i need a little help!(actually..a lot)

I will be honest with you.... it is not likely that you will find someone to tab that out for you because most people here are firm believers in ear development, and music reading.... perhaps you should get a member of your band to help you with it..........

 

When you play what you tabbed, does it sound like the record?

 

Why bother with "tabbing it"?

Why not just get to the point where you can play something that fits in with the song, if you are pressed for time? I'm sure that most people (I would like to bet all of them!) won't notice whether you are playing the line exactly as it was on the record. They will only notice if you play something that stands out as being wrong.

Try to get the overall "feel" and groove of the song and just eliminate anything that stands out as wrong. If by some faint chance, somebody says - "that's not what they played on the record", then reply that it's your version or "take" on the tune - you felt like you wanted to "add" something rather than just slavishly copying!!

 

I wouldn't bet on it - people "know" the song, but the vast majority never actually "hear" bass as such - just feel it. The number of times people have come on here and said that they can't hear the bass line on a recording or that the audience didn't notice when their amp blew up or they broke a string etc. etc.

Or quite often people say that they played really badly but everybody who was listening said it sounded great - with bass, as long as you keep the feel and the rhythm going most people won't know whether it's right or wrong - that's why they're not bass players!!

Seriously, if you have confidence and look as if you know what you're doing, then most people won't comment as they don't know what bass does anyway - "big strings on that guitar man!!"

If anybody does say that you played something wrong - just say that maybe they should have got up there and played bass or say "what do you know about bass, I didn't think you were a bass player??!!"

 

Let us know how it goes then ...

 

Hi,

Just another point of view.

I agree with Bruce - most people don't hear the bass line, and it would make no difference to them.

However, there will be some people in the audience who know the song well. Personally, if I am doing a cover of a well-known song, I would learn the bass part as it was played (unless I am doing a cover version in a different style eg. reggae, for fun).

The reasons for this:

1) I play in a band with meticulous musicians who aim for excellence and perfection - they expect me to play just as well if not better than the original. They expect me to find the sheet music, or figure the bassline out by ear, and they expect me to know it before the first rehearsal. And they know if I play the bassline differently.

2) When I hear a bassist on stage play a cover song with a bassline that is completely wrong, out of time, or overplayed (eg. 16th notes instead of 8th), while the rest of the band is playing the song exactly like the original, it can get on my nerves. It gives me the impression that the bassist could not be bothered learning the song.

3) You can learn a lot about creating original basslines by learning basslines from other songs - you learn new styles, new techniques, and it makes you practice and not take shortcuts if the bassline is difficult.

This is not meant to disagree with Bruce - he makes very valid points, and in some circumstances, it may be better to improve on an original songs bassline. I am all for creativity - I hope I am making sense and what I am trying to say is coming across.

 

Well - I was "tailoring" my advice to the particular situation in question - which is playing at school in front of fellow students.

Of course this would be completely different if we were talking about "playing on stage" at a club or other venue. In fact if somebody said they were going to play at a bar or something like that, my advice would be the complete opposite and I would never advise saying "what do you know about bass" as you would be likely to :

a) get beaten up
b) get a long boring lecture
c) lose your gig as that person actually was a bass player

My view though, was that in school, it's very unlikely that anybody will be able to do better as otherwise they would be already doing it!!

 

The effort and intentions put in are good, except....it's wrong.