i) Focus on drums ii) Have fun iii) Get a proper setup iv) Play slow, avoid sloppiness v) Focus on how you sound in a band vi) Triads are more useful than scales vii) Learn multiple techniques viii) go outside and jam with others ix) you are a Jedi

I've been playing bass for over 30 years now, and every single one of these points are so on the money.

As I grew up I realised and came to appreciate bass so much more. I probably could've guessed it was important as a kid and later learned how important, but in the last few years I bought one after playing guitar for a few years and really enjoy it, although I still play guitar more. But I realised just now that the bass is like the healer class in a game, I've been playing Final Fantasy XIV as a white mage, the pure healer class, and it's so satisfying to prevent people from dying and not just doing big damage. Bass is the same way and I think if you view it as a very necessary support role you can appreciate it and feel cooler playing it

One of the best bass videos out there...without ever playing a bass.

I learned. Talent is the end result of hard work, not the beginning. Persistence pays.

"The drummers are not the time keeper, the whole band is the time keeper". Thank you from a drummer! Sure the bass and drums need to and are known for good timing, but if any other band mate speeds up or slows down it will mess with everyone no matter how tight the bass and drums are. Great video!

I guess these are DOs, not don'ts. 1 - Learn the fretboard. Know all the notes. 2 - Learn to follow chord changes and read chord charts. Reading musical notes is not as important, but can be useful. Just don't try using the bass clef of a piano chart as the bass part -- it's always different. 3 - There are a number of standard patterns that are very useful to know when you're starting out. For example, the walking bass for blues changes or the old fashioned country 1-5 bounce with walk-ups on the chord changes or even the tonic note thumper. Shave and a haircut! Most are pretty easy. Learn ten of these basic patterns and you can play with a band pretty quick! (It's a great place to start, but don't stop there. It's a stepping stone to better things.) 4 - Unless you're planning on being a session player, you don't have to play in every style. Play the kind of music you enjoy. That said, don't be afraid to try something new. 5 - Check out good video teachers to learn great bass songs. Learn how to play "Ramble On" and "Silly Love Songs" and "Money" and "Taxman" and "Green Onions." (Great audition pieces.) Learn the stuff you like to listen to. 6 - Don't be intimidated! Get out there and do it!

Tip: if you are at the very beginning now, know this - keep watching beginner videos like this one, no matter how far you get! I only stand at the beginning of my 3rd year on bass, but videos like this keep me from getting lost as I get further. Different aspects gain importance, as I hear them presented differently. That being said, great video! 👍

Loved the trampoline metaphor! It's that kind of playfullness that should guide our "playing".

Very cool hat logo! Point 7 (the last of the "10 Don'ts"?) is very important. I have my own story. In my small musical community, there were two bassist, and one was me. The other guy was a far more skillful bassist. He could play complex, melodic lines from Yes and Rush, but the bands all preferred to play with me because I would just play simple, solid lines that fit the music and gave a foundation the other band members could rely on. I would ad that every bass player also spend a lot of time playing some kind of drums or percussion (drum kit, congas, cowbell, whatever). I took a break from bass and switched to drums and percussion for many years, and when I returned to bass, I was much better. Rhythm was always my strong suit, but the drumming really helped me deeply understand how rhythm works in music.

#5 is gold. A bass on its own is a completely different thing than a bass in the mix. Small differences go a long way. Get a good EQ and the right bass and you're game.

If I could add to #3 please...learn how to do these things, and over time you will be able set up YOUR instrument to your playing style and feel. 😊

My tip: Record yourself. Just use your phone to begin with. So you can listen back and use it as a learning tool. Best thing for me was learning songs, recording myself and being critical of my playing.

Everything you said is spot on. I learned these points through experience/trial and error.

Great vid. I'd heard a teacher say the greatest thing once.. "Don't play it as fast as you CAN'T".lol So many players get lost in crap which is less important than just being really solid.

Great tips. About playing with a pick, it's sometimes required by the style of music you're playing. You can't get that specific attack and tone with the fingers.

The first bass lesson I ever had, the guy told me when in doubt to follow the kick and the high hat. Thanks for reinforcing that tip!

I'm a guitar player hoping to get into bass and I found your words super inspiring. I really enjoy your video style!

