A Perfect Bass Line (With Only TWO Notes)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ธ.ค. 2024
- #bass #analysis #sade #pauldenman #breakdown #paulthompson
This video breaks down one of my absolute favorite basslines by Sade bassist Paul S. Denman and why I love it. Can you play a timeless groove with two notes?! Let's dig into it...
Website: www.paulthompso...
Instagram @pdbass74
*Thanks to Todd Hamby for the inspiration for this video. Check his amazing playing on his channel @toddhamby !!!
Paul Denman is sooo underrated. Monster groove. He plays exactly what Sade’s songs need, no more, no less.
Stuart Matthewman is a monster too!
Agree 100%.
So true!!!
Very underrated indeed.
Kathleen Dupre was amazing.
Your intro nailed it. Sade Adu has been playing with the same three guys for (literally) 40 years and still almost nobody knows they exist. They speak of "Sade" as a solo artist like Whitney, Janet or Mariah instead of a band that's named after the lead singer (like Santana, Marilyn Manson or early 1970s Alice Cooper). Sade herself has even won music awards as a solo artist, which is wild. My favorite Denman basslines are "Paradise", "No Ordinary Love" and "Keep Looking."
You are so right. Interestingly I heard an interview with the sax player and he said they have had the same studio engineer on every album and he is just as big a part of their sound and tightness as the band.
I say,"I love Jamiroquai." then someone else says,"Oh yeah! I love that guy!" Me again,"No, that is the name of the band. It's 4 people."
The band without Sade os called Sweetback. They have 2 albums.
Every Sade record is musical bliss. Great breakdown!
Sade had a sublime singing voice & a deeeep East London speaking voice.
Coudn't agree with you more, i have a couple of old albums never play anymore as they are just masterpieces and classic, and as a bassplayer the baselines are out of this world, infact the whole band is .
Aaaaaabsolutely 🙏
True facts!
And she is beautiful!
"No Ordinary Love" is one of my favorite bass lines of all time.
I love Paul’s bass on “Nothing can come between us” with Sade’s sultry voice is everything.
STRONGER THAN PRIDE ALBUM IS MY FAVORITE............)))))
Check out Paradise and War of Hearts
Paul Denman is the reason I started playing bass. I love Sade and listen to her quite often, but was always drawn to Paul's bass lines.It's nice to see someone talk about him. You hear people talking about all these different bass players but I've never heard anyone talk about Paul Denman.
He is also the reason i stared playing bass many years ago as well!
Who are you A
I played some guitar previously... but I moved to bass after listening to this song... many years ago...
Great bass player, great band.
@@laurus677 For sure!
Jeff Seamans,well said bro.
When I started playing bass, I was into prog rock and didn't like "simple" tunes... until I was in a classic rock cover band. CCR taught me to love it...and showed me that to play a simple song perfectly, in the pocket, all the way through, still takes concentration... "Easy" songs ain't all that easy.
I compare this to practicing combos in a fighting game. Even if it’s a simple combo pattern, as I start doing it too many times in a row, it feels like my brain wants to break free of the “loop” it’s in and I start messing up until I take a small mental refresher(like trying a different combo).
Same when practicing a bar over and over, after a while my fingers just jump around the fretboard out of nowhere, so that patience and mental fortitude is something I’m working on.
I also started playing bass because of prog - specifically, Rush. It took me quite a long time to understand that a bass line didn't have to be complex to be "cool". I think it was Ian Hill's bass on the 1982 Judas Priest song, "You've Got Another Thing Coming". Ian just lives on an F# for such a long time, and when he finally changes notes, as another TH-cam commenter put it, "it's an *event*".
My other "learning moment" was actually listening closely to AC/DC. Back in high school, my prog-fan friends and I used to mock AC/DC because the drums and bass were so freaking simple. I was much older when I finally paid attention to what was going on, and realized just how much Phil Rudd and Cliff Williams GROOVE, and how hard it is to actually do that.
Simple=\=easy
Simple is a better way to describe it. Plenty of simple things are also hard to do. In construction, jobs like painting, or masonry are simple jobs, but they are in no way easy.
Simple may be easy but turning less into more is very difficult. ZZ Top is a good example of this. Sounds simple and loose on the surface, until you look deeper.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT YOUR VIDEOS IS YOU NEVER BEG FOR SUBSCRIBERS LIKE OTHERS DO ON THESE KINDS OF VIDEOS.AND BECAUSE YOU'RE A REAL MUSICIAN,YOU KNOW ALL THE ENDS AND OUTS OF THE MUSIC GAME.YOU EXPLAIN THINGS IN A SIMPLE AND EASY WAY FOR ALL TO UNDERSTAND.YOU NEVER TALK OVER OUR HEADS.GOD BLESS AND KEEP THESE VIDEOS COMING.
great drumming and beautiful bass holds it down while Sade voice soars above.
