7 Reasons Flea is Awesome (with Bass Lesson Tips)

Flea - awesome or overrated? Here’s my take, including a bunch of tips on how to play like the man himself. (sock not included)

Whether you’re just a fan of music, or looking to improve your bass game, this video will give you 7 reasons why I think Flea is awesome including tips you can use to emulate his signature style so you can sound as kickass as he does.

First we’ll break down what makes his signature slap style so badass, and I’ll give you a cheat code for coming up with your own Flea-style slap lines. If you’ve got basic slap skills and you can count “one and two and three and four and,” you’ve got the gig.

Flea haters often complain that he doesn’t play ‘clean’ enough. So we’ll explore his punk influence, and how that background creates the fiery sound of the Chili Peppers. (that wouldn’t be the same if Flea played super clean and virtuosically)

And Flea isn’t a one-trick pony - he shows his versatility on his many recordings with other artists, including Tom Waits, Johnny Cash, Alanis Morissette, Joshua Redman, Atoms For Peace, Young MC, and many others. I’ll play you some of my favorites.

Flea contributes a lot of important melody to RHCP and the other artists he plays with too. I’ll give you another Flea bass lesson tidbit where I break down how he supports the guitar while adding melodic motion in the chorus of Can’t Stop. That’ll also show you that Flea does know some music theory, and why that might help you too.

But all that melody doesn’t keep him from being a solid rhythm section player. The rhythm of his bass lines is strongly linked to the drum parts. I’ll show you how his slaps and pops groove with the kick and snare of the drum kit, and how to start approaching bass rhythms the same way.

Flea brings classic funk history to a more pop and rock audience. He’s very open about how much he draws from Larry Graham, Bootsy, Louis Johnson, George Porter Jr. and more. I’ll show you a fun demo where I play bass lines from those great bassists, followed by Flea bass lines that share similarities.

I’ll finish up by showing you how Flea keeps it real. While other artists have sold out and bland-ified their sound over the years, Flea and RHCP keep bringing the fire. While Flea has changed his sound over years to add more melody and nuance, you can still hear him beating the crap out of his bass, from the first record to the last.

#fleabasslesson #redhotchilipeppers

[loyalkingshound]

flea is honestly one of the reasons i started playing bass

[julianh.]

Reason number 8: When you see him live, he always gives 100% on a gig!

[prohibitedbeatz]

I’m not a huge fan but, as far as I know, Flea has never done anything BUT elevate “bass awareness” among mainstream listeners and spread messages of kindness and love. A very humble individual who has more than earned his due.

[Shane-iyxf]

It's not just about his playing of his instrument, it's his energy and stage presence that anyone who has anything negative to say about him could never pull off lol!

[marctestarossa]

Reason #8 : He made soooo many people I know wanting to learn and play bass !

[sethsargent]

Flea is not overrated. Flea is Flea. He’s original and plays what he feels. I don’t consider him the best bass player but he is my favorite bass player!

[Duckeezilla]

4:52 Ah, but Flea DID come from a jazz background, it's at the very core of him, musically 😉. His Dad was a jazz pianist and Flea played jazz trumpet with his Dad's band at a young age. He was supposedly a natural and could have pursued it seriously.


Also worth mentioning he studied music at USC.

[emreakdeniz]

Flea makes the crowd sing a bass line, thats practically impossible to achieve. Btw great video and please please please do one for Colin Greenwood, love his work.

[perseus]

Absolutely brilliant. Flea is the grandfather of punkfunk fusion and always sets the bar for the energy for a live performance. I would not have wanted to be a member of any band who RHCP opened for back in the day. The people who are saying Flea is overrated are very mistaken and it's a perfect example of the Dunning-Kruger effect. Is Flea the best? No. Did he influence and shape modern bass playing, absolutely. So is he overrated, hell no.

[NicolaosKomaros]

...and we didn't mention that he is an educated, intelligent man who knows and loves art, he's not some dumb idiot. Which makes him a diamond.

[daniB]

Flea's style and energy have been the biggest influences on my bass playing. I just love this guy. Anybody who thinks he's overrated has an extremely bad taste in music xD Seriously, I think he's super awesome!

[arthursebba]

If you're a bassist and think flea is overrated, try to change your instrument..

[BassBuzz]

What do you think - is Flea awesome or overrated? 🎸🌶🤷‍♂️

[dooddood]

Actually flea has a lot of jazz influences. He started as a trumpet player, playing only jazz. And you can see it also in some basslines like "mommy where's daddy". He also knew a lot of music theory because of his studies as a jazz trumpet player as a kid, and also in 2010 he graduated at conservatory as a pianist.

[gavin]

For a guy who plays bass and loves Flea... You seriously look like John Frusciante

[mrbungle]

Flea is awesome and was known as a bass player b4 the RHCP'S made it big. I disagree with these purest wanks with their trash talk about technique etc. Flea has a huge catalogue of instantly recognisable bass lines and has inspired thousands of people to take up the bass over nearly 30 years. MM etc are all awesome players obviously but a lot of people who aren't necessarily bass fans know Flea and his bass lines but have never heard of MM or VW etc. Fleas ability to come up with so many foot tapping, body shaking grooves combined with his OWN unique sound and technique makes him 1 of the best of all time. His brought so much attention to bass and enjoyment to millions of people and that's what music is about, not having your head stuck up your ass and putting people down because of technique. Doubt half the clowns who post those negative comments can even play themselves. Great vid, cheers.

[riskromer]

in a sentence, Flea's got a STYLE. Most people will never develop one.

[vdhaze]

He played trumpet in highschool and was a self described “jazz geek”

So I’d say his theory knowledge is pretty decent, he was also into jazz way before punk rock or funk..

[altheagray]

Flea is awesome. This endorsement coming from a 57 yr old Black Woman who cannot play any instruments but knows what sounds good 👍

[Juststartingout]

Flea did come from a jazzy background. He was originally a trumpet player