Top 5 The Police Bass Lines | Sting | Julia Hofer | Thomann
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Julia grooves to some of her favourite The Police bass lines! Including some punky energy, reggae inspired parts and the small details that make Sting's bass parts so unique!
What's your favourite The Police bass line?
Gear used: tho.mn/2l92g
Recorded in Presonus Studio One: bit.ly/S1Pro6
Recorded and mixed with Universal Audio: tho.mn/uadx1
Monitors optimised through Sonarworks: tho.mn/sonar
Interesting bits and pieces:
0:00 Intro
0:49 Song 1
2:14 Song 2
3:25 Song 3
4:51 Song 4
6:01 Song 5
6:45 What's your favourite The Police bass line?
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Пікірлер: 736
I'm more impressed that Sting was able to play bass.... AND sing lead vocals. That's not easy.
@ThomannsGuitarsBasses
10 ай бұрын
Yes, that's insane!!! // Cheers, Julia
@user-mq4bo4vc7q
5 ай бұрын
So true brother. Never truer words
@michaelrawson6261
5 ай бұрын
Practice... Practice, concentration and commitment, that's what it takes, I showed none of those qualities to any meaningful level, that's why I can't do it!!! 😅😅😅 I can play, I can sing (reasonably) but I can't do both!!!
@shanecabbage2187
5 ай бұрын
Watching him live (well, videos of him live), I tend to see him play a simpler line when singing than I hear on the album version. I am pretty sure that in the studio, he plays the bass separately from recording vocals. I am not saying that is always the case, but many artists admit to playing less of the intricate parts when performing live. Still, I definitely can not sing and play even simple songs. Sting is definitely on my GOAT list (along with Geddy, Pino and others)
@Dean4471
4 ай бұрын
Yes, he's absolutely awesome. Also, you think that's amazing? Geddy Lee from Rush took bass and vocals to the next level.
For me, it's Walking on The Moon. That bass part really complements Copeland's Hi-Hats and snare.
@svenblau
10 ай бұрын
.. and it's quite easy too learn. Especially when you want to learn play+sing simultaneously
@blackbaron0
10 ай бұрын
Copeland's complex drumming marrying with Summers simplicity on guitar with Sting's bass acting as the bridge between.
@MrClassicmetal
10 ай бұрын
Man, the way Copeland plays those hi-hats in that song...😳
@barrydouglas6276
10 ай бұрын
A really excellent choice in my view.
@MarkUnderwood-knowlengr
10 ай бұрын
Bass solo, really
"Spirits In the Material World" is what made me hear the bass as a kid. I even tried the figure out the notes with no instrument in hand
@GVike
10 ай бұрын
The song is so hard to play while singing, even Sting (from some videos I've seen) didn't play it the same live.
@luckydog0696
10 ай бұрын
Spirits is a huge omission. It is one of the most unique and awesome bass grooves ever.
@kitrichardson2165
10 ай бұрын
That’s my favorite police baseline also. I used to practice that nonstop because it really gave you a good run for the money. It was like playing lead base or contrapuntal melody.
@sigoy
10 ай бұрын
Yes I’m very good at air guitar too
@bluezzbastardzz
10 ай бұрын
kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZZaVmJmpddi7gtY.html
Spirits in the Material World is my favorite. Absolutely amazing.
Sting may not be flashy but he always serves the song right. He grooves and that’s all that matters.
The bass part on "Spirits in the Material World" is incredible.
@HelmsRupture
10 ай бұрын
My favorite police song too👍
@ThePsho
10 ай бұрын
I think Stewart Copeland said that song had the most difficult drum beat he ever played or something (paraphrasing)
@calmandharmony
9 ай бұрын
Stuart said "spirits in the material world" was the hardest song to play drums on.
How can he play those lines and still sings? That's crazy!
@ThomannsGuitarsBasses
10 ай бұрын
That is crazy! // Cheers, Julia
@GVike
10 ай бұрын
In some cases he did simplify the bassline. I saw a video where he played a simplified version of "Spirits..."
@HellbellyUK
10 ай бұрын
Demolition Man is particularly difficult to play and sing at the same time.
@klaussturh3445
10 ай бұрын
lot of unknown musicians out there with crazy stuff like the "Thompson Brothers" (Monday Music 11.02.2013 "Thompson Brothers") though the bass part isn't that hard, but......
Julia is just too darned cool. It's really great to see the love of great music live on in the younger generations.
@samlelowitch
10 ай бұрын
I agree. She is a great bass player and a fun personality.
@maroll1564
10 ай бұрын
@@samlelowitch 👋👋🙋♀🙋♀
@100hooker
10 ай бұрын
Check out. The Rain Song cover by Chiara Kilchling. Carrying the torch
@Snarkapotamus
4 ай бұрын
@@100hooker - She does a killer job on that song! Which, ain't easy...
