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@@TedTalksBass I knew it! It's Josh. Alex and Raquel say what's up. Great channel! You were born to talk bass. And you were always preaching the word of Prince. Glad the algorithm pushed you into my feed. If I ever run into you, I got a Rolling Rock with your name on it. 😂
everybody on this list sleep!!!!!! but there's something else.... to wake u up!!!!!! WHY NOBODY SAID MADHOUSE????? The Jazz/Funk duo of Eric Leeds (Sax/Flute) and Prince (Piano/Synths/Drums/Bass, what no guitar??) Unless there's something in the Vault at Paisley Park to top this, Prince's bass performance, as well as his tasty solo on the opening track "One" has to be his best... EVER!!!!!! CAN U SAY "PURPLE JAZZ????? LISTEN RIGHT HERE!!!!! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lJ-2mUH2iRA.html
Thanks for posting this. I actually tracked Prince on Bass working as his Engineer at Paisley Park studios. His Bass chops in the studio is just on a whole different level! Thanks for paying homage to my former boss! Keep rocking.
A master musician needs to be able to not only play the instrument with outstanding technical skill but have an unwavering understanding of how to draw out the emotional aspects from a song. There are a lot of of great musicians that are technically skilled but have to know how to make the instrument fit into a song with maximum efficiency. Prince not only played the instrument, he played all of the instruments while writing and performing the songs. Prince knew what emotion he wanted to draw out of people, each instrument was an actor and they were critical components to the story Prince was telling. Prince wasn’t just a musician he was rhythmic poet that wanted to wrap his story’s around the audience so they could completely experience his vision. That’s what makes him a “Master” musician.
This is why a lot of technically proficient musicians can't find work. Yes, technical prowess has its place, but nobody is here to witness you shred on Bass for 10 minutes straight. That's NOT a song. People underestimate how much goes into the production of a song that resonates with people.
Well stated. EMOTION being your KEY WORD IMO. Prince had Emotion and could make any instrument fit in a song. Thats way more skill than just jamming fast licks. He may not have been the best drummer technically. However, Sheila E, said she loved the grooves Prince came up with because they were uniquely creative and worked well w whatever song.
For me, Prince is up there with all the greats of Bass playing. An obvious example being 777 aside, the groove this man was able to achieve was second to none. Even layering different grooves - think Alphabet St, Emancipation etc. You’re awesome man! Sending love
I think Prince, unlike other great guitarists, bassists, keyboardists, writers, etc., was so good on so many instruments that no single instrument stood out to distinguish him and box him into one category. But what I appreciate most about my all-time favorite artist is that he was still a student at heart and knew there was something to learn from other musicians to help him improve. Such a great musician and human being.
@EdTheBearsFan I think you've definitely identified the "problem". Prince was unique, a great multi-instrumentalist, a great songwriter, a musician par excellence, and a mesmerizing performer. We'll never see his like again.
@@bwat9365I think that with how great of a songwriter, performer, singer and guitarist he was we tend to forget he was also a great bass player, pianist, drummer and how many horns did he also play?? What else am I forgetting?? The dude was hands down the most all around gifted musician/composer we will ever see (at least in our lifetimes).
Prince was above all a composer. Each individual thing he did served the larger concept of the work. There are times when his drumming/drum programming is the highlight and other times when it’s dirt simple, etc. I think (accept for maybe on guitar) he really didn’t care what you thought of him on any instrument. He understood that music isn’t about trying to prove how bad you are. It’s about expression.
I used to listen to rhcp quite a bit and it was cool...but can you imagine flea in your funk. Prince just has a deeper understanding of funk, rhythm, timing, space than almost anybody but the masters. On Head, that groove plus the space before the cymbal crash on the hook is just perfection. It's so simple yet so deep
everybody on this list sleep!!!!!! but there's something else.... to wake u up!!!!!! WHY NOBODY SAID MADHOUSE????? The Jazz/Funk duo of Eric Leeds (Sax/Flute) and Prince (Piano/Synths/Drums/Bass, what no guitar??) Unless there's something in the Vault at Paisley Park to top this, Prince's bass performance, as well as his tasty solo on the opening track "One" has to be his best... EVER!!!!!! CAN U SAY "PURPLE JAZZ????? LISTEN RIGHT HERE!!!!! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lJ-2mUH2iRA.html
Prince has always been one of my favorite bass guitar players. I love his playing especially on "Irresistible Bitch" and his writing and playing on the song "Crystal Ball" is just genius. Thank you for making this video and picking some deeper cuts as examples.
