youtube to search literally "blues bass" and before searching i just saw this in my homepage uploaded just now and i think it happened a couple of times before with this channel only. Are u a wizard sir?

@jstnxprsn Ай бұрын

No, but KZfaq's algorithm is. LOLOL

@caios.dosanjos7148 27 күн бұрын

I love how you teaches us like we are a bunch os apes. Amazing!

@MartyWilson100 Ай бұрын

As always, a great video. I joined a blues jam earlier today before watching this video

@aletnieuwoudt2717 Ай бұрын

Thank you 🤘👌

@ZaryaMain Ай бұрын

Quality content as always.

@ZaryaMain Ай бұрын

I'd love for you to do a series of this for various styles. Ska, jazz, rock, metal etc.

@regislourenso Ай бұрын

You summed up Duff's carrer on Guns N' Roses. On 12 minutes! Thanks, Josh. 😂

@johnnyharperscoutstable5386 Ай бұрын

Favorite blues lately. Black keys🐸🍺🔪🔥

@stevenpetranyi2902 Ай бұрын

I'm starting a four-piece Blues band I've just bought a bass guitar and amp but I'll be playing rhythm guitar and vocals

@leonangel6020 Ай бұрын

Grazie Genio

@NelsonMontana1234 Ай бұрын

Tommy Shanon seems to be the only guy who is specifically a blues bass guitarist and is a cut above the rest. Beyond that, any good bass player can play a decent blues. Or should be able to.

@marcyotei Ай бұрын

Hi teacher! I'm enjoying the course, I haven't reached the end yet, but I hope you are thinking about a second part, from Badass to hyper super mega badass. Thanks.

@kushking420 Ай бұрын

I have to learn/play a lot more. I've been playing my drums about 4 hours a day, on my days off. I'm just so tired after work to pick up my bass. I feel like I'm playing my drums so much because I've been playing for so long, it's second nature to me. I have a Fender jazz bass (MIM) and really love it for my first bass, was playing for hours, the first few months, and then just stopped out of nowhere

@Ontelmonkeundkylo Ай бұрын

Finally!!!

@kwb402 Ай бұрын

I love it, Josh speaks to all of the kids that ask for tabs! 😂 I have to get back on my bass buzz account

@Roberto-nn6kb Ай бұрын

8:32 DUTCH VAN DER LIENDE MENTIONED🗣🗣🗣

@joeg2132 5 күн бұрын

This is a great video but I feel like it could evolve into more exercises for practice!

@aibluefox4309 Ай бұрын

Where were you in 1978 when I started, LoL? Another great video, Josh. After decades of playing parrot fashion, I'm finally learning to actually play.

@BoobToobJohnny Ай бұрын

Hi Josh. Love your videos! I'm off to a good start playing bass using a few of them. Would you be willing to share what software you use and/or how you add all the graphics to your videos? Wondering if it takes you 20 minutes or 2 weeks to produce one.

@m.s.8489 Ай бұрын

Please make a video on how to get rid of focal dystonia in a bass player.

@Upsetkiller456 28 күн бұрын

Hey! I have been using your stuff for a while now as I think you are a great teacher and I have a potentially weird question about finger plucking. I have been playing bass for a long time now and I can play quick enough but is it normal for my Index finger to not fully "curl" when I am plucking with it? It is not entirely straight of course but I wonder if it that is that cause of my index/middle finger accent differences when playing besides finger strength. Cheers~!

@user-fb6wv5zj8t 3 күн бұрын

Can you tell please why my bass rattle at open stirngs but when I touch strings (even behind the nut) or unplug second pickup - rattling disappears? Is it some electricity problem of cheap guitar?

@michalkbass Ай бұрын

Is Josh's voice deeper? A great video as always!

@coloaten6682 Ай бұрын

You really are such a great teacher because you cut out all the fluffy cr*p. Those patterns are so helpful - I use similar on guitar. It's really frustrating that music is often taught from a scales perspective because people then get 'scared' to use the chromatic notes UNTIL someone teaches them Chromaticism! 🤣🤣. Well done Josh. :)

@willwalters8391 Ай бұрын

Now one for jazz

@Bassplayer18 Ай бұрын

It would be nice if we had a bass collection video

@Swindrim. Ай бұрын

That little blues acepella at the end lol

@Matt-is8qj Ай бұрын

8:15 Fathed Ted in action! If I wasn't already subscribed you'd have gained one more believer with this one.

