I am just starting out on bass guitar. It would be good to hear you talk about playing bass in a worship band. Even in this song, how you approach playing the bass in it and making a God-glorifying contribution to the whole. If you were to mentor a beginner bass player, what would you say to him/her about playing bass for worship and how to progress in it. Thanks!
Hi Bill, excellent questions for sure. Please note that my advise is based on my personal journey; hence, it is not prescriptive. These will be the things I'd tell a beginner: -The first point will be to focus on Jesus. As worship musicians, it's easy for our priorities to shift away from what matters most (JESUS) and end up fixed on the instrument and music -Be patient with yourself. The process of learning and perfecting ones craft takes a lot of time. I see a lot of beginners who are frustrated because they don't see progress 'quickly enough'. It took me several years to be able to play without buzz or noise. -Set specific, reasonable, kind and realistic milestones, e.g., by the end of the year, I want to play without having any buzz on my strings. -Avoid the myth that errors or bad sound are due to your instrument. Get a decent instrument, have it professionally setup and stick with it. -Be mindful of social media and comparison. It easily makes musicians feel inadequate. For example, I only follow two bass players on Instagram...as I can't deal with the distraction of always watching bass videos. Thankfully, when I was learning, there was no instagram or facebook...haha -Be a sponge...absorb and learn everything you can. I spent my early days playing a lot of musical genres. Obviously, I was very mindful of the lyrics of songs. This might sound a bit weird, but worship music (specifically CCM) alone is insufficient for growth as a bass player. The lines are often very simple and extremely watered down. Explore other genres, e.g., reggae music, gospel music (e.g., I strongly recommend music by Brooklyn tabernacle choir, Richard Smallwoods), Latin music, funk (for groove). -If you can afford it, get a teacher or pay for a focused training program. Insist on learning some foundational theory and ear development. I'd highly Norm Stockton's Art of Groove online bass lessons. -Practice as much as you can. This is an obvious one, but when I started out, there were days when I put in 5 hours of practice. Familiarity with the instrument makes a world of a difference. -If you live near churches with excellent musicians, ask to visit their rehearsal sessions and sit at a spot where you can watch the bass player. -We are all unique. Embrace your uniqueness along your learning journey. Ask GOD to help you project the 'unique' voice he has given you through the instrument. Wow....I typed a lot. Please do not hesitate to write if you have further questions or specific issues you'd like me to touch on. GOD richly bless you.
I too am just learning bass and come to your videos for inspiration. I at times like many, find myself too focused on my sound/runs/licks and not on who are what I’m playing for. I appreciate your advice to us novice players
I put this comment here so that every time someone likes it, I'll be reminded of this song, because it heals someone in me AMEN..., from Kenya in Africa.
Im so blessed the reason im looking for video like this because im praying that soon i can learn to play the bass so that I can offer myself to be a member of the music ministry in our church. I hope i can see more specially the basic chords praise God continue serving the Lord and blessed more people !
The key thing to remember is that the bass is playing by the root notes of the other players. However this doesn't mean that bass is an easy instrument.
I've just started to learn how to play a bass guitar. I thought bass could have impact only in praise songs, I never thought bass could be played in a worship song that beautifully. Thank you so much brother for sharing.💖 Now, I'll need to learn that... May God bless you 😇
To GOD be the glory. Thank you for the very kind and encouraging words. Wishing you a blessed musical journey learning the bass. May GOD grant you wisdom, direction and ability. God bless you my friend.
"I never thought bass could be played in a worship song that beautifully." Yeah, unfortunately, contemporary Christian artists seem to neglect the bass quite frequently in their compositions. Lots and lots of simply pounding out root notes and missing out on all the subtle harmony, nuance and depth that a well constructed bass line would provide.
Thank you!!! I didn't hear that much groove in the original and your video gives such bass sweetness that I shall try to incorporate it as well. Have a blessed week and again, THANK YOU!
Thanks so much brother. I really appreciate you taking time to leave a comment after watching the video. I give glory to JESUS for the gift of music. Have fun experimenting with the bass parts. It is always fun to modify the original bass lines. :)
Emmanuel, you do such a wonderful job adding beautiful bass lines to the worship songs you've posted on RU-vid. I've been playing in worship bands for over 40 years, and when I found your videos a few weeks ago, they inspired me, and gave me fresh ideas for my own playing. Thank you for sharing your talent.