Prince was a technician who strategically placed the sound and the parts to fit the track he was doing at the time. He could have easily cooked it to highlight the bass, but he didn’t. Check out the line on Pop Life and see how it compliments the song. Genius!!!!
Brother, you are a very nice guy and you do not intend to offend anyone, so let me say on your post what you cannot. Flea is a dope bassist and he's a straight-up MONSTER onstage. I love him. However, comparing Flea to Prince is like comparing Mike Tyson to the Incredible Hulk. You don't have to take my word for it... just ask Flea himself. Not only was Prince better than Flea, but quite frankly, Prince was better than EVERYBODY on bass and on guitar for the very reasons you suggested. It was his approach; his dexterity and flexibility; his attention to detail; his ability and willingness to explore and experiment; his love and respect for rhythm BEFORE the hard line. Watching Prince play any instrument was like watching the Harlem Globetrotters play basketball. It was purely magical genius. Prince and I once dated the same girl back in the day before he was really famous and I had a chance to play music with him in a basement in Detroit for about three hours. All I can tell you is there has never been a greater musician EVER!!!
@@TedTalksBassPerhaps you did not say that Prince was the greatest bass player of all time, but I am saying just that, and here’s why: Although every bass player has his or her own style and approach to the instrument, you could have placed the top 25 bass players in a single room and let each one go face-to-face with Prince and he would have played their own style in front of them, then added his own Purple sauce. What I mean is that Prince studied music theory, music style, stage presence and overall audience impact the way Einstein studied Quantum Theory. Prince was Larry Graham, Verdine White, James Jameson, Bootsy Collins, Stanley Clark, Aaron Mills, Marvin Craig, Louis Johnson, Nathan East, Nate Phillips, Marcus Miller and many others all rolled up into one person. He was the only bassist that could play ANY style, ANY genre, and ANY song. He was also the only bassist that had MASTERED over 30 instruments, MASTERED vocals, MASTERED songwriting, MASTERED style….. I was never a Prince fan, but I still have to admit that he was the greatest musician of all time simply because he invested his time, energy and resources into becoming just that.❤
I agree Ted. Think of Alphabet Street, Love Bizzare, Le Grind, etc. Flea is bad too. But Prince was a creative force. He was on a different plain of existence as far as Bass playing.
I'm a bass player and being able to place the bass in the middle of the groove is important. My favorite bassist of all time in Verdine White...what can I say he plays in the vain. When it comes to prince to be able to not just hear your thoughts as a bassist but to play and build around it is simply amazing.
Ted, love your channel and thank you for this! Great selection from the man’s endless library. I also think the bass in I’m Yours is sick. Especially when he’s trading solos between the guitar and bass…crazy!
Great overview of Prince's bass playing! I'm a Minneapolis native who was a classmate of Brown Mark and heard his bass playing in high school. I had the great fortune to see Prince in concert many times including his old Glam Slam Nightclub in Minneapolis! I love Prince's great ability to use fingerstyle and slap bass including on the song, "Anotherloverholenyohead." Other Prince bass lines I love, simple but funky, include "Pop Life." I just love another simple but funky Prince bass line on "If I Was Your Girlfriend!" which is a good accompaniment to Prince's "Camille" alter ego! Thank you for sharing this! Great memories! 😊👏🏾♬🎤🎶🎸
That would be one of my main points. I've heard many say that he was on par with the best on damn near every instrument. If Prince's primary instrument was bass, people would see it.
They said Prince could play over 20 instruments! It’s not jus guitar drums bass piano/keyboards! Some people haven’t a clue…… We were blessed to have such a gifted musician in our presence! Of course his vocals were great too! High notes & low vocals! Lead & background vocals! He was a one man band!
Nice Vid, Even Flea himself, said in an interview 12 years ago, He was inspired by Prince in every aspect from bass to songwriting, creativity. Even when Prince played the simplest guitar, bass, drum parts, they always fit the song and had emotion.
