What was really mind blowing for me is how Les plays these weird, tricky lines and then sings over them at the same time. 🤯

@user-sb6uf1pk9t

4 ай бұрын

ikr?

@viktormuerte

4 ай бұрын

Sings and dances like a maniac! 😅

@jorgeletra3902

4 ай бұрын

you can't call most of that singing, though... 🤣

@BKF0

4 ай бұрын

@@jorgeletra3902 Might not necessarily be good singing, but I still can't replicate it lol

@gingerbruner

4 ай бұрын

Absolutely the hardest thing😝

Les Claypool was a huge fan of Tony Levin's Chapman Stick playing. Jerry Was a Racecar Driver was a huge nod to Elephant Talk by King Crimson (off the album Discipline from 1981). Not exactly new information as it was in Bass Player magazine in 1993/1994 time, just when I started playing the Chapman Stick itself. I'm sticking to the Stick. Great video gents, keep up the great work.

@Unmarked_1

4 ай бұрын

Yup, Tony Levin.

@insidewater

4 ай бұрын

Today I learned something.

@michaelanthony9068

4 ай бұрын

I LOVED those 3 king crimson albums with Tony and Adrian Belew.

@I.O.M.

4 ай бұрын

100%

@punkfan97

4 ай бұрын

Definitely try to play "to defy the laws of tradition"

Not just his bass lines but also his bass tones on all those Primus albums were just out there, sounding like creaky wooden floor boards, rubber bands, cardboard boxes, balloons etc..

@xisotopex

4 ай бұрын

100% great description

@salamander0haze

4 ай бұрын

yesssss, great way of describing it. I always simply said Claypools playing sounds "ocean bubbly" and I didn't really know what I meant either

I’d love to see you guys break down Tommy the Cat from that same album. Incredibly quirky and challenging slap groove, Les at his best.

@KillerFridge

4 ай бұрын

It's got to be Tommy the Cat

@ryanhaney2042

4 ай бұрын

Has to be Tommy the Cat the Live version from Rhinoplasty though. Or it won’t officially be a Big Rock Show

@thorn_again

4 ай бұрын

Tommy the Cat from Primus Sucks!

@russellzauner

4 ай бұрын

aw but who's gonna do Tom Waits part lol

@tofallto

4 ай бұрын

Frizzzle Fry. No one ever does a vid on Frizzle Fry and it is so slippery and fun.

I found this format to be particularly instructive: learning something in "real time." Scott proving that he's human just like the rest of us 🙂

@mrnelsonius5631

4 ай бұрын

We need “Tommy the Cat” next. And Scott has to “sing” it too 😂

When I first heard the South Park Theme and heard nothing but parallel diminished chords delivered without apology I thought to myself, "That's it. That's the Primus sound I could never quite describe." I studied classical theory in college and parallel fifths were a big no-no in times of antiquity. I'm pretty sure parallel flat fifths were an even bigger no-no, meaning Primus breaks all of the rules of 600 years of established music theory. It's like I always say, music theory is not a theory of how music works, it's just a history of standards and practices. Primus laughed at all of it, and managed to be catchy regardless. Rules are meant to be broken.

Not even a Bass player. I just come here to watch you two have the absolute best of times. Thanks for the cool vibes fellas 🙌🏻

@devinebass

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!!

The PRIMUS pinnacle of the mountain has got to be Tommy the Cat. That groove is luscious, and vicious!

If you want to stay on the Primus trip AND melt Scott's mind (and possibly fingers) I would definitely recommend looking at DMV next. Also I'd love to see a breakdown of Is It Luck? That bassline is an absolute nightmare...

@Blakeadam52

4 ай бұрын

Les himself doesnt even like playing DMV thats cruel 😂😂😂

@chazzmccloud36

4 ай бұрын

I've been to hell, I spell it.... spell it DMV

@devinebass

4 ай бұрын

🔥🔥🔥

@Walkeranz

4 ай бұрын

I can’t listen to DMV without Bob

@FrankDux-uo7ig

4 ай бұрын

Or American life, professor nutbutters house of treats, Lee van cleef, frizzle fry, laquer head…. Any of them really

Les is an absolute mad genius! First time hearing Primus was off-putting because it was so outside the box but then I stepped out of my boxed in mindset and fell in love!

