Brown Eyed Girl

[tycobb73]

I'm in a band that wants to do corporate, casinos, boathouses, etc. It is led by a guy who has done this before so I think he can get the gigs. He asks me about the setlist and legitamately wants my input because he wants me to be happy. I tell him if he gets the gigs he says he can get I'll be happy and I leave it at that. Up until this point I've avoided playing BEG but its on his list and I can understand why. I hate that song but if I"m going to play it I'm going to do it right. You know what I discovered?

That thing is hard

I have probably 5 hours into it and am at the end of the 2nd verse. Its not that its fast. It just takes a lot to play it right and get it to groove. I still don't like the song but right now I'm enjoying the challenge. I still will not take any shortcuts and will learn it and play it like I own it.

 

[RustyAxe]

Yep. That's what you do when someone is payin' you to do it. If you want to make money in a cover band you play what "the civilians" want. They don't hear Brown Eyed Girl every weekend (like we do!).

 

[klokker]

We're all so different. Not a very hard song to me. I almost go to sleep on the "bass solo". Glad you're enjoying it though.

 

[elgecko]

Are you trying to learn it verbatim?

IMO, this is one of those songs where it's more important to play "the spirit of the line" rather than the exact line. Parts like the intro and the breakdown are important to play as closely as possible but during the verses and choruses, very few people will notice if you change it up a bit (i.e. improvise).

 

[tycobb73]

I'm learning it verbatim. My theory is I become a better player if I learn them verbatim. I learn little things that I wouldn't have if I put my stamp on it. Afterwards if I want to change it up I will.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

You obviously have some maturity. You picked up on the "makes you happy"
Making me happy means I'm getting gigs. And getting good paying gigs makes me even happier.
And getting plenty of good paying gigs means playing what the audience wants to hear.
If you go back aways, I had to deal with Knock Three Times, Tie a Yellow Ribbon, Proud Mary, and a few others I have fortunately managed to forget.

 

[jive1]

IMO, IME, no-one except the real anal retentive bass player in the audience will even notice or care. If you are doing it for yourself, that's one thing. But, if you are doing it for the audience, I'd save my time because if people are into the song and dancing, they won't even notice whether you are playing the exact bass line as long as you have the feel and groove it. I have never gotten paid more or received more compliments for learning a song verbatim than if I did if I just played the song well. Even the original artists stray from the original lines when they play live.

 

[Gaolee]

It has been a long time since I listened to the original recording, but as I recall, most of that bass line sounds improvised up to a point anyway. The only part that's semi- important to stick close to the original is the bass solo, and even that can be altered a bit so long as you don't go too far with it. Messing with it while still getting it to groove hard is what makes that song still fun to play. For me anyway.

I far prefer songs like BEG where the bass can be all about the groove and not so much about the specific riff. YMMV.

 

[DWBass]

I'm a Certified Cover band bassist. My policy is that I learn songs the way they were played (if at all possible). Then, depending on how the band plays the tunes will determine how I'll play them. I don't have a problem playing either way. No way am I gonna half @$$ learn a song though. Not in my DNA.

I've been playing that song for years. Pretty much note for note. But everyone has their own learning curves. Now Darling Dear is a song that just gives me fits but if it's the last thing I do, I'm gonna learn that damn song note for note! Can't believe Jamerson played that with one finger! I think he secretly used another finger and hid it somehow. SMDH

 

[MrLenny1]

I shoot for the original line then take a bit of liberty with it once the band gets it down.
People like hearing it just like the record.

 

[MD]

If you go back aways, I had to deal with Knock Three Times, Tie a Yellow Ribbon, Proud Mary, and a few others I have fortunately managed to forget.

I had this song stuck in my head at work one day.... Wasn't pretty!

 

[DirtDog]

...I had to deal with Knock Three Times, Tie a Yellow Ribbon, Proud Mary, and a few others I have fortunately managed to forget.

I had this song stuck in my head at work one day.... Wasn't pretty!

You should listen to the Motorhead version...that'll bleach it right out!

 

[RustyAxe]

It could be worse ... a few gigs ago we had to do "Rockin' Robin" with my country band ... yeah ... right. It was as good as you might expect.

 

[waveman]

Yeah i found learning this song to be challenging too. Of coarse, it was when i started learning songs a few years ago. I have it tabbed out. I found that nobody plays that song just like the recording.

 

[el murdoque]

Haha! I just listened to that song for the first time with my bass-ears. I played it live a couple of times, knowing nothing more than the chords the guitar is playing.
Never knew the original bass is so fluffy. Will need to get that one down note by note to do it some credit next time.

 

[Jack Butler]

We're all different, that song was not so hard for me to learn, correctly at that. "Rain" by the Beatles I still feel like I don't quite have it right, but plenty of people say it's not hard at all.

 

[singlemalt]

Some bad ass bass playing on a lot of those old Van Morrison tunes.

Astral Weeks is a jazz record in disguise.

 

[drlndrve]

BEG was the first song I learned on bass, and since I was new-I memorized every nuance. You know what- my band members got off to it because it showed them I was committed.

 

[Gaolee]

We're all different, that song was not so hard for me to learn, correctly at that. "Rain" by the Beatles I still feel like I don't quite have it right, but plenty of people say it's not hard at all.

Beatles songs are songs you do have to know verbatim. Some are pretty simple on the surface, but you have to nail them exactly. There's no messing around, because the Beatles never seemed to improvise at all.

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Just for grins and giggles. It's not note-for-note but we make it our own.

BEG is at the 4 minute mark. Who else has this song to share here? I think it would be fun to hear how everyone plays it. C'mon, join the fun!



Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff