How to tackle a hard song?

[baddarryl]

Hi all. I am learning Jason Aldean's My Kinda Party and am having a really hard time finding Tully's timing and feel. This kind of moving bass line is at the top of my limits as a bassist. I know from previous challenges that I can get it, but right now i am frustrated and feel I not making progress. Damn, I even bought a 5 string just for this song! I have a pretty accurate tab for it and it just doesn't flow for me. I will hate playing it until I can play it right. Aaaaaaaagh!

And no I am not happy to just cheat and play roots and fifths that would sound fine to 90% of the crowd. I am the dummy that wants the one bassist in the room to go, Right on Dude!

 

[lz4005]

Can you, right now, hum the bass part?
If not, you don't know it well enough to start learning it yet.

 

[Joe Nerve]

Anytime I have anything that challenges me I get out a metronome and slow it down ridiculously. I take a couple of measures that are giving me a hard time, and play them over and over, then speed it up a notch. I keep doing that until I start flubbing, and then drop it a couple of notches and start again. I've astounded myself many times by doing that. Things that are virtually impossible become super easy, often within just a couple of days. The slow speed allows muscle memory to kick in. Once that happens your hands are on their own.

Oh yeah.... ya don't have to buy a metronome either. Just google "online metronome," and one pops right up.

 

[Epitaph04]

Will mirror what the first two posters said: you need to actually internalize the line. Know it by memory. Tabs, when accurate, are helpful for figuring out the notes, but their biggest flaw is that thats all they tell you. Listen, and feel the music first, then go on from there.