How To Play Bass Guitar To Come Together - The Beatles - Paul McCartney

[nerskie]

Thank you very much for this lesson. very helpful for a beginning bass player like me.

[howtoplaybassdotcom]

@nerskie That's cool - make sure you learn it and then move on and learn another one!

[eurocarts]

.. I would like to share my pattern on playing thing.. I hope it can help..

Open string D then 1st finger on the 5th fret(G) slide to 7th fret(A)

then on G string 4th finger on the 10th fret(F) 1st finger on D (G string) then slide down

then your right hand fingers will naturally drop down again to D string to start the groove again.

you'll feel more of the slide if you'll understand the pattern that I use..

.. just sharing my style..

[howtoplaybassdotcom]

@eurocarts Dude - that's cool, thanks for sharing. If you wanna make a quick video of that and post it as a video response...and email and remind me, I'll approve it so others can see your alternative method (which might work better for them).

[retrab1]

He`s playing the right notes but the wrong shaped pattern .....too gawky & stilted

Much smoother playing the slide (G to A) section by starting 10th fret A string...(G to A)

Keeps all the babys in one spot.....!!!!

[howtoplaybassdotcom]

@retrab1 Dude there are always alternative ways to play stuff...depends on your hand size, your bass scale and your fingering system. I always teach what seems most logical to me....the reason I give the note names in detail is so that people can play in different locations if they see fit. If you wanna film yourself teaching this alternative location and post it as a video response I'll happily approve it.

[TheJburke13]

@everyone...do you guys have a problem with this man teaching people how to play music? and @howtoplay, good job replying to negative feedback. most people retaliate with negativity but you have a to each their own attitude and think you can do better show me responses. keep it up. sounds right to me. why dont we just all "come together" haha

[howtoplaybassdotcom]

@TheJburke13 LOL! The sad thing is that everyone SERIOUSLY invested in getting better at whatever their doing - teaching, playing, whatever - absolutely NEEDS feedback in order to find where their weaknesses are and grow. There are just too many folk out there willing to slag off others without offering constructive criticism. I've asked about 20 guys now to post a video response and show me what they've got. Guess how many have taken me up?

[howtoplaybassdotcom]

@TheJburke13 If you guessed none, you guessed right. It's very easy to 'talk the talk' from behind the anonynymity of a computer monitor and keyboard - much harder to pony up and actually walk the walk. I'm ALWAYS looking for feedback to get better....most people want to make themselves feel better by attacking others. (I take it as a sign of their insecurities!). Thnks for the comment.

[m16nut1]

i skiped it alittle bit and all i heard was "sex on fire"

[MrKlatschreporter]

the less you speak the more you teach

[howtoplaybassdotcom]

@MrKlatschreporter Really? That sounds zen like. Only problem is that if I just put my fingers on the fretboard and didn't tell people what I was doing I'd get a ton of emails complaining they couldn't see where I was putting my fingers. But how about this: you film a lesson teaching Come Together using your 'no speak, all teach' approach and I'll post it on my website for bass players to find?

[PsychoSymantic]

This is actually completely wrong.

The main riff is actually played on the low E at the 10th fret, then hammer on to the tenth fret on the A string then slide to the 12th fret.

The A bar pattern is also incorrect. you don't play the same D bar pattern over again in A. You play the 5th Fret on the low E, then jump to the 5th fret on the G string, then jump to the 7th fret on the D string.

Source: The Beatles complete scores.

[howtoplaybassdotcom]

@PsychoSymantic This is why I despise tab.

Are there other ways to play these lines: YES. My question to you is: who 'tabbed' out the Beatles Complete Scores version? Did they consult McCartney and note every song down as Paul played? (I'm guessing not). In which case what's important are the notes....and then it's up to individual bass players to play those notes depending on factors such as their hand size, their fingering system, scale of their bass, etc.

[PsychoSymantic]

@howtoplaybassdotcom Hal Leonard Tabbed these songs. If you don't know who that is google. 2nd question Obviously they consulted the surviving members, if not the scores would not have been allowed for release.