When Ted talks--I listen. I think what made these parts so good is that there's a simple authority to them. They lay rock solid, inside the groove without cluttering things up. Thanks for the insight into one of Prince's many talents...a true groove-master.
For my top 10 bassist yes Flea is on it but so is Prince where the average listener wouldn't expect him to be because all they know him for is his guitar skills but you can hear the influences of the bass greats in his playing he had a way of making everything he touched his own
Uhhh,,, he was a badass because he had natural God-given talent, realized it early, didn't waste it (or waste time), practiced a LOT when he was young, and eventually mastered the instrument.
I love Flea, I think everybody does. He loves jazz and dabbles on the trumpet proficiently. But Prince is GODLY! Ultimately though, we really needa stop comparing and “ranking” musicians and artists. It’s ART! Sure, it can be competitive. But it shouldn’t be taken so seriously.
"Flea a better bass player than Prince, what uh joke,🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Prince could out play Flea in his sleep. "You know Ted you can spot uh hater a mile away, "THANKS FOR KEEPIN IT REAL BRO!!!!!!!
Absolutely agree with you. Not even a legitimate comparison. Prince was another planet when it comes to bass. Flea is cool but not in the same world with it comes to being compared to the Prince.
I was 12 years old when the "Controversy" album dropped. As a beginner, I was mezmerized by the bassline on "Let's Work". That's still my favorite Prince bassline of all time. Just funky! Learning that track gave me supreme confidence at a young age to keep on playing. 😁
Thank you for sharing this. I can play “head” now. It will take me a minute to get the other songs. Prince has always had my ear since the late 70’s. Lady cab driver has been my joint forever. I will always miss that brother, him and Mike. Much love to you bro!
Much Love and Respect for you Brother. You have a great attitude & mindset for this! Very engaging, and nurturing the love of the craft as well. I have high hopes for you and I am honored to have shared the stage with you. Humbly. Peace. Light. Blessings. Bounty. Joy. 🙏🏼💛🎶
Sonny T and Larry Graham . When I hear. Prince I hear these 2 legends. Sonny T taught Prince so much including bass, guitar , and singing in his falsetto voice . You can surely also hear the Larry Graham and Sly Stone influence. Flea , better than Prince? Hmmmph. I don’t think so .😂
The thumbnail photo of Prince and the one eyed bass during that time I was a regular at Prince nightclub in downtown Los Angeles, Glam slam West, and I snuck into an early morning rehearsal. That’s a whole other story of many, but I ended up in front of Prince maybe about 8 feet away as he rehearsed and play that bass guitar, Prince played 777-9311 bassline he probably knew and let me slide, I was the only fan there. I don’t think I need to say anything more but yes it was.😉
Good examples He understood the relationship between drums and bass perfectly Also the spaces were used to great effect It must have helped that he was such a good drummer that his bass rhythm was locked in
I am a bass player from Detroit and I think that the best bass player Prince ever had was Prince himself. I would also say that Prince was the greatest bass player and all around musician of all time. Why? Because Prince approached music like a science project: he studied and mastered the deepest depths of music theory and created magic the way the Harlem Globetrotters studied and mastered basketball. My favorite bass player of all time is Bootsy Collins simply because he was the first Rock Star bassist ever and because he developed his style from understanding the James Brown theory of the “One.” What makes a bass player great is his or her ability to feel the rhythm and groove, and hear the band, and place those bass notes between the different instruments to create a wall or floor for the music. No one does this better than Bootsy, and he attributes this magic to James Brown ❤
Prince is one of my all time favorite musicians period. He is a phenomenal bass player and all around musician. Larry Graham is One of my favorite bass player also. Marcus Miller,, Verdine White, Louis Johnson, Victor Wooten etc.
These lines are great, but I recommend also “Alphabet Street “ and “Le Grind “ (too bad the bass is buried in the mix there). He also did some cool things on “Im yours “, “ Emancipation “, “2nigs united for west Compton “, “Northside “ and, of course, “Lets work “ and “7779311”
I feel for you, Pop Life, Tamborine (crazy!), The ballad of Dorthy Parker (only Prince could make such a song and bass), The one, Love Sign, Family Name, The Everlasting Now
What a fantastic video. Lifelong Prince fan. And completely love learning more about his talent and musicianship from people that also know what they're talking about. Much love and respect ❤
5:23 I knew it was Uptown before you said it, this is the song I play for young dudes wanting to know about Prince. They usually never heard of it and I enjoy watching it blow their minds.
