How do I learn a bass line from a YouTube video?

By the RepeatWatch team · Updated

Quick answer

Learn a bass line two bars at a time. Loop the bars, slow them to around 0.7× so each low note lasts longer, and find the root note of each chord first. Then fill in the passing notes and rhythm, lining up with the kick drum. Let the speed trainer raise the loop to full tempo.

Try this now: loop two bars of a song and hum only the lowest note you hear on each beat. If you can hum it, you can find it on the neck.

How to learn a bass line with two-bar loops

  1. Use headphones. The bass is much easier to hear on headphones than on laptop speakers. Open the video in RepeatWatch and pick a section where the bass is clear, such as a verse.
  2. Loop two bars. Set A on beat one and B on beat one two bars later. Bass lines often repeat every two or four bars.
  3. Find the roots first. At 0.7×, play only the first note under each chord change. These root notes are the skeleton of the line.
  4. Add rhythm and passing notes. Fill in the notes between the roots. Watch where the line hits together with the kick drum and where it pushes ahead or lays back.
  5. Climb to tempo. Speed trainer: Step +0.05×, Every 3 loops, Goal 1×. Keep each note as short or long as the recording does; note length is part of the line.
  6. Chain the song. Save the verse, chorus and bridge lines as sections, then add them to the queue with a repeat count each to rehearse the whole song in order.

Try it on an example: open an 88 BPM no-bass groove in C major from Music Jam Tracks with a 11-second loop already set at 0.85×.

Try it on an example

5 common mistakes

  • Practicing on laptop or phone speakers, which barely reproduce the lowest notes of a bass.
  • Hunting for every note at once instead of finding the roots first.
  • Getting the notes right but the lengths wrong; a note that rings too long blurs the groove.
  • Ignoring the drums, especially the kick, which the bass usually locks to.
  • Only ever playing along with the original bass, never alone or over a no-bass track.

Frequently asked questions

Why is it hard to hear the bass in a YouTube video?

Small speakers struggle with the lowest frequencies, and the bass shares space with the kick drum. Headphones and a slower loop give each note more time to be heard.

Should I learn bass lines by ear or from tabs?

Both work, but learning by ear builds a skill tabs don't. Use a loop to check any tab against the recording, because tabs can get notes or rhythms wrong.

Where can I practice a bass line once I know it?

Play it over a no-bass backing track in the same key and a similar tempo. The RepeatWatch bass backing tracks playlist has grooves in several keys and styles.

Sources