What songs do you jam along with?

Dave Muscato · #1 08-10-2006, 12:22 AM

I've recently discovered the joys of jamming along with my favorite bands. I've been using iTunes to download songs, and then I use the "Bass Reducer" setting so I can do the bass parts myself.

Anybody have suggestions for good stuff to jam with?

To get things started, I'll post an mp3 of my old band, Perfect Nine, doing an original arrangement of a public domain piece. I own the copyright to this recording, so feel free to make use of it. If you share it, please keep the tags intact; thanks. This is in the key of C, and has drums, guitar, and bass. It's a funky, 12-minute jam that's perfect for practicing.

edit: This file is 12 megabytes. The only way I can get it down to <2 megabytes is by encoding it at 16 kbps. No thanks! If anyone wants the file to jam along with, PM me and I'll send you a link to it from my server, haha.

Anyway, here's a list of other stuff I've been jamming along with:

"Freddie the Freeloader" (as played by The Be-Bop Guitars, a Berklee faculty group)
"Don't Drink the Water," Dave Matthews Band
"Pop My Cherry," Fiona Apple & Marilyn Manson
"Untouchable Face, " Ani DiFranco
"Black Horse and the Cherry Tree," KT Tunstall
"Use Me," Bill Withers

I could really use some suggestions for other songs! I'm looking for mostly longer jam-band stuff that I can basically groove along to. Any ideas?

Thanks guys,

Dave

**WillPlay4Food** · #2 08-10-2006, 06:41 AM

Recently I played along with The Allman Brother's Decade of Hits CD. This was a good CD to jam along with and gets you working on blues progressions.

threshar · #3 08-10-2006, 06:49 AM

some tunes I end up playing along with often (Yet, most of them are in a completely different style from what I play in my band, probably why I enjoy playing them).

Ray Parker Junior - Ghostbusters (Someday I intend to arrange for 2 hand tapping. It would be super slick to play)
Men Without Hats - Safety Dance (this is actually a good exercise, keeping that rhythm going - it is very tight)
Rich Mullens - Awesome God (I arranged this for two hand tapping)
Village People - YMCA (disco was a great time for bass)
Rage Against The Machine - Bombtrack
Mobobub - Ital Food
Frank Zappa - Echinda's Arf (Of You)

Good stuff. Good Stuff.

DemoEtc · #4 08-10-2006, 06:53 AM

I put Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out into my recording setup and mix my bass to whatever side Bill is 'not' on (forget which), plug in, and play. Stones' Jammin' with Edward is another good source, as is Layla.

Didn't All Things Must Pass have a bonus jam-disc back in the day?

Oh found it: Apple Jam. That one's fun to play along with.

denton57 · #5 08-10-2006, 06:58 AM

+1 for the Allman Brothers. Try Hot 'Lanta off the Fillmore East recordings. Then theres In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, Whipping Post, Mountain Jam, ect. My personal favorites of all time!

dlloyd · #6 08-10-2006, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Muscato

I could really use some suggestions for other songs! I'm looking for mostly longer jam-band stuff that I can basically groove along to. Any ideas?

Here's a suggestion... any tune can be turned into what you're after by looping it.

I use a piece of software called "The Amazing Slow Downer" which allows you to do several things to a tune:

1. Choose any section of any song and loop it (you choose a start point and an end point and it will repeat that infinitely)

2. Change the tempo of the tune without changing the pitch. You can slow down the song to learn it or change the feel, or even speed it up to really test you (Giant Steps, double speed anyone?)

3. Change the pitch of the tune without changing the tempo. Great for jamming along with recordings where the musicians weren't tuned to A=440Hz. Or you can change the key.

Other pieces of software can do the same thing, as can things like the Tascam phrase trainers.

matt76 · #7 08-10-2006, 04:00 PM

Bob Marley - Stir it up, Crazy Baldheads
Alpha Blondy - Brigadier Sabari
Abyssinians - Satta Massagana
Sublime - Pawnshop
Curtis Mayfield - Pusherman, Superfly

I just started playing one month ago so these are pretty easy, but it helps me out to break the monotany of learning the basics by playing along with my favorite music.

KeithPas · #8 08-10-2006, 04:03 PM

YES-Awaken
Gentle Giant-Free Hand
Genesis-Suppers Ready
Kansas-The Pinnacle
Led Zepplin-Houses of the Holy

Albot · #9 08-10-2006, 04:04 PM

I love Jamming along with all of Abbey Road ~ The Beatles

fraublugher · #10 08-10-2006, 05:31 PM

garaj mahal

Dave Muscato · #11 08-10-2006, 07:44 PM

Thanks guys! I'll check these out.

BrandonBass · #12 08-11-2006, 12:22 PM

play along with guitar pro