The hidden GENIUS of Duff McKagan (6 iconic examples)
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Published 2024-04-10
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In today’s video, you’ll learn what made Duff McKagan’s bass lines with Guns N’ Roses so impactful. We’re talking about some of the biggest hits – Welcome To The Jungle, Sweet Child Of Mine, Rocket Queen and more. Plus, you'll get playing examples & sheet music so you can understand every note. And decide for yourself if Duff deserves the title of bass genius.
From Appetite For Destruction to Use Your Illusion, we’re breaking down 6 of the finest Guns N’ Roses bass lines.
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Video Breakdown:
00:00 - Celebrating the Genius of Duff McKagan
00:58 - Rocket Queen: One of the Coolest Bass Riffs of All Time
03:55 - Duff's Brief Stint in Alice in Chains
06:22 - Bass Giveaway
06:47 - Welcome to the Jungle
08:04 - The Importance of Crafting Well-Thought-Out Parts
09:32 - My Michelle
10:29 - You Could Be Mine
11:39 - Did you know these facts about Duff McKagan?
13:08 - Right Next Door to Hell
16:15 - Sweet Child o' Mine
18:21 - Righting the Wrong!
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All Comments (21)
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A video no one asked for, but everyone is very happy about. Duffs chromatic riffs are some of my favorite vibes ever
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What's so brilliant about Duff, in my opinion, is that he has such a badass punk attitude in his playing, but at the same time he is very melodic and really dynamic and musically tasteful. He's like a mix of Dee Dee Ramone, Paul McCartney and Chris Squire or something.
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You touched a lot on Duff's bass lines, but he is the master of the fill. There are songs where the only person doing any fills is Duff; no guitar, no drums, just bass fills. Not a lot of other bands that will say "Let the bass player cover all of our blank spaces."
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Duff's sound cut through the mix so perfectly with out being over the top. This guy is the reason I started playing bass 21 years ago, an absolute legend!
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For what it’s worth: Duff is a HUGE Prince fan.
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Duff truly was underrated back in the day, he’s getting his props nowadays, people are realizing what he added to find n roses. He was overshadowed by axl and slash, but people recognize nowadays. Good on him
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I remember it well. I was 13 years old, debating music with another boy in the school playground. He loved hip-hop and asked why I listened to Guns 'N Roses. I told him that if he listened carefully, he would realise they were a funky band. A couple of years later, he came up to me and said, 'You were right, they are funky!' I’ll always treasure that memory.
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The outro bass lick from Mr. Brownstone is always a classic Duff moment
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Duff not only gets his A but this video makes me realize that I’ve done myself a disservice by neglecting rock bass. Bass has been my primary instrument for 5 years now, and I’ve immersed myself in jazz and funk/R&B but Duff has turned me on to rock bass !!! Thank you Ian and Scott !
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It took me a long time to realize that Duff Mckagan is my biggest influence in bass playing. He is insane !
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Duff has such an instantly recognizable tone. He's one of the reasons that I started playing chords on bass.
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Duff always deserves more love! "Believe in me" was an awesome solo album that very few people seemed to hear.
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Sweet Child is a masterclass in how to use chord tones and scales within a rock bass line, glad it's getting the praise it deserves.
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I started playing bass 27 years ago because of Duff. He is a huge inspiration for me, as a musician and as a human being - I trully recomend his biography "It's so easy - and other lies". He is a bassis that delivers what the song needs in a very smart way. Thanks for this video
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Locomotive is my honorable mention. That intro and riff make me want to run a marathon every time
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Billy Sheehan made me want to pick up the bass. Duff McKagan made me want to play it. I had a chance to meet him while traveling in the early 90s. One of the nicest people, let alone celebrities, that I’ve ever met. A genuinely good guy. I’ll be a fan of all of his work for the rest of my life.
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Duff is why I play a PJ. I always thought he played a PJ with no pickguard but now I know it's a Jazz Special. I got into GNR because of Terminator 2. I was 12 when it came out and GNR is one of the two bands that got me into playing.
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Please tell me this is only part 1 of a Duff series, because you’ve left so much aside! Great vid guys
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Finally a tribute to this great bassist, who has always been underestimated. Congratulations also on the initiative to help needy children. Here in Brazil, unfortunately, we have a lot. Greetings
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The all time greatest Duff line has got to be Locomotive. The intro with Matt and the groove they create is amazing. It’s the most underrated GNR song.
