Does "Tennessee Whiskey" have a difficult bass part?

[MDBass]

I don’t think you can sue for a chord progression.
A melody or hook, yes

Correct.

You cannot copyright a chord progression.

 

[nnnnnn]

You've never heard "Tennessee Whiskey?

I had never heard it before reading this thread. Now I've heard three versions that don't have the same chords or even the same time signature. Your initial post did not mention which version you're talking about, you seemed to just assume we'd all know - is that the same approach you took when discussing it with your bandmates?

I like the Stapleton version the best. I don't agree that it is necessary for the bassist to play the entire thing note-for-note the same as the recording, one could play something similar but not identical without changing the feel at all.

 

[bassburner]

It’s a stupid easy song to play as recorded.

 

[4stringfarley]

getting the pocket and feel right on bass is the more difficult part of playing that tune.

We had someone tell my drummer "oh you're just a pocket drummer". He got offended and mad about it. Took me a bit of talking sense into him regarding the fact that finding a drummer that can sit there in the pocket is the holy grail. Everyone wants to be Neil Pert, EVH, Les Calypool. Not everyone can pull it off. I find the simplest bass lines the hardest to play as the song progresses.

 

[datasmog]

In the band I play guitar in we have had three different bass players say "I don't play it like the record" when it comes to playing "Tennessee Whiskey" but what they DO play isn't really anything, and certainly not a bass "part."

Is that a difficult bass part to play?

No but I understand why they would not want to play it exactly like that. It’d be difficult to stay awake until the end.

 

[51PRI]

I had never heard it before reading this thread. Now I've heard three versions that don't have the same chords or even the same time signature. Your initial post did not mention which version you're talking about, you seemed to just assume we'd all know - is that the same approach you took when discussing it with your bandmates?

I like the Stapleton version the best. I don't agree that it is necessary for the bassist to play the entire thing note-for-note the same as the recording, one could play something similar but not identical without changing the feel at all.

Sorry for not being specific. The Chris Stapleton version, which is essentially Etta James' "I'd Rather go Blind" with the words from "Tennessee Whiskey" is the version I was talking about.

 

[mcnach]

Correct.

You cannot copyright a chord progression.

That's quite unfortunate for Pachelbel, he would have made a killing suing people

 

[mcnach]

No but I understand why they would not want to play it exactly like that. It’d be difficult to stay awake until the end.

very true!

when I've had to play slow repetitive songs that I don't like, I've found my brain often starts wandering and sometimes I come back from wherever it is I went, and it's like I find myself on stage "whoa, what am I doing here? oh, playing bass! what's the song? where am I in it?" and it can be a bit confusing. For that reason I like to add some small variations, maybe the tiniest of fills or maybe something more, every 4 or 8 bars or whatever... just to keep my brain from going too far away and keep tabs of where I am in the song...

 

[nnnnnn]

That's quite unfortunate for Pachelbel, he would have made a killing suing people

You know he stole that progression from Froberger.

 

[bassman10096]

I'm listening to the Chris Stapleton recording right now, and it just sounds like an ordinary 1-2m-5 tune in 12/8. What do you mean "a bass part"? Any competent bass player can play the tune in 12/8. No need to reproduce the exact notes played on the record.

These bass players, are they playing the correct chords, and playing a simple spare 12/8 part? If so, then they're playing the tune.\

How do you think "the" recording came to be, anyway? Either Stapleton's bassist, who is probably an experienced professional bassist, came into the studio and played the part, no music, based on the chord progression and rhythmic feel, or a studio guy came in, played the part based on the chord progression and rhythmic feel. Do you really think that every single time Stapleton performs this tune, that his bass player plays the exact same notes at the exact same time?

It's folk music, everyone. It's derived from a combination of African-American practice and Scotch-Irish farmer/musician practice. You play what sounds and feels right at the time. Sometimes you play it faster, sometimes you play it slower; sometimes the bass player plays more busy, sometimes more spare.

+1. This is a conversation that was repeated for years between a guitarist friend and myself. The songs in question varied. I used to play different live recordings of same song and artist in an attempt to illustrate that no one performance in this music is “correct” or sacrosanct. On the other hand it’s fine to fall in love with a particular performance - just don’t blame others if it doesn’t mean the same to them. Personally, if I wanted to duplicate “off the record” performances, I’d be a DJ and not waste time and $$ on all this bass gear and other nonsense...

 

[braud357]

I hope whoever wrote I'd Rather Go Blind sued his ass. That's worse than the My Sweet Lord ripoff.

He did not write it - it is an old George Jones song. The arrangement is, however - VERY similar to "I'd Rather Go Blind". My band does both songs as a medley

 

[stonetone7]

Relatively few songs within that genre absolutely need specific notes and rests. But that’s one of them.

It’s my favorite kind of line: simple, effective and crucial to the tune.

 

[CatOnTheBass]

He did not write it - it is an old George Jones song.

It was written by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove.

 

[troy mcclure]

My band plays this, I play it mostly like the recording. I am sure over time it has morphed into what I want to play but it is very simple. It is 2 phrases and a walk up. I saw a band recently and the bass player played nothing but the the A and B root the entire song. The bass part is what makes the song groove, imo.

 

[mcnach]

You know he stole that progression from Froberger.

what a rascal, that Pachelbel, eh?

 

[Toddbass65]

I roll my tone knob down, lock in with my excellent drummer and done. My singer does a great job on this and is very close to Stapletons voice. People enjoy us playing it because of his vocal, so my job is to support and stay out of the way. Am I wrong???

 

[NathOBX]

All I know is to stay off the 7 when playing fills for that song, natural 7 or flat 7, both sound wierd. And as Two Fingers said it’s 1-2m-2m-1.

 

[RocknRay]

We had someone tell my drummer "oh you're just a pocket drummer". He got offended and mad about it. Took me a bit of talking sense into him regarding the fact that finding a drummer that can sit there in the pocket is the holy grail. Everyone wants to be Neil Pert, EVH, Les Calypool. Not everyone can pull it off. I find the simplest bass lines the hardest to play as the song progresses.

The pocket is king! There are so many busy drummers & bass players who can’t find it. It’s an art! I could groove to The Meters all day. Think that is what I’ll do!

 

[Ewo]

Regarding who wrote the bassline...this song is not really Stapleton. It's Etta James singing I'd Rather Go Blind...pretty much note for note.

Yeah. When my band plays that tune, the singer inserts a verse from I'd Rather Go Blind.

 

[bassinflorida]

You're welcome.