Bassline for Rush's "YYZ"

[SMG59]

Man, imagine if they made a 6 string ricky! people would fall to there feet!....

[bassharmonica1]

Ricks are nice instruments. Would I take one if someone gave it to me. yes (get it "Yes"). Would I take it over a P bass? probably not. Its a matter of personal preference, but for me, the simplicity in the P bass is elegance, and the tone is to me what a bass guitar should sound like. dont get me wrong, Ricks are awesome, but compared to the P bass, theres a reason the P bass has barely been changed. theyre the best in my eyes, and nothing will change that.

[Togglebog96]

Rickenbacker 4003 with a fireglo paint job. Sir, I envy you.

[prs1281]

This dude fingered a girl... and her vagina exploded in millions of pieces

[stelvans]

Why the fuck would 87 idiots think it was cool to click dislike.

[Shadic159]

Did you get the 75% from ultimate bass playalong?

[Alvabass]

@Shadic159: No. I learned everything by ear and slowed down the backing track at home. Thank you for your comment!

[oOSignalzOo]

Nice Ric thats a very Beautiful Bass

[ivanbravo347]

Awesome work man !!

[cursedswordsman]

As soon as I saw the Ric, I knew this guy was serious :P

[manateeswillrule]

my fingers hurt just from watching that, nice job

[juiey2]

the sound of that bass is bad...

No offence...

[dirtydirtyal]

very nice brother..

[IvanBellio]

This song must only be played on a Rickenbacker 

[ragnaroksama]

omg its so difficult, the day i can play this ill by then calll myself a bassist :P

[juliacurtis74]

nice ric!! thats my dream bass that i probably wont get until im at least 20 (this is my favorite song to jam to!) i looove rush <3

[Liton777]

This is great! Way better than i can play, but i'd say if you want to improve your finger technique you should practice playing softer or more smooth, a lot of clicking when you hit the strings, unless you're doing that on purpose, I know geddy lee plays real rough like that. once again great.

[ScalerWave]

Great performance and tutorial ! So that is just the clean signal from the Bass? Amazing !

Is that Rick a 4001?

[D1ANDonlyLantz]

You make it look so easy! I'm inspired to attempt to learn this song now.

[Socialistsuccess]

Wow, awesome playing! Rivalling Geddy Lee himself!

[nyge23]

i never noticed how much Geddy Lee was doing in this song. his voice is like some kind of awesome little boy. very very well played!

[Fratalian274]

Im really jealous of that bass

[kazodrummer]

perfect. you rock. period.

[TheSweetRevengee]

A formidable cover, such a fantastic sound! I love how different and funky the 75% speed sounds - Great skill, love.(:

[MrBytorandthesnowdog]

awesome cover mate slowing it down really helped with the tricky bits keep up the good work.

[SpiritOfRadio2112]

Everything about your bass is sexy. Seriously nice job with the tone and everything. I've been working on this song for the past 2 years and still can't quite get it, but this helps a lot.

[CosmoKrameryyz]

I like your feel for the song...esp the stacatto parts which are very difficult.I mean i could get picky and question the second bass solo where you bend the string,but thats not the point as those solos are added after the initial mix in the studio.Its your interpretation and is along the right lines anyway.Keep up the good work sir!

[SgtZaqq]

damn, too high pitched, my ears bleed! but nice played

[TewMuchTime]

Man I wish I could play this song...

Even at 75% speed its pretty ridiculous :(

[AlvoTV]

this bass cover is that much better cuz he's playing a rickenbacker

[chocobofiesta]

awesome shirt guy!

[sharkman0485]

sounds pretty cool slowed down

[Crabsdonthum]

Thanks so much for this Alvabass!!

I love your teaching style on this video lesson. No long boring explainations of every little detail. You just play the song regular speed and then slow with the camera trained on the bass and both your hands so we can see how it's done.

Sweet!!

[TheAlmightyBassist]

very jealous of your excellent playing. loving the ric btw. what strings might you be using for this song?

[Alvabass]

@TheAlmightyBassist: Thank you so much for your kind comment! I'm not completely sure, but I think my Ric had a set of Rotosounds when I recorded the video.

