Battery - How Cliff Burton Put The ‘Groove’ In Metallica (Tabs & Tutorial)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ต.ค. 2024
- This week we're looking at Cliff Burton, the late, great, legendary bass player from Metallica. I'm going to breakdown the main riff from the song Battery and we'll take a look at how Cliff's approach to creating a bass line around a quick fire guitar riff can be effective in establishing a more groove oriented feel.
Tab and Tracks are here: www.talkingbas...
The Slayer Raining Blood breakdown I mention can be found here: • Raining Blood - Hittin...
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![[BASS COVER] Metallica - Orion](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/L0be98WWfPc/mqdefault.jpg)
![[BASS COVER] Metallica - Orion](/img/tr.png)
Hope you like the Cliff breakdown! Subscribe to the channel and go grab the Tab and tracks here: www.talkingbass.net/battery-cliff-burton-metallica-groove/
An really interesting cliff bass line is seek and destroy or ride the lightning
The call of ktulu has a crazy bassline as well
@@henriquemontalvao8492 it doesn't have an isolated track and it's not that special, just really cool with wah
@@nielsvanheteren1662 Idk, bass lines with a bunch of fast pull-offs are rare, wich is why I like it.
@@henriquemontalvao8492 it's one of my favorite too, it's why I got a bass wah. But it's just that, really cool, not that special just that it is on bass.
People who hate on Cliff seem to forget he was playing with a drummer notorious for having imperfect timing :-P
I actually get kind of irritated constantly reading a bout how poorly some so called musicians play. If it sounded clean, it would lose it's aggressiveness. I hate overly clean, studio perfect sounding music. It sounds fake and passive. Compare these two songs I'll link. The live version actually sounds better. The studio is so clean that it's clinical. People also criticize the ….And Justice For All album for having no bass. This actually make it have a unique sound. It sounds aggressive and high strung. Very good when you also take the lyrics into account. Too many people seem to want the music to sound as bad as the Fear Inoculum album.
th-cam.com/video/DrDM6V08wcE/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/2_vOX3s9f_w/w-d-xo.html
Dime bag even said the best drummers don’t always play in time. Songs are supposed to have micro BPM shifts. That’s the human element to the music. That’s why we don’t quantize MIDI patterns for drums still. You’re missing the point if you think it needs to be picture perfection.
@n n I never said MoP was clinical sounding? I said overly clean music is. I don't know how you can think AJFA is sterile sounding. It sounds raw and high strung.
@buncha funny videos sounds terrible
As a bassist who has played with drummers that didn’t have great time... it alters what you play as a bassist. You’re trying to keep the drummer locked in, and you start really emphasizing the 1 and cutting out the superfluous crap in your own playing. Now live bands run a click track in their ears, but not back then
"Perfection is pretty much the antithesis of attitude".
Absolutely spot on Mark
@Default User do they?
@Default User no one is perfect. Perfection is nothing more than a personalized opinion based on not performance but emotion of the observer. If you think Dream theater is perfect, that is your observation.
Default User Well yes. They dont have that dirty 80s rockstar attityder. But, They are very good musicians that plays really good. But They are pretty boring to look at on stage if you want to see a band that moves around. But that is not why you go to a DT concert
@Default User I love Dream Theater but they're still a rock band. It's not perfection. It's not meant to be. Nobody wants to hear the equivalent of a midi file played by real instruments.
The call of Ktulu
There is so much to analyze in that song.. great choice!
@@Ramon-gg3bd or Master of Puppets maybe? Given how important that song is... Enter Home (Sanitarium) is another one of my favorite basslines of Cliff's...
This
@@frankgile1996 I will agree to this on the condition that all three of their first albums will be fully discussed on this channel.
I agree
Great observations! In one word: when it comes to the bass in metal less is always more! Cliff was a genius of a bass player, but above anything else, he was a brilliant musician and one hell of a composer. There is more than just knowledge here, kids, there is wisdom! Cheers!
