What's Going On..getting into Jamerson

[bassliner50]

Signed Sealed Delivered; Bernadette. Essential mind altering bass lines. Get a strong conga drum groove going and assign just the right note to each conga punctuation thats JJ for me.

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

For simple lines like that of What's Going On to be precise and, hence, effective, the strings must be if the right gauge and have the right amount of tension ... this will provide the player with the feeling which is a mandatory feature for playing such tunes effectively, in time and without rattlings ... hence, aside from studying the tune, which is not very difficult (2 chords basically but very effective), you shall give your bass a proper setup ... you will hear and feel the difference ...

 

[basted]

That is one of my all time favourite songs. Both for the bassline and the content. Stick with it!

 

[bherman]

I've got SITSOM, but my problem is that my bass is strung BEAD. Would those of you who have put in a lot of work with this text let me know if you think its possible to track along with my setup, or if I should dig out the old beater bass for trying to work with Jamerson? Thanks for the insight.

I wouldn't think that it would matter as long as you are a halfway decent reader. Probably do you the most good if you learn his stuff using the bass (and fingering) that you use most often.

 

[bherman]

That book is at the top of my list.
I wish it had tab though.
Maybe it will motivate me to learn more about reading music.

Definitely use it as motivation to read; you are just starting out and if you learn to read right from the get-go it'll open up so many possibilities as you go down the road.

 

[inanimate_carb]

For simple lines like that of What's Going On to be precise and, hence, effective, the strings must be if the right gauge and have the right amount of tension ... this will provide the player with the feeling which is a mandatory feature for playing such tunes effectively, in time and without rattlings ... hence, aside from studying the tune, which is not very difficult (2 chords basically but very effective), you shall give your bass a proper setup ... you will hear and feel the difference ...

Absolutely not the case. There's too many players that have an undeniable Jamerson feel and influence that aren't using super heavy flats, a slack truss rod, foam mutes, and very high action. Will Lee, Anthony Jackson (!), Nathan East, Randy Jackson, Deon Estus, Pino Palladino, T.M. Stevens, Melvin Lee Davis, and Jamareo Artis immediately come to mind as Jamerson style players that don't copy the iconic Jamerson instrument choice or setup and those are only the famous guys. Jamerson's setup wasn't even a setup, it was more the way a poorly maintained instrument played.

Also, people who have really dug in deep studying Jamerson rarely, if ever, refer to such work as "simple" or "not very difficult". Lots of players have time and phrasing issues with "My Girl", never mind "Darling Dear". You might not be able to cop Jamerson stuff without the high action and string tension, but rest assured that other more knowledgeable and experienced players can. It's much more about concept and how to stylistically approach the music in the moment as opposed to gear or how it feels or plays.

 

[otp57]

I started playing bass about 14 months ago.
Besides learning scales,etc. I learned a lot of my favorite Rock and blues tunes.
A month ago, I started taking some lessons.
Just wanted to correct my bad habits and have some direction and structure.
My teacher played me some stuff and asked me what my goal was.
I immediately replied..to be able to play like you....
H recommended I take a look at Marvin Gaye's classic What's Going On.
He played a little bit of it for me.
Did that ever open my eyes and ears.....
I have been completely enamoured in it for about three weeks now.
So after three weeks, I can play the intro, first verse and the chorus with a bit of fumbling
and stumbling.
This may be my favorite bass in any song ever.
So much fun and challenging to learn with correct timing and phrasing.
I feel I have progressed so much since I started on this tune.
Glen

Now that you got the bug.... try this but work on it very slow at first.

 

[2tonic]

What's Going On has been my favorite bass line since I began learning it three or four years ago.

Wait 'til you hear the story of how he recorded it.

According to lore, it was a late night session that dragged on and on, couldn't settle on the arrangement.
Jamerson left to find a bar and drastically reduce their inventory. When it was all sussed out they went to drag James back, but he was pie-eyed, and could barely stand.
He tracked the song laying on his back on the floor while Gaye held the charts above his face. Two takes.
This story has been reported and repeated many times, but I don't know if it will hold up to cross-examination!

 

[IamGroot]

Now that you got the bug.... try this but work on it very slow at first.

Jamerson didn't slap or tap.

 

[inanimate_carb]

According to lore, it was a late night session that dragged on and on, couldn't settle on the arrangement.
Jamerson left to find a bar and drastically reduce their inventory. When it was all sussed out they went to drag James back, but he was pie-eyed, and could barely stand.
He tracked the song laying on his back on the floor while Gaye held the charts above his face. Two takes.
This story has been reported and repeated many times, but I don't know if it will hold up to cross-examination!

No need for cross-examination if the story is documented by known historians and backed up by people that saw it happen. Jamerson is an historically important player and facts about him matter. He's not around to correct or deny stuff that people imagine, guess, or suppose about him, and most of his peers at Motown aren't either.

 

[Bioflava]

If you want to learn more about Jameson, and other R&B and funk masters, check out this book by Ed Friedland -- he provides capsule histories on these legends and then some instruction as well. The histories and technique lessons are both excellent:

https://www.amazon.com/Bass-Masters-They-Play-Softcover/dp/0879308699/

 

[DWBass]

Darling Dear is a game changer.