Yeah, I feel lucky that we’re starting with a song that I like from an album that I love and know so well, as well as a song that was on my list for “learn to play once I acquire a little skill”. It will be much tougher for me when we hit a song I don’t know and/or like.
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Just read this after posting my reply.
On VHS. Your not THAT young then!
I was playing the song for my kids today (10 and 7), and then my wife mentioned it is a movie. They asked if we can watch it.
I wasn’t sure how to explain why they are not quite ready yet…
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I’m with @y.farkash and @skydvr on this too. I know this song extremely well and I know that is helping me learn it quicker. So, for those that aren’t very familiar with the song, I’m sure it’s a bit harder for you, but I know you can do it. There are definitely plenty of songs in these 50 that I don’t know very well, some not at all, so we’ll all be there. It’s actually kind of interesting that because we all have different music tastes, each week there will be people that know the song and people that don’t. I think that makes things more exciting. I’m looking forward to broadening my musical knowledge more.
BTW @y.farkash I really liked your tone as well. I haven’t even thought of messing with my tone yet, but think I will now. I play a Jazz Bass and just always have both pickups on max, but I like that muddier tone too. Thanks for the tip!
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I did know the song but it wasn’t something that I’d listen to very often. And I can confirm that it can be done.
For me, it helped to learn the chorus section on its own, just counting and playing to a drum beat and make it sound really good. Once that was solid, I came back and added the rest of the band but really focused on doing my thing, trying not to listen to the singing, especially (I’d get carried way.). Then it all fell into place and I understood how the different elements actually interact.
That slide and jump back to the 5th fret is actually one of the most fun moments for me now. 
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I do love a good bass slide too. My problem is that my 12th fret is quite a bit out of tune. I’m going to do (attempt!) a full setup on my bass today.
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Thanks for the tips @y.farkash @skydvr @Regina and @JT . I’ll listen to it bunch, that first run through did give me a whole new appreciation for what it must be like to play in a band. Working through this is good for the brain 
. Will let you know how it goes. Also you guys are awesome.
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Yes I found this too and rechecked intonation and andjusted and it came right back in.
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Fragile: Tech N9ne ft. Kendrick Lamar, Wrekonize (¡Mayday!) & Kendall Morgan
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New bass with drop tuner arrived, so I had to do something in drop D. Left all the mistakes in, constructive criticism welcome. 
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Sounds really good, @akos . . . 
I like the color and the block inlays in the neck, too! . . . 
Cheers
Joe
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I’ve been kind of stagnating on the lessons around 12-2. And while I love disco, in fact it’s what attracted me to the bass so much, going back to work during the week kind of derailed me.
So! Jumping in on the challenge. A little late but I’m game none the less. Ran through it at 50% a few times and found I was bored and couldn’t stick to strict tempo. Ramped up to 76bpm and that helped a lot. I’m gaining an appreciation for Noteflight. And the screen shot print option mentioned earlier is just the thing!
Gonna have to work out recording gear next but by the 2nd song I should have that worked out. Thank you all for this community! Love the structure and positivity.
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What mistakes? That sounded great!
How did you do the recording?
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@akos That was some great playing there! I listened to the whole thing and didn’t hear any mistakes at all so like Eric, I’m not sure what you are referring to. Great recording as well.
@dave.kaina Glad to have you on board! You’re not really late so don’t stress that. The idea is that people join in when/if they want on each song anyway. We’re not officially starting the next song until the 22nd of March, but I’m opening a thread for it on the 15th for the early birds and to start building hype. Also, the early birds usually clarify the tab/notation, help us ensure we have the right video, put a backing track together, discuss any tricky bits in the song, etc., so it can be beneficial to have all that knowledge when you join in. For example, on this one we originally had a YouTube link to a different version of the song, we weren’t sure about how long the open D played for, and got some tips about knowing when the 7x repeat solo section was over. Anyway, enjoy the song. It’s a good one!