Perfectly said. The chord progression is simple and quite repetitive, which allows for self expression in the pocket. GOD bless you for the very kind words and for taking time to watch it. All glory to JESUS!
Brother just tuned in your channel and i like the way you play. I love the shapes you have shown and i want to learn shapes from you. God bless you brother.. and Glory to God always..
Thanks so much for the kind words. Unfortunately, I don't teach on this channel, though I am hoping to post some general tutorials at some point. The goal of the channel is song ministration. For the bass videos, I show my fingers clearly with the hope that people can pick up what I am doing. I hope you can get some nuggets from this and other videos. GOD bless you
@@esongsore can you do one for Israel Houghton Deeper into the water? You will see what i mean when it gets to the chorus "Lord give us a heart" ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bgu_vtW8lVM.html
GOD bless you Amy. I give all the glory to JESUS. Thanks a million for your kindness and consistent encouragement. Once again, GOD richly bless you. :)
I subscribed after watching you play for just a minute. Excellent playing and song selection. Breathtaking. God Bless you brother. I'm gonna start playing, probably buy a Squire CV 70's V bass. I inspire to eventually play for church and Glorify God through it.
You are so kind my friend. I give all the glory to JESUS. Glad you were blessed by this. Also those squier basses are amazing. Mine is a squier with a few modifications. Check out their new anniversary basses. Those look really great.
Really nice playing.. I'm trying to follow those notes between the chords but struggling to keep up. They make such a difference when added. Is there a way to share the tabs somehow? thanks Tim
Great groove and harmony! You really made this song come alive in a tasteful way without getting in the way of the vocal and other melody instruments! Awesome Job! I used a lot of this when I played at my church and got a lot of compliments. Plus I learned some good fills to add to my vocabulary tool belt!
You are welcome my brother. I just got back from worship rehearsal at our church. Always appreciate worship leaders incorporating tasteful playing into the body of Christ. You are encouraging me to upload a couple tutorials as well. How are you filming and recording? Love the sound you get on your videos, along with the soundtrack of the song.
Thank you very much. The time commitment required to make tutorial videos makes it almost impossible. Between work, family, church and the videos I post here, I am swamped. I hope you can still pick up nuggets from these videos. GOD bless
Hello God bless you my English is not very good excellent song beautiful arrangements a I'm learning to play bass I hope in God someone day to play as you are beautiful thank you God bless you
hmm...that is a tough question. Once you are practicing and praying, improvement and growth will eventually come. In my own journey, it got to a point where I didn't see much improvements for about 3 years. Consistency is key. Record yourself when you play and after a few months, listen back and compare to more recent recordings. Do this over a few years, and I promise you will recognize the growth that is happening. At the very least, I am sure you will see some subtle progress. It takes time, be patient with yourself. Have high but very considerate expectations.
To GOD be the glory. Unfortunately, I don't use any score or write them out. It's all improvised on the fly. I hope you can pick some nuggets up from this video. Blessings..
Hahaaa...do it. Its quite easy to transfer knowledge from the piano to the bass.....and since you drum, you likely have solid rhythm and groove. You have the foundational building blocks to become a solid bass player.
Glory to JESUS. Thanks so much for watching and leaving a kind comment. My main tip would be to listen to and learn different genres of christian music (gospel, CCM, reggae, RnB, etc), always pay attention to the kick patterns when playing bass, memorize songs rather than having to read and play on the fly. Memorizing songs allows for self expression in worship. Blessings.
Silver, so glad you are learning from them. That is why I keep the camera on the bass. Glad to know some people are benefiting from these videos. GOD bless you my friend.
I use a tcspectracomp pedal for the bass. I connect the bass and my phone to the pedal, play the song on my phone and play the bass along. On the TC, I add a bit of compression and boost the low end of the bass. I record into protools, and my audio interface is a focusrite clarette. The bass is a squire (body and neck bought separately and pickups upgraded). My camera is an old canon vixia....I record the video separately in 1080p. After I record, I merge the video and audio using a software called video pad editor.
Best bass line I've heard to this song yet. The original bass line is terribly neglected and leaves the song without much depth. I just uploaded my version to this song, but I must be truthful, I think I like yours better. Great playing, bro. Really enjoyed it.
Hey man, love the cover! I'm wanting to learn how to play the song too, is there any chance you have the chords/notation of your cover? Especially the fills you play :)
