Translation & Subtitles: thoseguiltyeyes | scandal-heaven.com
Hello, I'm SCANDAL's vocalist HARUNA.
I'm bassist TOMOMI.
"Start Your Journey!" is about conveying the appeal of guitars to those considering taking it up.
MAMI and I talked about guitars,
and this time TOMOMI is here.
-Thanks for having us! -Nice to meet you!
So, in this video we'll be talking about the electric bass.
Let's begin with what the bass is in the first place.
How would you answer if you were asked what the bass is?
The bass looks pretty similar to a guitar,
but if you look closely, you'll see that the number of strings are different.
The guitar has six strings while the bass only has four.
Also, its thickness is different.
The guitar is on the thin side.
The bass is thicker, so it produces a low sound.
Also, it plays a different role in bands.
The guitar essentially plays the melody,
and the bass plays chords
while playing the rhythm together with the drums as part of the rhythm section.
Those are the differences between the guitar and bass.
It says, "Which would you recommend for beginners, the guitar or the bass?"
Eh, which one?
But there are those who have done both.
In the very beginning when I was told by our dance school staff to try playing an instrument,
the guitar was the instrument I thought of,
so I first started playing the guitar.
Memorizing chords is the first huge step, right?
Compared to the guitar, you play more single notes on the bass rather than chords.
That's why the bass is better for those who might give up on the first day.
The first day, that is.
Meaning that they're able to produce sounds.
After a week,
you're like, "What should I do when practicing bass?"
You're primarily playing single notes when you practice solo,
and at first when you're playing, it's going to be like, "Du du du du du du,"
which is going to seem so boring.
When you're practicing alone, that is.
But on guitar, you're able to play a song after only memorizing three chords or so.
You can sing and play from the start.
That is a lot of fun.
That's why it's hard to recommend one over the other,
but there is a difference between the first day and the first week.
That's true.
What do you think is cool about each instrument?
Everything is cool about the guitar.
To put it simply, guitar solos.
It's like they're the star in the band.
That's something you admire.
It really stands out during concerts,
and it definitely feels great to play a solo while on top of a platform.
It does. You think it's really cool.
But respectively, the bass provides powerful support.
At first glance it seems a little inconspicuous,
but it's the bassist who supports the band's foundation.
That's what I think is cool.
That's true.
I never heard the sound of the bass before I was in the band.
-You never consciously heard it, you mean? -Right.
I would focus on the vocals.
But after I took up the bass, I started hearing the sound of bass,
and when I realized how it sounds when there is and isn't a bass,
I was like, "Ah, the bass is wonderful."
I think the job of the bass is to carry the song's groove.
I think that's really cool.
Like the guitar,
there's also an acoustic version of the bass that produces sound without needing an amp,
and an electric version that can plug into an amp to make loud sounds.
Those are the two types.
-The one you brought today is an electric bass. -Right.
It's my signature model.
It's a Precision Bass.
It's a bit complicated to explain,
but although it's a Precision Bass,
I customized the neck to have one meant for a Jazz Bass.
The one for the Jazz Bass is 4mm thinner than the Precision Bass one.
My hands aren't very big so it's easier for me to grip.
Also, the edges were cut to make it easier to hold.
That's what I most particular about.
I see.
So this customization might be highly recommended for people who are watching this video.
I totally recommend it.
Isn't it adorable?
It is.
My Precision Bass has two knobs here.
It's very simple and only has the volume and tone knobs.
You can make it louder, make it softer, and change the tone.
It's a very simple build with only those two knobs.
Something special about my signature model is the neck and how it's a little thicker here.
-That's why it makes a powerful sound. -I see.
It produces a solid, low-pitched sound.
That's why it's easy to convey the playing habits of the person playing it.
If someone talented plays it, they'll be like, "Wow, what is this sound!?"
That's also one of its merits.
[The Precision Bass] came out [before the Jazz Bass].
That's right; it came out in 1951.
Fender made the world's first electric bass, which is this model here.
1951 is the same year the Telecaster [guitar] came out.
It's a legendary year!
How exactly is it different from the Jazz Bass?
The Precision Bass looks a little like a Telecaster.
Ah, I see. Maybe so.
The Jazz Bass is asymmetrical in shape,
and is also said to be easy to play.
The Jazz Bass is easy to play.