Thanks!
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
My favorite Paul Denman bassline comes from the Sade Live in San Diego concert. The rendition of Cherry Pie in this concert is so so good and Denman's full skillset is on display during the song. This man is the reason I fell in love with the bass guitar.
Paul s. Denman is one of my all time bass hero's. I learned to play by learning his bass lines. He may not be famous but those who know, know. thank you Paul for all your inspiration!
I have transcribed so many of Paul’s lines note for note, as they groove, and he shows us that great feel doesn’t need to be filling up every spot in the song. I wish more bassists would listen to music like this so they understand that more isn’t always better.
I wish more musicians *regardless of instrument* would grasp this concept.
@@retread1083 itd take more ppl telling'em which notes specifically to play in which scenarios... nonspecific info isnt guidance.
@@lighterwaves5659 Give it a rest. 😉
@@retread1083 make another brainless comment
"Never As Good As The First Time" is the track that made me respect Paul S. Denman. It was just plain funky. That Promise album was hypnotic. It put you in a trance. Fact: Every Sade album released has sold more than 5 million. Some went as high as 7 million & 11 million. Sade is one of the most successful bands in Music.
and yet the men in the band can walk down the street with anonymity. ah....the perfect combination: money and privacy!
The way you talk about this track is so succinct that I’d swear you were reading it out of an encyclopedia. You are the encyclopedia, maestro. Thanks for cracking it open again. Wish I was at your gig!
I love the love and respect you show other bass players. There's no ego. You highlight what these cats do. I'm glad I came across your vids. I hope to get to see you play life one day.
The space between the notes is the best sound a bass players should hear.
Very true not only for bassists. Pauses are one of the more important elements of music.
Music is the space between the notes
Igor Stravinsky
@@Rouwiinator Count Basie knew that.
Paul Denman= BASS..his understanding of space between notes is simply amazing.Thank you Paul
Could not agree more. And, Paul Denman is so under appreciated . A great bass player that plays exactly what the song suggests 🙌🏽SPOT ON!!
always thought Sade's music was hypnotic. glad to see someone else with that emotion from their stuff. I am not the only one!
Loved sade since i was a tennager
Sade’s music is timeless. Listening to the originals from back in the day, this song in particular never gets old.
The whole album
I'm not a bass player, actually I'm a tenor sax player and always thought the same. We're not alone.
Fully agree - it transcends genres and is just bliss. She and her band are phenomenal.
I remember reading an interview with the band members and one of them said their music was of necessity so simple because they were not the most skilled or experienced musicians. I’m honestly not sure if that was true or if they were being humble but the results were definitely memorable!
th-cam.com/video/dji8aJNymJ0/w-d-xo.htmlsi=TUs-0TYWV31pCKKu
Its true. What happened was that their style was so full of notes and melodies that in the USA they were labeled as a Jazz band so they decided to ramp up their style without sacrificing their original sound
One of the best illustrations of "less is more". Leaves a lot of space for everyone else in the band. :-)
The most powerful notes are the notes not played.
I can rip up and down the fret board on a guitar...with AMAZING ease and most would be impressed, but the hardest thing I find is to slow down. I find the FEEL/EMOTION is the hardest thing to do in music....ripping notes is easy....CONTROL and SPACE is HARD.
Allowing for space and restraint is all so powerful and when the bass engages after resting it’s hypnotic.
Yes, but it still doesn't make it the perfect bass line if it utilizes the other instrumental elements. The bass line is not much without the rest.
@@squatch570 The point is not perfect baseline by itself. It’s the musicality of everything together. The band is tight and if you’ve seen Sade live you will appreciate them even more. Their groove is timeless.
Perfect analysis of a classical baseline from a timeless R&B group... 💯🥇
Yay! It's terrific that you're giving Paul his dues. Your breakdown of his line was spot on brother.
I never get tired of the song, to me it's such a smooth hypnotic rhythmic dance of harmony along with Sade's silky chalky voice.
the rests between your edits is deliberate and highlights delivery and breathing between edits, further, it illustrates playing rests is as important as playing notes in a groove, I'm happy to have stumbled onto this channel.
I honestly said "No way! This is gonna be cheesy." And I clicked and was wowed! What a great narrative with some really great insight. And yep, that is a perfect two note bass line. I truly learned some great stuff and thank you!