That bassline sounds a lot like Elephant Talk by King Crimson, played by Tony Levin !!

@babayaga1767

4 ай бұрын

chapman stick

@BasVer

4 ай бұрын

@@babayaga1767 Yep, played on the bass side of the stick :-)

@MrChopsticktech

4 ай бұрын

Thank you! I knew I heard it before! I saw King Crimson live a few times, but you couldn't pay me to see Primus!

@LosBastardostributeband

4 ай бұрын

Because Les was actually inspired by Tony for this song

@jima6545

Ай бұрын

​@MrChopsticktech why???

As a young black kid growing up hearing rhis riff on THPS is one of the reasons i explored more genres of music

I love Les, and it's the first time I've ever seen Scott finding anything difficult! I thought he could play everything effortlessly! Ah the humanity.

I'm loving this so much! Been playing bass for 23 years, and Primus and Jaco were the cats keeping me playing for this long.

PLEEAASSEE DO MORE PRIMUS!! I loved seeing you try and learn this absolute nightmare of a bassline and there are just so many more that Primus has. i would love to see these: DMV, Tommy The Cat, Hamburger Train, Lacquer Head, My Name Is Mud, Is It Luck, and Frizzle Fry!

@robertredziak6461

2 ай бұрын

And American Life!

I remember when this album came out. I had literally NOTHING like it before.

One of your in depth interviews, with Les Claypool would be amazing, there's so little out there. Love the rhythmic feel of his music and the wild stories in the lyrics......genius. Cheers.

@devinebass

4 ай бұрын

We would LOVE to have Les on the channel for an interview!

@artur7301

4 ай бұрын

Do it!!!@@devinebass

@Mgreco0419

4 ай бұрын

@@devinebass might have to take him fishing to bribe him.

I have watched a lot of SBL content. And I can say beyond the shadow of a doubt, these sessions where they teach each other how to play a riff are my favourite. Keep them coming!

So glad to see some Claypool and Primus love. Les was the reason I picked up the bass in the 90s and I can hardly express how happy I am for you to cover this riff.

Scott shouldn't be so down on his tapping, I thought he did great. And kudos to you for always continuing to learn and thanks for letting us see some of that.

Always felt that those notes weren't pull offs. They sound independently tapped but so damn fast it gives the feeling of a pull off. Seeing how Les plays it live I still live by it.

@wea69420

4 ай бұрын

on a fretted bass it's a lot easier (and sounds better imo) to just do pull offs. Les does seem to hammer on, like you suggest.

@smudge1619

4 ай бұрын

The entire riff is hammer first then pull offs aside from the right hand tapping

@FrankDux-uo7ig

4 ай бұрын

I always thought the second phrase was a tap tap slide

Les in Primus was THE SHIT!!! So creative!!! And so out there.. atonal, polytonal shit they were doing, always blew my mind how a band like that became so popular during that time. More Primus please🙏🙏🙏 there’s so many cool lesser known bass lines of his that could make for a great episode! Really enjoyed this one! 🥰🦑

@devinebass

4 ай бұрын

🔥🔥🔥

I love so much the way to have a breakdown of a riff by you two guys. I think that a discussion is way better than a lesson.

Guys, you have such great chemistry. Ian gave this channel a breath of fresh air. It's not like I don't like Scott, it's just the combo of Scott and Ian is so amazing. I could watch you two for hours.

Watching you guys struggle BUT still having a good time was the best part of the video/lesson.

@fatpad00

4 ай бұрын

Seeing Scott struggle makes me feel sooo much better leaving new techniques 😂😅

Keeping with the theme of unconventional and "different" basslines, I'd love to hear you guys tackle some Steve Digiorgio riffs from Death.

@hazardeur

4 ай бұрын

ah, a connaiseur

@KevinConder

4 ай бұрын

I liked Steve Di Giorgio's fretless bass line on the Death song "The Philosopher". Definitely deserves a SBL lesson!

Thanks a lot guys. Les has been one of my favourites for dec&des, now. Glad to see you try some of his stuff.

