Making the transition

[Piggy8692]

How many of you guys have changed from one style to a completely other one? Or maybe adopted another style into your playing altogether? Country players learning Funk, Blues players learning Metal. Whatever.

What where the major challenges you faced when making the transition? What did you learn? How has it helped you grow as a bassist? What advice would you give someone making looking for the same changes?

[Ezmar]

Without going into too much detail, you need to want to play that style, not just learning it because you feel you should. I'm a rock player, I'm damn good at rock, progressive rock, that sort of thing, but I'm not too good at Jaco/fusion stuff. As much as I'd like to be able to lay down those licks, I've been unable to force myself to. If you really want to be able to do something, putting in the time is a breeze. I spent a year learning Cliffs of Dover on guitar, and I put in an insane amount of practice into it, but I never had to force myself to practice. Same today, I never "practice", I only "play". I'll just sit down at my computer, do my random internet/computer stuff with my bass around my neck and my 15w combo and just noodle for hours. It takes a while to get to that point, but it doesn't matter much what you're doing, just play. Immerse yourself in music you love to both listen to and play, and don't worry about genre or style. You just play. It adds up. You don't notice it, but it does.

So that went a little longer than I planned, but I hope that you can get something useful out of that.

[MalcolmAmos]

Ditto, once you know how to play the basic "rules" of music are pretty much the same with each style.

From there it's just a matter of technique and rhythm. Not to say that you will function in every style, I can not get a reggae song going at all and the Spanish rhythms throw me. But, with Pop, Rock, Country and Bluegrass I can normally lay down an acceptable bass line to those styles, as each of those normally have only one chord per measure. Not up to the jazz standards, with two "fancy" chords per measure, but, that has to do with my skill level. I know what needs to be done, just can not do it. Autumn Leaves, one of these days.....for an answer to your question - I really do not see this as a big deal. If I wanted to play reggae I would first have to learn how to sing reggae, once I learned that I feel I could learn how to play reggae.

[oniman7]

They all have their rhythms. I like progressive rock and metal (Opeth, Protest the hero, Dream theater, Pink Floyd, King Crimson). You wanna know what kicked my ***? Steppenwolf. Born To Be Wild. That groove is just different from what I'm used to.

[Piggy8692]

What would you say would be the best songs to learn first in different styles to understand what' acceptable' bass parts would be for they style? I have always thought that music is music what works with one genre will work with any other. Which is true. Musically. But it might not necessarily fit the style.

For metal, I would suggest to someone who was unacquainted with the style to check out some iron maiden, black sabbath, metallica, pantera, slipknot, DT, Symphony X and move up throughout the years to get them up-to-date. Like a crash course for metal. Or whatever genre you have experience in. Bluegrass, country, pop, rock, latin.

That's more what I think would help people. Or me at least.

[MalcolmAmos]

Originally Posted by Piggy8692

What would you say would be the best songs to learn first in different styles to understand what' acceptable' bass parts would be for they style?

OK here is ole time Country. Take your pick they all are dirt simple I-IV-V three chord songs. The numbers are the page number in our gig book. Low numbers have been with us the longest.

