Bass Players Need to Stop Doing This NOW! 

And the congregation intoned: "Fuck Yeah!" (oops!)😂😂😂 Hey y'all, I heard Rich live with Rudresh Mahanthappa, Rudy Royston, and Rez Abbasi at Blues Alley in DC about, oh...19 or 20 years ago? Straight fire. It's a cherished musical memory; it STILL gives me goose bumps. Rudy and Rich grooved hard and just smiled at each other all night as they served up heaping portions of groove dopesauce. Everyone sounded great! And I got to chat with Rich. He's just as down-to-earth and humble in-person as he is in these videos. This message is so important and so simple! Love what you do and do what you love. Love yourselves and love each other. Rich and the commenters here seem to be about THAT, so thanks to ALL of you. To Rich, in my best Denzel Washington voice(dark shades on, cup of coffee lifted): "My man!"😎

I tell people all the time, “I mean, they put all these notes here on the bass, so I may as well play them.” Keep on keepin’ on, Rich ❤

You’re truly a saint amongst musicians, Rich. You’re the person that inspired me to play 6 string , and now I play them exclusively. There’s room in this world for any number of strings with no judgement, because our end goal is simply to use the instrument as a vessel for expression. Keep fighting the good fight, Rich 🫶🏼

When they ask “Why do you play a six string?” Respond with “Because I can” Anything more than that is courtesy on your part which they really aren’t entitled to. Keep up the good work /Teaching Sir.

Honestly I have never watched a bassist playing a 6 string bass on RU-vid or live and thought, "that ain't no bass." You play bass, and you're a damn good one too!

Hey Rich! thank you for standing up for all us 6-string bassists, and thank you for being you! cheers!

THANK YOU RICH!!!! I have learned a lot from your channel! I am 70 yrs old, playing bass for 4 years now, and I learned on a 5 string. I love playing it because of the extra range! Thanks again!!? 👍👍👍

I will never forget the collective groan that went up when someine raised this point at the SBL clinic you did in London all those years ago. We had just heard you play the most beautiful music, on your bass, and that was all he could think of. We are all bassists.

I've been in love with 6-string ever since I saw the cover photo of Patitucci's debut album with his Ken Smith. I bought my first 6-banger in 1996 and in 2012, I finally purchased my dream bass: a Ken Smith 6-string.

Seeing the bass as an instrument and not a role to be played in music leads to these limited and limiting beliefs. It's a joy and inspiration to hear you sing down low and up high, thank you Rich!

One of the greatest players I've heard played a 7 string Conklin. He was always playing solid bass serving the role of harmonic foundation and has fantastic time. Sure he could do other stuff outside of the common bass roles and did it well but I never heard him sacrifice the bass-line. I love him as a bass player and as a good human. Locally he's known as that guy who plays the 7 string bass. I just call him a fantastic bassist. I started playing a six in at a blues gig in 98 and it was my main instrument in my most successful musical endeavor through the 2000's I have always played bass no matter what instrument I was using. Upright, electric, tuba and keyboard bass. Bass is about what we play and how we fit into the music, not the instrument we happen to be using. The focus should be on the musical sound not the visual object. BTW I just found your channel I love it.

I am totally with you. ☮️ Keep doing what you’re doing they way you do it. Thanks for your teaching and sharing your knowledge

Right on,Rich. I am a four stringer, but just love what other bass brothers are doing on extended bass instruments. Bringing the bass to the forefront is always a good thing ! Respect and appreciation, bass brother 🙌🏽🎵

Thank you Rich! I play an Ibanez 5-string tuned E-C and I love it! It almost feels like three instruments because it allows me to play basslines, chords and melodies. Just perfect.

100% agree! Seeing your playing especially has really inspired me to venture out into the 6-string bass world, and I couldn’t be more excited. Many thanks to you and for what you do for the bass community!

Love this! Started playing 6 strings 2 years into my bass playing. It’s always challenging me and I love it!

Don’t waste your energy, neurons and good vibes paying attention to haters. Your art and teachings are great, Mr. Brown!!! God Bless!!!

