What Is Hip? - Tower of Power Cover

[pwk22]

That was tight. You're ready to stand in. Nice work.

[motorpsych0]

@pwk22 : Thanks for that! =D

[bopper1234]

Ok buddy, I see you play Todd Rundgren and now Tower of Power. Todd is my rock god and I've been a TOP fan since 1973 when I saw them live at age 13, my first concert. Looks like you've got Rock and Soul! Keep it up pal!!!!!!!!!!

[motorpsych0]

@bopper1234 : If it's good, I play it!!!!!

[oaklandtobangkok]

You're pretty fucking badass.

[motorpsych0]

@oaklandtobangkok : OK, thank you! =D

[sactiger]

Dude... nice job! Respect to u!! :) BTW, u r correct about that WICKED bass line... Rocco is NOT to be messed with! LOL!!

[motorpsych0]

@sactiger : Thanks! =)

[ChocolateShakespear]

Aghh... I have to audition with this song tomorrow for my High School's jazz band. I cannot figure out the chords at all!!

[Gspotkemps]

Wow awesome job. I just picked up bass recently and you have now inspired me to start studying this song on bass so thank you!

[motorpsych0]

@Gspotkemps : This is probably one of the most difficult bass lines in the world! =)

[zdrumdude]

LOve the "Jimmy" pic on the wall!

[RikJamezBich]

how come when I put in album I get covers?

[mxmahony]

Thanks for the chords dude. Finally somebody played well.

By the way nice equipment.

[motorpsych0]

@mxmahony : You are very welcome! Thanks! =)

[comptonraven]

in compton they smoke only the best weed

[galacticox4]

ha ha. This one's great! Tower of Power baby! Been thinking about that OCD too. I'm not good enough to justify it yet plus i'm broke. But yeah diggin this one.

Baby hipper than hip!

[motorpsych0]

By all means, get the OCD! You can buy food later!!! ;-)

[galacticox4]

Nice. i'm hungry just thinking about it.

[yairoka]

yeeeeeah nice sunglasses xD

[danny510x]

lose the glasses lol

[HendrixPrinceFlea89]

Oh ive heard this song before, Cool bass line.

[bebon15]

Hey, man a great song.

Brings back memories of summer 1973.

This was the year I graduated high school.

You're the greatest you know good music.

[motorpsych0]

Thanks, bebon15!

Glad to provide a 'flashback'!

[oluap84]

Hell yeah!!!

[CtrlAltDestoy]

hey man great cover.

I'm having a terrible time figuring this song out, and I really can't find any sort of tab on the internet.

Watching you has really helped, and I'm sure I could figure the whole thing out eventually, but I gota learn this song for a show, so I was wondering if you had time if you could just send me the chords in a message. The chords are all I need, I can figure out the solo's just fine

thanks

[motorpsych0]

Man, I know nothing about music (or chord names, for that matter), so I don't have a clue as to how to explain this song to you. I just put my fingers on the fretboard, and look for what sounds right...literally!

Just watch the vid, and try to follow along?

Hope this helps!

[fatcats7]

@motorpsych0 pretty impressive considering you say you just put your fingers on the fretboard and just search for the righ tone! wish I had your ear!

[screwmaster404]

Whoa, turn up the volume and dance.

[foofrompurdue]

Hey motor,

I'm playing this song on guitar for our jazz band. it's kicking but I'd like to brush up on my solo and work to replicate the original guitar fills that TOP/you did. Is there any way you could tab out a section of one of your fills/guitar breaks?

[motorpsych0]

Man, I wish I could, but I wouldn't know where to start! Just watch this over and over again. I'm sure you can see what I'm doing, right?

Maybe I can play in your Jazz band? =D

[foofrompurdue]

I've listened and watched and I think im getting the hang of it. yeah, definitely.

and yeah thats me and my jazz band playin soul vaccination last year

[Bentham1995]

very nice!!!!

[motorpsych0]

Thanks, Bentham1995!

TOP Rules!

[Bentham1995]

Any time, this is one of my favorite songs!