Me with high frequency hearing loss: listen the drums, damn yeah I do! Especially hi-hat. Oh boy…

Man, I couldn't agree more with each and every point. Love it! I would add something to #7 you somehow implied: don't overdo, and learn to really love playing less and enjoying simple lines, enjoying just the sound of each note, because bass sounds awesome! Great video Philip!

Love it! I can see where #3 came from :) Better have a $150 instrument professionally setup, than a $1500 instrument with no setup. Musical instruments are made of wood, they change with temperature and humidity. Every bass needs adjustment, even these $10,000 fender custom shop relic ones.

#11 Don't listen to guitarists who tell you you don't need to know the chords names you are playing over, eg major, minor, 7ths, dim, aug. It does matter and learning what to do over them is not difficult.

GREAT point about prioritizing group sounds. I need to work on that

in the first few minutes, the way you describe the drums is really helpful! I have never heard it like that! Really good man!

Fantastic advice and I completely agree with all that you're saying. My Dad is a professional jazz bass player who has played with many of the greats and he taught me. I started on bass in 1983 and I eventually picked up guitar as well. My Dad said most these things, if not directly certainly in spirit. I hope you inspire the next generation with your channel!

Excellent points! Very much enjoy your channel. Thanks!

Thanks so much! This is very thoughtfully spoken and valid. Just subscribed. Keep up the great work. Bless you 🙏

Very helpful advice. Thank you!

Almost forty years of playing bass, and this advice and guidance would have helped when I got started. I think I've done every one of these "don'ts" Thanks, Philip! Great video

Good tips, this one goes into the Favorites playlist! I enjoyed your basic course. I have been a very mediocre/poor guitarist and bass player for many years. Your course taught me to focus on simple stuff that I should have been doing all along. Didn't realize you had the triad courses. I will be checking them out next!

Great advice. Thank you😊

I'm a bassist who's picking up the bass after not playing for a while, and getting the things right that I never knew about before (hello, flying pinky!). That triads > scales is so true -- once you said it I knew why, but I'd never formulated it as something to practice before.

Number 1 is one of the most important lessons in music. Period Can be applied to any instrument

Breaking down each individual component of the drum set was super helpful. Thanks!

This is some really great advice.

GREAT video Philip!! #7 TOTALLY rang true to me!! I also have a "Franciscan" background so the "stars align" with your wisdom on this one for me. Thanks so much!

Everyone of these tips are fantastic!

Back in the lockdown times I saw a live stream concert that you did with Rhett. I remember thinking "Damn that bass player's badass"! If you want, you should do breakdowns of your favorite baselines and or players. Not sure if that's too overdone but I'd watch you for sure!

the balancing fun and discipline is definitely something i believe is very important in keeping the motivation to learn and grow there. i lucked out and started this instrument after a decade of playing brass so a lot of the theory and conceptual side of music is something i’ve gone through already but i’ve seen so many people get bogged down trying to jump into that first before just getting playing as the primary practice and doing that sorta study to facilitate the progression of skills.

Great video, thanks! One thing for me is singing or humming along with what you’re playing when you’re practicing, I didn’t do this until recently and it really helps develop your ear, especially to recognise intervals and chord changes

Concerning getting a good setup, I totally agree that have a quality setup is so important. It is so easy to make the sound of an instrument punch above its price point with a proper setup. I would go a step further however, and encourage new players to learn how to adjust the setup themselves. Truss rod, action, and intonation adjustments can all be completed with a basic toolbox, which most folks should have in general if they don't already. It also allows you to customize the setup to your preference instead of getting the more generic "good" setup a shop will give you. Adjusting and maintaining my instruments myself has made me feel much closer to them and helped me take a greater ownership of my sound.

I love this! Esp. the talk of Triads but mostly #7. Thank you.

As a beginner, this is a fantastic list and I'm going to check out your triads video next.

I agree with all of this! The one thing that didn’t sit with me was when you said there’s thousands of scales. I can think of less than 20 that are commonly used in music. I totally agree that learning triads is the perfect starting point but, scales are incredibly important. Just thought I’d put those two cents in. Nice video!

I should rewatch it few times. Thank you!