I have been a guitar player since 1998. I play a Spanish guitar, a few 6-string electric guitars too, a Venezuelan cuatro, and bought an 8-string electric guitar around 2018. I find the extra 2 strings have opened up new doors on how I compose and play music. I have been interested in recent years in playing the bass guitar. The bassist in our band died of cancer about two years ago and I really miss his playing the bass. I can’t imagine how extra bass strings will hinder the bass player. The bass player adapts and finds their own original groove. It can only get better. I have heard about muting issues while playing a 5-string bass, but you just have to put the work to adapt to the instrument you’re playing to control the issues. More power to you for playing a 5 or 6-string bass. I was thinking about getting a 4-string fretless bass, but your video is inspiring me to get a 5 or 6-string fretless bass. Thanks for this video.

100% Rich, we do need more encouragement and positivism in the bass community, we all have one goal and that's to express ourselves to the best of our abilities with this wonderful instrument, we are all on the same boat as you well said, keep on rocking 🙏 Also, getting tired of the "jaco only needed 4 strings" motto that some people seem to repeat on loop, there is only 1 Jaco and there is only 1 Rich Brown, the bass is our voice and we shouldn't limit it, we should have as many strings and notes as we need to express ourselves, no less.

Amen, thank you for spreading the love with your bass 🙏🏼

Respect Rich!! You've always been an inspiration. 15 years deep on my 6-string custom Andrew Stewart bass and never once looked back. I'm constantly inspired to dive deeper and deeper into the chordal and tonal possibilities of 6-string, harmonized and effected playing. It's carved out a huge part of the re.verse sound, and has opened the doors to many creative approaches to our own repertoire and trio/quartet interpretations of covers we love to play. I care not for the purists!! To them I will say - my Fender Jazz bass is fine, but it mostly acts as a collector of random stickers and dust now lol. Much love 👊

I don't play a 6 string because I can barely play 4 😂 well said, sir. bassists unite ✊

Thanks for all you do for bass players of all kinds!

I’m a drummer of 50 + years, now learning bass. Anthony Jackson is quoted on Wikipedia as saying: “Why is four [strings] the standard and not six? As the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family, the instrument should have had six strings from the beginning. The only reason it had four was because Leo Fender was thinking in application terms of an upright bass, but he built it along guitar lines because that was his training. The logical conception for the bass guitar encompasses 6 strings” I’m starting with 4. However, my 2 favorite bass players that I’ve played with as a drummer, play 4, 5, & 6 strings. They are great bass players! (Larry Harris & Alan Mitchell)

Nice! Well said. Calm and peaceful, a big reason I love your lessons!

Amen! Thank you for that!

I'll be revisiting and looking for the explanations . Just keep in mind that reasons and opinions are not the same. Love what you do Rich.

Thank you Master Brown..This is awsome and so true....

Honestly I love the tone basses get on the higher frets and strings, even when you're intruding into pitches guitars are typically in. There's just something much cleaner and fuller than your typical guitar can manage, and I guess that comes down to string thickness, scale and pickups.

30 years here. It opened so many doors musically for me, but I’ve heard it 1000 times. It’s ridiculous. Great message.

I'm so glad someone like yourself is standing up and speaking out about this. Thank you for this video, Rich! Much love - Anthony

You're right. We're all bass players. Peace and love !

Another great video Rich! I routinely have people ask me about 5 and 6 string basses, and also hear their comments about 4 string basses being 'the only real bass' etc. It is difficult to explain the advantages of extended range basses to people when they cling to their staunch ideas and melancholy nostalgia for the past. I love to play a 4 string bass but not as much as I love the 5 and 6 string. You have my full support! Keep up the good work and positive messages!

So very well said, Rich! Exploration and evolution is essential and amazing in every artistic endeavour and you exemplify the very best of that spirit!

You are great man. Keep the love!!

Good on you Rich. Thank you.

I’m only your side! I’m about to buy a short scale bass bc I love the tones and it seems easier as a beginner (6mons). You do great work. Stay strong, need you.

