Your first tune.

[Low End Bee]

Hey Joe. It was on a flexi disc with a no bass (or vocals?) backing track. It came with some 'teach yourself bass guitar' book I had. Also had Sunshine of Your Love and a 12 bore blues in A.

Probably the only covers I could play at the drop of a hat even now.

 

[ubit]

I’ve just remembered. The very first song I could play all the way though, was All right now by Free. Myself and my guitar playing mate tried to impress two girls by playing it to them. Just playing. No singing. They must have wondered when I was going to come in! 😂

[Deedee]

19 minutes ago, ubit said:

I’ve just remembered. The very first song I could play all the way though, was All right now by Free. Myself and my guitar playing mate tried to impress two girls by playing it to them. Just playing. No singing. They must have wondered when I was going to come in! 😂

In my experience I think some punters still wonder that now when that song is played! 

[BigRedX]

4 hours ago, kendall said:

The Sisters of Mercy - Alice

After almost 40 years of playing the bass I only learnt this last year as one of the bands I'm play it occasionally in their current set.

[bartelby]

The first song I learned all the way through was...

For Whom The Bell Tolls - Metallica

[odysseus]

Surfing With The Alien by Joe Satriani.  I got asked to play bass in a band because they knew I played classical guitar, and wanted a finger-style bassist.

[DJpullchord]

 

 

 

 

Breaking the law!!!!!!

[Dan_Q]

It was a while back, but pretty sure it will have been "I wanna be adored" by the stone roses. I knew it on guitar and loved it when we swapped instruments at band rehearsals- I bet it was the first thing I played when i finally got my own first own bass around 10 years later 😁

Some belters on here folks please keep them coming- I'm gonna use this as a reference and come back when I fancy learning something new 😎 

[Cablerice]

On 03/03/2019 at 13:40, Slappindabass said:

Crazy little thing called love.

Same here - wanted to learn Smoke on the Water, but my teacher decided to give me something a bit more interesting. 

[Slappindabass]

1 hour ago, Cablerice said:

Same here - wanted to learn Smoke on the Water, but my teacher decided to give me something a bit more interesting. 

I think it is the only song that my finger memory plays from that time 30 uears ago.

[kendall]

On 08/03/2019 at 17:01, BigRedX said:

After almost 40 years of playing the bass I only learnt this last year as one of the bands I'm play it occasionally in their current set.

Its a fun tune to play - I know that SOM are not associated with "Fun" but its certainly still one of my go to noodles.  

[Cat Burrito]

Love Me Tender by Elvis. I have the music notation tattooed around my arm.

Funny story but I was sat on a plane coming back from NYC once and there was a queue down the aisle for the loo. This old lady in the queue was just staring at my tattoos and although normally pretty placid, it got to the point I was about to say something. She then piped up with "Love Me Tender". She'd been reading the notation to work out what the song was!

[Bassman Sam]

Badge by Cream and Iron Man by Black Sabbath.

[SpondonBassed]

2 hours ago, Cat Burrito said:

Love Me Tender by Elvis. I have the music notation tattooed around my arm.

Funny story but I was sat on a plane coming back from NYC once and there was a queue down the aisle for the loo. This old lady in the queue was just staring at my tattoos and although normally pretty placid, it got to the point I was about to say something. She then piped up with "Love Me Tender". She'd been reading the notation to work out what the song was!

Good job it wasn't in Braille.

[thebigyin]

On ‎03‎/‎03‎/‎2019 at 12:34, TheGreek said:

12 bar blues - man, do I hate that stuff.

Noooooo…..gotta love the Blues man lol.

[thebigyin]

A set of 50s Rock n Roll tunes I joined my first band after just 6 months of playing Bass...I had been messing round with the 12 bar stuff whilst learning some basic bits n bobs and an ad appeared in local music store "Bassist wanted for 50s Rock n Roll band" so I thought what the hell give it a bash and I surprisingly got the job....I think I was the only one lol...I blagged it to Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, Elvis ect just basically played the same thing in different keys and varied it occasionally. Good luck.

[FinnDave]

33 minutes ago, thebigyin said:

 just basically played the same thing in different keys and varied it occasionally. Good luck.

I've been doing that for the last 4 years or more!

[Stub Mandrel]

On 11/03/2019 at 18:08, SpondonBassed said:

On 11/03/2019 at 15:48, Cat Burrito said:

Love Me Tender by Elvis. I have the music notation tattooed around my arm.

Funny story but I was sat on a plane coming back from NYC once and there was a queue down the aisle for the loo. This old lady in the queue was just staring at my tattoos and although normally pretty placid, it got to the point I was about to say something. She then piped up with "Love Me Tender". She'd been reading the notation to work out what the song was!

Good job it wasn't in Braille.

Would have been even more entertaining if the old lady had said "Du Hast?"

[Carlcoops]

I've only just bought my first ever instrument, an epiphone toby deluxe iv. Owned it about 6 weeks. Just starting to pick things up off YouTube and stuff. The song I've now learned (not perfect yet) is White Stripes - 7 Nation Army. 

[upside downer]

4 hours ago, Carlcoops said:

I've only just bought my first ever instrument, an epiphone toby deluxe iv. Owned it about 6 weeks. Just starting to pick things up off YouTube and stuff. The song I've now learned (not perfect yet) is White Stripes - 7 Nation Army. 

Good for you. Youtube can be a great resource for everyone, from beginners to players with much experience. I wish it had been around when I first started 30-odd years ago. Enjoy! 

[Carlcoops]

10 minutes ago, upside downer said:

Good for you. Youtube can be a great resource for everyone, from beginners to players with much experience. I wish it had been around when I first started 30-odd years ago. Enjoy! 

Even more so with phones and apps available that get you bass tabs. Wish I'd started younger, I'm 43 now. Still plenty of time yet though. 

[gjones]

I learned hey Joe from a book which had one of those floppy records enclosed.

 

[MrCrane]

On 03/03/2019 at 16:41, skankdelvar said:

A 12-bar blues pattern in A from the Jim Gregory / Harvey Vinson bass book, played on an unplugged Commodore semi-acoustic in 1975

 

I still have my copy of that. (Although the floppy vinyl disk seems to have been lost in action at some point).

Apart from that, I seem to remember a lot of riffs. Peaches, Sunshine of Your Love, Egyptian Reggae.

First song I actually managed to trancscribe all the way through was Meet Me On The Corner by Lindisfarne.

[NancyJohnson]

I used to play along with a lot of Kiss and Rush when I first started.  That said, from a band perspective, it was always originals.  

[wright/watt]

Showing my age here folks..lol.Hanging  around by the Stranglers was my first sortie at trying to learn bass!!! JJ 's killer tone and playing blew my mind..Oh yes, it still does😎