Pete Academy Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 I was noodling on my bass today and had yet another go at 'Rhythm Stick'. I can do an approximation, after a warm up, but I seem to have a real problem with those two-note sixteenth patterns (does that sound right?). There's a track on the Chilis' Stadium Arcadium album that gives me the same grief. Does anyone else have a similar problem, where you can master certain things in no time at all, but other things just don't seem to happen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomBassmonkey Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 I have bits like that. I don't tend to learn other peoples' songs though, so I just have problems learning my own basslines. Recently I made up an exercise for myself that uses various hand positions, arpeggios and a swing feel. I made the mistake of playing it in band practice and now it's ended up in a song. I'm getting to grips with it, but it's not an easy thing to play (which is specifically why I wrote it), especially a variation (typically where the rest of the band decided they should pause and I should play on my own). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MythSte Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 If I whine about the slap chorus in Peg to you any more Pete you've got every right to ban me from playing Steely Dan ever again...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny_frog Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 [quote name='Pete Academy' post='807586' date='Apr 15 2010, 08:33 PM']Does anyone else have a similar problem, where you can master certain things in no time at all, but other things just don't seem to happen?[/quote] Nope... it takes me ages to nail even the simplest stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassJase Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 I can play a few things, but give me a Cult song to learn and watch me flounder. For some reason I just can never remember those boring plodding-along 3 or 4 notes that make up pretty much every Cult song. Oh, and Rhythm Stick makes my hands hurt too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Academy Posted April 15, 2010 Author Share Posted April 15, 2010 Because I play the Dan stuff all the time, I always play my own concoctions when practising. But now and again I play something as mentioned, and it just doesn't seem to happen. Frustrating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Academy Posted April 15, 2010 Author Share Posted April 15, 2010 [quote name='MythSte' post='807594' date='Apr 15 2010, 08:38 PM']If I whine about the slap chorus in Peg to you any more Pete you've got every right to ban me from playing Steely Dan ever again...! [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldslapper Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 Totally! I dep in a mates soul/disco band, and although I know the notes, my fingers get completely "uncooperative" during the verse and chorus to "Ain't no stopping us now"......Every other number is fine (IMHO), but I have a complete blank with that riff. The more I try, the worse it gets Still get asked back, so maybe no one notices??! "Rhythm Stick" is a great bass line tho', Norm is a legend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Academy Posted April 15, 2010 Author Share Posted April 15, 2010 I have this constant guilt thing about never having mastered Rhythym Stick. And Teen Town. I can play bits, but not enough to satisfy myself . Bugger! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Academy Posted April 15, 2010 Author Share Posted April 15, 2010 (edited) [quote name='oldslapper' post='807615' date='Apr 15 2010, 08:50 PM']Totally! I dep in a mates soul/disco band, and although I know the notes, my fingers get completely "uncooperative" during the verse and chorus to "Ain't no stopping us now"......Every other number is fine (IMHO), but I have a complete blank with that riff. The more I try, the worse it gets Still get asked back, so maybe no one notices??! "Rhythm Stick" is a great bass line tho', Norm is a legend.[/quote] I'm OK with Ain't No Stoppin Us. See my point?! Edited April 15, 2010 by Pete Academy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 Worst one I can think of... Dream Theater's "Pull me Under". The daft ascending arpeggio bit about half-way in. What a stupid bass part! What is the point of having a bass player if all he does is play what the guitar plays but an octave lower?! But mainly coz I just can't play it fast enough....! :blush: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 I'm working through 'Rhythm Stick' i nailed the main 16th note riff in F, but i'm getting lazy around the middle. I've struggled with 'Teen Town' for years, i can play it, i just forget where i'm up to; there was a young lad in my shop about 10 or 11 and he nailed it, but his dad was obviously a 'football dad' (i.e. the lad was like a dancing bear on a hotplate) and that's all he could play, poor sod, looked like he was enjoying it as much as a slapped arse. I revisit stuff, and i'm planning to have an iPod 'practice' playlist. I'm going to learn 'Sir Duke' by Stevie Wonder 'Behind The Lines' - Phil Collins (Alphonso Johnson on Bass), this is an old party piece, and I fudged it today at work, i came home and played along to the track 4 times to make sure I never, ever cock it up again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 Teen Town, Donna Lee, Joe Frazier, Bach, Dixe - tried them all, got nearly there with them all but never hit a home run. To be frank, I know I could if I spent the time with them but what's the point? I even learned Parker's Passport as an alternative to Donna Lee but have never got it down to my own satisfaction. Got a Match by Chick Corea is another one I never nailed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E sharp Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 "Rhythm stick" for me too . Tried to learn it once , and , well it's the left and right in perfect 16th sync - bitchin line . I can play other things a lot faster , but it was a bugger , and I've never gone back to it - should do really . "Ain't no stoppin" , I had no problems with , but "Keep the faith" - main riff - Bon Jovi , piece of piss riff , always felt uneasy with Funny old world ain't it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 Ocean Colour Scene - Riverboat song. Not so difficult, but constant playing of the main riff makes my wrist ache like mad...and thats with correct hand positioning. Ive only played it 8-10 times though with this new band, so time to progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy_Marsh Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 i seem to struggle with weird time sigantures, some tool songs took a while to pick up. But i seem to cope fine with other things like sir duke! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldslapper Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 [quote name='Pete Academy' post='807621' date='Apr 15 2010, 08:52 PM']I'm OK with Ain't No Stoppin Us. See my point?![/quote] Yeah, it's weird, I'm probably the only bugger who trips over it. I'd love to nail the very first 4 notes of "Somebody else's guy" as smoothly as the record, just can't get that fret-less type slide.......unles he's playing a fretless of course?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4000 Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 (edited) The things I tend to struggle with (when I actually try and learn other peoples parts, which is seldom) are parts with a certain rhythmic bias. I play with a pick most of the time and spent my early years trying to play as fluidly as possible in a fairly guitaristic style (huge early influence being Frank Marino), so more staccato, ghost-noted things tend to give me fits. Jaco's style I find awkward for that very reason; thankfully it's not something I'm that bothered about or hugely interested in (although I do wish I could be bothered working out Okonkole y Trompa). Ironically I can play many shredding guitar parts far easier as they just fit my style better; I could probably do you a far better Malmsteen or McLaughlin than Jaco. Still, I don't really practice much these days so everything is far more difficult than it used to be. I can't even play me very well nowadays! Nailing Rhythm Stick would definitely be a toughie for me for the above reasons. I'd have to say I always found Mark King's stuff difficult as it combines a take on the Jaco thing (which I'm not very good at) with slap (which I'm also not very good at). Edited April 15, 2010 by 4000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMT3781 Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 how about the unison run in "gaslighting abbie" off two against nature? i spent a long time mastering it for my dissertation performnce.. but dropped when the keys and guitar simply couldnt work out the harmony parts.. have ended up was a very funked up version of josie i bet if i go back to it now the'll be no chance i can play it, it was always the last phrase that gave me troubles, just some very awkward hand positions, at least where i played it anyway lol, any ideas on that front? [quote name='Pete Academy' post='807607' date='Apr 15 2010, 08:45 PM'][/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 (edited) there are hand configurations that (your) hands dont feel comfortable doing...its the brain hand coordination thing..these are the lines that if you master, will give your paws more dexterity and give you more ideas...thats the great thing about learning from CD's of your fav band.. why am i telling you guys?? try Groove Collective's 'Sneaky'...Thats fairly hard to get around..at that speed...i got it but dont come natural..check it out at 5.10 [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vSz7GRyujw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vSz7GRyujw[/url] Rhythm Stick is awsome...wonderfull bass line..i could listen to it all day...fairly simple really, those 16th's over changes are the bugger...awsome bass player... Edited April 15, 2010 by bubinga5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy_Marsh Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 i really struggle with some of August Burns Red breakdowns. When you have no knowledge of timing they can be a mare to keep up with! But the rest is easy to get... bloody timings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 [quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='807591' date='Apr 15 2010, 08:36 PM']I don't tend to learn other peoples' songs though, so I just have problems learning my own basslines.[/quote] Me too. We should be practising, not wasting our bloody time on BC! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 [quote name='discreet' post='807886' date='Apr 16 2010, 12:16 AM']Me too. We should be practising, not wasting our bloody time on BC! [/quote] Haha, same here. I had a couple of runs through the first verse of Rhythm Stick when it got posted on here a good few months back & didn't have too much trouble with it, it's my own stuff that gets me. We do a Countryish song called Stars & Guitars that has a regular run up the strings from the low G & back down in an alternating pattern that now & again trips me up (especially if the guitar opens it a touch too fast). We recently recorded it & some other tracks to test out a new interface (one take, no practices), so I'll go & make an mp3 of it & stick it here as I mess up the first one I come to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny_frog Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 [quote name='discreet' post='807886' date='Apr 16 2010, 12:16 AM']Me too. We should be practising, not wasting our bloody time on BC! [/quote] I'm at work so i can't practise anyway... if i wasn't on here i'd have to be doing something [i]really[/i] dull Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 Ah, got it. My bass is going thru my Mooger 101 & we DI'd out the back to the interface & then to Ableton Live. This is about as technical as I get, but most of my basslines are as technical as this. To me it is a fine balance of something I can comfortably play that is melodic. I can comfortably play some slap, but I'm not very good at getting all the dead notes to fill in the gaps like many of the good ol' slappers do. Anyway, here's an mp3... [attachment=47437:Stars_GuitarsMono.mp3] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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