Bass cover - I need your feedback!

[retslock]

I want to share with you my new bass cover. What do You think? I would appreciate if you leave a comment with your opinion here and on youtube. All advices and critics are welcome.

The notes are right but I would suggest to pay attention to where the notes end as well as where they start. Notes cut short can at times give the part a jerky sort of feel. Not all notes are meant to be long of course but where they end is as important as where they start to enhance the rhythm.
It feels a little stiff so attention to the groove is also important.
It seems like you're pretty new to bass playing but you're doing well. Keep it up. You will get better.

 

[Aleksandra]

seconding all the "mix in some swing"...try to sit on the backbeat (they made a movie with that title once, don't remember what it was about tho)

Thank You for advice.

 

[Aleksandra]

Good job - I agree with the "feel" comments - try to let the notes "breathe" a bit more to achieve a smooth swing feel. I have worked on this sone before - it is not the easiest bass part to play ! Keep it up !!!

Thank You for your advice.

 

[Aleksandra]

First off, nicely played, keep it up! Here are some critiques, though, since I'm sure you're not just fishing for compliments.

1. (And I am struggling with this issue as well.) The way you rest your right arm on the bass's body. You're traveling up and down the strings by angling your elbow higher or lower. Try working on keeping your forearm more parallel to the bass's body and traveling up and down the strings by using your shoulder instead.
2. You seem ultra focused on nailing the right note. Relax! Enjoy the groove. Like others are saying, feel it, don't just technically hit the right note at the right time as written on a chart.

You use your pinky very well. Keep it up! Something to consider, though. Seems like you're stretching quite a bit (and flicking us all off with your middle finger ). You might feel more comfortable with a short scale bass.

This is all little nit-picky things that may help you as you continue your musical journey; don't take it as an insult. I think you're playing great.

Thank You so much for your advice!
I tried short scale bass but it just didn't feel right.
My fingers just live their own life sometimes haha, they are connected in a weird way and I can't control it. Myabe one of the reason is that my joints are hypermobile.

 

[roccobass]

Drien Dobry, Alexsandra

You sound like a good student and you obviously learn your parts to their fullest. Very good. At lot of advice here seems to be directed at you making the part "swing". I agree, this is good advice. Looking at the video, I thought you might have been a bit tense due to the fact that you're on camera. I understand. You didn't want to make a mistake for all of us to see. On the off chance that you are a bit naturally not relaxed, you might try this. It worked for me. A question for you.

Can you dance? I saw you bobbing your head so I'm assuming you have some groove going on. By yourself, try playing along standing up and physically moving to the music. This should help loosen you up and help you "feel" (or swing to) the song better. Not just this one, but other songs also. Think about it. As stated previously, it worked for me.

This is more psychological advice for you. Whatever you do, keep on playing. It's always good for the soul. Take care.

 

[Aleksandra]

Overall it is quite good.

I would let the notes ring longer (legato). It sounds a little choppy because you are cutting the notes a little short. If you play them longer, it will hep with the swing feel too.

Thank You for your advice.

 

[pabassbeat]

I want to share with you my new bass cover. What do You think? I would appreciate if you leave a comment with your opinion here and on youtube. All advices and critics are welcome.

Kudos! You choose a great tune for a walking bass....It's great for study purposes to not move the left hand from the scale structure, and that's what you did. Buuut, as you will find out, musicians usually moves the left hand in stranges ways to put (let's say) some feeling on the song...Mccartney for sure did that when he recorded it....keep on the good work!! I also did a cover of this song, it's a fantastic bass line:

 

[Aleksandra]

This /\ - you are not honoring the note lengths. Go back and carefully listen to the original. Quarter notes are held for their full length, same for eight notes. Your performance Smallmouth-Bass describes this as choppy, and that is how it sounds to me as well. When he says "longer," he means hold the quarter note for a full beat; do not truncate it; start the next quarter note directly on the downbeat. Same for eight notes. There are places in your performance where you lock in. @0:27 - 0:34, you sound fluid, but go back to a choppy approach. Relax and connect your notes, or in musical terms, more legato.

Keep in mind that in other genres, staccato bass notes are what make it happen and are appropriate. Learning to listen and analyze what the song is and what it calls for in terms of how the bass articulates the notes is a huge part of learning to play the bass well.

Keep working; you are off to a good start, and your internal time clock is good. Take it to the next level and polish what you are playing with emphasis on articulation detail. Here is a trick to help you work on making the swing more - click your metronome on beats 2 & 4. Practice the line without the backing track. When you can do that, you will understand how to make it swing.

