The Who’s Bassist teaches ‘My Generation’ Bass Solo

[music] Wow!

I am here with the incredible John Button, and he has been playing with The Who and with Roger Daltrey for the better part of 20 years, dude. We had to

go to your wiki am I?

[laughter] Oh, man.

You were like, "Let's go to my wiki and actually find out." I don't remember.

I'm such an idiot.

We thought it would be really fun. I

mean, I'm I'm a little terrified, but I'm [laughter] To be honest, like fun in quotes, like Right? I got to learn it 20 years ago,

Right? I got to learn it 20 years ago, and and I had 20 years of practicing it.

We'll see how that turned out in a few minutes here. So, the role of the bass

minutes here. So, the role of the bass teacher is shifting over to you today.

You're going to teach me, and you're going to teach [laughter] the editorial we how to play this incredible bass solo.

anybody can do it, it's the great Okay. Okay. [clears throat]

Okay. Okay. [clears throat]

Ian Allison. Well, we'll see. Um, and of course, we're going to have tab and notation. Of course, we are. Down in the

notation. Of course, we are. Down in the description that you can grab. Before we

dive into this amazing bass solo, let me just ask you this. When you had to learn this, what's the first thing that you did?

I suppose it was when I was getting ready to audition for Roger Daltrey's band. I think I learned the original solo, and then of course, we didn't play it at the audition. We like jammed.

audition. We like jammed.

[laughter] Okay. Right. Okay. So, you weren't put

Okay. Right. Okay. So, you weren't put to the test then. No. And then, with Roger, I don't think we ever actually played My Generation. So, then cut to

whatever it was, nine or 10, almost 10 years later with The Who, and I started playing it. And they never gave me the direction of like play it like the record. Like nothing with The Who

is like the record because the record is how they played it that day. Roger and

Pete, they haven't even listened to the record hardly. It's so weird. They're

record hardly. It's so weird. They're

like, "Oh, do we play it like that?

Really? Oh, that's wild. Sure." Cuz I play it like this now. So, there's

been some creative license. Yeah, very

much so. It's like a tip of the hat to what John did, but it's sort of my take on it. And you play it with a pick? I do, and I

pick? I do, and I am pretty sure that on the original recording, which we can listen to, I'm pretty sure John played it with a pick.

Oh, I love that.

And I believe, I'm sure the internet will correct me very quickly if I'm wrong. I might I believe it was on a Dan

wrong. I might I believe it was on a Dan Electro. Wow. He does a string bend,

Electro. Wow. He does a string bend, which on a short scale Dan Electro is like no problem, right? On a P bass down here, it's like Oh, yeah. Right. Right.

Oh, yeah. Right. Right.

Which I can do it, but not consistently, like, you know, when you're on stage with The Who, you want it to be right every time. So, It's such a moment.

every time. So, It's such a moment.

trying to do that string bend, I was like, "Yeah, I'm not going to do that."

Before we play it, cuz I could ask you a thousand questions, and we're going to play it. But do you still get nervous

play it. But do you still get nervous when you play it? Yes. You do?

A little bit. I love it.

here's my thing about this part is like they're going to judge my performance on that 15 seconds, right?

moment. Yes.

Right? Because the rest of the time they're checking out Pete and Roger and whatever's going on. But then, the whole band stops, and a spotlight goes on me, and it's like "Let's see what this guy can do, right?" So, I definitely feel

that pressure, you know? And honestly,

if like if I flub it, ah, it bumps out my whole Even though I played the whole show just amazingly, I'll be go I'll go back to the hotel and be like blew it.

Well [laughter] Well, um, just take that pressure and put it on me today.

[laughter] Yeah. Let's dive in. We've got the

Yeah. Let's dive in. We've got the record pulled up here, and let's listen to Entwistle play just this like iconic solo. And so wild back then, this was

solo. And so wild back then, this was '69, I think. Is that right? A bass solo on a hit song. What?

What? Like almost unheard of. Totally.

Yes. Yeah.

Yeah, he's bending [music] and stuff.

Ah.

So good. It's so cool. How the hell do you play it?

