How to Write Bass Lines (And make boring songs cool!) 

What are some of your tips for writing bass lines?

Kahoot music goes crazy

Sometimes when the drummer is playing unique patterns on the crash, I lock in with those hits using the root and octave of the chord. I've also found that changing technique is a good way to emphasize certain parts of a bass line. For example, playing finger style in the verse and chorus, then slapping during a bridge. Even if the notes and phrasing stay the same, a change in tone can make a bass line sound "fresh"

I'm not a Bass player so hearing your explanations about what a Bass player does and why is very interesting and informative. It's funny, much like a football lineman, Bass players are a very steady and obviously much needed presence that may only be noticed individually when what they're doing doesn't work well with the group. Watching you work through this process has been very educational. I have much more respect for "The Low End" than I did before. Thank you for posting this.

You sure have opened my eyes as to what a bass player can do to add 'content' to a song, other than the obvious. Keep doing what you are doing, it is extremely helpful to a novice bass player like me

Would love this video with bass first, as in before the rest of the music. This is important for bass players that produce.

As a banjo player, I find your videos as a look into how to create a more professional sound on all instruments. Much love!

Really appreciated your video. I’m someone learning music as an adult and hearing you talk through how you think about bass, the job you think it has to do, and seeing your process to finding a bass like that does that job is really educational and informative. More of the same please!

Extremely helpful! Enjoyed seeing your process. Thanks👍

Thanks Phillip , really helpful video.

Thanks man, appreciate your time 👍

Fascinating, hearing your thought process and, as another comment said, learning a bit about how it all works for bass players.

This is very helpful. Thank you. This ‘movement’ concept is great.

Thanks for sharing your tips man, really helpfull stuff 👌

Really informative video Philip. I've got a stack of original songs that need a bass awakening - will be taking onboard this advice.

Great job, I have been struggling with this and this was helpful

I love how specific you are in this video. Like, after hearing you say you tend to highlight the third in minor chords but not major made so much sense to me, and i share that preference but may never have realized it! Very illuminating

Awesome video , i been playing bass on the keys for a while but ive been recently rrying to get more into the mindset of a bass player and this is already opening up a higher understanding of the things ive been doing

loved when you pointed out that you can use the notes of a chord, though it may seem super obvious I had yet to realize that, despite the time I spend watching bass content on youtube.. great video!

Id love to see more videos like this one, outlining your thought process, with ither styles of music!

Super helpful l, thanks! Lots of videos talk about chord tones, fills, pulse etc. and that's super important, but following your thoughts on "weaving together" the different rhythms was something fresh to me. Not the concept necessarily but i haven't heard anyone explain it that comprehensively and on point

Pretty cool! I'm a guitar player and i'm writing the bass lines for somes song of my band. It was really helpful

This is really helpful, as a reformed guitar player I struggle with the "less is more" aspect of playing bass sometimes, but yah letting that note ring really ties the melody together.

That turned out really cool. Simple but effective.

This was really helpful! Thanks!

Nice video, learned a lot! You express yourself really clearly I think

Another great video! Your perspective on writing and collaboration is appreciated. Thanks!

Thanks! I'll definitely try out your tips man!

Nice video thanks for showing the thinking behind the process. Also I like your typeface, gives nice vibes to the videos. Please don’t change it.

So I play bass and am trying to expand my lability to play and jam with friends not just cover songs and stumbled on this video...... the best part in addition to what I am learning is that guitar line ladled Brooklyn Nights. Its so good and I felt like Ive heard it before but couldnt place it..... After much thought and ADHD having me hyper focus on it I finally placed it. Leon the Lobster! This made my day!!!!!!

As I'm looking more into writing music, stuff like this is wonderfully helpful. Thank you. That reminds me... I need to find time to work on one for a guitar player friend....

Nice run through of your process

dude this is a fascinating and cool video. I dig ya style....plus I love playing bass riffs like I'll Take you There from the Staples Singers.

I will be applying these concepts to my work. Awesome.