[sjohnsjakie]

i didn't expect too much when i started this video, but man, that's the best groove i've heard in weeks on youtube! especially for a guitar player (because they're usually not primarily focussed on grooving). there a lot of guys who can play really fast 'motor licks' and all that, but if they're pushing too much or don't play a consequent timing it still sounds like shit to me. it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that, ehm, well, you know what i mean.

[motorpsych0]

I know what you mean. This tune suits me, since I am more of a "rhythm" guitar player anyway.

Thanks for watching, sjohnsjakie! =D

[GratefulGrey]

Stunning and amazing!

[motorpsych0]

Thanks, GG!

[shinjiyasuno]

the shades definitely add a nice touch to the tune. nice man, nice.

[motorpsych0]

SHADES! Yeah! They are a must for TOP videos!

[Branman1994]

cool

one of my favorite tower of power songs

[motorpsych0]

Yeah, the drum groove can't be beat!

(no pun intended) =D

[Frank4268]

What Is Hip? My man motorpsych0! Great playing!

Regards,

Frank ;-)

[motorpsych0]

Wow! Thanks again, Frank!

I'm messin' with the Oakland-Cool Hip Guy thing here. I love to play this tune!

[Frank4268]

You're welcome! This is my all-time favorite Tower of Power tune! And you do it well! Funk doesn't get much more funkier than this (if at all)!

Later,

Frank

[cebritita]

yeah!! :))))))

[motorpsych0]

Thanks again, man!

[Bwoods612]

what keeps your whammy bar in place if its not locked? I need to get my temolo repaired because i accidentally stripped it

[motorpsych0]

I use all five springs on the trem (black ones), so it's fairly stable.

Sorry to hear your whammy threads are stripped! It may be easy enough to do-it-yourself. (?)

Thanks for watching, Bwoods612! =D

[Bwoods612]

do u know how 2 repair the treads; sorry 2 bother u

[motorpsych0]

Yes, but it would be easier to replace the tremolo block. That should be easy to do, I would think.

[bikerdude5691]

You got the funk!

[motorpsych0]

Thanks, bikerdude5691!

Funk all over the place! =D

[oldie1001]

super man!!! i love ToP wonderful...great play man 5 stars

[motorpsych0]

Thanks, oldie1001!

ToP rules!  =D

[laxist32]

i grew up on tower this is sick good job man

[motorpsych0]

Thanks, laxist32! =D

[ajarnfrankie]

when TP wrote, 'you're still a young man', i don't think they were talking about numerical age. you're still a young man...keep on jamming!!

[motorpsych0]

Ahh! Understood. =D

Sometimes I'm too literal. I forgot about that tune!

[ajarnfrankie]

what the hell?! i love tower of power! and anyone who does is alright by me! because...you're a still a young man!

[motorpsych0]

Thanks, ajarnfrankie!

I'm actually 51 yrs old, but the music keeps me young! =D

[bludrums]

Damn fine tone and great phrasing. Time to get out of that bedroom and show the people just what is hip!! You go!

[motorpsych0]

Thanks, bludrums!

I'm working on it...

I may be in a band soon. =D

[LeopardJoy]

Unreal. And your gear is absolutely stunning. Thanks...enjoyed immensely. Must check out the rest of your stash :)

Cheers,

Joy

[motorpsych0]

Thanks, LeopardJoy!

Glad 'ya dig my stuff. =D

Peace~

[en4sm8zn7g8]

- what excercises have you worked on etc.

[motorpsych0]

I'm really not THAT tight, but I do spend a lot of time learning the songs I play. The phrasing is very important. I also listen to the song hundreds of times in advance of actually sitting down to learn it.

Hope that made sense. =D

Thanks for watching, en4sm8zn7g8!

Peace~

[en4sm8zn7g8]

Okay. Your playing is great aswell as your taste in music. Have fun!

[en4sm8zn7g8]

How have you practised to be so tight?

[scheidtl]

totally cool.

Love the groove also.

cheers

[motorpsych0]

Thanks, scheidtl!

