Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

First song learned?


Triumph_Rock

Recommended Posts

Peaches by The Stranglers. Would've been June 1978, got home with my brand new £59 bass, sat down & tried to play along until it sounded right. Had to re-learn it a week or two later after I found out how to actually tune the bass - and suddenly it was a lot easier! Also the B-side, Go Buddy Go taught me to play walking bass - which was handy.

Took me 2 years to actually get in a room with a guitarist & a drummer & the first thing I ever played in a "proper" band was the Overture/Temples bit of 2112, by Rush.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

First thing I ever got taught/shown how to play was simple root eighth notes on a 12 bar boogie.

It (genuinely) changed my life!

The first song I was taught how to play/learned was Thin Lizzy’s Dancing in the Moonlight - it was the summer of 1977 and was on the radio a fair bit and the bass sounded brilliant (still does!). Took what felt like ages to learn it and for it to sound okay but that’s what I did - and having a brilliant teacher/mentor helped!

After that, mainly after school,  I’d get home and sit and listen to Radio1 for hours trying to play along to whatever was being played. Didn’t matter if I liked it or not, I’d give it a try - even if all I did was work out the key to the song and couldn’t play the parts correctly!  

When I got a bit better I went for years where I challenged myself to properly learn learn a new/different song every day - usually by taping radio programmes then listening back. 

I feel lucky to have been learning when I did as the music around at that time (77 onwards) was great for me - so much variety... 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Frank Blank said:
  • Public Image by PiL
  • Peaches

When I first started playing Public Image was the favourite bass line which was passed on between players in the ‘punk’ world.

the other most common one was Warhead by U.K. Subs. Nobody really knew the song much, but it didn’t stop the bass line being taught onwards!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some of the punk/new wave era songs were great inspiration for would-be bass players at that time.

Bands like the Clash, Damned, Elvis Costello & the Attractions, XTC, Stranglers, Ian Dury & the Blockheads all featured memorable bass lines.

Add to that Talking Heads, Magazine, Wire, Jonathan Richman, Television, Buzzcocks, Ruts, to name but a few, and there was plenty for the novice bassist to get their/our teeth into!

New Boots & Panties was, and still is, a wonderful ‘bass’ album... 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Iron Maiden - Running Free. Was massively into Maiden in about 1985 and when I started playing bass a year later it was the first thing I learned. I’d actually been playing it on my violin - the instrument I learned before bass - holding it like a bass and plucking it. Something had to give. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 31/07/2020 at 20:45, Triumph_Rock said:

 

Lets here the stories!?

The first proper bassline that I learned for a band, was Mr Blue Sky.  I had been asked to deputise at a gig, moving from baritone ukulele (don't ask) to bass, while the original bass player was away for a few months.  I so wanted to get it right, and to be as good as the proper bassist, that I found a bass cover video on YouTube.  I spent three days transcribing the music, including the walking bass line toward the end of the main song.  In the process, I realised that the other bassist was simply playing root notes.

The whole process taught me that I really could learn songs properly, which was a revelation to me. I was invited to be their full time bassist, and spent a few happy years playing with them.

Ahh - deputies being asked to take over from their full-timers - a whole new subject! 

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

't remember which was first, but I played a gig a couple of weeks after first playing bass in a band (I'd been playing guitar for years and agreed to fill in on bass).  The set included:

Proud Mary (CCR)

Cocaine (Clapton)

Hey Joe (Hendrix)

Hotel California (Eagles)

Long Train Running (Doobie Brothers)

Light My Fire (Doors)

Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple)

Wonderful Tonight (Clapton)

What's Up (4 Non Blondes)

Bubbly (Colbie Collait)

The Thrill is Gone (BB King)

and erm,

Can't Get You out of My Head (Kylie)

We were the house band on a construction camp, playing for drinks which were plentiful.  I still have the video somewhere, but I'm mostly obscured by (horror of horrors) a music stand. I don't think I played any of them correctly, but the band seemed to think I was better than their old bass player and I played with them until I left the project and came home.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, NoRhino said:

Possibly Folsom Prison Blues or similar.  My older brother was a good Country guitar player and introduced me to the discipline of 2/4 time.

 

Played that in Hot Love 70's tribute band few yrs back. I'd never heard it before then.

Dave

Edited by dmccombe7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...