Everything feels too easy or too hard

[Whousedtoplay]

I think I am missing something. I think it’s my age/aging process, but...
Just fretting some notes on the bass of any bass lines does not mean you can easily articulate it with a band, on stage, or in the studio.
Country music is full of easy bass lines - anybody can play it. Everyone can play it.
Yes?!?...
In short.
It (seriously) takes much more than fret some notes on the bass even of a simple bass line and get a gig with a band/in the studio.

 

[Spidey2112]

I've been farting around with the intro to "Spirit of Radio" for many years. Still don't have it down. Kudos to you!

For years, I started the faster fill in the intro (and later in the song) on 'D' (G string, 7th fret)... within the past couple of years, saw an Alex Lifeson instructional video, where he and Geddy actually start it on the 'C' (G string, 5th fret)...

... now they tell me.

 

[FunkHead]

What may seem simple on the surface is often in fact not so simple.
If you are truly doing justice to the good Punk songs than that is a great accomplishment. The Tone, the beat, the feel is harder than it looks. I can play almost every Rush song and I find it no harder than Nailing Some Punk songs. I don't mean just hitting the right notes. I mean finding the groove. Rush is easier in a way because there are so many notes that the groove is just dictated by the notes.
I honestly laughed out loud when someone said "Punk is simple".
Try "London Calling". Then get it perfect with your band. That's not even close to simple. Playing it maybe but doing it justice is about 7/10 on the difficult scale IMO.

 

[GBBSbassist]

I’ve been playing bass for about a year now. I’m trying to learn some Rush songs. Too hard. Try to learn a punk rock song. Too easy. I can’t seem to improve right now and it really sucks. I don’t really know what to do

There are easy Rush songs and there are difficult punk songs. Just because you think a song is too easy doesn't mean you're playing it correctly, or even playing it well.

 

[DirtDog]

I get where you're coming from OP. Also @squidtastic nails it.

I was going to suggest some Motown or 60's R&B (Jameson, Dunn, Kaye, Babbitt, Jemmitt, etc) but I stumbled across this gem today. Listening to Tom Peterson's lines as recorded by McCartney is just sublime. I am NOT a Beatles fan by any stretch. Since I am, however, a big Cheap Trick fan, I've just been inspired to up my craft a bit after watching just a few minutes of this. I've never really set much in the way of bass playing goals for myself, but maybe being able to play the entirety of Sgt Pepper on bass is something!

Maybe for you this is an intermediate step from punk to RUSH. I expect Geddy copped more than few licks from Sir Paul along the way.

 

[JPaulGeddy]

For years, I started the faster fill in the intro (and later in the song) on 'D' (G string, 7th fret)... within the past couple of years, saw an Alex Lifeson instructional video, where he and Geddy actually start it on the 'C' (G string, 5th fret)...

... now they tell me.

heh, total aside - Joe Walsh tells a story about how he was learning 'And Your Bird Can Sing' by the Beatles. Didn't realize they were multitracking the solo, and was beating himself up trying to learn the two parts by himself.

Kids have it so easy these days.