10 Songs to learn....

[jimcroisdale]

Hi all,

I once read a thing written by the guitarist Paul Gilbert. It was a list of ten songs which he said if you learned them all note for note, would give you a great grounding in lots of areas of guitar playing.

These days, I play bass nearly exclusively, and wondered if anyone would like to play at list-writing like PG did?

I like all styles of bass, but the two that I can't really do are slap and jazz. One, because I don't have the technique, and the other because I'm just not that good a musician. You may choose to ignore those styles, or maybe even focus on them - up to you.

Come on then, gimme ten!

Cheers,

Jim

[ahpook]

i'd certainly be interested in the suggestions, good thread

[paul_5]

Ooh, I'll brave a suggestion - Tom Sawyer by Rush. It's good grounding in learning when to leave notes hanging in the air and create space in a song, and when to play more complicated stuff. The main riff is pretty tricky to pull off cleanly, which focusses your technique somewhat.



Oh yeah, it swaps between 4/4 and 7/4, so you learn to count too...

[SteveO]

This looks promising. I don't have much to contribute just yet, but I'd say that learning "Sweet Child" was the song that marked the change from someone who played the bass to being a bass player for me. Opened up a whole new era of playing [i]with[/i] other instruments, not just playing underneath them.

Edited May 12, 2012 by SteveO

[guildbass]

Get It On.....From Electric Warrior. Simple as you like...root 'E's have an off beat groove, the A is on beat the g to a run up offers some improv fun but the deal is.... Get it right and the song GROOVES...T Rex is ALL about the bass groove

[skidder652003]

good times, Chic, still havent got the bugger...

[Dad3353]

'A child is coming' - Jefferson Starship, from the album 'Blows against the Empire'. Jack Casady shows us what to do for a solo, using almost exclusively feedback. A great moment. Bass isn't [i]only [/i]about pounding.

[TKenrick]

http://youtu.be/KqtELR5GyfI

[lobematt]

[quote name='TKenrick' timestamp='1336910174' post='1652574']
[media]http://youtu.be/KqtELR5GyfI[/media]
[/quote]

YES!

[foal30]

1. So What - Miles Davis
2. 5:15 - The Who
3. Get up (Sex Machine) - James Brown
4. Try a Little Tenderness - Otis Redding
5. Everything is Everything - Donny Hathaway
6. Even Better than the Reakl Thing - Marvin Gaye
7. For the Love of Money - The O'Jays
8. School Days - Stanley Clarke
9. Why I sing the Blues - B.B. King
10. Are You My Baby? - Wendy and Lisa

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='foal30' timestamp='1336980116' post='1653341']
1. So What - Miles Davis
2. 5:15 - The Who
3. Get up (Sex Machine) - James Brown
4. Try a Little Tenderness - Otis Redding
5. Everything is Everything - Donny Hathaway
6. Even Better than the Reakl Thing - Marvin Gaye
7. For the Love of Money - The O'Jays
8. School Days - Stanley Clarke
9. Why I sing the Blues - B.B. King
10. Are You My Baby? - Wendy and Lisa
[/quote]
Nice mix.

[thepurpleblob]

The songs that kill me are those that are in a style that I'm not comfortable with. Obviously, that will vary for different players. For example I've been playing a few Primal Scream songs and I just don't get the "swagger" for want of a better word. So I would almost say...

- properly nail something Motown
- properly nail some of that Stax / soul stuff
- properly nail something prog-ish from the 70s
- .... funk
- .... 80s
- .... 90s Manchester

you see where I'm going

[seashell]

This has got me thinking about the main songs I have learned over the past year. My teacher suggested some of these, others I asked him if he could show me, one I worked out for myself. I'm not telling you which is which!

1. Daytripper - The Beatles
2. Gangster - the Specials
3. Enter Sandman - Metallica
4. Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
5. Paranoid - Black Sabbath
6. Money - Pink Floyd
7. Hotel California - The Eagles
8. Dazed and Confused - Led Zep
9. So What - Miles Davis
10. Everyday - Slade

Quite a nice varied selection I think!

[chrismuzz]

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1337067431' post='1654707']
This has got me thinking about the main songs I have learned over the past year. My teacher suggested some of these, others I asked him if he could show me, one I worked out for myself. I'm not telling you which is which!

1. Daytripper - The Beatles
2. Gangster - the Specials
3. Enter Sandman - Metallica
4. Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
5. Paranoid - Black Sabbath
6. Money - Pink Floyd
7. Hotel California - The Eagles
8. Dazed and Confused - Led Zep
9. So What - Miles Davis
10. Everyday - Slade

Quite a nice varied selection I think!
[/quote]

I'm guessing Sandman, Paranoid, Money, or Dazed!

[psychojoy]

Running Free by Iron Maiden for me. It's when I learned to keep notes clean and sharp and I gained some knowledge about quicker fills and how things can move together even in simpler chord progressions.

[ZMech]

Despite that I don't every have to play dub reggae, going through and learning all the basslines from Below The Basslines by Ernest Ranglin definitely helped build my feel, and appreciation for nice spacious phrasings.

Am liking the lists so far though, think I need to stop neglecting the James Brown lines.

Edited May 16, 2012 by ZMech

[yepmop]

Good thread.

A couple that spring to mind for me would be;

Hit me with you rhythm stick - Ian Dury
My Baby just cares for me - Nina Simone

Will have to think other the others.

[Fat Rich]

I think it was Billy Sheehan who said learn the bass line to every song on Sergeant Pepper if you want to improve as a musician and understand how a line can complement a song.

"Rhythm Stick" is a great bass line, as is "What a Waste" also by Norman Watt Roy.

Also Stevie Wonder lines are fun, "Master Blaster" and "Sir Duke" have some unison bits that'll have you all over the fingerboard, "I Wish" is pretty relentless.

Slap I enjoy playing "Forget Me Nots" and Michael Jackson's "Get on the Floor", I'm not really into full on slap lines.

I reckon if you work out how the lines of any songs you are playing fit with the chords, how the fills fit with the rhythm and the vocals, how note lengths are used, accents etc instead of just learning the line parrot fashion you'll make quicker progress as musician.

And it's super important to work things out by ear, only use notation / tab / youtube to check afterwards.

[bassfunk]

Sir Duke and I Wish are great, defo helped me. I'd say for me it's been:

Things I've learnt that have helped me to become a better player:

Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder
I Wish - Stevie Wonder
Never Too Much - Luther Vandross
Canned Heat - Jamiroquai
Hey Joe - Hendrix
You Got the Love - Joss Stone's Version

Things I should probably learn to improve my playing:
School Daze - Stanley Clarke
Anything by Jaco
Loads of Jazz standards
The entire standing in the shadows of Motown book
Good Times - Chic

Now I just need to quit the day job and any bands I'm in. Then I'll have time to become a better player

[BottomE]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1337012587' post='1653979']
Nice mix.
[/quote]
+1 great choices