Yeah, it was amazing, he didn't say or do one annoying thing. That's rare, man, and like you I learned things.
That whole album is gold, the simplicity of it, and keep reserve to play at that speed.
I was 11 when this song came out and I loved it! It was like nothing I had ever heard. (My family was *not* into jazz.) Minor 7th chords are still one of my favorite sounds.
I'm a prog bass player and I can't stop grooving to No Ordinary Love. As you've shown, Sweetest Taboo, also is an exercise in control and clean execution. Great video.
Paul Denman is incredible. I love him. His bass lines are Melodic, Hypnotic and " Lock down a Groove " - I love her entire Band " Sweetback " Andrew Hale, Stuart Matthewman & Paul Denman. oNe LovE from NYC
Agree 💯
Saw them live on TV-a full concert! I was blown away! Hypnotic is a great explanation !!!
Excellent!! People need to remember that even when you are not hitting a note you are still "playing". Interacting with a song can be silence and pauses and in that space you get feel, emotion, rhythm, etc..
Subbed on this episode alone. What a great breakdown of that track. Denman sees the space and isn't afraid to see it and not play. Exquisite.
Brilliant analysis again. Echoes the mantra that 'less is more' and as the Great Great James Jamerson said "It's not the notes I play that count it's the spaces I leave".
"Discipline, space, perfect note length, groove" - Those are things that drove me crazy with the bass players in most of the bands I've been in as a keyboardist. So much, that it made me take up bass myself as a 2nd instrument. Denman is one of my bass influences, and I even have the same kind of Musicman Stingray.
dude... my weddings band boss always tells me, that quints in 1/1/1/1 are the best, cause siplier is better. no pulse, just straight quints. i'm tired of this, and i've really backed up with technique, and musicallity to on bass... good job, that you're on boss for this.
Leaving space (In many senses) can be important for any instrument, but constant bass using all sorts of notes in particular can seriously limit the intervals and rhythms you can play on top, and makes the lower ranges pretty much off-limits if you don't wanna sound muddy. Sometimes I write my music around the bassline, and I'm just left wondering what the other parts can do, plenty of options but the tricky part is I gotta like it.
The bass also often doesn't have as much room to stray away from the main groove without losing it too much, but of course these are all just generalizations, and the bass's huge effects on a track has it's positive flipside too.
I just purchased my first bass at 51 and this song and the bass line from Nothing Can Come Between Us have been in my heart to learn. I'm so excited and thank you for this video explanation.
Fantastic video! I love how you highlight lesser known players that deserve more attention- keep it up!
Man, your channel is not just play notes and scales and stuff. There is music history being discussed, and something that transcends any music style which is commitment to the groove. Just brilliant. This channel is a great asset to the bass community. If someone just wants to learn a few licks to play that's cool, but here you're digging really deep into the role of playing bass.
Respect for bringing attention to Paul Denman. His bass lines are legendary. Really love the bass line for, "Cherish The Day," as well.
Yeah, so groovy, but "Kiss of Life" bassline is one of the best ever IMO
How about bass line in "turn my back on you"? Loved the song from the first second just because of the bass line
RESPECT DENMAN🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
ON POINT DENMAN👌🏿👌🏿👌🏿👌🏿👌🏿👌🏿👌🏿👌🏿😍😍😍😍😍😍🥰🥰🥰🥰..WILL YOU.MARRY.ME❤️❤️
I just found this channel through the algorithm and I'm thrilled. I love how this video kind of follows Denman's lead, it's not packed to the gills with words and concepts. It's sparse but concise. Love it. Subscribed.
Awesome, thank you!
Sade is my favorite band. People think of just her, the singer, when one says the name Sade. But I think of the entire band.
This is a great break down. I love your videos. Especially the Teena Marie video. Thanks for all you do to educate us.
Sade’s music has some of the best bass lines ever written. Loving your videos bro. Sade will always be one of my favorite bands of all time.
What a band Sade has been over the decades. All of their music is very special - a feat that few bands can accomplish.
It's a complete pleasure to hear a group of true professionals doing their art.
"Mermaid" is one of my fave Sade tunes and it doesn't even have Sade's gorgeous voice in it.
Oh I understand you so much. I love "mermaid" and "punch drunk" as well, which proves that the band in the whole is TERRIFIC
Awesome breakdown ! Great segment
My favorite Paul Denman bass line has to be "Paradise." It has such a hypnotic feel to it, and as with "The Sweetest Taboo," it uses the minimum number of notes to get the point across. In the case of "Paradise" it's just three of them: C, E-flat, and F.
I love Paradise. It gets tough playing that perfect, repetitive groove for me a couple minutes in though. It sure requires some left hand endurance.
