Help with this song for a noobie...Please

slap-a-da-bass · #1 03-19-2010, 06:57 PM

Hey all,

I've been playing for maybe 5/6 months and I understand a good amount about a few scales, intervals, chords. Usually when I learn a song I play along with the roots first, then I come back to it and listen for other fills in a song.

I've been having trouble with Keep your hands to yourself by Georgia Satellites. I get the root pattern, is a basic blues progression, I have no problem with that, and there's a run I put in going from the 'A' to the 'D'. But there seems to be more going on than what I can figure out. Some walking bassline, some 5th's/Octave's? I've watched some YT lessons, but I think most of them really just don't sound right.

Can you give me some ideas or links to a walking line that would fit the song.

Thanks,

MalcolmAmos · #2 03-19-2010, 08:30 PM

Can you post the sheet music, fake chord, whatever -- so we can see what you are working with?

sleepytime · #3 03-19-2010, 08:40 PM

I'm hearing a lot of walking up to the octave and back down. Play around with combinations of 1-3-5-6 and octave. That and 4-note chromatic walks up to the 1 will cover a lot of that song.

Chris K · #4 03-19-2010, 11:01 PM

Never heard of them, but they really were keeping up the good work. Very good bass player with a lot of variation in a simple blues pattern. Maybe someone can recommend a good book on blues patterns for bass to you.

The versions I listened to are in the key of C.

You can play as you like throughout the song, but there are two important features.
1. In the first chorus there is no bass
2. the whole band (bass including) plays a riff in bar 7 and 8 (of the 12-bar-pattern) that goes (in eights

d# e c d# e c d# e c d# e c_____

to finger that: d# : d-string 1st fret e : d- string 2nd fret c : g -string 5th fret

to play it in the key of D: all fingerings two frets up
to play in in the key of A: all fingerings two frets up + one string down

I hear the bass player doing fragments of this riff in other spots as well, so a basic pattern for the whole song could be:

c c d# e g g a c (4x)
f f g# a c c d f (2x)
d# e c d# e c d# e c d# e c_____ (that riff)
g g a# b d d e g (2x)
c c d# e g g a c
g g a# b d d e g

Hope this helps.

MalcolmAmos · #5 03-20-2010, 06:46 AM

Yes that helped, I was looking for something simple, but, up the scale never registered.
c c d# e g g a c (4x) -----R-R-2#-3-5-5-6-8
f f g# a c c d f (2x) ------R-R-2#-3-5-5-6-8
Why the sharp two? Would not have tried that. One more riff in the ole gig bag.

sleepytime · #6 03-20-2010, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MalcolmAmos

Yes that helped, I was looking for something simple, but, up the scale never registered.
c c d# e g g a c (4x) -----R-R-2#-3-5-5-6-8
f f g# a c c d f (2x) ------R-R-2#-3-5-5-6-8
Why the sharp two? Would not have tried that. One more riff in the ole gig bag.

Here's what I got on the version I listened to here. This is the first 2 bars of the bass line (and the 1 of bar 3).

Key = A

R-R-b3-3-5-6-8...(Rhythm is 1-2-and-3-and-4 and)
b7-b7-6-5-3-5.....(2-and-3-and-4-and)
R......................(1)

Playable Score

I would call that a flat 3 rather than a sharp 2. It functions as a chromatic lead in to 3 that follows it. Other than that note, it's all Dominant 7th (with the 6) arpeggio that is one of the basics of blues bass.

Chris K · #7 03-22-2010, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleepytime

I would call that a flat 3 rather than a sharp 2. It functions as a chromatic lead in to 3 that follows it.

No, Malcolm is right, it IS a sharp 2. To avoid complicated theory: Think scale patterns. Play it as a natural 2; it works (though less nicely). Play it as a natural 3

The implication: in the written example you should not write c but b#.
And to complete the story: key signature should be ###.

Blake Bass · #8 03-22-2010, 07:56 AM

The #2 used as a passing tone to the 3rd is very common in blues type lines..checkout Pride & Joy by Stevie Ray Vaughn, it is also used in a bunch of Beatles and Elvis tunes.

sleepytime · #9 03-22-2010, 03:13 PM

I was just looking at Ed Friedland's book "Blues Bass" and he consistently writes that as a flat 3rd--which is what it is in blues. Maybe there is a different convention in other styles. I looked for an explanation, but I couldn't find anything. If someone could point to a discussion of it, that would be great.

ETA: Jon Lieberman and Keith Rosier also write a flat third.

The key signature was just a bone-headed mistake.

ETA: Fixed.

LowDown Hal · #10 03-22-2010, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleepytime

Here's what I got on the version I listened to here. This is the first 2 bars of the bass line (and the 1 of bar 3).

Key = A

R-R-b3-3-5-6-8...(Rhythm is 1-2-and-3-and-4 and)
b7-b7-6-5-3-5.....(2-and-3-and-4-and)
R......................(1)

I would call that a flat 3 rather than a sharp 2. It functions as a chromatic lead in to 3 that follows it. Other than that note, it's all Dominant 7th (with the 6) arpeggio that is one of the basics of blues bass.

Now I'm confused isn't two sharps the Key of D ?

sleepytime · #11 03-22-2010, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LowDown Hal

Now I'm confused isn't two sharps the Key of D ?

Yes, I was rushing and got that wrong. Sorry.

ETA: Fixed.

slap-a-da-bass · #12 03-25-2010, 02:23 PM

Hey,

a big thanks for the ideas, I tried some of them out and it fits well with the song. I need to work on the turn arounds yet. I find it interesting on the turn arounds that when there are vocals, the chords stay on a V, but during any soloing the progression uses a V, IV.

Anyway thanks

Chris K · #13 03-26-2010, 05:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleepytime

I was just looking at Ed Friedland's book "Blues Bass" and he consistently writes that as a flat 3rd--which is what it is in blues. Maybe there is a different convention in other styles. I looked for an explanation, but I couldn't find anything. If someone could point to a discussion of it, that would be great.

ETA: Jon Lieberman and Keith Rosier also write a flat third.

The key signature was just a bone-headed mistake.

ETA: Fixed.

well... maybe not in both cases.

It matters if you prefer reading comfort to theoretic correctness. F.e if a blues is in the key of A, you could use two sharps as key signature to avoid all those cancels for g#, als blues melodies often have minor 7th.

Same story for flat 3rd instead of sharp 2nd. flat 3rd, in most cases, will read easier. In the above example: b# is less common.

However, because I want to use a fixed combination of key signature and key, and to clarify the harmonic function of a note, I prefer classic notation.

I'm just not conditioned to reading # # with a piece in A major.