How to not COMPLETELY SUCK at Bass Guitar

“Meatheads.” “The shitty guitar player.” “Guitar, but lower.” “Lack of motivation in tandem with deficient intelligence.” “Jackasses.”

Those aren’t my words about metal bassists, but Glenn Fricker’s, aka “The Lewis Black of Metal Recording,” who has made quite a name for himself with his informative, funny, and yes, angry, videos about metal recording technique (see also: “AxeFX II vs. the Real Deal,” “How to Hold a Microphone,” and “Auto-Tune Sucks!”

But there’s no denying that bass players get the short shrift in metal bands. Fricker spends approximately the first half of this video railing against bad bassists, but then devotes the rest of it to giving some constructive tips including effective string muting technique, keeping strings fresh, and that age-old bastion of good playing for all kinds of instruments: practice.

Check out his video below and let us know whether you think Fricker is totally on point or way off the mark.