Well known basslines that are deceptively a bit of a barsteward to nail

[Barking Spiders]

There are those basslines that may sound challenging , e.g. fast chromatic runs or high speed slap but can be nailed without too much hassle. Then there are those that on the face of it may not appear too much of a problem but on closer inspection are bluddy tricky. One such is What Is Hip by Tower of Power which I starting working on for the first time last night. Scott Devine has a vid  on this and even he admits he found it a bit of a bvgger to nail.  The nub of it is playing 16ths while muting the notes with the middle or ring finger on the fretting hand  while keeping a steady rhythm going with the plucking hand, leading with the index finger while accenting the odd notes...I think.  Anyone here tried this line or what others do you reckon are tougher than they first appear?

[chris_b]

Tough bass lines? Ones that are perfectly in time.

[Mykesbass]

Moondance

[TheGreek]

...especially if Bilbo is in the audience...

[wateroftyne]

I would argue that 'What is Hip' is neither well-known, nor on the face of it does it not appear to be too much of a problem :-)

[markdavid]

Joe Jackson Steppin Out  - I thought I had it nailed but then on closer listening realised hes  playing octaves , absolute b*!ch to play at the original speed, one day i'll nail it

[Cosmo Valdemar]

As daft as it sounds, a lot of Quo. Requires a lot of stamina to play it properly.

[martthebass]

1 minute ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

As daft as it sounds, a lot of Quo. Requires a lot of stamina to play it properly.

You're not wrong, easier on a mustang ;-)

[naxos10]

Agree with Cosmo. Currently the band have decided to include Paper Plane in the set and I must admit I am finding it awkward to decipher and I can't find any tabs on it.

[steantval]

13 minutes ago, martthebass said:

You're not wrong, easier on a mustang ;-)

What about a Ford Capri 😄

[NoRhino]

21 minutes ago, naxos10 said:

Agree with Cosmo. Currently the band have decided to include Paper Plane in the set and I must admit I am finding it awkward to decipher and I can't find any tabs on it.

First fret : Bb Eb F   Constant downstrokes with your pick. Play along with the studio version a few times and the subtleties will fall into place. 

[naxos10]

Thanks NoRhino, currently playing along with the You Tube studio version. I suppose I could let the guitarist do any fancy infills

[Misdee]

I would say What is Hip? is not a simple or easy bassline in most people's estimation. Like just about everything that Rocco plays, to make it accurate and convincing (and to keep it properly in time!) is a lot harder than he makes it look. 

There are so many basslines that are much harder to execute properly than you might think on first hearing. A classic example would be Gimme Some Lovin' by the Spencer Davies Group. The slides under the chorus have to be bang on or it will never sound tight. I've heard so many bands cover this song and make a pig's ear of it by being complacent about it's simplicity.

[musicbassman]

2 hours ago, wateroftyne said:

I would argue that 'What is Hip' is neither well-known, nor on the face of it does it not appear to be too much of a problem :-)

Are you serious ???  I expect many people can 'play' this, but as Misdee says, it's all about microsecond accuracy, dynamics and feel here............

[wateroftyne]

2 minutes ago, musicbassman said:

Are you serious ???  I expect many people can 'play' this, but as Misdee says, it's all about microsecond accuracy, dynamics and feel here............

Hmm.. not sure if you misread my post, but.. hearing this for the first time, my first thought is: 'That's got to be a bugger to play right'.

[gareth]

I always had problems with Hysteria by Muse

[AidanB]

On 06/03/2018 at 13:02, naxos10 said:

Thanks NoRhino, currently playing along with the You Tube studio version. I suppose I could let the guitarist do any fancy infills

I discovered the other day that you can slow down youtube videos which is really handy when you're trying to transcribe or play along with a track your learning. Just click on the gear icon - Settings and adjust the speed, i find 0.75 is good.

[fleabag]

 

[fleabag]

Way better than me 

As is this other bassist.  Great work /timing from both of them

This blue bass has a wonderful tone

 

 

 

Edited March 7, 2018 by fleabag

[Woodinblack]

On 06/03/2018 at 14:46, wateroftyne said:

Hmm.. not sure if you misread my post, but.. hearing this for the first time, my first thought is: 'That's got to be a bugger to play right'.

Think he missed the double negative!

[Woodinblack]

there are a few I have a problem with. Sir Duke. Not the normal going up linked with the brass that people say about, that is ok, it is the part in the chorus that lines up with the 'over' part of 'you can feel it all over people'.

I have a bit of a problem with Jamiroquais 'don't give hate a chance' - again, not the first part, but the run after 'not so different anyway'. I can play it but I can't make it sound smooth - or effortless. I think that is the problem with these things, I am not good enough to make these things sound easy!

At the moment I have a few other things that I used to play by now are hard in that my arm locks up playing something at a certain speed, since I got whatever my elbow thing is that doesn't seem to be budging.

[PawelG]

It’s not too bad with the fingers. Marcus Miller plays it double thumbing. To me that seems unreal.

[itsmedunc]

I have trouble with some of my own basslines! Make some, play some and everything is great. Have a break then go back and I've lost the feel or timing! It's just like someone else had written them... 

[drlargepants]

9 minutes ago, itsmedunc said:

I have trouble with some of my own basslines! Make some, play some and everything is great. Have a break then go back and I've lost the feel or timing! It's just like someone else had written them... 

Hah too true ! There’s stuff I did back in the early 90s that I cannot fathom how I managed to play back then.  My hands must have shrunk !

[bazzbass]

On ‎3‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 22:59, markdavid said:

Joe Jackson Steppin Out  - I thought I had it nailed but then on closer listening realised hes  playing octaves , absolute b*!ch to play at the original speed, one day i'll nail it

killer bassline, very hard to play at correct tempo for me too .

 

I can almost play it at full speed, almost hehe

 

XTC's Mayor of Simpleton is a tricky bugger as well. 

Ian Dury's Hit me with your rhythm stick gets me all cramped up too

Edited March 8, 2018 by bazzbass