Kawai James Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 Hello folks, This is not strictly keys-related, but I wanted to quickly shout-out one of my favourite music YouTubers. Interestingly, this guy is a bassist, so most of his videos are discussions from a bass playing perspective, however there is still a lot of good content for keyboard players, or folks who just enjoy someone speaking eloquently and enthusiastically about music. Link: https://www.youtube.com/@pdbass His videos are relatively short, but pack in a lot of detail (some cool trivia), some nice playing, and are produced in a simple yet elegant manner that I appreciate. Here is a recent example: An older example, breaking down a Donny Hathaway classic: Cheers, James x 5 Quote Employed by Kawai Japan, however the opinions I express are my own. Nord Electro 3 & occasional rare groove player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHarrell Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 Yes! He's a real cool dude who shines a light on a wide variety of great bass playing in a very sincere way. Love his video on Ed Motta's "Marta". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kawai James Posted January 22 Author Share Posted January 22 22 minutes ago, CHarrell said: Yes! He's a real cool dude who shines a light on a wide variety of great bass playing in a very sincere way. Love his video on Ed Motta's "Marta". Sounds awesome, definitely gonna have to check this guy out! Cheers, James x 1 Quote Employed by Kawai Japan, however the opinions I express are my own. Nord Electro 3 & occasional rare groove player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davinwv Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 I've been on a few gigs with Paul, and several of my musician friends gig with him more regularly. He is one of the best bassists in the Pittsburgh scene and a really nice guy! I like his channel a lot and am very happy for his YouTube success. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kawai James Posted January 22 Author Share Posted January 22 1 hour ago, davinwv said: I've been on a few gigs with Paul, and several of my musician friends gig with him more regularly. He is one of the best bassists in the Pittsburgh scene and a really nice guy! I like his channel a lot and am very happy for his YouTube success. Wow, that's awesome! The next time you see him, please do pass on my warm regards! Cheers, James x Quote Employed by Kawai Japan, however the opinions I express are my own. Nord Electro 3 & occasional rare groove player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tucktronix Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 I do watch his channel a lot.. very insightful and great content 1 Quote Kronos 88 Platinum, Yamaha YC88, Subsequent 37, Korg CX3, Hydrasynth 49-key, Nord Electro 5D 73, QSC K8.2, Lester K Me & The Boyz Chris Beard Band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AROIOS Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 21 hours ago, Kawai James said: An older example, breaking down a Donny Hathaway classic: Thanks for sharing it. A small nit: at 1:30, he starts spreading the bad ole urban myth of the "sweet sounding key of F#". While it's perfectly possible that many folks might find that particular maj7 voicing he played more pleasing at F#, it doesn't prove that F# has this magical "color" he described. The pleasing sound is much more likely just a result of proper voicing, in other words, avoiding muddying up the lows or thinning out the highs. To those with golden ears (and imagination) like that YTber, see if you can pick the "best sounding" version of the maj7 chord played in the attachment. Test - F# Myth.mp3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reezekeys Posted January 22 Share Posted January 22 17 minutes ago, AROIOS said: A small nit: at 1:30, he starts spreading the bad ole urban myth of the "sweet sounding key of F#". While it's perfectly possible that many folks might find that particular maj7 voicing he played more pleasing at F#, it doesn't prove that F# has this magical "color" he described. Who can prove something like this, or even claim to be able to? He says "keys are like colors and each has a different feeling and sound." I would consider this his opinion even though he didn't preface his statement with "in my opinion." To me it's kinda implied when you make a statement like that. I mean, to call any key "sweet sounding" has to be opinion! I don't have one myself - rather, I think that with a vocal tune the choice of key will (or should) be conditioned on the vocalist's range, and where that fits with the melody and ad libs the vocalist wants to perform in the song. I've watched many of Paul's videos and find them all very enlightening. He is extremely knowledgeable about not only jazz but r&b, funk, disco, pop, etc. He'll tell you who played on the sessions, why they're held in high regard, what other sessions, albums & CDs they're known for, etc. He definitely got my vote when he did a video on an AWB song I currently play bass on with AWB! (Paul, where do I send the check?) 🙂 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AROIOS Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 On 1/22/2024 at 3:31 PM, Reezekeys said: ...to call any key "sweet sounding" has to be opinion! Yup, at best an opinion, just like the also frequently touted myth of 432Hz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorSilver Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 Subscribed! This channel is up my alley. Thanks for sharing! Coincidentally I found a Squier Jazz Bass at the neighborhood Guitar Center and was enjoying it enough that I was tempted to buy it on the spot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorSilver Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 I realized this was the same channel that put up this great vid on the "Too Shy" bass line about a year ago - should have subscribed back then! Fun one on Rush and Looney Tunes 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrossRhodes Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 I play bass as well and first found Paul’s channel when searching for Meshell Ndegeocello transcriptions. Leaned this killer groove and have been coming back to his channel ever since. I find his videos to be the perfect mix of music history and theory and he really packs a lot of info into each one without demanding a huge time investment from the viewer. 1 1 Quote Jazz is the teacher, Funk is the preacher! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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