This is a fun one to play. =D

[chiknfulio]

Nice cover man. I really dig your tone on this one. Keep it up.

~DeBraun

[motorpsych0]

Will do, man! Thanks for watching. =D

Peace~

[ILSAIDL]

Another awsome tune! imna learn this one too.. ;)

[motorpsych0]

Cool, ILSAIDL!

Good luck with it, and post it someday if you can! =D

Peace~

[vazdeferenz]

Really awesome tone and great feel.....lots of tasty licks in there. V

[motorpsych0]

Thanks as always, V!

Glad you liked it, =D

[segusband]

most of the stuff that's hip today sucks!

[motorpsych0]

Well, I can tell you this...There's nothing like Tower of Power in the mainstream right now.

It's not commercial enough! =D

[foofrompurdue]

awesome cover, motor

did you just figure it out by ear?

found this through your 'Who did you think I was" cover, that was stellar as well

pretty amazing setup as well.

5/5 all around!

[motorpsych0]

Thanks, foofrompurdue!

Yeah, I do it by ear. I have a little help though. I use a TASCAM CD-GT2 Guitar Trainer to help me pick out the notes in the faster parts. It a cool gizmo. =D

Thanks also on the WDYTIW comment, and the rating(s)!

Peace~

[MickAlpine]

I want your Mesa Stack, it's awesome! Everything you play is so perfect. 5/5 til I die.

[motorpsych0]

Thanks again, MickAlpine!

I try to keep it real, man. =D

[DVincentW]

I love this tune. My moms band, Barely White used to play this back in the day.

Great job Motor!

Sorry I hadnt gotten to it sooner.5/5

[motorpsych0]

Good news is, this stuff is timeless!

Barely White!...gotta love it. =D

What did your Mom do in the band?

How cool is that! 8)

Thanks for the rating, DVW.

[ZenDriveSeven]

What can I say. Been checking your stuff out for the last day or so. Outstanding!! I have the V-3 OCD as well. Love it! I actually have a request....How about some Brecker Brothers? Maybe something off of Heavy Metal Bee Bop? Skunk Funk perhaps?? I'm sure you will nail it. Again, this is a request...not an order :)

TL

[motorpsych0]

Man...you are too kind, TL!

I like all of those suggestions. I plan to get more into jazz guitar, That is, as long as it's within my skill level. Of course, you could ace any of those, too!

Thanks again for watching!

Peace~

[neil19781978]

now thats funky!!!!!!!!!!!

[motorpsych0]

Thanks, neil19781978!

Get your groove on, man! =D

Peace~

[laysonambrose]

WOW!!!!

[motorpsych0]

Thanks, laysonambrose!

I'm glad you liked it. =D

Peace~

[dsroberts117]

wooo hooo, That was HIP!!!!!

[motorpsych0]

Thanks, dsroberts117 (and gommamy2?)

Go forth and Be cool!

Peace~

[degario1]

oh man, always executed perfectly man!

[motorpsych0]

Hey man, I try!

Thanks for watching, degario1.

Peace~

[WolverineTex]

Robert,

I really like this one! The right hand is solid, baby! Did not know you had a Blues Jr., maybe you told me and I forgot. I gotta learn this one. Hope to see you in the PXD hallways sporting the shades!

[motorpsych0]

Yeah, I guess I forgot to mention the Blues Jr acquisition. I wish I had added a little more treble, but it's all good! =D

Thanks for joining in on the YouTube world, LW(?)

(Did I guess right?)

[WolverineTex]

Good guess.  Keep the good stuff coming our way, motorpsych0

[miguelbass]

Robert my friend, loved to see your performance! Nice gear intro, you always find some new ideas. It's great to discover new tunes introduced by you! Did you colour your walls matching the headstock too? ;)

[motorpsych0]

Thanks as always, Miguel!

As I mentioned in the liner notes, I'm all over the place musically. If I can expose something new to the someone else, great!