That triple tracked Masoko Tanga is fantastic!
@Schumanized
2 ай бұрын
One of those songs that people go: "That's The Police" 😂😂😂
@mauricio460
2 ай бұрын
Very overlooked tune.
Each time I see a video on Police's music, I cannot stop thinking how much of an underrated band they were, despite all the fame and glory they had, back in the day. They should have had much more recognition, even nowadays.
"So Lonely" is great. So driving and energetic. And Sting make a little fluff at about 1 minute in...he come in a beat late!
Sting is so underrated as a bass player. He’s such a gifted singer/songwriter/player. Like Macca
@sidalientv
4 ай бұрын
"Underrated"? In which planet do you live, bro?
Best Rock-Trio ever!!! Super Sting at Bass.
my favourite bass line is Spirits in The Material World. So simple and, at same time, elegant
Sting's bass lines are so cool.
Man in a Suitcase! Since you mostly focused on lesser-known songs, that has one of their most fun Reggae-inspired bass lines to play. But so many of their songs are iconic with cool bass lines worth learning, and that goes for Sting's solo work, too.
Everything Sting creates is infused with intelligence. What an impressive mind. Where creating interesting bass lines would be enough for most, he includes masterful song writing, and then, unique vocals.
@michaelbuchholz2164
10 ай бұрын
True
@Whiskel
10 ай бұрын
@@michaelbuchholz2164Why aye
@Owyourhurtingme
9 ай бұрын
Synchronicity is a masterpiece. Considered one of the greatest albums of all time.
@whisper2441
Ай бұрын
Yep. I was hooked from 1980 and saw them in Sydney March 1984 just before they broke up. They are just as cool and relevant as they were 40 years ago lol. Sting is a true genius, Einstein of music : )
I absolutely loved the Police when they were there. Sting is a very accomplished musician. My favorite bass line is the track of Walking on the Moon . True greatness.
@martinheath5947
10 ай бұрын
What I love about it is if you play this bass line on its own you truly appreciate the power of simplicity
@pneulancer
10 ай бұрын
So true. We’re going to have to convince her to do a sequel for this and cover more of The Police songs! 😊
@shanecabbage2187
5 ай бұрын
@@pneulanceragree 💯
I love the baseline from Walking on the Moon.
Every Breath You Take should be on the list.
Driven to tears, Walking, Bed's too Big, Message, Spirits, Roxanne....there's loads
Always playing the exact same patterns is for me the most difficult part :)
Can't stand losing you is really cool, mixing reggae and punk. And then also Walking on the moon, so iconic
Sting had some fabulous bass parts. Spirits in the Material World Man in a Suitcase Beds Too Big Without You Walking on the Moon
I love peanuts, love playing it on the bass, have done for over 40 years. Playing it and singing it at the same time takes a lot of concentration to make it feel right. Lot's of repetitive practice. Sting is a freak.
Julia, your precision is deadly. Excellent skills.
"King of pain" may not be my fav. Sting bassline, but the song is so beautiful. The classic lines like "Message..." and "Can't stand..." are so fun to play. Simple, effective, yet very special.
@MakeAllThingsBeautiful
10 ай бұрын
I'm going purely on my youth club disco days and how exciting The Police were, I'm a softie at heart so Reggae, Punk, New Romantic wrapped in to some variant of New Wave or something, anyway it was mass appeal music but comfortably cool to embrace whatever music you were into especially when i was 14 it felt new and the future. Walking on the Moon, Message in a Bottle, Roxanne and many others including your favs above, but maybe Roxanne as i somehow had a motorbike and used to sing rather loudly (the motorbike was very loud and fortunately drowned me out) 'back on the road again' in error for 'put on the red light' (this was before karaoke or even seeing the lyrics anywhere and was too skint to buy the albums).
I love Masoko Tanga and have never heard anyone play it like this. Brilliant
@GVike
10 ай бұрын
Can't really tell from the record what Sting played and what Andy played. She showed that multi-track bass was possible... and I've read Sting would record a fretted bass track AND a double bass/fretless track for some recordings.
@WCruttenden
10 ай бұрын
@@GVike That sounds likely. The instrumentation on this song always puzzled me.
Ah, Masoko Tanga. Such an underrated piece.
Maybe Sting will comment?.....great job!
6:29 - THIS is my favorite section of ALL her videos combined. And that’s sayin somethin. 😮💨👏👏🤌👌
I had to stop what I was doing to watch this. The Police is my all time favorite band. Julia Rocks. Julia rocked it.
One of my favorite bass tones is the sound on “Synchronicity 2. That line rocks hard. And the vibrato he does on certain notes sounds so cool
@juhos30000
10 ай бұрын
That line works so well with Andy's guitar work
Canary In A Coal Mine is a hand killer! I love it!
