HughRichardson

Hey guys! I just released a new video. Bobby Vega's pick technique has been admired by bass players all over the world. In this video I break down 4 things he does and show you how you can transplant them into your own playing! Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYn6y3NFDRo&feature=youtu.be

Hey Bob! Thanks so much for your subscription and comment! So glad you're enjoying the channel! Since the whole aim of the channel is to help the kind folks like you who subscribe is there anything in particular you'd like me to cover on the subject of blues bass playing? I'd be happy to make a video for you!

NEW VIDEO! $1700 Jule Monique Dove Cage Bass DI REVIEWED! Take a look and let me know what you think guys! Hugh

Hey guys! I just published a new video on slap technique which I think you'll get a lot from watching. In the video I break down the three need-to-know concepts of great slap playing into simple steps for you to follow. 1. Change your slapping hand position So many bass players have trouble getting a clean slap sound because they use the wrong hand position. They have their hand pointing down so that the thumb runs across 2, 3 or even all 4 strings. This means that when they strike the string they unintentionally hit other strings too. Find out how to avoid this trap by watching the video. 2. Slap with the right part of your thumb When performing a slap stroke, aim to strike the string with the boney part of your thumb which is just between the last knuckle and the tip of your thumb. As I demonstrate in the video, for me, this is where the nail joins the flesh of my thumb. For pop strokes, hook the outside of the tip of your finger underneath the outer face of the string and then rotate away to perform a pop stroke. 3. Rotation is key Arm rotation is one of the least talked about parts of slap technique yet arguably, the most important. Many bass players mistakenly say you should "flick your wrist" but the correct movements for slap and pop strokes actually comes from the elbow. 4. Bonus tip! Having great technique is important but, by itself, it will only get you so far. Bodybuilders can have the best lifting technique in the world but their muscles won't grow if they don't actually lift any weights. The same is true of your slap technique if you don't practice some exercises. Enjoy, Hugh

Hey guys, I just added a new video to my Blues Bass Lines Series on using riffs in a 12 bar blues. Take a look and let me know what you think! Cheers, Hugh

Hey guys, I just posted my latest video on the best bass strings for slap. Take a look and let me know what you use! Cheers, Hugh

At $89 is the best bass distortion pedal on the market the EHX bass big muff? In this video, I take you through three things you need to know before buying one The first thing I love about this pedal is that it comes from a trusted brand which is used by big-name players. Seeing and hearing the big muff on records like "Hysteria" by Muse is a reassuring sign of its quality. Second, there's a huge variety of sounds which can be made from the pedals three settings. A volume, tone and sustain dial. The volume dial is self-explanatory. The tone adjusts how bright the distortion is and the sustain can be used to add presence. With these three dials, you can add some subtle crunch (low sustain and tone settings) all the way up to a face-melting overdrive sound which is tone The EHX bass big muff pi is modelled on the old green big muff that many bass players used in the 90's. The reason the one was used to much is that it didn't remove all the low end from the signal when it added distortion. The big muff pi succeeds in doing the same. There's plenty of low so you'll still sound like a bass player but, if you want to retain some more of your basses natural sound, then you've got a few more options that this pedal gives you. Below the tone dials, you'll see a switch with three settings. Bass boost, norm and dry. boost will boost the low frequencies, norm runs the pedal on default circuit but dry blends in your own dry bass signal with the distortion. This is a massive bonus if you want a more "blended" tone which isn't all distortion. There's also a separate effect and dry outs on the side of the unit which give you further options when recording or for a more complex live setup. Personally, I think this is the best bass distortion pedal you can buy right now. At $89 it's much cheaper than the mxr bass distortion pedal ($139) or the aftershock bass distortion ($149), it's made by a company that has great pedigree and history and it's very diverse in what it can do. If you're looking for a fuzz pedal to add to your rig, for me, this is it. But let me know what you think. Leave me a comment!