I really enjoyed seeing how much fun you guys had making this

I play nothing, i watch you all the time and the 2 of you are the bomb. Awesome episode

@AnthemUnanthemed

4 ай бұрын

this is kinda hard honestly but it really doesnt take long to start learning some of ur fav songs, it might be worth while trolling 2nd hand marketplaces because someone is always giving away a free instrument if u can pick one up!

So glad to finally see primus here 😂

Love it. Thanks for the share. Loving that the only thing better than the deconstruction of the bassline is the joy of watching you guys doing your thing and nerding out. The world needs this. Will happily sell my children to finance more of it.

Thank you guys! Really love this kind of content, not only you helped me master the riff, digging into Primus, the song and Claypool was really fun.

Im so glad to see more primus content in the shed

Let's face it, Ian, if you can get Scott to play just about anything else Primus, it would be awesome. I think, as others have mentioned, "Is it Luck?," "DMV," "To Defy the Laws of Tradition," and of course "Tommy the Cat." Seeing that Scott's not a fan of tapping, can you get him to play "Terminal Beach" by Stu Hamm? Or even his version of "Linus and Lucy"?

Seeing you guys teach eachother and struggle to learn is actually really encouraging for us beginners

I’m a guitarist who happens to love you guys videos. I think Lalonde has the coolest guitar job available. They seem to have so much fun.

I would love to see you guys doing Maxwell Murder by Rancid. It's an aggressive fast walking line and there is a solo that's deceptively tricky

@brucemangan3807

4 ай бұрын

I second this!

@1978mongooseman

4 ай бұрын

Third, YES!!!!! Get it bassed young Scott!

@MaskedJackal87

4 ай бұрын

why is this one entering all the bass related channels atm?^^

@knmbsst

4 ай бұрын

yes please!

@TheMusicalSchizo

4 ай бұрын

THIS. Any Matt Freeman lines are welcome. That dude is a legend and a true inspiration to me.

Les has some weird but really great bass lines, Is It Luck? it’s a good example and the chord stuff from Groundhog’s Day

@Magumba_State

4 ай бұрын

Is It Luck? always gets me, that middle hammer-on is the bane of my existence

@NautilusGuitars

4 ай бұрын

Yes! My band played Groundhogs day and quite a few other Primus tunes, because we all loved that bass chord stuff. But Is It Luck is the one Claypool song I could never play right. He somehow uses the tremolo to detune that part as he's playing it, and it seems physically impossible to me. I've never seen anybody play it the way he played in on the album. A lot of people get the left hand figure right, but I haven't seen anybody use the tremolo while doing it.

@klapsigaarenbasgitaar1931

4 ай бұрын

@@NautilusGuitarsIndeed and who else has a bass with a tremolo bar ? I don’t think I have ever seen one myself except on a Primus concert. I was thinking about this bassline as well btw, it seems a bit ‘weirder’ even than ‘Jerry’. To be fair Sgt Baker is out there too…. The whole album come to think of it😂

@NautilusGuitars

4 ай бұрын

@@klapsigaarenbasgitaar1931 Yeah, it's an incredible album full of incredible bass lines! Is It Luck has to be one of the weirdest of all time and I wish more people would talk about it. As a young man, I got obsessed with bass and all the mods you could do, and after seeing Claypool and Wooten, I had to get Kahler trems on my basses (I actually have what, as far as I can tell, is the only 6-string Kahler bass trem that's actually installed on an instrument. I had to custom order it, and it was not cheap haha. ). It's what really kick started my guitar building career. Les' Thompson basses are what made me want to build basses and guitars. All of that said, even with the trem and tons of practice, I could never get close to playing that part right. I can play it without the trem, but I'm dumbfounded by how it's even possible to do it with a trem. It seems so impossible, that I've honestly wondered if he used a Whammy Pedal instead and just never mentioned it. It actually seems physically impossible.

OMG, this is awesome! Thank you guys :) I just started learning this with my sensei but hearing you explain it in English is a bit more helpful. You guys rock!!!

