The Bass Player from AC/DC was a Genius

Summary

In this insightful video, Daniel explores the often-overlooked contributions of AC/DC's bass player, Cliff Williams, particularly during the 'Highway to Hell' and 'Back in Black' era. He highlights how Williams' innovative approach to playing bass, such as incorporating major thirds and staying on certain notes while the guitar changes chords, adds depth and a unique grit to AC/DC's sound. Through comparative demonstrations, Daniel illustrates the subtle yet significant impact of Williams' techniques, shedding light on the bassist's crucial role in shaping the band's iconic rock music.

Takeaways

• 🎶 The bass player in AC/DC, particularly Cliff Williams, plays a significant role in shaping the band's unique sound.
• 🤔 In rock music, bass players often play the root note of the chord, but Cliff Williams adds depth by occasionally playing the major third.
• 🎵 AC/DC's guitar players Angus and Malcolm Young typically avoid playing the major third to maintain a powerful sound, leaving room for the bass to add that element.
• 👍 Cliff Williams' innovative bass lines in songs like 'Back in Black' and 'Highway to Hell' contribute to the band's distinctive gritty tone.
• 🎸 In 'Back in Black', Williams plays a C-sharp instead of an A on the last chord, which is the major third of an A major chord, adding a unique character to the song.
• 🎧 The bass line in 'Back in Black' sometimes deliberately plays a different note than the guitar to create an interesting harmonic effect.
• 🎵 In 'Shoot to Thrill', Williams plays the major third of a G chord (B) instead of the root note (G), which uplifts the listener when it resolves.
• 🚫 AC/DC's bass lines often avoid following the guitar to the root of the chord when it changes, staying on a note to create a different effect.
• 🎶 In 'Highway to Hell', Williams stays on the A note even when the guitar changes to a D chord, which adds a cool effect to the music.
• 🎵 Cliff Williams' choice to play the same note or an octave higher can significantly impact the feel of the music, as demonstrated in 'Shake Me All Night Long'.

Q & A

What is the main argument of Daniel's video about AC/DC's bass player?

Daniel argues that the bass player of AC/DC, particularly Cliff Williams during the 'Highway to Hell' and 'Back in Black' era, deserves more credit for his contributions to the band's music, which often involved playing around the chords and adding unique effects.

Why does Daniel believe bass players in rock music are often overlooked?

Daniel believes bass players are overlooked because their role in a band is typically to play the root notes of chords, which can be seen as a simple and less noticeable part of the music compared to lead guitar or vocals.

How does Cliff Williams' bass playing in AC/DC differ from the typical rock bass player?

Cliff Williams often played the major third of chords and sometimes stayed on a note while the guitar changed, creating a unique and gritty effect that added character to AC/DC's music.

What is the significance of the bass line in the song 'Back in Black'?

In 'Back in Black', Cliff Williams plays the major third (C-sharp) of an A chord instead of the root note (A), which adds a distinctive and powerful character to the music.

How does the bass playing in AC/DC's 'Shoot to Thrill' affect the listener's experience?

In 'Shoot to Thrill', Cliff Williams plays the major third of a G chord (B) instead of the root note (G), which uplifts the listener and adds an exciting element to the song.

What is the role of the bass in the song 'Highway to Hell' according to Daniel's analysis?

In 'Highway to Hell', Cliff Williams plays a continuous A note while the guitar switches to a D chord, creating a subtle but impactful effect on the song's sound.

Why does Daniel emphasize the importance of the bass part in 'Shook Me All Night Long'?

Daniel highlights that Cliff Williams plays the G note an octave higher when the song transitions to the chorus, which makes a significant difference in the song's energy and feel.

What is the common misconception about bass playing in rock music that Daniel addresses?

The common misconception is that bass players simply follow the root notes of the chords, but Daniel shows that in AC/DC, Cliff Williams often plays around this to create a more dynamic and interesting bass line.

How does Daniel demonstrate the impact of Cliff Williams' bass playing on AC/DC's music?

Daniel demonstrates the impact by playing the bass lines both the 'incorrect' way (following the root notes strictly) and the 'correct' way as played by Cliff Williams, showing the difference in sound and effect.

What is the key takeaway from Daniel's video for aspiring bass players?

The key takeaway is that bass players can significantly influence a song's character by playing around the chords and not just sticking to the root notes, as demonstrated by Cliff Williams in AC/DC.

