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Learning through songs

A

ado121

Oct 24, 2022
5
3
#1
Hi all, new user here.....

Have been learning online for a few years (talkingbass)....where I fall down is in learning songs. Great at theory and exercises but know very few actual songs. Am a bedroom player so dont have a band or playing partners to motivate

I know the answer is to play what you like, but as someone who needs to be pushed, is anyone aware of teachers or channels that teach by playings songs in order of progression/difficulty?

Thanks
 
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#3
would like to play in a band, if it came my way, but young kids, busy job and not really knowing anyone playing limits my options....obviously a poor excuse but there it is

ear, when i put in the effort, is okay
 
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#5
ado121 said:
Hi all, new user here.....

Have been learning online for a few years (talkingbass)....where I fall down is in learning songs. Great at theory and exercises but know very few actual songs. Am a bedroom player so dont have a band or playing partners to motivate

I know the answer is to play what you like, but as someone who needs to be pushed, is anyone aware of teachers or channels that teach by playings songs in order of progression/difficulty?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Put yourself in the hypothetical (for now) situation of having to put together a 30 minute set to play for your mates at a local boozer. 30 minutes is probably 6 or maybe 7 of your collective favourites, selected to fit together in some way or other - genre, lyrical theme, instrumentation, era, stuff in your vocal range (if you have one). Could be anything. Make a list and put them in some kind of order that makes sense - progressively faster/louder, or explosive to gentle then back to crescendo. Then just get to work on learning each in turn. Use YouTube and Ultimate Guitar to make a chart for each - chords and arrangement. As you progress with each song, add the bass part to your chart, expanding as necessary. Before you know it you will be looking for folks to play the other parts and you'll have your own band!
 
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#6
Mark at Talking Bass is brilliant, but I've learnt so much more from actually playing with other musicians rather than just by myself.

One thing I did do was as SteveCS mentioned. Just list out some songs I liked that I thought were easy and find some You Tube videos to help me learn them. Hmm. It was a wakeup call for me but the best thing I did. I realised that I had to step up physically and mentally e.g. I couldn't stop part way through a song because I'd hit the wrong note or lost where I was which was a bad habit I had got into with my general practice.

I started simple and by myself with songs like Zombie (Cranberries), Where is My Mind (Pixies), Hey (Pixies) .. I love Kim Deal's approach to bass ... and picked up faster \ more complex songs as I improved. I always record myself to hear just how mediocre I've been especially if I'm playing to a backing track. E.g.

https://www.youtube.com/c/CoverSolutions
https://www.youtube.com/c/HarryMusicStuff

I have since started to endure another level of challenge of playing with a drummer and 2 guitarists which means not just remembering the songs and playing them in time to a backing track but actually playing them to time with an out of time drummer and guitarists who seem to be playing a completely different song.

Have fun!
 
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#7
Gramski said:
...
I couldn't stop part way through a song because I'd hit the wrong note or lost where I was which was a bad habit I had got into with my general practice.
...
Click to expand...

Right. Time is the Immoveable Object that distinguishes practice from performance. Once you start the count-off it is like a free-fall - you can let gravity take over or you can control it, but you WILL reach the end, or it will come to you, one way or another. It is no good knowing the intro, chorus and verse of a tune if you can't play the bridge or the ending.
 
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#8
YouTube any song you'd like to play. For example: David Bowie Star Man Bass Lesson or Stray Cat Strut Bass Lesson.... you get the drift.
Some videos come with a presenter who will guide you through each song step by step. Others provide tab or notes. Some provide nothing but someone playing bass to the song. So choose whatever suits your needs.
 
#9
If your goal is to play songs, you should play songs. I play every weekend in decent sized churches, and have some mid week gigs as well. I don't practice scales - I spend my practice session learning songs. Start with chord charts, play along with an mp3 until you get it. Then learn another. My motivation to learn (and do it fast) is that I don't have a choice - a lot of my gigs, I have a few days, and an absolute deadline - the audience will be there, I have agreed to do the gig, and if I don't learn the new material, I'm gonna suck in front of hundreds or thousands of people. I don't want to do that, so I practice like a banshee.
 
