The Coolest Bass Line In The World Ever! (and how to play it)

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Күн бұрын

Lesson Material and Drum Track available to view here: bit.ly/2xWVTfe
This week we’re going to look at the coolest bass line in the world ever! (IMHO!) Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick by Ian Dury & The Blockheads.
It’s played by the awesome Norman Watt Roy and is one hell of a great workout and introduction to 16th note fingerstyle funk playing!
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Пікірлер: 125

@talkingbasslessons 6 жыл бұрын

I think this is probably the coolest bass line in the world ever! What do you think? What's your vote for 'coolest'-bass-riff-ever?!

@bassista2614 6 жыл бұрын

This is one of the coolesr bass line for finger style, for slap is hair by Larry...

@mateusz8265 6 жыл бұрын

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/iLJkmKensseuqX0.html

@bustabass9025 6 жыл бұрын

No brainer for me...James Jamerson with Marvin Gaye's What's Going On. Classic bass player's riff showcasing the Master's iconic style and technique. At the same time, he outlined a very tastefully executed, constantly moving bass line that will forever mark the Motown Sound, and how it influenced popular music.👑🎸🎵

@generichen6014 6 жыл бұрын

Tesseract - Singularity; intro and after 1:05 kzfaq.info/get/bejne/o5ZdfNaGmJPOdIE.html kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bKiYgqxmzt6af5s.html

@thewomble1509 6 жыл бұрын

How can you consider this an "average" bass line? As a bass line designed to fit a classic, four minute funk pop song ,Watt - Roy did an amazing job.

@alanhearne6733 Жыл бұрын

Hello, I agree that this is one of the best bass lines ever... And what is interesting is the lack of slapping, tapping, triplets and other modern day bass histrionics... 👍... Great lesson Mark

@marshwetland3808 Жыл бұрын

😂 love the disdain lol or maybe even high dudgeon

@Murdo2112 6 жыл бұрын

13:51 I read an interview, years ago, in which Norman stated that the whole bassline was built around that one section. He heard "Come On, Come Over", was grabbed by that lick at the beginning of the chorus section and thought "I'm havin' that!" Everything else was expanded from that one lick.

@blindsquirrel7802 Жыл бұрын

Norman Watt-Roy took inspiration from Jaco Pastorious and made history. Totally monster grove and as busy as it is absolutely worked for the song.

@jaytee5870 6 жыл бұрын

After you played all 3 parts, I immediately stopped this video and looked up this song to hear it in real time. This bass line is awesome! 👍

@marshwetland3808 Жыл бұрын

I listened to this song a bajillion times in high school (when it came out) and I never noticed the great basslines in it.

@genlob 3 жыл бұрын

Great tutorial, Mark. I love Ian's lyrics but it's Chaz and Norm that make the Blockheads for me. This bass line is like Jaco passed the gods' fire on thru' Norm.

@0711RC Жыл бұрын

Thanks for your teachings Mark, you are very kind.

@midplanewanderer9507 6 жыл бұрын

I've the barest glimmer of memory of this odd tune; like a past-life memory, perhaps best forgotten. I dissected it on youtube after this lesson came up in my feed. Man! That freak'n bass-line! The way it holds everything together, everything trapped in it's gravity like the 60+ moons orbiting Jupiter. (There's even one moon - recently found - going 'round in the opposite direction. No one quite knows why. Maybe it's the singer).

@AndyBankside 2 жыл бұрын

Mate, this has left me utterly speechless!!

@clowncollege90 6 жыл бұрын

Well, that's my weekend taken care of... Thanks Mark!!!

@seanlyons4197 3 жыл бұрын

Well this will become a classic go to lesson for sure. Well delivered Mark.

@KozmykJ 3 жыл бұрын

Been my workout since the mid eighties. I prefer to slide the Eb to F, NMR mixes it up as I've observed. Oh what a band to see live !! Luckily ... I'm old enough to have been able ...

@paulhynes6566 5 жыл бұрын

Absolutely fantastic. I will always come back to your tutorials....cuts straight to the chase but do-able. Super. Coolest bass riff ever....hmmm it's certainly in my top 3 along with YYZ and Sir Duke :-p

@charlessearancke9439 2 жыл бұрын

nice bass playn love it

@MoeJoe974 5 жыл бұрын

Great bass lines. I think my favorite is Jameson’s work on What’s Going On.

@lance4842 6 жыл бұрын

Sounds very cool. But still the bassline from "Come Together" and "Dark Neccesities' are my personal favorites.

