How to Play Bass Guitar: Beginner Lessons : Picking Hand Technique

[ric4682]

Hmm...poping and slapping is the best technique?..well no one told me!! I've been playing bass wrong for years!!!

[axisofjustice50]

u r the reason most bassist dont admit their bassist

[Kep0v]

why is expertvillage never expert

[cassxcassx]

This was a waste of my time it did not help at all

[9Rondex]

super puper

[hcd1703]

Well if this is the standard of playing for beginners, I must be more shit at playing bass than i thought i already was...!

[abuzaidhussien]

beginner? ouhh!!

[csiperke12]

its not slap

[boydilpat]

wtf... .i. this is not for beginner... better kill your self.........

[xPsuedo]

@JaicobMcCarreyMusic

it may be a trend, but can you blame us?

[dergeese]

WORST BEGINNERLESSON EVER! 

[Rapox16]

The only good thing in this video is the Aerosmith shirt

[JaicobMcCarreyMusic]

Let's all stick with the trend and hate on a guy doing a perfectly good job.

[bluebow68]

..Stop poppin' / Slappin' son...and tidy your room up,your tea's ready!!

[xPsuedo]

:50

[BlakeMDavis]

I love this guys use of adjectives

[exno8]

lessons from a stoner. just what every beginner needs, another lesson from Expert Village Idiots.

[Blavits]

suck

[ZackeryMetalMaster]

haha this is exspert village imagine Noob Village i think they would have complete stoned retards teaching us then

[DHMeep]

@ZackeryMetalMaster lmao we have this on expert ::)

[mbrsart]

With Expert Village, you GET what you PAY FOR! Do yourself a favor and take lessons instead. Videos like this are the reason I'm studying to be a music teacher.

[Tbobble316]

Fuck expert village

[AnUnexplainable]

Why doesn't Expert Village make one long video instead of fifty 30 second videos...

[TheVrowsell]

@AnUnexplainable Man I was thinking the same thing ! They are not very good tutors either -_-

[AnUnexplainable]

@TheVrowsell it's true...

[exno8]

@AnUnexplainable. lol! maybe more than 30 seconds is too long without a smoke?

[AnUnexplainable]

@exno8 Expert Village is just awful :P

[ArturoAseo]

is this guy homeless?



[davidfcolorador]

mala técnica en ambas manos.

[MozezVanHelgen]

i thohgt its for beginners and not for ADVANCED PEOPLE...

[ZappaFan101]

'A pick has a more distinct sound'... so finger picking doesn't?

With a pick 'You can hear the tone a little better'... huzza wuzza?

I'm convinced even he doesn't know what the hell he is talking about. And chances are, if someone learning how to finger pick, they must be pretty new to bass. So, then why would you play something like this if the people learning don't even have callouses yet? It seems like he is more concerned with showing off. What a very ungood lesson. Ungood indeed...

[xXNiTeBriGAdEXx]

@ZappaFan101 Its exxpert villiage. Youre suprised by all this? haha

[lovedirtloveair]

yeah man same

[ZappaFan101]

I think he is baked as well. When he looks at his bass, he's thinking, "Fuck, I wish this bass was a giant turkey leg."

[zero211205]

he is stoned , dont complain

[HSGTM]

This is retarded.

[PinkPurpleGreenBlue]

i'll have whatever this guy's smokin

[sasafti]

this shows nothing aobout PICKING UP hand techniqes,,,

[spinnerrossi]

I learned nothing

[xRhysthecollectorx]

what bass is that

[Leyla1575]

he is so 'popy' xD

[catweasel457]

isn´´t a video menat to watch the guy on the screen, instead of having the screen full with text? video fail!

[thegkexperience007]

the only thing that i learned from this jolly good fellow is the word ''twangy''

i will use it in my future conversations...

[eaglewings]

Oh yes, that riff is very very basic and definately a good thing to start off with when you grab a bass guitar for the first time.