Hey guys, I just released a new video! Two essential 12 Bar Blues Bass Turnarounds from my new Bass Bass Lines series! Check it out, like, comment and share! Cheers! Hugh

Hey guys, I just published a new YouTube video reviewing my four top picks for the best music theory book. I've used these books throughout my teaching career to teachbeginners, middle and high school students as well as musicians on degree programmes and a few professionals. Everyone studies music theory for different reasons so I've decided to look at four books which I feel will serveall different levels. 1. The AB Guide To Music Theory Parts 1 and 2 These two books are perfect if you're new to theory and you need to learn the basics. The explanations are clear and the material is really well presented. If you've read these books then you won't draw a blank the next time someone asks you "hey, what key is this song in?". It's crucial reading for any student. 2. Mark Levine's Jazz Theory Book This second option is more advanced and I would say better suited to students in degree programs or serious high school students. Jazz theory helps to explain so many areas of contemporary music like pop, soul, R&B to name a few. So understanding how to improvise over changes, how certain scales relate to certain chords and how to reharmonize (all of which you learn in this book) is something you really have to know. 3. Harmony by Walter Piston If classical music is much more your thing then Harmony by Walter Piston is the book for you. Whilst this does cover some very fundamental things like intervals, key signatures and triads, Harmony also progresses into veryadvanced territory by the end. For this reasonit's one of the most complete books I've ever read. It also comes with a sister workbook which has exercises for each chapter. 4. David Berkman's Jazz Harmony Book This is one of my favourite books. It's got endorsements from some of the biggest names in jazz but it presents the process of understanding and applying harmony perhaps more clearly than any other book I've ever read. My favourite section is the appendix at the back which teaches non-piano players how to voice all the chords and theory you learn as a jazz piano player would. Basic keyboard skills are taught at any serious music school to every student without exception so if you're a student or even a professional then this is a book you must own! To learn more about these books check out my review and if you want to read reviews from people who have bought each book make sure you check out the show notes in the description! Let me know what you think of these options!

Hey guys! I just added a video on 3 Ways To Get Your Playing Back In Shape to my blog. To put it simply getting your playing into shape after a long break is hard. Your fingers feel like they are filled with concrete, your muscles feel stiff and it's hard to move smoothly. We've all been there. But you don't have to lie back and accept it. There's plenty you can do.... I took a break earlier this year (I went to Canada for two weeks and LOVED it!) and you guessed it, when I came back my playing had taken a serious hit. The first morning after I got back I shook off some jet lag by going for a run then I settled into my tried and tested 3 step routine to get my chops back. I wanted to share this same routine with you because it's something that gives us all trouble. We all feel like we're not always the player we once were. Often we struggle to "get back" to where our bass playing once was. So if that's been a problem for you take a look at my 3 Ways To Get Your Playing Back In Shape If you think I've missed anything off the list then leave a comment and tell me about it and don't forget to subscribe! Cheers! Hugh

Hey guys! I know a lot of bass players have trouble learning the neck of their bass but I've just uploaded a great lesson on how you can memorise the bass neck with only three scale shapes. The way I discovered this is actually quite a funny story. Twelve years ago, when I was a student at music school, I was really struggling to learn the neck of my bass. What made things worse is that I took a class called "fretboard fluency" which taught all the scales, arpeggios and chords I needed to know and all the different positions I needed to know them in. However, I had a big problem. I couldn't remember any of them. I was at home practising one day about a week before my exam and as ever, I was struggling. Frustrated, I decided to take a break. So I closed the blue folder I kept my class notes in, left my room, walked down the hallway into the living room and sat at the table to play Tetris on my iPhone. I wasn't a particularly great Tetris player. In fact, I had noticed long ago that I always tried to fit the shapes together in a handful of ways. Perhaps only five or six. But as this thought ran through my head I started to wonder. How many scale shapes do I really need to know to pass this class? This was enough to make me put the phone down, walk back down the hallway into my room, pull out my blue folder and study these scale shapes in a new light. What I found was that I didn't need to know fifty different scale shapes. I didn't need to know 20, or 15, or 10. I didn't even need to know 5. I needed to know a grand total of 3 scale shapes to know where all the notes of every scale were in any key all over the neck. Understanding how these three shapes fit together was a game changer for me and I'm sure it will be for you. I've also included a free PDF in the video description for you which has all the scale diagrams that I use in the lesson. No email sign up, no catch and nothing to sell. I just want you to get the PDF and unlock your bass neck! Enjoy the lesson and make sure you subscribe and leave me a comment! Cheers, Hugh

Hey guys! I've been working on a beginner slap bass course for my teaching site and recently I've had loads of great guys from bass chat subscribe to my site and YouTube channel. By way of thanks I've made the course available as a "Name Your Own Price" offer. So if you want to donate then you can but I know money can be tight so if you want to pay only $1 or even $0 then that's totally cool with me! Just add to cart, scroll down, name your price and then you're good to go! Here's a link to the course! https://onlinebassguitar.com/stv1/ Enjoy, Hugh

