Bilbo

Another one from an early favourite, this is the bass part for the first half (before the drum solo) of the Cozy Powell tune 'Over The Top' (the second half features Powell with am orchestra playing Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture (inc. cannons). A weird tension between three against two phrases and syncopated sixteenths but, after a few listens, you will get the gist. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/over-the-top-jack-bruce/

Another Andy West Dregs bass part, tnis is 'Cruise Control' from the 1981 Dregs album 'Unsung Heroes'. Some great unison fills between West and guitarist STeve Morse. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/cruise-control-the-dregs/

I have seen most of the juggler videos referenced here but don't spend any time with them. In short, great to watch but invariably not so great to listen to. I think it is great that people push the envelope but most of this stuff is of no use to me whatsoever. .

That woudl be interesting. Brand X and Bruford toured together in the 1970s (early 80s?). Percy and Jeff are chalk and cheese so it woudl be interesting to see what transpires. I wonder why they don't use John Giblin?

A request from a member of Talkbass, this is David Paton's bass part for the tune 'Sasquatch' from the 1982 Camel album 'The Single Factor'. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/sasquatch-camel/

My understanding is that JG has some personal issues that make travelling outside of the US problematic. There have been other complications but, essentially, it seems as if these challenges have made the whole thing untenable. Percy is doing some interesting stuff nevertheless and we haven't seen the last of him.

This one really was a long-awaited effort. I have had it in mind to transcribe this probably since I started playing the bass. I got my first bass, a Hondoo II Precision copy in September 1980. I know that because that was the year I started working for a living and I paid for it with my first pay packet. At that point, I was already listening to the Friday Rock Show and, like every Rock fan who lived through that era, the opening theme from the show promised great things. It wasn't until some years later that I learned that the tune that opened the show was called 'Take It Off The Top' by the Dixie Dregs. What is more, the tune featured a genuine bass solo in the form of Andy West's two bar exchanges with guitarist Steve Morse (both names I would not know for some time yet). Last night, I put the final touches to this transcription and it is now available on my website. We got there in the end! https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/take-it-off-the-top-dixie-dregs/

What is being asked is essentially the magic of creating bass lines out of nothing. You can play the root, the third, fifth, a scale note, a chromatic note or, get this, play nothing at all. It's all context; where you were and where you are going and the musician's decision as to how to get there. Your decision is what makes you you and what makes me me etc.

Interesting that the video is labelled all positions for C major and the image is E major. 😄

Another Jeff Andrews performance, this is the bass part for 'Lose The Suit' from Mike Stern's 1996 album 'Between The Lines'. Great fun to read. Not too tough but some interesting spots here and there. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/lose-the-suit-mike-stern/

I first heard it at a friend's house when he was playing the DVD. I hadn't heard Dan for years and certainly hadn't heard the TAN album so a lot of the dvd was new to me. That groove is wicked.

This one is a bit of fun. Walter Becker's bass line to the track 'Cousin Dupress' from the 2000 Steely Dan album 'Two Against Nature'. Fairly easy read with nothing past eight notes. A couple of bars of chromatic leading notes but, otherwise, pretty much root based. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/cousin-dupree-steely-dan/

It is tough to play off the page but, if you spend a few hours with it, it is actually perfectly playable. Remember, a lot of the small details are improvised so AJ would have been playing them on the fly after some level of rehearsal. It's all doable if you invest the time.

I thought that, Dave, but I can and its not that hard. Same with Al Dimeola. Parts I thought were impossible become viable with practice.

Another track from the same album, the legendary 'Five G'. I struggeld with the funk bit as many of the notes are non-specific and there is aknack to the playing of the line that you are not going to get off the chart. I attahced a link to the YouTube copy of JB's Starlicks video where he explains how he does it. Hopefully, with chart and video, you can work it out. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/five-g-bruford/

Another Jeff Berlin performance. This is the first part of the tune 'One Of A Kind' from the 1979 Bruford album of the same name. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/one-of-a-kind-pt-1-bruford/

Yup. Like the line. Icky sound.

My 'go tos' are: Jack Bruce - Cozy Powell - Over The Top Jaco Pastorius - various Jeff Berlin - Bruford. His sound in recent recordings is really strong too. Jimmy Johnson - Wayne Johnson Trio Percy Jones/John Giblin - Brand X Anthony Jackson - almost everything but not when he has that bloody flanger thing on. Others include Andy West (Dixie Dregs), Richard Nolan (It Bites).

A little vignette from the 1977 Dixie Dregs 'Freefall' album. The tune is called 'Sleep' and features a subtle synth bass rather than bass guitar. An easy read if you are justs starting out and a fun thing to play. It is essentially an eight bar line that is expanding all the way through the piece. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/sleep-dixie-dregs/

I swear by the Mono bags. Pricey but absolutely fit for purpose. https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Mono-M80-Vertigo-Bass-Guitar-Gig-Bag-Black/1468?origin=product-ads&msclkid=586be85d397317e7c02fb7373a87cacc&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PLA | All Products | Remarketing&utm_term=4584001427933243&utm_content=All products

A monster transcription of Anthony Jackson's bass part to 'Nite Sprite' from the 1976 Chick Corea LP 'The Leprachaun'. Some ludicroulsy tight unison lines and some James Jamerson funk lines of amphetamines. Completely unreadable in tempo but worth the study time if you are interested. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/nite-sprite-chick-corea/

This is another one I did years ago but had to re-do because I lost the original. This is Andy West's bass part for the Dixe Dregs tune 'Night Meets Light' from the 1978 album 'What If'. The time signatures are a nightmare and I had to follow my nose when writing it down as I was reliant upon what felt like 'on' beats and what felt like 'off ' beats to guide my decisions about what each bar length was. The result is orgnaised chaos! https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/night-meets-light-dixie-dregs/

Eddie Gomez' bass part for 'Children's Song No. 15' from the 1978 Chick Corea album 'Friends'. Easy to read but you need to remain focused and concentrate. https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/childrens-song-no-15-chick-corea/

An old one I just happened upon. This is an eight bar passage from the tune 'Im Freaking Out' by The Dixie Dregs and features what I consider to be the main theme only, a unison part played with a pick by bass virtuoso Andy West and guitarist Steve Morse. That's enough to keep anyone in the woodshed for a while! https://bilbosbassbites.co.uk/im-freaking-out-dixie-dregs/

Don't count on it being correct, Drax. Transcription is not an exact science and I am as fallible as anyone.