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#10
I was learning during the original vinyl period, so lots of stylus-lifting was involved. These days, you can slow down the music with software so you can catch all of the licks. To repeat what's already been stated, learn the songs you want using whatever playback system is convenient for you. I also agree with @SteveCS - visualize the band you'd want to be in. :cool:
 
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#13
One of the most important things is LISTEN to music! Are you able to listen to music in the car or while walking? Listen to songs and pick songs or things you want to learn. So much of my musical education came from listening to music and trying to figure it out.

Good luck, listen to as much as you can (music and otherwise) and HAVE FUN!
 
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#14
I'm another one from the vinyl era,,, lot's of tonearm lifting/lowering. Sure is easier nowadays. What worked for me was to discipline myself by working out the part that I messed up, then starting back at the beginning of the song. Learning the structure/order of the song is as important as learning all the right notes. Knowing where you are in a song helps you to be ready for the next change. Helps to know what's on the other side of the bridge.:)
 
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#15
ado121 said:
Hi all, new user here.....

Have been learning online for a few years (talkingbass)....where I fall down is in learning songs. Great at theory and exercises but know very few actual songs. Am a bedroom player so dont have a band or playing partners to motivate

I know the answer is to play what you like, but as someone who needs to be pushed, is anyone aware of teachers or channels that teach by playings songs in order of progression/difficulty?

Thanks
Click to expand...
Yeah, SBL

Sign up for the free trial, and start the "players path"

Its exactly what you've described.

Great selection of songs too. Starts slow and easy, walks you through techniques, and guide you through. Skills increase ieach level. If you like it, sign up. SBL is fairly cheap, and fairly awesome.

Check it out

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgirpNTcSem0QKwGO0WOReWFblLAiHXJc
 
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#16
get the app IRealPro. You can download songs from the community forums. No lyrics but there are chord sheets, tempo adjustments, key transpositions etc.

upload_2022-10-24_22-21-38.png
 
#17
Don’t take this wrong but if you have to be pushed then IMHO it may be a longer road for you. You can’t have it on ya…you gotta have it in ya…just say’n. After an online lesson for an hour (which aren’t cheap BTW) the ball’s in your court. FWIW there are countless YouTube bass backing tracks of all styles. Pick a few…start with playing the roots…WORK ON YOUR TIMING! Then add a few 5ths and so on. This stuff takes A LOT of time. Remember we “play” our instruments so keep your expectations at a reasonable level and above all have fun!
 
#19
ado121 said:
Hi all, new user here.....

Have been learning online for a few years (talkingbass)....where I fall down is in learning songs. Great at theory and exercises but know very few actual songs. Am a bedroom player so dont have a band or playing partners to motivate

I know the answer is to play what you like, but as someone who needs to be pushed, is anyone aware of teachers or channels that teach by playings songs in order of progression/difficulty?

Thanks
Click to expand...
In my experience, learning a song is like mini mountain climb and requires the same sense of intrinsic self-motivation to keep plodding along even though, at times, it may feel insurmountable and pointless. (This is where the motivation of band mates and gig deadlines is useful ;))

If I'm trying to learn a new song, I'll start by just looking for the repeating patterns (in tone, rhythm & structure etc) and will usually do this by playing along to the song as I transcribe the notes and then correlate these to their relative chord tones.

Eventually, something will seem to click and I'll get a clear idea of how the bassline works - how it fits into the song musically. Once this happens and the song "make sense" I get a whole new appreciation for the song and playing it feels no more demading than a stroll in the park.

Most importantly I consider all that time "wasted" on theory (chord tones, circle of 4th&5th, modes and triads etc) has equipped me with the tools required to summit the song musically and not by just by following a well-worn, rote path.

Enjoy the journey!
 
#20
Topkat13 said:
Don’t take this wrong but if you have to be pushed then IMHO it may be a longer road for you. You can’t have it on ya…you gotta have it in ya…just say’n. After an online lesson for an hour (which aren’t cheap BTW) the ball’s in your court. FWIW there are countless YouTube bass backing tracks of all styles. Pick a few…start with playing the roots…WORK ON YOUR TIMING! Then add a few 5ths and so on. This stuff takes A LOT of time. Remember we “play” our instruments so keep your expectations at a reasonable level and above all have fun!
Click to expand...

Thanks, and not taken the wrong way at all! I fully agree with you and would say the exact same thing to myself
Not being in a band is demotivating...there are no deadlines and its very easy to lose perspective, belief etc and fall off the horse.
Clearly joining a band is the answer, its just not something that I can see happening in the short to medium term unless an opportunity falls into my lap
 

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