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Whats the hardest bassline you've ever played?


rodneymullen
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Weird- quite a few people have said Hysteria by Muse. I found that one easy to master, after all its all done on the open strings and its not too fast.

An open string song I DO have trouble with - One by Metallica. At 214bpm triplet fingerstyle that is impossible! Im at about 180bpm. Although Cliff Burton 'fluffed over' a lot of his fast parts with sloppy playing so I'm sure I can get away with it if he can !

ps - And yes I know Jason played on that song, I'm just saying if you listen to Cliff on songs like Disposable Heroes the playing is VERY sloppy

pps - please dont complain that I am dissing Cliff. I love Cliff I am merely stating if you listen to his isolated tracks they are not perfect.

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One of the great things about the bass is just how sloppy/noisy you can be but how much of that gets hidden in the mix. Can’t remember which one it was now, but I found the original bassline to a Duran Duran song on YouTube; it’s a great line but it sounds terrible when isolated. The playing is tight enough but there’s a load of fret noise and pickup hits, even a very clumsy punch-in edit. But put the whole musical package together and it sounds great. We get away with quite a lot!
On the subject of Hysteria, sometimes the open strings become the problem, for me anyway. Instead of trying to hit every note I do a load of hammer-ons, but there are points – in pretty much every verse phrase – where you’re forced to change the hit/hammer-on rhythm and it really catches me out. Given more time I’m sure I’ll nail it (or get close).
Perversely, and simply because of my, er, digital deficiencies, I find the chorus harder than the verses, just can’t move the thumb quick enough.

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[quote name='jonnythenotes' timestamp='1423248398' post='2682850']
Easiest way to play Sir Duke is by keeping your wrist fixed at your start point, and play the lot using only one octave....The whole thing is done using a tight pattern, and your hand never moves up or down. Some how it looks even more amazing than flying up and down the neck, as even though it is only using one octave, in a band environment, it sounds no different, apart from all the bottom end DOESN'T drop out in the high register parts.. Try it...7 notes and no hand movement whatsoever..
[/quote]

I like it. Not sure it's easier, maybe if I hadn't been practising this for so long, but in the band setting I like the idea of keeping the bottom end, with 3 horns, a guitarist and I playing in unison (in theory).

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[quote name='Bassjon' timestamp='1423593899' post='2686829']
Weird- quite a few people have said Hysteria by Muse. I found that one easy to master, after all its all done on the open strings and its not too fast.

An open string song I DO have trouble with - One by Metallica. At 214bpm triplet fingerstyle that is impossible! Im at about 180bpm.
[/quote]

Shows how different we all are as players. As you can tell from a lot of people saying, Hysteria is hard for a lot of people. Or variably hard. I can do it with one finger, but doing it as I want to do (and as the original) with two fingers, I can do it, but getting it to sound smooth and consistant is pretty hard.

One on the other hand, that is something I find pretty easy, as you can do fast groups of three finger triplets on it and as you say, it doesn't have to be tight, it can be pretty sloppy and sound right, which makes it easy enough.

For me that is what makes most things hard. I can do rhythm stick now, but I can't do it *well* because my fingering is not smooth enough, sting playing consistency isn't right, some notes are louder than others and on that track it does matter.

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Hysteria always got me when going back to the A & then repeating the riff.

One that I really enjoy playing, but not well enough to play thoroughly, is Wynona's Big Brown Beaver by Primus. The main riff is one that puts a smile on my face. :)

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[quote name='jonnythenotes' timestamp='1423248398' post='2682850']
Easiest way to play Sir Duke is by keeping your wrist fixed at your start point, and play the lot using only one octave....The whole thing is done using a tight pattern, and your hand never moves up or down. Some how it looks even more amazing than flying up and down the neck, as even though it is only using one octave, in a band environment, it sounds no different, apart from all the bottom end DOESN'T drop out in the high register parts.. Try it...7 notes and no hand movement whatsoever..
[/quote]

Excuse me for being thick but how? Start note on the unison run is low F# and the top note is Eb almost 3 octaves above it.
Even playing on a 5 string theres 13 frets between bottom and top.
Do you have a video of what you mean?
Thanks!

