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greghagger

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Everything posted by greghagger

  1. greghagger
    A long while ago I made a video on the five major pentatonic bass shapes. It's taken a while and a few friendly prompts, but I've finally got round to making a video on the five minor shapes. This lesson is sort of off the back of my video No.275 that I made a few weeks ago on the minor pentatonic scale. These minor pentatonic shapes are so useful to us bass players, and if you're struggling with knowing notes options for creating your own riffs, licks and fills, then this video is for you. It will help you to understand a framework across the whole fretboard to help with improvising. In the lesson, I guide you through the scale shapes and explain why they are so useful. This is an easy lesson to understand but an important one, so you don't want to miss it!
  2. greghagger
    There's a really great Blues bass player who was on the scene in Chicago in the 1960s, playing with the likes of Junior Wells and Buddy Guy. His name is Jack Myers and he's often overlooked, maybe because he left the music business in the early 70s. Jack Myers was one of the first to play electric Fender bass, and apparently Buddy Guy acquired his first electric bass for him from Willie Dixon, via a pawn shop! His playing style is very interesting, he lays down a very solid bass line but he’s also very inventive, often including interesting rhythmic ideas and note choices. In my latest YouTube lesson I break down Jack Myers' bass line from the Buddy Guy version of 'Sweet Little Angel'. This is a slow Blues in 12/8 time and a fun one to play. As always when studying the greats, try to pick up some of their ideas to use when playing your own Blues lines. You can get a free copy of my bass line transcription in notation and Tab by clicking the link below the video.
  3. greghagger
    Thanks, that’s really nice of you and I’m genuinely happy that the lessons are being watched. This was a pretty special video for me and one that I really enjoyed making. I’ve got a more general Herbie Flowers Tribute video coming out on Tuesday that you might enjoy.
  4. greghagger
    No problem. Glad you liked it.
  5. greghagger
    A really great British session bass player passed away last week, the brilliant, 'Herbie Flowers'. Herbie played on so many session that even he couldn't remember them all! The bass lines that he's best known for are from 'Take A Walk On The Wild Side' and 'Space Oddity.’ Like lots of session players, Herbie Flowers wasn't really in the limelight, but he played right up to his death and was also heavily involved with education, helping to set up the music college, BIMM in Brighton, England. One of the albums that Herbie played on was, 'Tumbleweed Connection', a country album by Elton John that was released in 1970. His bass line from the song, 'Country Connection' is really great. It's so inventive and shows some of Herbie's Jazz influences in it. I set myself the task of transcribing and recording it in one day, which was a challenge. It's the type of bass line that I could really do with practicing for a few days to really nail the high melodic licks perfectly. So, here's my play-through video, warts and all. It's my tribute to Herbie Flowers. There’s a link under the video to my full transcription in notation and Tab. Enjoy!
  6. greghagger
    There's one scale that beats all others for usefulness in creating bass riffs, lines, and fills. This scale can also be played over major and minor chords. You might already know what this scale is because I'm always banging on about it! The shape of this scale should be one that you have under your fingers because, as well as its usefulness for creating, knowing it also helps when learning bass lines. I'm not going to say anymore, as that would be telling, but you can find out all about this scale in my latest YouTube video by clicking the link below. You can also download a free copy of the lesson PDF with fret diagrams, notation and Tab by clicking the link under the video. Enjoy!
  7. greghagger
    There's a song from Black Sabbath's, 'Master Of Reality' album that really blew me away, because it's so different to their usual style. I'm not hugely familiar with Black Sabbath and only really know their big hits, but I certainly know that this song is not that recognisable as Sabbath. The bass line is very simple and not like the bassist, 'Geezer Butler's' normal playing style. I had to check that it was even Ozzy Osbourne singing, which it is! Apart from this being a great song, it's perfect if you are looking for a simple bass line to practice. It's pretty accessible and repetitive, but it's great to work on maintaining timing and groove. In the video I also discuss how I picked my bass and effects to suit this style of song. There’s a link to my full transcription in standard notation and Tab under the video. Enjoy!
  8. greghagger
    Recently, I had a call with a bass student who wanted to know if they should move on from 'playing by shapes', as they felt like a bit of a fraud and didn't feel like a real bass player. This was an interesting question that lead me to think deeply about the mental process of playing bass. There are many parts to becoming a good musician and I certainly use shapes to help me to remember series of notes or particular scales and arpeggios. But this is only part of the puzzle. So, I decided to make a YouTube lesson on this topic, where I discuss my process for learning and remembering bass lines, and also outline other methods for improving on the bass guitar. You can check out this video by clicking the link below. There’s a link to a free bass cheatsheet under the video.
