Top 10 Cover Tune Videos Arranged for Bass – 2nd Edition

We love all-bass arrangements of cover tunes, and we love even more the fact that the bass is versatile enough to pull it off.

We published our first list of the top 10 all-bass covers back in December, 2010. We’ve also featured a variation, with ten Jimi Hendrix-inspired bass videos. And of course, our Bass Cover Week, where we asked readers to send in their own all-bass covers.

And here’s our latest round of bass cover tunes, ranked based on views by No Treble readers.

The Pink Panther: Solo Bass Performance

1. The Pink Panther: Solo Bass Performance

Pablo Motyczak, a bassist from Argentina who goes by the screen name “Motyx” blew us away with his take on Henry Mancini’s “Pink Panther” theme. Thanks for sending us this video, Motyx!

Mina Burnside: 14 Year Old Bassist Tackle’s Jaco Pastorius’ “Portrait of Tracy”

2. Mina Burnside: 14 Year Old Bassist Tackle’s Jaco Pastorius’ “Portrait of Tracy”

Mina Burnside is a 14 year old bassist from Nashville who began playing three and a half years ago. In this clip, she takes on a monster of a bass tune: Jaco Pastorius’ “Portrait of Tracy”. We love seeing (and sharing!) the many young players who demonstrate their dedication and willingness to tackle some tough…

Stuart Clayton: Nothing Else Matters – Solo Bass Arrangement

3. Stuart Clayton: Nothing Else Matters – Solo Bass Arrangement

Stuart Clayton offers his take on Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters”, performed as a solo bass arrangement. Stuart wanted to include the tune in his Solo Arrangements for Electric Bass book, but couldn’t secure the copyright permission in time. For those who feel up for the challenge, Stuart has posted the sheet music and MP3 on…

Steve Metcalf: Red Hot Chili Peppers “Can’t Stop” Upright Bass Cover

4. Steve Metcalf: Red Hot Chili Peppers “Can’t Stop” Upright Bass Cover

Mind blown. Bassist Steve Metcalf, an undergraduate performance major studying at Indiana University recorded this (almost) all-bass version of the Red Hot Chili Peppers tune “Can’t Stop”. Steve says he creates these videos “to escape from the world of orchestral excerpts”. Keep ‘em coming, Steve. Steve posted the MP3 version of the tune, available as…

Viaceslav Svedov: Hump de Bump Bass Cover

5. Viaceslav Svedov: Hump de Bump Bass Cover

Always great to see videos from Viaceslav Svedov. Here’s a recent one, with his all-bass take on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Hump de Bump”. What kind of coffee do you think Viaceslav drinks? I’ll take some.

Nick Mason: “You’ve Got A Friend in Me” Solo Bass Performance

6. Nick Mason: “You’ve Got A Friend in Me” Solo Bass Performance

Bassist Nick Mason put together a great all-bass arrangement of the Randy Newman song, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”, made popular by the original Toy Story. Nick said he was inspired to arrange this piece after seeing Toy Story 3. If you’re interested in working on this one yourself, you’re in luck. Nick has…

Todd Matthews: Kashmir, the Double Bass, Live Looping Performance

7. Todd Matthews: Kashmir, the Double Bass, Live Looping Performance

Bassist Todd Matthews gets the Led out with his unique double bass arrangement of Led Zeppelin’s tune “Kashmir”.

Doug Alexis: The Chicken

8. Doug Alexis: The Chicken

Facebook friend Art Araya shared this remarkable and unique video of bassist Doug Alexis performing his own take on “The Chicken”. The tune, written by Pee Wee Ellis, was made popular of course by Jaco Pastorius. This has to be the most creative version we’ve heard yet.

Bass Cover Week: Zander Zonâ??s Solo Bass Cover of Led Zeppelinâ??s â??Stairway To Heavenâ?

9. Bass Cover Week: Zander Zon’s Solo Bass Cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven”

Today, we’re happy to break the rule, thanks to Zander Zon’s performance of the tune. Zander’s arrangement, played on his piccolo bass, offers up his unique sound and approach to bass.

14 Year Old Abigail Hartman Performs Cliff Burton’s Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)

10. 14 Year Old Abigail Hartman Performs Cliff Burton’s Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)

Abigail Hartman is a 14 year old bassist (and drummer) from California, who surprised us with her tribute performance of Cliff Burton’s “Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)”. Abigail performs the legendary lead bass line on her Daisy Rock Candy White Lightning four string.

Bonus #11: While the videos from Dirty Loops don’t qualify for “all-bass arrangement” status, we didn’t think it was right to not include them. (In reality, we figured we’d get a bunch of comments about it too). Dirty Loop’s cover of Lady GaGa’s “Just Dance” was the first we ever posted, and we’ve been fans of bassist Henrik Linder ever since.

Get daily bass updates.

Get the latest news, videos, lessons, and more in your inbox every morning.

Share your thoughts