Steve Bailey - NHBF Masterclass

[luchobassify]

I hate when people say 4 strings are better than 6, that just make no sense!,i've been playing 4 string for 5 years, and the other day i tested a 6 string for the first time and I found it amazing.It gives you a lot of possibilities as a bass player.

[homeslice1479]

Jaco himself would be impressed by those false harmonics...Steve's the only bassist I've ever seen do them like that. Jaco style is hard enough and Steve makes them look so easy! A true master indeed. And that bass...I want one! With frets or at least markers though; I can't even play a 4-string fretless without markers. Ultimate respect.

[cktrenzor]

Steve bailey eres el mejor de todo O.o

[jaqetall]

what's the songs he starts playing at 1:30???

[mehothra]

@jaqetall this is "bombz over baghdad" all of the time :)

[kentunganpasar]

he did the harmonics with an excellent way!!

[redhouseportugal]

if this is a masterclass there is hope for us all playing bass!

[DavidDevereuxMusic]

That sound...

[andrewbautista23]

i feel like on a midnight desert. amazing.

[goofnutdp]

this is the harp of bass players....

[GaryNull]

Fretless basses are hard to play, and I can't, . . but I just don't like them. To me, they lack the balls of a fretted bass.



[scarred2112]

@GaryNull Try and listen to some Bassists who play fretless in a Rock/Metal context, such as Tony Franklin, Sean Malone of Cynic/Gordian Knot fame, or Bryan Beller (Mike Keneally/Steve Vai) who's "huge technical prog" song "Love Terror Adrenaline" is played on a fretless. One part of the "balls" aspects is that they certainly need to be EQed better to be heard properly in a mix, but when so... wow.

[PennybagDarrell]

@thecrashinghighways not true my girlfriend plays bass. She has a modded epi eb-3 that I did for her and I play an epi explorer.

[sylvia6566]

hi steve,, been a few years since we did the interview with Bassics Magazine but I still remember the wonderful conversation we had and how much of a gentleman you are... i didn't see you at NAMM 2011 this year as i was at Phil Jones and NS... please keep me posted as to when you're in NYC area.

best tonyc

[jazzfunkbasskid]

lol 0:16 it looks like hes giving us the finger XD

[71m3w4573r]

Although fender are creaming ppl with the jaco signature bass. He only used a standard jazz. 62 i think but deffo just your bog standard jazz

[71m3w4573r]

Thnx mrbasonbass

At a guess fab i would say he had fender make him a custom and that will be what fender sell as the bailey bass

[fab186]

So... Does Steve Bailey buy the Steve Bailey Fender Bass, or does he make his own and Fender sells it? where does it begin?

[iunnox666]

@fab186 Fender made it for him, just like any other signature bass.

[Rafaelsw1]

also watch Steve Bailey & Victor Wooten

[marko92pn]

even better with headphones!

[MercuryClock]

I could be studying under this man if I was a music major who played bass. ;__;

[CommBreakDown]

@MercuryClock you could learn some much about MUSIC from studying under him...even if you didnt play bass as oyur main instrument...

[71m3w4573r]

is it harmonic minor using dorian mode, can anyone tell me?

[MrBasonBass]

@71m3w4573r I think the scale he uses in the beginning is D Eb F# G A Bb C D

[colosalblack]

He must have enourmous genitals.

[71m3w4573r]

You should hear the full version of this tune, it's truely astounding.

It's called "bombz over baghdad" from the album "so low". One man plays 3 seperate parts on one guitar lol

[Brucy6666]

soothing :)))

[krustwell]

geez, when is Bailey NOT wearing shorts?

[isayah85]

Just amazing

[dropless2002]

this man was born to play a 6 string fretless bass.

[akos0011]

@dropless2002 Born with 6 string bass. :)

[lebermuff]

6 sting basses are little pretty things.

[fangtschui]

@KirinWestphal besoffen heimgekommen und noch steve bailey im rausch konsumiert? haha

[PeakResetProductions]

what a genius!!! 

[DayTripper0810]

Simply amazing.

[marquis242006]

fretless 6 string bass = pwn sauce

[adrian5b]

One word: exquisite.

[posarandposer]

Badarss! whatta way to be in several places at one time! Like James Booker has three hands, he has two basses... amazing!

[funkyfacewash]

i need to go change my underwear....

[Hobble]

Is there anywhere I can watch the whole masterclass?

[MrLauroMenon]

Muito massa....toca d ++++

[newpariah]

fretless' for the win! especially 6strings, and especially when their held by Steve Bailey.

[F0URSTRING]

those harmonics are to die for!

