|  | | 
03-16-2011, 05:46 PM
| | | | Good times by Chic, a difficult bass line?? I can play faster than that, but damm you need good precise, groovy playing, what do you think about this bass line and how do you approch it? | 
03-16-2011, 05:50 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: San Diego, CA | | | no. It's just got a good groove.
How do I approach it? Hard to say - I just play it (I've been playing that sound in bands for a many years)
__________________
SWEET ZOMBIE JESUS!
| 
03-16-2011, 06:14 PM
|  | The Funkfather Kohlman Bassworks | | Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: SE Virginia via NYC | | | Difficult? Nope! Plenty folks play it wrong though! | 
03-16-2011, 06:16 PM
| | | | It's one of my all-time favorites.
How do you approach it? Play along with the recording until you are so fused with Bernard Edwards's brain and fingers that you can't hear yourself anymore. Timing and touch are the key. Speed is irrelevant. | 
03-16-2011, 06:19 PM
| | | It's really not difficult and is probably one of the easier Chic bass lines to play. Here is a sample page from the sheet music: Musicnotes.com: Unsupported Browser or Operating System
A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste! 
__________________ Grooving For Him!:hyper:
Christian P and W Bass Club Member #73
Ken Smith Club Member #5
Phil Jones Bass Club Member #3 Ken Smith\EA\Xotic\Phil Jones Bass | 
03-16-2011, 06:38 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Maryland, USA | | Quote:
It's really not difficult and is probably one of the easier Chic bass lines to play. Here is a sample page from the sheet music:
Musicnotes.com: Unsupported Browser or Operating System | The bass line is completely wrong in measure 4!
So many play the iconic bass line but I've yet to see a single person play it correctly with the right feel.
__________________
2004 Fender USA Precision (Butterscotch, maple)
2005 Geddy Neck + '62 RI J Body (3TSB)
| 
03-16-2011, 06:44 PM
|  | The Funkfather Kohlman Bassworks | | Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: SE Virginia via NYC | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Chrisk-K The bass line is completely wrong in measure 4!
So many play the iconic bass line but I've yet to see a single person play it correctly with the right feel. | I'll see if I can find a recording of me playing it. Been playing it since it came out back in the 70's. If not, I'll try to record me playing it over the weekend. Trust me, I am one with that bassline!  | 
03-16-2011, 06:49 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Maryland, USA | | Quote: |
I'll see if I can find a recording of me playing it. Been playing it since it came out back in the 70's. If not, I'll try to record me playing it over the weekend. Trust me, I am one with that bassline!
| Please!
I can play it note for note. But something's just not right with my playing. I've watched the live video (Live at Budokkan) thousands time but cannot pinpoint exactly what Bernard is doing in measure 4, feel-wise.
__________________
2004 Fender USA Precision (Butterscotch, maple)
2005 Geddy Neck + '62 RI J Body (3TSB)
| 
03-16-2011, 06:50 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Texas | | | I think it's difficult near the end. To my ear, there's a quick bend, followed by a flurry of fast notes.
(I'm not looking at someone else's transcription. Those are wrong more often than not.) | 
03-16-2011, 06:52 PM
| | | | In Bar 4 of the lick, you have to from F# to G via the open A!
The "via the open A" part is difficult! | 
03-16-2011, 07:52 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Warwick RI | | | My band just started playing this tune. We slip a little sugarhill gang in for fun too
__________________
Hartke Club#231,EBMM Sterling Club #133 .Rhode Island Bass Players Club #8
| 
03-16-2011, 07:55 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Warwick RI | | | I think this is pretty close
Intro
G||-----------------------|--------------------------|----------------------|
D||*----------------------|--------------------0--2--|----------------------|
A||*----------------------|-----------0--2--4--------|--0----0----0-------0-|
E||---0----0----0-------0-|---0-1--2-----------------|----------------------|
Play several times
------------------------------|
--2---2---4--4---------------*|
----0---0-------0------------*|
--------------------0-4-2-1---|
Verse
|-----------------------|-------------------------|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|-------------------------|---------------------2-|
|---------------------7-|-------------------------|--0----0----0----0-----|
|--0----0----0----0-----|---0-0--0----0----0--1h2-|-----------------------|
|------------------2------||
|---------------------2-4-||
|--0----0----0---0--------||
|-------------------------||
__________________
Hartke Club#231,EBMM Sterling Club #133 .Rhode Island Bass Players Club #8
| 
03-16-2011, 08:01 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Warwick RI | | Then there's this dude playing it... You Play Along! - Good Times - Chic
__________________
Hartke Club#231,EBMM Sterling Club #133 .Rhode Island Bass Players Club #8
| 
03-16-2011, 08:05 PM
|  | The Funkfather Kohlman Bassworks | | Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: SE Virginia via NYC | | Quote:
Originally Posted by bassplayerbob | He's playing it correctly. I play it the same way. | 
03-16-2011, 08:13 PM
| | | | i think the main riff is more like:
E|0-0-0---0-2-3---------------5-5-5------5-5-------------5
A|----------------0-2-4-5-7-------------------------------
D|---------------------------------------------0-4-0-5-4---
G|----------------------------------------------------------
E|--------2------------------------------------------------
A|-0-2-0---------------------------------------------------
D|----------------------------------------------------------
G|----------------------------------------------------------
__________________
"You are never more than a half-step away from a right note" -Victor Wooten
| 
03-16-2011, 08:13 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Rochester, NY | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Chrisk-K Please!
I've watched the live video (Live at Budokkan) thousands time but cannot pinpoint exactly what Bernard is doing in measure 4, feel-wise. | Sadly, In all of this, that was Bernard's last performance. He died sometime during the night soon after. 
__________________ "The greatness of a nation and its moral
progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated"
Mahatma Ghandi (1869-1948) | 
03-16-2011, 08:32 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Maryland, USA | | Quote: |
Sadly, In all of this, that was Bernard's last performance. He died sometime during the night soon after.
| He died like 6 hours after the show. An antibiotic pill could have saved his life
The guy in the above video plays the line correctly! Bernard played the E note on the A string and the F# & G notes on the D string.
__________________
2004 Fender USA Precision (Butterscotch, maple)
2005 Geddy Neck + '62 RI J Body (3TSB)
| 
03-17-2011, 01:52 PM
| | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Chrisk-K The bass line is completely wrong in measure 4!
So many play the iconic bass line but I've yet to see a single person play it correctly with the right feel. | You are absolutely correct!!! I didn't realize until this morning-that music is for piano! Here is a transcription of the bass part: http://www.thebassment.info/transcri...t-notation.pdf
And here is the website with more nice transcriptions: The Bassment | Bass Guitar Transcriptions in Standard Notation & TAB
A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste! 
__________________ Grooving For Him!:hyper:
Christian P and W Bass Club Member #73
Ken Smith Club Member #5
Phil Jones Bass Club Member #3 Ken Smith\EA\Xotic\Phil Jones Bass | 
03-17-2011, 02:35 PM
| | Fueled by chocolate | | Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Montreal, Canada | | Quote:
Originally Posted by DWBass He's playing it correctly. I play it the same way. | YES! SO many people play that line incorrectly - it's great to see that there are others out there who hear it the same way I do.  For the record, Bernard did vary the line during live performances sometimes but, as far as the studio version is concerned, that's it. | 
03-17-2011, 02:56 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Montreal, QC, Canada | | Quote:
Originally Posted by bottomzone |
Wow, Amazing website! Thanks for sharing that. | | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | |
Posting Rules
| You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts HTML code is Off | | | |