@natespringer9934 Ай бұрын

Hey I absolutely love your videos and was wondering if you’d be willing to do a video either covering fretless bass or on Jaco Pastorius. I’ve heard a lot of people recommend them to me but I could never quite understand his music. Similarly, I don’t get why anyone would play a fretless or what tonal differences there are with a fretless.

@salty_3k506 Ай бұрын

what about the music do you not understand? and a fretless bass doesn't have frets so you have an infinite amount of notes, like on a violin. you have a lot more options to slide around, play around the pitches, etc

@325spoon Ай бұрын

To play a fretless bass you have to be deadly accurate on where you press to get your note. Whereas on a fretted bass you can get away with not being smack dead on the note and it’ll still be in tune. Another notable thing about fretless bass is the tone is very different since there’s 1) no metal frets vibrating against the string 2) typically fretless players use different chord variations given there’s more “freedom” albeit this is subjective to the player. Overall it’s just a different feel, style, and sound. Jaco understood his instrument better than most but to a lot of people it just kinda sounds like a jumbled mess, music is subjective, sound is subjective- go to your local guitar shop and try one out yourself to really get an understanding of the tonal differences and feel

@Fyshmc Ай бұрын

can you PLEASE do a video tutorial for the bass line for "Notion" by The Rare Occasions?

@drintro Ай бұрын

So I think I noticed some alternate tuning going on here. Is that done to better match the singer's range or is there some other reason known only to those cool enough?

@justhalog3318 Ай бұрын

Do you have any videos on reggae bass lines?

@Minionman2166 Ай бұрын

Wait, the blues box makes cmon girl by rhcp?

@alexclementi5111 Ай бұрын

Hi Josh, any new course coming? Beginner2Badass was great!

@itskolis Ай бұрын

Where can I get that pick guard?

@54bluesbass15 Ай бұрын

It looks like your Blues Box is the 1-4-5-7 (8 octave) of the Blues Scale [Minor Pentatonic with a diminshed 5th].

@groovybasslines Ай бұрын

Cool Banana Man ! 😂

@SirDude555 29 күн бұрын

Hey Josh, I just started the VERY first step in becoming a bassist, that's clicking the Subscribe button! More serious, what's your pick for a "Blues" bass? (budget friendly) You have a number of videos about bass guitars in different price ranges, and even cover the ones for playing metal and rock, but what if a beginner is mostly interested in playing the Blues. Thanks!

@scottkretsch4887 Ай бұрын

This may be a dumb question, but are most, if not all, blues songs in a minor key? I’m thinking no because I’m guessing it’s the structure and shuffle feel that makes it more bluesy than actually being in a minor key.

@johnpauldekeyzer8899 Ай бұрын

whats the difference between a shuffle and a song thats swung?

@johncondon4081 Ай бұрын

9:04 Led Zeppelin are the most epic art thieves for sure.

@JerzeiBalowski Ай бұрын

Nobody leaves this place without signing the blues.

@thedarksiderebel 19 күн бұрын

I see Bishop Brennan in there ;)

@AlexLoptrsson Ай бұрын

so i get that your editor is irish.. I went from practicing to rewatching father ted episodes :'D

@JobGreer Ай бұрын

What's going on bro I dig the show.🤘' I'm gonna buy a bass soon. I'm going buying the Yamaha TRBX304, and I really need to know to Does Bass string matters matter???? 🤔

@SATXbassplayer Ай бұрын

Josh: the orange J-Bass you're playing... What is it??? Fender? Squire? Something else?

@hpk4917 Ай бұрын

Hello, great video. i can watch your channel for huors. Some videos with a bass ukulele would be nice ;) greetings from austria 👋

@k1lcone Ай бұрын

do you wana teach you how to play chalga?

@John-yn2wt Ай бұрын

Hey man could you do me a massive favor and make a video just like the 5 levels of smells like teen spirit, but could you play American idiot by green day. If you could make that video that would help me out so much, i have a gig in a week and i don’t have time to pool hours into learning it. i learned smells like teen spirit in 20 minutes after you made that 5 levels video.