What is that little bass run?

[Shortfinger]

I am trying to learn "Message in a Bottle" from this video, and cannot get the little bass run when he goes from the Em back to the Bmin, the second time through the run.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQW6W6wO7aU

I have slowed the video down to 1/4-speed and what he is doing on the low E string does not make sense to me.

What is happening? Will you TAB it out?

[JonPR]

This is one of those stupidly annoying videos where a skilled player shows you a supposedly "simple" way of playing a tune, talks too much, and then throws in a ridiculously difficult passage because he can't help himself. The actual teaching content of this video (which is fine) could be delivered in 30 seconds or less.
This guy should be beaten over the head with his own guitar, and ideally have his fingers broken for good measure. (But then if he was punished appropriately in this way, that wouldn't be fair on all the 1000s of others on youtube who deserve the same fate. )

Anyway, in the Xmas spirit of generosity (to you not him), here's that lick:

 Bm          G               A                                   Bm
|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|--
|3-----------0-------0----------|-------(0)---------------------|--
|4-----------2-------2-------2--|-------(0)--4p2p0--------------|--
|4-----------0-------0-------2--|-------(0)--------4p2p0--------|--
|2---------------------------0--|------------------------4p2p0--|2-
|-------(3)--3------------------|------------------------------x|--
 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . . 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . . 1

That last note is an indeterminate thump on the muted 6th I think. Getting the timing right is the hardest thing IMO - the run starts on the "and of 2", i.e, exactly where you would normally play the syncopated Em chord. But the 16ths are grouped 3 per string, so beats 3 and 4 fall on different parts of it

[Shortfinger]

Thanks! And Merry Christmas!

But it's the walk UP that I cannot understand.

[stanron]

Which version are you asking about? He plays it first without the capo and then with. If you could give the approximate video time count that would help.

[FwL]

Originally Posted by Shortfinger

Thanks! And Merry Christmas!

But it's the walk UP that I cannot understand.

He's playing 5th fret (actual fret) with middle and hammering the 7th fret with pinky.

.

[Shortfinger]

It's the walk up at 1:58 and yes, it seems now that I can see the middle finger going onto the low string to fret 3 for the second note of the run up (he begins with the open string plucked).

What he does after is still a mystery.

[stanron]

How's this,

  Am       Em        Bm
E╓─────────────────┬─────────────────┐
B╟─────────────────┼─────────────────┤
G╟─────────────────┼─────────────────┤
D╟─────────────────┼─────────────────┤
A╟─────────────────┼─2───────────────┤
E╙───────────0─3─5─┴─────────────────┘

  .1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + . 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

The numbers are from the capo. It may well be a hammer on from the 0 to the 3.

[Mr. Jelly]

Originally Posted by JonPR

This is one of those stupidly annoying videos where a skilled player shows you a supposedly "simple" way of playing a tune, talks too much, and then throws in a ridiculously difficult passage because he can't help himself. The actual teaching content of this video (which is fine) could be delivered in 30 seconds or less.
This guy should be beaten over the head with his own guitar, and ideally have his fingers broken for good measure.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that feels this way about YT lessons. But thank god for them just the same. Without fast forward I couldn't stand to watch any of them. It could of been worse, he could of gone through tuning the guitar first.