[sayumyum]

@TheAlmightyBassist they sound liuke elixer strings and if not elixer are amazing i wouldnt ever use any other.

[Thommislav]

just curious eh, I see you play it differently than Geddy

How so? Greetz from YYZ ;)

[1958GIBSONXPLORER]

hey i have played guitar for 6 years and am just learning bass is this song hard to play on bass?

[Dotario147]

75% version is fucking funky :D

[bassplayer360mike]

I really appreciate the slow mo! Awesome to learn by. Thanks alot!

and by the way, nothing looks or sounds better than a RIC! Nice!

[meierboy97]

love the scott pilgrim bass!

[Ltndoom]

fuck i quit bass

[alildrumhappy]

That is one beautiful bass you got there!

[Akiyama0iroquis]

What a beautiful bass you've got there.... nice cover man.

[vectron12]

your rushing in a bunch of parts -_-

and the clicking is infuriating

[poopsackjoe12]

i love this song and nice cover ur great, and also is that a richenbocher idk how to spell it

[PJcam24]

NIce cover dude. Awesome bass too!

[bmxlover1995]

Rickenbacker FTW!

[SoulSocietyCinemas]

"Geddy Lee is a true master and Rush is synonym with genius." i love that. its so true

[filmskate14]

nice cover and rickenbacker cheers from liverpool uk

[stopspillinthebeans]

Awesome!!

[Annonymus121]

DUDE I"VE BEEN TRYING TO GET THAT TRANSITION AFTER THE INTRO FOREVER THANK YOU!!!!

[sabbathbassdude14]

what color is that ric?

[Alvabass]

@sabbathbassdude14: It's called FireGlo. Thank you for your comment!

[sabbathbassdude14]

@Alvabass really? that looks kind of dark for a fireglo, or it just the lighting?

[Alvabass]

@sabbathbassdude14: I think so, man. Mine is a FireGlo Rickenbacker 4003 made in 2006. 

[sabbathbassdude14]

@Alvabass alright thanks man, amazing bass and great videa BTW

[RubixTutorial01]

@Alvabass i reaserched and its called mapleglo

[miki93horo]

@Alvabass need your tablature at what you were doing this song? Please help?

[BREAKocean]

@sabbathbassdude14 That is NOT FireGlo, it's "Montezuma Brown." FireGlo does not have any black on it at all. You can google Montezuma Brown yourself and you will see that it fits the bass in the video.

[Mrguusguus]

Oh! ah rickenbacker. I'm jealous o.o

[IbeenTHUNDERSTRUCK14]

i think a ton of bassists play this different because there is only one geddy lee and everyone else trying to play it cant sound the SAME so they sound slightly different

[sunnyjim98]

can i have your bass?

[r1casill]

Very Cooll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[RcUniverseGuy]

amazing im a guitar player but this still seems hard lol awesome

[MajorFenix]

I love your playing... But I bet it would be great if you turned down the treble and turned up the bass... I don't know if anyone could hear it on their computer but I still bet it would be great...

[Bartholomule01]

You sir have a bass on my list of basses to have eventually.

[javierysantos]

not bad. But, go and exercise more your fingers :(

[5StringRevoloution]

As always, Alva brings the goods (:

This video is the reason I spend an hour a day working on this song.

[thomsk93man]

Have you got the tab for this? its an awesome cover and i'd love to know what you're playing :)

[SavePointVidz]

haha even at 75 i cant read you play >_>

mail me tab that you play with? i'd love to learn this

[Alvabass]

@SavePointVidz: Thank you for your comment! I don't have any tabs for this, man. I learned the pitches and rhythms entirely by ear. BTW, transcribing this line is one of the things that has been in my "to-do" list for a long time.

[diamonddust22]

Looks like the dislike button is the the size of the dicks of the a-holes that pushed the button. Jerks. This guy is an amazing player and should be repected for all his hard work.

[ezequiel0007]

Thanks for the slow part! You are an awesome bassist! And the Rickenbacker... Amazing bass!

[Honorhillshad]

Which strings and which frets are you using for the very beginning part? because i've looked around for it and i just cant figure it out...

[aumi20]

ohhh man what kind of pick ups?

