Of course I’ve tried that, and it felt so easy it was like I was cheating. 
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I wouldn’t think that cheating
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Not in the sense of performance… if I’d have to play it before an audience not being my cats, I’d definitely play it on the E- and A-string. But in the sense of executing this exercise, and thus gaining stamina when it comes to operating the pinky, it does feel like cheating.
Also, for me, it’s a nice warmup exercise to play it on the A- and D-string. Do that stretch for some time and everything else feels like the proverbial piece of cake.
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I hope I am not bursting anybody’s Billie Jean confidence bubble, but…
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I actually find it easier to play from the 2nd-4th frets.
Once you can play it at full speed, the next exercise is to make it not sound super shitty due to string noise, accidental hammer-ons and pull-offs 
(this is what makes it a good practice exercise IMO)
And after that, work in correctly adding the eighth rest when it goes up to the G string.
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Well, we knew about that one. But I’ll stick to the curriculum. 
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… isn’t that part of the assignment? 
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That is indeed what the practice exercise is all about.
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@joergkutter That was below the belt.
You know, up until Billie Jean, I really hadn’t had a lesson really test me. I wasn’t an absolute beginner by any stretch, so most of the workouts were just cleaning up the line and muting over the 2-3 reps in each workout.
Billie Jean was a reality check last night. The combination of right hand starting on the middle finger, using the ring finger above the pinky, and moving the riff up a string really tripped me up. I’m hoping I make a better show of it tonight.
Rather than get hung up on it, I’m going to continue on with the next lesson after I warm up. I’ll play through the slow workout at the end of practice.
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To me, Billie Jean was the reality check I needed to start taking this thing seriously. It got me down from “I got dis” to “damn, he wants me to step up my game!” 
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We aim to please 
The reason why B2B is a great course and Josh is a great teacher is, among other things, that he “dumbed down” a few of the bass line examples we are learning. There is plenty of challenge and the necessity to practice them again and again - no need to take all the fun out by throwing a near impossible bass line at us. It is a great balance between rewarding challenge and frustration.
And, yes, as several others have stated: don’t get hung up on it… come back to it later, but for now, move on and enjoy the course 
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Ooooff!
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Hi Eric, yes it’s a rough time especially for us who suffer fae the Black Dog, I’m getting as much sunshine into my eyes as possible. We had to cancel our annual Easter week visit from the Grand Kids 
It was the realisation that if we dont self quarantine we may never see them again. Sheesh! That was a hard but sobering thought. Hang in there @Eric keep busy keep safe.
Jamie
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Awesome story @ericabulman, and I must say, as one journalist (retired) to another, well written and quite lucid.
Welcome back to the jungle.
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Thanks, @PamPurrs. Turns out I love the jungle. Where did you work as a journalist?? I always love connecting with others. It another kind of fam!
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@Erica from the mid-eighties until I was forced into retirement by the internet, I worked in print media; mainly in travel magazines, some industrial trade mags, computer mags, and business mags. I was too young to retire, so I went back to school, attending law school for long enough (2 years) to get a paralegal degree. I worked in the legal field until I REALLY retired in 2012.
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That’s so amazing that you reinvented yourself, so to speak. I love that. It takes a lot of guts — and incredible drive and perseverance… I have trouble sitting though a one-hour press conference as it is now, let alone a two or three-hour lecture!
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I can gauge what kind of practice, and what kind of mood I’m in, by how well I play Billie Jean.
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Newbie here. Looking forward to encountering Billie Jean when I get to that module! Good to read about your frustration and persistence!
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