[laughter] Oh, I don't know. All right.

Um, so, uh, we're in G, right?

[music] Do you want to check out the the main riff, or should we just dive into the solo?

absolutely. I mean, that's just [music] That's all it is, right? Wow. Your bass

sounds so nice, too.

[laughter] All right. We'll We'll get into gear a

All right. We'll We'll get into gear a little bit later, but fresh rounds on a '66 '65. '65 P bass.

'65. '65 P bass.

Um yeah.

Dang.

So, the first the first lick, the way I play it.

Okay. Let's do it.

Uh [music] Okay? So, that's the way I do it. All

Okay? So, that's the way I do it. All

right. Got it? Here we go. 1 2 3.

[laughter] Okay. All right.

Okay. All right.

So, uh, I go [music] So, like Yes.

Okay, so that's the first [music] And then when you hit this, bam.

Now, check it out. I had to sit down and figure out which way the pick's going, right?

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Absolutely.

I hit the B flat with a downstroke.

[music] And then, the G upstroke.

Yes.

Yes. Okay.

Sorry. [laughter]

Um Okay. And then, so

Okay. And then, so And then [music] downstroke on the C.

Yeah. Okay.

[music] Yeah, and then I go back up to Yeah, sorry. Wrong octave.

Yeah, sorry. Wrong octave.

Get it right. Okay, so slowly.

[music] That's it.

Dude, you're amazing.

[laughter] Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Okay.

Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Okay.

Okay. Cool. That's That's awesome. I

don't think I got your pick direction right.

for you, right? I mean, We play it one more time? Uh

more time? Uh [music] Gosh, yes.

Yes.

[music] Totally. Cool. All right. So, [snorts]

Totally. Cool. All right. So, [snorts]

we got that.

So, the next one.

Yes.

[music] [music] Wow. Put that in time. Put that in time.

Wow. Put that in time. Put that in time.

So, Wow!

Here we go.

[music] Wow!

Is the next part.

[music] That's it. Bam ba da da da da da.

That's it. Bam ba da da da da da.

Oh, do it again. Do it again.

[music] Bam.

Perfect.

get the get. Dang.

[music] Perfect. You're amazing, dude. Oh,

Perfect. You're amazing, dude. Oh,

you're so nice. All right. So, we go back to the beginning. Yeah. Okay.

that far.

Yes.

Should we play it together? 2 3

[music] [music] Okay.

Awesome. Okay, guys. We love YouTube.

You probably love YouTube. But let's be honest, it's not always the best platform for in-depth learning, right?

Enter the SBL Academy. At SBL, we break down the bass with a curriculum-driven approach that spans from absolute beginner to super advanced. And we also cover all kinds of genres, skills, and techniques, all brought to you by

world-class bass instructors. And best

of all, you can get started today. Yes,

today, completely free. Just go to trySBL.com.

trySBL.com.

Cool. Cool. Moving on.

Moving on.

[laughter] How many more are there? I think there's There's two more, right? Two more left.

So, we're halfway. Yeah. Okay. Cool. You

ready for the next one?

Yes. It's uh

[music] Okay.

NO! HOW SICK IS THAT? NO!

WOW!

OH, BOY. NOW, THE CRAZY thing that I do is I play [music] These all are with one finger.

Oh.

[music] Yes. But I just I basically with my

Yes. But I just I basically with my first finger go like I just do that, and the pick just makes it happen.

Are you serious? I don't even know how that happens. I had to go like, "Oh,

that happens. I had to go like, "Oh, wow. That actually works."

wow. That actually works."

That's crazy.

How does that even work? I don't know.

It does. I'm just going like I just do that but See, it works.

Not really Not Works better for you.

[music] Oh.

[music] Wow. You are a quick study.

Wow. You are a quick study.

[music] Wow. I just need to have trust that my

Wow. I just need to have trust that my first finger will do it.

[music] It's kooky, right?

Ha ha. There it is. It's perfect.

[laughter] That is wild.

I kind of let the D ring through on the [music] Yeah.

Yeah.

Like a chord.

Double stops.