[OmniTron1000]

fretless 6-string masterwork...nice... :)

[potatoerise]

ZOMG! this shit sounds Arabic or something! And by shit I don't mean 'bad' I mean 'BAD ASS'! Steve Bailey \,,/_-.-_\,,/

[superagnitio]

I guess it's either perfect pitch or nothing on a fretless?

[Lnazgul]

Wow ! it's really nice sound! I lved the timbre of bass!

[jacobi117]

steve is a really cool guy, i love his artificial harmonics

[Eviscerator8138]

I think I just got a bit of a hard on.

[drkmonkey7]

im kind of tired of brand names know a days, I know what I want to sound so I would like to make my own or get sign to get my own custom

[yeatsg]

is this an actual song or improv?

[Kunstdesfechtens]

It's an actualy song, off his So Low...Solo CD, which is a great listen... understated technical and melodic mastery.

[zbsf1]

Where Can I see him doing thumb position?

[PiorovPL]

Wow. That's the only thing I can say

[Haraldbass]

sick harmonics, steve bailey is one of the kings in my opinion

[rickjmaida]

definetely awesome! Even with the mess up at 0:47, the harmonics!

[bemolable]

una morsa. ültimamente no hacebuenos jams

[theanvilcracks]

Now don't get me wrong, Steve Bailey is awesome, but that bass is the most butt-ugly bass I have ever seen in my life.... lol

[havepie]

Six sting bass's are a man's bass, not a little pretty thing.

[theanvilcracks]

Six sting bass? Never heard of it.

[havepie]

Yeah, Six strings and fretless bass's are more for jazz, which is what steve bailey plays, He lives like a mile away from me, he's unbelievable at bass.

[thecrashinghighways]

@havepie how about the bass is a man's instrument (not trying to be sexist)

[FrankasaurousREX]

@havepie I completely disagree with that statement

[havepie]

@FrankasaurousREX and I completely respect your right to disagree with it.

[Lifeofbass]

Gaad! I know... =P And its even a Fender(a signature though).

[edthehead83]

I agree. Don't see why you get all the thumbs down. I definitely prefer Fender to almost any other company when it comes to 4 string basses. But I prefer Ibanez, MusicMan, Tobias, etc... for 6 string basses.

[2knbmTA]

how can you compare? this is fenders first 6 string. i personally hate ibanez basses except for the gwb sig, and when it comes to 6 string my baby is a spector and couldnt imagine anything else. musicman and tobias are pretty good, but i like the feel of my spector.

[edthehead83]

I can compare because I've played Fender 5 strings and the low B just doesn't t do it for me. Word is that Wooten had to tune his Fender 5's low B up a little b/c he, like me, felt that it was too loose! I love Spector btw, they're just expensive and I don't really have the money. I play the same Ibanez as Sean Andrews of Redemption and it's a stunning instrument. Stays in tune, solid hardware, Bartolini pickups, mahogany body, great action and set up out of the box! And it looks great too.

[2knbmTA]

ebay man. the legend series is the best bang for your buck right now imo. got mine for $500 shipped from new york to texas and it came with a badass gig bag. it was a floor model. they are still only like 6 or 7 new.

[edthehead83]

I got my Ibanez SR506 with its hardshell case for $430. With the case it would have been around $730.

watch?v=ubwEZl4lvPw

[philifan313]

its all about WARWICK, similar to spector but with a more natural wood growl and tone! not to mention warwick is dedicated to basses only!

[nickfromdtown1992]

i dont know i like fender but i also love music man. im torn between the two actually.

[dillon822]

Get Fender or Carvin!

[Kunstdesfechtens]

To each his own. I think the SRB 6 is a rather handsome instrument. It's quite stunning when you see one for real, but that's just me.

[flautistaloco]

que maestro por dios cuanto lo admiro

[deezbar]

Superb!

[DistortionUser]

I love how relaxed is playing is. His hands just seem to move naturally.

[liberalmetal]

what an amazing bass player

[squidbedoe]

Wow, beautiful use of fretless by Mr. Bailey!

[93philosopher]

the song of the bass fretless so good

[mushroomzagain]

if you like steve bailly check out Michael manring

Steves pretty epic though

[Adoniram1986]

Extraordinary.

Thanx for sharing this.

[firebird0u812]

Yeah, no kidding. Sounds like he's playing a big retarded fretless ukulele.

[HendrixcommaMartin]

That is beyond awesome.

[riclove8700]

i like the mini drum-set, lol

[MileSeventySeven]

so awesome

[93philosopher]

que melodia tan magistral

grande steve bailey

[hairman63]

Not only inspirational but also very nice to just listen to, Steve is an amazing musician.

He inspired me to play a 6-er, and now i'm addicted to 6 str. bass.

Thanks Steve!

