I've been a player for 30 years, and my nephew is getting started. I've been doing some zoom lessons, and I'm having him figure out some songs by ear. What are some of your favorite songs for a beginner to learn by ear?
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Favorite Songs for a Beginner to Learn by Ear?
- Thread starter GrooveWarrior
- Start date
Anything Blues based is a good bet, like the aforementioned Stax often were (I went for Born under a Bad Sign by Albert King myself, so many highly memorable Dunn grooves...)
My start was with Tons of Sobs by Free, and Are you Experienced by Hendrix.
My start was with Tons of Sobs by Free, and Are you Experienced by Hendrix.
For an absolute beginner, learning by ear, I would suggest “Some Kind of Wonderful” by Grand Funk Railroad (and redone by others). Has the 1, 4, 5, and even a 6 at the end. Shuffle beat, and easy to pick out the notes.
“Stand By Me” was one of the first lines I learned. Ultimately I’d suggest songs your nephew is into - otherwise he might lose interest fast.
Yeah, I've been giving him songs he would like. I don't know that he's much into Stax, blues, etc. Maybe eventually.
What is he into?
Eve 6 - "Inside Out" is a good one to start with. He doesn't need to do the little fills to enjoy playing it.
Any "old" Country 1-4-5 song that he likes. If old is too old dumb down one of the, newer songs he would like to play.
Something as simple as Walking on the Moon will challenge him to think about rhythm, timing, and the value of leaving space in a bass line, rather than just speed and crazy chops. And getting a few songs under your belt when you're starting out is significant positive reinforcement.
Being exposed to an extremely skilled and accomplished bass player (and total musician) like Sting is a plus, too.
Being exposed to an extremely skilled and accomplished bass player (and total musician) like Sting is a plus, too.
Ask him what songs he likes... show him how to jam to a track. explain why the note choices work in the pattern. maybe note some fingering(s) tips: some fretboard 'know how' and posture tips.. so he starts out with a decent foundation.
then later touch base and find out if its 'fun enough' for him. If he is driven to want to learn more --> excel then it could stick. you can leave a good lasting impression on him though right?
then later touch base and find out if its 'fun enough' for him. If he is driven to want to learn more --> excel then it could stick. you can leave a good lasting impression on him though right?
How old is your nephew? I'd steer clear of grandpa songs, and maybe just ask him for a list of songs he likes. Spend a few minutes listening to them to hear what the bass is doing. A lot of contemporary music is very simple on the bass line, so it might not be hard to identify things that are within his skill level. With a decent list from him you could even arrange the songs from easiest to most difficult and give him some goals.
I find, when playing with younger musicians, that their musical familiarity is a lot more vast than mine in some ways because they've been exposed to multigenerational music, whereas most folks my age rejected all the music from our parents generation and we tend to be more set in our ways from young adulthood. So another approach would be to ask a younger music student for some ideas.
I find, when playing with younger musicians, that their musical familiarity is a lot more vast than mine in some ways because they've been exposed to multigenerational music, whereas most folks my age rejected all the music from our parents generation and we tend to be more set in our ways from young adulthood. So another approach would be to ask a younger music student for some ideas.
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The first song I learned on bass was Owner of a Lonely Heart by Yes. Of course I only learned the main riff of it, but it helped me get my fingers adjusted and my timing down early on. However, I agree that you should probably see what music he is interested in so that he will be more enthusiastic about learning.
Any ZZ Top song. Billy and Frank play so much, ol' Dusty has to keep it simple.
Does he already play an instrument? If he's starting from scratch, have him learn the basics via some kind of program (like the Hal Leonard books with CD or DVD and make sure to tell him that when he's not using that, he's absolutely free to learn by ear as much as possible and this should be encouraged.
What kind of music does he like?
Ask him what songs he likes... show him how to jam to a track. explain why the note choices work in the pattern. maybe note some fingering(s) tips: some fretboard 'know how' and posture tips.. so he starts out with a decent foundation.
then later touch base and find out if its 'fun enough' for him. If he is driven to want to learn more --> excel then it could stick. you can leave a good lasting impression on him though right?
I'm doing instruction with him and working on things. I just wanted to know what songs other people like for a beginner to learn by ear.
- Jun 6, 2012
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The better question is what kind of music is he interested in and then get recommendations in that style. For instance, if he's a metalhead, there are easy Sabbath tunes.
I've absolutely loved this version of this song since it came out in '75, but in recent years, I've also recommended it to a number of beginners because it packs an amazing amount of interesting bass ideas into four minutes! Great verse, great chorus, cool bridge, and an amazingly sublime outro line. I still play along with it all the time...
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I totally get you. and you are getting what you asked for IMO by other posters.
When I first started out, I learned the songs that I liked to listen to and jam to. So I was just suggesting you start with the source, your nephew.
"Happy Birthday" and "Twinkle Twinkle" are good songs to know, easy to play/break down for him etc..
but "Bad Guy" by Billie Eilish may be more of his lane.. TBF I dont know his age, ability, or what genres he likes... so I could be way off.. but that is where I would start, so he has some vested interest: instead of "do this scale pattern to the metronome clicks" (Boring at the onset) because it is far less fun then what jamming to "Bad guy" could be. again, IMO.
I love Duck Dunn, Jamerson, Bootsy Collins and some others of course, but I did not find out about them until I was already vested in the realm of bass. I also did not have highspeed internet, mobile gaming, YouTube and Zoom lessons when I first started out on the Bass.. cassette tapes and eventually CDs were my tools back then..
just some food for thought.
Bass on my dude!