@@Evanderj true. It requires a lot of experience and stamina. It has to be consistent all the way through. A tiny little sloppy moment becomes hugely noticeable, so it has to be perfect, all notes with consistent accents, volumes...etc
Those fills are next level, when you listen closely. As it approaches the chorus, the bass is crazy.
I've been a fan of Mr. Denman and Sade for 30 years! Love his style!
I was in high school when this album came out. This is true musical mastery that the ENTIRE album still sounds 🔥 almost 40 years later.
It nice to see someone shout out the great basslines in Sade’s music. My Favorite Sade Basslines are Paradise, No Ordinary Love, Feel No Pain, and Cherish the Day.
I don't know how TH-cam's algorithm knew to suggest this video to me... I guess it's just my lucky night. This analysis and Paul Denman's bass playing - as well as the entire band's - are top notch.
Getting that much done with only a few notes is just amazing work.
Perfect breakdown of “it’s not how MANY notes you play, it’s the NOTES you PLAY” and the notes you DON’T play that are the thing. Spaces/silence is just as important as the notes.
My favorite non-bass example is Jimmy Page’s solo on ‘Fool In The Rain’. Although he shreds in sections, he uses melodic passages and silence to move the solo along and actually SAY SOMETHING!
YES! I think about silence complementing sound all the time.
I was thinking of Saxon, for a “Metal”, group, they can make the greatest songs with so few notes. By doing those things exactly, space, and note length, expert rhythm! Two or three notes, and they’ve got a metal masterpiece.
No words can describe how much I love SADE :)
Great breakdown! Thanks for posting this. The world needs more Sade.
I heard Sade interview once that she mentioned somthing like she is glad that they didn't know so much in music, so they just wrote simple stuff, otherwise it would had been a mess lol these guys were geniuses. And thank you for this video! always nice to hear a musician appreciate Sade's musical ability.
Thanks so much for the course in Sade music appreciation! Never knew until now why I liked it so much.
This is a perfect bassline for all the reasons you mentioned plus the nice round tone
Well said! Space, restraint and groove. The band ( as well as the beautiful singer) just vibe off of each other so beautifully!Seeing them in person is an amazing experience.
Your recapitulation of this baseline and the great Paul Denman got me to sub. Thank you. Thank you.
You are a gifted teacher, as well. Much obliged.
KT 💙
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
This video kept popping up, glad i clicked on it. One of my favorite songs and beign a musician always wanted to hear someone break it down. Thanks!
Love this track. The drum groove is also amazing.
This video actually opened up my eyes for Sade!
This song is timeless ..... such a great feel to it.
Another great video. I'm a long time fan of Mr Denman, he really knows how to lay down a groove.
Paul!! Congrats on rocketing past 10k subscribers. I love what you do so much, man-keep it up! You’re brightening the music world with what you do. ❤️
Just trying to keep up with you, Jason! Thank you. Watching this happen is crazy! I'll have to sacrifice a calf to the algorithm now!!
Outstanding video. So much useful music education laid out in such a short timeframe. Thank you.
“Never as good as the first time” is another example, “paradise” as well.. John McVie manages himself a perfect two note bass line with “dreams” too ... many simple bass lines that are perfect.
killer line, incredible simplicity. 2 notes is plenty, check the Talking Heads once in a lifetime, a 2 note groove the never changes, and is genius in its simplicity, Sade's vocals are heavenly, the drum groove of this tune, probably inspired thousands of people to learn drums. worthy of Stewart Copeland. timeless music, it came out of nowhere sounding like it had always been, and never ages. flawless soul music.
Great band, great song. Thanks for breaking down the bass track, makes me appreciate the song even more!!
Locking with the bass drum is so important, especially if the drummer is playing a complex beat. Done precisely and the band sounds louder at a lower volume. It can be the difference of a wall of noise, or a galloping juggernaut!
So happy I discovered this channel. Incredible quality and education here.
This song and The Temptations - Papa Was A Rolling Stone in my opinion are the two best examples of perfectly "simple" bass lines that are exactly what the song needs.
Thank you for making this video. Spot on commentary.... you nail everything that makes this song and Denman's playing so good. Never tire of listening to or playing along with it either. There's a universe of feel within the space of this simple line. Travelling without moving...
Adored this breakdown! And very happy that you recommended listeners to check out *all* of their albums, because you're absolutely correct: they're all stellar!
I just want to shoutout the also-great Sweetback records, as well.
