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Couple things I'd like to point out to anyone wanting to know more. One is his use of chord inversions and chromatic notes in the bass underneath the chord that Jimmy is playing above. A classic example would be the bridge in When The Levee Breaks (For Your Life and Achilles... would be other good examples). JPJ's almost contrapunctual movement of 5ths and 4ths underneath Jimmy's chords, coupled with his use of pauses really breaks up the sound of what would be an otherwise monotonous and atypical bridge (especially because it doesn't have any exciting over dubs by Jimmy, just a basic rhythm track). His use of inversions underneath the main chord is so cool, especially because I can hear a lot of his Motown and Stax influence speaking through when he does it. It's really melodic, but still rhythmically driving. Another one would be his use of power chords/chords. Case in point - Whole Lotta Love main riff, Heartbreaker verse, When The Levee Breaks B section verse, In The Evening. It's so unusual and powerful to hear the growl of a root, 5th and octave on something like a bass. Of course there's a million other things like his use of muting (Achilles) and syncopation (Celebration Day live and Living Loving Maid are the most obviously heard examples, but he uses it all the time) but hopefuly this gives two more pointers for people wishing to explore JPJ's style. Thanks for a great video, it helped me see a lot of new things!
I have a playlist called "Bass Players in the Wrong Band!" where I play songs in the style of certain bassists that would not normally fit a particular song. But I don't have any in the style of JPJ -- because, he isn't a stylist. He's the consummate versatile bass player. He can be heavy and funky and busy and sparse -- always playing the perfect part to serve the song while enhancing it.
Besides all that tech stuff, there are two more reasons his bass sounds soooo good: 1) the vintage Fender Jazz bass his dad bought him, and 2) a big honkin Acoustic 360 bass amp. Cleanest, purest bass tones I have ever heard from bone stock equipment. JPJ was the best musician in the band.
Page and Jones together were in another world when it came to rock , forget the flash forget 2,000 notes a second . Just listen to the Creativity and the blending of tones these guys did , just another dynamic that made zeppelin the most Innovative band . Most bands are lucky to have one big talent Zeppelin had 3 . Rock on
@@HowToBass yes sir , yet I still get comments saying Plagiarism Page is sloppy etc .! It usually comes from people who never played guitar before .are you familiar with a composer Carl Baldasare he went through the second album showing the things the band are doing from a composers perspective. Check it out cheers
John Paul Jones was brought up in church as the son of, and later becoming a church organist. For anyone who knows anything about organs, that says it all. But for the rest, here’s my take. As far as I’m concerned, to be a great organist one must be a well studied musician, and especially focused on JS Bach, the Well Tempered Clavalier. Bach was a church organist, and his melodies and complex but structured style are simply an incredibly intelligent AND creative assemblage of the basic structures of music, set to his mood, his conviction, his expression, and with a distinct reverence to a higher power, obviously showing the utmost respect to that power by trying his absolute best to play music at a level and expression as if doing it specifically for that higher power. Every single note, at all times, is marked reverence. Hence his greatness. He was and is the king of kings of music, in my book. And the organ is an incredibly complex instrument when exploited fully. It is like a full orchestra within one device, which technically is a controller for multiple devices. And John Paul Jones is an excellent organist. From that point, music just poured out of him as perspiration from one’s pores. His point and counterpoint, inversions, melodic phrasing, rhythmic virtuosity, and basic feel for the arrangement and inflection of music for the appropriate type of expression has been unmatched ever since. He has it ALL. WITHOUT JS Bach and Jonesey, my claim is that we would not have the sound of rock and roll as we know it today were it not for those two people. Yes, obviously others came before and after, but John Paul Jones, was in the right place at the right time with the right talent, freedom, and conviction to show us pure expression. Ramble on, my friends. Where is that confounded bridge? Oh, and while Kashmir is epic in its beauty and flow, the Ocean just may be the single greatest music composition acknowledged as rock and roll of all times. Bombastic, massive, godlike and god loving, sublime, and driven from the deepest gut of human pride, it is pure art and magic in sonic form. Till the night turns into day……….
Through listening to a lot of Led Zeppelin analysis, I've learned to appreciate the bass and I don't think the players get enough respect. I was watching you play Ramble On and it just looks so cool and laid back. I loved those notes in Ramble On long before (70s) I knew they came from the bass.
I'm so glad I happened upon your channel. I am absolutely obsessed with JPJ's bass playing. There's so much to his style and technique that it must have been difficult to try to sum it up in 5 reasons as you have here, but it's a great little analysis. For me you hit it on the head when you talk about how he "feels the pulse." This for me is key. He is so rhythmically smooth even with really complex grooves and so incredibly melodic that he just slays me with the beauty of his lines. Looking forward to Black Dog. I've been using your vids to practice The Wanton Song and Ramble on a lot in the past week. Great stuff!
JPJ has made several top 10 rock keyboardist lists while also making most top 10 rock bassist lists. Yes...he's made top 10 in 2 instruments. Let that sink in. He's basically a dual sport hall of famer.
Why is it that the bass sound in LZ IV album can barely be heard & buried by the loud guitars. It is only when I listened to your excellent cover that I really heard the bass for Black Dog. Thanks Sir!
Very interesting and well done video Dave, everything I tell my students is in there. Check out Gentle Giant's "Just the Same" ... I'm sure you'll find some creative musical concepts explained here. All the bass, I just subscribed to your channel.
@@HowToBass Gentle Giant is certainly a great band to discover. Amazing musicianship and unbelievable / impressive writing skills. Looking forward to your next video Dave.
I always use D'Addario Bass Guitar Strings - XL Nickel Bass Strings - 40-100 The lighter gauge is great for beginners as its a bit easier on the fingers.
1st reason John Paul Jones. 2nd reason John Paul Jones. 3rd reason John Paul Jones. 4th reason John Paul Jones. and finally, the 5th reason John Paul Jones.