  9. greghagger
    A few videos ago, I used the main bass groove from 'I'll Take You There' by the Staple Singers to illustrate a point about rests. This riff is a really cool one to get down as it forms most of the bass line. I've also had quite a few requests for me to look at that great David Hood bass feature that appears later on in the song. So, I've made a video lesson on this bass line. which you can check out by clicking the link below. You’ll also find a link to the full transcription of the bass line in standard notation and Tab under the video lesson. Enjoy!
  10. greghagger
    A few videos ago, I compared Tommy Shannon's original bass line from the SRV classic, 'Pride & Joy' with Gus Thornton's bass line from the live Albert King and Stevie Ray, ‘In Session’ version. This week, I've done the same with another SRV classic, 'Texas Flood'. It's really interesting to see how these two Blues bass legends vary their approaches to this song and come up with different bass lines. Both of their bass lines contains classic Blues riffs and turnarounds that you can learn and use when creating your own Blues bass lines. You can check all this out in my latest YouTube video. The bass line transcriptions are available in standard notation and Tab in the description under the video. Enjoy!
  11. greghagger
    It's taken a while, but I've finally got round to taking a closer look at a Jack Casady bass line. Recently in a one-to-one lesson, a student asked me about the main bass riff from 'White Rabbit' by Jefferson Airplane, and I thought it might make a good YouTube lesson. The White Rabbit riff can cause some confusion as it contains a fast triplet fill. But I break it down for you and also share an interesting plucking technique that Jack Casady used in this bass line. You'll find all this with a breakdown of the whole bass line in my latest YouTube video. Full bass line transcription link under the video in the description. Enjoy!
  12. greghagger
    You seem to be serving your name very well Mr Balderdash! 😜
  13. greghagger
    There are two aspects to bass playing that all top bassists use to great effect. Using these will set you apart from the average player and add to your musicianship. But I often find that bassists just focus on the notes and don't really think about all the extra areas that can really elevate their playing. These two aspects create space in your playing and also help to lay down the rhythm, which in turn really drives the song. If you aren't using these two things, then your bass lines will most likely be sounding uninspiring and most definitely not crisp and punchy. I reveal all in my latest video lesson which you can view by clicking the image below. https://youtu.be/T8Zvol43mfE?si=Qk4Npt678ZpKJnjm
  14. greghagger
    A really great Blues gig happened in Ontario in 1983 and that was the 'Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan - In Session' gig. The bass player on this gig was session bassist, 'Gus Thornton' who also put in a great performance. Gus has played a lengthly career with many Blues artists and is still touring today, as far as I know. One of the tunes that they played at this gig was Stevie Ray Vaughan's, 'Pride and Joy'. I love what bassist, Tommy Shannon played on the original SRV version but Gus Thornton also played a solid bass line in the live version. So, I thought it might be interesting to compare both of these bass line from Pride and Joy and share what I found with you. You can pick up loads of different ideas from my video to use in your own shuffle Blues bass lines and studying these iconic players is the perfect way to improve your own playing and creativity. Enjoy!
  15. greghagger
    Every now and then I come across a bass line that really makes an impression on me. When this happens, I love to learn the bass line and play it over and over again to try to understand why it works so well. Greg T. Walker from southern rock band, 'Blackfoot' created a real gem in his bass line from their classic, 'Highway Song'. Not only is the bass line beautifully crafted, but the song is so great too. This bass line is a bit different from the usual rock bass line and contains a variety of techniques like, double-stops, high melodic lines, scalic patterns, and long continuous 8th note phrases. Click the link below to check out my latest YouTube video, where I delve into the Highway Song bass line. Full bass line transcription link is in the description below the video. Enjoy!
  16. greghagger
    My favourite album by Southern Rock band, 'ZZ Top' has to be 'Tres Hombres'. This was released in 1973 and has the hit song, 'La Grange' on it. Another cool song on the album is, 'Precious and Grace'. It uses chords 1, 4, and 5 for the most part, so it's relatively simple, but it rock! Dusty Hill lays down his usual solid bass line in this tune and also uses an interesting quick sliding technique in the guitar solo that took me a couple of tries to replicate. In my latest YouTube video, I break down the bass line from Precious and Grace, and also chat a bit about how to get a similar bass tone to Dusty Hill. There’s a link under the video to a free transcription of the bass line in standard notation and Tab. Enjoy!
  17. greghagger
    My pleasure!
