How To Write A Bass Line

[187RailroadBull]

KGB

[throughTHEnever044]

thanks dude this was really helpful :)

[483Geisterfahrer]

wow your guitar is awesome!

and thanks this helped me alot!

[Customrogue]

the most important part of writing a bass line is knowing when NOT to play while interweaving between the other instruments/vocalists in the piece of music - and that is not always following the root or the rhythm guitar riff <<< that is brainless and tends to add zero feeling to the piece

[cjbelsito64]

well I think there needs to be a change in the video when the marry-go-round flies away, it doesn't really match up with the title of this video. Furthurmore, there should not be any killer whales in the background...just change those things and ur all set

[Brian19451]

ur a loud talker!:D

[cast390]

This should be a lesson on how to tune a guitar

[waltribeiro]

@cast390 i have plenty of lessons about that at my website

[RUSHisCOOL69]

I love this! Thanks sooooooooo much!!!!!!!!!

[waltribeiro]

@RUSHisCOOL69 aww thanks!

[ElegyForTheMasses]

@Yebass I think I'm kind of creative, but I will never be as good as Claypool or Flea :/

[rapperSkater]

@ElegyForTheMasses yeah, not with that attitude.

[waltribeiro]

@ElegyForTheMasses if you think like that, then you won't

[Smithy1596]

@bandet4 a chord with three notes is a triad. a chord is anything with more then one note played simultaneously

[ElegyForTheMasses]

What if I wanted to write a bassline for a RHCP or primus style song where bass is a little bit more prominent?

[waltribeiro]

@ElegyForTheMasses whats the question? if you want to play like them, then learn their music and style

[beficasita666]

yo are you a skinhead?

[ElegyForTheMasses]

@beficasita666 What kind of a question is that? I have a similar haircut, it's just a haircut.

[rapperSkater]

@beficasita666 why would you ask such a stupid question? Because everyone with a shaved head must be a skinhead?

[waltribeiro]

@rapperSkater haha yea true. people have to chill out

[waltribeiro]

@beficasita666 no

[ElegyForTheMasses]

@beficasita666 That's a very lame and ignorant question to ask someone. Just because someone has short hair doesn't make them a skinhead. I buzz my hair to almost bald, doesn't make me a skinhead. I just like the hairstyle. Besides, being in the military I have to have short hair anyways, might as well cut it really short so I'm not having to cut it every week.

[dastardlycat2]

thaats really helpfull thanks :D

[Songwriter4God]

Not really that helpful to me, exactly what I was thinking...

I hate Ovations...

[waltribeiro]

@Songwriter4God to each their own :)

[mrcndrn]

TUNE UP, WILL YOU?

[waltribeiro]

@mrcndrn yea sorry. always in a rush

[punkrockefeller]

duh.

[converse00999]

dude tht was really helpful thx a bunch :)

[Katalabaino]

i love what is in background

[KizzaKhaz]

thanks for the lesson, big help

[Beast6Of6Bass6]

u shud actuall have another guy with you with the bass demonstrating.

[a7xccp1313]

You dont have to use the root always do you? You can use fifths and thirds right?

[Billya1986]

cool dude I just started to play bass,do u think I can write full songs on it and lyrics,and then add drums and guitar...

[gibsonlover123]

@Billya1986 definitly dude, look at the red hot chili peppers for inspiration, a ton of their songs are lead by and based on bass. and anyway their bassist flea, is incredibly

[martmit]

is ur guitar in standard tuning?

[wigg1ez]

Overall, great video for beginners. Thanks!

[wigg1ez]

There's more rules for writing a bass line then you demonstrate. When writing using common practice rules, to use the fifth within the bass would create a triad in its second inversion. With that being said, second inversions only occur at specific cadence points and should be used with caution because the fifth is the weakest tone within the chord.. Also, the bass 'usually' moves opposite of guitar, however this is not true when having triads transition with roots a 4th or 5th apart.

[gibsonlover123]

@wigg1ez thats the point, the 5th is a weak part of the chord, so you use bass to emphasize it :)

[DrElmo2]

That really did help. lol Time to start writing new parts, Ha

[skaterlova96]

thanks for the vid it helped alot

[JerryGruszecki]

id say this is pretty good .

[malouni95]

what camcorder do you use????

Thanks

[readymadebreakup]

nice work man! i also have an instructional bass video posted. i think if would be learners extrapolate a little from you and a little from me, they might just construct the ultimate bass line...infact they might even have to scale back slightly as they would likely implode under the sheer magnitude and gravity of their creation.

[mbirxeotn]

young ken shamrock

[mdmike4n]

dude u saved my life

thanks

[TheSpartanfan]

This was very helpful. 5 stars.

[SwedishMeatball93]

Hey! I wonder, do you know any good site for theory? Do you know where I can get a picture of the fretboard of the bass and all the tones?

[bourne41371]

that was pretty good Walt!! Peace to yourself lol

[mattd28]

awesome work!

[MezzPaul]

Awesome Walt, thanks man!

[selfcenteredfreak]

Hey nice work dude!

[SDMagicMan]

nice job dood.

[tutorialconr]

You look cool in that Jacket

[dontobeay]

why doesnt the third usually work

[eviltube1111]

Or maybe the bass and guitar are almost in their own league, like technical metal music. But that music is very hard to write.

[Bassist218]

Bass in yo face!!!

You rule dude.

[tobebius]

you are an inspiration walt...

[tito2963tito]

You make bass lines much more interesting! haha

Today, I saw some guy in the street with a suit on, short hair, and what looked like a laptop bag and I thought it was you but then I remembered you don't live in LA...haha

Keep it up! Learning a lot from you before I actually take my first music class. I'll be well prepared thanks to you.

[juniorsgv88]

wow great instructions plus direction... keep it going. learned alot. thanks

[ItHappens117]

wow my videos dont work

[boyofSins]

never mind, saw the it in the descriptions box

[subtlydarkindigo]

so how do u find the root of the chord

[Erlendolsen]

it's usually the lowes string. The name of the cord actually tells you the root note. ex. in a Cm7 the root note would be C. It's that easy.

[BTARD4LIFE]

lol wouldnt the bass note of a Cm7 be a Cm7 note?

[Erlendolsen]

Can someone get the troll repellant spray?

In case you're not trolling; there is noe such thing as a Cm7 note... the "m" means that the C chord, has a diminished 3rd instead of the 3rd, and the 7, means that the 7th note in the scale of C is added( the diminished 7th that is or else it would be a maj7 chord)

[waltribeiro]

Cm7 implies a chord... a chord is 2 or more notes :)

[cicelymetal]

@waltribeiro chord is three or more notes

[fishnsticks]

@cicelymetal

power chords are not always three or more notes.

so waltribeiro is right.

[cicelymetal]

@fishnsticks power 'chords' are two notes, the 1 and the 5... its not a real chord.. the 1 and the 5 just have the strongest relation... so its easily mistaken as a chord

[fishnsticks]

@cicelymetal

it is a chord. it is called a power chord not a power "chord"

its the real deal. or if you want to be technical, its a Fifth chord.

there.

[rapperSkater]

@cicelymetal you can have a power chord with 3 notes.

[waltribeiro]

@rapperSkater yes. in fact, a power chord has only 2 notes in it. the third note is doubled (the root)

[ooppiipqjjccrkI]

@waltribeiro yeah, you are right.

[Bandet4]

@waltribeiro I believe a chord is 3 or more...

[boyofSins]

wow what kind of guitar is that? it looks badass!

[DaiskDark]

thanks! you gave me an idea now for my next bass line :D