[jekof4]

he uses a 6-string Fender Jazz Bass, you can find it on fender website

[mindbodylightsound10]

why is the chair so damn high?

[PedazoBass]

xDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD­DDDDDDDDDDD

[spynae]

Wait, he's had a 6-string Fender Jazz Bass for the last two years (at least), and Fender didn't release it for all the regular people until just this year? What the hell.

[jneild93]

that was a prototype.

[bassguitarkeybordwiz]

that is the fender steve bailey fretless model, it is alot of money, around $2600 I hear the sound nice

[serazac25]

his signature fender

[nirvana922]

wow. he is using Beringher amps?

[Steve128967]

... why would a bassist as good as Steve use Behringer?!

[bunkabusta01]

He might be using a behringer here but im pretty sure he endorse tc electronic amps

[JederLacht1]

It's his Fender sig model. Keep in mind his sound is largely to do with how excellent he plays. However, the bass helps some I'm sure.

[cfalberg]

wut song is this?

[mechtanker]

Solo muito bonito,Felling e técnica em harmonia ! Steve Bailey,você é um mestre do Fretless !

[dashe87]

has an arabic hint to it. pretty sweet!

[foxybrown2]

one of the masters of the fretless

bless you steve

[okokok32]

thats so cool u can pklay arabic music scales cuz most of arabic scales are 1/4 notes and frets dont have that.

[RoryGGthe1st]

epic i loved every moment of it

[kMitsukai]

Awesome bass player, and even awesome fretless bass! I wont die before having one of these under my fingertips! Gosh they are expensive...but...i'll have one one day! And that's not a promisse...that's a fact!!

Thank you Steve Bailey for this signature...and thank you Fender for finally seing the light and making this awesome 6 string fretless bass!

[Kunstdesfechtens]

I just picked one up the other day. What an amazing bass! The tone is unbelievable, and it plays like a dream. Worth every penny.

[kMitsukai]

I envy you, friend! Really...I'm biting my thumb now of rage! Though I hope you get an awesome time with this baby!

I didn't like all the other Fender basses, until this one arrive! I was an Ibanez fan all the way...but with this bass, Fender totally turned my attentions to it; even though Ibanez returned to the J-Crafting of old days, this one is much better! Fender finally made the perfect bass for me!....o well...dont have any money for it! Kunstdesfechtens, if you can, please make videos!

[Kunstdesfechtens]

I'll see what I can do with regards to videos. My other main bass is an Ibanez, actually. A soundgear 6 that I got in '93. Great bass, sounds better the older it gets. I've got Thomastik flatwounds on it. Badass. One thing you should envy is the amount of woodshedding I'll have to do to get myself up to snuff on the fretless! I used to play a Signature fretless for years, so hopefully it won't be too long until I'm "presentable" on the Steve Bailey 6. :)

[kMitsukai]

Yes...it requires much practice to master a 6 string fretless bass, even though, I find it more comfortable to play than a fretted one! Say something when you get some videos of your axe!

[d3lw1n]

yeah, he has to be so amazingly good to make fender finally made a six string bass...

[kMitsukai]

Yes...he is amazing...watch bass extremes video w/ victor wooten...or even his instructional video about fretless bass and you find out why! This video gives a preatty darn good idea!! It's sad that this guy never made a live DVD of his performance or something like that! A lot of these bassists we only can hear them in the internet!

[bassteacher]

kMitsukai

You are welcome to join us at the NHBF and hang and play with Steve.

[kMitsukai]

I wished, believe me! I absolutly worship Steve Bailey's work and sonority! Since I ever saw his fretless bass video (very zen...very calm...very sonorous). And I absolutly would love to own this 6 string fl bass! Unfortunatly my life came into a bad turn (mom found out about throat cancer) so I guess the bass is nothing but a dream now! Besides, I live in Portugal. Not a chance of getting there and meet Steve. Maybe someday he comes here to Casa da Musica or Theatro Circo to play!Thanks anyway!

[Bassstringz]

Sometimes George Harrison, and paul MaCartney used a 6 strings fender bass;

It's called Fender VI.

[d3lw1n]

yeah i know but it was like a guitar, it even had a tremolo,so for me, personally, it kinda wasn't a bass at all, this is a complete bass in all it ways...

[Bassstringz]

Yep, I understand...

[Bmunde]

hypnotizing melody

[fusion4bass]

awesome

[kyngofhearts]

can anybody tell if he's tapping harmonics here, or bringing the overtone out with his index finger while plucking the string with his middle/ring finger?

[TheMermaidSlur]

He's bring out the overtone with his index finger on his plucking hand. With this technique you can play entire chords in harmonics.

