Whats the hardest bassline you've learnt and why?

[iconic]

This isn't the first time I have found this with....Larry Graham's Hair....I can do that to a certain standard, dropped into place no fuss....but...

Bowie's Ashes to Ashes... ! I have finally got it down after 2 weeks now, it's not the intro' (I'm not that bad)....it's the bridges n stuff...I always seem to loose my place and the timing's (where is tim when you need him most?) has been hard....all for no particular reason though...

[Tait]

Hit Me With Your Rythm Stick, and because my brother's drum teacher bet me his house I couldn't learn it in time for a gig we were playing. He still owes me that house.

[Delberthot]

Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song

Its all over the place.

I find the swing/big band arrangements the hardest to learn without the dots which is strange considering that my first real band at 17 was in a big band with a Dixieland band as a spin-off from this

[risingson]

A few Chaka Khan tunes with Anthony Jackson on bass. Anything with AJ on bass actually!

[essexbasscat]

This one. Still havn't busted it yet. Why ? just for the challenge !

Edited April 22, 2011 by essexbasscat

[Lozz196]

Probably between Muscle Museum by Muse, On Mercury by Red Hot Chilli Peppers, or Pump it Up by Elvis Costello & The Attractions

None particularly hard in terms of the actual notes played, but the feel of each of these, if gotten wrong, destroys the songs completely.

[iconic]

[quote name='essexbasscat' post='1208167' date='Apr 22 2011, 11:57 AM']This one. Still havn't busted it yet. Why ? just for the challenge !

[/quote]


sweet....was that done a fretless as well?....makes Bowie seem like a minor whinge

[BottomE]

I think Herbie Hancock "You Bet your Love". It moves between slapping and fingering and has some interesting timing things going on. Forgot to add the why bit of the OP - cos i love the tune.

Edited April 22, 2011 by BottomE

[Pete Academy]

Gaslighting Abbie by Steely Dan.

[Guest McBass]

Donny Hathaway Come Little Children..Willie Weeks on bass, 5/4 with killer fills!

[skankdelvar]

Strange Town - The Jam. Learnt it for an audition that never happened. Forgot it a week later.

[skej21]

Chromatic Fantasy [b]and[/b] Donna Lee by Jaco...

Had to learn them both for my undergrad final recital and provide my own accompaniment (loop pedal!). Ball ache is an understatement.

Couldn't find a decent video of Chromatic Fantasy, but here's Donna Lee.

[Shawman]

new born - Muse

not an overly difficult run but difficult to keep it going!

making my way through 'Overjoyed' by VW but keep getting my fingers tied up in knots

[LLOYDWT]

Scarified by Paul Gilbert / Racer X and I can still only do the tapping part at half speed.

Edited April 22, 2011 by LLOYDWT

[Tait]

[quote name='Shawman' post='1208310' date='Apr 22 2011, 02:08 PM']new born - Muse

not an overly difficult run but difficult to keep it going!

making my way through 'Overjoyed' by VW but keep getting my fingers tied up in knots [/quote]

+1 to New Born. Like you said, it's an easy enough bass line, but when you try to play it all the way through it's pretty tough. A bit like the end bit to Bullet In the Head by RATM, I spent ages practicing being able to play that all the way through!

[Shawman]

[quote name='LLOYDWT' post='1208312' date='Apr 22 2011, 02:12 PM']Scarified by Paul Gilbert / Racer X and I can still only do the tapping part at half speed.

[/quote]

i have been meaning to learn this for the last few years, tried a few times but gave up quite quickly might go back to it tonight

[bobbytodd]

megadeths polaris mostly because of the speed of the song.

[LLOYDWT]

[quote name='Shawman' post='1208318' date='Apr 22 2011, 02:14 PM']i have been meaning to learn this for the last few years, tried a few times but gave up quite quickly might go back to it tonight[/quote]

It took me forever to get it, a couple of my mates wanted to cover this & Curse of Castle Dragon, picked up Castle Dragon in an hour or so and just struggled with this forever. Ended up learning it via a Paul Gilbert instructional video on youtube, but like I said before, the tapping is beyond me.

