I had very little problem with “Billie Jean”. It appears my nemesis is the bass line after the first theory lesson after Billie Jean. The one that changes fingerings in I think every bar. (Don’t know the name of the song I was playing) I got the fingering almost down last night and played through the first section, but then my fingers kept getting tangled up and just mushing the strings, out of tempo, plucking hand felt like it had a brain of it’s own, (and a damaged one at that)…I tried the medium tempo just to see and holy crap, it knocked me on my ass. I know as I progress, I will get better, but that is the first one I could not get even the slow tempo under my fingers correctly, although I will tackle it again tonight until I get it Any tips?
Stop and give it a rest, your brain will work better when you sit back down, or even overnight
What song was it? Or what module and lesson?
Module 5 Lesson 2, I think. It was the first song after the basic theory lessons after Billie Jean. Kicked my ass hard. I felt as if my fretting hand was useless on even the slow workout. It is a shame that I nailed Billie Jean quickly, but that one bass line got me.
Is that the ska bass line from Module 5, Lesson 2? That one’s a personal favorite. Once you get it nailed down (and you will) it’s a blast to play!
Edited to add: even on the 2nd run through the course, Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag (Module 11), kicked my butt for a week before I got it up to speed.
That’s it. I have the fingering down. But at speed, my fingers get tangled up and I lose it. I tried for the better part of an hour and just set the bass down, and vowed that I will do it right today (or not)
Was it the ska Bassline? I’m currently on module 13 and still play it from time to time to warm up. I love it.
I failed at Billie Jean but got that Bassline after a bit of training.
Try to raise the speed in a lower pace. Use a metronome especially if the fast workout is too fast. And the slow workout is too slow. The speed will come with practise.
And don’t hang yourself up on the faster workouts. It’s no problem to just nail the slow or medium one. You can always tackle the missed workouts later in your practise.