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Tom Petty - Don't Come Around Here No More (intro line)

KevInDaBassment

KevInDaBassment

The cat's "meh..."
Jul 30, 2010
8,473
9,401
Gulf Coast
#1
The bass riff for the bulk of the song is easy as pie, but the intro riff is proving to be a bit more elusive.

In the song, at about 0:10-0:13 there is a snazzy little riff that I was itching to learn to play. Haven't been able to ear it out too well and I'm coming up dry on tabs. I checked for various guitar tabs that might have the riff in there with no avail. The only thing I found was a youtube video where Vampire Weekend does a cover of the song and the bass player actually plays the riff dry with no effects:

(at about 1:03-1:06)

Anybody ever try tackling this riff or come across anything useful concerning it? It'd be a pretty boss line to have in the utility belt ;)
 
#2
VanillaThundah said:
The bass riff for the bulk of the song is easy as pie, but the intro riff is proving to be a bit more elusive.

In the song, at about 0:10-0:13 there is a snazzy little riff that I was itching to learn to play. Haven't been able to ear it out too well and I'm coming up dry on tabs. I checked for various guitar tabs that might have the riff in there with no avail. The only thing I found was a youtube video where Vampire Weekend does a cover of the song and the bass player actually plays the riff dry with no effects:

(at about 1:03-1:06)

Anybody ever try tackling this riff or come across anything useful concerning it? It'd be a pretty boss line to have in the utility belt ;)
Click to expand...


The video is a little hard to hear, but it sounds something like this:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#4
That's a cool little riff. The bass player in the video is doing something different than the studio guitar part. Here's what I'm hearing on the studio version:


...........................let ring....trill(sl.)

G|------------3h5-5-5s8-|--8s5-----3---3(4)----------------
D|----------------------|6-----3-3-------------------------
A|----------6-----------|----------------------------------
E|----------------------|----------------------------------


For the trill between the C and C#, just slide back and forth between the two notes, and at the end just let it slide up real quick (kind of drops off after a couple frets).

Enjoy!
Mac
 
#5
PlayTheBass said:
That's a cool little riff. The bass player in the video is doing something different than the studio guitar part. Here's what I'm hearing on the studio version:


...........................let ring....trill(sl.)

G|------------3h5-5-5s8-|--8s5-----3---3(4)----------------
D|----------------------|6-----3-3-------------------------
A|----------6-----------|----------------------------------
E|----------------------|----------------------------------


For the trill between the C and C#, just slide back and forth between the two notes, and at the end just let it slide up real quick (kind of drops off after a couple frets).

Enjoy!
Mac
Click to expand...

Sounds right to me when I play it...just gotta get the timing down. Thank you! I appreciate it big time! :bassist:
 
#8
PlayTheBass said:
That's a cool little riff. The bass player in the video is doing something different than the studio guitar part. Here's what I'm hearing on the studio version:


...........................let ring....trill(sl.)

G|------------3h5-5-5s8-|--8s5-----3---3(4)----------------
D|----------------------|6-----3-3-------------------------
A|----------6-----------|----------------------------------
E|----------------------|----------------------------------


For the trill between the C and C#, just slide back and forth between the two notes, and at the end just let it slide up real quick (kind of drops off after a couple frets).

Enjoy!
Mac
Click to expand...

I'm tackling this song too but the above tab doesn't seem correct to me. Sounds like the part is played above the 12th fret to me. Thoughts?
 
#12
SturmUndDrang said:
I responded to this in another forum and figured I should share it here too.
This description of the lick is a good approximation of how to interpret it for bass.
http://bassoutpost.com/index.php?topic=8425.0
Click to expand...

That's a good description, but it misses some notes. Sorry, I should have noted that on the tab I posted I moved it down an octave to make it "bassy" (not sure what I was thinking at the time, but that's just how I was playing it and it sounded cool)... but the notes are mostly the same. The first note is different: I made a mistake and had a "6" on the A string when it should have been a D, of course.

However, the bassoutpost link above has it as an F (15th fret on D string), and I believe that's incorrect. It sounds like an open D on a guitar to me.

Also, the description is missing the half-step trill at the end of the lick that then zips up a whole step. That's kind of a key part of the lick.

So here's what I think it is, in the same register as the recording, with the trill spelled out:

...........................let ring....trill

G|-------15h17-17-17s20-|--20s17-----17/18\17/18\17/19----------
D|----------------------|18-----15-15-----------------------
A|-----17---------------|----------------------------------
E|----------------------|----------------------------------
 
#13
I'll agree that the above is more accurate. The first note goes by quickly and the D natural is quite possible instead of the F. I might play that first D on the 12th fret of the D string with the index finger for positioning's sake after. The rest of the it is accurate except I might argue that the ending trill could be chalked up to vibrato as the predominate note I hear there is the C natural. Bravo PlayTheBass!
 
#14
SturmUndDrang said:
I'll agree that the above is more accurate. The first note goes by quickly and the D natural is quite possible instead of the F. I might play that first D on the 12th fret of the D string with the index finger for positioning's sake after. The rest of the it is accurate except I might argue that the ending trill could be chalked up to vibrato as the predominate note I hear there is the C natural. Bravo PlayTheBass!
Click to expand...

Right on, bud, I think that's a good approach. I was actually thinking even the open D on the bass sounds cool to start with too.

Thanks for keeping me honest! :)
 
#18
KevInDaBassment said:
The bass riff for the bulk of the song is easy as pie, but the intro riff is proving to be a bit more elusive.

In the song, at about 0:10-0:13 there is a snazzy little riff that I was itching to learn to play. Haven't been able to ear it out too well and I'm coming up dry on tabs. I checked for various guitar tabs that might have the riff in there with no avail. The only thing I found was a youtube video where Vampire Weekend does a cover of the song and the bass player actually plays the riff dry with no effects:

(at about 1:03-1:06)

Anybody ever try tackling this riff or come across anything useful concerning it? It'd be a pretty boss line to have in the utility belt ;)
Click to expand...


On the original studio version, that riff is played by a Sitar.
Here is a simplified version of that line in my opinion. :confused:
TP-1.PNG


And here is the same riff just transposed down by one octave.
TP2.PNG

Here is a clip of that riff from Guitar Pro 6.
https://www.talkbass.com/attachment...8/?temp_hash=adf33767eee45df1e9406e61d2b14640


Here is what I hear from Vampire Weekend.
VV.PNG


Here is a Guitar Pro sound clip of that Vampire Weekend bass line (it's only my opinion)
https://www.talkbass.com/attachment...1/?temp_hash=bbf9122afa173d446e0504d9d3a55d1a
 

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