I hate Day Tripper!

Tony Canevaro · #1 12-14-2004, 12:17 PM

I swear Paul McCartney wrote this song just to spite me.

I have real trouble with getting the sound clean. My fingers have to stretch to such abnormal proportions. I can make it sound like the tune but with all kinds of fret buzzing and accidental mutes.... grrrr.

Had to vent, I'm sure it is a practice thing but I've been playing it for a couple of months now and I can;t get past the first few bars.

Bassman_Spike · #2 12-15-2004, 04:30 AM

Its all about practising...make sure you warm up your fingers well before getting into playing the riff....also some stretching type excersises might help you.

Luke73 · #3 12-15-2004, 05:42 AM

Don't feel bad - it's a hard tune (well, it is for me

).

I learnt it from the transcription in Bass Player, but it took me a while before I could play along with the song at full speed and sound half decent.

The thing that helped me was practising it slowly with my metronome. From memory the song is at 138bpm or something...I started at 60 bpm!

Only when I could really nail it at that speed, I went a bit quicker.

Anyway, that's what worked for me - I can still improve on it heaps, but it's not too bad now.

iamthebassman · #4 12-15-2004, 07:33 AM

I play..and sing it every show. Helps to have a short-scale bass, like a Hofner for instance.

JSCHRO7376 · #5 12-15-2004, 09:13 AM

if it's too hard for you, start with the White Snake version and then move up

Joe P · #6 12-15-2004, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamthebassman

...Helps to have a short-scale bass, like a Hofner for instance.

D'oah!!

Joe

(Edit) Dude:

I just went to your band site for a listen. I dig that rendition of I Am The Walrus. Nice!

You guys changed the words to the chant at the end though, didn't you?

Joe

Squidfinger · #7 12-15-2004, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSCHRO7376

if it's too hard for you, start with the White Snake version and then move up

White Snake rules!!!!!!

I just got their S/T album today.

iamthebassman · #8 12-15-2004, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe P

You guys changed the words to the chant at the end though, didn't you?

Joe

Nope.The lines are "Everybody's got one" and "Ooompah, oompah, stick it up your jumper".

Joe P · #9 12-15-2004, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamthebassman

Nope.The lines are "Everybody's got one" and "Ooompah, oompah, stick it up your jumper".

What?! For all these years... I could have sworn it was... Like, "smoke...

Ahh! Never mind.

Joe

corinpills · #10 12-15-2004, 01:59 PM

Flatwound strings would also help get you closer to the sound (and cut down on buzzing and fret noises). After you get the bass part down, you have to sing it, too. It's a great song for working on that bass/vocal independence discussed in another thread nearby.

bassmonkey144 · #11 12-19-2004, 08:19 PM

maybe you are playing the riff a difficult way. i was playing the A and D on the 5th fret, until my guitarist hit me upside the head, and said, "whatr you doing that for?" now its a really fast and easy riff to play.

iamthebassman · #12 12-20-2004, 07:53 AM

monkey, are you starting the riff in the right place? The first note is the octave E, 7th fret A string. This gives the part the punch you hear on the original recording. When the chord changes to A, the riff starts on the open A string.
I took this photo from the stage:

bassmonkey144 · #13 12-20-2004, 10:51 AM

oh, sorry, my band plays it an octave lower. Guess i should have mentioned that. O well, my way is easier, but now that i think about it, probably doesnt sound as good.

JimK · #14 12-20-2004, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony Canevaro

I swear Paul McCartney wrote this song just to spite me.

"Day Tripper" is a 'John-song'; Lennon actually wrote the catchy riff(partly inspired by Bobby Parker's "Watch Your Step"?).

Quote:

I have real trouble with getting the sound clean. My fingers have to stretch to such abnormal proportions. I can make it sound like the tune but with all kinds of fret buzzing and accidental mutes.... grrrr.

McCartney rarely stretched...from various videos, it looks like he does a lot of shifting.
Have you ever seen McCartney play "I Saw Her Standing There"? I forget exactly which video it is, but...ouch. Mac, though, was never one about perfect technique. Sound & results were what mattered.
I like Bass Player's treatment of "Day Tripper" in their transcription...honestly, I never fingered it in the manner they had TAb'd out.
I did like how they said McCartney played the riff up an octave 'cause he realized it would sound better/translate better when played through a tiny/tinny car's radio speakers.