Easy beginner songs

[RxFunk]

Originally Posted by ZeroSymbolic

Well, guess what your getting some metal, because Black Sabbath is pretty easy for the most part.

Ironman
The Wizard
NIB
Sweet Leaf

You can learn all of those in about 5minutes total.

Iron Maiden stuff isn't terribly technical, just requires a lot of endurance.

Haha, that's fine, I don't dislike the older metal bands, just the more modern stuff. I'll check these songs out soon, thanks.

[fmoore200]

"Everyday People" - sly and the family stone

Eight note pedal throughout. Simple, but really drives the song.

[obimark]

Easy in a way, hard to do well in another- I prefer to use pick for all of these... these are good cover band songs- (as I have played them all in at least 3 different bands)

Good- Better Than Ezra
She Sells Sanctuary- The Cult
Cumbersome- 7 Mary 3
Backwater- Meat Puppets

[RxFunk]

Originally Posted by fmoore200

"Everyday People" - sly and the family stone

Eight note pedal throughout. Simple, but really drives the song.

I actually like this song, can't believe I haven't looked it up yet. Thanks.

[RxFunk]

Originally Posted by obimark

Easy in a way, hard to do well in another- I prefer to use pick for all of these... these are good cover band songs- (as I have played them all in at least 3 different bands)

Good- Better Than Ezra
She Sells Sanctuary- The Cult
Cumbersome- 7 Mary 3
Backwater- Meat Puppets

I guess now is as good a time as any to work on my pick playing, thanks obimark.

[RxFunk]

Forgot to mention that I'm a lot more comfortable with pocket playing songs as opposed to songs where you're kind of all over the place. The first song I learned was Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gee's.

[ZeroSymbolic]

Space Lord-Monster Magnet

[RxFunk]

Originally Posted by ZeroSymbolic

Space Lord-Monster Magnet

More metal I presume?

[fmoore200]

"Fire" by Jimi Hendrix is pretty easy (on bass, not drums or guitar, so you might be playing this one alone for awhile lol)

"Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream is another classic rock simple and timeless groove

[VinKreepo]

Definitely look up "Low Rider" by WAr (theme song for George Lopez Show)... it's pretty basic, but it will help you understand why hammer on's are important (hammer on's are noted with a "/", so you would hammer on the 5th fret from the 3rd in this song). Most of the tabs on the net are wrong so here is the correct line:

G--|---------------------------|
D--|--------------3----3/5-3/5-|
A--|-----1--3--5-----5---------|
E--|1-3------------------------|

sometimes, it goes like this (change at the end of the bar):

G--|-----------------------3/5-|
D--|--------------3----3/5-----|
A--|-----1--3--5-----5---------|
E--|1-3------------------------|

Enjoy!

Oh, and "Beat It" by Michael Jackson is a good one, too.

EDIT: Also, try doing the "Low Rider" line withOUT the hammer on's and notice the difference. Takes out the funk lol

[RxFunk]

Originally Posted by VinKreepo

Definitely look up "Low Rider" by WAr (theme song for George Lopez Show)... it's pretty basic, but it will help you understand why hammer on's are important (hammer on's are noted with a "/", so you would hammer on the 5th fret from the 3rd in this song). Most of the tabs on the net are wrong so here is the correct line:

G--|---------------------------|
D--|--------------3----3/5-3/5-|
A--|-----1--3--5-----5---------|
E--|1-3------------------------|

sometimes, it goes like this (change at the end of the bar):

G--|-----------------------3/5-|
D--|--------------3----3/5-----|
A--|-----1--3--5-----5---------|
E--|1-3------------------------|

Enjoy!

Oh, and "Beat It" by Michael Jackson is a good one, too.

EDIT: Also, try doing the "Low Rider" line withOUT the hammer on's and notice the difference. Takes out the funk lol

Thanks for this, my dad would probably love it if I could play Low Rider, and it looks simple enough too. I'll find some tabs for Beat It in a bit as well.

[ZeroSymbolic]

Originally Posted by RxFunk

More metal I presume?

Stoner Rock, but that song was commercial for a while. Really groovy and easy to play.

[RxFunk]

Originally Posted by ZeroSymbolic

Stoner Rock, but that song was commercial for a while. Really groovy and easy to play.

Sweet, I'll give it a shot.

[Bassbubble11]

Santana – Black Magic Woman

[SnowCal]

With or Without You, by U2, is the first song I ever played live. Straight 8s on an easy progression the whole way? Can't get much easier than that.

So I wrote an easier bassline. You pretty much just play 8s on E for the entire song. And then when the singer is starting to get really intense you just drop out for a bar, leaving the singer hanging there in the nude, and then you play E again for the rest of the song. If you notice that the keyboard players are actually playing Eb when you're on E, relax and swim in that semitone dissonance. And then bask in glory as your audience screams 'Do it again!' They just want some E, don't we all?