[king05356]

i love that bass, i have the same problem as MrRandompower......but i can play some of this like but odviously not so good of sound cause of that bass...ive played one at guitarcenter and it was lovely.....i hope to get one later in life...keep postin videos your a great bassist, or should i say back up rush bassist...

[king05356]

i love that bass, i have the same problem as MrRandompower......but i can play some of this like but odviously not so good of sound cause of that bass...ive played one at guitarcenter and it was lovely.....i hope to get one later in life

[figaz555]

Calm down on the treble and pluck higher up the bass to get a better tone.

[siklilmonkee]

hey great job i love that sound the ricks give. awsome bass. keep rocking

[Dicksaiter]

Love The Song... hate the bass... Tried Ricks but sound thin as paper and too much noises i don't want. I stick to my Yamaha BB350. Good Cover rly :)

[andresmetacho2]

MAL!!

[MrRandompower]

I want one of these so badly but im like 15 years old and doesnt have like any income at all D: ... can play this song as well but not as perfect as you, what strings do you use?

[Alvabass]

@MrRandompower: Thank you for your comment! My favorite strings are the DR Hi-Beams, but I think the bass had a set of Rotosounds when I recorded the video (not sure, really).

[cello3]

@Alvabass Rotosound swing bass?

[Alvabass]

@cello3: Thank you for your comment! I can remember if the bass had Rotos at the time, but one thing's for sure: If those are Rotosound strings, they are Swing Bass indeed. Haven't played any other set from that brand.

[cello3]

@Alvabass Great sound you have there...great job on that tune! I use to play with Rotos swing bass to, but they got too expensive with the time, due to the amount of shows I'm doing...I'm playing cheap d'Addarios strings by now...

[Alvabass]

@cello3: Thank you so much! Haven't you tried DR Hi-Beams? They are my absolute favorite strings. Amazing steel roundwounds with long-lasting tone and not so harsh on the fingertips.

[cello3]

@Alvabass No, haven't try them yet...maybe I'll go with them next time...I'll let you know how I feel with it...Thanks for the tip man...

[RORYzRIGHT]

@cello3 HI Guys! First off this video helped me soooomuchThank you!! And two have you guys ever tryed Elixir's? They are a little more$ but they sound so great for so long.I mean nothing comes close.That i have tryed. One set will out last three set's of roto's. Have you ever tryed them?

[AnalProbe56]

@MrRandompower poor 15 yo's unite

[icymagma98]

@MrRandompower rotosounds

[leatherfacefan1974]

@MrRandompower what king of bass do u use, i use a '76 p bass

[a7xMadx]

@MrRandompower

You can still play this song on your normal bass dude :D

Just shift to one octave higher. or just play it the same place...

[squiresuzuki]

@MrRandompower Try web design, I'm 16 and it works for me.

[leonardoamando]

Thanks for the slow motion!!!!

[leonardoamando]

Thanks for easygoing in the second version...

[seansuperman]

Great tone with that ric. I want one soooo bad but theyre out of my budget. almost flawless cover

[Slapbass19]

intro sounds like primus QQ

[Bassnoob21]

@Slapbass19 They were big fans of Rush. They even covered this song.

[KrakkaJax]

I don't get it.

[poffip]

Nice Bass *0*

[116886]

awesome cover dude and that is a beastish ric

[MrAngel999]

I like your tone, and also nice cover (:

Cheers

[killercreampuff1234]

HAHAHAHA that looks like so much fun to play and nice backer dude!

[dannyhood66]

Good job dude! This was more helpful learning the guitar parts from bass guitar than utube yyz guitar videos..!aH

[retyu33]

you are so awesome!! i have played bass for like 4 years and think it or not my crazy bass teacher taught me a bit of this song just when i started xD And yesterday i found my notes :D So know im going to practice! I hope that i can play at least half as good as you with my experience

[braincrisp1]

Bad ass playing on a bad ass song!

[aikodude]

brilliant! thanks!

[rolo12543]

Nice job!! Wish my fingers still had that quick flicker needed for this song - as well as a lot of other Rush songs. By the way, nice bass.

[burningxdimx]

Take that silly "Vintage push/pull" sticker off!

[croci17]

wonderful color!!! whats kind of rick is?

[Alvabass]

@croci17: Thank you so much for your comment! That's a 4003, made in 2006. The color is called FireGlo.

[croci17]

@Alvabass wooow fire glo!! i've nevere see it before!! is a new kind??

[Alvabass]

@croci17: No. Actually, Paul McCartney played a FireGlo Ric with The Beatles after the Hofner Violin Bass.

[herosendjoelLinsk]

the ric was used on the magical mysterery tour but yea i got the violin bass it plays great

[NubeSlayer507]

sweet rick! i wish i had one!

[BassBoyGio]

nice Rickenbacker!

[27chomp]

what bass is that ?? by the way good cover

[validcode]

in the main riff i can hear a dead note but what ever well played :)

[xGSxMayhem94]

i think Rickenbacker basses are so sexy

[iloverush123]

Nice cover! I have always wanted a Ric, but I am forced to settle for a Jazz Bass. Someday...

[figaz555]

Ugly tone! Far out.

[drskaff]

I really admire your playing. Thanks for the slow motion. Did you learn this by ear, or tabs?

[Alvabass]

@drskaff: Thank you so much for your kind comment! I learned this piece by ear. Actually, transcribing it in its entirety is something that has been in my to-do list for a long time. Thank you again!

[MrBassmasta1995]

Awesome job! I've been trying to learn this song from an online tab and found out that I couldn't play it because the tab was wrong!

Btw, Nice ric.

[crazyliz09]

hey what kind of bass is that?

[pleez456]

i like how every bass player has there own way to play this song cuz i play it totally different but hey us bass players are just beast like that lol

[oOoOoDarknessoOoOo]

Hey man nice job! I have realy been wanting a Ric for years now, but i just cant get used to that guard over the strings. I just cant play with that thing in the way. Im used to playing with my thumb on a pickup, and with most Rics ive played thats almost imposable. Any info you can give me would be very much appreciated

[dLema1]

@oOoOoDarknessoOoOo I'm pretty sure that's removable, so people like you and pick users can play just fine.

[FVDH79]

I really have to thank you for this...a lot!! Makes it way easier to practice at 75%. Great job and thanks again...now i can figure out the bits and pieces that were abacadabra to me.

[FVDH79]

I really have to thank you for this...a lot!! Makes it way easier to practice at 75%. Great job and thanks again...now i can figure out the bits and pieces that were abacadabra to me.

[bassgroove21]

god i'd kill to get a rickenbacker just way too much money for my budget, i'm stuck right now with a epiphone thunderbird

[vitorbass]

Nice , he looks very calm and relaxed !

[TDKsnowboarder]

Easy on the staccato bud! Let it flow!

[stressdoubt1]

damn! thats a nice bass!

[GreyGleamII]

How do I count those runs in the intro? The ones right before the 'verse'. I can never seem to come in on time...

[Alvabass]

@GreyGleamII: Thank you so much for your comment! They aren't supposed to be counted. That's a matter of eye contact between band members. In this case, I was looking at the sound wave running on my PC monitor. In a live situation, one of the band members (the drummer is the best option in my opinion) should provide a visual cue for all to enter at the same time.

[nickca420]

I think you're playing it a bit more complicated than Geddy does - I'm pretty sure on the first part of each riff during the verse he just plays the first note twice in succession, while you're doing a hammer-on-pull-off thing down a step and then back.

[roussos87]

ricken-rush... so great......

[42BASSMAN]

Great playing..

[RPJTheWhiteWolf]

great fucking song u totally nailed, the tone sound different of course cuz Geddy uses shitload of treble so that's why it sounds different but u nailed it man 5/5

[yabbazabba1234]

@RPJTheWhiteWolf Reason why it sounds so trebley is because he uses a fender Jazz on the moving pictures album!

[bassplayer20orange]

nice a rickenbacker fireglo i am getting a 4001c series mapleglo and I may consider a jetglo or fireglo 4003 :)

[racerrat751]

Is geddy that good or are you just making it look out of control hard?

[NinjaLinkBYAAA]

Nice bass, i don't have much experience with Rickenbackers... I play a '73-'74 Gibson EB3, I love the pickups and four way switch, if I were to buy a new bass (not to replace mine, just as an extra hehe) would the Ric be a good choice?

