Does anyone play Riders on the Storm correctly?

[Yukimajou]

I will start by saying that I know this has the potential to open me up to all manner of heckling, but here I go anyway.

I was set to thinking by Al Krow's 'Best Bass Lines' thread and one of my favourite lines is from Riders on the Storm by The Doors. I thought I'd go and check out a few tabs to see if people agree with my assessment of the line and every tab I have seen is wrong. I know this makes me sound like some knob head who can't accept that what I think could be wrong (I'm not a lead guitarist!), but in this instance I have some back up. All the tabs I have seen start on the open E and it is a nice easy line to groove on, however, it should be an octave higher and start on the 12th fret. This does make it much harder to play, but sounds so much better (as it's how Ray wrote it!). The proof I mentioned earlier is:

I have a Doors music book for piano and the bass line there corresponds to the 12th fret E string as the start.

and

This [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3deQXzV-qTk"]You Tube video[/url] of Ray talking about Riders saying that when he came up with the bass line, Jerry (their session bassist on all albums except the first) said that you couldn't play that and had to do some gymnastics with his fingers to play it. Now this would make no sense if the bassline started on the open E as it's nice and easy to play there.

Here are the tabs for both and see for yourself:

The one everyone seems to use
[font=courier new,courier,monospace]G——————————————--—I
D——————————————--—I
A———2———2———0—4—0—I
E—0———3———0—————-—I[/font]
And the correct one
[font=courier new,courier,monospace]G————————————————-----—I
D———————————————-----——I
A———14———14———12—16—12—I
E—12———15———12———————--I[/font]
I know the temptation to play the easy one is huge, but it's for reasons like that that us bassists are tarred as the dumb ones in bands.

Edited May 31, 2017 by Yukimajou

[Dood]

For comfort, I'd place it on the 7th fret of the A string position. Either way, yes, to be in the right register it's not down at the bottom of the neck, open E.

[lowdown]

Over the years I have used the twelfth fret version or even starting on the 'E', 7th fret on the A string.
Depends what mood I am in I suppose.
Certainly not something I have ever really given a second thought about.

I find it more useful for left hand Piano practise (jumping up to the C#) than
an interesting Bass Guitar line.**
Although I must admit, it is catchy.

Edited May 31, 2017 by lowdown

[ahpook]

[quote name='Yukimajou' timestamp='1496222283' post='3309601']
....but it's for reasons like that that us bassists are tarred as the dumb ones in bands.
[/quote]

Ahhhh, if only it were so.....

[lojo]

Id find it easy to play the 11th fret on the D rather than 16A

[KevB]

IIRC Jerry Scheff has posted on here occasionally, though I think it was more in relation to his book than any specific lines he'd played.

[lowdown]

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1496228152' post='3309668']
IIRC Jerry Scheff has posted on here occasionally, though I think it was more in relation to his book than any specific lines he'd played.
[/quote]

Yes, I do remember that.

[Leonard Smalls]

Id play it more like this...
[MEDIA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ext-Rjwafwk[/MEDIA]

[Chris2112]

It's not something I had ever really considered until now. I'd play it in the E on the A string. That said, I'd rather play pretty much anything else, it's one of the worst songs I've ever heard.

[drTStingray]

[quote name='Yukimajou' timestamp='1496222283' post='3309601']
I will start by saying that I know this has the potential to open me up to all manner of heckling, but here I go anyway.

I was set to thinking by Al Krow's 'Best Bass Lines' thread and one of my favourite lines is from Riders on the Storm by The Doors. I thought I'd go and check out a few tabs to see if people agree with my assessment of the line and every tab I have seen is wrong. I know this makes me sound like some knob head who can't accept that what I think could be wrong (I'm not a lead guitarist!), but in this instance I have some back up. All the tabs I have seen start on the open E and it is a nice easy line to groove on, however, it should be an octave higher and start on the 12th fret. This does make it much harder to play, but sounds so much better (as it's how Ray wrote it!). The proof I mentioned earlier is:

I have a Doors music book for piano and the bass line there corresponds to the 12th fret E string as the start.

and

This [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3deQXzV-qTk"]You Tube video[/url] of Ray talking about Riders saying that when he came up with the bass line, Jerry (their session bassist on all albums except the first) said that you couldn't play that and had to do some gymnastics with his fingers to play it. Now this would make no sense if the bassline started on the open E as it's nice and easy to play there.

