Thor Posted January 4 Author Share Posted January 4 59 minutes ago, chris_b said: Tricky bass lines are great. They challenge us and force us to extend and expand our thinking, techniques and comfort zones. Master one thing you find uncomfortable or difficult to play every week. I couldn't agree more 🙂 I am glad it's not just me that encounters such issues though, and it's quite interesting to hear what others find tricky 😄 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 On 29/12/2023 at 11:57, markbunney said: I am noticing more and more that when I listen back now to songs I learnt a long time ago and have been playing ever since, that what I thought was the bass line was nothing like what was actually recorded! I think this is a mix between me now having better audio equipment and headphones, and general improvement as a player. My take is if, as a bass player, I didn't know I was playing it differently, no one else will. I've only once been told that "the bass line doesn't go like that." to which my reply was "Well, it did tonight." I usually try and find a live version as quite often even the original bass player couldn't play live what they recorded. The other issue is - can the drummer play the drum part, the guitarist play the guitar part. It's quite often that you will have to adapt the bass line for a new arrangement/lineup. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 Reminds me of what I read re Darryl Jones when he joined The Rolling Stones and when he asked Keef how the basslines went. The reply was “you tell me, you’re the bassist”. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbunney Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 The brain works in funny ways. I was struggling with Long Train Runnin by The Doobie Brothers before Christmas. I had a look again yesterday after a few weeks break and got it no problem. This year I am trying to work on songs that are outside of my normal rock/indie genre to try and widen & improve my playing. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassfinger Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 On 10/12/2023 at 13:00, Thor said: I’ve been asked to dep for a covers band and at first glance of their set list I thought to myself I know 90% of what they're doing, but among the songs was She's Not There by The Zombies - I've never played it before but found it really trick to learn. I've now learnt it but what a tricky bass line I've found it to finger. That got me to wondering if you guys find certain songs awkward to play and if so, and you don't mind sharing, what are they?🙂 Im glad im not the only one! It took me a good while to learn that one as well. A great song to do live, IMHO one of the best pop songs of all time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asingardenof Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 On 04/01/2024 at 12:52, TimR said: I usually try and find a live version as quite often even the original bass player couldn't play live what they recorded. I've had this with Club Foot, where the original bassine was recorded by the guitarist, and the live version of the bass solo is very different to what's on the recorded version. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbunney Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 2 minutes ago, asingardenof said: I've had this with Club Foot, where the original bassine was recorded by the guitarist, and the live version of the bass solo is very different to what's on the recorded version. We played Club Foot on NYE and I have to go into 100% concentration mode for the solo. To my amazement, people were singing along to the bass solo, something I’ve never experienced before! This meant I had to concentrate even harder, to try and zone out the drunks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Edwards69 Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 On 29/12/2023 at 08:08, DocTrucker said: Well I'm very much a rookie and not seen any of the ones I have struggled with here and so will stay quiet about most of them! That said a largely simple song - all right now - has an instrumental section that has a bar of standard fingering in the money zone followed by a jump to right up near the bridge with the open A played with the thumb, repeated over and over. Getting the notes in the right order and close to on time, just needs tidying up now! I found the key to jumping up and down the neck on this one is pointing your head in the right direction in anticipation of the next bar i.e., looking at the 17th fret whilst you're playing the low notes, and looking at the 5th fret whilst you're playing the high notes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 On 29/12/2023 at 08:08, DocTrucker said: Well I'm very much a rookie and not seen any of the ones I have struggled with here and so will stay quiet about most of them! That said a largely simple song - all right now - has an instrumental section that has a bar of standard fingering in the money zone followed by a jump to right up near the bridge with the open A played with the thumb, repeated over and over. Getting the notes in the right order and close to on time, just needs tidying up now! It also helps if you play it on a short scale bass like Andy Fraser did, and not a 36" scale Overwater like I tried... 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 46 minutes ago, BigRedX said: It also helps if you play it on a short scale bass like Andy Fraser did, and not a 36" scale Overwater like I tried... I've never tried on a short scale - but that makes sense to me! 🙂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Rush YYZ, always. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 2 hours ago, White Cloud said: Rush YYZ, always. Most definitely! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asingardenof Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 17 hours ago, White Cloud said: Rush YYZ, always. Even the middle section of Tom Sawyer, I'm forever trying to play one string higher than exists and play notes off the fretboard. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor Posted January 6 Author Share Posted January 6 La Villa Strangiato is another one I find tricky! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonestar Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 Soul with a Capital S Tower of Power. In fact any of the three numbers with Rocco Prestia bass parts that we do. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 1 hour ago, lonestar said: Soul with a Capital S Tower of Power. In fact any of the three numbers with Rocco Prestia bass parts that we do. RP's a monster. The left hand is pretty straightforward, but I can never get the right hand technique working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonestar Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 1 minute ago, chris_b said: RP's a monster. The left hand is pretty straightforward, but I can never get the right hand technique working. He sure was. He also did a clever left hand thing, which I'll not even attempt, certainly with all those 16ths ! I saw a vid explaining how he fretted a note with one finger and muted with another on the same hand while playing those fast runs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steantval Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 Our new band have decided to add American Girl by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers to the set, thanks guys. Its a tricky one as I like to learn them as exactly to the recording. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Edwards69 Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 I've mentioned it before elsewhere, but my nemesis is "Get what you give" by the New Radicals. It's not difficult to play, but I have a devil's job remembering it. For a song with only a few chords, it's a busy bassline that rarely sticks to the root - lot of passing notes, inversions, slash chord tone. And never the same through the song. It's constantly shifting. It's the only song in our repertoire I have to read whilst playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 Somebody told me - the Killers is a decent workout. I'm currently cheating by playing the intro riff an octave down from the original until I've got it comfortably tight. May need to enlist the assistance of my Digitech Mosaic octave up if that becomes a permanent way of doing it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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