When my band played, "seek and destroy," I played very closely with Cliff's bass line. When we played. "Battery," and, "Damage Inc.," I always played close to Cliff's more sparse and grooving bass line in the first third or half of the verse, then I would play much more actively, very close to the guitar, building up the intensity through the verse. Our drummer would follow me, and it really felt like a car crash, explosion, or a volcano erupting, when we hit the chorus. If I were to play that active of a bass line through the entire verse it would not have the impact that it did.
My favorite thing about cliffs playing is that he isn’t perfect and he has an aggressive attack, which leaves room for me to be a little sloppy learning his lines lol
Tyler Hunt and it perfectly matched James surgical precision
Good musicianship is not about hitting all the right notes with surgical precision. Leave that to the machines.
Thats so true.
Maybe not, but it helps
You still have to love the instrument, and never stop learning and practicing.
@Illusion with that logic a drum machine would sound better than it does.
@Illusion I disagree. I used to think this way when I was younger and maybe a little too much into technical death metal. But with time I started to realize how bland and souless music can be without those little "inconsistencies" that make music feel alive and ultimately human. It's no surprise that any decent drum machine comes with the "humanize" feature, that intentionally adds some variations in tempo and dynamics through the track. Without it, it sucks to listen to - just like so many modern metal bands with overproduced and overdoctored tracks where everything is so incredibly consistent that sounds like VST over MIDI. Maybe it's a matter of taste, but songs like this became boring as hell to me over time.
Of course a musician will become better at all these skills with enough practise, but over a certain threshold, it becomes just enough. I don't think that's what makes a good musician. There's a lot more into it.
I agree 💯.Cliff Burton rocks! He knew what to play for the song
Dude all these years I was galloping through those riffs like a madman and struggled hard to get it right. Now this is absolutely easy way and makes more sense to me! Thank you! Anyone else who followed the right hand of the rythm guitar like me? :D
You’re like one of the few bassists on TH-cam that’s actually get and properly respect metal bass! Would love to hear more Cliff, maybe Fight Fire With Fire
Oh! Oh! I say do Call of Ktulu, I can never find any decent guides for that one anywhere and I've struggled with it for ages now
That's the most requested it seems. Looks like we're gonna have a winner!!
TalkingBass - Online Bass Lessons hope you have a fuzz wah haha
Find Andriy Vasylenko on youtube. He covered, played and did tutorials for Cliff Burton playing in Metallica. you'll find almost everything about the songs.
@@Droid9182 yesss he needs more exposure
Great vid, great breakdown. Cliff new how to make Metallica sound good when to leave space, when to double up. Many times a well spaced low bass note is way heavier than the same note played a mile a minute. Especially when everyone else is playing fast. Cliff definitely knew the role of the bass. He knew how to add color, make it breath. Not just follow the guitar riff note for note.
The call of ktulu is an almost overlooked masterpiece on Cliff's part in my opinion, especially with those bass grows, volume swells and small lead lines
Love Love Love My Bro Cliff !! RIP BROTHER.
Thanks for putting this up!
Absolutely spot on regarding people criticizing the playing on these isolated tracks. Thank you.
Woooooohoooooo 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻 Cliff em all.
Can’t wait to watch this vid, Cliff is one of the main reasons I wanted to learn bass and Battery is definitely in my top 3 all time favourite Metallica songs.
Mark you rock 🤘🏻
Cliff Burton did a very interesting opening to Damage Incorporated. Plus, I am always interested in how he plays bass to a super fast tune.
“Just a guy playing bass in Metallica he wasn’t superhuman”
👍 as much as I love Cliffs work he was still getting it together when he died. People like to compare him to guys who had an extra three decades to practice and play and work on stuff.
He would have been top tier in the end had he lived I think
Baseline of his that you should look into: Disposable Heroes
Fast ass tempo rock solid playing I live how it gets “doom and gloom” at the bridge (the part with “you will do what I say”) dum dumdum dumdun lol
Edit: that reminds me another great thing about his work is you can hum a great deal of it. To me that makes it a bit more memorable it not just 8th at a billion miles an hour. Obviously not the cool shreds stuff is hummable but his more straight ahead stuff is
Fight Fire with Fire would be a good one👌🏽
That song remains the maybe last one that I'm just not able to hear without thinking the snare is on count 1^^
Superb critique of Cliffs bass line. I've been listening to Metallica since Kill 'em All and it was Cliff Burton who inspired me to pick up a bass in the first place. If anyone thinks he was sloppy and unimaginative, just listen closely to some of the licks and runs in Anesthesia.
