Billie Jean was not one of my better attempts when I started, still isnāt. Try āanyone seen my babyā by the rolling stones. Easy bass line thatāll get your hands moving in the right direction.
The stones and ZZ top are two of the easier to learn on, then come back to BJ in a month or two. ZZ Top did some alternate drop D stuff like āI need you tonight.ā Great drop D tune thatās slow and repetitive.
Hi Geoff, congrats for playing Billie Jean in 3 months!
Plucking near the pickups or even closer to the neck gives you a rounder sound. Check the difference between neck and bridge plucking if you have not already noticed.
Putting sponge under the strings near the bridge (or using a Nordstrom nordymute) will dampen the treble, shorten the sustain and in my experience even push you to dig in deeper in your pluck. Gives you a bouncing sound well suited to that nasty girl! You can see the sponge on Joshās video about James Jamerson and he tried the nordymute in another, about small gear.
@jacques.choukroun makes good points regarding a Motown-type tone, but Billie Jean doesnāt actually require it.
Just practice learning the notes and fingering, very slowly. Very, very slowly. Donāt worry about Joshās slow or medium workout tempos: those will come with more time and practice.
Whatās most important with Billie Jean (and other tricky-at first) tunes is that your fingers learn what to play, when. Get that down first and foremost. Again, it comes with some thought, planning and a lot of slow practice. And feel free to walk away from it to do other lessons or songs. BJ will always be there when youāre ready to work on it some more.
After youāve got the notes in your brain and comfortably under your fingers, you can speed up the whole line a tiny bit to see how you do, until you nail it. Then, speed up a bit more. And so on, until you can play along to all of Joshās workout tempos.
Billie Jean takes some work and dedicated practice, but it is entirely possible to play. You got this. Just work on it slowly and deliberately. And come back to try some more whenever you wish. She will always be there waiting for you. Good luck.
I do like the bouncing Motown vibe on BJ and of course itās nothing but personal taste.
Mike is absolutely right, before thinking vibe you have to pluck and fret right. Start slow, take your time, she will wait for you.
Hi @jacques.choukroun,
Thank you for this very helpful description and technique reveal. I enjoy learning and trying these type of sound quality techniques! So helpful and cool to add to my growing tool box.
Hi @MikeC ,
Thanks for this encouragement. I took both your suggestions (slowed way down and took some time away).
Both helped. By moving on i found Joshās fingering efficiency videoā¦ and taking a break reinforced the importance of patience .
Getting there and having fun. Surprising for what sounds a simple riff how tricky it is.
In the meantime I learned my first full songā¦ The Beatleās Paperback Writer. Itās easier fingering but fast tempo so Iām going very slowā¦ about half tempo. The fourth verse (I think thatās the right term) is super fun to play. Like a chug on steroids .
Again, thanks for your guidance and encouragement. Theyāre paying dividends!
Thanks @jacques.choukroun
At this point in my journey, just about everything is new and fun to experiment with.
I am balancing that with focus on the critical basicsā¦ getting fingering placement, efficient movement, relaxing, and plucking down, while also working on music theory basics.
The experimenting keeps things fun while working the discipline .
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