Next song to do?

[cchorney]

So it's figuring out the root to the chord, and playing the scale for it?

More like, find the chord the guitar or keys are playing, and play among the 1-3-5-7 (flatting or sharping where necessary).

For example, if you're playing a song where the key for the song is Cm and where the verse is in Cm as well, then yes you can play a Cm scale over it and it will "fit". But most songs have a chord progression.

Lets take a quick look at What A Wonderful World (Ramones cover). The song is in F but there are lots of chords. So you can noodle around with an F scale but it won't sound right as the song moves along.

Here are the verse chords (assuming the tabs are correct, which is never a sure thing). For the measure where they are playing an F, the chord tones (you're safe zone) are F (root), A (the 3rd) , C (the 5th) and E (the 7th). Plus you can insert full scale riffs (F, G, A, Bb, C, D, E) and chromatic runs of course. But when the song goes to the next measure now you have to be in Am, meaning the chord tones are A (root), C (flat 3rd), E (the 5th), and G (the 7th). Et cetera for every chord change.

So an example of a line you could use for the first two measures might be F A C E G A C E.

A lot of bass players keep it simple by playing only the root, or the root and the 5th, and that's ok if it sounds good with the song. But try adding in the 3rd and 7th, and try making it flow. When you start playing a lot of notes the trick is making it sound like you're not starting over every time the chord changes. Listen to pretty much anything James Jamerson played. He kept it to chord tones and chromatic runs, he utilized a lot of "root - fifth" when needed, but he made the bass sound good.

| F | Am | Bb | Am |
| Gm | F | A7/Db | Dm |

You can also look up videos of Carol Kaye talking about the importance of learning to play chord tones. She's big on that.

Also, consider lessons. I only took a few and so I've had to learn as I go, and sometimes my ignorance shows. Hopefully it didn't in this explanation but if it did, someone will correct me and I'll learn from that as well. I would be a better player if I took lessons.

 

[Richard Finn]

Thanks everyone!

 

[Feral Feline]

Be persistent. Don't give up.

When I was just a pre-beginner on bass I learned the main riff to "Owner of A Lonely Heart", 'cause a drummer friend was learning the song. Main riff is a piece of cake but I had to sit out the bass solo, which sounded otherworldly and impossible for me to learn.

Years go by and I'd forgotten all about the song and it pops up on my radar again. I listen to the solo and realise I could now pick it out if I tried – what's more, I could have picked it out all those years ago if I'd tried. (pre-Internet, no vids, pick up the needle and drop it on the vinyl at the beginning of the solo)


I've started the vid here at a secondary riff in the song I'd completely forgotten about, but it's not much more difficult than the main riff which comes back in at 2:52 for the guitar solo, then at last my nemesis – a brief Fretless Solo @ 3:27. Wow, that's easy-peasey, a gliss up and then a descending simple run. Aaugh, if only I'd given it a go way back when, I might've picked up the bass in earnest sooner.

So don't sell yourself short; the tough bits just take more time to get. In my case, years.


PS: I'm not suggesting this Yes song, just used it as an example; for a suggestion I'd go for something by NoMeansNo or something fun by the Hansen Brothers

 

[hintz]

Like Jasmangan said, Klaus Fluoride of D.K. is a total badass, since you can already play "the trooper" maybe learn "Winnebago Warrior", that bass line is tough but real fun...

As far as the fills Steve Harris does, what helped me is "barring" like a guitarist with my fretting hand index finger across 2-3 strings as most of his fills are like "box patterns", say an E min chord..a common fill for Steve would be A(7th fret D string),B(9th fret), D(7th fret G string)E(9th fret G string), then descending D, Then B, ......Also Geezer Butler's fills are *very*, very similar to Steve Harris' fills only slower...

Oh yeah, dont forget about geddy lee!!

 

[ZorgRift]

punk you say? metal you say?

420 learn to play these e'eryday:

sinister rouge - bad religion
quarantined - at the drive-in
not alone - dub trio
killing in the name - rage against the machine
scream of the butterfly - acid bath
dry spell - descendents

last one is on there to practice your fills and runs.

 

[ZorgRift]

also this isn't punk or metal but holds a place in my heart (beside the aortic plaques and bad decisions). whetton was a beast.

 

[The BurgerMeister]

Keep at it. Play every song you can. Why not? You'll learn something every time you play if you're willing.

And... Don't restrict yourself to just playing punk and metal or whatever. Turn on the radio and try to play along with whatever song comes on, then change the channel and do it again. Don't skip over any stations... It's great exercise.

Learn some Rush.

Also: learn to read music!

And play with other musicians of all kinds.

Have fun!