Call of cthulu is a great piece too, would love to see analysis of this one :D
It takes time to master the galloping one but it takes much time to clear your mind and know what’s better for the song/band/instrument just to realize you have to really have a consistent rhythm section!!! GREAT VIDEO!!!
Excellent breakdown on Cliff's style. Really enjoying these classic metal bass lessons. Thanks.
"Call of Ktulu,"
"Trapped Under Ice,"
Thanks 🤘🏿😎
hah?
@@qezeq they are song titles from Metallica's second album, "Ride the Lightening."
What made Cliff the standard that we look to in a Metallica bass player goes further than his chops. Cliff was a classically trained musician and it showed when writing his bass lines. Not just in his note choice, which could sometimes be unexpected (i.e. playing something other than root notes) but also in knowing when less is more, as is the case with omitting the gallop from battery.
would love to see an Orion tutorial Mark ...
Sir,...that is absolutely the best way I have ever heard all of that be said. So undoubtedly true.
Cliff's work on Call of Kthulu is a work of brilliance
Fight fire with fire, one of the most crazy cliff bass parts
I don’t understand people slamming Cliff. Just listen to Orion from Master of puppets...... pretty much all bass in isolation and is awesome.
Thanks for the exceptional lesson, Mark. Not just the notes, but the analysis of what makes a great bass line. Invaluable stuff. Cheers!
It's weird that people would call Cliff a "bad bass player" for simply doing what bassists were built to do. He was the perfect link between James and Lars, even when he got more "liney" (read: lots of stuff on Kill 'Em All). This time he grounds himself in the pocket with the drums and suddenly he's sloppy? Weird...
Awe Mark, you’re a “somebody” to us.
I’d really like to see a breakdown of Master of Puppets. The official songbook is different from what I’m actually hearing on the track.
Me too.
Two key players in my development of my bass player were Jason Newsted and David Ellefson. Newsted being my favourite, and I've heard bad comment about his playing and that's fine whatever.it doesn't change the fact that he had an Important part of my becoming a bass player.
Man thanks for doing this. I've never been able to get this exactly right just from tabs and listening, seeing you play it made it make a lot of sense.
So much sage wisdom in the first three minutes Mark. Amazing stuff when one gets into the groove of evangelizing on a passion topic. Worth everyone’s while to review those three minutes a few times over to understand what it’s really all about. Well done.
Thanks for breaking down a metal bass style that's really faded in recent decades. It really thickens up the sound when you let the bass ring out under chugging guitars. Meshuggah's recent album sounded so massive with sustain heavy bass, despite the low tuning.
Love it, Mark. We're roughly the same age and Cliff was (and still is) one of my heroes. Please do No Remorse! In my opinion, this is an underrated Cliff track, particularly toward the end.
Friendliest dude on TH-cam. Thanks for the awesome vids 😎
I just found this clip.. and Cliff would been have been 58 years today..
You are absolutely right. Reference jump in the fire. It's a simple, borderline funk bassline, that serviced the song impeccably
my favourite songs by Cliff is Orion, this one is so amazing with lots of epic lines
WOW! my first viewing of yours, outstanding and concisely true on multiple levels, thanks, new fan for life.
I admit to being slightly amazed that people can't just watch / hear you play the part and pick it out right from that, people really need you to explain where to put their hands for every note and tell them what an off beat is.
I guess I really wish this was more intuitive for the average music lover or learning musician than perhaps it is. Peace & godspeed all...
Thanks for another awesome vid, Mark. If you ever get the time could you please take a look at King's X?
Wish I could upvote twice.
Pretty cool breakdown, man!! You get what made cliff so special, that’s righteous. Rock on, bud!!!!
I would love to see more primus stuff or tool would be cool too! Loving these amazing guides!