Regarding the Stratocaster's color, it's actually "Olympic White". The headstock is also painted to match the body, which is unique to a few limited production Fender guitars in 1995 and 1996.

More...

[motorpsych0]

The guitar appears yellow, due to the web-cam's low quality optics and color balancing. The room used to be my daughters bedroom, thus the yellow paint scheme. It seems to make everything appear yellow since the walls are painted yellow. I plan to repaint this room. What color, you may ask? Olympic White, of course!!! =)

[ftele]

~Man that was dynamite...you look HIP too...~~

[motorpsych0]

Thanks, ftele!

Hey man, I finally subscribed to your channel.

Looks like I've been missing out on a lot!

Peace as always~

[20MOJO20]

that was great man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[motorpsych0]

Thanks as always, 20MOJO20!

Yeah, we're kool! ;)

[eddiegrey]

You is hip!

[motorpsych0]

Thanks, Eddie!

I definitely got my groove on. =D

Peace~

[spacecas]

Another Awesome Cover! Man I love that strat..Ya got a real nice rig too!!

*Peace* Frank

[motorpsych0]

Thanks as always, spacecas!

Glad 'ya dig the Strat. =)

[LeSpAuL3194]

nice playing and better shades

[motorpsych0]

Thanks, LeSpAuL3194!

Kool shades are HIP!

Peace~

[newyorkinthe60s1]

Cool and Funky.

[motorpsych0]

We got the FUNK! Hell yeah!

Thanks, newyorkinthe60s1.

Peace~

[fenderdario3]

aww shit you look all gangster with your glasses nice playing

[motorpsych0]

I had to look "Hip" if I was to play this, so I grabbed the shades! 8~D

Thanks for watching, fenderdario3!

Peace~

[kgmessier]

What is Caucasian? ;)

Nice job, Mr. Tower! Nailed the tone and notes once again. How you diggin' that OCD?

- Keith

[motorpsych0]

The OCD is a nice pedal.

As you know, I'm all-tube on the amp side, but the OCD still gives me the "voice" I want when the amps come up short (especially at bedroom volume levels). When using the Blues Jr., the OCD gets me pretty close to the tone of a Fender Twin. Kool!

As always, thanks for watching, KGM!

[ivmar1]

HA,HA!love this vid better and better!Great really great!5******

friendly yves-marie.

[motorpsych0]

Thanks again, ivmar1!

I'm having a lot of fun, as you can tell. =D

Thanks for the rating, too.

Peace~

[qtipsch]

Sick man! Sick!

[motorpsych0]

A soul injection will cure that! =D

Thanks as always, qtipsch!

Peace~

[stratocasterbob]

I love the Funk-Groove from the 70s.Tower of Power, Average White Band, EWF, Brothers Johnson, Raydio to name a few. Kool sound...styling with the shades!

[motorpsych0]

Yeah, after seeing them live last month, I was inspired to learn me some funk!

Thanks as always, stratocasterbob!

Peace~

[andrewjeff]

very funny!great man!!

[motorpsych0]

As the words say, "Whats hip today, might end up passe", but not my wrap-arounds!

Thanks again, andrewjeff!

Peace~

[xXSpartan150Xx]

Great Song but really the shades made me laugh

[motorpsych0]

Ha Ha, yeah! I even looked in my closet for my old '70s disco shirt with tab collars. I could not find it. I guess I gave it to GoodWill...?

Thanks again for watching, xXSpartan150Xx!

Peace~

[gbrooks2]

Love this subscription! =D

I'd give a limb to see a Little Wing cover.

[motorpsych0]

Glad 'ya dig it, gbrooks2!

I'll get back to Jimi soon. Little Wing is still on my list of "to-dos".

Peace as always~

[RockerDaddyFarms]

That was cool!!

I love when you Guys, put the camera placement so I can see you play!!!

I have no idea how to do it, and may never, but to see it done!

Well it's JUST COOL!!

TTFN

RDT

[motorpsych0]

Thanks and you're welcome, RDT!

The close-ups of the leads is an added bonus. I had to step close to kick in the overdrive pedal (Fulltone OCD), so I just stayed there until I kicked it back out.

