In a recent conversation with Bass Player magazine, Billy Sheehan shared insights into an efficient approach for learning bass guitar.
While discussing how he begins new projects, Sheehan emphasized a crucial element that constitutes ’99 percent’ of bass playing:
“The drummer. My very first teacher taught me that, no matter what else is happening, you’ve got to play a bass note at the same time as the kick drum. That’s 99 percent of how bass playing works.”
He elaborated:
“Eventually, I started incorporating fills and accents, but I only got away with an aggressive style because it was locked to the drummer from the beginning.”
Sheehan’s Unique Bass Playing Style
In a 2023 interview with Music Radar, Sheehan delved into his distinctive bass-playing style, noting:
“I play very hard. My action isn’t that low – many people are surprised by that when they pick up my bass. My strings are Rotosounds that tear you up, and I love them for that. My low E is a 0.110, extra big and heavy. Sometimes I’ll use a 0.115 or 0.120 for tons of mass. Playing hard on one of those will add to the sound right there. The way my fingers pluck over the pickup is an essential aspect of my playing.”
He also expressed his enthusiasm for playing fast on the bass:
“My playing can get real fast because once you get accurate and strong, it’s like running… you won’t always jog, sometimes you’ll sprint! It’s nice to pick it up a bit and see how quick you can get to the end of the corner there. Why not? Speed is just one of many tools you can use to create music.”
In his Bass Player magazine interview, Sheehan also credited drummer Dennis Chambers for having a significant impact on his playing. Chambers’ impeccable sense of rhythm taught Sheehan to trust his own internal timing rather than relying solely on the drummer.