Call of ktulu and Orión would be awesome to see an analysis of!
So Cliff gave their songs a nice round bottom. I knew there was a reason I felt attracted to Metallica's early work
Hi Mark, great lesson again. Would be great if you could breakdown bass work of Dominic ‘Forest’ Lapointe and his work with the band Beyond Creation.
That was a fantastic breakdown
Spectacular video, to the point, 100% educational as usual, understandable even for a wannabe player like myself. Thanks Mark!!!
Like it a lot that you explain the thought behind the sound, very interesting indeed; going beyond the tones and how to get them
Definitely breakdown “Creeping Death”.
There’s a ton of interesting things going on there.🤘🏻
(Helpful hint: unless you STUDY the isolated track you’ll miss a lot)
I’m in my 50th year of playing bass, and I’m still hugely impressed at how innovative (remember this is the early 80’s) and forward thinking he was in his approach to the bass as it’s own instrument, and relationship to the band. 🤘🏻
THANK YOU! So many people have this misguided idea about what makes good bass playing and bass lines , and forget, that the music still has to sound good too. Cliff was a big Bach fan, and music theory buff, who understood counterpoint melodies, which is what he played a lot of while with Metallica. I would actually suggest breaking down Cliffs favorite song "Master of Puppets". That riff before the first verse is some of the grooviest basslines I've ever heard and it's misplayed all the time, because the mixing on the album has him too quiet most of the time! It still bugs me to this day!
Great lesson
The call of Cthulhu 🤟
Great comments sir. You mention the drive Cliff brought to the songs. I grew up listening to deep purple and their contemporaries. I always thought Roger glover and Ian Paice were the best example of any rock bands rhythm section at driving the band. Superb. My fav bass player is Jaco Pastorius but he would not have made deep purple a better band. Your right its different type of music. Some peoples comments are mental.
You're right, Jaco is wonderful (as a kid I bought a JP album and hated it before I loved it) but it can just mainly be listed to separately from my interest in metal and rock, most of it doesn't really integrate musically.
I think you pick out the grooviness of some jazz artists though. Many rock drummers are Jazz, RnB or Funk influenced of course (the good ones it seems.)
Cliff knew what sounded best in the song . He's a fucking genius....as you pointed out👍
As much as I have just read not to Anastasia, I personally love it. That said I also would really like Kall of Katulu as well.
Denying Cliff Burton is like denying The Grand Canyon. Good luck bro!
Mark: The original bassline goes like this
Cliff: *completely owns the bass for all eternity*
Me: ......
Mark: Yeah, so here's how its done.
I remember trying to learn this (well before I should have) and struggling with understanding the sound difference, ha!
Would love a breakdown of Damage Inc.
The perfect bass line for the song as far as I’m concerned.
Can u please do Orion I really wanna understand the composition of the bass line
Hi Mark,
I really appreciated your lesson on steve harris 's style.And following your advices,i get better.Anyway,there is one song that i can not reach.The instrumental "Gengis Khan",especially a part that goes really fast.If you listen to the song,you'll know what i mean.Cheers from Belgium.
The Call of Ktulu!!
love this breakdown.
Is there any chance you will show us some Mudvayne stuff? Ryan Martinie is great bass player and his bass line on "Heard It All Before" is the only bass line I can't figure out (and there is no any video of it).
Awesome video! Awesome lesson
anesthesia (pulling teeth), maybe not his best composition work but daaamn if its some of his coolest sounding work with Metallica
As much as I was hugely inspired by Burton's playing I though he was a classically trained chelo player?
I promise I am not trolling with this comment, just think reading as a teen (so a hundred years ago) that before they were famous and were driving around, Burton would insist on sitting in the front passenger seat and make them listen to classical music, as well as Anastasia was something he wrote on the chelo years before. I might be wrong, but I thought I had read this.
As far as I know he was a classically-trained pianist, never heard about the cello bit before. Would be epic if it was true tho!!
* culo player
@@zedlep-io5qi it could well be, as I said it was a book I read thirty odd years ago when I was moody teenager so 🤷🏻♂️ I don't know...