  18. greghagger
    The algorithm are getting something right then! 🤣
  19. greghagger
    Recently in a one-to-one lesson, one of my students recommended me making a YouTube video on the 'Alright Now' bass line. This is probably British band, Free's most well-known song. The last time that I played this song was back in the late 1980's with my school band. In fact, I played this song at my very first gig, when I switched from rhythm guitar to bass! So, my memory of this bass line was a bit hazy and I just remembered it being very simple to play. I was wrong! When I re-listened to Alright Now, I instantly realised that Andy Fraser, the bassist from Free, was playing some really great stuff and that the guitar solo section was going to need some analysing! I researched the song online as I thought that I could hear two bass tracks in this section. During this process, I discovered some interesting facts about the recording session for Alright Now. In my latest YouTube video, I break down the Alright Now bass line and share what I discovered with you. This bass line definitely warrants a video lesson because as usual, Andy Fraser delivers a unique bass line with interesting and challenging musical ideas. There is a link under the video to my full transcription of the bass line. Enjoy!
  20. greghagger
    The first song that Ozzy Osbourne released in 1980 after leaving Black Sabbath was, 'Crazy Train'. This song has a recognisable main minor riff that made it a classic! Ozzy had a very successful solo career, launched by the 'Blizzard of Ozz' album that Crazy Train is from. The bassist on the original recording is Bob Daisley, an Australian who played with some really big bands like, Chicken Shack, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and Gary Moore. He's a pick and fingerstyle player and can switch between either technique so he's a very versatile player. There's a lot of controversy surrounding Bob Daisley's relationship with Ozzy Osbourne and not without good reason! But we'll focus on the music side of things with Crazy Train. In my latest YouTube video I breakdown the bass line from 'Crazy Train', but a word of warning, there's a very fast bass section under the guitar solo which is a serious finger-workout! Full bass line transcription link under the video.
  21. greghagger
    The last album that the original Lynyrd Skynyrd band released in 1977 was, 'Street Survivors,' and it features the song, 'I Know A Little', which was written by their newest member at the time, Steve Gains. This is a high-energy uptempo boogie song with a fast walking bass line played by Leon Wilkeson. Leon Wilkeson played some really nice lines on this song and these are the sorts of patterns that are useful to learn and then use in your own Blues walking bass lines. It does go at some pace though and playing this bass line can feel like you're hanging on for dear life at some points! In my latest YouTube video I tackle the, 'I know A Little' bass line and break it down for you. I also suggest some fingering patterns for the more awkward sections. Link to free bass line transcription is under the video. Enjoy!
  22. greghagger
    'I'm Tore Down' is a good honest Blues standard that was originally recorded by Freddie King in 1961. It's been covered by different artists since then, including Eric Clapton on his 1994 Blues tribute album, 'From The Cradle'. The bass player on the Eric Clapton version is, David Bronze, who has an impressive CV and played with Clapton from 1994 to 1997. He's got a really solid style and an awesome bass tone. He comes from the school of, 'laying it down' and adding the odd variation to enhance the bass line. You can play a simple version of the bass line by learning the main riff and moving that around the 12-bar Blues progression. But as always, there are some subtleties in the bass lines that really give it a lift in certain places. This bass line is deceiving tricky to nail perfectly though, particularly getting the shifts in time when the chords changes. In my latest YouTube video I guide you through the bass line and offer a few tips to help you master this great tune. The link to the full transcription of the bass line is under the video lesson.
  23. greghagger
    I had a 1/4” Jack wired into my record player for my bass! I wish I had kept some of my band jam cassette from the late 80’s!
  24. greghagger
    Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys is a really iconic album that I love and have been dipping into over the last few months. As I found out last week when transcribing, 'God Only Knows', Carol Kaye was not the only bassist on the album and even some of the bass lines played with her classic combo of muted pick and P-Bass were in fact played by Ray Pohlman. Then there is the interesting topic of the Danelectro bass to throw into the mix… There's even upright bass on a lot of the tracks and you might be surprised to find out who else features in the bass lines. In my latest YouTube video, I discuss the bass parts of Pet Sounds and demonstrate some of the more interesting bass lines. Ultimately, as I said last week, we'll never know 100% who played what on every track, but it's a fun journey to explore! Free transcription link under the video in the description.
  25. greghagger
    I've always liked the bass line from 'God Only Knows' by The Beach Boys, especially the way that the line moves smoothly in steps for the most part. I started transcribing the bass line thinking that it was Carol Kaye on the original recording. But as I explored more about the album, I found that a guy called 'Ray Pohlman is actually credited for the main bass line, not Carol Kaye. Now that information changes, depending on which source you look at so it's not 100% concrete. Ray Pohlman played a lot of the Danelectro parts on Pet Sounds, but he also played some of the main bass lines on P-bass. Ultimately, the bass line is great so it doesn't really matter who played it, but it provides an interesting angle on the song. In my latest YouTube video, I break down the bass line and show you how to play it. A link for the free transcription PDF is in the video description. Enjoy!
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