[TaintedDirectOr]

@eaglewings lmao ikr?

[desertcrash]

LOL@eaglewings  Nice

[faraoseth]

show off.

[StraightRazor99]

I'm getting so bored of hearing the pick-haters. When I hear people crap on pick-playing, it reminds me of HS. Hey, if you ask me, I think popping and slapping sounds messy and careless. It sounds like stinky dreadlocks and patchuli oil. Everytime I see a bass player popping and slapping, I feel like voting for a Republican on principle. One time I saw a guy having a seizure, and not sure what else to do, I handed him a bass. I was was amazed that it sounded like a Victor Wooten solo.

[Noise789]

this guy doesn't play clean at all... shit.

"how do you play bass?"

"well you just play bass"

[croninburg]

Can I buy some weed from you?

[VrathCombatir]

Twangy?

I found my new phrase.

[zarigunn]

before you give a lesson, learn how to hold a pick

[Hagfan789]

huh.ahuhh..huh.duuude...huuh..­huh.huuuhh a.aaaaaa..what????

[dharmaseed]

I notice that you did not timekeep once in this video. How do you expoect to hold down a groove without a sense of time?

[mizaron1]

this young man is a good player but has not a clue of how to teach.

[mURDErfAceD402]

alright thats cool. some tabs would make it better tho

[LethalViiper]

yeah erm, i can't remember that riff, you douchnozzle

[Reneggy]

pick-pig, slap-crap! it all is bullshit! Grandmasters use the tap tech

[Aztecalt1997]

that's a long riff. I want tabs

[irvineyay92]

finger plying!!!!!

wut!!!

dude ur a joke

[trazer911]

oh yha bass player that use pick ..... is pussy gay and never make sorry ass in solo ,picking a bass and doing solo speciallyon recording sound like a pickers moms ass sorry again but its true...so if use pick on bass u dont have it in you.... thats means u suck and try another instrument save the embarasment... ok ty keep rockin

[ryche513]

@trazer911 i dont even know what youre trying to say...

[trazer911]

oh yha bass player that use pick ..... is pussy gay and never make sorry ass in solo ,picking a bass and doing solo speciallyon recording sound like a pickers moms ass sorry again but its true...so if use pick on bass u dont have it in you.... thats means u suck and try another instrument save the embarasment... ok ty keep rockin

[trazer911]

Is that the only bass lick u have dammmm..u blow. stoner.... dude just smoke ur weed coz this is not a lesson posser....

[wowrazzor]

Hahaha, that guy is so fucking stoned.

[lukagaca]

He must be high

[SentFromGoldenHall]

i definety dont like this video -,- sounds terrible with that speed he should learn it slower and then play it better in this speed -,-

[nl2warrior]

is it better to use a thin or thick pick?

[martywhelan123]

medium sized pick usually does the job i find its easier to get the feel of the rythm

[jakes197]

thick sounds great on a bass

[peda1fachso]

@nl2warrior at the beginning I would recommend to start with thin picks, it's easier to get a feeling (up to .88mm picks)...but if you're more experienced thick picks give you better control of the sound and your playing (1mm or more)

[trazer911]

@peda1fachso yo why would u recomend a pick on a begginer dumb ass ... u probly those boring bass player that does like hard solo or do u even have a solo hehehe pick i dont recomend u have to built ur strenght on ur finger yup ur 100 percent posser....

[peda1fachso]

@trazer911 ^^ you're funny...just because I give hints for beginner doesn't mean I play like this. he asked so he wanted an answer. I prefer playing with fingers but there is no right way to play, it depends on the sound you want to have, on the style of music. have a nice day :-)

[TheOnlyAttrition]

@Itwalksamoungus look below Jamora's latest comment. it shows a comment by Itwalksamoungus and it says "comment removed by author". and now this is the last reply ill make to you. im gonna stop wasting my time trying to argue with a complete tool like yourself.

