this thread might become my practice log… unless that’s considered spam (let me know if it is)
im currently doing the 50 songs and im still trying to figure out a method to record cleaning, i may have to check out those masterclasses.
im skipping all the songs im not interested in, so it’d be the 45-or-something song challenge haha (i can’t stand country, sorry)
now, about THE METAL:
i got thinking about the playing of cliff burton, and how i can get a similar style (i understand to be even CLOSE to cliff you gotta be very good. i just don’t know how.)
i tried learning his solos and got discouraged, am i going about this wrong?
Ha! That’s exactly how I did it, discouragement and all!
When I started out, I also had no idea what lines he was playing some of the time. It’s all hard - bass is hard, music is hard.
It takes a hellova lot of time to be able to pull off the crazy solo stuff.
But the first couple of parts of Anesthesia are playable and really satisfying, so I say go for it.
The intro to For Whom The Bell Tolls is also playable.
I’d recommend the mid-tempo jams like Seek and Destroy or The Thing That Should Not Be.
Also… you’ll need a big distortion pedal.
Check out this isolated bass track from The Thing That Should Not Be!
And when you’re not trying to play Cliff lines, just practice bass. Play tons, play everything you can get your hands on.
He does some really interesting stuff in The Thing That Should Not Be, don’t think I ever sat and listened to the isolated bass on this one. Loved it, thanks for sharing!
Although, I will say I prefer listening to isolated bass + drum tracks, as then it becomes a bit more clear (to me) why he made certain choices in what he was playing and the rhythm he was playing at… like looking for the parts where he’s following the drums but at others following the guitars. I know a lot of people bag on Lars, but he and Cliff were an awesome rhythm section together! Anyways, sorry for the long ramble, I’ve been studying him and Metallica quite a bit recently from a compositional viewpoint for a little project my guitarist friend and I have going.
Totally… I love it.
I would say the tabs on songsterr and ultimate guitar are “good enough” for playing the song, at least enough to get by in a performance or jam session. Unlikely many of them will be album perfect, but honestly, I wouldn’t worry about that too much, at least early in the journey. Just play and practice.
Totally +1 to everything in the post @Gio but this stands out. When I try to play difficult / fast pieces I have to kind of distance myself from the music to stay relaxed, but then I don’t really engage with the performance. I guess it’s a balancing act - engaging but staying detatched. Very zen
I do better with a lighter grip and harder pick. The texture helps a ton. At first the foreseeable ones seen better because they didn’t get as hung up but I didn’t like the feel or tone.
Truefire has some inexpensive courses led by Dave Ellefson, Stu Hamm, Rex Brown and others. I’m working through a few of these.
If you’re a Pantera fan, Rex Brown’s two courses are learning a few Pantera songs and the other is learning his picking and muting technique.
I’ve been a fan of Stu Hamm since the early Joe Satriani days. His courses go from the basics to intermediate and beyond.
Keep an eye out for their sales. They often have half price or more sales going on. Some of the bass courses are only $5. Just type bass in the search bar and all their bass courses show up. There will be a tag on the courses that specify SALE.
Hope you get as much out of them as I have!