I bought The Police box set in 1993. Single best music investment I have ever made. I highly recommend it.
Its a good day when Julia drops a video. "Ill be watching you" would be awesome on the upright.
Julia's jolly angle of the flatpick-picking hand always reminds me of Marty Friedman!
When the World is Running Down is my favourite. Thanks for sharing your knowledge Julia, you play so cool !
I love the So Lonely bass line and I can't stand loosing you!
The "One Drop" on "The Bed's Too Big" is so much fun.
“Peanuts” is one of the best Police deep cuts. Great song!
My favorite ThePolice Bass Lines: Spirits in the Material World, Every Breath You Take, Message in a Bottle, Cannary in the Coalmine, Tears in Sahara etc...Sting ❤
My favorite line to play is So Lonely. Yes it is simple and easy but i totaly love this raw punk powerchorus line switchin with the slow parts...i can realy dig in my whole energy...and i like the song for shure But there are no bad police songs. Police are one of my all time favorites..love to play the bass and guitar parts. 😁👍
I started playing bass in 1982 and all the songs from Regatta de Blanc were my best teachers for timing, groove and ear training for interaction with other instruments. My favourite songs to play are Bring on the Night and Snchronicity II
@EannaButler
10 ай бұрын
Very similar story here, spot on 👍
@ERICF66
10 ай бұрын
Regatta de Blanc is my fave Police record!! Killer bass all over that one! 🔥🔥👊🏽🎶🎶😁🔊🔊🔊
"I Can't Stand Losing You" is my favorite.
Thousand thank's Julia for that. It’s a bit like with Paul Mc Cartney. Singing on these beautiful bass lines is a very difficult exercise. No matter the technical difficulty, it doesn’t count for anything for these immense talents of singer/composer and bassist. No need for pyrotechnic velocity to be a "monster"!... Hello of France .
@DaBaronSamedi
10 ай бұрын
Yes same with Jack Bruce as well!
after two years of playing the bass, i find myself playing police songs (almost) all the time - they are soooo much fun!!
I never liked Masoko Tanga but now that I realize what was going on with the bass being multi tracked I have a lot more appreciation for it! :)
King of Pain is not played nearly enough. Such a great song!
I’ve got that Squier ‘51 P Bass. Love it. The neck got messed up, so I replaced with a Fender ‘51 P Bass neck, and then dropped in a Fralin hum-cancelling split coil. I will never let go of that bass. It’s absolutely incredible.
@martinheath5947
10 ай бұрын
Perfect 👌
every little thing she does is magic
Imagine singing on top of the constant bass line, Sting is super human
King of pain has been a favourite of mine ever since I heard it when a band member brought it in wanting us to play it. Everything's beautiful about it!
Julia has the best "bass face" on the internet.
Sting is a very clever bass player, nearly all of his bass lines are awesome!! 😁👍
As a drummer there’s no cooler song than the Beds Too Big Without You. I also love the way Sting lays out, even silence can enhance a groove. Great video!
@giannivilla7531
10 ай бұрын
somewhere i've seen something as a documentary and i remember that Copeland plays Bed Too Big Without with one hand on that spicy snare drum. Amazing
Masuko tanga is one of my favorite bass line of all time! Thanks!!! You did a fantastic job👍
Wow, not two, but THREE Julias playing at time! :)) Niiiice.
When I saw Julia and Police basslines…I clicked immediately! Sting is a huge bass inspiration for me and I’ve spent many hours playing so much of their music! You are killing it as usual Julia!!😁🔥👊🏽🎶🎶🎶
My favorite Police bassline is the verse in "Bring On The Night". It's all offbeats and doublestop digs, I love it so much.
Probably my favorite band to play along both on bass and drums... Always so clean and creative.
@mightyV444
10 ай бұрын
I'd started learning to play the drums and bass by playing along to 'Zenyatta Mondatta', at the time it was released 😊
As a drummer, one of my favorite Police bass parts to play was from the song "Contact." It's probably because it was busy enough to be fun, but it was simple enough that I could actually figure it out.
Uow! Sting is the must bass players off rock n roll! His bass sounds melodic, with punch and perfect notes
Walking on the moon is my favorite bass song from the Police. something very relaxing about that song. also, Sting plays a fretless bass. Smooth.
The last number was terrific! Julia's pinky was wild.
I bet you're brilliant live! There's nothing worse that someone just standing there and doing what is required! When a band gets into what they are doing, wow, it makes excitement!!!!!!!
Thank you for that! Sting is a genius and I wonder why we never see him in best bassist or best basslines lists.
