Songs with repetitive octave riffs

[Dana R Gregory]

Just about anything in the disco genre will be full of octave bass lines. Hot Stuff by Donna Summer is a good one to start with. Jaco used octaves in most of his bass lines. River People by Weather Report has been mentioned but I will mention it again. If you can play this one, you can play just about any thing.

 

[Drzejzi]

Anything by Red Hot Chili Peppers.

 

[Michedelic]

When the zen trance of playing nothing but an octave turns to tedium, and makes you want to scream…

 

[smart51]

Duran Duran and songs of that era too. Girls on Film springs to mind.

 

[two fingers]

"Two Tickets To Paradise" - Eddie Money

As an added bonus, it throws the 5 of the scale in there to make plucking hand technique even more challenging.

(96) Two Tickets to Paradise - YouTube

 

[mdogs]

 

[FunkHead]

 

[BrentB]

Turn Me Loose Loverboy Turn Me Loose - Google Search

Absolutely, it can wear you out if you have CTS.

 

[pepj]

Buy Chic classics album Whole load of exercises there by Bernard Edwards.
Master that and you'll never have octave problems again.
I'd go as far as saying its required learning

 

[zubrycky]

The outro from Black Sabbath's Fairies Wear Boots has an octave line (G and F on the Paranoid album).

 

[Ggaa]

If ya want my body....aka Do You Think I'm Sexy.

 

[xposaune]

Gloria - Laura Branigan.

Riis

I keep this one in my daily rotation. Do it every day and never worry about octaves again lol

 

[BassFishingInAmerica]

 

[Ewo]

Octave lines in the chorus. A real workout for the plucking hand!

 

[FunkHead]

Absolutely, it can wear you out if you have CTS.

I was surprised when I saw this played with a pick but That’s the best way….but then certain basses sound great fingerstyle too.

 

[DanGroove]

YMCA will get you up to speed on those real quick

 

[Jazz Ad]

 

[LBS-bass]

If you truly want repetitive, as in ostinato level repetitive, Tomorrow Never Knows.

 

[Slevage]

I played 5 nights/week in “lounges” in the 1970’s.
Between all of the Donna Summer tunes and Rod Stewart’s - Do you think I’m sexy, my octave chops were effortless.
Sometimes we made up our own versions of typically non-disco songs.
Octave on the bass kept the dance floor full.

 

[Dynomuttasaurus]

You seem a bit more modern and hard rock than the 70s/80s suggestions.

I love playing the piano open/close of this song, and hate the constant octave groove of the verses and chorus. They kill my left hand after 3 minutes of constantly holding octaves.


Here's another classic octave groove that will keep you moving. I'm a really poor slap/pop player so I'm doing the main octave groove finger style. Super fun.