What I'm saying is the Abar pattern is completely wrong, meaning it's NOT the actual NOTES played. Listen to the song the A pattern is A-A-C-A. NOT THE PATTERN SHOWN IN THE VIDEO,

[howtoplaybassdotcom]

@PsychoSymantic Hal Leonard are a music publisher. And normally they buy the copyright to music and then publish it. When they publish a score like this the chances are that they have a guy on payroll who transcribes this.

Now Hal Leonard stuff is usually pretty accurate - but that doesn't mean that it's 100% accurate. I'm happy with what I'm playing - if you've got another version that sounds good or better, then that's cool. Perhaps you could make a video and post it as a response?

[CyrusDGabriel]

@howtoplaybassdotcom his just trolling...

STFU "stop trolling for unicorns"

[ettorejim]

where can I find that variations.?! ''new sections'' ?!?

[vendingmachinehacker]

Hey thanks Paul for such a quick response to my comment! I understand and thanks for replying! =]

[BBombers2425]

in the main riff why don't you just play the octave D on the G string 7th fret?

[TheGingerNinja42]

This song is so sexy and a lot easier to play then I thought it would be. This video is a great help, thanks.

[howtoplaybassdotcom]

@TheGingerNinja42 Yep - back in the day Sir Paul could throw a mean bass line together....love some of his mid 60s stuff. Glad it helped you - keep learning tunes and keep practicing!

[vendingmachinehacker]

Hey! Paul I've noticed that you play a lot of "older" music,which Isn't bad. But I would enjoy it if you made a tutorial on how to play a song called "Coming Undone" by Korn. I really have enjoyed all of your other videos and have been searching for a tutorial on how to play this song for years.Please respond to this comment by via inbox-Vendingmachinehacker

[howtoplaybassdotcom]

@vendingmachinehacker Hey - thanks for dropping by. To be honest I can't see that one appearing on the horizon anytime soon - my request list is FULL (have stopped taking new requests) and is over 250 songs long. If I did that at my current rate it would be 5 years before I was clear again!

[howtoplaybassdotcom]

@howtoplaybassdotcom Are there no tab versions of it anywhere that you can learn from???

[bassmike1000]

@howtoplaybassdotcom you can find it in bass some bass books

[vendingmachinehacker]

Hey! Paul I've noticed that you play a lot of "older" music,which Isn't bad. But I would enjoy it if you made a tutorial on how to play a song called "Coming Undone" by Korn. I really have enjoyed all of your other videos and have been searching for a tutorial on how to play this song for years.Please respond to this comment by via inbox-Vendingmachinehacker

[angelbassman]

thank's sounds good in spite you play with your fingers, so no pic. Paul allways with a pic. but I repeate. : sound good.

[howtoplaybassdotcom]

@angelbassman Yeah I think this one would really suit a pick - my pick playing sucks though and I wouldn't play it on YouTube.

[SDCParrot]

Can you upload a video lesson for My Generation?

[SDCParrot]

What fret do you stop at when you slide down from the 12th fret in the riff?

[renzopogi12]

could you do i saw her standing there by the Beatles.....

please.. coz the bass of the song is very groovy and cool... :)

[Jcahalane]

Why do I find the pattern easier to play on the E string?

[DoubleEntendreSongs]

My god! McCartney really is a genius, isn't he! Relatively easy yet oh so effective!

[mrnice1058]

thanks a lot man i was just reading the notes to this song and i think i was reading it totally wrong..lol

[howtoplaybassdotcom]

@mrnice1058 glad to hear you were reading notes, and not trying to decipher tab!

[TiMickQC]

your lessons are excellent

[baggziefiras]

why not play the D in the main riff on the 7th fret of the G string instead of the 12th fret on the D string? wudnt that make the fingering a lot easier?

[howtoplaybassdotcom]

@baggziefiras

I tried that. But the slide didn't sound right....the D note on the G string/7th fret just sounds a little thinner than at the 12th fret of the D string. Plus the slide down the G string didn't sound very compelling and it takes you away from the root note of the pattern on the downbeat of the next bar.

But if it works for you, it works for you. We all have different sized hands, different sized basses, different fingering systems. There's no right way.

[baggziefiras]

@howtoplaybassdotcom sweet. thanks. :)

[baggziefiras]

@howtoplaybassdotcom and as for the root note of the pattern...i tend to use the open D string. :D lol

i'm just lazy. i use open strings whenever i can :D