16 replies to this topic

[thebuckets]

have a look at and please tell me where i can get the notation and or tab to this classic jamerson bass line
it might just make me keep hold of my sunburst p and stop gassing for a Jazz!
cheers Bri

[essexbasscat]

if you listen carefully, can you hear 'Tracks of my tears' in there by Smokey Robinson ? sounds like James has just spent the whole afternoon listening to it !

So real though. nice one !

[thebuckets]

essexbasscat, on Dec 6 2009, 02:26 AM, said:

if you listen carefully, can you hear 'Tracks of my tears' in there by Smokey Robinson ? sounds like James has just spent the whole afternoon listening to it !

So real though. nice one !

I see what you mean, has to be one of the nicest bass vocal mixes i've heard in a long time

Anyone know where I can find it? still have trouble (or dont have the time!) listening and working out myself, though i know its an excellent way to get your ears tuned

[kennyrodg]

Sublime !!

[~tl]

Here's the intro and the first time through the main verse/chorus pattern I just wrote out (badly). Jamerson plays it a little differently every time through the verse/chorus, but it's all a variation on the theme.

Intro:

G |---5---4-3-------------------------------------------------------------|
D |--------------5---2-0----------2345--------2345--------2345---3--2-0---|
A |------------------------2-33-3--------33-3--------33-3----------------2|
E |-----------------------------------------------------------------------|

First verse/chorus:

G |--------------------------------------------------
D |------2345---------2345---------2345--------------
A |-33-3---------33-3---------33-3---------33-3-0-0--
E |----------------------------------------------3---

G |--------------------------------------------------
D |------2345---------2345---------2345--------------
A |-33-3---------33-3---------33-3---------33-3-0-0--
E |----------------------------------------------3-31

G |--------------------------------------------------
D |----020--2-33-2-0-1-20-0---2-25-3-2-0--320-320-320
A |---2---2--------------2---2-2---------------------
E |0-------0---------------0-------------------------

				 ************ 
G |--------------------------|
D |-320--5--555--------------|
A |--------------------0-3-0-|
E |--------------3--33-------|


Middle 8:

(Replaces *** in verse/chorus.)

G |-----------------------------------------------
D |-------0---------------------------------------
A |-----03-30--3-032--20--0---23--32--20--0-------
E |-3--3--------3----------3---------------3--21--

G |-----------------------------------|
D |-----------------------------------|
A |-3---------------------------0-3-0-|
E |1-101-2-333333333333333333333------|

Hope that helps. Main thing is to have fun with it. I'd be willing to bet that Jamerson was making it up on the fly, so don't feel that you have to copy his every note

Edited by ~tl, 07 December 2009 - 09:42 PM.

[thebuckets]

thanks a lot, i will be trying that out ASAP will post back my thoughts soon
Cheers
Bri

[thebuckets]

sounds great to me many thanks
Bri

[Lo.]

thebuckets, on Dec 6 2009, 12:55 AM, said:

have a look at and please tell me where i can get the notation and or tab to this classic jamerson bass line
it might just make me keep hold of my sunburst p and stop gassing for a Jazz!
cheers Bri

Here's my take on it - not sure how it compares with the tab but it might help...

[kennyrodg]

Lo., on Dec 9 2009, 12:19 AM, said:

Here's my take on it - not sure how it compares with the tab but it might help...

Dude !!

Where ya been

For future reference if anyone's looking for a JJ bass line you could a lot worse than check out Lo's vids on the toob.
Killer !!

[thebuckets]

at last Jamersonshook is unmasked!
Lo i have been watchin your vids on youtube for quite a while but somehow never found that one.
hats off to you mate- good work.
perhaps you would like to throw your tuppence worth into my 'should i sell my p for a Jazz' thread in the bass guitars gear forum as im still undecided and have noticed you play both.

[Lo.]

thebuckets, on Dec 9 2009, 10:42 AM, said:

at last Jamersonshook is unmasked!
Lo i have been watchin your vids on youtube for quite a while but somehow never found that one.
hats off to you mate- good work.
perhaps you would like to throw your tuppence worth into my 'should i sell my p for a Jazz' thread in the bass guitars gear forum as im still undecided and have noticed you play both.

Cheers.

Don't sell your P. Try to get a nice cheapo Jazz (MIM/MIJ/Squire?) and upgrade the pickups. My P & J basses both have active EMG's. I've played £50 Jazz copies that are great instruments - with decent pickups and the right setup you will have a great bass.

After string type, the tone mainly comes from you hands - I set the action high to get a loud clean tone, and low if I want a dirtier thing without having to batter the bass - if I wanted low and clean my hands would have to play the strings a lot softer, but that's not the tone I usually want so I rarely do it.

For LH muting, check out Rocco Prestia's technique - I guarantee you'll build some of it into your style, and it might just make you decide to keep that lovely P.

See this from 6min in:

[thebuckets]

Cheers lo
I'm gonna give that vid a good look and reassess my needs. sure i would end up regretting selling my P-need to hear it through some good amplification then decide. nice busy playing by rocco

[4 Strings]

Great to meet you Lo, I've also looked at many of your vids, great stuff. Looking at 'Aint no Mountain' as I have to learn this one myself.

Have you ever done the other 'Aint no Mountain', the big one with Diana Ross? Jamerson is masterful and, for me anyway, almost impossible to mimic. Would greatly appreciate your expert take on it.

[alanbass1]

4 Strings, on Mar 29 2010, 02:26 PM, said:

Great to meet you Lo, I've also looked at many of your vids, great stuff. Looking at 'Aint no Mountain' as I have to learn this one myself.

Have you ever done the other 'Aint no Mountain', the big one with Diana Ross? Jamerson is masterful and, for me anyway, almost impossible to mimic.

+1 on this

[funkgod]

Im not sure i can do this, but i have some of the james jamerson and Bob Babbitt, original bass lines taken from the original master tapes (just the bass lines) of marvin gay etc.

In fact would be a good idea to have a dedicated thred for the next bit of info, so if any of the Moderators read this then are we legally allowed to do this ??

Ok while im sure im not allowed to to give these out,
you can get intouch with a very nice man called "Rick Suchow" here
http://www.ricksuchow.com/
If you are very nice to him and assure him you are only using them for yourself for personal teaching etc then he might allow you a pass word into a part of the site where these MP3 can be listend too...
All to good to be true, but they are there and a fantastic help to all bass players
and a great big thanks to Rick Suchow for all the efforts he does.

So i think one of the moderators might want to send rick an email and ask permission if we can have a direct link to his site.
sorry if this has already been covered here.

Edited by funkgod, 22 September 2010 - 08:32 PM.

[4 Strings]

Rick is happy to allow those who request the password to get in, in fact the password is pretty well published on the net anyway, but it does allow cover him for putting this stuff on his site.

Anyone know of any other sources of Jamerson (or any Motown isolated or semi-isolated) tracks?

[StuFletch]

Check out the book "Standing in the shadows of motown" some background, tips and quite a few transcribed tunes in there with a handy CD. (if you haven't already)