Great video. Thanks Rich!

I've only picked up a bass a few months ago, a five string at that, at the age of 30 with no musical education at all. I expect the b string hindered my initial progress, but I'm used to it now and I'm glad it was my first. My favorite bassists are, for the most part, metal and rock musicians who used the instrument in nteresting ways and were pushing the limits. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a solid, steady player who keeps his head down and doesn't stick out, but Cliff Burton, Les Claypool, and Ryan Martinie inspire me. Rich, your work has been a blessing for me on this journey. Thank you for your time and effort.

Hey Rich, thank you for the content of especially THIS vid! It's absolutely not a matter of what instrument or how many strings someone plays. Important is content! For me you're a master of that attitude. You master that fine line between too many or too less notes that are necessary for a song or a solo. And hate is an unfortunately a phenomenon of these days where people hide behind wall of social(!) media formats. I always wonder would they tell you the same if these people would sit with the addressed person in one room face to face? I don't think so. Respect is the magic word. Respect other people as you want to be respected. Rich, I support to 100% your position. Kind regards from Germany

I sold my 6 string but kept the Stingray 4, the Corvette 5 fretless and my trusted Yamaha BB435. When it comes to public displays. NOTHING compares to my Tuba. 🙂 The Tuba has immense dynamic range, modulation options and the best of it all: I can play that thing in the woods or on a mountain. No further amplification needed. Thank you for your exercises, they helped me a lot and keep me inspired!

Thanks so much for saying what needed to be said Rich, it's much appreciated

I play a 6 and 7 string bass.keep doing your best at what you want to play and you will make it.thank you for your gift of sharing your knowledge of music.

Beautiful words of wisdom. Keep up the brilliant work.

I love my 6 strings and I use them for almost everything, from 'tradional' playing in bands to more melodic synthy stuff that I write by myself. I do feel that sometimes the parts I write aren't "bass parts", and like anything else that can be the right or wrong thing for the music depending on context. The wonderful thing about the 6-string bass is that opens up these different ways of serving the music. And hey, compared to a standard 4-string bass, a 6-string also has MORE bass thanks to the low B!

I don't get why anyone would be so negative, other than because of pure envy! I listened to another great bassist emphasise the importance of humility to playing good bass and your manner is exemplary!

This video really means the world to me, Rich. I play and have almost exclusively played a 6-string bass, and the reason I sorta fell into this was due to a necessity, I feel. The church I attend and play worship on had lost a good portion of our team and what used to be a 7-10 piece band was now 3-4 on a *good* day. I found having the wider range found in a 6-string versus a 4-string - anything from helping to add color while also keeping the low end through tapping and chord shapes - really helped fill the void left by no longer having Keys, horns, etc. While I know I could have stayed on a 4-string, it just felt really limiting when it came to the styles and feeling of sounds we were able to create if we were essentially your proto-power trio/quartet setup. I can't tell you how disheartening, truly, it feels to constantly read online and see others say I was somehow desecrating the craft or position of a bass player in a band - I'm sure you already know what it is like without me having to harp on about it, I just wanted to thank you and tell you how much this meant.

Rich, I would take it as a compliment in that you're doing something beyond the realms of what is normally expected of the instrument.

This video is an analogy for many things beyond the number of strings on the instruments itself. Thank you, Rich Brown!

Great video Rich, I used to play a 6 strings bass a few years ago, but later I trasitioned to 5 string because I cannot handle the mutting techique, my hands are small for a big chunk of fretboard but hoping to coming back when I feel confident enough playing the 5 strings bass, the buzzing is quite annoying when you don't meant to do. In the end, self-expression is the goal of playing music.

I just discovered your channel, Rich. Great videos great lessons. 100% excellent! Keep it up!

I was always envious of people who could become proficient on the 6. I picked up my first one about 4 months ago, in part because of RB. It’s a challenge but rewarding too.

