Tricky Bass Lines - what gives?

[Thor]

I’ve been asked to dep for a covers band and at first glance of their set list I thought to myself I know 90% of what they're doing, but among the songs was She's Not There by The Zombies - I've never played it before but found it really trick to learn.

 

I've now learnt it but what a tricky bass line I've found it to finger.

 

That got me to wondering if you guys find certain songs awkward to play and if so, and you don't mind sharing, what are they?🙂

[Lozz196]

Dazed & Confused by Led Zeppelin, it’s the middle bit on the A, the riff is easy enough but it just repeats for what seems ages and if it’s out with the drums it stands on like an extra proverbial on a boxer dog. I need my concentration on that one to be at max.

[Hobbayne]

Hey Bulldog by The Beatles. There is so much going on in the bass department I had to learn it in chunks. I still haven't got it right. 🤭

[shoulderpet]

This charming man by the Smiths, I can probably play with no mess ups 40% of the time, very busy bass part and all over the neck

[SteveXFR]

What's the frequency Kenneth by REM

The rhythms are just weird. Every time I play it, I'll play something half a beat early or late.

All of REMs bass lines I've tried are rhythmically weird but they sound so good when played right.

[Burns-bass]

9 hours ago, shoulderpet said:

This charming man by the Smiths, I can probably play with no mess ups 40% of the time, very busy bass part and all over the neck

That is a good bass part. As long as you know the key you’re fine as it’s all pretty simple based on that.

[Japhet]

Anything with fast slap in it.

[shoulderpet]

56 minutes ago, Burns-bass said:

That is a good bass part. As long as you know the key you’re fine as it’s all pretty simple based on that.

It's the speed of it that gets me, a lot of notes crammed in, actually it's just the part in the "jumped up pantry boy" part, in that section there is a mixture of various descending parts and walks up that use every string and span from the low part of the next on the E string up to the dusty end on the G

[Burns-bass]

1 hour ago, shoulderpet said:

It's the speed of it that gets me, a lot of notes crammed in, actually it's just the part in the "jumped up pantry boy" part, in that section there is a mixture of various descending parts and walks up that use every string and span from the low part of the next on the E string up to the dusty end on the G

Haha, I know it well. In fact, playing the Smiths was how I learnt to play. It’s all scale stuff so as long as you can mail that, it’s not so hard.

 

Have you tried Songsterr? I’m a massive fan of it for learning stuff. It’s an excellent resource.

[ahpook]

3 hours ago, SteveXFR said:

What's the frequency Kenneth by REM

The rhythms are just weird. Every time I play it, I'll play something half a beat early or late.

All of REMs bass lines I've tried are rhythmically weird but they sound so good when played right.

 

Agreed- I've played a few in covers bands and they're more challenging than they first appear.

[ahpook]

The Mayor of Simpleton by XTC - eluded me for ages, just so darn busy...all those 'pealing bells' runs !

 

I got it.....very eventually.

 

Edited December 12, 2023 by ahpook

[Muzz]

Rio. With a pick. 🙁

[bertbass]

Most songs when the drummer gets excited!

[Rodders]

Down in the Tube Station at Midnight - The Jam, mainly the speed.

[EBS_freak]

On 10/12/2023 at 13:04, Lozz196 said:

Dazed & Confused by Led Zeppelin, it’s the middle bit on the A, the riff is easy enough but it just repeats for what seems ages and if it’s out with the drums it stands on like an extra proverbial on a boxer dog. I need my concentration on that one to be at max.

Man, I was asked to do a lock down collar of The Crunge. I didn't know the song (Im not really a LZ fan... but the timing on that, well, it took me a while to get my head around!)

On first listen I was, yeah, ok... easy enough... then I tried playing along with it!

Edited December 12, 2023 by EBS_freak

[ahpook]

20 hours ago, Muzz said:

Rio. With a pick. 🙁

 

So ? Fingers or pick, it's still a toughie. Good work.

 

 

[asingardenof]

23 hours ago, Japhet said:

Anything with fast slap in it.

Anything with any slap in it

[nige1968]

This one is deceptively simple. Even Flea has admitted to finding it difficult to play at the correct speed, to Kiedis's great surprise.

 

 

[PaulWarning]

Monkey Man, took me a while to get the fast run right, I do cheat a little bit and don't always get it totally right, but we do do it faster live (thanks Mr Drummer Man) but judging by other bass players I've seen playing it I'm not the only one

[Jason Karloff]

What i always find is when I'm trying to figure out a tricky section, is i play and fail 20/30 odd times. Put down the instrument and sleep/forget it. 

 

Over the course of the nights sleep or day of not playing, the pathways if that's the right word get rewired. 

I pick up the bass and i can do it. 

How all that happens i have no idea. 

Maybe i just need a good nights kip hahha

[nige1968]

59 minutes ago, Jason Karloff said:

What i always find is when I'm trying to figure out a tricky section, is i play and fail 20/30 odd times. Put down the instrument and sleep/forget it. 

 

Over the course of the nights sleep or day of not playing, the pathways if that's the right word get rewired. 

I pick up the bass and i can do it. 

How all that happens i have no idea. 

Maybe i just need a good nights kip hahha

 

Fascinating organ, the brain. Conscious processing is single-core (serial) but unconscious processing, which is thought to include rewiring during sleep, is multi-core (parallel). Too much conscious processing is great for filling your head with random loose ends (experiences) but it's only when your mind is elsewhere that the clever stuff happens. YMMV of course. No slight intended to octopuses, who do things way differently but still learn to do crazy stuff.

Edited December 14, 2023 by nige1968

[Thor]

So my latest fingering headache has been learning Atomic by Blondie - I’ve been preparing for a NYE gig and it was on the set list, anyone else struggle with it or is it just me?

[AndyTravis]

5 minutes ago, Thor said:

So my latest fingering headache has been learning Atomic by Blondie - I’ve been preparing for a NYE gig and it was on the set list, anyone else struggle with it or is it just me?

Listen to the sleeper version from the trainspotting soundtrack, it’s a little clearer and easier to listen to 

[diskwave]

Atomic is basically a high impact disco octave workout...The verse is the tricky bit..Its just repetition to build the stamina really. Practise doing fast octave leaps up and down the board.

[lozkerr]

34 minutes ago, Thor said:

So my latest fingering headache has been learning Atomic by Blondie - I’ve been preparing for a NYE gig and it was on the set list, anyone else struggle with it or is it just me?

I really struggled to crack the octave jumps because of the fast tempo - it took longer to do that than it did to get the bass solo right. Lots of practice was the only answer.