Song 5 - "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC

Good one, @doylecb!

I don’t know why, but to me “slower” songs are always the hardest ones to keep track of the beat!

It seems that you’re having lots of fun but for some reason your plucking hand looks tense? So that’s my 2 cents: relax your hands and it will be easier to pluck!

1 Like

Interesting. Thanks for the tip. The thing is my plucking hand is an issue I’ve been actively working on for a few weeks. I’ve actually been playing bass for a little over two years (obviously it doesn’t come easy) but I definitely screwed up when I took B to B because I ignored joshes advice about alternate plucking because I had already “learned “ Raking. I’ve recently come to realize that I only rake sometimes and I alternate will only alternate pluck sometimes. Like when something is difficult I realize I’m using one finger. Anyway I’ve been doing specifically exercises to try to get myself to alternate pluck ascending and rake descending

3 Likes

Good gravy this song just won’t click in my brain!

I can play all the variations of the fills individually but when it comes to playing them in sequence in the song my fingers tie up and brain goes mushy.

I know, keep practicing. And I will, but ugh, frustrating!

image
image
image
image
image
image

EDIT:
Noodled around with it on my UBass and it clicked! Was able to play through a couple times without the sheets! Now to see if it translates over to my bass.

1 Like

OK, I loaded up Resolve and Reaper for this one. First time recording audio and video separately. Hope it sounds OK.
I know the Bass is louder than it should be but but it’s less of a cover and more of a “how’d I do?”
I had the score up on the screen but mostly as a guide.

Yes, There’s a couple of gaffs but overall I’m happy with the result. Let me know what you think.

6 Likes

Hey @groaner that sounds pretty good to me. Levels are fine. I never know what to do when the bass lays out during a song - stare wistfully / mysteriously into the distance? Good job :slight_smile:

Mr. @groaner - you are progressing fabulously! Very good job here. Great tone, playing and dancing, lol

My only very very small little nit (and it’s small) would be this…
On the main riff over “Highway to hell” being sung, the repeated notes are staccato (which you do well), but the “upper notes” are not. You play them just a bit short in some cases Vs the full value which gives them a bit of a more pronounced sound.
If you listen to the original you can hear the effect of this.

Again, this is very very small, but in my mind these small bits are what makes it go from great to fantastic.

2 Likes

I catch myself letting them ring at the start but I may have fallen back later on. I’m guilty of forgetting! Thanks John!

One of my least favorite AC/DC songs, but an easy one to play!
https://audio.jukehost.co.uk/VmJtfg5RVPZpejvZuY0hRDvgcqdcK4AA

4 Likes

Another great sounding cover @ant!

1 Like

Here’s my submission. A few mistakes here and there, but time to send it.

IG: Instagram

5 Likes

Audio only, I look so dang bored playing this one in video… so, I’m not bothering :grinning:

I used RipX to separate out the vocal, drum, guitar and bass stems and plopped them into Reaper. Recorded bass through Zoom B1 Four (Ampeg pre-set) through NUX MPP-3 (no effects/amp/ir sims) directly into Reaper. Muted the original bass and rendered it to MP3.

Here’s the final result: 50 Song Challenge - Song 5 - ACDC - Highway to Hell (Cover).mp3 - Google Drive

A couple minor flubs, but I can live with it.

2 Likes

First off… Vimeo is crap. Now that we have that out of the way, it’s time to ride the highway! The Highway to Hell!

I recorded about 7 takes with my Squier P bass and got a good one but when listening back I kept hearing the G and the F# on the D string coming out sharp. I checked the bass and sure enough it’s in tune when the string is open but sharp when fretted at the 5th fret. It seems I have some setup work to do there!

I switched to the trusty Jino Bass and then forgot to take notes on my settings… So forgive me on that one! I think we went with the H isolation again but I’m not sure.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy the cover!

3 Likes

As tern mentioned in the other thread, and worth repeating for others here, the original sound is slightly out of tune by about a 1/4 step. I think we also discussed this above a bit. It happens from time to time.

1 Like

It would be good to add a note on the sheet music, I wonder if @JoshFossgreen can make that happen?

1 Like

Added, thanks!

1 Like

Excellent! Thanks for the fast response Josh!

Hello:-) Here is my take on this, was a bit more to remeber to get all the small changes right. Youtube didn’t work so I had to register with Vimeo, hope it works. Please give me feedback on what I do right or wrong. :slight_smile: https://vimeo.com/869350112?share=copy#t=0

3 Likes

Great job here @Johnnyb

1 Like

I know I can do better than this take, but I was ready to be done with this song.
Here is my entry and moving on to the next one…
AC/DC - Highway to Hell

2 Likes

You are a bit ahead of the beat, but otherwise played fine.
Try to lay back a bit and find where the bass groove belongs.
Rushing sometimes comes from nerves, but you will lock in as you go and then will never think of it again.