Converting a guitar song to bass

[aarono]

I remember seeing a video of a bass player tapping out the rag-time classic "The Entertainer" and it sounded awesome. This got me to thinking about applying this to other songs written for piano/guitar.

For instance I'd like to learn how to play "Never Going Back Again" by Fleetwood Mac but I'm a bit lost in finding a way to properly convert it without sounding muddled. Any advice for converting songs to bass?

[whitefuneral]

Check tunings, timings, and learn what chords they are using, power chords and just listen hard to any changes.

[MalcolmAmos]

Originally Posted by aarono

I remember seeing a video of a bass player tapping out the rag-time classic "The Entertainer" and it sounded awesome. This got me to thinking about applying this to other songs written for piano/guitar.

For instance I'd like to learn how to play "Never Going Back Again" by Fleetwood Mac but I'm a bit lost in finding a way to properly convert it without sounding muddled. Any advice for converting songs to bass?

If you are talking about taking the treble clef notes and placing them into the bass clef. A first octave A in the treble clef becomes a first octave A in the bass clef.

Or if you site read standard notation just read from the treble clef.

Now if you do not have standard notation sheet music - or do not read SN then you will just have to pick out the melody notes.

Several people have mentioned that's why we bassists need to have a keyboard handy. Much easier to pick out melody on the keyboard then take that to our fretboard.

Another thought unlossened - if you can find guitar tabs on that song - both of our bottom four strings are the same so guitar tab notes on the bottom 4 strings flow right into your bass fretboard. You will have to figure out what to do with guitar tab notes in the top two strings, but, that should give you enough to get started.

Good luck.

[hleach]

You will most likely have little luck with transferring guitar chords directly to the bass. The e and a string tend to muddy up if played together.

Try forming chords that use three notes. Use one note on the e or a string, and one note on each the d and g strings.

Edit: Try this...



Or this covers the basic idea and is a little easier...



I'd suggest hitting the 9's and the chords with you left hand and tapping double stops and everything else.