Hey guys, Just a quick one. If you want some advice on your muting technique then take a look at this youtube tutorial I just published. Enjoy! Hugh

Just a quick one guys. If you're having trouble memorising the notes on the neck then check out my latest tutorial which has some great exercises to suit a range of difficulty levels. All you need is a bass and a tuner! https://onlinebassguitar.com/bass-fretboard-memorization-exercises/ Enjoy! Hugh

Hey guys, I just finished a tutorial on a cycle of 4ths exercise I created a while ago which I designed to; help train your ear to hear modulations, move all around the neck and to be a good technique workout or something that could be used as a good warm up. Here's the link to the lesson on my blog. [url="http://onlinebassguitar.com/cycle-of-4ths-exercise/"]http://onlinebassguitar.com/cycle-of-4ths-exercise/[/url] Let me know what you think Cheers, Hugh

Hey guys, I just published a new YouTube tutorial on the basics of slap technique for beginners. [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJyv56emOzI"]Check it out here! [/url] Cheers, Hugh

[quote name='RalphDWilson' timestamp='1488123516' post='3246040'] Hi Hugh, Looking forward to seeing your future episodes. It is of interest to me as I love musical theatre, but realistically, I'm never going to play in a pro pit band for many reasons. All the best with the gig! Ralph [/quote] Cheers Ralph! The 2nd episode is now up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wahU22_Enc Enjoy!

Hi everyone. Currently I'm on tour with Bat Out Of Hell -The Musical in Manchester UK and I've decided to start a vlog showing you my experiences on the tour. For anyone who's unfamiliar with the show, it's a West End/Broadway musical of the songs that Jim Steinman wrote for Meat Loaf from the albums Bat Out Of Hell 1, 2 and 3. Here's a link to the first episode:[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baZJzXpbA4g"] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baZJzXpbA4g[/url] If anyone has any questions about working on a Theatre gig, wants some advice or whats to know about the gear I'm using, how I've approached the music or prepared for the show (or anything else) then just leave me a comment and I'll get back to you! Cheers guys, Hugh

Hey guys! My teaching site recently did a round up of the top 50 bass sites on the web and of course bass chat was featured! Here's the article [url="http://onlinebassguitar.com/top-50-bass-sites-web/"]http://onlinebassguitar.com/top-50-bass-sites-web/[/url] It'd be great to know what you guys think! Cheers, Hugh

Hi everyone! I recently published a new online slap course for beginners on my teaching site. The course has got 7 great video lessons, full tab and notation, practice slap grooves and 5 fully arranged and transcribed backing tracks which you can practice along to. I've set up a discount coupon for bass chat users which is basschat5 which will give you one third off! [url="http://onlinebassguitar.com/product/slap-techniques-volume-one/"]Click here to learn more about the course[/url] And don't forget to use the coupon code! There's also a 30 day money back guarantee if you're not happy! All the best, Hugh

Hi everyone! I recently published a new online slap course for beginners on my teaching site. The course has got 7 great video lessons, full tab and notation, practice slap grooves and 5 fully arranged and transcribed backing tracks which you can practice along to. I've set up a discount coupon for bass chat users which is basschat5 which will give you one third off! [url="http://onlinebassguitar.com/product/slap-techniques-volume-one/"]Click here to learn more about the course[/url] And don't forget to use the coupon code! There's also a 30 day money back guarantee if you're not happy! All the best, Hugh

Hey everyone! My latest [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dqmYYAMGqU"]slap bass[/url] lesson is now up on YouTube. It's a lesson on how to play slap triplets which is a technique often used by Marcus, Victor, Mark King and many more. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dqmYYAMGqU

Hi everyone! I've just posted my latest YouTube [url="https://goo.gl/sw8FH3"]bass lesson[/url] showing a really quick and easy to understand bit of fretting hand technique used to help eliminate fret buzz and choked notes and get better sustain, a purer sound and a better tone. Take a look and enjoy! Hugh

Hey everyone I just wrote this article which has some of my advice on shaping a good practice routine. There's some great advice on how to keep a sustainable yet effective routine as well as some great tips about warming up! Take a look! http://www.onlinebassguitar.com/constructing-a-practice-routine/

I own three but I really only use my main one which is a Sadowsky MV5