Outlines

00:00

🎸 The Role of Bass in AC/DC's Sound

Daniel discusses the often-underappreciated role of the bass player in rock bands, specifically focusing on Cliff Williams of AC/DC. He explains that while bassists typically play the root notes of chords, great ones, like Williams, add complexity by playing around the chords. AC/DC is noted for not playing major third notes in their chords, which gives their music a powerful, less happy sound. Williams, however, would sometimes play these major thirds, adding a unique grit to the band's music. Daniel provides examples from songs like 'Back in Black' and 'Highway to Hell' to illustrate how Williams's bass lines contribute to the band's distinctive sound.

05:08

🎵 The Impact of Bass Notes on AC/DC's Music

This paragraph delves deeper into the specific bass lines played by Cliff Williams in AC/DC songs. Daniel analyzes how Williams's choice of notes, such as playing the major third of a chord or staying on a particular note while the guitar changes, creates a contrasting and compelling effect. He uses 'Shoot to Thrill' as an example to show how Williams's bass line uplifts the song. The discussion continues with 'Highway to Hell,' where Williams's decision to stay on a note while the guitar plays a different chord adds a subtle but significant impact to the music. The paragraph concludes with 'Shake Me All Night Long,' where Williams plays the same note but an octave higher, demonstrating the power of even small changes in bass playing.

10:09

👏 Appreciating Cliff Williams' Bass Work

In the final paragraph, Daniel wraps up by emphasizing the brilliance of Cliff Williams's bass playing and its significant impact on AC/DC's music. He acknowledges that Williams may not be a household name in bass playing, but his contributions are substantial and deserve recognition. The video aims to shed light on the subtle yet crucial role bassists play in shaping a band's sound, using Williams's work as a prime example. Daniel encourages viewers to appreciate the nuances in bass lines and to explore more about the artistry of bass playing, inviting them to subscribe to his YouTube channel for more such content.

Keywords

💡Bass Player

A bass player is a musician who plays the bass guitar, which is a fundamental part of the rhythm section in a band. In the context of the video, the bass player's role is highlighted as crucial, especially in the band AC/DC, where the bass lines add depth and character to the music. The video emphasizes that bass players often play the root notes of chords but can also add complexity and interest by playing around these notes, as demonstrated through various examples from AC/DC's songs.

💡Root Notes

Root notes are the lowest notes of a chord and form the foundation of the harmonic structure in music. The video discusses how bass players typically play root notes in rock music, aligning with the chords played by the guitarist. However, it also points out that in AC/DC, the bass player sometimes deviates from this norm to create a unique sound, which is a key aspect of the band's distinctive style.

💡Major Third

The major third is a musical interval that is three notes up from the root note in a major scale. In the video, the speaker notes that AC/DC's guitarists often avoid playing the major third to prevent the music from sounding too 'happy' or major. Instead, the bass player, Cliff Williams, is sometimes responsible for introducing the major third at key moments, adding a gritty and powerful effect to the music, as illustrated in songs like 'Back in Black'.

💡Power Chords

Power chords are a type of chord used in rock music that consists of the root note and the fifth, often omitting the third to create a more aggressive sound. The video explains that AC/DC's guitarists frequently use power chords, and the bass player complements this by sometimes playing the root note or introducing variations that enhance the overall impact of the music.

💡Cliff Williams

Cliff Williams is the bassist for AC/DC during the late 70s and early 80s, and he is a central figure in the video's discussion. His playing style, particularly his choice of notes and the way he complements the guitar parts, is highlighted as a significant contributor to the band's sound. The video provides several examples of how Williams's bass lines add depth and character to AC/DC's music.

💡Music Theory

Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music, and it includes the understanding of elements such as melody, harmony, rhythm, and form. The video uses basic music theory concepts to explain the choices made by Cliff Williams in his bass playing. It shows how his decisions to play certain notes, such as the major third or staying on a particular note while the guitars change chords, create a distinctive and powerful sound in AC/DC's music.

💡AC/DC

AC/DC is an Australian rock band known for their hard-rocking sound and energetic performances. The video focuses on the band's music, particularly how the bass player's contributions are integral to their signature sound. AC/DC's music is used as a case study to demonstrate the importance and impact of bass playing in rock music.

💡Back in Black

'Back in Black' is a song by AC/DC and the title track of their 1980 album. It is used in the video as a prime example of how the bass player, Cliff Williams, adds to the song's iconic sound by playing the major third of the chord at certain points, which contrasts with the band's typical avoidance of major third notes in their guitar chords.

💡Highway to Hell

'Highway to Hell' is another song by AC/DC, and the video analyzes a specific section of the song to illustrate the bass player's role. It shows how Cliff Williams's choice to stay on a particular note while the guitar changes to a different chord creates a unique and effective musical effect.

