One Note Wonders

[Bilbo]

HEADPHONES ESSENTIAL)

 

I have a thing that I have been carrying around for decades whereby I find examples of bass playing where just ONE NOTE makes you go 'wow'. The two that come to mind immediately for me are Jimmy Johnson's Ab (0.21) from Flim And The BBs 'Tricycle'.... 

 

https://youtu.be/B0DTMMXYbvU?si=vOd2J5ckRdQqY41t

 

and the Eb slide Tony Levin does at the one minute mark on this video of Peter Gabriel's 'Solsbury Hill' (don't cheat - you have to listen to the whole thing ON HEADPHONES for the note to do it's thing)

 

https://youtu.be/WeYqJxlSv-Y?si=Uy0MMTEDIBmpTLBx

 

Anyone got any other examples of a single note that gives you chills?

[ezbass]

Waterfront by Simple Minds is all one note (IIRC). Derek Forbes with that one note rhythm, played with a pick (sounds like it anyway), clear and defined for 4 bars, setting up the big chord crash. 

Edited 12 hours ago by ezbass

[Dood]

This is a tough one as every note in this track is perfectly and well placed. A bit of an odd choice from me, it appeared on a Sony compilation CD my mum had and I noted that the singer has the same name as my good friend and band mate, top session drummer Thomas Lang. 

 

What was more incredible is the fretless bassist on the track, expertly negotiating weaving in and out of the vocals,  unbeknownst to me is a chap called John Murphy... yes, the same John Murphy responsible for the soundtracks of Suicide Squad, 28 days/weeks later, Guardians Of The Galaxy, etc! 

 

Ok, pick a note, any note.. 0.54 or 1.07 reaching high. or 1.30 

 

 

[Dood]

I'll refrain from recycling the old When Dove's Cry joke.. 

[Dood]

ALL of this. I teach this bass line every time someone wants to learn slap bass. It's the perfect antidote to over playing, which oft ends up sounding like building a shed with drum kit. And a two chord song! Em - EAug

 

 

Edited 11 hours ago by Dood

[Lozz196]

38 minutes ago, ezbass said:

Waterfront by Simple Minds is all one note (IIRC). Derek Forbes with that one note rhythm, played with a pick (sounds like it anyway), clear and defined for 4 bars, setting up the big chord crash. 

Yep, great track and all the more amazing because of said bass.

[Dood]

Guy Pratt's triplet percussive slide thing here at 1.05:30 

 

 

 

[Dood]

48 minutes ago, ezbass said:

Waterfront by Simple Minds is all one note (IIRC). Derek Forbes with that one note rhythm, played with a pick (sounds like it anyway), clear and defined for 4 bars, setting up the big chord crash. 

 

9 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Yep, great track and all the more amazing because of said bass.

 

And One Of The Days by Pink Floyd (obvs prefer the live versions!) - That dotted 8ths pedal groove is SO effective and perfect for grabbing the delay pedal out. #NerdAlert - I remember watching John Giblin playing for Simple Minds at the Nelson Mandela concert - so much so that I recall him playing a Fender Power Jazz Bass Special - my PJ's of choice these days, cracking out a delay pedal at the end of the song. It's funny how these memories seem to come back to me when I read basschat posts! 

[EliasMooseblaster]

For me, it's The Who's live performance of Pinball Wizard from their IoW 1970 set: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J03yCE15rg

 

Listen to the buildup; it's only 20 seconds in. But that moment where The Ox's bass blasts in (filling in for the distorted guitar stings from the studio version) rarely fails to raise the hairs on the back of my neck. They also have an entertaining effect if you put it on for unsuspecting friends who usually looked shocked and exclaim, "holy s**t, is that the bass?!"

[knirirr]

Here's a nice jazz example - makes a change from the many notes we usually have to play:
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5bq_vRMskM&list=RDj5bq_vRMskM&start_radio=1

 

There's a faster version with violins &c. which is better known, but I think I prefer the one above:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER8Q504Vro8&list=RDER8Q504Vro8&start_radio=1&pp=oAcB

 

[mr4stringz]

8 hours ago, Dood said:

ALL of this. I teach this bass line every time someone wants to learn slap bass. It's the perfect antidote to over playing, which oft ends up sounding like building a shed with drum kit. And a two chord song! Em - EAug

 

 

Such a great track.

[Dood]

50 minutes ago, mr4stringz said:

Such a great track.

 

Isn't it! I remember first seeing it on Raw Power / Noisy Mothers the late night ITV rock music program when I was..well.. younger!! 

 

 

[Stub Mandrel]

It's guitar not bass, but Peter Green's opening note on The Super Natural, of John Mayall's greatest album, A Hard Road.

 

I think Gary Moore and Joe Bonamassa dedicated their lives trying to repeat it.

 

 

Lovely bassline by John Mcvie too - blues but not a predictable 12-bar.

 

One of my favourite songs.