What bass line gives you trouble?

[Freddy-G.]

Most recently I tried to figure out how to play the bass intro on that Tool song that got so much airplay. You know the one? I've got the CD, I'm just too lazy to go get it. Well it put me in my place when a guy in GC played it (I'd say he was 15 years old). It's probably not that hard once you see how's it played. At least that's what I keep telling myself. I play pop and rock music, so I'm not even talking about jazz or the guys that improvise.

There's others, but I won't embarrass myself further.

What songs or bass lines give you the most trouble?

 

[koogie2k]

Would the Tool song happen to be Schism? I got that one down fairly quick with some never say die practice.

What gives me trouble.....Primus for one. RHCP is another. I am not proficient enough on the bass to tackle those yet. But, between guitar and bass, I have fun and that is all that matters to me.

 

[spectorbassguy]

Smoke On The Water.....

 

[bovinehost]

Yo, holmes, "Smoke on the Water" is HARD.

I refuse to learn "Poppa Was A Rolling Stone". I like it, mind you, but what is the count on that? It freaks me out - a band I was in back in the late 70s, when such things were cool, used to write stuff in 11/32 and alternating time signatures and I loved it, was all over it, but "Poppa Was A Rolling Stone" just eats my lunch.

One I really LOVE to play, although I'm sure I'm not playing it accurately, is "Watching The Detectives" by Elvis Costello.

And anything, lately, by Barenaked Ladies.

But that's probably a new thread.

Jack

 

[Splanky]

Yawwwn! (Sorry! It´s early in the morning and im back in office after 4 weeks of vacation)

Well! I´ll have to say Kevin Gilbert´s "City of the sun" which have one of the nastiest and most beautifully sounding Stingray basslines ever.

It´s starts of as a cool, fairly simple groove during the verse. Then it throws it self in to a odd time signature chorus. It´s not THAT complicated and if i really took the time to analyze it i would probably get it.

But i don´t want to over analyze it and get tired of it. So i treasure it since it was the song that got me in to the MM sound.

Good stuff!

//Splanky

 

[bassmonkey]

"Come on, come over"-by Jaco. The part where the bass just takes off, those 16th note runs with string mutes are very difficult, but once you get it down it really grooves along. For slap, I'd say "Aeroplane" by the Chilis, another one that took ages, but once you have it down it just rocks along and feels very natural.

 

[phatduckk]

the first time I played Schism was by accident ... you ever sit around noodling and think "hmmm, ive heard this before"? thats always pretty fun.

i actually got the Hell Cat Records DVD this morning and theres a few live Rancid clips and surprise, surprise one of them's Maxwell Murder the solo in that song took me a little while to get down ... and now i dont quite remember it too well so playing along with the DVD made me feel like a kid again

on a side note ... live Matt Freedman extends that bass solo to about 2 minutes. that dudes got some picking hand stamina

 

[Psychicpet]

Yo, holmes, "Smoke on the Water" is HARD.

I refuse to learn "Poppa Was A Rolling Stone". I like it, mind you, but what is the count on that? It freaks me out - a band I was in back in the late 70s, when such things were cool, used to write stuff in 11/32 and alternating time signatures and I loved it, was all over it, but "Poppa Was A Rolling Stone" just eats my lunch.

One I really LOVE to play, although I'm sure I'm not playing it accurately, is "Watching The Detectives" by Elvis Costello.

And anything, lately, by Barenaked Ladies.

But that's probably a new thread.

Jack

!!!!!! !!!!!!
although not a huge fan but heck they are my Country Men!! Jim Creegan is a great bassist, Jack i knew you were too cool for just one country! hey, have you ever checked out the Tragically Hip?? they're another great Canadian Band(and apparent PASSIVE Bongo owner)

 

[Samingo]

Personally I'm more of a Rancid fan myself, but as far as picking is concerned

NOFX - The Decline, the picking in that song is ridiculously good, and the harmonies, mmm.

For slapp, it's anything by wooten or miller rescently, though there's been a fair amount of various artists in there.

and for fingerstyle, just keeping up with those long crazy basslines you hear a lot of if you raid BassLobster.com that sort of thing.

 

[JB1]

Stockholm Syndrome by Muse is a tricky little beggar.

 

[Freddy-G.]

Smoke On The Water.....

HaHa! Maybe THAT'S why I play bass. Some of the coolest lines are the easiest to play!

 

[Dees]

I have trouble with some Symphony X songs, especially the intro of Sea of Lies, very fast. But the problem isn't only me, I find that it goes easier on a bass with a smaller string spacing than my Stingray.

 

[mike not fat]

NOFX - The Decline, the picking in that song is ridiculously good, and the harmonies, mmm.

Yes. Any punk lover has to listen to that song. A concept album (one song) of 18 minutes (hey it's punk).

What's hard about NOFX is that some lines are really fast ; and I didn't even try to sing along...

Other tricky pick line : "barbarism begins at home" by the Smith. Hard to get that bumping felling. There are some others : "this charming man"...

MNF

 

[jongitarz]

"Come on, come over"-by Jaco. The part where the bass just takes off, those 16th note runs with string mutes are very difficult, but once you get it down it really grooves along. For slap, I'd say "Aeroplane" by the Chilis, another one that took ages, but once you have it down it just rocks along and feels very natural.

Is that the song that Sam and Dave sing? Awesome song!

 

[bassmonkey]

Is that the song that Sam and Dave sing? Awesome song!

The very one.

 

[AnthonyD]

I don't go beyond 16th notes...

Come think of it, and if it can be avoided, I actually prefer not to stray beyond 8th notes...

 

[bassmonkey]

I don't go beyond 16th notes...

Come think of it, and if it can be avoided, I actually prefer not to stray beyond 8th notes...

A lot of Jamerson doesn't go beyond 8th notes and that stuff is awesome. Check out 'What's going on?'

 

[phatduckk]

not really a bassline ... but Anesthesia (pulling teeth) off Metallica's first album after the drums kick in. im usually anti-effects on bass but that song is dope. but there's too much wah and distortion to figure out what the hell is going on.

before the drums its chill but once they kick in its tough pick up on what's a note and what's just noise

 

[barkatozz]

Hell...I still can't get "Lick It Up" down yet.

 

[PatAttack]

Anything by Between the Buried and Me. They are a heavy metal band that suddenly changed time signatures and key changes and goes from a heavy death metal to melodic pretty singing and piano, then to grindy really fast riffs rapidly chaning tempos from 3/4 to 4/4 to 7/16 etc. and changing keys constantly, then to latin jazz... they are crazy, then to a quick pause while the bass player does some finger-tapping. It is also complicated because he playes almost exactly what the guitars play while their soloing and he has a 5 string bass that is tuned differently than the guitars so when their on the 1st frett he is on the 3rd frett of the second string etc. It's pretty crazy.

They are amazing musicians... however most people don't like death metal and screaming music.

check out the song Mordecai or Selkies: the Endless Obsession