 

[jasonrp]

Easy steps up from what you are doing:
Rancid- Journey to the end of East Bay (sounds tricky but it's not)
Clash- I fought the law
GNR- It's so Easy (song was named for the bassline I'm guessing) Remember to tune down half a step

Those three are fun to play and easy to break into sections so you can learn one part at a time

 

[Motormog]

This is my jam bands set of tunes we knock out, should be a few here that would be good for you to try


1. ANTI NOWHERE LEAGUE - WE ARE THE LEAGUE

2. RAMONES - R.A.M.O.N.E.S.

3. SEX PISTOLS - HOLIDAYS IN THE SUN

4. ANTI NOWHERE LEAGUE - ROCKER

5. STIFF LITTLE FINGERS - ALTERNATIVE ULSTER

6. U.K. SUBS - RIOT

7. MOTORHEAD - STONE DEAD FOREVER

8. SHAM 69 - BORSTAL BREAKOUT

9. U.K. SUBS- WARHEAD

10. MOTORHEAD - IRON FIST

11. MOTORHEAD - DAMAGE CASE

12. THE DAMNED - NEW ROSE

13. U.K. SUBS - STRANGLEHOLD

14. RAMONES - BLITZKRIEG BOP

15. MOTORHEAD - ROCK N’ ROLL

16. L7 - SHITLIST

17. RAMONES - I WANNA BE SEDATED

18. RAMONES -I DON’T WANNA GO DOWN TO THE BASEMENT

19. PETER AND THE TEST TUBES BABIES - BANNED FROM THE PUBS

20. ANTI NOWHERE LEAGUE - SKULL AND BONES

21. RAMONES - 53rd & 3rd

22. MOTORHEAD – BOMBER

23. RAMONES – COMMANDO

24. RAMONES – CRETIN HOP

25.RAMONES - WERE A HAPPY FAMILY

26.DEAD KENNEDYS - LYNCH THE LANDLORD

27.SEX PISTOLS – PRETTY VACANT

28. MISFITS – LAST CARESS

29. SHAM 69 – IF THE KIDS ARE UNITED

30.SEX PISTOLS – SILLY THING

 

[Richard Finn]

Keep at it. Play every song you can. Why not? You'll learn something every time you play if you're willing.

And... Don't restrict yourself to just playing punk and metal or whatever. Turn on the radio and try to play along with whatever song comes on, then change the channel and do it again. Don't skip over any stations... It's great exercise.

Learn some Rush.

Also: learn to read music!

And play with other musicians of all kinds.

Have fun!

Hello sir! I'm actually trying a new practice style that was recommended to me when it comes to song practice. Learn a bunch of easy songs and have 2 "out of my league" songs to work on. Those 2 out of my league songs are Sweet Child O Mine and Limelight by Rush (intro down for Sweet Child, main bass line down for Rush). I already do the radio thing btw! I love jamming to some Jazz! It's not that I'm trying to limit myself, per say, I'm just trying to get my chops up a bit more so I can play Rush and some more Jazz and Blues. Cheers! And again, thanks for commenting!

 

[Richard Finn]

Since you already play Sunshine of Your Love: Badge is also a fairly simple and fun song to play. When I started playing, I learned a lot of early Allman Brothers and Zep (sorry guys).

UFO is supreme (sorry Zep fans, it's true). Pete is the Way. Too bad there's not a lot of UFO tabs :c

 

[bass.slinger]

I grew up playing similar music - Rush, Iron Maiden, and Pink Floyd. Actually, the Wall would be a really good album to learn - the bass parts (regardless who claims to have played them on the record) are really good and pretty simple to learn. They fit well in the songs. Another thing I still do is what I think of as the sponge approach - learn anything. In high school I also played in the jazz band, my dad's country and western band (they paid me $60 a gig since I played bass better than they did - that was killer money in the 1980s), played several musicals, etc. It all makes you a better player.

A great way to get better is to play along with the radio (dating myself) or streaming service that pseudo randomly picks songs.

Also, some really cool sites with notation are:

The Bassment | Free Bass Guitar Transcriptions in Standard Notation & TAB

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Bass Transcriptions

 

[Liam Wald]

Pull up a song that you like on You Tube and then look at the side bar to see what the other suggestions are.