Easiest bassline ever written. Until a write one that is 4s on the same open string for the entire song. So easy a drummer could do it, maybe.

I would say just listen to rock/pop bands that you like, that aren't known for their legendary bassists, and dive in. A lot of more successful music has surprisingly simple basslines. Want to play something by a bass hero? Flea. I remember learning Californication (which is dominated by that bassline) and Otherside (well, a working version that was a lot simpler than the original) pretty easily when I was just starting out. Look at the Beatles. Paul has some ridiculously cool bass riffs (Rain!) but a lot of his stuff is easy if tasteful. I don't know where you're at, but I loved learning Taxman. Want some Nirvana? Everything I've tried is easy. That awesome Come As You Are riff? Cake.

Also, tabs are cool and really helpful sometimes, but you're not playing any stuff right now that isn't easy to figure out with your ears, even if you're just starting. Use them. The earlier you start working on your ear it will become a huge asset to you down the road.

[RxFunk]

Originally Posted by SnowCal

With or Without You, by U2, is the first song I ever played live. Straight 8s on an easy progression the whole way? Can't get much easier than that.

So I wrote an easier bassline. You pretty much just play 8s on E for the entire song. And then when the singer is starting to get really intense you just drop out for a bar, leaving the singer hanging there in the nude, and then you play E again for the rest of the song. If you notice that the keyboard players are actually playing Eb when you're on E, relax and swim in that semitone dissonance. And then bask in glory as your audience screams 'Do it again!' They just want some E, don't we all?

Easiest bassline ever written. Until a write one that is 4s on the same open string for the entire song. So easy a drummer could do it, maybe.

I would say just listen to rock/pop bands that you like, that aren't known for their legendary bassists, and dive in. A lot of more successful music has surprisingly simple basslines. Want to play something by a bass hero? Flea. I remember learning Californication (which is dominated by that bassline) and Otherside (well, a working version that was a lot simpler than the original) pretty easily when I was just starting out. Look at the Beatles. Paul has some ridiculously cool bass riffs (Rain!) but a lot of his stuff is easy if tasteful. I don't know where you're at, but I loved learning Taxman. Want some Nirvana? Everything I've tried is easy. That awesome Come As You Are riff? Cake.

Also, tabs are cool and really helpful sometimes, but you're not playing any stuff right now that isn't easy to figure out with your ears, even if you're just starting. Use them. The earlier you start working on your ear it will become a huge asset to you down the road.

I know I need to work on my ear training, sometimes it's a bit difficult with the bass getting drowned out though. I'm working on some Beatles and Nirvana currently as well, and I've been playing maybe three, four months.

[VinKreepo]

Originally Posted by RxFunk

I know I need to work on my ear training, sometimes it's a bit difficult with the bass getting drowned out though. I'm working on some Beatles and Nirvana currently as well, and I've been playing maybe three, four months.

Plug your computer into your amp and turn the bass up. Depending on the amp you have, you may have a CD/mp3 input or secondary input so you can play along with the track.

Learn what your scales and 2 note chords sound like. These two things will help you train your ear. Without extensive formal training (and some even say its hopeless pass the age of 10), you will never be able to say, "Oh! That's a C!" after hearing a random note being played -- partly because as a bassist, your bass will most likely hardly ever be perfectly in tune, so your mind remembers many "C's" (or so my music professor said) and partly because that formal training is you sitting down behind a piano while someone quizzes you on random notes.

However, with practice, you can nail what a root and fifth sound liked played back to back and the same with a root and fourth, or sixth, or minor seventh, etc. This will GREATLY help you figure out songs. Once you get one note, if you know the next note sounds like that note's fifth... well, there ya go! It's just a chain reaction.

[corndog]

Here's a few

K's Choice-not an addict
Heroes-The Wallflowers version
Guns of Brixton-The Clash

[Frankewhite]

"Black sunshine" by white zombie. Gets them fingers warmed up real quick. I've been playing bass for14 years and still play this. It's great for a left hand exercise.

[RxFunk]

Originally Posted by VinKreepo

Plug your computer into your amp and turn the bass up. Depending on the amp you have, you may have a CD/mp3 input or secondary input so you can play along with the track.

Learn what your scales and 2 note chords sound like. These two things will help you train your ear. Without extensive formal training (and some even say its hopeless pass the age of 10), you will never be able to say, "Oh! That's a C!" after hearing a random note being played -- partly because as a bassist, your bass will most likely hardly ever be perfectly in tune, so your mind remembers many "C's" (or so my music professor said) and partly because that formal training is you sitting down behind a piano while someone quizzes you on random notes.

However, with practice, you can nail what a root and fifth sound liked played back to back and the same with a root and fourth, or sixth, or minor seventh, etc. This will GREATLY help you figure out songs. Once you get one note, if you know the next note sounds like that note's fifth... well, there ya go! It's just a chain reaction.

I'll try this out, my mom has a piano I can use, so I can start working on that as well.