What songs have incredibly simple bass lines but the most nuance to learn from? Something that a beginner could look at, and not be daunted, but with lots of opportunity for an intermediate player to hone their skills on.
I recently put “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” into regular rotation of songs I play along with. Holy crap. It’s 6 notes. 3 pitches. 2 strings. 2 frets. 1 hand position with no stretching. But there is so much to it. Trying to get that rhythm perfect. Perfecting that sharp attack and those ultra-precise note lengths. The subtle but powerful dynamics. Quiet fretting fingers.
What other songs are that simple with that much to teach?
I’m on the My Sharona lesson right now. I’m not sure about the whole bass line because I’ve only done the portion Josh went over, but it’s mostly two notes (octaves) with a LOT of technique to work on.
Brooks and Dunn “Neon Moon”
I-IV-V basic progression
Slow, major triads with slight variations.
Bass prominent in the studio version
Nuance is with the note length and timing, intending to drive people to slow dance.
I’ve been on a Kim Deal spree ever since completing my second run through the course here. I decided to make my own “First 100 Songs” list to learn, and I thought Pixies was a good place to start since they were looking for a bassist with no chops, and Kim had never played bass before (although she had played guitar with her sister, Kelly, before joining). So far I’ve learned:
Cactus
Hey
Where is My Mind
Caribou
Bone Machine
Gigantic
Monkey Gone to Heaven
Gouge Away
Tame
I’ve Been Tired
Ed is Dead
Debaser
Velouria
River Euphrates
Break My Body
Wave of Mutilation
The Happening
Is She Weird
I’m working on Tony’s Theme (trying to get up to full speed), and plan on learning about ten more Pixies songs before moving on to another band.
Once you (the general “you”) get a better understanding of what makes (and breaks) a bass line, pretty much all bass lines have a lot to teach us.
As beginners, we are often very focused on playing the right notes, and putting much less attention to note length, phrasing and articulation, while it is precisely those aspects, which can turn a boring (simple) bass line into a super funky one.
I fully agree. And I think those are the ones I’ve been learning the most from.
However… I find I learn a lot more from the simple lines with a lot of phrasing in them (see Jamerson, Tina Weymouth, and Kim Deal) rather than chugging even 8th’s.
I tend to agree, but you can turn everything into a challenge. With chugging 8ths, it is obviously about stamina, but you could focus extra carefully on evenness (or, perhaps, accentuating certain beats, as needed) and perhaps on combining chugging straight 8ths with string crossing. Or even… going from totally straight 8ths to more swung 8ths and all the way to shuffle 8ths…
Yep. I’m working up to playing a bassline right now that is chugging 1/8th notes. Sounds simple, right? Well, no. First, it’s at 180bpm, and second, the harmonizing pattern is syncopated with the drums in a really interesting way, and the guitars in a different interesting way. Really digging it, it’s wonderfully creative, and I have learned a lot from it.
