For once in my life stevie wonder- difficult bass line ever?

Langueta · #1 10-25-2007, 11:39 PM

I can´t figure it out, I have the boolk read ir but cant memorize the groovee
What are you experiences with these one
Is the difficult bass line of all the history?

JimmyM · #2 10-26-2007, 12:45 AM

Definitely not easy, but not impossible, either. It takes a certain style of phrasing that I think is easier to learn if you try "Standing In The Shadows Of Love" by the Four Tops first. Then try "Bernadette" by the Four Tops. And then I'd make a stab at "For Once In My Life." "For Once In My Life" is Stevie Wonder's interpretation of that Four Tops groove, so it's a bit busier and harder to play than those.

**duff84** · #3 10-26-2007, 01:51 AM

this was probably the hardest bassline i had to learn not because of notes or speed but its got such a different kinda groove to it. its so damn funky. jamerson was the man. take it slow dude, what i did was learn pieces of the groove and master them first then start putting it together. slow and steady wins the race dude.

might not be the most difficult but damn the groove and funk in it is dope. good luck man. after you learn that try i was made to love her. thats another funky azz busy bassline but damn does it groove.

bass_fish · #4 10-26-2007, 02:48 AM

damn I'm so happy it isn't just me.... thanx!
I really think it's a hrad song, but also a very nice song... gotta keep on trying I guess...

chicagodoubler · #5 10-26-2007, 07:43 AM

Something very important- play it with a metronome, or beter yet, a sequencer qith 16th notes, at a verrrrrrry slow tempo. I would also as mentioned above, isolate the problem areas.

Think that one's hard? I've never had a student get through Darlin Dear...

Vandelay · #6 10-26-2007, 07:49 AM

Don't know if it's the hardest, but it's definitely my favorite of the Jamerson bass lines in the "SITSOM" book. Pino Palladino does a great job with it on the accompanying CD. It might be a bit easier if it were in a different key, but that's life.

Here's a YouTube of a guy who does a respectable job with it, made all the more impressive by the fact that he's missing a finger on his right hand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=356klpAB-1E

Gawd · #7 10-26-2007, 07:57 AM

I like this guys video. he's more in the pocket

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-9SZ3vwpEw

Deacon_Blues · #8 10-26-2007, 09:10 AM

I've never tried to play it note for note, but I do jam along to it quite often. (Stevie and Jamerson are two of my idols). I've never considered it that difficult but I probably play it way simpler than the original... In a live situation, I think I would get away with my version though. In general, I don't really like playing the exact same lines as the original, as it's more important to capture the vibe of the song. I also like to add something own to the music. Very few actually cares if you play the original bassline or not.

For practicing purposes it's of course good to try to work out the original. However, I'm generally too lazy or impatient to do that, as I can play a decent "fake version" by ear without thinking. That's also a good skill to have (and practice) if you're ever doing stand-in gigs.

John Wentzien · #9 10-26-2007, 09:18 AM

What a great bass line. Well worth learning...........

**duff84** · #10 10-26-2007, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chicagodoubler

Think that one's hard? I've never had a student get through Darlin Dear...

how could i forget that one, darlin dear is fantastic. itll take awhile to learn for sure, but keep at it.

chicagodoubler · #11 10-26-2007, 03:19 PM

What's awesome about Darlin dear, and lesser so What's Goin On, is the amount of variation you find in the line. After the intro, there is not a single repeated line in Darlin Dear! Not many basslines outside of jazz that can claim that!

Deacon- faking is good, but I landed a couple awesome gigs this year because I memorized a ton of Jamerson lines note for note years ago, and impressed the hell out of a couple band leaders. The flip side is that if you fake off the lead sheet, you might not play an enclosed C natural over F+ like Jamerson did on FOIML...