Thank you good sir because when my mom played this music to me as a child I heard every note! So for you to explain in technical form is amazing! Thank you good sir🖖🏽🎸
I was 15 when this song came out. I never heard of him but I remember those smooth grooves of Sade. Makes me want to pick up my bass put down the guitar.
So great to hear a pro talk about those wonderful Sade bass lines. "Paradise" is a favorite of mine for all the reasons you mentioned. It's only slightly more complicated, but equally subtle and trickier to do right than you'd think on first listen. This band has always been about restraint, which I think is behind their lasting appeal.
i totally agree with everything you said. Denman's bass work is hypnotic.
Sade's "Hang On To Your Love" is similar. Sounds easy, with lots of groove, but soooo hard to play well!
One of the greatest records ever made. Killer bass part. Great episode Paul.
If there was ever a underrated bass player.. It's Paul❤️
Really appreciated the clarity and eloquence of this video, and it just illustrates the pivotal role a bassist has in "making" a song. There's a reason why so many of our favorite pop songs are remembered for their bassline. Denman's thoughtful minimalism is also a compelling counterpoint to the sometimes excessive styling of many more recognized bassists who take either a melodic (McCartney) or aggressive (Flea, Wooten) approach to playing. Your explanation is so spot-on and really highlights the high level of taste and detail that Denman has as an artist.
I really enjoyed this analysis and seeing Paul S. Denman get some props. He’s an absolute master musician and has influenced my bass playing and songwriting for years. Very nicely done video - thanks!
Playing with discipline, space, playing with a perfect note length. Just, wow. This is so beautiful. Thank you for posting this up. Man...
This is fire! 🔥🔥🔥 You should definitely cover some Fela Kuti bass lines, too!
Maaaan....love the breakdown.....she had one of the finest bands ever....bass line off the chain....once againyour breakdown is hypnotic my Brotha...keep doing whatcha doing,love the lessons
Paul Denman is a machine with feel. At least, that's the way I have always described him.
I am a drummer who plays a bit of bass and his lines were some of the first that I learned. Her whole band is usually pretty smoking. Check out any of the live versions of the song Red Eye to see her band fly.
These songs and bass riffs are why I play the bass to this very day. I am so glad that you brought these bass riffs to the forefront. I Don't feel so weird now lol. People often ask me why I play the Bass. And I let them hear these very songs, and they all have heard these songs before but couldn't hear the bass line. Once they hear what I'm feeling they get it. And it is a new song to them .Once again thanks.
Oh yeah. Paul Denman. His fretless playing on Kiss of Life.... oh baby. So smooth.
You put into video format what I always felt about Sade's bass lines. They're so smooth and groovy. And what makes it special is the restraint, as you put it.
I dont really have favorites, but this is probably my favorite song ever. It's everything. I just love the percussion, it's so sunny, and Sades smokey voice is a good counterpoint
Sade has been one of my favorite bands and biggest influences for years. Love her voice and the incredible groove the band has. No one sounded like them.
The concert of the "The Bring Me Home" tour in 2010 was the best show i've ever seen. Sade has the most effective arrangements in pop songs i've ever heard. Every note that is played is perfectly calculated. "Cherish The Day" is an example of that concept. It takes 2.30 min. within the song 'til the bass line comes in. And that bass line is a killer and shifts the song in a different universe.
Amazing observation and insight, thank you!
Now, I need to go look up "Cherish the Day".
Sweetback is the best backup band a singer with the immense talent of Sade could ask for.
Excellent informative video of such a perfect song!
this is really well done!! Always been a huge fan of Denman's lines. Such a perfect compliment to Sade's sultry voice and her singing of non-chord tones like the 9th.
Sade was the one starting the 9th disease in pop vocals? It is the single most annoying musical phenomenon in music over the last 10 years!
Yeah, man... Yeah, man... Thank you, Paul Denman. One of the greatest to ever do it. Great video, my friend.
My man! Thanks, Paco.
There is a short bass line in "Love is Stronger than Pride" that follows the line "There may even be snow" at about 2:40 into the song for only about 20 seconds. A beautiful song, I think their best. One of the best I've ever heard. Repeats around 3:40.
Thanks for reminding me my favorite section as well!
Thanks for the great analysis and description. It’s so easy to get sucked into the wizardry of some players who can play 100’s of notes a second all over the neck. This bass line reminds me that the simplest things can often be truly the most brilliant.
"No Ordinary Love." That song has a very memorable base line.
I am a bassist and have always loved Sade. The bass is usually “ out front” in the mix, just fantastic. No ordinary love is kind of hypnotic, I never tire of it.
That Bass Drop is EXQUISITE!
Thanks for that material,
This track is really special in bass... Understanding Paul's playing is a must for every bassist.