[tbcass]

You are correct. He says he figured out the technique himself while trying to learn false harmonics they way Jaco played them. Jaco however used his thumb instead of his first finger. Different method, same result.

[jappalillo]

este señor no necesita trastes!

[Hennerszs]

the man is a machine, love his work

[SadisticAzagthoth]

this nigga can get down badass bass player especially in the old days

[Hennerszs]

l2english =) irony eh?

[darrenandsarah123]

This dude will basically take everything you've ever played, chew it up, and spit it in your face. He really is amazing.

[Pudsy440]

jeez that fender 6 string fretless is wild looking!! Like a regular jazz bass on steroids!! Cool!

[BossBassist]

its the first ever fender 6 string...and its a fretless

amazing

[RoryGGthe1st]

second ever but still it looks amazing

[serazac25]

got to love the fretless tone, is just so....so cool, sexy, and powerful at once

[BlueTunisia]

The old guy seems really excited during the performance... lol

[rastacahit]

Beautiful

[aeijae80]

"that's some nice harmonics, but check out the tone when you use your thumb" - Jaco Pastorious

[SrBridges]

Geez! Steve Bailey is one of the most "musical" bass players i've ever heard in my life (... i'm not THAT old anyway). Such a tremendous bass virtuoso, passionate phrasing... and nice long hair ;D.

A DARLE!

[ftfrito]

simple and effective:)

[szczerbo]

i wouldn't say simple

playing two parts at once in a harmonic scale aswell as doing artificial harmonics over the top

its a hard piece to place

[ftfrito]

yeah its not simple, but in comparison to other pieces he does, it is:) and it still sounds amazing:) but yeah its not easy. peace

[Mstadri]

A beauty sound!!!

Amazing...

Sorry for my english!!!

[issac1188]

Steve is the bass teacher at my school

[GiantPandas]

What school do you go too? Do you study bass?

[issac1188]

Coastal Carolina But I actually study classical Guitar. When we have to go in front of a jury at the end of the semester he is one of the panal members that grades you.

[dubassaves]

is he a hard grader

[Melee696]

he is sooo amazing!!

[KecskeKing]

really coolinho! :P

[BassCoffeeandWine]

Yeah it's his custom now that he's switched to Fender. I wonder why he went Fender and not Fodera like most top players do.

[moporama]

fuckin beast dude

[Bassmanj511]

the drummer looks dead hahaha

[Killmajoro]

Dude I just got the new Fender catalog and this is a production model bass!!! SO AMAZING...to bad I can't afford one :/

[buchanan012]

you mean you don't just have 3 thou lying around?

[Killmajoro]

Haha no way I could afford one...much less three...those things are like $6000 and with the economy.....I have more important things to take care of haha

[lemonhead2009]

yo, KongoXIIV

you aren't gonna be seeing any fender basses like that!!!! thats steve's "custom" baby. its his own line of basses

and it cost a hell of alot more than 2200 euro!!!

[Metalwigi]

There is now a Steve Bailey Signature 6 String Fender Jazz Bass for ~1300 Euro

[lemonhead2009]

really??? steve told me he didnt wanna release his custom. oh well lol XD

[MusicManLE5]

excellent

[KongoXIIV]

And there it is, finally, a 6-string Jazz bass!

Got mega exited when I saw Fenders new releases...Always dreamed of this!

But...Damn it costs £2,200!!!

[archontic]

Steve's chair sure is tall.

[Talvegue]

haha! big chair

[Talvegue]

bombz over bagdah

[rockwarnick]

um...is that a fretless six-string fender?...whoa.

[sesspleftocore]

sure is

[aestheticpikachu]

im not positive but im pretty sure taht its an aria signature model that he has been playing for awhile now. i dont think fender has any full scale 6 strings. or for that matter fretless. but yeah

[rockwarnick]

apparently this is a prototype fretless sixer by fender for steve bailey. and earlier in the comments someone said this model is to be released sometime soon as a "fretless jazz VI". but dont hold me to that.

[rockingxmasman]

well... look at the fender page - there it is, the steve bailey jazzbass VI - also fretted.

i wonder, when this is going to be available

[aestheticpikachu]

yeah i actually looked it up. they have it up on the fender site. how exciting! haha. i want one now. probally going to be like 3g plus because fender thinks they are sooooooooo cool haha

[rockwarnick]

yea fenders getting more and more ridiculous. i bought my marcus miller iv a few years ago new for $800 and i went to GC the other day and it was priced at like $1200.

[chikaBurton]

Yep, it's Fender, you can see the markings ... Don't believe it's an Aria signed by Fender... :)

[hamjammer]

Holy crap. This is the 1st time Ive ever listened to Steve Bailey.... Badass

like wise

it's amazing