22 January Is For Videos: Victor Wooten – Amazing Grace

Sometimes it is healthy for a person to sit down and get schooled. Sure, it is disheartening to be slapped in the face with the reality that you indeed suck and someone else is incredible, but that dose of truth can help put everyone back into their rightful place. If you think you are good at music, and especially the bass guitar, today that will happen to you. I’m pleased to introduce you to Victor Wooten, bassist extraordinaire and member of Béla Fleck’s Flecktones. Today’s video is of Wooten performing live with the Flecktones (a must have DVD, by the way). He will take you to school and make you cry. His skills will make you feel like a little girl. His technical prowess will both inspire you and make you want to quit. There’s a little bit of irony here. While he’s demonstrating that he is obviously far superior to us, he’s playing his version of “Amazing Grace.” Through this old hymn, he is telling us, that he indeed possesses the knowledge and skills to kill us just by playing his bass, and yet he is being merciful and will spare our lives. Instead of killing us, he merely blows our minds into useless peanut butter. Don’t say I didn’t warn you… BONUS VIDEO! Here’s another video of Wooten performing “Amazing Grace” in Budapest on January 22, 2007, exactly one year ago today. He begins with a brain blasting solo then works into the song just before your face melts. He’s employing techniques that I’m not even sure existed before that moment. Prepare yourself for mental explosions!