(re)beginning bass player here. this is the most perfect distillation of every gobbet of basslore I've picked up from various videos and interviews so far - echoing advice from some greats, like Leland Sklar and Krist Novoselic. and this gal who has a lil video on playing country bass. incredible. i cheered when you got to the "servant" part, because I've actually said, "My mission is to play this bass as a service instrument." meaning exactly what you said. definitely subscribing. ✌🏻🎼🙏🏻

Really enjoy your speaking style and demeanor, Philip. I think this is a very helpful video, thank you.

4-6 are gold. The tone in a band vs solo is why I’m a P bass die hard. Also agree 1000% that triads get you a ton of mileage. Learning arpeggios in all directions will get you paid lol! I’d add learning the basics of chord theory and how modes play into that is very important, but triads can get you through the first 10 years.

Definitely wish i had learned the fretboard from the beginning. Bass tab number system created some bad habits and ways of thinking that took a long time for me to overcome. Great video.

I agree %100 with what you said. Playing bass over 30 years in bars.

I wish I’d recognized that you can play all over the neck and still sound like a bass player. Bass can be played on more than just the e string.

Yo triads>scales is a fantastic piece of advice. I started learning the language of bass playing so much faster when I started to pick up on the triads in nearly every song I heard

i think this is the vid to take me out of my rut. im another victim of an imbalanced "fun scale" lol thanks for this dude, awesome list thru and thru!

Thanks. I'm a guitar player and I have a bass for composing and fun purposes. I was talking to a friend about playing bass. it's a different whole world compared to guitar. Can you make a video for guitar players or other musicians on how the approach has to be when it comes to playing bass? My friend told me: "Don´t play the bass with a guitar player mindset, play it like a bass" and I'm not referring to strumming or something like that, I mean that I'm too melodic when I play bass.

My two biggest mistakes: 1) Being rigidly stuck on the one finger per fret rule. In conjunction with failing to warm up and limit practice times it really messed my wrist up. 2) Getting lost down the rabbit hole of pedals and sonics instead of building basic foundational skills.

Thanks for talking about picks. Too many bassist neglect or outright reject that skill set. Great video man!

Good advice - thank you

Your triads advice definitely resonates. Thanks

Simple, humility, very classy, THANKS. 😊

Hey i like this.. Great teaching!

Triads>Scales is the best piece of advice ever. Something I wish I would have taken to heart when I was starting out. No matter what instrument, having mastery of the circle of thirds is far more valuable than the circle of fifths.

You should learn how to play bass with a pick, with your fingers and with your thumb. All styles are valid....learn when to use which style. Thumb and finger pulls are slap, (disco, funk, top 40 dance ) pick is country or speed metal, finger style is jazz or blues,(bebop, 50's elvis and 60's hippy ,)

this is really great things to think about!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great Video! Been playing Bass since Feb. 1973 and recently started teaching teens at church. I focus on 3 things I wished I had learned early in my journey. “Hand Position and Muting” are key to help us articulate the notes we play. My students catch on quickly and sound much better! But the 3rd and Most Important thing is playing with a drummer. I’ll play a simple repetitive pattern, then add the drums and introduce them to The Groove! Now they’re Hooked!

One I wish I knew - plug in and don't play too hard. Economy of Motion. I came up in a volatile home and didn't want to bother anyone with my 'noise' so I mostly played unplugged and as such played everything way too hard (so I could hear it) and had to un-learn that behavior later, which took even longer. Should've asked for headphones for Christmas.

Love you Philip!

Good advice ! It is essential to play with other musicians...

Keen on those triad courses. I've been playing bass since '99 and I've never learned them. Missing out.

Well, there are two 6's, two 7's and 9 tips overall. But overall, I agree with all of them.

Thanks Philip great video 👌 Maybe you could explain a little bit more what a good band-tone is and what to look out for. I am struggling at the moment with finding a good band-tone which I can hear somewhat clearly but is not too annoying at the same time. 😅

These are tips many players have spent years learning on their own. A couple of personal observations. #4 When you slow down a phrase you can easily employ fingering techniques that aren’t possible at higher tempos so pay attention to the mechanics needed to play at proper tempo #6 Super glue to the rescue for callouses. Seriously. Personally I play fingerstyle, thumb pluck with palm mute and the funkity slapitty. No pick for me on bass (guitar yes). Keep up the good work! 🤘🤩🤘