I am a drummer learning bass on a Kala ukelele bass guitar, so I get what you are saying from a totally different perspective...hate it hate...shows me just how many deeply unhappy people there out in the world which shows me there is a much larger problem then just 'comment haters'. Thank you and keep being you! subscribed!

Mann you are so inspiring. ❤️❤️❤️ Thanks a lot

I bought a six string Bass a year ago, I've ended up selling it, a lot of people told me that this instrument was more a guitar than a bass "You only need four strings" etc etc. The truth is that I wish that I've seen this video before , because at the end like you said "We all want to be better Bass Players". There is a lot of hate and competition between musicians, that is so sad. Music is beautiful and coming from my heart I can tell you that you are a great teacher and person. You teach from the heart and not because you want to make some money out of this, 60,000 subscriptions do the talk. Thanks a lo for.being here Rich and hope you download some more videos and positive vibes. We love you man.

I really like your videos and how you teach. I’ve been playing bass and studying music for 7 years. I consider myself some type of beginner. I play four string. I’ve never thought a bass with more strings is not a bass. In fact I know I eventually want to play five string because of Eb and other reasons. You said it when you talked about the function of the instrument in the band. So rock on!

Yep coming from a 25 yr full time 6 string player over here! THANK YOU ❤️🙌

Hello Rich, I recently stumbled upon your channel and deeply appreciate the detail and different focuses that your channel has. I find your content very helpful as I am continuing to progress in my bass journey. However, I was hoping to ask if you could reccomend one of your playlists as best for learning the fundamentals (whenever possible) as my practice sessions are more productive with a set of lessons to study. Thanks again!

Love this channel. The truth is the truth. "Hate is a weak emotion. a sign of failure"

Yes! This totally validates my existence as 6 string guy! Hope it does for others as well! Thanks for the video Rich!!!

Totally agree and on a similar note, I'm tired of hearing that you can't play bass with a pick. I play with my fingers and a pick, depending on which works best for me on a particular tune.

Thank you my friend

Rich, thank you for this video. We have five senses to help us understand something. We so often are quick to make judgements with and listen with our eyes. While we do not need to taste or smell an instrument to understand it, why are we so quick to judge something from what it looks like or where it is made? We do the same with people and other surroundings. I must confess that I am shamefully guilty of this myself and am working to improve on it. If we listened more to just the music from the instrument and appreciated the musician, where the real music comes from, more there would be less animosity towards those playing different style instruments or musical styles. There is not only a lesson about music here, but also about life in general. To quote Victor Wooten, "You bought 20-24 frets. Use them."

I’m really thankful for how simple, yet at times complex, playing bass has been for me. From my first P bass, to my 7 string fretless I’ve owned, all the way back to more 4 string P basses. I’m now into playing 5 string E-C strung basses. Life is beautiful, and I’m grateful how my bass journey has evolved over the years.

Subscribed. Great discussion

That is a beautiful bass🙌🔥

Hey Rich, I’m a natural singing drummer who started playing bass. I have some cool Fender Jazz and Precision basses. I admire you and anyone else that can play with more strings. I would never knock anyone for playing a 6 string. I know a lot of bassists and I think you’re really cool.

I LOVE this message, partly for what it says about bass, mostly because it can be said about ANYTHING. Stop the hate, or the mudslinging, or disrespect, whatever. Be kind. I adore your beautiful spirit, Rich. God bless.

Nice. I can see you’re genuine. Subscribed.

Hey man, you keep doing you. You are a profound and exquisite professional musician. I have never used a six-string, as I only own four-string basses. I would very much like to use a six-string at some point. Both are perfectly capable of serving what the Bass was meant to function and then some. Bass is Bass, whether it'd be one string, or 24 in some more interesting settings haha. Cheers.

I think that the same thing was said back in the 1950's, with the introduction of the ELECTRIC Fender Precision Bass. I bought my first Precision Bass in 1962. I was 15. By then it was pretty well accepted by at least the genres of Country, Rock, Rhythm and Blues. I love to see someone just kill it on a 6 string bass. In ways, I am jealous, because I have all that I can do to conquer just 4 strings after 62 yer of plucking those 4 strings Pesonally I have never thought much about what is and isn't a bass. I have been humbled by another old man playing a one string bass made from an old wash tub, a broom handle, and one gut string. Damn, he made that thing sing in a way that did not seem possible. You gotta play what talks to you or what you have, no atter how many strings it has. Thanks for sharing with all of us.