Dude.

a good musical memory. Thank you, John Button. Wow. Okay. Do you want to go

Button. Wow. Okay. Do you want to go back to the top?

Yep.

2 3 4 Here we go.

[music] [music] [music] Oh, sucks.

[laughter] Oh, man.

You're so good at making that sound so nice and even.

[music] That's it. It's close. Okay. And then

That's it. It's close. Okay. And then

what's the last one? The last one I So I you know, I change this around a little here and there, but uh lately I've been going [music] That is kind of a cool ending. Right?

[music] [music] Uh that uh let's see.

When you get to the C, it's on one.

[music] [music] Oh, [music] digga digga digga digga. Oh.

[laughter] That's the evil laugh.

Evil laugh, dude. [laughter]

I can't I can't uh I can't play that fast with a pick. Like

digga digga digga digga digga digga digga. I've always been so slow with a

digga. I've always been so slow with a pick. I just have to amend it. I have to

pick. I just have to amend it. I have to play like [music] Uh come on, Ian.

[music] Sorry.

[laughter] Okay.

Interesting, I should point out. I think

both of us are doing this. So uh the verse of the song, I play right hand.

I'm up here.

[music] But when I hit the solo, I can't play all that stuff up here. It sounds nice and full in the mix, but I jump back I jump back to here Yes.

for the solo.

Got it.

To kind of bring it out, and it's also easier to play all that fast stuff Yes. back here. But I noticed [snorts]

Yes. back here. But I noticed [snorts] you were doing the same thing.

Yeah, I I think it cuz this sounds so cool here. Right, when you're playing

cool here. Right, when you're playing the simple stuff, but when you're [sighs] shredding. Show us also the other one um

shredding. Show us also the other one um because because it's so cool.

[music] Wow.

[music] How about that? Is that better? That's

better for you? It's easier for me, but I mean I think like there's something about this one that just has energy.

Yeah.

[music] I mean, that one is so cool, but I can't play it like you play it. I [laughter]

can't go That's why you've got the gig, dude. I mean, right?

Like come on. That's so cool.

How about that? So

[music] Yeah.

Let's stick with that. Why not? I played

it like that for years. This was

I actually I came up with this on the last tour. I was like, "Oh, let me do

last tour. I was like, "Oh, let me do something different."

something different." I was like, "Yeah, cool."

We'll have them both in the PDF, right?

So whether you want to go high like John's or whether you want to stick stick down low either way. So now the other thing is,

either way. So now the other thing is, if you were doing the gig, you have the freedom to do it in a way that will work for you. I mean, you're trying to do

for you. I mean, you're trying to do stuff that works for whatever weird playing style I have.

Well, you're nice to say that, but right. Like you could maybe make some

right. Like you could maybe make some amendments Well, that's what I did cuz I mean, we talked about earlier, he [music] Why that? Cuz he's he's playing like

Why that? Cuz he's he's playing like [music] I can't do that every night, so on a P bass with 40 Right. [music] Right. Right. Right.

Right. [music] Right. Right. Right.

Right. So I was like, "Yeah, I I'm not going to do that. I'm going to do what I do." Yeah, try them together. Let's do

do." Yeah, try them together. Let's do

it. 1 2 1 2 3 [music] [music] Yes.

Come on, Allison.

[music] Ooh.

You.

I still struggle with that bit, but [laughter] man, what a treat.

unbelievable you learned that so fast.

That's Well, you're nice to say that, and if you want to learn it, too, it is down in the description. You can grab the PDF. We'll have a couple of

the PDF. We'll have a couple of different versions for you. We'll have

the two different endings.

Uh and man, it's incredible. Let's just

also talk about this mighty mighty sound that you're getting. You've got this beautiful '65 P bass That helps.

with fresh rounds. Whenever I hear a P bass, I'm like, "Why is the P bass so great for everything?" It just sounds so great. But also your bones, your

great. But also your bones, your muscles, your hair your glasses [laughter]

just your vegan diet, dude. Come on.

Uh but you also have some lovely gear and a really like considered signal chain. So could you just explain kind of

chain. So could you just explain kind of like how you went about crafting these sounds and how you use this rig for the Who. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um so the main uh

Who. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um so the main uh so I'm using a Quad Cortex.