[TheOnlyAttrition]

@Itwalksamoungus yeah u did you just removed it today though. i saw it yesterday.

owned

[TheOnlyAttrition]

@Itwalksamoungus if you are 32, then you must have been born in 77 or 78 or 76. Lee has been playing bass since before you were born. This guy is a good bass player but not a good teacher. and he does look high as fuck!

As you once said, Owned & Bashed.

[Jamora]

In that case you've got to be about what? 60, or 70 something? You're the coolest senior citizen I know, considering you can operate a computer.

[STEWIEGRIFFINBO]

nice aerosmith shirt i want 1

[kazp1969]

Man this guy is baked as shit L0L

[oatmealpizza4u]

what kind of shitty lesson was this?

[jaededify]

go over styles of playing just to show different in sound not to teach you somethine super specail

[FireTheMarshall]

all he did was show off

[jaededify]

im sure you did. NOT!!

[nnkvocka]

i sta je on sad tu objasnio?

[melodiccreepingdeath]

he forgot the part to keep the volume low so the rest of the band drowns out that shit :] that goes for all u bassists too rock on!

[Ginley311]

this guy is more stoned than i am

[cwbdltx5]

lol yeah man

[bluesruley2k]

Why u hatin'? This guy is awesome! He's a great bassist and he's trying to share his knowledge! What do YOU have to share other than your big mouth?!

[HaloPlayer96]

at least he tries, i dont, i just get high and dont giv a fuck no more :D

[daeraeper]

@Ginley311 you made me laugh like hell... stomach hurts :P

[100roberthenry]

there is a forth technique...smash it with a hammer and set light to it.....

[diexico]

wats ur name? cause i go there here in hollywood

[tom32669]

OH YEAH!!! geddy referenced you in the Rush in Rio dvd. how silly of me to doubt ur skillz

[tom32669]

i bet u did

[mryellow123]

good ol' expert village

What's novice village like?

[geragna]

@mryellow123 That's where they found this guy

[TheCannonbolt55]

@mryellow123 better then this 'village idiot'

[clonjey]

this video was not meant to teach you how to do anything. only to inform you there are more than one technique of playing. get off his back.

[CrApoLiho]

you cant say hes bad at playing, hes just bad at teaching, try going through how to play the riff step by step instead of just showing us what you can do, show us how to do it.

[lowfreq65]

slap it like like your mad at it?

[lowfreq65]

pornobass

[DreadMauler]

is floating thumb technique better?or whatever it is u mute other strings with ur thumb

[xbillymillerx]

cant really say he sucks. he isnt that bad.

[xtremedoomsday666]

dude, YOU SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!

[tatt4music]

terrible technique.Looks like he is swatting at flies.

[ChrisHagerTV2]

what the point of the techniques if he doesnt teach them

[DirkjeA]

Dont understand the thumbs down for you, cause you said what I was thinking too. He doesnot give any explanation to what or how, he only shows......

[BabblingBike]

This guy sounded like so many dudes out there, a guitarist teaching you bass. Bass and guitar are different! Don't let the title, bass 'guitar', fool you!

[CaptainMcSizzle]

0:21 he molests his bass....

[Goku313]

I know... it must of felt violated... :(

[strikingback71089]

lol. sooooo true

[eupharies]

Twangy... i like to call it... who the hell is this guy lol.

[RickeyRoo]

kinda hard to give lessons when you need them yourself.

[DirkjeA]

oh oh, that is a little rude, he wasnot that bad, only didnot explain very well what he did or why.....

[JCACFILMS]

this guy is fukin gay.

[weemankai]

lulwut?

[shammyhagar]

you should really clean your room before you go showing the world your clutter.

you also have far too much wrist movement in slap technique. thanks for the lesson

[18luveer]

1. The room is irrelevent and that comment wasn't needed.

2. As long as you can keep up with the song in slapping it really doesn't matter but if you can't keep up you wouldv'e been right...but your not.... I'm sure he can adapt his wrist in order to play faster songs....