A bass player must be able to play in all 12 keys major and all 12 keys minor. I remember the first time they handed me a Michael Buble chart in Db~!~!!!! 5 flats.... I have been playing bass now for 50 years... and I am mostly a jazz bassist, however I remember starting out playing in guitars keys, E C G D A..... Now, I play in all horn and piano keys Bb, Eb, F, Db, and Ab

I can make it a lot simpler. You match the timing of the drums with the tone of the guitars playing with thirds, fourths, fifths and octaves. It is more important to know ever note on the fretboard and those positions than just scales. You can play around the roots on the riffs and so much more than just common scales. But if you can walk up to an octave or even two higher than the guitar then you are standing out. Still the same note in unison with the riffs but stands out on bass. Its really simple. The octave is two strings down and three frets over from the root. Four notes. Practice and this is extreme octaves but ACDCs Shot Down in Flames. The ending of the song is kind of difficult on 8th notes but. You go from a D on the fifth fret on the A string to a D on the twelfth fret on the D string to an A on the A string on the twelfth fret and slide down and either pull off on the A string or pick it and let that ring. Then at the very ending hit the E string at the fifth fret which is an A and slide down and mute. Ergo. Gurss what key the song is in. A. Another important thing to know playing bass. So you need to know what key a song is in. But you need to know why you are playing what you play. Then in rock you play in time with the drums in the verses but play in unison with the guitars on the choruses then go back to the drums. Just something to think about as a bassist.

Your content is always amazing. I would love to add to the first one about locking in with teh drums - something I wish someone told me: "learn" drums. Like... for real - "learn" what they do. Meaning I grew up playing guitar and bass and because my brother played drums I wanted him to have "his thing" and me to have "my thing" (SMH LOL). So over the years people would say "lock in with the drums" though I really had no idea how drummers did what they do - not even basic beats. So several years ago I started studying drums - first buying some sticks and a basic drum pad and doing traditional grip and rudiments. I also make hip hop beats. For me - undersatnding that even though it can get wild, basic drumming is often 4/4 with bass drum on the 1 and 3 and snare on 2 and 4 with lead hand mapping out 1 2 3 4. Obviously that's veeeery basic though it's important to know what part the bass would be locking in. Now I'm very mindful of where things fall and, often, choose to program drums in the studio because it keeps me from overplaying... not that there's anything wrong with that... though making sure the drums is that team you mentioned. Anyway respect always - and BRO I'M STILL LOVING MY BEATLE BASS - thank you for the motivation to just pull the trigger already.

I love the samurai analogy for the role of the bass! I love samurai! Makes sense! I've always seen it as a "support" instrument. After playing trombone since middle school, I look forward to learning other instruments! My dad played drums and my brother plays bass and used to play guitar. Bass is in bass clef like a trombone, so I feel I can adapt that a little easier, and I'm more used to the support role too. Good stuff, man! Very useful and insightful! I wanna be a bass samurai! 😅😆😎😁👍🏻

All good advice. I'd add: * Don't worry about competing with showboating KZfaqrs. Yes, you can play crazy tapped solos on bass, but 99% of the time, that is not how the bass is used in music in a band setting. It's a support instrument, often called on to play far simpler things--with perfect feel and timing. Groove/drive is way more important than flash. That's what gets feet tapping, butts moving, and heads banging. If you want to be flashy all the time, be a lead guitarist. * Learn to sing/hum/whistle a part first, then try to play it. It'll be far easier if you've already internalized it versus just sight reading notes/tab. * Ignore anyone who starts issuing hard and fast rules about what "real" bassists do. They're probably wrong or stupid. * Experiment with gear: try different scale lengths, strings, pedals, picks, etc. It might help improve your technique or tone, inspire some creativity, or get you out of a rut.

Another tip, don't watch Charles Berthoud videos.

I a drummer and I can listen as if I’m in the audience. It’s funny what I mean. I can hear each person and how I interact with them or have to play to them

I can absolutely and wholeheartedly agree 👍 Valuable advice not only for new players but for every Bass-Jedi who doesn't want to go to Bass-Jail 😂

Bass players need to listen to all styles of music, so when they say shuffle groove, you know that the 8th notes are not straight 8ths but instead they are swing 8ths based on the first and 3 triplets .

