Keep An Open Ear (mind)!

[Relayer71]

So I’m sitting by my PC, practicing the 3 songs I just learned (3 week bass noob here) and downloading music and my wife asked me to DL this one song “Maneater” by Hall & Oates.

Now I’m into all types of music (prog rock, post-rock, fusion, jazz, classical) but was never particularly fond of pop music. The wife on the other hand listens to the TOP 40 stuff from the 80s & 90s when we were growing up. I never liked Hall & Oates and I ESPECIALLY hated this track so I reluctantly played it for her but next thing I know I’m playing along with my bass and spent the next 30 minutes trying to learn the song and you know what? I had a blast.

I always thought that was such a lame song but listening to it now I appreciate the composition. I mean I always knew they wrote catchy songs but I never liked the style of music and never thought much of them from a musician’s point of view. The bass track is nothing complicated or dazzling but for a bass noob like me it’s a bit tricky to learn and get the note transitions down but it’s actually fun to play. And now I have 4 songs to practice to and try to get down perfectly (learning by ear btw, same way I learned guitar 20 years ago)!

My point? Always keep an open ear! Seriously, I always tell people that they should be open minded about music but sometimes I forget that myself and can be an arrogant prick (I grimaced when the track started playing). Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m not going to go out and pick up Hall & Oates greatest hits or listen to “Maneater” all day but I see the song in a much different light now.

Reminds me of when a drummer friend first introduced me to RUSH (I was 16 and listening to U2, R.E.M., Simple Minds, etc.) He gave me a cassette copy of Hemispheres and I could NOT stand Geddy Lee's voice and didn't "get" the music so didn't listen to it. A year later when I was bored with my music collection I threw it in the cassette player and after a few "forced" listens (mostly to try to understand why my friend thought RUSH were GODS) I "got" it. Huge Rush fan since (and that was my gateway to other 70s prog rock bands).

[DeluxeRed]

There are lots of under-rated "pop" songs with really great bass lines; that's one reason I enjoy being in a cover band that rapidly turns over new songs. And I also find myself enjoying now songs I wouldn't have given a second listen to when they came out 20, 30 years ago. I think that is a little bit me loosening up over the years and not taking it so bloody seriously, and part of it is that there is so little decent, listenable music currently being made.