As explained earlier, the neck is 4mm thinner,
which makes it easy for women with small hands to play.
Also, the pickups, which act as a microphone, are long and slender.
The pickups on the Jazz Bass are long and slender and are positioned differently than on my bass here.
That's why it's easy to make delicate sounds.
The widths here are a little different,
and there are more knobs too.
That's why you can make slightly more refined sounds with the bass itself.
Although it's a "Jazz Bass," it's not used for jazz lines.
That's right. It's an all-rounder.
It's a bass that can be used in many different settings.
Shall we get to playing it now?
-You can also play the bass with a pick... -You can.
-And you can also play with your fingers. -You can do that too.
I often use my fingers.
I use my pointer and middle finger to do so.
I put my thumb on this pickup and...
It's called two-finger playing.
This is the style I usually use.
There are times I use a pick,
and those are when we play punkish songs.
Playing with a pick gives it a more crisper sound and it sounds cool.
I think it's easier to convey nuances with your fingers
because the sound changes a bit depending on how you touch the strings.
Are there other playing styles aside from the two-finger one?
Aside from that, there's one like...
There's also a slap style where you pull on the strings.
There are many ways to play the bass.
-Slapping is cool. -It is.
You can also do a bass solo. which is similar to a guitar solo,
and I think there are a lot of people who slap the bass when they do so.
I see.
Now we'll be playing together.
We'll be playing our song "Mabataki."
First, you'll play a little bit of the phrase you play on bass.
And on top of that phrase I play this--
This is kind of awkward!
On top of that, I'll be using my Tele to play in the "palm mute" style.
That's the tone I'll be matching her playing with.
-I'm nervous. -You are?
-It feels awkward. -It does.
Okay, let's go.
And there you have it.
TOMO, what did you consider when buying your first bass?
I didn't know anything about musical instruments at first,
so I went to an instrument shop and asked the staff,
"I'm starting bass as of today. What should I get?"
They recommended a beginner's set that included everything.
It came with things like a bass and a tuner.
The set cost around 10,000 yen (~$100 USD).
But the bass was really small and the neck was thin.
I think it was easy to play when we first started out.
Did you consider the color?
I wasn't that concerned about it then.
The one I got had a sunburst finish on it.
I chose one that looked cool.
Earlier, you talked about the difference between day one of playing the bass and one week later.
You realize more and more how difficult it is.
Ways to keep going,
or tips to improve...
How do you put those into use?
I wonder.
Compared to when I first started out, I think there are now many things that can help one improve.
Like, there are lots of videos of people playing on YouTube.
Conversely, you could try matching with those videos.
There are so many things that you can do,
so I wonder if being interested in something is the biggest way you can improve.
You can like the way people play,
or maybe you want to try playing a phrase in a song.
Find various things you like and incorporate them,
or challenge yourself to doing them.
I think that's important.
It's easier to do these things now than it used to be.
-I think this is a great era we're in. I agree.
-Right now, I think there are better environments in which to practice alone. -I think so.
In the beginning for us, we divided each part.
Like, the guitar plays this phrase,
the drums are like this, etc.
We did it together, so it was a lot of fun.
-MAMI had said that it probably would have been hard if we each had to go at it alone. -I think so too.
It's really boring playing bass by yourself.
Depending on how you think of it,
and depending on the song you're playing.
you might be playing the same sounds over and over again.
Since it's a rhythm instrument,
you're just matching it with a metronome and practicing the same notes.
It doesn't stack up like that.
-It's all about patience. -That's true.
-That's why a strength is having other band members. -It definitely seems like it.
Doing it yourself is one thing,
but it's so cool when you do it with a band.
-Being in a band is fun! -It is!
There are many different ways to enjoy playing instruments.
You can do things like play with a friend,
or practice hard while watching videos online.
We recommend both of them.
I'm sure there are still a lot of things we want to talk about,
so is it okay to invite you back next time?
Thank you very much.
Actually, in the next video,
MAMI will also be appearing as well as our drummer RINA,
which means that all of the members of SCANDAL will be appearing.
So far we've talked about guitars and basses in detail.
In the next video we'll be telling you what kind of ensemble a band becomes after getting together.
This has been "Start Your Journey!" with SCANDAL's vocalist HARUNA and bassist TOMOMI.
Bye bye!