Working out bass parts by ear - any tips/methods?

[steve-bbb]

its not necessairly about equipment though - sometimes i hear notes that ive not noticed before under odd circumstances like when the volume is down really low

tabs and score sheets are fine for a bit of basic guidance but dont necessarily treat them as the ultimate rendition of a certain song as they are usually one persons interpretation - i have seen many bass tabs that are quite slapdash in terms of their accuracy

[BILL POSTERS]

I'm rubbish at it, even after playing for 40years, but I get there in the end. One thing that matters is play it reasonably loud. trying to do it quietly just wont work for me.

Sometimes I cheat, youtube sound is sometimes not great, but you can sometimes see where peoples left hands are.

[Guest bassman7755]

Get yourself a program that can adjust the pitch and speed of a recording independently and most importantly allows you loop a particular section of it.
I use "the amazing slowdowner" [url="http://www.ronimusic.com/"]http://www.ronimusic.com/[/url] but I think audacity can also do most of it as can most DAWs.

Attack it in chucks, loop each chunk until you can sing/hum/whistle the bass part [b]before trying to play it, t[/b]hen when the tune is firmly in your head work it out on the bass[b]. [/b]If you do it this way you will sharpen your ear much more quickly and be able to learn parts much more accurately than people who just noodle along to tracks. Also the parts you learn this way tend to "stick" better (at least in my experience).

Edited October 14, 2015 by bassman7755

[TrevorR]

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1444818174' post='2886281']


I think audiences in general will have time for a band's or an individual's 'tasteful interpretations' of other people's songs when said band or individual is famous enough on their own strength. If I go to a pub knowing there's a covers band on, I hope to hear every song played well, that is, as close to the original as possible, allowing for differences in lineup, sound equipment and similar.
Incidentally, going back to Joe Cocker's cover version, I far prefer the Beatles' original.
[/quote]

I get your point and kinda agree to a degree but I also think that you give most cover band audiences a little too much credit. I suspect that your expectation is rather atypical - and let's face it someone who hangs around on musical instrument forums and blogs about music is hardly a typical audience member. I count myself in that camp too, of course. Personally when I see a cover band (as opposed to a tribute band which is quite another thing entirely) I just want to see the songs well played with energy and skill. Slavish adherence to the recorded version isn't of my criteria.

And that's not necessarily down to laziness. When I was playing in a covers/function band a couple of our most popular tunes bore little resemblance to the original but got some of the biggest response. They were Get It On and Hey Jude (which we often medleyed with Robbie Williams' Angels). The band's line up was one (sometimes two) guitars alternating between acoustic and electric depending on set and song, bass, drums and sax. Now, given that Hey Jude is a piano driven song our version was never going to come anywhere near the recorded version. It simply wasn't an option. However, towards the end of a night's music it was still the medley which got the whole dance floor filled with slightly/massively drunk audience with their arms around each other, waving beer glasses in the air and singing "Nah nah nah na-na-na nah...". Adherence to the original recording wasn't what the were thinking about. Similarly, Get It On rounded off our second set with a huge sax and electric guitar wig out and raised the rafters every single time.

And we did Going Underground in a sufficiently different key (for vocals reasons) that I pretty much needed to write a whole new bassline which still gave a sufficiently sympathetic feel. No one ever complained we were playing it wrong and, in fact, we often got compliments on our arrangement or for nailing the song! Necessity being the mother of invention in that case and it was, to my ears quite different to the original.

The average listener doesn't have the musical vocabulary to discern whether a song adheres to the recorded arrangement. However, the do react to what they perceive as sounding right in the circumstance - which is often a very different thing... More to do with confidence, energy, performance and communication.

Tribute bands are a different thing, of course. There the job is to provide a slavish facsimile of the original recorded or live experience and that is how they are judged.

[TrevorR]

[quote name='grandad' timestamp='1444839609' post='2886585']
[url="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cover_version"]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cover_version[/url]

Anyone ever tried to cover 4' 33"?
[/quote]

There is a wonderful urban myth (that turns out to be true) that on one of his post Wombles records Mike Batt left a slightly longer than usual runoff groove and called it One Minute Of Silence. He then got sued by John Cage's estate for infringement of copyright!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-11964995

[blue]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1444813586' post='2886206']
it's extremely rare to find a bass cover on YouTube that is anywhere near correct!
[/quote]

I find the opposite to be true. I've always been able to find several tutorials for any given song where the bass part is nailed.

Is there some jealousy on BC of cover bands ? The way some folks put down cover bands you would think so.

Blue

Edited October 14, 2015 by blue

[discreet]

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1444852507' post='2886776']
Is there some jealousy on BC of cover bands?
[/quote]

Jealousy? Not from me, there isn't.

[Dad3353]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1444852772' post='2886780']
Jealousy? Not from me, there isn't.
[/quote]

Are you sure..? Not even the teeny-tiniest twinge..? You've no need to hold back on us, we understand these things. Go on, let it all out, you'll feel better afterwards, really you will...

[rogerstodge]

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1444809532' post='2886151']
Taking all of the advice above how did we ever manage when listening to nothing more than a transistor radio from Woolworths, tuned to Luxembourg or Caroline, under the bedclothes, in the dark
[/quote]your'e showing your age there son... I remember it well.

[blue]

[quote name='rogerstodge' timestamp='1444852945' post='2886783']
your'e showing your age there son... I remember it well.
[/quote]

I come from the generation that learned songs with a simple what they called the record player. You had to go back and fourth physically picking up the needle then placing back where the part started and repeat until you figured out the part.

Blue

[MrDaveTheBass]

The most useful tool that I've used for working out tunes is the Korg Pandora (PX4D). It lets you hear both yourself and the track at a proper level. It has a handy detune function that allows you to tweak the tuning of the track into concert pitch. Add a decent set of headphones, and you're good to go.

I also recommend a fantastic free Android App called 'Audipo'. You can pay for the 'pro' version, but so far the free version's done everything I needed it to. It allows you slow the track down without affecting the pitch, and to loop-repeat difficult sections. It works on the fly with MP3s on your phone, so much more convenient than having to fire up the laptop and import a tune into Audacity.

I find that if I can sing a bassline, I can play it. I've also found that it helps to play along with a kazoo. It sounds crazy, but it works - try it! (Just make sure that you're out of earshot of your significant other, or if that's impossible, at least hide any sharp or heavy throwable objects!)

[discreet]

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1444852507' post='2886776']
Is there some jealousy on BC of cover bands?
[/quote]
[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1444852772' post='2886780']
Jealousy? Not from me, there isn't.
[/quote]
[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1444852930' post='2886782']
Are you sure..? Not even the teeny-tiniest twinge..? You've no need to hold back on us, we understand these things...
[/quote]

Yes, I'm quite sure!! I've been in several and didn't like it. Well... actually, I liked the function band I was in for a year or two, mainly because of the cash, which was both plentiful and frequent. But in the end that band got on my tits for the same reason all covers bands do, i.e. not enough commitment or desire to put in the necessary amount of work. What gets me is, [i]the songs exist, they're right there in front of you[/i], totally accessible at all times, being played as they should be - so why is there so much discussion about how they should be played, and why are so many people apparently incapable of playing them? Anyway, I'm out - no more covers bands for me!

Edited October 15, 2015 by discreet