This is a great video, about something that HAD to be said. I personally gravitate towards extended range players because they do not seem to have that kind of small minded thinking when it comes to bass playing. Really loving the 6 string, to me it's just perfect and feels like "home". I get a lot of suspicious looks when reaching for it, mainly by other bass players. Most non-musicians don't really seem to know what a bass is anyway, they just care about the music that comes out of it. Let's just make music and stop arguing about gear so much. Much love to you Rich!

Thanks for a great video Rich It matters not, how many strings you have, if your making creative music who cares and if you can hold down a groove and get people moving that’s all that matters. Plectrum, fingers, fast or slow playing as long as it fits, all power to you as a bassist. 👍🏾👊🏼

The world is full of self-righteous and self-proclaimed purists across the gamut of human culture and expression. We can all hold our own opinions and they are just that - opinions. In my opnion, you have the skill to create beautiful music and you are willing, able and kind enough to share that. Surely, we are united around the sound, the vibe, the feel of all that is low end! Hopefully, the detractors and haters will be outnumbered by the rest of us who are not hung up on counting strings. 🤗❤🎵

Speaking from experience since I switched to the six-string a couple of years before you did (!) I figure any bass player who plays more than root notes runs the risk of being labeled a "frustrated guitar player", it happened to me. Of course it's nonsense. I do play guitar and other instuments but to me bass has a character all its own and since it's the first instrument I got serious with it will always reign supreme in my heart. I dig your passion about this Rich, just another reason you're so cool in my book.😎👊

Love this video! I have a 4 string P bass, a 5 string active and a beautiful 6 string active and i love all equally but they give me different inspiration because of the uniqueness of the feel and flavour of what they allow..........I say play as many basses as you can, expand your horizons and open your minds, God knows the world could do with more of that ;)

Very interesting to hear about this dilemma. Wow! I guess I have been in the dark. Didn't know this really existed. I play a 5-string bass fairly well. Tried my hand at a 6-string but became overwhelmed so I reverted back. I need to say that probably like most, I started on the 4-string and grew from there. I love hearing ALL the great bass players out there on 4, 5 or 6 string basses!!!! Doesn't matter! The BASS has evolved from being just in control of "the bottom". From the days of Jaco, Marcus, James Jamerson, Larry Graham just to name a few, the power of the bass has taken front and center and still commands the bottom!!!! Let's all love this instrument regardless of the amount of strings and love the talented fingers that touch them! God bless!!!

Love you so much, and thank you for honouring my first album with your unbelievable talent. Miss you

Greetings Rich! Well said on the 6 string bass. I have a four string that I’m actually trading in for a 5 string. Reason; I can’t play comfortably some songs that I like on the 4. For ergonomic reasons and being a minimalist I’m moving to a five. See you at 6 string soon. Thanks for clearing the path. Bass is bass. I will do my part in encouraging 6 string players not to be shunned. FYI I have played bass for 8 months only and I can see a myriad of benefits for playing more than four. 6 is great for chords as well. Blaze on!

Thank you, Rich, this needs to be said! My guess is people are insecure. What matters is the music you make.

Hi Rich, welcome to BC 🙂 I'm a 62 year old woman, who has just started to learn bass. My inspiration was my son, who has played a 5 string bass for years (and told me about your channel too). I've played a number of other instruments over the years and never thought that any of them weren't legit just because they came in different variations. Whether a bass has 4, 5, 6, or 7 strings shouldn't matter; it still serves the same purpose. Being able to use the full range of a bass (ie. the full fretboard) is to truly understand its capability. To me, being able to play a 6 string bass is not only badass, but would undoubtedly enhance the contribution that this instrument offers to a piece of music. Although challenging in its nuances, I love learning bass, and I appreciate your generosity in sharing your knowledge, passion and insight. Thank you!