Logic =P

[kk2134]

This guy has absolutely no idea what he's talking about. I'm sure one of expert villages gourmet cooks could teach bass better than this guy.

[Jamora]

True but, you know what they say about those who teach and those who play, or study or something like that.

[undertakerstu]

@kk2134 this guy is awesome!!..he needs an award.....

[undertakerstu1]

@MrELFEO hey cocksucker,this guy is the man who is second to Jaco and Geddy and me.....

[Blacksycthe]

There's really no WRONG way to play bass... it's really just your preference... I like using my fingers, because I'm faster with them. But depending on what I'm playing, I'll try pick and fingers to see what I think sounds better... in some senses, the pick has a deeper sound simply cause you can hit it harder. But in all fairness there's no wrong way to play...

[joefreakhouse1]

thanks for the awesome lesson! and i love your shirt! aerosmith!

[zachmackey1994]

It doesn't matter if you use a guitar pik or not. but if you don't use a guitar pik you will get a deeper tone which is preferred in most rock music.

[baselghost999]

right dude and i can get any speed in my 3 fingers XD

[Atwood696]

well i started with pick and i seem to be doing okay haha wow.....people play differantly

[YourParentsRDivorced]

if your just starting bass(or if you arent) DONT USE A PIK! thats not how bass is supposed to be played.

[Flcracker94]

A bass can be played any way, same as guitar. You can use your fingers or a pick, doesnt matter...It depends on your preferrence. I prefer a pick because it sounds a little clearer, but isn't hard like slapping.

Again, its just your preference, you can't say how a bass is supposed to be played...

[Guyverhoeven]

thats bullshit.

you should start with finger and then try pick and then see what you preffer and it all matters what music your gonna be playing in the end.

[artdrtr]

Thanks for showing off -- the only thing I got from the video: Bass players must wear ski hats indoors --- you may be good at bass, but not at teaching.

[SeoulSarah]

LOOL.

[sk8Bam54]

I thought this was for beginners!!! how is that supposed to help me??

[killerjoe91]

it isnt supposed to help you play better. this vid is helping you understand the different techniques of plucking your bass, and what kind of music the different techniques are used for.

(i hope that made sense)

[carloskr]

you basicly sayed, that you can use the fingers, a pick, or slap\pop. Thats kinda what everyone whos is starting to play bass knows.

[Akrrei]

What were you playing?

[simonge37]

so...how was that tutorial suppose to help me play bass? way too much chat chaffing

[numero150]

Way too much talking in this tutorial

[seanlukas]

spencer pratt is surprisingly good on bass!

[Edwandos]

Frigging ancient pick argument, using a pick changes the sound, and suits certain styles/songs. Same goes for fingers,. The same thing goes for teaching styles or ways to play an instrument, sure there are guidelines, but in the end everyone developes their own style/technique, so stop bitching about it, and don't be that narrowminded about playing with a pick on a bass. You just make yourself look rediculous and petty.

[joeantcat]

i guess it helps to use a certain pic, i didnt know they had thicker kinds so i just used this really flimsy guitar pic, but overall i think finger walking is more fun and im just so used to it

[slugger20120]

kay, WHAT is to say you CANNOT use a pick?

Is there a rule???

Cause if so, Newsted, Ellefson, and even I have broken it.

Your complete ignorance, much like MANY other people's, completely destroys the intention of music. Music is a way of expressing ideas, views, or feelings. Whether or not that's the "normal" way, well that doesn't matter.

I don't see people complaining that Cliff Burton uses a wah-wah pedal for his solos. Why complain about something like this?

[Evilucas]

I agree with you dude. Art is ART. It's not a sport. It's not for retards who think they have a big dick to act like they're right. It's about being creative. Stop crying about your favorite rock stars.

[Jamora]

It's because most people who use a Pick for Bass, usually play in the Pop Genre. I have no problem with Picking but, I prefer the traditional style of plucking, mainly because it sounds better for me when it comes to Playing Funk and Blues.