[Alvabass]

@NinjaLinkBYAAA: If you like to rock, the Ric is a great choice. This bass has such an agressive character, ideal for this type of music. Thank you so much for your comment!

[Funkyskunk01]

@Alvabass hey man is that a 4001 or 4003 bass? really nice sound and playing! Respect!

[Alvabass]

@Funkyskunk01: Thank you so much for your kind comment! That's a 4003, made in 2006.

[Funkyskunk01]

@Alvabass could you tell me the salient differences from the 4001 and 4003 models? does this one have the 'pull out' vintage knob?

[Alvabass]

@Funkyskunk01: That knob was introduced in 2006, man. My 4003 was made that year and it has that vintage tone knob, although I must say I don't care about it. Newer 4003s also have it.

The main difference between the 4001 and 4003, aside from 4001's less "ballsy" tone, is that the truss rod system of the 4001 couldn't handle the tension of roundwound strings, resulting in many bent necks when rounds were installed. The 4003 has that problem solved.

[filipporaffaelli]

hey,what's your bass?it's like cliff burton's first bass

[Alvabass]

@filipporaffaelli: It's a Rickenbacker 4003. Thank you for your comment!

[filipporaffaelli]

hey,what's your bass?it's like cliff burton's first bass

[sillysally76]

you are the man

[quigglesquaggs]

mistakes

[codyhinkle]

u have the best rush covers on her n when ever i try to play along i feel like such a douche cause u have the best fucking sound ahhh i'm so fucking jealous

[b0d0mB3acht3rr0r]

killer bass how much do they run?????

[Alvabass]

Brand-new Rickenbackers (4003 model) are around 2000 USD. Thank you for your comment!

[b0d0mB3acht3rr0r]

sweet jesus lol i only paid 800 for my bass

[vampiricfang2009]

Could you do another Rush cover? Cygnus X-1 - Book 1 - The Voyage? Be pretty sweet to see someone cover it. :P

[flavy1000]

I`ve been watching at this video a dozen times, it`s cool, and I learnt a lot from it...Ja.!!.nearly going to replace Geddy, the next show-

(it `s a bad joke...noneof us can make that, he sounds that way, but we can enjoy a lot playing his terrible basslines...)Thanks again, master !!

Please get me in touch, when you post something about Cris Squire...Can`t find the tapping posts...

Flavy ,from Argentina

[EvenHummROCKS]

Pretty thight cover

[gdanks1]

take the pick cover off it looks stupid with it on, no one leaves them on

[Kumagoro314]

@gdanks1

I'd leave it on, it looks sweet

[CommBreakDown]

Very ncie sounding Bass man.

[sk8ur2b]

nice rickenbacker. how much was it?

i would like one

[Alvabass]

Brand-new Rickenbackers cost around 2000 USD nowadays. I bought mine in 2006 and I paid around 1600 USD including shipping to my country. Thank you for your comment!

[Seanyboy225]

@Alvabass I've been playing guitar for 3 years now, and I bought a bass 3 weeks ago. I have:

-€99,- Beginners guitar (+amp 'n accesories)

-€380,- B.C. Rich guitar

-€199,- Dean Bass guitar.

I'm looking for a job now (I turned 15, 4 weeks ago)

I have €85,- left, and I want to buy some bass accesories, pedals and amps..

Can you recommend some equipment for me?

Awesome cover. =)

[Alvabass]

Thank you so much for your comment! Well, if you are not thinking about upgrading your instrument nor saving your money and only looking for accesories, I'd suggest you to get some great strings for your bass. DR Hi-Beams are the strings I like the most and I highly recommend them. Now, if you are looking to get closer to Geddy Lee's tone (well, his hands are the biggest component, but anyway...) I'd suggest you a SansAmp Bass Driver.

Let me know if you need further assistance. Thank you again!

[bassman499]

is this a rick

[mcbac508]

you bet

[nemo19832009]

@bassman499 do you even have to ask such a dumb question

[RORYzRIGHT]

I love that BASS!

[GeddyLee211]

thanks a lot dude, you helped me learn all of those monstorous fills in this song.

[Alembicplyr]

Nice job Alvaro