I think there were definitely some different styles, but everyone sounded good. You had Larry Graham, Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, Lois Johnson, Michael Henderson, Prince, what made prince good was he could play both instrument's bass & guitar. Let's not forget Anthony Jackson, & James from Motown, couldn't think of his last name. I like to hear a lot of melodic notes while funkin it up. To all the greatest bass players that ever lived !
Aw man, I think we can objectively say Prince's work runs so much deeper in so many ways. Lovely illustration of the point. Subscribed! Best, Daniel 🤙🏻
Yes!! Great examples! I would say “She’s Always In My Hair” is a sneaky one too- as far as being about rythym and pocket - one may focus on guitar on that track which is awesome, but that bass and drum lock- whew!!
That’s why I’ve always said Prince is the greatest musical artist to ever exit a womb. The lyrical/instrumental writing, masterful musicianship across many instruments, his engineering and creative understanding of sound constructs and interweaving, his vocal capabilities with that multi-scale octave skills. I’m not even going into his stage performance. The GOAT
Glad you made this video. My 1st thought was: "Oh yeah, Prince did play bass." Seems there was studio Prince who, like Kevin Durant, scored 35 points on the album before you realized he ever took a shot. He played drums too and the two beats that stand out in my mind are on Irresistible B'tch and Housequake; but I'm only assuming he recorded those.
I love Prince's bass playing. What's your take on Marvin Isley of the Isley Brothers? I've been listening to them lately, and to me Marvin puts the funk in all of their songs .please do a review
btw, Brown Mark actually responded to one of my comments on his Lady Cab Driver tutorial: he said Prince played on the recording while he played the song live. Quite cool Brown Mark responded, I thought.
Hey Ted! refer this guy to Dave Ghrol jamming with Prince. Dave says Prince is the best BASS player Guitar Player, Drummer he's ever seen, or heard. flea is a great bassist! The majority of Prince fans from 1984 will never understand that his best music/songs are pre Purple Rain. This guy is probably not familiar with 17 Days, Do it all Nite, Party up, The Stick, Players Ball, Bambi, Still waiting, Sexy MF and Cream Girls and boys. He can't hear Prince! Prince was the greatest musician ever!
Badaxx on bass and 6 string. He was phenomenal. Unfortunately I wasn’t that into him when he was very popular. What a sad thing too lose such a talented person.😢
There was a nice tribute to Prince at the Taste of Minnesota a couple of Sundays ago...by Jam and Lewis as well as Morris Day and the Time who performed! It was the BOMB!!! 😊👏🏾♬🎤🎶🎸
SEXY DANCER is one of my favorite bass plays of Prince! Also the “H” song!!!! The keyboard solo on H is mind boggling! And the piano solo on sexy dancer too! He was underrated on bass play!!!! He’s a Guitar🎸Hero & Bass Hero! A Synth Great too! I also found my comment prior to this one! I thought I been here before!🤦🏽♂️😂👋🏻
You make a very important point: a player doesn't produce that Sound on the instrument unless they have technical proficiency (Proving once again, it's all in the hands)! Great video
It's wild... When I first heard Sexy, I thought it was a guitar playing with itself or shall I say extending itself because it can't get that deep. So it's like you walk with yourself as a bigger version of you, that is simultaneously smaller, that's why you are holding hands and swinging in Time.. The Magic of the Studio and Mixing Board
I’ve heard Michael Bland recount a story that only after opening the multi to harvest Alphabet Street samples did they realize there are 3 different bass tracks mixed in a way to sound like one continuous track. He said each track was very active and would still be a lot to cover.
Great video. One of my favourite bass lines is from the song "I feel for you". Very understated in the mix but the feel is always there. As you pointed out, very percussive in his approach.
