Black Flag Six Pack. I think I had been playing bass for 3 months when that 7 inch came out in 1981.
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What's the first bass line you learned?
- Thread starter Texaspandj
- Start date
Pretty much most of the songs on Joy Division Substance. Wore out the cassette listening and rewinding.
Don’t really remember. I started on guitar first. If I had to guess.... probably a Sabbath or Zeppelin toon.
I do remember learning Money by PF early on. I still warm up it and that was around ‘79.
I do remember learning Money by PF early on. I still warm up it and that was around ‘79.
Talking Heads, "Psycho Killer," from my college roommate.
Louie Louie
I can’t believe that I’m the only person here who learned that riff the first time that I picked up a bass guitar.
I can’t believe that I’m the only person here who learned that riff the first time that I picked up a bass guitar.
Can't remember which was first, but 'Ice Cream Man' by Van Halen and 'Stray Cat Strut' were my first basslines. I had played guitar for a few years before that so I wasn't a total noob. Those 2 songs pretty much covered 90% of yer standard blues bass-line tropes, and I can still remember them 30 years later!
Pretty sure it was Led Zeppelin I Can’t Quit You. My brother was an amazing keyboard player and he showed me the bass line.
Low Rider, by War. Just as cool a line today as it was when I was 14.
The first real bass line (as opposed to just playing the bottom note of the guitar chord) I learned on my cheapie 3/4 scale bass was Longview by Green Day.
Honorable mention goes to "Autumn Leaves." I was a junior in high school, couldn't read music well, and was trying to play bass from the guitar chords. One day, my band director threw his score on the ground and sent me out of the room, saying, "Don't come back until you can play every note of this part!" It was the first time that music felt "hard," and overcoming that difficulty through hard work was a critical part of my musical and personal development.
Honorable mention goes to "Autumn Leaves." I was a junior in high school, couldn't read music well, and was trying to play bass from the guitar chords. One day, my band director threw his score on the ground and sent me out of the room, saying, "Don't come back until you can play every note of this part!" It was the first time that music felt "hard," and overcoming that difficulty through hard work was a critical part of my musical and personal development.