💡Shoot to Thrill

'Shoot to Thrill' is a song from AC/DC's 1980 album 'Back in Black'. The video uses this song to demonstrate how the bass player can add excitement and interest by playing the major third of a chord, which is a deviation from the typical bass line that would follow the root notes of the chords.

💡Shook Me All Night Long

'Shook Me All Night Long' is a song by AC/DC, and the video discusses the bass line in this song as an example of how subtle changes, such as playing a note an octave higher, can significantly affect the feel and energy of the music. This example from the song is used to highlight the importance of the bass player's creativity and the impact of their choices on the overall sound.

Highlights

Bass players in rock music often play the low root note of a chord, but some also play around the chords to add a nice effect.

AC/DC is known for not playing major third notes in their chords, which gives their music a powerful sound.

Cliff Williams, AC/DC's bass player during the 'Highway to Hell' and 'Back in Black' era, played major thirds at times, adding a unique character to the music.

In 'Back in Black', Cliff Williams played C-sharp instead of A on the last chord, demonstrating his innovative approach to bass playing.

Bass players often follow the root notes of chords, but Cliff Williams would sometimes play off of these, creating a distinct effect.

In 'Shoot to Thrill', Cliff Williams played the major third of a G chord (B) instead of the root G, which uplifts the listener.

AC/DC's guitar players often play power chords without the major third, and Cliff Williams would complement this with his bass lines.

In 'Highway to Hell', Cliff Williams stayed on the A note while the guitar played a D chord, creating a cool effect.

Cliff Williams' decision to play the same note or octave higher at times made a significant difference in the music's feel.

In 'Shake Me All Night Long', Cliff Williams played the G an octave higher, which made the music sound more dynamic.

Cliff Williams' bass playing in AC/DC had a huge impact on their music, despite not being a household name in bass playing.

The video aims to shed light on the brilliance of Cliff Williams' bass playing and its subtle yet significant effects on AC/DC's music.

The video includes a comparison of playing styles, demonstrating the difference Cliff Williams' choices made in the music.

Cliff Williams' innovative bass lines contributed to the distinctive sound of AC/DC's rock music.

The video encourages viewers to appreciate the often overlooked role of bass players in shaping a band's sound.

By analyzing specific songs, the video highlights how bass lines can enhance the emotional impact of music.

The video concludes by emphasizing the importance of paying attention to bass parts to fully appreciate a song's composition.

Transcripts

hi I'm Daniel I'm a and today we're

gonna show you why the bass player of

ac/dc deserves more credit for what he

did buy any bass player deserves more

credit for what they do before we get

going

two things just the generalized idea for

what a bass player will play

yeah there's bass players that go crazy

and they play all around but usually in

rock music if the chords are like for

example if you play like an E chord like

an e power chord the bass player most of

the time will play the low E along with

it and you can play some other notes in

there a little bit yeah yeah exactly

but some great bass players in rock

music they tend to play around the

chords even though they hit the root

notes here and there they play around it

and it will just have a nice effect to

the music ac/dc they're one of the best

fans ever but whenever they play chords

they never played like a full chord with

the major third like so if they play a

major chord they never played the happy

note in the major third of it so for

example back in black community

[Music]

[Applause]

everybody's heard that but they don't

play the major third in those chords so

it's an e a D and an egg but they don't

go it sounds way too happy so they never

played their chords like that it was

always like a powerful

so the cool thing about ac/dc even

though Angus and Malcolm always did they

played the chords like that they

sometimes left it up to the bass player

and the era that I'm talking about it's

cliff Williams the highway to hell back

in black era late 70s early 80s they

would leave it up to clip to play some

of the major thirds in there and it had

a cool effect on the music that most

people are probably unaware of so for

example with back and black most of the

time a bass player you would think he's

gonna go but the thing is in this case

instead of playing the a on the last

chord the bass player actually played a

c-sharp we moving and it's like well

that's not the same as the a well

actually the c-sharp is the major third

of an a major chord so we're going to do

both ways now we're gonna try it the

incorrect way and then we're going to

play it the way that the bass player

[Music]

so now we're going to play it the

correct way with the cash playing the C

sharp in the root of the a chord

[Music]

so you can probably hear the difference

when you place that c-sharp in the root

of the a chord it just gives it that

character to it that's hard to explain

it's simple music theory but cliff

Williams by doing that it just had a

great effect malcolm and angus not

playing that like i said that happy note

they leave it up to the bass player to

play and it actually sounds gritty so

the next example is gonna be slightly

different this is in the pre-chorus

chorus part of back in black it's the

part worse

[Music]