Thank You for your advice!
I don't listen to the Beatles music that much. I mostly listen to heavy metal and prog rock/ prog metal. So, maybe I just didn't fully feel this song. I've chosen this song to challenge myself with a walking bassline and just something different.

 

[Aleksandra]

This was my comment also. A number of notes felt clipped too short. Think of connecting the phrases of the various parts of the line. I think this may also help to let a bit more swing feel into your playing as well.

But overall sounds really good and you could definitely play in a band. You will get better very quickly that way!

Remember this, if you ever play a bad note: it’s only music, no one died.

Thank You for your advice!

 

[Pirate Captain]

Thank You for your advice!
I don't listen to the Beatles music that much. I mostly listen to heavy metal and prog rock/ prog metal. So, maybe I just didn't fully feel this song. I've chosen this song to challenge myself with a walking bassline and just something different.

this makes a lot of sense in retrospect...output tends to reflect input. Now, if you want a REAL challenge, you need to get this ASAP

 

[Aleksandra]

You're working on the right material for sure! Sounds good! Try to lock more with the drums and flow with the guitar to get the "swing" going note to note. I had much fun learning this part then learning how to sing it while I played along with the band. Keep at it, you're on the right track! Till there was you and PS I love you also much fun to play Beatles bass on. These are all easier on a shorter scale bass, but can be done smoothly on long scale with the effort you're putting in.

Thank You!

 

[Chris Wilke]

Are you actually looking for feedback on you playing in order to develop as a bassist or are you trying to build a following for your channel?

Nothing wrong with either of those but when one of those things pretends to be the other, it means you're not necessarily upfront in the way you engage your audience.

 

[Aleksandra]

Are you actually looking for feedback on you playing in order to develop as a bassist or are you trying to build a following for your channel?

Nothing wrong with either of those but when one of those things pretends to be the other, it means you're not necessarily upfront in the way you engage your audience.

I am looking for feedback of my playing. The more people see it the more opinions I can get. I am just curious what other people think about my playing. Sometimes other people can noice details which I don't see. I don't see anything wrong in sharing my video with other bassists here.

 

[Aleksandra]

nice work

yes,. Also, it's too staccato in some places, especially at the top of the phrase.
keeping those notes legato, smooth and connected will help it swing.

Thank You for your advice!

 

[Chris Wilke]

I am looking for feedback of my playing. The more people see it the more opinions I can get. I am just curious what other people think about my playing. Sometimes other people can noice details which I don't see. I don't see anything wrong in sharing my video with other bassists here.

OK fair enough... and good luck to you on your bass journey. But I will just say that yours are the best produced, edited, here's a fancy logo, just looking for feedback on my playing videos I've ever seen. How's that for feedback?

You obviously put a lot of thought into your channel and are trying to grow your audience (nothing wrong with that!), but it just seems that you could own that part too. I see you've been posting videos about your bass playing evolution for over 3 years. Maybe include "Please give me feedback in the comments and be sure to hit like and subscribe", or whatever is the thing nowadays.

But since you asked... My advice to you is to try to think like a bass player more. This can be a hard threshold to cross for some people. As a bass player you are not just playing with the music you need to BE the music. All instruments have a version of this, but no where is it more evident than with bass and drums. Think about playing with more authority as if the band is relying on you to keep time. Try to make the music bounce or breathe (pay attention to accents, note length, articulation - especially your covers like Should I Stay or Should I Go, or Hold The Line - try to give them some "swagger"). Play standing with a strap and maybe strut about a little - music is about motion). This is the hard part - it's like learning a language or how to dance. Once you have the skills you need to create something - a vibe. This is where playing with recordings is hard, because you need to always adjust to where the recording is and you are taking cues rather than delivering them. My best advice is to jam more. Play with real musicians especially people better than you. Realize they are looking to you to carry the feel of the song.

If real musicians are not available try practicing a song you know with a simple recorded drum beat. just Google 100bpm drum beat, for example, or put it in youtube. This is even better than a metronome as it's little more musical and easier to hear phrases and backbeat, and better than playing with the full recording because YOU have to carry the feel of the song. Again not a substitute for playing with real musicians, but maybe next best. Then you'll notice when you do play a cover with a recording again you may have a better grasp of the feel.

And remember us bass players are a community. Don't treat us as a commodity for likes and subscribes if you are genuinely seeking advice.