So I think you play the bass really, really well. You hold the instrument very well, I don't hear any false notes, you mute all the noises with both hands and wrap the sound 😉. And YES!!! Prince was a super great musician... maybe orchestral arrangements weren't his strong point.... but funk, pop... wow😍
Prince so good he got Larry Graham in his band! Prince multi instrumentalist genius who knew when to keep it locked down + when to bust out da showmanship! God rest him
I heard that when Eric Clapton was asked what it felt like to b the best guitar player on the planet he replied "I dont know ask Prince" ....my favorite basslines are off the "for you" album "so blue" and the end bass and guitar battle in "I'm yours" highly underrated album and the bass work on when doves cry.. Genius
😮Thats right! At 62 I lived 'n lived those early Prince yrs. He played every ala "Stevie" every instrument on his early stuff. Flea, I still love 'em, didn't and probably can't do that Talent x 💯.
Love your breakdown! Im copping the black mug and subscribing my brother!. Stayn tuned in!! I sent this vid to both my musician cousins because this was our era and inspiration for what we do today. Keep em comin. Im locked in!!!! ✌🏾
Absolute legend in every sense. I love flea, having listened (a lot) to the music of both RHCP, but Prince is just on another level. I started listening to Prince when 1999 came out (I think I was in middle school then), and RHCP when I was in high school with Uplift Mofo Party Plan. As a bass player myself I very deeply appreciate both of these musicians, but like I said, Prince was just something else, not a mere mortal. I hold him in the same esteem that I hold Bowie and Bob Marley. Just complete forces of nature.
Prince was one of the most gifted multi-instrumentalists EVER!!! PERIOD! Yup, sounds like an Alembic to me on "Sexy Dancer". Brown Mark is a BEAST!!! Excellent video!!!
Hi! I think Prince was a great bassplayer! He just had everything every bassplayer needs, plus extra wide musical taste, plus deep love and knowledge for and of other instruments, plus he put in the 10,000 hours. The only thing I actually never liked that much about Prince was in fact his lead tones on his main instrument the guitar: too much gain, too much ultra long (loud!) repeates on his delays and too much (loud!) reverb. It sometimes really drowned his playing live... But, that’s just my taste. 😉 Although I like all of Prince’s bands as units up untill 1990 the most, My favorite bassist in Prince’s bands is Levi Seacer, mostly because it was him playing on (for me) Prince’s greatest tours: Sign O’ The Times & Love Sexy. Levi’s playing (and the whole band’s!) on those also got me into jazz. Just like Prince wanted us youngsters to, 😄. I didn’t mind Levi was always more of a guitarist playing the bass(guitar!) at all: him playing with a pick sometimes was just as effective as dubbel thumping has become since the mid 90’s. His sound was always extra clear playing with a pick, especially on Prince’s black Alembic. But I loved his own Guilds too. Most important why I loved him the most was their music at the time and the other bandmembers: everything had really come together back than. He didn’t slap when he didn’t needed to, which was great, because slap style had become more important than playing the bass itself in the late 80’s. And rather dull. Prince for me was more of a bandleader like Ellington, Gillespie, Miles, Brown, Zappa, Fripp, Bowie and Kravitz even. But I wish he could’ve been more like Miles and Bowie: let the musicians do their own thing more to lift the music, and less of a note by note control freak like Zappa, Brown and Kravitz. That’s the only reason Prince was never able to make his own ‘Kind of Blue’, ‘In a silent way’ or ‘Bitches Brew’ or ‘Heroes’ and ‘Black Star’ albums. He must’ve felt very alone musically, I guess.
Prince has waaaay too many examples demonstrating how good he was at Bass, but the one I recall that not too many people recognize is from La La La Hee Hee Hee, the full extended version. Anyone who hears his solo on the Bass there won’t be able to deny his skill. The thing that amazes me though is that you can argue he was a top five all time player on Bass, Drums, Guitar, Piano, Synths, and Drum Machines (totally slept on as a drum programmer). How many other artists can we think of that we can refer to the same way?
Thanx 4 ur clever video. Prince bass playing was very inventive, often 4 the sake of the song, not 4 the sake of the bass or groove... It serves the music, that’s the priority....there’s hundreds of examples... but listen to the Jill Jones album from the bass point of view... u’ll b surprised.... or the first Madhouse album...