[Truckstop]

Bleed - Meshuggah. Just the sheer stamina needed. Took probably 3 weeks on and off to finally play the song all the way through. The bend in the main riff's a bitch too. If you go too far, or not bend enough, it sounds awful.

My Baby Just Cares For Me - Nine Simone. Trying to work through it right now. I can make my own walking line to go with it, but actually playing the actual song note for note is proving very tricky and also you have to get the 'bounce' just right or it sounds like a very weird rock song.

Truckstop

[essexbasscat]

[quote name='skej21' post='1208302' date='Apr 22 2011, 01:59 PM']Chromatic Fantasy [b]and[/b] Donna Lee by Jaco...

Had to learn them both for my undergrad final recital and provide my own accompaniment (loop pedal!). Ball ache is an understatement.

Couldn't find a decent video of Chromatic Fantasy, but here's Donna Lee.

[/quote]


Now that's a challange !

[skej21]

[quote name='essexbasscat' post='1208424' date='Apr 22 2011, 04:05 PM']Now that's a challange ![/quote]

Luckily it was nearly two years ago. Can still remember bits and play through (quite sloppy). Not a challenge I'd like to have again in the future lol.

[kevin_lindsay]

I remember learning the baselines to the whole of the 'Cupid & Psyche' album by Scritti Politti in the 1980's. Learning the keyboard bass on my bass guitar really hey me away from my usual 'Grid patterns' on the fingerboard.

I also remember figuring out the baseline to 'Welcome To The Pleasuredome' by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. A great 12 minutes of grooving with a main figure that has your fingers moving around the fingerboard, and loads of syncopated baselines throughout the track. Great fun. On fact, I'm off to play along with it again right now!!!

[essexbasscat]

[quote name='kevin_lindsay' post='1208430' date='Apr 22 2011, 04:14 PM']I remember learning the baselines to the whole of the 'Cupid & Psyche' album by Scritti Politti in the 1980's. Learning the keyboard bass on my bass guitar really hey me away from my usual 'Grid patterns' on the fingerboard.

I also remember figuring out the baseline to 'Welcome To The Pleasuredome' by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. A great 12 minutes of grooving with a main figure that has your fingers moving around the fingerboard, and loads of syncopated baselines throughout the track. Great fun. On fact, I'm off to play along with it again right now!!![/quote]


Oh Yes ! Welcome to the Pleasuredome is HUGE fun. Set some James Brown up after and suddenly, where did the time go ?

Also good to be reminded of Bet your Love again. Forgot that one

[thumbo]

[quote name='Truckstop' post='1208401' date='Apr 22 2011, 03:37 PM']Bleed - Meshuggah. Just the sheer stamina needed. Took probably 3 weeks on and off to finally play the song all the way through. The bend in the main riff's a bitch too. If you go too far, or not bend enough, it sounds awful.

Truckstop[/quote]

That tune is a monster, keeping those notes precise when your arm/wrist is giving up on you is a challenge!
I can't even begin to imagine playing the drum parts. Meshuggah ran a competition on youtube to see the best drum cover of it, not many people could get those double kicks right.


Tommy The Cat has always caused me difficulties, not so much in hitting the notes but in getting the groove just right. Some days I can do it, other days I can't.

[iconic]

[quote name='kevin_lindsay' post='1208430' date='Apr 22 2011, 04:14 PM']I remember learning the baselines to the whole of the 'Cupid & Psyche' album by Scritti Politti in the 1980's. Learning the keyboard bass on my bass guitar really hey me away from my usual 'Grid patterns' on the fingerboard.

I also remember figuring out the baseline to 'Welcome To The Pleasuredome' by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. A great 12 minutes of grooving with a main figure that has your fingers moving around the fingerboard, and loads of syncopated baselines throughout the track. Great fun. On fact, I'm off to play along with it again right now!!![/quote]


I have always wondered why I have never seen a decent bass cover of Wood Beez, great bassline!

Edited April 22, 2011 by iconic