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one day I might do a thread about why Tetsuya from L'arc~en~Ciel is one of the best rock bass players the world has ever had https://t.co/qtbahUYNdX
OK I figured out how to do this! Let's start with the first song I learned from L'arc that blew my mind: Stay Away. Here's a cover. It's melodic + driving. It uses 3rds, 4ths and 5ths, slides and octaves, and yet doesn't feel overplayed. It expanded my mind re: what's possible https://t.co/t5e4LsVC4k
Towards the end of the song, there's a bass solo – and the bulk of it only uses 4 notes! Opened my mind re: what is possible in a solo, and what a solo has to achieve. Also how delicious is that crunchy overdrive + distortion solo tone with thick bass strings https://t.co/zzFLq6QFza
Next song: Kasou. Learning this song is a *fretboard education*, you have to go *everywhere*. Also Tetsu's slides are just masterful – this player is very good, but he still falls a little short of what Tetsu is able to do with his slides, which is even more emotive than this https://t.co/cg0Z3IgCJN
I was heavily, heavily influenced by Tetsu's playing and writing – can I show ya'll a potato quality video of a bassline I'm quite proud of? 😂 I wrote this when I was about 17 and I think it actually holds up pretty well. The Tetsu influence should be pretty glaringly obvious https://t.co/nkgoDrdNly
My Dear: *amazing* songwriting - high-register bass used like a piano melody - ascending slides to build up the verse - descending slides later in the chorus (and SICK drums from Yukihiro) - WHAT A BRIDGE OMFG MY HEART BURSTS FORTH AND SOARS INTO THE SKY https://t.co/eZvXxNg8mG
Dive to Blue: This is an older one, with a bit of a circus-carnival vibe from their girly days – it has Tetsu's trademark slides, and also this sort of walky-shuffle thing going on, and some extremely complex fills. Very technical song yet feels breezy and fun, which is #goals https://t.co/9wEwk6P8Bb
(Ah, that's last one was Blurry Eyes, not Dive To Blue!) Gonna use this correction tweet to also point out that this band has been around for 20+ years and are *masters* of self-reinvention. I have learned so much just watching them do their thing https://t.co/kUvhGM4tEo
Anyway I could go on all day for dozens of more songs – you can check it out yourself by looking up L'arc~en~Ciel bass covers on YouTube, or just listening to their discography on Spotify or something. Phenomenal band, so much to learn from and enjoy https://t.co/JqZYmleRka
I love these smol japanese bois so much 😍 to me they are more interesting than the beatles, who were active for only half as long as these guys have been around https://t.co/5y1VHXAx2N