Great lesson! And you did so well, Scott! 😊

“Tommy the cat” might be the next best song for bass, a lot of people consider it a “hard” bass line, I don’t know if it’s hard though because I’m just that bad.

Other nightmare bass lines? Like the whole Sailing the Seas of Cheese album? 😅

Mr Bungle's first album had a song called "Dead Goon". The bassline is insane, with a descending run in the chorus(?) that is so insane that it still leaves me reeling.

Just got interested in tapping and last month I bought my first fretless so it’s like you guys read my mind! Thanks so much for the lesson😊😊😊

@devinebass

4 ай бұрын

Have fun with this one!!!

Do "Is it Luck?" from the same album. I think it's the hardest Claypool line out there.

@devinebass

4 ай бұрын

🔥🔥🔥

Sean Malone (Cynic,Gordian Knot),perfect bassist for the next episode.

I just found your channel. Have played in bands for 20 years but late to Primus. I love both Primus and your channel! Subscribed. Please just do more Claypool. My name is mud!

I guess I’m old enough to get all the memes… lol😂😂you guys are awesome! Keep it up!!

Let me go look for my fretless 6. I must admit it’s a bit dusty

@devinebass

4 ай бұрын

Go to it! 😃

It's indeed THE if not one of the weirdest bass lines ever, it's melodically/harmonically ugly as hell, but somehow it is really great and amazing, I don't know how to explain this phenomenon 🤔

At 10:24 mark when Ian plays it slow, it has a bossa nova vibe to it. Very cool, too.

Scott, you and Ian are the dopest. Two guys teaching in the clearest way and with fun and character thrown in for good measure. Great stuff, thanks.👊🏾

@devinebass

3 ай бұрын

🧡🧡🧡

Primus "Is It Luck". These latest videos are great! Please, keep them coming!!!

I've seen a lot of Primus vids this year and I hope they never stop

I saw Primus in 1995 at WHFS in Washington DC I have always been a huge fan. This bass line was one of the reasons I wanted to learn the bass. Les’s playing while weird is extremely talented and complex. Great video explaining the riff

Thank you for doing this! So much fun. Les was why I asked for a bass at age 13! Jaco, Larry Graham, Jameson etc came after but ‘twas Les that gave me the original bass desire

@devinebass

4 ай бұрын

🧡🧡🧡

This was great. Please make a little add on video showing us how to play that last wild bass part on a 4 and on a 6. Would be great!

Best chemistry on KZread, I'd watch for the laughs and Police Academy references alone

Is it even possible to transcribe the insane section after he yells "Go!"?? Nice job as always guys, I love the 'Scott and Ian Show'!

I'm learning this riff on a fretless uke bass ,thanks guys!!!

This was great, guys. I mean, you started it, you can pretty much pick anything from Les and Primus's catalog to tackle next. I don't think Primus has any "normal" sounding songs!

Great video, guys!! Thanks! Favorite Primus album ever! Have had it in my car for a month on repeat, my gf finally said something...

Ian did a great job here. Well played and well explained!

So stoked to see you guys talking about primus. Also you should totally try Tommy the cat

I wish this was my job, so much fun watching you guys.

Loved this song since Tony Hawk Pro Skater!! Thanks for the 4 string tabs!

@andrewpappas9311

4 ай бұрын

For me it was Rock Band 3 and it's still one of my favourite songs to play, such a fucking banger

Best thing about it is Claypool is singing over this bloody thing. Absolutely unique talent. Writing it in the first place and having the chops to play it whilst also singing. Grade-A legend.

Sailing The Seas Of Cheese was the first album I learned on base. Claypool is an absolute hero of mine. I would love to hear you guys break down Is It Luck? from that same album.

This was very enjoyable. Thanks!

@devinebass

4 ай бұрын

👍👍👍

Brilliant! Les is a local boy to my town, that guy was born to play bass on a stage.

On a side note, that Black F Bass is absolutely gorgeous! Love that natural headstock with the black hardware!! Long love the BanANa bass

Seeing Scott struggling like that to play a bassline soothes my impostor syndrome a little bit 😂

You guys rock, I love Primus.. going to see them in a few weeks. Would love to see you do Descendents - Caught

Great lesson, gents! If we're talking crazy bass lines from Primus, you've got Tommy the Cat, The Scheme, Eleven (when played properly as hammer-on chords), Hamburger Train.... Just to name a few

Tommy the Cat should be on the list!!Its arguably the hardest bassline from Primus especially if played originally how it was done.