@@j_freed I thought yhat was Spanish for someone chocolate starfish?
Hi Mark- please do Orion. Also I am beginner and wonder how do youknow what chord to play on what string? I mean a G can be on E and D string
To be honest, all member of metallica aren't virtuoso. There are a lot of unknown or even youtube musician who is better than them on technical and theory. But, the chemistry between each person is what make metallica song great. I can't play bass, but I like this video because you show the important of bass in metallica song.
I hear what your saying about isolation tracks. There is a isolated track of Steve Harris for Run to the Hills and I remember thinking this is terrible, but your right there is no point of reference back to the drums and guitar or even a click.
The ultimate goal is to bring that sense of euphoria to the listener (at least in metal music). Slayer solos are the perfect example, they might sound chaotic and sometimes even repetitive, but that's exactly what the song needs, otherwise it would lose that driven force and emotion.
Do Call of Ktulu! because the lack of a isolated bass track and the low bass volume makes is really hard to learn the song on top of that i have never found a good tab for the bass line!
Spot on 🤘🤘🤘🤘
I'd really like you talking about the Bass in The Call of Cthulhu
Awesome video 👍
Slowing it down sounds cool too!
I agree metal isn't classical it's meant to be tough and unruly
I would like to see Orion breakdown
Thank you.
I'd like you to breakdown the crazy solos during Call of Ktulu. There's so much going on in there and it's barely audible... probably doesn't get the respect it deserves
You have a breakdowns of most cliff solos on Andriy Vasylenko yt channel
Seek and destroy has a great line too... that one would be great to check out
Super super info
Why not all of cliffs riffs?! 😁🤓😎
Goo lesson. Im not a huge metal fan but cliff burton waa brilliant bass player. Had many songs where he was back in the mix and supporting the guitars but also has some crazy show off moments(anasthesia and live foe whom bell tolls). Would love to see video covering anasthesia. Also There are plenty of bell tolls covers/tabs but not many of the live additions(e.g. day on the green) which im not sure how to use my right hand fingers when playing the fast bit.
Can you do a breakdown of Damage Inc? I want know what Cliff is doing in the main riff. Thanks!
Hi mark, I want you to teach bass style Abraham Laboriel style, thank you if you can present
Excellent video lesson, as always. Huge fan of the channel, thank you. Could you bring more videos like this one, please? I mean, about explaining tricky and amazing bass lines. Megadeth bass riffs with fingerpicking is a personal suggestion. 😉
Be sure to work through the lessons on the lesson map at Talkingbass. I've already done many videos like this. As for Megadeth, I've already done a lesson on Holy Wars. However, looking to play Megadeth songs with fingers is kind of pointless. It would make for a bit of an exercise but, as I mention in the video, the pick is a key part of getting the right feel and sound for the song. I play with fingers or pick depending on the style, song or sound required. Tone is everything. A song like Holy Wars just doesn't sound good with fingers.
Thank you, i really appreciate your guidence.
You should totally do FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE.......those bass line are insanely violent.
About a minute and a half in and I can already tell ya that i wouldn't want my bass player to do the exact same thing i am on guitar. I like a solid low end
Thank you very much for this information. That isolated bass line reveals a fuzzed-out doom riff turned up to eleven!
Thanks again and take care.
BLAMMO!!!
P.S.
Whilst you explained concepts and theories, the text that would pop up on the screen really helps get the information in the brain. I think it was Missy Elliot that said "Who's got the keys to the thinka / Vrooooom"
Once we know how to best digest the information, we now possess the ability to learn and retain new information.
Thanks again.
Great job, very good vidéo. I stay in touch
Break Down that crazy For Whom The Bell atolls Solo done back in 86
Nice one! How did you get that crunchy sound?
Think that a song not a lot of people think about is disposable hero’s, I’d love to see a more in-depth cover of it
Sooo what your saying is Cliffs' playing was to make up for Lars' sloppy drumming, got it!
Sloppy live, but listen to the Battery isolated drum track. Not sloppy.
Disposable Heroes, right after the intro..