I remember the first time I heard the Police. It was sometime in the 80's, a long road trip, in the boot of a station wagon, crowded in with 3 other cousins, no seats, let alone seatbelts, looking out the rear window at the cars driving behind us, and this incredible music was playing on the car stereo. I distinctly remember being overwhelmed by the music. Adults in the car were singing, and I wanted to sing too and learn these songs. A wonderful memory.
Great choices, and not just a Greatest Hits run through. In the same vein I'd like to nominate Canary In A Coalmine, which is lots of fun to play. Assuming you enjoy it, of course, but if you don't there's no helping you.
@Mandrake1976
10 ай бұрын
Love Canary in a Coalmine! Hardly anyone knows it but it's so catchy!
Gotta love funky Friday. Excellent as usual.
It makes me smile to see younger people appreciate the same music I appreciated when I myself was a younger person ☺
Hi Julia, great video!! Murder By Numbers has always been one of my favorite Police songs.....it has a nice bass line
@rajuraheem1672
10 ай бұрын
@JimHoover Stew Copeland is the reason why I love MBM! He waisted no time staying in pocket.
Every new video is a great moment. Masoko Tanga a great ending with 3 Julias!!!
canary in a coalmine, invisible sun, shadows in the rain, voices inside my head, every little thing she does is magic
@whisper2441
Ай бұрын
There are simply no bad songs in the Police catalogue - spooky.
Julia, when speaking of underrated bass players
Nice choice with Masoko Tanga. My favorite Sting bass song is "Man In A Suitcase."
My favourite baseline from the Police is probably Walking on the Moon. Compliments the drums and guitar just perfectly. Simple yes, at least in the chorus. Simple though often needs a lot of work because it has to fit into the greater whole. Here it certainly does.
@jumpinjojo
10 ай бұрын
*Bass line *Complements
Synchronicity Pt.2 is a classic, while Synchronicity Pt.1 is just nuts to play at that tempo (around 200 BPM), even with plectrum.
Spirits in a Material World. Great reggae riff
So many great Sting bass lines. Synchronicity II, Walking On the Moon, Don't Stand So Close, When the World Is Running Down etc etc
WALKING ON THE MOON is my favorite bass line. AWESOME playing by the way !!
Sting has some awesome bass lines, many of them pretty easy to play. My favorite is probably Every Little Thing She Does is Magic just because that's one of my favorite songs. One of Julia picks, The Bed's Too Big Without You is also one of my faves. I also play it finger style, but for the bridge part, I mute the strings and play with thumb and fingers. I assume Sting played the recording with a pick which makes that sort of muting easier, but I prefer to play bass fingerstyle whenever possible.
Hard to choose, I think I like them all. The bass and drums fit so perfect together almost in every song
I always enjoyed the Police because they were a welcome change to pop music, with the tasteful guitar to the in the grove bass. I always like Walking on the Moon for bass. After my 9 year hiatus from bass playing, I turned to listening to the Police for getting ideas for bass lines. When my P bass died, I ended up buying a Music Man Stingray. Sting is still one of my favorites and I enjoy the friendly rivalry between he and Stewart Copeland.
@achenarmyst2156
10 ай бұрын
Well the rivalry was not all too friendly...
"Spirits in the material world" from GITM has an awesome bass line, especially in the verse.
His lines are perfect bass parts in song contexts, I always wondered does that happen because he's doing the vocal too, so everything is only essential while as expressive as it can realistically be. Perfect note choice and placement.
King of pain gives me the goose bumps, love it
Thanks Julia. When I broke up with my first girlfriend back in the 70's "I can't stand losing you" played in the background so for old times' sake I choose that as my favourite. Come on, it's been over forty years, I'm over it now...
Bring on the Night, Every Little Thing She Does is Magic
Great vid Julia! I love "Every little thing... " The upright sound is great and the reggae feel also but what I love the most is the lydian melody in the beginning. It creates a super mystic vibe, just 4 long notes...
The Queen of the Bass Face 😊
Sting has written so many great bass lines, such a great composer
"When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What's Still Around"
The best one in my opinion was "Canary In A Coalmine", very fun and fast tune.
Walking on the moon is so elegant and minimalist. It lets the song breath. Great part of its charm.
Cannot praise you high enough for going as obscure as Masoko Tanga. I love the Police's (more or less) instrumentals and their first 3 albums all have gems, Other Way of Stopping, Regatta De Blanc. Love me some Police and preferably off the first 3 albums. Great work, please keep them coming
I never realized King Of Pain had those chords! nice!
Thanks Julia, have loved everything The Police has done. 'Man in a Suitcase' is a great bass line & not easy to sing to whilst playing. Thanks again !
Cant stand lousing you, 1979 live in Hatfield Politecnik, epic final bass loop
Masoko Tanga and Darkness are some of my favorites.