Loved The way you phrased coming up with ideas, complicating them, then simplifying and incorporating coolest parts- so accurate and made me think of a ton of stuff

Thanks again Philip! This was super helpful for me in a song I'm working on.

Great analysis and considerations, love it!

Great video Philip! Thanks for sharing. It’s so great finding great content to share with my bass students. Something to get them to start thinking about certain topics. Being able to build your own bass lines is crucial and sometimes students get caught up in “only” learning what other bass players are doing but not really understand why they chose that bass part or wanting to try to make their own! Thanks again!

It is always interesting to see thought processes for choosing bass lines. I play bass in a church. We do lots of styles from gospel to more contemporary style christian music. I have to think quick and find myself stuck in a rut just to get through. I like it when I find an alternate way of playing a part aside from the expected normal. Thanks for the insight.

Super helpful, great video… love your stuff!!

Knew this would be a good video after seeing the laptop + Garageband combo, a man of the people

I'm loving all your videos!

very helpful! i am learning to play bass on my tracks, and this speaks to what i struggle with...

Dude,. I'm your #1 fan, lol. Thanks 4 the lesson.

More stuff like this please - this is very helpful

I really enjoyed this video (as well as others). Your tips are great and made me really think about my own process on this. I'll add that I try to listen to the snare and bass drum when coming up with bass lines and specifically when the snare hits to mute my notes, which I have found really helps the groove.

I have been playing bass in bands for years and your approach is really good. I have a terrible music knowledge and root and 5th have been my go to approach since forever. The way you laid down the thought process was really great and super helpful.

This was a really great video. Glad I stumbled across your channel. Subscribed.

Really enjoyed hearing your thought process. Paying more attention to the rhythmic aspect of the bass line and focusing on fitting somewhere within the music was key 🙏🏼

Really interesting topic! Dispite every bassist has been there, this topic is completly under-represented on youtube. I would love if you make this a video series.

Killer idea for a video topic!

Great analysis. Thnx

Ottimo ! Bravo !

This is one of the most realistic videos ive seen about music. "Wait hold on... does this suck? And why?" is such a crucial moment that most ppl woulda just cut out of the video. When u read off the chords i paused, thinking what id do, blah blah accent the third here etc. But your final result takes into account a whole layer of "what does the song need" that i would not have recognized myself. The way you *arrived* at the simple bassline was very insightful, nice video.

Thank you very much for your take on this topic. My wife has been asking me to play bass on her original music and I've been struggling to make a bass part to accompany her (I'm mainly a rhythm guitar player, and your helping to build my bass knowledge).

Lucky I’ve learned to do this subconsciously over the years. Once you learn to play with your ears it becomes natural. Kudos, this was well explained.

When I make a bass line, I sometimes want to do something opposite from the melody or the chords rythm! I think that gives some interesting sounds! Like it kind of weaves into each other too! Berith from the north of Sweden!

I like the Mayer vibe here... Your musical creativity is impressive!!! Good work...

keep it up brother

Awesome to see how you approach creating a baseline. As someone who makes R&b and groove type music I’m good as being a little too busy. But I enjoy melodic bass lines probably because I’m looking at it too much like a guitar player. Anyways, can’t wait until the 13th so I can break down some of your playing on the new Noah Guthrie and Good Trouble record. I really enjoyed The Valley so I’m pretty hyped!

Sometimes, for me, is more dificult to create basslines when i dont have others instruments playing, i like having these "limits". Very nice video, most of videos about this are way too abstract.

Excellent video! The melody sounds like "Theme from SWAT" from the 70s TV show.

I’d like this to be a weekly or monthly series.

Loved that spicy lick, but 100% understood why you stripped it down some. Super fun to learn more bout bass as a guitar player. Cheers

Personally, I think the best line would have been a hybrid of both lines. Great job with the videos.

