Rio Bass Cover HD

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TJH3113

The song is “Rio” which is the title track off of the second studio album by Duran Duran. It came out in 1982 and featured The Great (and often underrated) John Taylor on bass. I did a couple of other Duran Duran covers using this bass that I haven’t done before and will get them up at some point.

"Learn with YouTube: TJH3113's Sweet Fill" -
A while back someone left a comment with this link in it on one of my videos -    • Learn with YouTube: TJH3113's sweet fill  . The video is a deconstruction of a fill I threw in before the last chorus of the song in my original cover back in 2012. It’s got picture in picture going on and everything! Some of his reactions and comments were priceless and flattering, as were some of the comments that were left on the video itself. I was extremely humbled by both. As I sometimes say, “It’s always nice to hear people talking nicely about you behind your back.” About the fill itself, this was back in the good old days when my text intro to a video was just a sentence or two. Now, if I knowingly make any sort of alteration in the way I am playing the song vs the way it was recorded, I will always make some sort of disclaimer about it. The story behind the fill is that I used to play the song in a 4 piece band (bass/drums/guitar/vocals) many years ago and I made up this riff to play (with some phase shifter on it) as a way to emulate the sequenced keyboard sounds that were going on in that open space. I just tried to fill up the space with as many notes as I possibly could and this was what I came up with - effected, staccato, sixteenth notes accomplished via triplets and hammer-ons. The fellow in the video came very close to the way I play it. Rhythmically it is perfect, but he played the filler/ghost-notes a bit differently. I’m using triplets which originate from the open string above the hammer-on… if that makes any sense. I play my own slowed down version of the riff at the end of my video.

Reactions to my original Rio cover -
In my original video (   • Rio Bass Cover  ), I got a number of comments about how much I moved my head back and forth (I pinned one of them if you’re interested in seeing what I’m talking about). I’m afraid they are not going to be any happier with this version😂. I’ll be the first to admit that in my videos I appear to be a bit… unanimated. That's just me. I spend a lot of my time looking from one hand to another, mostly in an effort to avoid looking directly into the camera. While I’ve gotten a bit more comfortable in front of the camera, I still find it a bit awkward. I have no problem with making solid eye contact with people when speaking to them, but don’t think it’s necessarily a good look for cover videos. Beyond that, pulling a “porno-face” when playing may look cool in pics or on video, but I believe it’s more theatrical expression than a practical one, which is fine… it's just not my thing. I mean, I have yet to play something so difficult that it actually causes me to grimace as if I am in pain. Alright, I might squint my eyes violently once and a while. That being said, and after looking at the video, I believe the reason behind my hyperactive head movements is because of the concentration level it takes for me to play this song. I find it to be a fairly fatiguing song to play, mostly because of all the ghost-notes. It’s definitely not a song I would (or could) play more than twice in a row. The ghost notes are as important as the fretted notes and it would be pretty noticeable if any of them were played out of time and, for me, that takes up a fair amount of concentration. When I’m playing any song, but especially a challenging song (yes, if find this song challenging) - "where" my mind is focused is one of the most important things. While it’s difficult to achieve, the best spot for my focus to be is right on the note that I am playing. If I am thinking about something I already played, I will be more likely to make a mistake. If I am thinking of something further ahead in the song that I have yet to play, I am more likely to make a mistake. So, I need to think, but not too much, and I need to think about the right things. This is why, before I sit down to record any video, I try and rehearse the songs to the point where my hands just know where to go and I no longer have to really “think” at all. As close as I can to get to achieving that mental state, some portion of it goes away once I hit the record button and the red-light comes on. I guess what I’m trying to say is that moving my head is a way of resetting my focus and keeping my mind on what is happening at that precise moment, but not so focused on the moment that I forget where I am. It's tricky. Anyway, I think that is what’s happening.

I'm playing an 1983 Aria Pro II SB-Elite 1 through a SansAmp Bass Driver Version 2.