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[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1423642562' post='2687257']
Shows how different we all are as players. As you can tell from a lot of people saying, Hysteria is hard for a lot of people. Or variably hard. I can do it with one finger, but doing it as I want to do (and as the original) with two fingers, I can do it, but getting it to sound smooth and consistant is pretty hard.

One on the other hand, that is something I find pretty easy, as you can do fast groups of three finger triplets on it and as you say, it doesn't have to be tight, it can be pretty sloppy and sound right, which makes it easy enough.

For me that is what makes most things hard. I can do rhythm stick now, but I can't do it *well* because my fingering is not smooth enough, sting playing consistency isn't right, some notes are louder than others and on that track it does matter.
[/quote]


I play One with 2 fingers..... maybe I'll try 3 : )

Rhythm Stick on the other hand it seems is hard for EVERYONE, me included! I can't play it tight to speed at all

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3 finger triplets unlocked loads of songs for me... "One" included

Another one is Twisted by Skunk Anansie. It is seriously tough to play it exactly as he plays it I reckon

Rhythm Stick is one of those songs where i can nail all the little sections every now and then, but never seem to be able to stick it all together.. more homework needed

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[quote name='TommyK' timestamp='1423648041' post='2687332']

Another one is Twisted by Skunk Anansie. It is seriously tough to play it exactly as he plays it I reckon

Rhythm Stick is one of those songs where i can nail all the little sections every now and then, but never seem to be able to stick it all together.. more homework needed
[/quote]

Same with me, bro!

Just thought of another that gets me - Same Old Song (Jamerson I believe?). The verse and chorus are very alike and at speed that takes up all m y concentration. Especially as my band do it in a flat key so there's no open strings. Ouch!

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[quote name='anaxcrosswords' timestamp='1423745997' post='2688509']
Just thought of another too, although as I’ve never tried it I can’t say just how difficult it is – [b]Boogie Nights[/b] (Heatwave) has been on our suggestions list for a while but I really don’t fancy that intro! Is it as hard as I think it is?
[/quote]

No - I've not played it with a band, but as I recall its a piece of cake..

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[quote name='Nicko' timestamp='1423581580' post='2686593']
Inspied by this thread I have been attempting Rhythm Stick. Seems like my right hand technique will need some work to get it to race pace, and my left hand needs work on that Gsharp pinkie stretch. I need a lie down :(
[/quote]
I found this guy's video really helpful.. http://youtu.be/-vc7HS2c1rE

It's just as tricky slowed down, mind!

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[quote name='Old Man Riva' timestamp='1423765969' post='2688844']
I found this guy's video really helpful.. [media]http://youtu.be/-vc7HS2c1rE[/media]

It's just as tricky slowed down, mind!
[/quote]

Slowed down is not too bad, full speed is a challenge, but the 130 bpm is just incredible.

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[quote name='crez5150' timestamp='1423822931' post='2689355']
For me it took me longer than usual to learn this song..... Especially the bass break at around 3:00

[media]http://youtu.be/FOx81aG-EN4[/media]
[/quote]

It took me a while to get this one down as well, but now I can nail it at half speed.

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[b]Rio [/b]is a good one. Never played it with a band but when I got an Aria bass about 25 years ago I tried to copy some JT lines, one of which was Rio. Can’t remember if I ever nailed it, but it’s the only bassline I’ve ever tried where I think having only a thumb to play with actually became an advantage – it could work like a plectrum but with none of the unwanted noise and, if kept close to the strings, could even dampen notes as a plectrum maybe couldn’t.
It’s a major disadvantage for octave work though. [b]Everybody Dance[/b] is one we may be asked to do by request for a wedding (awaiting news on that) and those double octave hits – at that speed – will be close to impossible.

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