 

[Bodeanly]

This is my jam bands set of tunes we knock out, should be a few here that would be good for you to try


1. ANTI NOWHERE LEAGUE - WE ARE THE LEAGUE

2. RAMONES - R.A.M.O.N.E.S.

3. SEX PISTOLS - HOLIDAYS IN THE SUN

4. ANTI NOWHERE LEAGUE - ROCKER

5. STIFF LITTLE FINGERS - ALTERNATIVE ULSTER

6. U.K. SUBS - RIOT

7. MOTORHEAD - STONE DEAD FOREVER

8. SHAM 69 - BORSTAL BREAKOUT

9. U.K. SUBS- WARHEAD

10. MOTORHEAD - IRON FIST

11. MOTORHEAD - DAMAGE CASE

12. THE DAMNED - NEW ROSE

13. U.K. SUBS - STRANGLEHOLD

14. RAMONES - BLITZKRIEG BOP

15. MOTORHEAD - ROCK N’ ROLL

16. L7 - poopieLIST

17. RAMONES - I WANNA BE SEDATED

18. RAMONES -I DON’T WANNA GO DOWN TO THE BASEMENT

19. PETER AND THE TEST TUBES BABIES - BANNED FROM THE PUBS

20. ANTI NOWHERE LEAGUE - SKULL AND BONES

21. RAMONES - 53rd & 3rd

22. MOTORHEAD – BOMBER

23. RAMONES – COMMANDO

24. RAMONES – CRETIN HOP

25.RAMONES - WERE A HAPPY FAMILY

26.DEAD KENNEDYS - LYNCH THE LANDLORD

27.SEX PISTOLS – PRETTY VACANT

28. MISFITS – LAST CARESS

29. SHAM 69 – IF THE KIDS ARE UNITED

30.SEX PISTOLS – SILLY THING

There's absolutely nothing "jam band" about this list, and that's a good thing. You might get more cool people to come to your shows if you go ahead and call yourselves a "punk band." I mean, that's exactly what this list implies. Again, that's a good thing.

 

[Motormog]

There's absolutely nothing "jam band" about this list, and that's a good thing. You might get more cool people to come to your shows if you go ahead and call yourselves a "punk band." I mean, that's exactly what this list implies. Again, that's a good thing.

Cheers that's probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me on a message board ha ha

Were just three fourty somethings who like to make a noise and drink beer every other Friday for a few hours

I was going to call us a garage band but we play in a village church hall

Wonder what that makes us!

 

[Bodeanly]

Cheers that's probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me on a message board ha ha

Were just three fourty somethings who like to make a noise and drink beer every other Friday for a few hours

I was going to call us a garage band but we play in a village church hall

Wonder what that makes us!

I don't know either, man, but I believe the Europeans would call it: Anté Jamé Noisé

 

[Wandering Bastard]

I would recommend, as many others did, Peace Sells, the intro itself is a really good warm up, and seeing as you can play the Trooper, it should be quite feasible. For something really fun to perfect as a song, I would recommend Moby Dick by Led Zep, it's quite easy, but tons of fun, which really inspires to keep on playing. I would also recommend Killers my Maiden, as you can never go wrong with Steve Harris, and that song is a BLAST to play!

Now, to depart from the hard rock and metal spectrum, I would recommend "Runaway" by Jamiroquai and Tempus Fugit or Siberian Khatru by Yes. Although mellower-sounding songs, those are actually pretty fast, faster and more intricate than many metal songs I have played. Closer to the Heart by Rush was quite a challenge (to me), yet, it's definitely feasible, I do recommend.

Actually, as a more metal/rock beginner player myself, all of those songs represented constant steps towards improving my playing, especially the last three, ironically.
Also, if you really can't play a song, sometimes, it's better to just keep going by doing simpler songs on your level to mellow the steps towards improvement, if that makes sense. Although it's the challenging ones that will be the best to "beat".

Good luck!

 

[Big Hoss]

Since you like Dio, how about Heaven and Hell?

 

[The BurgerMeister]

I grew up playing similar music - Rush, Iron Maiden, and Pink Floyd. Actually, the Wall would be a really good album to learn - the bass parts (regardless who claims to have played them on the record) are really good and pretty simple to learn. They fit well in the songs. Another thing I still do is what I think of as the sponge approach - learn anything. In high school I also played in the jazz band, my dad's country and western band (they paid me $60 a gig since I played bass better than they did - that was killer money in the 1980s), played several musicals, etc. It all makes you a better player.

exactly.

i have a friend who plays drums. helloes metal. he's a great drummer, but all he ever wants to play is metal. the best drummers i know are great musicians. they can play in many styles and know how to control themselves for the gig. someone who only plays one style all the time... well, there's nothing wrong with that, per se, it's just limiting.

again: keep at it! your practice strategy is a good one. it's like warming up with something comfortable and then challenging yourself. but don't forget: just because it's not challenging anymore doesn't mean you can't still learn something from it.

 

[DavC]

Grand Funk .. " Closer to Home " ... the whole album ...

then Deep Purple .. " Made in Japan " ... the whole album

then Led Zep II ... the whole album

then YES .... " Fragile " maybe just a few

the RUSH ' 2112 ' ... a few