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Looking for a challenging/technical reggae bassline to learn. Any suggestions?

#3
That's an interesting question sine Reggae isn't usually featuring the bass in a technical way. If anything, the best basslines (IMO) are the simple ones that leave space in interesting places. Personally I'd dive into an artist like Bob Marley and pick either a greatest hits or a live album and study that, either as a whole or to pick out interesting moments to dive into.

Stevie Wonder's "Master Blaster" is another classic that's worth learning.

For more technical tunes, check out Victor Wooten's "More Love" or the Flecktones "Lochs of Dread" (I like the Live Art version best.)
 
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#6
I found that when you listen closely to what Family Man plays on most Bob Marley songs, things get pretty technical. It's relatively easy to play an approximation that drives the band and make people recognize the song, but playing it exactly the way it was played on the record - some notes are rushed, some are delayed - is harder than it seems at first glance.
 
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#8
el murdoque said:
I found that when you listen closely to what Family Man plays on most Bob Marley songs, things get pretty technical. It's relatively easy to play an approximation that drives the band and make people recognize the song, but playing it exactly the way it was played on the record - some notes are rushed, some are delayed - is harder than it seems at first glance.
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Exactly. I was just gonna say, learn all the basslines on this record.... Always start at the source.

Marley.jpg
 
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#9
Shout it Out by Burning Spear is another great one. Not super technical, but there's a fantastic triplet rhythm (is it a half-note triplet?) that he plays over beats 2 and 3. Notice how the bass line changes subtly after the intro. That's when the triplet vibe starts. Nailing that consistently would require some work for me. Not sure where you're at with feeling your triplets.

I'll finish transcribing it. You'll be able find it in the transcription forum. I can link to it later.
 
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#11
Syl_Funky_bass said:
Hi All,

I'm looking for some suggestions concerning a challenging/technical reggae bassline to learn.

Any ideas? :)

Here is an example of what I mean by "challenging/technical" reggae bass:


And to get an idea of how/what I play on the instrument:


https://youtube.com/channel/UC5-xU2FSJajLrpA12YaDjRQ

Cheers!
Click to expand...


I liked that groove you were playing along with. I've added it to my list of 1,647 basslines to work on.
 
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