My daughter plays the upright bass. She would like to play songs that people actually know from modern pop to classic rock. Her preference is classic rock. Where do I find music for the bass? Unless it is traditional music, all I can find is for accompanyment and not solo. A website or a book would be helpful.
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Double Bass Classic Rock for the Bass
- Thread starter BobbyBirdsell
- Start date
A sheet music store like Hickey's Music will have both individual songs written out for purchase or collections of 20 or so in books. It's kind of unusual for an upright player to want to play pop tunes, are you sure she wouldn't be happier playing a bass guitar? The BEST way, IMO, is for her to just play along to the recordings that she likes with her bass, trying to hear what the bass player on the recording played. Most pop rock tunes are pretty simple and with not much effort many students are able to pick up what's being played without sheet music. That will help her develop quickly as a musician much more than trying to read sheet music.
The ONLY way to learn pop and rock is by ear. You will not find that stuff in any book. Books are for theory. Music is for learning music.
I'm sure she wants to play modern music. We find lots of videos on youtube of people playing modern stuff with a double bass/bow. I understand that playing by ear is best, but she is still learning to play in general. Only one year under her belt. I'll try the music stores in town.
I also enjoy playing pop music on double bass. I listen and make arrangements of the tunes I like and want to play. If you write out the parts, anyone who reads can play with you. I have posted several of them. Here is an example..........................
Trust me, as an extremely experienced EB player with literally hundreds of covers of classic rock, blues, 90s pop/alternative/grunge/, '00 pop, etc. all transcribed by ear under my belt....there is a LOT of easy, almost trivial stuff out there. The genre(s) is just nowhere near as complex as jazz stuff and most classical, in general. Off the top of my head, some suggestions for her to get her feet wet that are easy and popular. This list is seriously pared down because I could go on and on with four chord songs.
Beverly Hills - Weezer
Float On - Modest Mouse
Howlin' For You - Black Keys
War Pigs - Black Sabbath (probably the most complex in this list but very fun)
25 or 6 to 4 - Chicago
Sunshine of Your Love - Cream
Bad Moon Rising - CCR
Sweet Home Alabama - Lynryd Skynyrd
Horse With No Name - America (Seriously, three notes)
Break On Through - Doors
Any friggen AC/DC song
Desire - U2
Gold Dust Woman - Fleetwood Mac - has a cool chorus of non-roots.
Blister in the Sun - Violent Femmes - do yourself a favor and never listen to anything else by this band
Blitzkrieg Bop - Ramones
American Idiot - Greenday - a hook and a couple chords
What's Up - Four Non Blondes - three chords
What I Got - Sublime - two
Hey Jealousy - Gin Blossoms - four on this one
and on and on and on.
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Just google the words "bass transcription" and the song title. Easy.
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Just google the words "bass transcription" and the song title. Easy.
Love the videos! I play in a rock band that does acoustic sets on occasion. DB, acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo, even ukulele. Drummer leaves the trap and does cahon and hand percussion. May have to do our own arrangement, but it works and the songs are recognizable.