What is Hip? That's pretty hip, ya'll!

Thanks for watching!

Peace~

[bluespower]

funky!!!!!!!! stay koooooooool

[motorpsych0]

I'll stay kool...You stay kool, too!

Thanks, bluespower!

Peace~

[amsgnoj]

hey motorphych im thinking of buying either that blues deluxe or the blues junior. i want the blues deluxe because it has drive and its bigger. i dont want to go out and buy drive pedals for the blues junior or a cabinet. what should i do?

[motorpsych0]

I will PM you soon.

[Defector5]

Another fun one.

Keep em' comin man!

Is that a yellow Strat, or an aged artic white?

[Defector5]

Another fun one.

Keep em' comin man!

Is that a yellow Strat, or an aged artic white?

[motorpsych0]

It's Olympic White, but the room and the cheap web-cam make it appear yellow. It has "aged" a bit, but not at all 'yellow' in natural light.

I plan to paint the room later this summer. Guess what color I will use...yup, Olympic White!

Thanks for watching, Defector5!

[guitarrock9691]

oh man its good i like a fender guitar i like your sound man nice bro

[motorpsych0]

Glad 'ya dig it, guitarrock9691!

Single coils rule!

Peace~

[Stratosphere18]

Cool style here motor. I like the sound you get outa that blues jr too. Great vid

[motorpsych0]

Thanks, Stratosphere18!

It was the perfect song for the Junior, too!

Peace~

[The12ismine]

Dig? ohhh yeah cool cat!

[motorpsych0]

Ha Ha, Yeah!... LA/session-cat impersonation here!

Thanks, man.

Peace~

[gtristdan]

Dine-Oh!-Mite! That went well with my cuppa' java this morning

Great jam motor

Lotza' feeling!

[motorpsych0]

Yeah, this and caffiene could make you jittery!

Thanks again, Dan.

Peace~

[johnboytosh]

Great! I like this style too! 5/5

[motorpsych0]

Thanks as always, johnboytosh!

It's a little Oakland soul/funk for all my subscribers and friends!

Thanks for the rating.

Peace~

[Titliest07]

fantastic!

[motorpsych0]

Thanks again, Titiest07!

Glad 'ya dig!

Peace~

[Ginzmom7]

I like the new "hip" Motorpsycho"!

Fan Club President

[motorpsych0]

Thanks, Honey!

I do it all for you!

Love, me.

[DrewAnti1960]

BTW nice equipment.peace Drew

[motorpsych0]

It's my addiction! LOL!

Gimme gear, gimme more GEAR!

[DrewAnti1960]

i use dunlop pics also,sounds great man,good tune great cover,5*****s all the way,,peace

[motorpsych0]

Yeah, these Dunlop picks last forever!

Thanks as always for the rating, Drew.

Peace~

[NightChariot]

have You got a band ?

as always beautiful stuff, thanks for that

[motorpsych0]

No band right now, but I plan to work on that this summer.

Thanks as always for watching, NightChariot!

Peace~

[wambulance]

pure awesomeness

another request

John mayer trio - good love is on the way.

[motorpsych0]

Thanks again, wambulance!

I appreciate the request. I'll give that tune a listen.

Peace~

[fendermac]

You is hip...oh yeah.Excellent work.

[motorpsych0]

Thanks, fendermac!

My doctor says I need daily soul injections! =D

Peace~

[RobEye79]

awesome as usual

[motorpsych0]

Thanks again, RobEye79!

[guitargreats1]

Get Down!!!. Like the new camera view angles and equipment view.

[motorpsych0]

Thanks, guitargreats1!

Yeah, I thought it would help the gearheads (like me) understand what I am using for tone.

[TheEarthBlues]

Such groovy stuff. I loved it man. Thanks.

[motorpsych0]

Thanks, TheEarthBlues!

As you may have noticed in the intro, this is the first video using the Junior (w/ ext. speaker, mind you). I kick in the OCD for the short lead sections.

Peace~