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I love the sound quality, not sure what mistakes you are referring to, it all seems to be there though it feels to me like you are often a smidgen early. How did you do the recording? Could there be a delay offset between the backing track and your input?
Or maybe you’re just a bit early.
This challenge was the first time I recorded myself with a backing track and I found that I was kind of weaving in-and-out of sync with the band. Nothing too far, but just enough that it wasn’t perfect… I was usually early too, almost like I wanted to drive the song further instead of locking in with what is already there.
I watched a video from Scott’s Bass a few weeks ago that was talking about playing behind/in front of the beat. At the time I didn’t really appreciate it much, but I think I will revisit it and try to get more precise.
Also, I guess it is way better when you play with a drummer for years and you both already are on point, compared to trying to lock in with a different band, per-recorded.
You play very clean, great tone, super full but not muddy. Are you recorded direct in? Through an amp?
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Some good points there. Back in the days when this song was recorded, they wouldn’t have had all the auto-grid and such they have today which aligns the song perfectly to the beat in a DAW. So, each recording of the song would be slightly different.
Also, in a live situation, clearly each one of those is slightly different as well. This is why it’s crucial to follow the drummer. Just think of the drummer as your metronome in a live setting.
What helps in all of these situations is increasing your familiarity with the song. For example, lets say the tab track loses alignment a fraction of a beat half-way through the song. That’s going to be hard to mentally keep track of. The “easiest” remedy for that is to memorize the song.
I remember my violin teacher always stressing to me how important it was to memorize the songs when learning. He said when you aren’t thinking about what note is coming next, you can focus on all the other elements going on. In the bass context, this would be things like: fretting finger placements, plucking technique, muting, what your fretting thumb is doing, flying fingers, what your band-mates are doing, breathing, etc.
Lastly, when I get that call from David Gilmour asking me to go on tour with him because he saw my video on BassBuzz, I’ll be ready. 
Joking aside, if you do want to just play for others, go to open mic and be able to play the song when they shout out if you know it, etc. then you need it memorized. But, I’d only do that on the songs you think you’ll keep playing after the challenge. There are bound to be some of the 50 that we individually aren’t keen on.
Now, I’m not suggesting everyone needs to memorize the songs. Do what you have time for or simply what you want to do… For me though, I’m attempting to do this for the reasons above.
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In addition to the timing issues (see below), the muting with the pinky was a bit sloppy. You can hear the high pitched harmonics after I “mute”. It can be fixed by helping in with the index finger, but I couldn’t be bothered to do the recording again. And after all, seeing and hearing each other’s mistakes can be educational as well.
Removed the bass track using https://splitter.ai, audio recorded in GarageBand, video recorded in QuickTime, edited and synched together in iMovie. Bass directly into Scarlett Solo, no effects used.
Yep, exactly. I too was wondering whether it’s me or the equipment, but I think if it was the equipment then I’d be always off, and always by the same amount. I’m only sometimes off, so I think it’s me. It was a bit disappointing to hear, didn’t notice it while I was playing. (Yet another reason to record myself more often I guess.)
See above - directly into Scarlett Solo, no effects
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That was a great rendition. I didn’t hear any mistakes or imperfections. Good job!
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It’s great that you can detect all of these slight blemishes. As you say, awareness is great for improvement. I hope you aren’t stressing about them though, because your recording really was good. I’m a firm believer that some imperfections add personality to the music and make it less robotic, but obviously the key is to get the balance right.
I guess for you it’s just something to try to work on in the next videos, which I think is the right approach personally (rather than re-recording, which you aren’t suggesting).
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I second this, as it gives me hope. 
Scratching my head contemplating what this means while trying not to be bothered by the fact that I don’t really know.
@akos: As others have said, your recording was great and I really enjoyed listening and watching. You looked very relaxed.
I watched that video too and found it very enlightening. Nothing I could actually adopt now (I’m happy when I hit the beat somewhere) but I was really impressed with the level of precision and the idea behind that. And finally I could get back to my guitar playing older brother, who has been pestering me about how I should play more at the front of the beat, and tell him that he is not necessarily right.
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