Footloose

[TJH3113]

My advice would be to not get too bogged down with the minute details, of which there are many. Pick your favorite parts (the ones you feel most confident playing and sound best to you) and repeat them. No one in the audience is going to know the difference. Of course, there are a few $ parts that you'll need to play.

 

[MtManiac]

We just added this to our set list along with Danger Zone.

Not sure how you're breaking it down to learn it, but I use the Moises app to isolate all of the tracks. Makes it really easy to hear what's going on with any of the instruments/vocals, etc. This allows you to isolate bass only to hear what's going on. I also use this to transpose the key easily... like drop 1/2 step for a vocalist so everyone can hear what it will sound like and then export to MP3 with vocals removed. I run it on my IOS devices and MacBook Pro M1, I think they have a web version and maybe an android if that's your thing.

And I know folks probably have other methods or won't like this idea for the use of tech... but when I have 30-40 songs to learn quickly, this allows me to break down songs quickly and learn in a few hours vs. days and days of review someone else's (likely inaccurate) interpretation of a song. Very useful tool... may not work for you, but works for me and the 3 bands I play in.

I've also used this in rehearsal when a drummer is not able to show up and I'll play only the isolated drums through the PA for the band to rehearse. Again may not be for everyone, but a very useful tool for me.

I’ve not heard of this app, but it sounds awesome! I’ll check it out for sure, thank you!

 

[MtManiac]

I sub for a tuba player in a brass band that does this song. In their chart the whole bass line is written out in 1/4 notes because, tuba. The audience won’t know if you dumb down all those fast notes into mostly 1/4 notes, as long as you keep the pulse driving.

(I eventually went and transcribed this bass line on my own for the brass band because it’s a masterpiece!) but still. Nobody will know.

Lol awesome! Can you send me the tuba score??

 

[MtManiac]

My advice would be to not get too bogged down with the minute details, of which there are many. Pick your favorite parts (the ones you feel most confident playing and sound best to you) and repeat them. No one in the audience is going to know the difference. Of course, there are a few $ parts that you'll need to play.

This is me, to a T, getting bogged down in the details, overwhelmed, and then avoiding. Until I stop avoiding, learn a challenging song, master it, and it just becomes easy. Often, to get quickly up to speed, I’ve learned enough to hack and slash my way through a challenging song, and then added the fizz to the drink later, to paraphrase another commenter. I guess I’m looking for feedback on what people consider those “bare essentials.”

 

[MtManiac]

Is that the isolated bass track??!? It’s worse than I thought. Are there two tracks?? There’s an eighth note thing going on at the same time as slides! What!!!

 

[Barticus]

I’ve not heard of this app, but it sounds awesome! I’ll check it out for sure, thank you!

Yeah, it’s a killer app. You have to have the MP3s locally to upload, I use Soundflower or Blackhole to stream from Spotify into Logic and export to MP3… then when uploading you can select the type of instrument tracks for the stem separation and then once processed you change volume, isolate, etc.

it will let you hear the Footloose bass line clearly and then you can decide how ‘note for note’ you really need to be for live audience.

 

[SLO Surfer]

Lol awesome! Can you send me the tuba score??

Sure but it’s in the key of B-flat major (horn band), and the arrangement mashes up “Footloose” with “Keep ‘em Separated” by Offspring, and “Toxic” by Britney Spears.

 

[MtManiac]

Sure but it’s in the key of B-flat major (horn band), and the arrangement mashes up “Footloose” with “Keep ‘em Separated” by Offspring, and “Toxic” by Britney Spears.

Sounds awesome! I can transpose, no problem. A long time ago, I could transpose while sight reading.

 

[two fingers]

How can that not be two tracks at 1:37?

 

[MtManiac]

How can that not be two tracks at 1:37?

I’m wondering the same thing - but maybe he’s hitting the open A while sliding on the E string.

Edit: open D, oops

 

[MtManiac]

Sure but it’s in the key of B-flat major (horn band), and the arrangement mashes up “Footloose” with “Keep ‘em Separated” by Offspring, and “Toxic” by Britney Spears.

(You don’t really need to send me the score, but I do love it.)

 

[two fingers]

I’m wondering the same thing - but maybe he’s hitting the open A while sliding on the E string.

Possibly. But he never stops plucking the root note.

 

[MtManiac]

Possibly. But he never stops plucking the root note.

Nathan Fricking East?

He mentioned they’d done the song in one take, but had been playing it live for a few months prior.

https://youtube.com/shorts/-vDzaAmoVf8?feature=share

 

[SLO Surfer]

Possibly. But he never stops plucking the root note.

I think it’s just open strings, but like, REALLY good. He’s able to palm mute one string and let the other ring out.

(You don’t really need to send me the score, but I do love it.)

I PM’d you the chart and recording. Then I thought to myself, that’s not fair to others here who may be asking themselves, “how the heck does a brass band mash up the Offspring, Britney Spears, and Kenny Loggins into one song?!?!”

So here’s the tuba chart (I kinda modified into an Electricity Bass chart), and here’s a recording of us playing it from one of our recent October gigs. Overly simplified tuba version of Footloose verse and chorus is on page 2 of the chart. I add more 1/8th notes in the recording to get closer to the original.

 

[MtManiac]

I think it’s just open strings, but like, REALLY good. He’s able to palm mute one string and let the other ring out.



I PM’d you the chart and recording. Then I thought to myself, that’s not fair to others here who may be asking themselves, “how the heck does a brass band mash up the Offspring, Britney Spears, and Kenny Loggins into one song?!?!”

So here’s the tuba chart (I kinda modified into an Electricity Bass chart), and here’s a recording of us playing it from one of our recent October gigs. Overly simplified tuba version of Footloose verse and chorus is on page 2 of the chart. I add more 1/8th notes in the recording to get closer to the original.

That recording is gold, it needs to live on YouTube.

 

[mambo4]

I had no Idea that bass line was such a burner.
God how I hated that song back in the day.

 

[LBS-bass]

Possibly. But he never stops plucking the root note.

Thumb and fingers.

 

[MtManiac]

I had no Idea that bass line was such a burner.
God how I hated that song back in the day.

Me too! Every school dance, on the radio and the TV every time I tuned around…

 

[Barticus]

Me too! Every school dance, on the radio and the TV every time I tuned around…

Right beside you both on this one.

But now, as I’m playing a bunch of this type of music from the 80s I have a new appreciation for many songs I was not crazy about then and find many of them a lot of fun to play. They’re not boring bass lines, as I’ve learned.

 

[LBS-bass]

I realized a long time ago that music I would never enjoy listening to could be a lot of fun to play. One thing has little do with the other. Most of the music I like to hear is way beyond my pay grade, in terms of needed skill.