how do i learn basslines by ear if...

[BrandonBass]

the are like buried in the mix? sometimes its so hard for me to listen to the fills in nirvana songs etc.

[bass-me-up]

hi brandon,

you might wanna try this little software
http://www.seventhstring.com/index.html

here are some features that might help you:
- slow the music down without changing the pitch
- eq the song and boost the basspart

but the be honest. this is just a tool that can help you a little bit. the best advice i can give you is take your time when you transcribe. the more tunes and bassparts you learn by ear the better you will get. it also helps having a good harmony knowledge. who knows - you might even end up playing your own fill that sounds much better than the original.

wouldn't that be great?

cheers
steffen

p.s. check out my website http://www.bass-me-up.de with my monthly newsletter

[lemur821]

The best thing you can do is to listen through some good headphones. If it's fast, then slowing it down can help.

[BrandonBass]

thanks guys, yea i thought maybe if i know more theory i can derive whats the bassline by hearing the guitar and vocal parts

[BrandonBass]

btw the link u put up is not workin

[steveb98]

The slow down software or the Tascam Bass Trainer which is a nice practice tool. Other than that I would say learn to sing the bass line or the piece you're working on first. If you can sing it then you don't have to replay the CD as much. Also singing bass line helps with ear training and developing the connection between hearing something and knowing how it lays on the bass. Also transcribe the bass line the best you can which in beginning probably will have errors. Then as time goes on and you ear and technique get better you will be fixing the parts you didn't get right the first time.

[dhadleyray]

listen harder!

[Sean S]

it may take you years to learn the "entire" bass line, fills and all, if you are just beginning, because your ears haven't matured, haven't been "trained" if you will. I listen to songs now that I thought I had down and am still surprised when I hear some tasty lick.

sean

[invader3k]

Sometimes it's nearly possible to accurately transcribe a bass line. Sometimes the bass is buried in the mix, or while you can hear it, compression and other effects have been added on to make the individual notes very hard to pick out.

Often, it can be easier and sometimes more effective to figure out the indiviual chords and changes, and then make up your own bass line. I know I've done that for plenty of covers over the years, and no one has ever come up to me after a show and said "Hey, you didn't play 867-5309 (or any other classic rock tune) correctly."

[Showdown]

Originally Posted by invader3k

Often, it can be easier and sometimes more effective to figure out the indiviual chords and changes, and then make up your own bass line. I know I've done that for plenty of covers over the years, and no one has ever come up to me after a show and said "Hey, you didn't play 867-5309 (or any other classic rock tune) correctly."

Exactly, that is what I do a lot of the time. As long as you have the groove right it usually doesn't matter if you play exactly the same notes as the original. Get the first note of each bar right, then do your own thing within the confines of the groove. If the bass line is buried in the mix so you can't hear it, then no one in the audience is going to know what the original line is either.

[BrandonBass]

good points

[s.m.80808]

Originally Posted by bass-me-up

hi brandon,

you might wanna try this little software
http://www.seventhstring.com/index.html

here are some features that might help you:
- slow the music down without changing the pitch
- eq the song and boost the basspart

but the be honest. this is just a tool that can help you a little bit. the best advice i can give you is take your time when you transcribe. the more tunes and bassparts you learn by ear the better you will get. it also helps having a good harmony knowledge. who knows - you might even end up playing your own fill that sounds much better than the original.

wouldn't that be great?

cheers
steffen

p.s. check out my website http://www.bass-me-up.de with my monthly newsletter

+1

or you can be old fashioned and turn down the treble and turn up the bass

[lola99]

So it's OK not to copy a bassline exactly when you're playing by ear or from a tab? It's OK to come up with your own for an established song?

I start by simplifying the lines and when I feel comfortable with that, I add to them.

I know, this is a dumb question but I'm literal minded and teacherless, SORRY!!!!!

[Morrolan]

Originally Posted by lola99

So it's OK not to copy a bassline exactly when you're playing by ear or from a tab? It's OK to come up with your own for an established song?

Absolutely not. Deviate from the recorded line, and you run the risk of the Cover Song Secret Police Force dragging you out of the venue mid-set and horsewhipping you through the streets. It's not pretty.

[lola99]

Oh dear. I didn't know that. So I should expect that knock on the door in the middle of the night for my sins.

Oy I hope it's not too late to send the kids into hiding.

[bassbully43]

Ok....... Pastor Bassbully is gonna preach to ya........TASCAM BASS TRAINER...God's gift to bass players who need to learn songs by ear! You can speed up transpose keys,loop, and play over and along to any CD you can or can't hear the basslines to. I fear no recorded song anymore..unless its jazz or something crazy...put in the Cd listen... rock out. get up go get it now...God wants you too he gave you the gift and i gave you the word.

[driver800]

i often find that if I cannot hear the bass clearly through my home speakers or headphones, i can hear it much more clearly in the car. there's something about the environment of a car that makes the bass more audible (roll up the windows, turn down the treble and turn up the bass). get the line in your head, and go back to your bass.

this has helped me numerous times on recordings where the bass is buried or muddy.

[jumbosilverette]

There's a skill to isolating any given part in an arrangement. Uncovering the bass part comes with extended listening experience. Headphones help, and an eq unit on your stereo may allow you to better isolate the bass lines.
This was a concern of mine when I began playing the bass a year ago. I'm a little better at "hearing" bass parts in music but it's coming along slowly.

[Showdown]

Originally Posted by lola99

So it's OK not to copy a bassline exactly when you're playing by ear or from a tab? It's OK to come up with your own for an established song?

I start by simplifying the lines and when I feel comfortable with that, I add to them.

I know, this is a dumb question but I'm literal minded and teacherless, SORRY!!!!!

Yes it is ok. I, and many, many others, do it all the time. In fact, many people think it is better to play it your own way. I would add one caveat though. If it is a very recognizable bass line, the kind where the song is built around the bassline and every knows it, it is best to play it like the original. Some examples would be "Money", and "Another One Bites The Dust". If you play them differently people will notice and not like it.

[Blake Bass]

I agree that it's okay to to deviate from the original bass line on a cover tune as long as you're conveying the overall groove and vibe of the orginal. On the other hand it is great practice to go back to a tune that you have been playing for awhile and re-learn the original line. You'll probably be surprised at how much you have changed the original bass line over the years.

As for slowing music down without changing the pitch, check out the amazing slow downer at www.ronimusic.com. I recently purchased this program and I haven't touched my Tascam bass trainer since! The ASD blows the Tascam away!(IMO)