Home Forums Guitar Discussion Bass Guitar Been playing for a few months now…

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  • #24410
    latkingz781
    Participant

    I have learned a number of riffs, but I would like someone to suggest some great riffs for begginers. I would also love it if someone would direct me with a few songs to learn from simple and move on to a bit more difficult each time.

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    • #79149
      Tim
      Participant

      Hmm, I’ve never really gone for the top-endy thing myself, but each to their own and I have to agree that it fits with the sound of ‘Appetite’. My preferred, almost dub-like, sound just wouldn’t work with that album…or band for that matter.
      I think his sound on ‘Contraband’ is nicer, still got his top end but more rounded in the middle, the intro to ‘Sucker Train Blues’ kicks off the album so well.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI0RMk75oZA

    • #79151
      Goddzi
      Participant

      [quote=”Tim”]Duff is a bit of a hero (tho his sound sucks)[/quote]

      Duff is a top player, one of my faves, too. But, I think his sound on ‘Appetite…’ is spot on! It’s the way I like my bass to sound, too. (If I can get it to do it! LOL) The definition from the top ‘click’ coupled with the rumbling bottom end is pure class. How Mike Clink hasn’t done more stuff (than I’m aware of. I know he did the duties on one of Megadeths’ LP’s, as well), is beyond me!

      And if I can’t quite get that sound, I aim for something akin to Gene Simmons’ sound a la ‘Creatures of the Night’. (OK, now I deserve a telling off…lol) 😈 😆

    • #79145
      1bassleft
      Participant

      [quote]Saw a programme about Pink Floyd on a satellite channel the other week about the history of PF from formation through to Live 8, and during it Roger Waters sat with an acoustic guitar and played the riff through and tried to explain about the bluesy feel in 5/8 timing (I think) he’d used, but how they changed the tempo to a straight 4/4 for Dave to play the solo over so he didn’t have to worry about the changes[/quote]

      I saw that prog (there’s a joke in there; “prog” – geddit? 😳 ) and it was very interesting – particularly a great player like Gilmour candidly admitting his relief that it switched to 4/4 in time for his solo 🙂 . If it’s not in the “Fave Bass Riffs” topic, it has been talked about here. I did a died-soon thread on interesting time signatures [Money is in 7/8]. At the time, I’d just come up with a bassline that was 3/4 – I’d just joined a church choir – and the guitarist liked it but, every time we started, he went “1,2,3,4” and I had to correct him, “No, it’s 1,2,3, 1,2,3”

    • #79143
      Tim
      Participant

      [quote=”Goddzi”]Actually, still on the subject of Floyd, has anyone suggested the bass line to ‘Money’ as a great/favourite part?[/quote]

      Ooh, I don’t know but good call, great by Pink Floyd and the Velvet Revolver cover is good too (Duff is a bit of a hero (tho his sound sucks)…feel free to flame 😀 )
      ’bout the only riff that my ‘Bassballs’ pedal sounds good on, apart from the obvious; NIB.

    • #79121
      Goddzi
      Participant

      Actually, still on the subject of Floyd, has anyone suggested the bass line to ‘Money’ as a great/favourite part?

      Saw a programme about Pink Floyd on a satellite channel the other week about the history of PF from formation through to Live 8, and during it Roger Waters sat with an acoustic guitar and played the riff through and tried to explain about the bluesy feel in 5/8 timing (I think) he’d used, but how they changed the tempo to a straight 4/4 for Dave to play the solo over so he didn’t have to worry about the changes! LOL

    • #79112
      Goddzi
      Participant

      I was thinking more ‘in-the-style-of’ rather than a direct actual Floyd track from The Wall, tbh! LOL

      I may have been vaguely remembering the similar-ish bit in ‘In the Flesh’ at the start of the LP, just before the planes start coming over…

      ‘..so ya, thought ya, might like to, go to the show…’

      *hums*

      Must dig out my copy and listen to them back to back…

    • #79114
      1bassleft
      Participant

      I always thought it was a bit “How do we end this song?” stuck-in there. I can see Bob Geldof shaving his eyebrows off and marching in black to it, though. That reference to The Wall did make me think “oh yeah” recognition job, although no actual Floyd song sprung to mind.

    • #79142
      Goddzi
      Participant

      Ya got me with Boulevard, it is kinda root-note central! LOL
      Although the progression at the end, albeit slightly Pink Floyd circa The Wall, is very sweet.