Another banger vid✌🏻 Writing bass lines has always been hard, I usually just improv and see it it crashes or burns😅

I’m a guitar player striving to learn bass. Your insights are valuable to the process. Listening to music and focusing on bass and drums provides a whole new perspective and listening experience. I will try applying your ideas from this video as I play along with some music and see if I can pull it together. If seeking ideas for videos, here are two: A series aimed at guitar players learning bass beyond what you have already done with Rhett Shull and perhaps some practice routines. Thanks, keep up the good work…

This is great. I'm just starting my bass journey as a guitarist of many years. Since my music is mostly punk/metal influenced, I'm worried about getting stuck following the root too much when writing bass parts for my songs.

I like your videos.

I'm new to music so I randomly opened up four tabs on youtube to learn about it lol. I don't play bass but this really helped, thanks :D

Being primarily a singer and aspiring songsmith this was excellent instruction on how to arrange in general. Great stuff!

This is a great especially after it's a cruel summer.

I’d love to know how to do the OPPOSITE too!

Great Video Philip, I'm a guitar player trying to put down some bass on my Daughters songs she's written and i'm finding it hard to come up with stuff, I'm sort of relieved it's not that simple, and I go through the same things as you, is it too complicated and does it take away from the melody etc, like you say there are so many variables you could do. I'm gonna try what you did and listen for the bass drum and melody cues and keep it simple at first. I've subscribed. Many Thanks

Wow - what strings and pickup? This sounds like an upright!

you make me wanna play bass

One thing I was taught is to add a fill when a part is finished so to help the other members to count.

is it possible to do semitone walk up and down the notes by walking up and down to and from the root of each chord in the chord progression of the piano keyboard (or bass guitar) and every now and then intersect and hit the chord tone and arpegio of the chord from the chord progression and play around with intervals of the scale (like the major 3rd and the perfect fifth) but often starting and ending on the root of each chord and often intersect the root of the chord while ensuring you follow the chord progression and do the bass line based on the chord progresion using notes from the scale that the key that song is in aswell as including octaves for root notes based on the chords of the chord progression for creating bass lines ? would this musical idea work for creating good bass lines ? (sorry if i am typing alot just had a whole lot of weed from my mate it kinda speeds up my brain alot and i tend to talk and think at million miles an hour when this happens lol)

It is great, that you learned every instrument notes and ritms, before writing the bass line. I'm sure, that you could make bright and interesting bass part and I appreciate, that you've chosen more simple, but perfectly fitting bass line. How to educate bandmates to stop focusing on their instruments only, and start thinking about whole song instead?

With ALL respect , this is one way to do It. I'm a Bass player and my aproach is exactely the opposite. I play along and use my ears to create something that comes to my mind ( or is IN my mind) and THEN I analyse the Harmony. ( Sometimes this leads you to new ways to enrich the Harmony) and as I play along, the rhythm is already there. The ears always leads you to good counterpoints with the Melody. But Nice vídeo👍😌

Too much going on? (3:38) I actually like it. I don't know if it's technically a polyrhythm, but the interweaving beats keep my brain occupied in a way that a straight 4/4 doesn't.

What kind of compression are you using on bass?

Bro making music is so damn hard it’s making me M A D

@1:38 Shostakovich 5 triggered😁

What were the notes of the melody

The hardest part about writing a bass line is explaining to your guitarist why it's hard to write one

Where are you filming this on spy cam

Cruel Summer?

Finding a note to cross the bar line could be a nice move

Finding a happy medium between drums & guitar is fun...once you go through hell developing the skill to do so. A simple change of drummer/guitarist might set you back to zero. So find the best, find your groove & stick together (like Rush, Kings X, ZZ Top, Gojira, Talking Heads).

He just wrote cruel summer

Sounds like cruel summer 😂

Is this the song that the dude with the pet lobster uses ?

No matter what we bassists do, we never get laid😅

U look like underbelly if he didn’t hate himself

Brad Pitt

you gotta learn how to screen record

I think this way to creat basslines is to technical! The Basslines should come from your bottom an feel!!.It should be making fun to play bass,and not study that! Thats my opinion and experience!🤟

forget to make videos about bass lines and techniques you is really bad. :(

Cruel Summer?