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Basslines everyone should know

Ajrt

By Ajrt,
in General Discussion

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risingson Mentor

risingson

Posted
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Bass lines everyone should know... as in to play or just to know instinctively? In any case here's some some I think were landmarks:

- Paul Chambers on 'So What' - Miles Davis
- James Jamerson on 'I Was Made to Love Her' - Stevie Wonder
- Paul McCartney on 'Something' - The Beatles (obv)
- Bernard Edwards on 'Good Times' - Chic
- Greg Philinganes on Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
- Anthony Jackson on 'For the Love of Money' - The O'Jays
- Jean-Jacques Burnel on 'Peaches' - the Stranglers
- Tony Levin on 'Sledgehammer' - Peter Gabriel

But to name a few! :)

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risingson Mentor

risingson

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[quote name='BigRedX' post='906152' date='Jul 26 2010, 06:19 PM']Well I'm proud to say that I don't know how to play any of the bass lines suggested, except for "All Right Now" and that's only because one of the bands I'm in at the moment do it.[/quote]

Is that because you don't know the tunes or is it because you find it hard to pick the bass lines up through muscle memory?

EDIT - sorry if that seemed a bit arsey! Just curious really, having played in a covers band for a while I've got good at recounting the classic pub rock anthems :)

Edited by risingson
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BigRedX Grand Master

BigRedX

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[quote name='risingson' post='906163' date='Jul 26 2010, 06:29 PM']Is that because you don't know the tunes or is it because you find it hard to pick the bass lines up through muscle memory?[/quote]
Although I'd recognise most of the songs suggested here if someone played the records, I've never made any conscious effort to figure out the bass line because I've never had any need to. Thinking about it I could probably figure out without needing to listen to the original the main riff to "Peaches" and the bit of "The Chain" that's used for the F1 programmes on the BBC, although I doubt I'd recognise any other part of that song.

Up until I joined a classic rock covers band last year I'd only ever played a handful of songs that hadn't been written either by myself or by someone else in one of the bands I've played in.

On the other hand I can still play pretty much any bass/guitar/synth part (depending on what instrument I was playing at the time) for just about any song I've written over the last 35 years.

BTW what's muscle memory got to do with it?

Edit: No not arsey at all. I'm always amazed by how many songs the guitarists in my covers band can play beyond the ones that we do in the set.

Once I got beyond figuring out how to change from D to A7 to G so I could play some simple folk song on my acoustic guitar, I don't think I've ever learnt how to play a non-original song unless I had a specific need to.

Edited by BigRedX
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risingson Mentor

risingson

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[quote name='BigRedX' post='906193' date='Jul 26 2010, 06:53 PM']BTW what's muscle memory got to do with it?[/quote]

Everything. I sometimes get calls to do gigs where I don't know all the tunes, and the gig is later that night. You know a bit of the tune in the back of your head, or you might have played it before years previously, so you have to recount it there and then. But... then I think bass players have the luxury of not being too concerned with the details of everything, unless it's a very specific bass line. Pino Palladino talked about his 'trust chops', i.e. when he's got a lot of stuff to play for a gig he'll trust his memory to recount a lot of what comes next. If you're wrong, it's not the end of the world, move on.

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Colledge Explorer

Colledge

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am i going to have to be the one to say "don't stop believing"?

also
hendrix - fire
UFO - Doctor Doctor
anything by thin lizzy
Led zep - whole lotta love

also... some variation of crossroads.... cream, rush, john mayer, robert johnson or any others of the thousands.

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Marvin Veteran

Marvin

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[quote name='Clarky' post='905807' date='Jul 26 2010, 01:46 PM']You really know how to scare off a beginner, Bilbo! You are also ignoring the fun bit that - when learning - it really reinforces your enthuiasm to be able to play along to music you really like or appreciate. Learning scales may make you a better musician but it ain't fun, in isolation[/quote]

A most excellent post Clarky, I need not add any more.

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Monz Enthusiast

Monz

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[quote name='allighatt0r' post='906047' date='Jul 26 2010, 05:08 PM']Fundamental thing every bassist should know - The notes on the fretboard. Otherwise, you'll be jamming with a band and someone will say "let's play something in F#!!!" and you'll be left looking like this -> :)

As a matter of fact, I would be looking like that too... Who would want to jam in F#?!?![/quote]

Better in Eb... our guitard really likes me when I kick off in Eb :rolleyes:

Edited by Monz
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dave_bass5 Grand Master

dave_bass5

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Lets get retarded by the Black eyed peas. Not a classic as such but i like it.

Other than Keep on running and A;right now i dont know any of the other bass lines suggested in this thread and i dont feel im being held back because of it.
My bands don't play them so i dont need to know them, although i do like to learn songs we dont play sometimes, none of the above really interests me though.

Edited by dave_bass5
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Marvin Veteran

Marvin

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Posted

[quote name='BigRedX' post='906152' date='Jul 26 2010, 06:19 PM']Well I'm proud to say that I don't know how to play any of the bass lines suggested, except for "All Right Now" and that's only because one of the bands I'm in at the moment do it.[/quote]
I don't enough know that one, in part because I'd probably refuse to play it there seems little point. Free made 7 albums and all people play is All Right Now and Wishing Well. I purposely learnt Walk in My Shadow, Ride on a Pony, Heartbreaker and one other that I can't remember the name of just to be bl00dy awkward.

BTW, the new tracks on MySpace, more cracking stuff.

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Raslee Veteran

Raslee

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Posted

Er...i'd say Stir It Up - Marley , Whitelines - Grandmaster flash, Walking on the moon - Police, Give it away - Chili's (Good for jumpin up and down), So What - Miles Davis, With or without you - U2 and finally the Addams Family theme tune.....all pretty easy. :)

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deathpanda Contributor

deathpanda

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of course every suggestion here is just going to be opinion, so I'll chip in with what I think are great basslines that everyone should try out.

jaco - come on, come over
brown - I got you (I feel good)
hendrix - little wing
hendrix - fire

edit*
I really don't have a clue why I typed little wing, when I meant hey joe. although, I do love the bass in little wing, so I'll keep it there.

Edited by deathpanda
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dave_bass5 Grand Master

dave_bass5

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[quote name='OldGit' post='906484' date='Jul 26 2010, 11:32 PM']and Dance the night away - the Mavericks just to see if you can keep it going all the way through :)[/quote]

I switch off on that one. My fingers know what to do which leaves my brain free to wander off in to a better world.

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xgsjx Grand Master

xgsjx

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The last half of The Chain was the first song I ever learned (the F1 bit).

Here's a couple of fun & simple basslines you should learn...

Moby Dick - Led Zeppelin
Slippery People - Talking Heads
New Years Day - U2
Brown Paper Bag - Roni Size

Or for something a little more technical that you should learn,

Shyboy - Talas or Dave Lee Roth

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