      Goddzi

    • #79111
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Fair point, Goddzi and (as well as Longview) Mike Dirnt does play some nice lines. First time I noticed GD, the little flicks on Basket Case got my attention. At the time of writing, I was thinking of Holiday and Boulevard, neither of which took me a lot of effort to show kids how to play them. Mike’s no eedjit on the 4-string, though; I’ll happily admit.

    • #79136
      Goddzi
      Participant

      [quote=”1bassleft”]No-one remembers EEEEE-DDDD-AAAA (unless you’re a Green Day fan) [/quote]

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Aqvg-3gFps

      I think you’ll agree this, among many other GD tracks, doesn’t go ‘EEEEE-DDD-AAA’ on the bass! 🙂

    • #79128
      Tim
      Participant

      Not a huge fan but yeah, the bass is certainly the stong point.

      Last night I finally (20 years after everyone else) watched Reservoir Dogs, so tonight I’m learning “Little Green Bag” great bassline, simple but will get your timing nailed and you have to work across the neck, something I didn’t do for way to long hence still finding this a bitch at times!

      http://www.bassmasta.net/t/theme_songs/130225.html#

      EDIT: Listen to the track as the tab isn’t representative of the timing, for example the last section isn’t 14 beats! there’s some ghosts etc in there…

      EDIT 2: This is the main riff/cool bit, nobody seems to tab the rest!

    • #79126
      Michael
      Participant

      nice, nice, nice. the bass does indeed come out as the top performer in what is a pretty decent song in all aspects.

    • #79120
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Funnelly nuff, Buzzted, I was noodling through youtube and popped up a Killing Joke song I liked in the 80s:
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVgMEsMZdcQ

      It reminds me of how I used to “teach” mates bass when I wasn’t qualified to do so (still aint 🙂 ). Get a nice rhythm going, something really interesting, with the plucking/picking hand and, at least to start, keep the fretting note changes simple. Then add little runs to it to build up the interest. Notice how Love Like Blood isn’t asking an awful lot of technique, but that brilliant rhythm dominates the entire song and – pardon pun – calls the tune?

    • #79146
      buzzted_up
      Participant

      well, 🙄 one of the easiest songs to play on bass in my experience is Fall Out Boy’s “Dance, Dance.” it sounds pretty wussy, i know, but it really is very simple. most of it is just the same thing over and over. hope that helps! 😀

    • #79116
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Yep, doing 5/4 in the first bar would be pretty memorable for everyone. My overpressing to blame 😳

    • #79117
      Tim
      Participant

      Couldn’t agree more (apart from the 5 Es..?) The fact you’re choosing bass as opposed to ‘easy-guitar’ speaks volumes.

      Advice: listen to the timing of every song you listen to, and not just the kick (‘though thats the backbone) listen to the snare and the ‘hat if you can lock in with them, even with root notes, you’ll be doing well, basically remember you’re rythmn section.

      Song-wise, again have to agree with 1bl, you’ll find that most of the basslines singled out aren’t the complex ‘widdly’ ones as they tend to suck anyway. Generally, timing and bridging the gap between Drums and guitar are the most common features.

      When you get in a band watch your drummer make eye-contact with him, you’ll start to work as a unit, sounds weird but it works, you learn that a nod from him means a suspended note or an emphasised note or whatever…all of a sudden your band sounds good! Guitarist gets all the credit, obviously 😆

    • #79144
      1bassleft
      Participant

      Hi Latkingz, and welcome 🙂

      There is a thread here – https://www.guitarsite.com/hotlicks/viewtopic.php?t=3102&sid=b9065d21c4a845fdc14660af9a604561 – of favourite bass riffs posted up by contributors to this category linked to YouTube vids. About 25% of the links have been removed for breaking copyright (mostly my links, for some reason) but they give a good idea.

      The main thing is, yes, a lot of them are difficult to play or just downright subtle but they connect with the earoles of other bass players. No-one remembers EEEEE-DDDD-AAAA (unless you’re a Green Day fan) so root notes are a good starting point, but hopefully you move on. What bass playing stands out for you? It doesn’t have to be all that technically difficult; just a riff that catches your ear. Aiming to do the same thing moves the bass player out of the shadows and into the central part of the band. I’ve never been in a successful band (like a lot of people, unfortunately), but I’ve always been a successful part of the bands that I’ve been in because I cared about doing what I did; better. From the sounds of your post, you think the same way – which makes you a more promising player than most others out there.

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