ideas on some good bass songs to learn

creativedrinker · 19-03-2011 04:10PM #1

Hey, ive started to learn the bass and im trying to find some songs that have a good bass line to follow, like another one bites the dust... most songs i try learn its mainly just being in rythem hitting the one note constantly and not much fun...

thought id learn it as a change from guitar for a while but can see why not alot of people want to "slap the bass"

Thanks!

Rigsby · 19-03-2011 06:26PM

"Money" by Pink Flyod has a catchy bass riff, as has "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream. Others to check out would be "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple, "Day Tripper" by the Beatles.

Malice · 20-03-2011 11:59AM

What kind of bass have you got (4/5/6+ string) and what kind of stuff are you interested in?

Saila · 20-03-2011 03:11PM

chili peppers stuff is very bass rich and interesting its pretty complex as bass goes, the bass actually has a seperate part and not just tapping out the bassier version of what the guitar does :rolleyes:

lalee17 · 21-03-2011 12:20AM

Learn anything by the chilis, it's difficult at first to get used to muted notes/slapping, but it'll make you a better bassist in the long run. Learning new techniques from different styles is what gets you good.

Try to ignore any of the new indie/pop bands of today, they usually only play open notes/do silly things like that.

A lot fo stuff from the 60's/70's has good basslines too!

Jimmy Garlic · 21-03-2011 12:23AM

Anything by The Smiths.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxUuRLdR6F8

creativedrinker · 21-03-2011 07:02PM

@ malice its a 4 string, and im intrested in anything really, mainly classic rock, queen, stones all that... once it isnt guns n roses :P

One friend was recomending Queens of the stone age songs, thinkin about it they have a few very good bass lines but Ill give the chillies a go, dont see my self in fleas shoes any time soon though!!

is it best to use fingers for hitting strings or a pick? or is it down to personal taste?

Malice · 22-03-2011 07:27PM

creativedrinker wrote: »

@ malice its a 4 string, and im intrested in anything really, mainly classic rock, queen, stones all that... once it isnt guns n roses :P

Ah well I'm still going to recommend Sweet Child O' Mine. Yes it's overplayed but the bass line is quite interesting. It doesn't just duplicate the guitar melody. Otherwise try the Red Hot Chili Peppers as recommended by lalee17 but some of their stuff can be damn difficult to play. If you're not averse to Metallica I highly recommend checking out Anesthesia - Pulling Teeth and Orion. They are superb examples of what the bass can do when it's responsible for the melody of a song.

creativedrinker wrote:

is it best to use fingers for hitting strings or a pick? or is it down to personal taste?

You're opening a can of worms with that question

. When I started playing the bass I used a pick all the time. I switched to playing fingerstyle a few years ago and now I do either depending on the song. I would say don't limit yourself to playing exclusively in one style over another. Both styles have positives.

Dord · 22-03-2011 08:17PM

Blister in the Sun by The Violent Femmes is a great one. It's really fun to play and has a bass solo in there too.

Rigsby · 22-03-2011 09:59PM

Malice wrote: »

I would say don't limit yourself to playing exclusively in one style over another. Both styles have positives.

+1.

Playing bass with a pick is looked down upon by a lot of people, and fellow bass players alike, as being some how inferior to finger picking. Don't pay any attention to this. Play what feels comfortable and natural to you. I agree with Malice that both techniques have their place.

Whichever you choose, be careful about how you go about it, because both can cause physical problems later on, if not done correctly. Basically, both wrists should be as straight as possible. Search You Tube for bass technique.

kwalshe · 22-03-2011 10:03PM

Good call on Money, the first song I learned.
A lot of Queen songs are handy.
You tube is your friend. Listen out for a song you would like or think you could play and type *song name* and bass into you tube and there is some great stuff up there to help you get along.

Malice · 22-03-2011 10:11PM

Rigsby wrote: »

I agree with Malice

You'll disagree with me over something someday

.

Rigsby · 23-03-2011 09:47AM

Malice wrote: »

You'll disagree with me over something someday .

Great minds think alike !!

novarock · 23-03-2011 09:52AM

I liked learning the sultans of swing, moderately quick changes that get you used to moving your hand around the guitar..

I started out by learning every song in a Nirvana tab book, each to their own i guess.

Dont mind what people are saying about fingers/plec, no one really cares!

Rigsby · 23-03-2011 09:52AM

creativedrinker wrote: »

most songs i try learn its mainly just being in rythem hitting the one note constantly and not much fun...

This should keep you busy for a while.

This guy makes it look so easy. I've being working on it myself, and just about have it nailed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opDEoTZnrwg

Malice · 23-03-2011 10:29AM

novarock wrote: »

Dont mind what people are saying about fingers/plec, no one really cares!

Sadly people do. Not so much on this forum thankfully but there are some real zealots on other bass-orientated forums on the Internet.

calerbass · 02-06-2011 01:08PM

A Forest by The Cure, Cars by Gary Numan, Black Night by Deep Purple are great songs to learn on the bass.

Maybe_Memories · 02-06-2011 09:54PM

Try some Muse. The bass lines range from very simple lines, to more melodic and intricate lines. None of the bass lines are technically difficult but he pumps out 16th notes pretty fast and a lot of the songs require a lot of stamina, "New Born" for instance.

In this one he's practically following the guitar note for note, but hey, still very fun to play. The next is a drum and bass jam.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-7i7siBTGQ&feature=fvsr

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y01r6-_t2x0

bnt · 02-06-2011 10:34PM

When I was first learning, the Yes album 90125 was very useful, because it had a good range of styles and difficulties. A song like "Owner of a Lonely Heart" is a simple Pop song with an easy bassline, but then you have "Our Song", which one magazine review called "a one song electric bass primer". I still haven't got it quite right, after all these years, mostly because Chris Squire is arguably the pick player to watch, while I'm all fingers. Here's a YouTube guy having a good bash at it - if only he'd tuned up first. :pac:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4fp01Veb-A

cython · 08-06-2011 09:23AM

Maybe_Memories wrote: »

Try some Muse. The bass lines range from very simple lines, to more melodic and intricate lines. None of the bass lines are technically difficult but he pumps out 16th notes pretty fast and a lot of the songs require a lot of stamina, "New Born" for instance.

In this one he's practically following the guitar note for note, but hey, still very fun to play. The next is a drum and bass jam.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-7i7siBTGQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y01r6-_t2x0

|Fixed those embeds for you. Just quote my post if you want to see how it works compared to what you had.

Fingers Mcginty · 15-06-2011 08:07AM

Sir Duke

ideas on some good bass songs to learn

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