@graemerobertson5160 6 жыл бұрын

This song is difficult for many people because it requires some careful right had finger coordination to play the doubled up notes. I feel too little attention is given to this on the tutorials I have seen, and it is important for students to see what the fingers on the right hand is given. I am pleased you have given attention to this. Might be an idea to show which part of the string to pick, as to close to the bridge it gets too taut.

@gordonblues843 6 жыл бұрын

I remember skiing with this on my walkman. Good times...

@leonardcrate 6 жыл бұрын

Hmm, not bad for a 4am wake up call 😉 time to wake up my girlfriend belting out this bassline I guess 😂

@Phaidrus 5 жыл бұрын

man, this bass line is mind boggling!

@arthurmee 6 жыл бұрын

I happened to see The Blockheads at a gig back in June and saw Norman Joseph Watt-Roy perform this bassline. I believe that Norman wrote the bassline straight after hearing Jaco play.

@thewomble1509 6 жыл бұрын

That's right. He was at a Jaco gig a few nights before the Blockheads were due in the studio to record this song. Instant classic inspired by one genius to another!

@simonhart2186 6 жыл бұрын

Definitely up there as one of my all time favourite lines.... also going to chuck in Talking Loud by Incognito (a pure masterclass by Randy Hope Taylor)

@JerryTremaine 3 жыл бұрын

@TalkingBass - Online Bass Lessons Lovely job! You certainly made a damn complicated bass line for most; more approachable..I don't play bass much..I have a good go at it though! Norman's an old friend ..he tried to show me this once, he was polite bless him..lol..bloody fiddley bass line!..but when you get in the groove..it's a joy to play, I have to say you made a fine job of explaining it! You're spot on with the Jaco reference..he's Norman's favourite..I can't remember the song, but we spent hours going over this one tune live where he's detuning the neck..yes the Neck! not the bleedin' strıngs!! as he's playing!! Amazing ..Norm and İ couldn't get our heads round that one! Anyway..when we're freed from the dreaded virus İ'll get Norm to check this vid out..Till then do keep up the fine work sir!! ;o)

@Hard-Boiled-Bollock 11 ай бұрын

Probably still my favourite song to play

@kevinturner9733 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this Marc. I managed to get it under my fingers in about an hour. But jeez my upper right arm is killing me right now 😂

@creid1980 6 жыл бұрын

I know it's still a bit early but I'd love a breakdown of Christmas wrapping by the waitresses!

@Bazonthebass 2 ай бұрын

Wonderful. Thank you.

@eugenechek7288 6 жыл бұрын

I agree completely! Cool Norman bass line and an excellent lesson.

@philgee5220 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing this tut with us Mark its been one Ive wanted to learn for some time and thanks to you have finally got it. As another NWR and Blockheads for the future perhaps, would you maybe consider "What a Waste"?

@treylem3 5 жыл бұрын

Awesome. You're a great teacher

@theluckymanfrom 5 жыл бұрын

Great bass line. Thanks for sharing it, as I will definitely incorporate it into my practice routine. Appreciate you Mark!

@Twirlyhead 5 жыл бұрын

I saw a documentary once in which Ian Dury described his composing style. He would come up with a song in a relatively simple form then bring an arranger in to finalise it. I may be wrong but I have always thought that this bass line in particular, has got _arranger woz here_ written all over it.

@grahambrowning6114 3 жыл бұрын

DURY.

@Twirlyhead 3 жыл бұрын

@@grahambrowning6114 *YES*

@AdrianFarrell 6 жыл бұрын

Turned out not to be a click bait title at all, totally awesome bass line I've been working on far a while. It's quite a work out!

@chuckdee60 6 жыл бұрын

Gm Mark can you make a video of the Jacksons Heartbreak hotel plz

@markbass354 4 жыл бұрын

you're making me work learning this Mark

@dave3124 3 жыл бұрын

Very good. You've just given me some serious practice there. Brilliant tho

@johnny0468 5 жыл бұрын

yep i agree its a class bass line from norman,one of many he wrote,!!although most famous....relax n two tribes on his trevor horn session!

@gazmckenzie8420 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for posting this video. Helped me complete my quest to learn and upload this song.

@edwardtrimble3848 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks you've really helped me in my bass playing.

