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Brown Eyed Girl

#41
It's not a hard line if you feel the rhythms right, but you rarely hear it done "right" IMHO. Where the original bassist puts the rests and offbeats didn't feel natural to me when I first learned it (just a few months ago, after decades of playing!), so I took it as a challenge to learn it exactly, and groove the way he/she did. Now when I play it MY way, I know it won't be because I couldn't do it, it'll be a choice.
 
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#42
tycobb73 said:
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.
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It ain't that hard. (It can't be - I can play it pretty much note-for-note if I have to. I like to add a couple notes here and there.) Anyway, I'd rather not play it but audiences love it, so who am I to deny them their pleasure? They're paying for it.
 
#43
WOW.. I always thought it was just an Aussie covers band "thing" to hate B.E.G.
It is always THE song cited in.." I don't do those gigs anymore.."statements.
You know what...I like the song!!...there I've said it...
(I would gladly chuck out Steal my Kisses and stick B.E.G. in the set!..)

Seriously, if you take the time to do your (as a band) best job on a song (either, original version or your version, doesn't matter), it suddenly takes on a new life and can be fun to do!
 
#44
I have seen that song played many different ways. The original song has many nuances in the bass line. Some of the nuances will be hard to copy exactly.
Our band has been playing the song for awhile and I have recently approached the song differently by playing the riffs up higher on the neck using the low
E string instead of playing it down low on the neck and across the strings. Whenever I play a song such as BEG, I just try to find the sweet spot usually up higher on the neck to get the best possible tone and keep it simple without adding any more notes.
 
#45
I don't mind Brown Eyed Girl. Current band doesn't do it though. I keep saying we need to bring back "Sweet Caroline" - people (of all ages it seems) go NUTS for that song.

There's a lot of stuff going on in "Sweet Home Alabama" that most guys don't play correctly.
 
#47
tycobb73 said:
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.
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Good luck with that. Ime nary a guitarist vocalist in a hundred plays it to the original groove and most will rob the bass solo. I think that could have something to do with the general animosity.
 
#48
tbirdsp said:
I don't mind Brown Eyed Girl. Current band doesn't do it though. I keep saying we need to bring back "Sweet Caroline" - people (of all ages it seems) go NUTS for that song.

There's a lot of stuff going on in "Sweet Home Alabama" that most guys don't play correctly.
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SHA similar. Strike a guitarist that actually plays it and you can play the bass groove like you wrote it.
 
#49
tycobb73 said:
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.
Click to expand...

I play in corporate cover bands and have played that song at least 300-400 times by now. It's a staple for any cover gig you play along with songs like sweet home Alabama, brick house, funky music, etc. when you break it down the song is very easy. Just verse and chorus lines to learn that repeat themselves. Should take about 30 min max. Try watching some videos in YouTube of others playing to help speed up the process. With corporate bands you may need to learn 30+ new songs for each good so it's a good idea to figure out a fast method to learning material just like the record.
 
#50
SanDiegoHarry said:
You've already put too much work into it. I've played this song in a whole bunch of bands and have never "learned" it - I just know the groove, the basic riffs, the vibe - and that little "solo" - I learned that bit just because it's so signature... the rest, I wing. Relax. It's just rock and roll.
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I'm sure you don't mean it maliciously, but you're trivializing the OP's process. I totally get wanting to learn certain songs note-for-note; I've learned quite a bit doing just that. There's always a better bassist out there, and copping what the greats do is a great way to become better. If the OP views BEG as a challenge he wants to face, then he's not putting too much work into it -- he's putting the right amount of work into it.
 
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#51
Gaolee said:
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.
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This pretty much reflects my attitude. You don't necessarily have to play them exactly as recorded, but you should know them exactly as recorded. A case in point is Paul McCartney's bass line on Something. You will NEVER, EVER come up with a better line for this song, so why not just learn it note for note and take a lesson from a master composer of bass lines?
 
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#52
tycobb73 said:
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.
Click to expand...

There's a bit of a feel change in the second half of the verse. Try holding that C a bit longer as a whole note to indicate to yourself and the band where it changes. Remember, you're driving the bus!
 
#54
BEG is a song that I've played as a drummer a bazillion times with a bunch of different bassists. I too took the time to learn it note for note as a bassist. Getting the feel just right is the best part of that song.

I was playing with a band that did it and honestly, the bass player didn't take the song seriously and played a sloppy version of it. He knew that I played bass and one day we were rehearing at my place, when he came in I was playing BEG note for note. He sat and watched and listened to me finish the song. He said that he didn't ever think that song could be fun or interesting to play.

The next time that we played it, a couple of weeks later he played a much better version. He could not be shown up by the drummer... lol.

These days I play in a couple of bands that keep BEG in reserve. It's not on a set list, but we'll play it by request and we nail it.
 
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#55
With any song I learn ...

I understand the sections (Verse/chorus/Middle 8), what the chords are (This can be useful for finding the right notes quickly), how long each section is (4/4 bars etc.).

And the most important bit ... unless there is a marked difference I play verse 1 the same as verse 2/chorus1 same as chorus 2 etc etc.

Then at/during the rehearsal; this is where you'll understand if you need to know it note for note. Very often there is no need which can save time with songs you don't particularly care about.
BEG is a song you can do this with - apart from the breakdown bit.
Most bands don't play covers with the exact same arrangement so maybe there's flexibility there.

I have done this with multiples of songs & nobody has ever noticed. However sometimes you can really get in to a song you previously didn't care about & then decide to learn it note for note.
Very often bands drift with their arrangements of songs over time & I have no doubt your band will do the same.

"Moondance", now there's a Van Morrison song worthy of working out note for note :)
 
#56
It's a fun song to play, VM is an improviser and I doubt he's ever played it the same way twice. Just be true to the feel and have fun with it. I used to extend the bass solo when the set was running short.
 
#57
bigboy_78 said:
Isn't the "solo" basically the same line as the rest of the song?
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That's what I thought at first, too .. and the way I'd play it initially. Nobody in the band/crowd noticed the variation. I don't particularly care for the song (or the artist ftm), and we don't play it often. When I actually took the time, with headphones, to listen to the tune, I was able to pick up on the little variation's VM's bassist used. So, I learned it note-for-note, but more just as a study exercise. The rare times we play it, I just wing it & make sure to get the basic feel and hit the correct note(s) - G, C, D - at the right time. That's what the crowd's ears & booties care about.

There are way too many songs I've spent way too much time on obsessing over, and in most cases for a weekend cover band, the "preciseness" is not necessary.
 
#60
drummer5359 said:
... the bass player didn't take the song seriously and played a sloppy version of it...He sat and watched and listened to me finish the song. He said that he didn't ever think that song could be fun or interesting to play.
Click to expand...

That's the heart of it: players pumping out a boring line haven't put enough thought into what's possible.
 
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