Help me choose a song... Please

[GregRichardson]

Hi, its Greg again

Today at school I picked up a bass guitar for the first time (It felt GOOOOOOD) and I started messing around with it, I soon found out how to play 'When I come around' by Green Day (some call it genius while others call it the internet) I basically copied this guy: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26tph5avRSw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26tph5avRSw[/url], I practiced it so much that my best friend stood up and left after informing me that I practiced the song so much, and by the end of the day I learned how to play it quite well (I am a very VERY modest person) and I thought "Hey, maybe if I learned another song I could annoy my friends with that", so I scavenged the internet for Green Day tabs and it turns out that all the ones I like are easy as hell to play so I was wondering which song I should learn next?

By the way, my guitar is not yet finished and probably wont be for a while...

[queenofthedepths]

First time you ever picked up a bass and you can play that? That's pretty damned impressive dude. I can see you're really enthusiastic!!! There are lots of other great songs to learn on bass that are about that hard, but the easiest stuff to learn is music you've heard lots before. So what are your favourite bands?

[GregRichardson]

I did spend about 2-4 hours with the bass before I could actually play it and I still just strum with my thumb but thanks a lot for the comment.

Its hard to say which bands I really like, sometimes I just hear a song and think "Hey, thats a pretty cool song, I like it" with the exception of Dire Straight (I believe Dire Straights was the best band ever, EVER) also my taste of music varies greatly; I really enjoy Green Day and the works of Jonathan Coulton (I am a massive nerd by the way) I also really enjoy rearranged classical music such as JerryC's canon rock and Mattrach's version of Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 11, I really enjoy the bloodhound gang (but who truly doesn't?).

Yes, I know that I am going to get slaughtered for my taste in music (possibly due to the fact very few of them have a noticeable bass lines and if they do, they are basically strumming the same note over and over again) but it could be worse, I could actually enjoy listening to cold play (if you ever hear me talking about cold play again, please carry me off in a straight jacket to an insane asylum)

well once again I am writing forum enteries at midnight (its the only time I get from my busy schedule of doing nothing and eating doritos)

Good night, morning or whatever it is up there in the 'land up-over'.
Greg

by the way if my sentences don't make sense, it is because I am very tired and not because I am a complete retard (although that may aide the matter)

[E_MaN]

Have a go at anything you like!!! There's no reason you shouldn't try anything, just because someone might say its too hard or such like! I tried to play Maxwell Murder after about 3/4 months of playing bass. I couldn't really play it well then, but I left it, came back to i after a few more months and then I could! So just have a go at some music which you like the sound of or the bass line!

If you like the Punk/Rock maybe [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcSSv51ee1U"]This Is How It Goes by Billy Talent[/url] or [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiVvA9YQpiI"]London Calling by The Clash[/url]

[xgsjx]

When I first started it was early U2 & Talking Heads songs that I learned most of the time (well it was early 80's!). But if you hear a bassline in a song you really like then try & learn it, I prefer melody over speed but do enjoy the odd bit of tapping & quick runs.

Good luck with the build. You should pop some pics up of your progress.

[GregRichardson]

thanks a lot for the confidence E_man and xgsjx, I will have to wait a few days to try those Punk Rock songs (to be honest I had never heard of them before) because it is weekend (this is probably the one time I am excited to go to school ) I might also try 'Longview' by Green Day because it has quite a catchy bass line.

Thanks a lot everyone for your help

oh and by the way dont get excited about my build, its probably going to end up a plank of wood with the bass strings , I would post photos, but my camera killed its self yesterday (just my luck) and don't ask me how because I honestly don't know. I am also having a very hard time finding a piezo element... But enough of my rambling

thanks a lot
Greg

Edited June 28, 2008 by GregRichardson

[charic]

Angry Again by megadeth will probably stretch you nicely taught me a lot about technique.

Also if you want to work on speed i would suggest black lung by rancid.

I will be surprised if you manage either any time particularly soon but its in the learning that matters IMO

[chris_b]

[quote name='GregRichardson' post='228581' date='Jun 28 2008, 02:50 PM']....I practiced it so much that my best friend stood up and left after informing me that I practiced the song so much....[/quote]
What to rehearse next? You choose, all I'll say is that you can't practice "too much". There is an old saying, which is very true... "You don't practice till you get it right; you practice till you can't get it wrong". Good luck.

[GregRichardson]

To Chris_b

Surprisingly enough, I have never heard that saying, but it is very true so thanks for that

also, for anyone who wants to know I have finally started my own bass, but it kinda sucks also my dad bought a new camera so I can post photos of it, it will be named the planktar (and you will see why ) if anyone knows what I can use for strings (other than actual strings) please tell me

[bnt]

Well, if you're going to learn some Green Day, you have to include [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=G605NirgBjw"]Basket Case[/url]! Another one of theirs I've tried is [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1gL5e986lxY"]Warning[/url], where the bass is really up-front.

Apart from that - who knows? Got any favourite pop songs, or your Mum's ABBA records? (You could do worse!)

Edited June 29, 2008 by bnt

[Pkomor]

[quote]if anyone knows what I can use for strings[/quote]

i know someone on here is using sthil mowing line of different thickness's....

[Tait]

when i come around's quite tough for a first song to learn!

im guessing you like stuff like green day if you chose that particular song to learn first? i'd say learn some new found glory or zebrahead, both good bass players (although i know at least one person on here disagrees with me about ian grushka of nfg), or some more of greendays older stuff (the new stuffs pretty rubbish IMO)

"warning" by greenday is a good one to learn for a beginner cos it teaches you the major scale (the whole song is just going up and down the major scale in A).

just play music you like!

[Thunderthumbs]

Greg,

Great to hear of a newbie who loves the bass so much.

If I think back to when I starting playing when I was about 13/14, I was heavily into The Jam and bands like that, so that's what I learnt mostly. It's far more use to you when starting out to play stuff you enjoy. So many kids are put off instruments by dictatorial tutors who believe "it's my way or the highway".

I then started listening to anything and everything, and artists that inspired the people I listened to, so through Paul Weller, I started listening to the likes of The Kinks, Small Faces and The Who.

I always tell kids to just be open to every style of music. We all have something to learn from every style, regardless of how it's perceived by other more narrow minded people. I was brought up by parents who loved country & western, a sister who loved glam rock along with 70s boy bands such as The Osmonds and the Bay City Rollers, and I knocked about with mates who, like me, went through punk and new wave in the late 70s and early 80s.

I then teamed up with the guys in my first band who were into stuff like Genesis, Rush, Led Zep, etc. and then that followed on through many other musicians I met to an appreciation of Jazz, Funk, etc. etc.

So I have a very varied taste in music.

Just give it all a go. And keep enjoying it.

[GregRichardson]

I wrote a really long good comment yesterday but my laptop overheated and I lost all of it, I am so annoyed that I'm only going to write a short message to everyone;

first of all thank you bnt for reminding me of those great green day songs, I went into my loft (where I keep all my packed goods) and found my dookie and warning albums, I then listened to them over and over again for hours

thanks pkomer for that suggestion, I was going to use 'edging twine' (my word for the plastic-like string you put in edgers), but yours is a much better idea.

Iwtwait, during listening to warning over and over again, I got my dads acoustic guitar from the loft and messed around with it until I found something that sounded like warning, please tell me what I need to change (sorry I can't write music and even if I could I couldn't post it)
G|---------------------0-0--------------|
D|------------0-0-2-4----4-2-0-0-----|
A|---0-0-2-4----------------------4-2-|
E|---------------------------------------| etc
and then I noticed that it was basically the same as picture book by the kinks and walkie talkie man by steriogram

Thunderthumbs, I am also 14 and am thinking of buying a bass very soon (a very cheap one at that). I grew up listening to music that should be in the history books, and I can't stand any of it (other than my parents dire straits albums, I believe they are the greatest band that ever lived). My younger brother likes pop bands like Busted and son of dork (I know they are basically the same band) but I can't stand them (well at least its not rap).

thanks again for all the comments
Greg

Edited July 4, 2008 by GregRichardson

[Tait]

[quote name='GregRichardson' post='231786' date='Jul 3 2008, 09:36 AM']lwtwait, during listening to warning over and over again, I got my dads acoustic guitar from the loft and messed around with it until I found something that sounded like warning, please tell me what I need to change (sorry I can't write music and even if I could I couldn't post it)
G|---------------------0-0--------------|
D|------------0-0-2-4----4-2-0-0-----|
A|---0-0-2-4----------------------4-2-|
E|---------------------------------------| etc
and then I noticed that it was basically the same as picture book by the kinks and walkie talkie man by steriogram[/quote]

yeah that's pretty much right, just the last note is wrong-

G|---------------------0-0--------------|
D|------------0-0-2-4----4-2-0-0-----|
A|---0-0-2-4----------------------4-0-|
E|---------------------------------------| etc.

i always learnt its better to play songs with mostly open notes on the fifth fret of the string above, so here you'd play -

G|-------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------5-5-----------------|
A|------------5-5-7-9------7-9-5-5--------|
E|---5-5-7-9--------------------------9-5--| etc

this is for 2 reasons:
1) in a band situation you can change key easily so it's easier for you're singer to sing
2) here you're using the major scale. if you learn it like this you're learning the SHAPE of the major scale so can use it at any point in on the neck.

[GregRichardson]

thanks iwtait, I will try and rehearse that version.
sorry, I don't really have anything to write so this is my shortest comment EVER!!!!!