and like I was saying before the

generalized assumption or idea is okay

you're playing an a so the bass players

run away an a and then you're playing me

and then me a B so your bass player is

just gonna follow that and it's gonna be

cool but a lot of these bands including

ac/dc the bass player will play off of

that sometimes and it creates an awesome

effect so I'm not gonna break down

exactly what he's playing but for the

most part when I'm playing an a he's

actually on a beat and then when I'm

playing a G he's actually on a and most

people be like well that's not the same

well with the vocals on top of it and of

course it resolves it goes he actually

follows that at some point

[Music]

but for a second the bass player is

actually on a different note than the

guitar player and then it matches up and

then when he goes to the next part he's

on a different note and then it matches

that so we're going to start with the

incorrect version of it

[Music]

so now we're going to do it the correct

way with the cosh doing the part that

cliff Williams did

[Music]

the next track we're gonna analyze is

from the song shoot to throw so what

happens is it's very simple it's just a

yeah so like I said before they don't

play their chords like it sounds too

happy they play the power chord versions

so it's just like they take away the

third of it

so the example that we're gonna use is

the course before the guitar solo so the

bass player you have follows the AME and

then he kind of throws in these little

you know extra notes here and there the

cool part about it is after does the a

and it goes to the gene cliff Williams

plays the major third of a G chord which

would be B so instead of playing the G

in the room he plays a beginner even

when I was a little kid before I knew a

little bit of theory and all that when

they got to that particular measure of

the music when the bass player hit the

bean Savannah gene it kind of uplift she

was a listener when it gets to that spot

just sounds awesome and I like it when

it happens so what we're gonna do is

we're just gonna vamp the chorus a few

times and then we're just going to add

that be in the root and instead of

putting the gene the root

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

so the next example we're gonna do is

from highway to hell and I actually saw

a band recently play it this way what in

the course of it it's like

[Music]

it's a and then D and then G and then D

with an f-sharp and usually okay it's a

quarter a

bass player might hit that f-sharp in

the group

but in this example how ac/dc does it

and how cliff Williams does it on the

bass instead of going too deep

he stays on the egg so that actually

makes sense three wise because there is

an A and even in the deep you know v of

a deep our chord is a so he just stays

on so I actually saw a band do this

recently where the bass player actually

went to the D and the root when they

went to the D chord but he should have

stayed on the a and it has a cool effect

it's so subtle so we're gonna try it the

incorrect way first with a coughs going

to the D when I move to the D power

chord

[Music]

so now we're gonna play it the way cliff

Williams played it he's gonna stay on

the egg while the guitar players go to

the D chord

[Music]

[Music]

when the bass player stays on the a s

the guitar players go to the D chord it

has a really nice effect on their music

yeah it's simple theory and everything

like that but the common thing is like

okay so when I go to a D chord where

have the bass player go with it but they

decided to stay on that a and it sounds

sweet so for our final example we're

going to use the song shook me all night

long so the guitar part

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

the chords are very simple just CC G C

and then GG bass player doesn't do

anything crazy fancy in the steak or

anything like that but what he does do

when it goes to the most people would

just go okay let's go but Williams does

is it plays the G and the D but he takes

that G up an octave

you're probably like okay big deal what

difference could that possibly make well

we're gonna a be the two of them okay so

Acosta's gonna play that low G and then

he's gonna try it with the hi gene

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

so now we're gonna play it the correct

way with the cash playing the G an

octave above

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

so it's pretty cool to me at least that

even though he's playing the same note

before we've been doing different notes

playing the major third he's staying on

a note or whatever what's happening is

he's playing the same note and

everything he just doesn't and it makes

such a huge difference in the music so

we hope you guys enjoyed this video and

hopefully it sort of shed some light on

really the brilliance of cliff Williams

as a bass player in that particular area

cliff Williams I don't think is a

household name and bass playing but what

he did in the music and if you really

zero in I mean his bass playing made a

huge huge impact in their music if you

guys liked this video make sure you give

it a thumbs-up if you want to see more

videos like this and different covers

and different lessons you can subscribe

to my youtube channel and if you guys

liked any of my bass playing you can

subscribe to my youtube channel

Frostbite see ya okay

[Music]

so the next what else we have to reshoot

all of it Oh

Samsonite did the holes going on

so like I said when I was a little kid

when it got to that part it was always

like oh oh yeah you know like it has

such an effect dammit oh yeah ha so by

playing the major so okay okay Oh