Index

Numbers
500 MILES AWAY FROM HOME 47
A
ACT NATURALLY 93
ALL MY EXXES 114
AMARILLO BY MORNING 115
AN AMERICAN TRILOGY - Elvis Presley 107
APARTMENT NUMBER NINE 36
ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT Gag Song 116
AULD LANG SYNE 177
AWAY IN A MANGER 176
B
BACK HOME AGAIN 118
BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN 120
BANDY THE RODEO CLOWN 41
BEFORE I DIED 121
BEGGING TO YOU 122
BLUE SIDE OF LONESOME 17
BLUE SKIES 106
C
CATFISH JOHN 165
CHRISTMAS 172
CHRISTMAS LONG AGO 73
COLD COLD HEART 123
COOL WATER 124
COULD I HAVE THIS DANCE 13
COWBOY LOGIC 48
COWBOY PRIDE 125
COWBOY’S SWEETHEART 30
CRAZY 88
CRYING TIME 43
D
DECK THE HALLS 178
DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS 127
DIGGIN UP BONES 16
DON'T COME CRYING TO ME 31
E
ELVIRA 37
EXCEPT FOR MONDAYS 95
F
FADED LOVE in G 11
FIFTEEN YEARS AGO 71
FIRST TRAIN HEADING SOUTH 9
FOLSOM PRISON BLUES 128
FOUR WALLS 159
FOUR STRONG WINDS 42
FOURTEEN MINUTES OLD 61
G
GEORGIA ON MY MIND 87
GOD MUST BE A COWBOY 129
GOD REST YE MERRY, GENTLEMEN 179
GOOD HEARTED WOMAN 22
GOODNIGHT IRENE 131
GOSPEL MELODY 68
GREENSLEEVES 170
H
HANK WILLIAM'S MEDLEY 15
HAPPY BIRTHDAY 72
HAVE I TOLD YOU LATELY THAT I LOVE YOU 109
HE THINKS I STILL CARE 80
HE TOUCHED ME 34
HEARTACHES BY THE NUMBER 7
HELLO WALLS 112
HELP ME MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT 40
HEY GOOD LOOKIN’ 89
HOME ON THE RANGE 133
HONKY TONK ANGELS 44
HONKY-TONK HARDWOOD FLOOR in C 64
HORSE WITH NO NAME 90
HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN 76
I
I NEVER PASS THERE ANYMORE 163
I FALL TO PIECES 50
I GOT A HOLE IN MY PIROGUE 134
I WALK THE LINE 58
I WAS ALMOST PERSUADED 12
I'M GONNA MISS HER 97
I'M JUST AN OLD CHUNK OF COAL 24
IN THE GARDEN 33
IN THE JAILHOUSE NOW 135
IS ANYBODY GOIN TO SAN AN-TONE 70
I'VE GOT A TIGER BY THE TAIL 23
J
JACK OF DIAMONDS 167
JAMBALAYA 28
JINGLE BELLS 83
JUST A CLOSER WALK 10
JUST BECAUSE 14
K
KAW - LIGA 79 This is the only song that has some minor chords. Dm vamp sounds like an Indian drum. L
LET THE COWBOY DANCE 29
LORD I HOPE THIS DAY IS GOOD 55
LOVING HER WAS EASIER 162
LUCKENBACH, TEXAS 136
M
MAKING BELIEVE 35
MAMA, HE’S CRAZY 137
MARIE LA VEAU 45
MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS 25
MY SHOES KEEP WALKING BACK TO YOU 160
MY HEART SKIPS A BEAT 66
O
O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM 169
OH LONESOME ME 63
OKIE FROM MUSKOGSE 27
OLE SLEW-FOOT 102
ON THE ROAD AGAIN 86
P
PAPER ROSIE 99
PEACEFUL EASY FEELING 113
PRETTY PAPERS 168
PRICIOUS MEMORIES 166
R
RAILROAD BUM 59
RED RIVER VALLEY 69
RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER 171
S
SAN ANTONIO ROSE 20
SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN 173
SANTA LOOKED A LOT LIKE DADDY 138
SATIN SHEETS 39
SEVEN SPANISH ANGELS 81
SHE KNOWS WHY 19
SHE’S GONE GONE GONE 161
SILENT NIGHT 174
SILVER BELLS 74
SILVER THREADS AND GOLDEN NEEDLES 139
SIOUX CITY SUE 140
SNOWBIRD 141
SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW 111
STAR SPANGLED BANNER 84
STARDUST 110
STRAWBERRY ROAN 142
SUPPER TIME 52
SWEET BETSY FROM PIKE 57
T
TAKE ME BACK TO TULSA 26
TEARS IN HEAVEN 104
TEDDY BEAR 67
TENNESSEE WALTZ 100
TEXAS 164
THE FISHING SONG 97
THE KEY'S IN THE MAIL BOX 103
THE LOST HIGHWAY 144
THE NEXT ONE’S IN G 4
THE TALKING WALLS 98
THERE GOES MY EVERYTHING 21
THEY’LL NEVER TAKE HER LOVE FROM ME 145
THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME 54
THREE WISHES 75
TODAY I STARTED LOVING YOU AGAIN 146
TOGETHER AGAIN 38
TUMBLING TUMBLEWEEDS 147
U
UNCLOUDED DAY 53
UNDER YOUR SPELL AGAIN 32
W
WABASH CANNONBALL 148
WALK ON BY 149
WALTZ ACROSS TEXAS 18
WATERMELON TIME IN GEORGIA 92
WELCOME TO MY WORLD 150
WHAT AM I DOING HERE 151
WHAT CHILD IS THIS (GREENSLEEVES) 170
WHEN THE WORK’S ALL DONE THIS FALL 153
WHEN I DIE, JUST LET ME GO TO TEXAS 8
WHEN THE ROLL IS CALLED UP YONDER 56
WHERE DO COWBOYS GO WHEN THEY DIE 155
WHY ME? 51
WILD SIDE OF LIFE 157
WORRED MAN BLUES 85
Y
YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS 158
YOU AIN'T WOMAN ENOUGH TO TAKE MY MAN 101
YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE 91
YOUR GOOD GIRL’S GONNA GO BAD 130