@klumklum9937 5 ай бұрын

Truly talking...and some bass

@aarondavis4341 6 жыл бұрын

I got thrown for a loop from the gate,Mark called the first fret of the D string E flat, where as i learned it as D sharp,it took me a second to fix it in my head had to watch that first part a couple times to make sure i was hearing right

@barrylongden7 3 жыл бұрын

I've tried playing this bass line myself and found using three fingers on my plucking hand worked better and smoother than the usual two. Mind you I find it hard to get the hang of too. BTW; I wouldn't be so delusional to claim to be a bass player of any real ability, though I once thought I was good; I'm not. And Covid and osteoarthritis in my fretting hand thumb has stopped me playing for months. It's certainly a great bass line and I can clearly remember when it was charting and the cool vibes I got from the bass line!

@xref8 5 жыл бұрын

I have been looking for all the parts to this song. I only had part of it. Thanks for posting this video!

@kingstumble 6 жыл бұрын

I've got to agree with you even though it's not my usual style(assuming I have one that is!)

@chomusic 9 ай бұрын

Why isn't this guy a major star?

@Buzzramjet 3 жыл бұрын

IT is a killer riff.

@danielpalmersofficial Жыл бұрын

Norman is great, is he still in the band by any chance?? ✌️😙

@thewomble1509 6 жыл бұрын

Hi Mark, another great lesson. Thank you. Can you suggest any tips to overcome my problem with right hand finger alternation when playing octaves in lines like this one? My fingers are a bit stubby and I really struggle to cover both strings with equal attack. Any suggestions would be most welcome. many thanks once again.

@karensingh2020 3 жыл бұрын

not many can play it. very tough!

@Facu_Roldan 5 жыл бұрын

Mate thank you so much for this video. Honestly, didn't know about this band (and of course this song). Thank you for introducing them to me. Now this is a must listen, and of course I'm grabbing my bass ASAP to learn this. Greetings from Argentina.

@megaexidor 6 жыл бұрын

O Man, that is what I need! What a great way to wakeup. Thanks Mark

@belindadrake5487 2 жыл бұрын

As an ‘l wish l was a bass player instead of being a guitarist’ ( no regrets as a pianist WOTSOVER); . I blew it. It ain’t the same thinkin you can be a GREAT BASS GUITARIST coming from the guitar; don’t kid ya self! It’s a different beast!! Anything l hear doesn’t sound like it’s got enough bass little alone mids, 😩🥺I so LOVE THESE GUYS. I’ve been playing for years; is it to late for me ??? 😖😢😡🤢🔫

@hellboundrubber4448 10 ай бұрын

I always thought the Ghost note was an Eb? Leading to F and G with a D Ghost note?

@aquamarine99911 3 жыл бұрын

I personally don't think Norman plays the low Eb in the run up to the high Eb at the end of the low Fm riff - i.e. the part you discuss at the 4:00 mark. The way I used to play it - before I saw this video - was to slide from the C to the F on the A-string. But now that you have me listening the song more closely, I think Norm actually slides from the F to the Ab on the D-string. I don't hear him throwing that extra low Eb in there.

@octopusfood7740 6 жыл бұрын

nice one - you're right it is killer

@onixtv4034 4 жыл бұрын

I would also add Higher Ground by the RHCP and the intro to Sweet Child O Mine by Guns and Roses

@andrewkoontz01 6 жыл бұрын

the jazz bass sounds great

@karansuryawanshipaontasahib 3 жыл бұрын

Suberb lins sir..

@keithgaffaney8061 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks mate. Awesome breakdown. Love your work. Cheers. Thanks again brightens up what I was looking for. It's played pretty busily that tune.

@jerrysmith4026 6 жыл бұрын

Great vid! Love the 16th note funk! Rocco Prestia’s line on Tower of Power’s “Ebony Jam” was one of my first forays into the style back in ‘98. Gonna get started on this one right away!

@NiecieB65 5 жыл бұрын

The verse riff has a strong Jaco feel! Work it! ☺

@kazerdira4704 4 жыл бұрын

I really want to know if we are born with limited speed fingers ... i learn the first part of the riff i started when you posted it and i can not reach more than 85bpm

@vooveks 3 жыл бұрын

It’s limited _strength_ fingers, mostly. Most of the time, if you can’t get up to speed on fast bass lines , it’s because you didn’t develop the strength/stretch/muscle memory _slowly,_ before you attempted it at full speed. TB and lots of other teachers cover this aspect of playing. Get it solid (and you have to be honest with yourself about how solid you have it) at a slow speed, then work up through the BPMs, and I’ll guarantee you’ll get it faster and eventually full speed.