And the main kind of overarching feature of this rig I'm using um is that I have two channels.

One is basically an SVT.

And the other is basically a Marshall-style guitar amp that my buddy Pete Thorn and I did a capture of cuz we used the Quad Cortex. You can do captures of amps. So we set up his amp

and got it sounding good and did a capture of it. So those run in parallel.

SVT bass amp and a Marshall-style guitar head. Um and then I have along the uh

head. Um and then I have along the uh bottom here I have different levels of drive gain on that Marshall amp. So

[music] I have like a clean one that I use for And so that right there, that sound that we're hearing there, is that the SVT and the Marshall together, but the Marshall at its most clean?

[music] Yep. Got it. So so for certain songs

Yep. Got it. So so for certain songs just pretty standard bass sound, little bright. Um and then I can get just a

bright. Um and then I can get just a little bit of drive.

And then I can really drive up the Marshall. Um and

then I've got the last one is woohoo.

So And that's the My Generation. I would

probably Yeah, usually I pop it up to woohoo for for My Generation.

[music] Right? Cuz as opposed to one.

Right? Cuz as opposed to one.

That's a little [music] less woohoo, right?

And you want to ratchet it up in those stadiums, huh? You know, you want to

stadiums, huh? You know, you want to like bring the bring the gain. Fire it

up. You got to compete with those fans.

That's the main, you know, and I pretty much use this preset for pretty much 95% of the uh show. I love

seeing here though that you've got an Eminence Front preset. You also have a Real Me preset.

Yeah. Um so Eminence Front I actually switched the guitar amp to a little bit cleaner of an amp and [music] little chorus.

Um and then Real Me, I think I have a distortion on there.

I I ended up not using that. I ended up again just using the Just the woohoo. for

for that. I I would try it, and I'm like, "Yeah, it's not quite." You know, you work on them in your studio, and it's like, "That sounds great." And then you get on stage, and you're like, "That sounds terrible." Sure. Yeah, you build

sounds terrible." Sure. Yeah, you build the perfect thing, and then you get there, and in the moment it doesn't sound the same. Yeah. I have

a chromatic tuner Yes. with the price tag still on it. I bought it used for $70 from my local music store.

Yes. Um I have I go first into the Noble, and the front of house does take a line off the uh Noble, and so it goes to the Noble first before it goes to the Quad Cortex.

And A, you're hitting some tubes before you go into the digital world, which feels nice in my in my heart. Um but

also, if this takes a dump, it takes about 45 seconds for this to reboot. Oh,

god.

Which when you're standing on stage in front of however many thousand people and Pete Townshend's staring at you, that's a really long time.

Yeah, so there will always be some sort of bass sound going to front of house even if this thing This thing is never I've never had a problem, but if I did Little something for peace of mind.

Yeah. And then I have my uh my son made this uh character. He has stickers of this.

uh character. He has stickers of this.

His name is Zero, and he's a little character. And so Awesome.

character. And so Awesome.

he keeps me company and reminds me of my son when I come out on stage.

Let's go, dude. Zero's on the pedal board. X E R O. He's he's waving hi to

board. X E R O. He's he's waving hi to me. That's amazing.

me. That's amazing.

You know. Uh Keep the family in your Absolutely.

in your world when you're on tour. So

there you go.

Incredible rig, incredible teaching, too today.

Aw, thanks. Thank you so much, dude.

Thanks for showing that to me.

myself a teacher. Well But you were today, and an excellent one. Very

inspiring. You're a good student.

Sweating it, man. I appreciate that. Um

guys, hey, make some noise. Make some

noise, Sharon, for John Button right now.

We'll slow clap.

[laughter] Yes. Yeah.

Yes. Yeah.

Thanks, you guys. We'll see you in the next one.

That's it. You're a good teacher. Get a

coffee? [music] Yeah, let's get a coffee, could we?

[laughter] It's so cool. Should we just give up and Yeah, just like I guess it's time to pack it up, and that's hard for me.

[music] 1 2 All all playing.

[laughter] [music]