Simple yet classic and tasteful baselines even a beginner can play...

Vinnie Boombatz

Vinnie Boombatz

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May 26, 2010
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#1
As someone getting back into playing bass, and primarily being a guitar player I've been searching out baselines that are fairly simple, yet tasteful and classic. Can't help but use "Cissy Strut" by The Meters as an example. Simple baseline, but to get the full effect it's all about timing and being in the pocket. George Porter's lines are exactly what the song needs, never overplays or gets too busy. Great baseline to learn as a beginner!

Feel free to share your examples of simple, yet effective and classic lines every beginner should know!

 
#9
chris_b said:
For a beginner wanting to get into R&B and Soul style of playing, I'd recommend anything off Stax Records and a lot off Atlantic records.
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Born under a bad sign, by Albert King, has a really cool bassline played by Duck Dunn. Simple, but very effective.

Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" is not overly complicated either - but what a test in endurance! Not sure if that would be considered beginner-friendly, but it's mainly just a four-note pattern (with some exceptions like the pre-chorus I think)
 
#10
Nashrakh said:
Born under a bad sign, by Albert King, has a really cool bassline played by Duck Dunn. Simple, but very effective.

Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" is not overly complicated either - but what a test in endurance! Not sure if that would be considered beginner-friendly, but it's mainly just a four-note pattern (with some exceptions like the pre-chorus I think)
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I used to play Billie Jean in a previous band...definitely an endurance tester. After a few minutes my hand was screaming for the song to end. I had a queue I gave the band when it was time to wrap it up to avoid a disasterous ending as they liked to drag it out just to bust my balls. ;)
 
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#17
So someone brought up Pink Floyd's Money. For full disclosure i am not a good bassist but i can get around the fret board OK. My biggest problem is that i can't play that tune the way it was written, which is kind of embarrassing since almost every high school kid can manage it. I have some sort of mechanism in my head that won't allow me to play certain lines the way they were written, Pete Green's Black Magic Women being another example, i can't play it latin/Santana style without a very conscious effort. Yet once, when the group of guys i was playing with did Roxy music's Love is the drug, i aced it all the way through having never played it before, double stops and all!
 
#18
Check out YouTube, and do a search "CifraClubBass". They have a bunch of bass classics for the beginner with tabs and play along. And they cover all styles of music. Only catch is they speak Portuguese. But their instruction and music is universal to all languages.
 
#19
Spectre1966 said:
I used to play Billie Jean in a previous band...definitely an endurance tester. After a few minutes my hand was screaming for the song to end. I had a queue I gave the band when it was time to wrap it up to avoid a disasterous ending as they liked to drag it out just to bust my balls. ;)
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My band in the '80s (when "Bilie Jean" was a current hit)...doubled it in length. Probably 7+ minutes.
We also doubled up on "Into The Groove"...another endurance tester.


Oh, going back to the OP...personally, I don't view "Cissy Strut" as that simple. Notes? OK...but the articulation, correct note length, space, etc.
Maybe it's just me.
:)
 
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