Here are the tabs for both and see for yourself:

The one everyone seems to use
[font=courier new,courier,monospace]G——————————————--—I
D——————————————--—I
A———2———2———0—4—0—I
E—0———3———0—————-—I[/font]
And the correct one
[font=courier new,courier,monospace]G————————————————-----—I
D———————————————-----——I
A———14———14———12—16—12—I
E—12———15———12———————--I[/font]
I know the temptation to play the easy one is huge, but it's for reasons like that that us bassists are tarred as the dumb ones in bands.
[/quote]

Jerry Scheff has a lot of respect from me - love his playing on the Elvis stuff as well.

It's interesting the correct line is at 12th fret on the E string - I have found quite a number of blues rock and rock bass lines are played in that area - making a subtly different sound from fret 7 on the A string which is where I would play in the second E octave normally.

It's often puzzled me why this would be and (about to commit sacrilege for some) had wondered whether owing to the area of dead spots on Fender basses, whether players of the 60s/70s era just knew to avoid frets 5 to 7 ish - particularly on the upper strings, migrating to fret 12 upwards.

Edited May 31, 2017 by drTStingray

[ivansc]

That sounds like fair comment - I have always thought of precisions as a bass of two halves though - all the thud seems to happen on the E and A for me regardless of where I fret on them.

Let the mocking commence...

P.S. I never liked the Doors much but this particular song I quite like fwiw

[Roland Rock]

[quote name='Leonard Smalls' timestamp='1496228948' post='3309681']
Id play it more like this...
[MEDIA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ext-Rjwafwk[/MEDIA]
[/quote]

Or this
http://youtu.be/8jZhivKY62s

[interpol52]

I love The Doors and I love this bassline.

However, I appear to have been playing it wrong for 30 years.

I don't really get the Doors hate on this forum.

[Vinny]

Just play the bassline for Billie Jean, gives the song an interesting feel.

[Yukimajou]

[quote name='interpol52' timestamp='1496266017' post='3310138']
I love The Doors and I love this bassline.

However, I appear to have been playing it wrong for 30 years.

I don't really get the Doors hate on this forum.
[/quote]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only Doors fan here then!

[chris_b]

So you guys are saying this bass line is not played starting on an open E?

And you've all been listening to the original recording?

[bazzbass]

probably coz it was written by a pianist. A bassist would have used the open E

[lowdown]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1496269530' post='3310175']
So you guys are saying this bass line is not played starting on an open E?

And you've all been listening to the original recording?
[/quote]

Over the years I haven't really played it that much, so never really given it detailed attention, just busked it.
But after just listening to the original, I make you right about the octave (low E).

I have also just seen this.The Bassist is clearly using the open E, plus it looks like Ray Manzarek is on the gig.
I am sure he would have told the Bassist he should take it up the Octave.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNiNB1z2EKA

[Geek99]

Quite enjoyed that actually

[Paul S]

As an aside, I always thought this bass line reminded me of Riders of the Storm...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_MqvYipkrs

[Dan Dare]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1496269530' post='3310175']
So you guys are saying this bass line is not played starting on an open E?

And you've all been listening to the original recording?
[/quote]

My thoughts. Just listened to it and the bass is definitely not in the guitar register.

[silverfoxnik]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1496269530' post='3310175']
So you guys are saying this bass line is not played starting on an open E?

And you've all been listening to the original recording?
[/quote]

+3 on this..

Was playing it last night with a keyboard player at an open mic and he plays it in the same register as an open E on the bass, which is how it sounds to me on the original recording.

[TimR]

The bass guitar is notated an octave higher than it sounds to avoid excessive ledger lines.

[acidbass]

Pretty sure it's open E yeah.

[EliasMooseblaster]

[quote name='Yukimajou' timestamp='1496222283' post='3309601']
I have a Doors music book for piano and the bass line there corresponds to the 12th fret E string as the start.

[/quote]
[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1496269530' post='3310175']
So you guys are saying this bass line is not played starting on an open E?

And you've all been listening to the original recording?
[/quote]

I think I have the same book, which is where I learned the bassline from. Bear in mind that a lot of things in there will be "arranged for piano," e.g., [i]Been Down So Long[/i], which has no keyboard part. See also in [i]Light My Fire [/i]that the vocal melody is incorporated into the right-hand part, but there's no way Manzarek's playing that on the record.

But most conclusively: note that it says "[i]8va basso[/i]" underneath the bass stave for [i]Riders[/i]. Which is to say, "play one octave lower than written."



(Always good to find another Doors fan on here, by the way!)