@DAN-C Жыл бұрын

So what song is this?

@hasegawaakira4369 6 жыл бұрын

Really cool vid! you should make your own app!!!

@talkingbasslessons 6 жыл бұрын

I've actually got a scales app out for the Ipad

@hasegawaakira4369 6 жыл бұрын

Ionly have an android😣😰

@theindiekebab5535 5 жыл бұрын

Bit of ian dury and the blockheads

@estebanjacobs5794 4 жыл бұрын

Half-tongue by All them witches

@jdb123ize 4 жыл бұрын

Omg, I’ve never heard of this bassline

@Madmikey626 4 жыл бұрын

Have you been living on another planet.

@josiahjoy59 3 жыл бұрын

Heyo! What kind of bass is that in this video?

@fheliojr 6 жыл бұрын

"Lesson Material and Drum Track available to view here: bit.ly/2xWVTfe [...]" It´s a shame we can´t download those drum tracks.

@chrisholton7353 6 жыл бұрын

If this bassline doesn't get your foot tapping and your head bobbing, you need to check your pulse.

@royohrn5848 3 жыл бұрын

No ,stop thinking,slow down ,tire that wall down Now do it

@yocraigst 4 жыл бұрын

"Ghetto Life" by Rick James....bass line during the main verse is two notes (and mostly just one). By the way...I know that song you're teaching, but there was some wild woman singing on the version I heard....quite unique she was/is.

@thewomble1509 5 жыл бұрын

Hi Mark. I've always wondered if Watt-Roy came in on the off beat on purpose or if that is just where they rolled the tape from?

@DaveyMulholland 3 жыл бұрын

You think he just recorded it without having worked out what he was going to play BEFORE he started recording? 🤦‍♂️

@thewomble1509 3 жыл бұрын

@@DaveyMulholland That 's not what I asked. He could have decided to come in on bar "x" and the tape could still have been rolled from another spot......................

@DaveyMulholland 3 жыл бұрын

I thought 'taffi teffi' was the age old method...

@jdb123ize 4 жыл бұрын

Ain’t nothin like the real thing by Jamerson is the Greatest

@georgetuttle4855 6 жыл бұрын

You should start the video with the bass line...

@tomleaverland2458 6 жыл бұрын

36 seconds was too much to wait was it?

@georgetuttle4855 5 жыл бұрын

yes, in terms of enjoying the video it was, i skipped the babbling

@tomleaverland2458 5 жыл бұрын

So because he simply told us what the song was called, a brief overview of what it's like and then saying that he's going to play it, that meant you could no longer enjoy the video? Nice one.

@TheSectric 5 жыл бұрын

You should stop being such a child.

@cary3428 2 жыл бұрын

It better be “ rhythm stick”.

@bujintao1 5 жыл бұрын

easy.

@66mmpow 6 жыл бұрын

How abut covering some John Entwistle,a bass guitarist.

@foxface16s58 4 жыл бұрын

To fast m8, for me anyway

@chrisbennett606 5 жыл бұрын

Copying what someone else has already created is not impressive

@talkingbasslessons 5 жыл бұрын

I dunno, I think this is pretty impressive: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/edhhatloyLyugp8.html

@marcelocoip7275 6 жыл бұрын

I don´t think so. I really respect you and i'm really grateful to alllllll your lessons. But this isn´t tasty. I always thought that a bit of marketing would be good to your channel, but not in this way (promising title, average cool bass line). Now come to mind Heart of the sunrise (Yes), Wake Up (RATM), Cochise (Audioslave) and various from Led Zeppelin. Greetins from Argentina.

@patbassman8251 5 жыл бұрын

Led Zeppelin lol your joking right

@BassicVIC 5 жыл бұрын

“Best ever”!!!!! 🙄 Please don’t use American hyperbole to attract attention.

@charlieshumway2193 5 жыл бұрын

Did you lose weight?

@talkingbasslessons 5 жыл бұрын

Yup. Goes up and down. If you look at my first vids (5 years ago) I'm thinner than I am now (with more of a tan!). Then I put on weight dealing with all the tiredness, trials and tribulations of having two young children. Got married in August of last year and then absolutely hammered my Keto diet. Still have a couple of stone to lose. But doing well.

@talkingbasslessons 5 жыл бұрын

It actually helps that I've started wearing a fitted top rather than the shirt which was a little baggy