And good luck with your channel. If you want to grow it, maybe check with some folks for advice that are good at that sort of thing. I am not the one to help with that!

 

[GTHintz]

Keep playing and posting vids of your music. It’ll get easier the longer you do it. I challenge you to learn songs but also to work on playing to drum tracks and get used to locking in with rhythm and changes. If possible jam with as many people as you can and it will all build you into anything you want to do on bass.

 

[Aleksandra]

You need to control the force you pluck the strings with. Some of your notes are too loud, others too quiet.
Nevertheless, you've made a good progress since your first video. Keep up the good work.

Thank You for your advice!

 

[Aleksandra]

Keep playing and posting vids of your music. It’ll get easier the longer you do it. I challenge you to learn songs but also to work on playing to drum tracks and get used to locking in with rhythm and changes. If possible jam with as many people as you can and it will all build you into anything you want to do on bass.

Thank You for your advice! Recently I try to play more together with my sister - she play drums.

 

[Aleksandra]

I think you did a good job and any band should be happy having you play bass.
The only improvement I would recommend would be to smile more. Bass is fun.

Thank You for advice! It's not easy to smile when I'm so focused.

 

[Aleksandra]

OK fair enough... and good luck to you on your bass journey. But I will just say that yours are the best produced, edited, here's a fancy logo, just looking for feedback on my playing videos I've ever seen. How's that for feedback?

You obviously put a lot of thought into your channel and are trying to grow your audience (nothing wrong with that!), but it just seems that you could own that part too. I see you've been posting videos about your bass playing evolution for over 3 years. Maybe include "Please give me feedback in the comments and be sure to hit like and subscribe", or whatever is the thing nowadays.

But since you asked... My advice to you is to try to think like a bass player more. This can be a hard threshold to cross for some people. As a bass player you are not just playing with the music you need to BE the music. All instruments have a version of this, but no where is it more evident than with bass and drums. Think about playing with more authority as if the band is relying on you to keep time. Try to make the music bounce or breathe (pay attention to accents, note length, articulation - especially your covers like Should I Stay or Should I Go, or Hold The Line - try to give them some "swagger"). Play standing with a strap and maybe strut about a little - music is about motion). This is the hard part - it's like learning a language or how to dance. Once you have the skills you need to create something - a vibe. This is where playing with recordings is hard, because you need to always adjust to where the recording is and you are taking cues rather than delivering them. My best advice is to jam more. Play with real musicians especially people better than you. Realize they are looking to you to carry the feel of the song.

If real musicians are not available try practicing a song you know with a simple recorded drum beat. just Google 100bpm drum beat, for example, or put it in youtube. This is even better than a metronome as it's little more musical and easier to hear phrases and backbeat, and better than playing with the full recording because YOU have to carry the feel of the song. Again not a substitute for playing with real musicians, but maybe next best. Then you'll notice when you do play a cover with a recording again you may have a better grasp of the feel.

And remember us bass players are a community. Don't treat us as a commodity for likes and subscribes if you are genuinely seeking advice.

And good luck with your channel. If you want to grow it, maybe check with some folks for advice that are good at that sort of thing. I am not the one to help with that!

Why do you accuse me of something that I've never did? Maybe I just don't understand You but it feels like You are trying to put some words in my mouth that I've never said.
What's wrong with editing video and adding a thumbnail? I don't see anything wrong with that. I want my YT channel to look nice because it is like a diary for me. I want to collect my memories there.
You said that "I just try to grow my audience and ask for likes and subscribe" - I never asked for that. Obviously it's nice when someone hit a like under my videos but that's definitely not the reason why I post videos. Like I said before, I shared my video here because I want others people opinions about my playing and the more people will see it the more feedback I can get. And I think this part of the forum "YT and social media" is the right place to share videos from YT with other amazing bassists here.
Some time ago I asked great bassist what should I do to feel less nervous when I record myself playing and he said "You should record yourself even more and show it to the public". So, that's what I'm trying to do. I try to challenge myself to feel less and less nervous with each bass cover. It's not easy to do but I do it anyway because I know that other people here can notice details and mistakes that I've never noticed.

But of course, Thank You for your advice. I definitely agree with that part - I have to play more with other musicians. Recently I actually started to play more together with my sister - she play drums.

And like you said, bass players are an amazing community, so I write it again just to be clear - I asked for comments with advices and constructive criticisms. I've never ask anyone for likes and subscribes.