They say that it's not a bass, but... they are still want to play with you? That makes sense :) Thank you for your videos. You're doing a a great job!

u da man Rich…my favourite music at the moment is you and the Jeremy Ledbetter trio and my man Liam Tillyer…so expressive and thoughtful and the tonal presentation of a 6 string bass can be second to none…i’ve also had buddies play them like guitars…haha…love the content…Bass United to love and Fonk!!

I really don't want to play a 6-string - I almost certainly couldn't. But I've never thought it wasn't a bass, just different. Keep on truckin', Rich - fantastic work, whatever your instrument.

Haha! What the heck? I'm in Toronto playing a gig at Meridian Hall and I was thinking about hitting you up for a bass lesson while I'm here, and it turns out that you're back in my home playing there! Hopefully I'll be able to catch one of your shows and have a great tour!

Rich, I started playing Trumpet way back in 4th grade continuing on into adulthood. I played and sang using a huge variety of genres, but stopped during grad school until I was nearing retirement. Then, wanting to get back to music with a dramatic change in the range of my voice I chose to learn the 6-string Bass (& 5-string) because that is my current vocal range. Thus, I want to play music I can sing to being the primary reason for my choice of instruments. Granted, my intent is to play more melodically than cover the low-end supporting percussion. Much of my music is connected to church, but I'm also working on jazz and ballads. The 6-string is simply what fits my desired music. Your videos have been of great help as I'm learning something that is so far from what I have ever done in the past that I am clearly a beginner, even after working on this for a couple of years.

I would like to see more beginners bass lessons with 5 and 6 string basses. I’ve only seen one guy teach it but it looks like that’s been many years ago. I’m retired so I just want to learn on what I would like to play. So some scale or walk through some songs made to high light the 5 and 6 string bass I would appreciate it. Last thing if there was more content of lessons for these basses it might slow people down with they are not basses. You can show ‘em better than you can tell em. Have a good day

I'd honestly love to have the mastery to be able to play such a fine and grand instrument as a 6 string bass. Serious props, haters gonna hate and that's all it is. No worries. I'm so glad I found this channel!

If I could learn the four strings as well as I like maybe I would move. I like hearing more involved bassists but I can't do it. I follow a guy who uses E to C on a five string. I don't know if I could that, however that may be easier. Love all you do.

Love it!

Well said, brother...

I played a 7 string, and experienced the exact same thing. Got to play it again!

My first bass was a 4 string. And within a few months I had to get a 5, because the low E seemed like a weird cut off point for a bass. It works with guitar written songs, but as soon as a keyboard player comes with a song in C or D I'm glad to have that range.

Bro I really like you and what you are doing allover the world imagine this coming from Burundi in Africa

Sir, with all due respect to the critics, that is a bass. And as a guitarist who mostly is a dabbler in bass, I play all over the neck, wherever it sounds good to my ear. And thanks for all the excellent content. I always learn something useful from your videos. Cheers.

One might argue that since the electric bass is a descendant of the contrabass, the only descendant of the gamba (or viol family; the bass viol having 7 strings - tuned in 5 fourths and a third between 3 and 4th strings) the six string electric is just as much a bass as any other.

Best bass teacher on youtube, as well as a dope guy!

Hey dude Just learnt about you through SBL. You’re super cool and chill 😎 All the best

For me, 5 string with low B is the instrument of choice. I started on a 4 string and I found that it did not provide enough low end, so I switched to a 5 string bass. I am also a piano and keyboard player and these instruments are so versatile that I understand why it may be nice to have a 6 string or extended range bass instrument. One can play it like a piano with both hands and can surprise listeners because of the greater tonal pallette he or she gets playing 6 or 7 or multi string bass or guitar. Posibilities are endless. Imagination is the key.

Few weeks ago after 10 years of playing four string I bought a 5 and I immediately stop believing anything bad people said about it. I practice only on 5 string now. It add so much to my project, I feel fulfilled!