[slugger20120]

Using a pick actually wasn't started within Pop, that's kinda the modern "idea," but many modern pop bassists use the plucking method. Regardless, you can never hear them play, so why listen? Pop music is a bit...repetitive and vocal based. However, picking originated (i.m.o) with Metal, such as Judas Priest and Megadeth. They use it because of the treble noise it gives the low notes they play.

[kay12345678987654321]

playing bass with a pick is shit, you should never use a pick on a bass, if you disagree your a dickhead and im right and your wrong

[MasterChiefNewb]

i disagree your a dickhead and im right and your wrong.

I know a ton of good bass players that use picks.

[kay12345678987654321]

im afraid my initial statement was right being that your wrong and i am right as there is no skill to playing with a plectrum

[abean16]

just because you believe that picking should never be used. I agree that it isn't a good style, but a lot of people use it, especially BEGINNERS! It's a way to get your fretting hand used to the feel of the bass strings without having to worry about which finger is hitting which string.

[kingcrimpson]

Hey isn't up to the bassist to decide how HE plays not random kids on youtube. It all depends on what you doing also. when I go for speed, and sharpness of my bass i use a pick, but if im playing something to mess around with and throw a little smoother playing i use my hand.

[kay12345678987654321]

TBH i dont really care if someone wanted to use a pick, i do sometimes lol i just wanted to start an argument

[commieobama]

John Entwistle was voted by other professional bass players as the, "BASSIST OF THE MILLENIUM", enough said.

[ToaJoe]

For fuck sake, all he did was play a complicated riff and say 'hold a plectrum'. Fuck. No mention on how to position your right hand, which fingers to pick with, etc.

[51362879]

gay

[goldturtwig]

pick bass sucks

[Supaboy000]

why

[Sandman7426]

nope, playing with fingers is cool, but playing with pick helps you a lot when the song is really fast

[hastogato]

no, listen to steve harris, or the flea, chris wolstenholme, you can play bass just as fast (in fact faster) fingerstyle, with practice. it also gives you a beefier sound, and a much greater dynamic range.

[fixxxer21738]

all right...you're pretty wise about bass, and you didn't insulted me. Thank you...another dumfuck will say "you fuck" "you bitch" and kinda shit.

[hastogato]

lol, well i will say the same to you: thankyou for no insults. ive played bass for a while, now, however, can see the appeal of a pick for some types of music, so i dont think it is a completely invalid approach to playing the instrument, however, i prefer fingerstyle 99% of the time.

[Moshpitscum]

hes stoned right? :D

[jb0177]

This guy reminds me of the 'driftwood' skit that was on SNL many years ago...

[robytata21]

what?! this guy has weak fingers.

[kk2134]

This guy barely knows what he's talking about

[chewkachu]

wtf is this???

[r33fermadness]

wow...harsh comments. Funny how all these "experts" are watching your video. If their so good why do they need beginner lessons? The egos on some musicians...sad.

I get people talking shit to me cuz i use a pick sometimes playing bass. Good enough for Paul, then it's good enough for me. IMO learning both with pick and fingers is ideal.

[justaguy08]

No, they are real experts. The reason they are whatching this video is becouse they are experts... I'm an expert too, you see, and this video SUCKS!!!!!! WTF?! DUDE CANT PLAY. Oh, and one question... What is a pick?

Stop ranting... Each haves his own style of playing bass.

[r33fermadness]

nice logic...experts watching beginner videos because they're experts.

I can't tell how well he plays....i don't care. He's just showing the difference with styles. And you sir, are a perfect example of the ego i was talking about.

[justaguy08]

Thank you.

[chmanbass]

will you please post a video of you playing bass, because you sound like your spectacular : |

[justaguy08]

Yeah, i sure will... Now i just need a bass guitar, and speaker. I have the cable ;D.