There’s a ‘trick’ that just about every bassist uses that takes their bass lines from ‘OK’ (or even ‘meh’) to extraordinary. And the best part? You don’t need an encyclopedic knowledge of music theory or even to know your fretboard that well. To use this ‘trick’, you only need 3 frets, but those 3 frets […]
227 Beatles Bass Lines: What I Discovered Learning The Entire Beatles Bass Line Catalog
I learned every 227 Beatles bass lines That’s every song in the Beatles catalog (I think…). It was a massive job trying to keep track of all these Paul McCartney bass lines, so I even made a super nerdy spreadsheet to keep track of everything: The Beatles bass lines have a very special place in […]
The BEST Beatles Bass Line (And How Paul McCartney Wrote It)
The best Beatles bass line isn’t something that everyone will agree on, but I definitely have my favorite. It’s May 5th, 1969. Paul McCartney arrives at Olympic Sound Studios, plugs in his bass and records what I believe is his absolute PERFECT Beatles bass line. It’s ultra-melodic and singable, but still supports the song. It’s […]
Did John Lennon Intentionally Sabotage The Beatles With This Bass Line?
Of all the bass lines on all the Beatles records, there’s one that’s VERY contentious. Some die-hard Beatles fans really don’t like it. In fact, some people absolutely HATE it! At the time, some critics thought it was SO bad, they called it musical sabotage. And the funny thing is – it wasn’t even Paul […]
Duff McKagan: Punk King Of The Bass Melody
Duff McKagan is the king. Specifically the punk-king of the bass melody and is criminally underrated (at least in my opinion). What do you think comes to most people’s minds when you bring up Duff McKagan’s most iconic band, Guns N’ Roses? For most people, it’s probably things like: Slash’s ultra iconic guitar riffs, the […]
Jack Bruce: Bass Line Masterpiece
Jack Bruce’s bass line masterpiece, to me at least, comes from a 1968 performance of Robert Johnson’s Crossroads. I freaking love it now, but the first time I heard the song, I was wholly unimpressed. My first exposure to that song was at a musty, crusty blues jam session, and the version that got played […]