Bass players need to learn how to read both chord symbols, and know what notes are in the chord, and also learn how to read bass notation in Bass clef. Remember that piano and tuba are written one octave lower, but sound the same. Bass is written one octave higher. it took me 20 years to learn how to read, now I can sight read a full concert.Example... The producer says.... Here's the bass book for the Ventures tribute band. its one full inch thick!!!!! Piece of cake.....

Tip: spend more time palying, and less time on the web checking for new gear

Yeah man!

#5 is gold. And, it should said this is true of every instrument and probably vocal (if the EQ is taken into consideration) too. Talk to anyone who has spent time at home messing with pedals, EQ, volume etc, only to find that the great sound they got there is sort of useless, or poopy in the band sound. Additionally, any band working well as a group need to take this idea into rehearsal and spend time getting a good sound as a group and not expecting everyone's 'great sound' to add up to a great sounding band.

Great advice thanks so much from a brand new bass player here!

Great video man. Another good piece of advice would be get to know the bass you have. This goes for beginners and experts. Having a bunch of different basses can be great but it won’t make you a better player and can actually hinder progression because you can be so fixated on the next “best” thing. Get to know the instrument you have and know it well. Whether it’s a $500 bass or a $5000 bass, you’re still going to sound like you at the end of the day.

Great list, also learn to sing. Melody and harmony

Been playing bass for 25 + years and your number 5 tip is as relevant now as when I started …check out Chuck Raineys bass tone on “Josie “ brutal solo perfect in the mix

I've been playing bass 30 years and have played around 500 live gigs with over a dozen different bands and styles of music. I was a practicing/gigging musician for 22 years. The #1 piece of advice for any new bass player is: Do not let others tell you how to play! Learn from other musicians, but you must find and nurture your own unique style of playing. You will find it very hard to do that if you let others control the way you play. If you want to play progressively, learn to do that well. If you want to play low key and stay in the groove pocket, that's fine too. Be yourself and be your own bass player!

I was taking some lessons from a local musician, and he asked me ‘What does salt do?” His answer: “It makes food taste better. Unless you add too much salt.” Then he asked “What does a bassist do?” His answer: “He(or she) makes music sound better. Unless you add too many notes.” His point (and he told me directly, with a finger too close to my face, in case I didn’t get it): It’s not about you, it’s about the music! I got it. I won’t forget it.

Do you have a favorite place to go for bass set-ups/tech in the Atlanta area? I try to do as much maintenance as I can by myself, but sometimes would like to take my gear to someone with a lot of experience.

The biggest thing for me was to learn not to compare myself to the Hamm's, Wooten's, Miller's, Clarke's, etc... I can still be a great bass player if I can't play like those guys. I also play drums, and it's been a huge value, both for overall understanding, and being able to get with other musicians, especially if I haven't played with the group before

Great video. My advice to intermediate players would be not to play just your own material--cover other people's stuff! As you're starting to get the hang of making music, it's easy to start prioritizing your own songs rather than playing covers. But covers can widen your horizon and skillset significantly. I get that there's a lot of players who prioritize covering songs, but for players like me it's easy to forget that there's so many great ideas already out there.

Best. Bass. Video. EVER!

I just learned the pocket gets massive when you play behind the beat

I love the servant comment - both to the music and your mates. A corollary to this is to pick your spots to flex your fills. Don't step on top of vocalists or other instruments. I can't tell you how many times I've aborted what I thought was a fill opportunity because someone else had the same thought.

Would “don’t only play tonics” a good advice? Maybe some tips on how to play the triads should help.

Practice with a metronome to develop great time~!!! Put metronome on beat 2 and 4 like the clik of the snare drum!!!!!

Last tip: AMEN BROTHER 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

I realise you might be too busy to answer this ... but I'm a guitar players who's been learning to play bass this year. Leaning more towards recording bass, than playing live. So far, I've been doing ok with my little Ampeg Micro VR + SVT210AV cab. But, I'd like to add an Ampeg tube amp into the fold. We play similar basses, and probably stylistically record music that's in the same ball park (Mustang + P-bass). Since your familiar with both the Ampeg B-15 & Ampeg V-4b, which would you recommend as a first bass tube amp for recording - B-15 style or V-4b? (the B-15 type I'm looking at is the PF-20T or PF-50T which also function as Tube + Transformer DIs.