This album is absolutely amazing, everything is just perfect. You could go over Tommy, the cat in another video. I guess it is just as difficult and weird as this one. 😍

Love Primus. I was surprised to learn that Les didn’t have the Carl Thompson in time to record Sailing. In an interview he said that Carl made great basses but didn’t make them fast. He played a Tune Zi-II 6-string. You can see it in the battle of the bands scene of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.

Watching Claypool live is mind melting.

@devinebass

3 ай бұрын

🔥🔥🔥

I saw Primus at a big show called “That Damn Show” just before Antipop came out, so maybe 1999. They actually got booed off stage at first and somebody threw a bottle and hit Les, so they walked off. Then they came back and FUCKING ROCKED IT. Still one of the top 3 shows I’ve ever seen.

To help with the power on the descending pull offs I like to land the first tap on the first note with my ring finger, pull off to my index finger and then ‘pull off slide’ the index finger down one fret

Broke that one down sweet! Thanks!

Loved this!

Ian reminds me so much of AnthonyCSN. He's like the little brother of learning bass.

I was at a bowling alley/ pizza place in my old hometown and some teen kid was wearing a Primus shirt. I thought that was interesting. It was literally 30 years ago you could hear their songs being played on some local kid's car stereo.

I had the luck to visit San Francisco in 1993 AND Primus wasn't there. 😞We had to rent a car and move to Petaluma in the northern Bay Area, but there we've seen a whole arena screaming “you suck”, and so they did. It was great. Today I'm 59 and my fingers are still aching from trying to manage “Tommy The Cat”. We don't had KZread or any cool teachers - like you guys - that time.

eFantastic, Man when this first came out I was at Breklee, and this whole record just F'ked me up, I spent all summer trying to learn these riffs, I got my slapping/Tapping skills from this record, well actually I almost broke my thumb on Tommy the Cat, But so right "is it Luck" just stopped me in my tracks....I've seen them like 5 times over the years, Absolutely phenomenal Live. Oh and you two Guy's are the Best.... Thank you

The most Primus epic bass line . . . My name is mud live in an indoor arena Go over not only the bass line Go into the equipment and what it sounds like with 2 stacks I grew up with them in so cal Saw them since the college tours But this song in a closed arena shook the place Best with sir T Alexander.

I did not think I was going to see a Bobcat Goldthwait reference today. I was wrong. 😂

Okay. Glad to know that I’m not the only one who sees PRS as a 1990s exclusive guitar.

It's really interesting to me that Scott didn't already have this down going into this video. I have always felt that Primus songs, and specifically Jerry was a Racecar Driver, was almost a right of passage for bass players of a certain age. I know for me two of the best days of my bass playing life were the days that I finally was able to nail Jerry Was a Racecar Driver and Tommy the Cat at speed.

I love this channel and PLEASE do Therapy's bass line from Infectious Grooves, one of my favorite bass line Rob ever created.

That "Porkcore" comment from Ian sent me out of this world. Such a descriptive phrase for that sound. Thats what your bass sounds like after it marinates in Pork Soda overnight

As good as les is on video to watch. Too see him crush it in person is 1000 times more impressive..

Ler's playing is the best compliment to these weird bass lines too

Another amazing video, thank you! I wished you could try Mastodon "the Motherload" that'd be a great one to tackle. Thanks again for all you skills and wisdom.

Class guys !! ❤

Les claypool uses so many different and arkward techniques. One of my favorites bass players ever. Professor nuttbutter, dmv, etc.etc. are my favorites songs, keyword is etc here...

Great video, love Les, love primus, and hey I still rock a flannel shirt.🤘

Just bought the Primus pack of songs for Rocksmith. Super fun.

Having the fretting fingers "slap" the frets feels like it helps keep time easier just like sometime running the metronome at double the tempo helps with tricky parts.