# That damn bass thing **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 24, 2017, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-damn-bass-thing/780636 "2017-02-24T15:53:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-damn-bass-thing/780636/1 "2017-02-24T15:53:50Z")
Currently - can’t play the thing if I had multiple glocks at my head. Thinking of getting a low-end Ibanez electric with the intention of NOT playing in any eventual bands, just for noodling around while watching tv, etc. - as more of a meditative kind of distraction than anything. Probably have the thing’s intonation set with super low action to accommodate my shittiness. I’m hoping I can avoid lessons (certainly no need at this point to pursue reading) and just fudge my way, for now, and try to pick up shit by ear. Lately I’ve been giving a close listen to the following numbers, and was curious to hear bassist’s opinions in terms of difficulty: “Chemical Wire” - Firehouse “Found a Job” - Talking Heads “Deja Vu” - CSNY [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1-S6md3LNgs/hqdefault.jpg "CSNY - Deja Vu (Studio)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-S6md3LNgs) ETA - hoping your laptops, etc. aren’t as shitty as mine for picking up any bass in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-damn-bass-thing/780636/2 "2017-02-24T18:54:59Z")
I’ve been playing bass for 30 years or so now, but I don’t know how to play these particular songs. So, this is just from a listen. Nitpick: That’s fIREHOSE, Firehouse is a different band entirely. 🙂 Ohhh sweet baby Jeebus, Watt is a MONSTER player. That’s a _very_ hard bass line. If my band came up and asked me to cover “Chemical Wire”, I’d just tremble. Plus, it’s a friggin’ fretless. All over the neck, melodic and crazy. Weymouth is all over the neck in “Found a Job”, too. I’d have a hard time reproducing that part, and it’s a really active bass part. Learning the basics of the song to play it well enough that a non-fan would accept it would probably be do-able. Reproducing it note for note would probably take weeks of my spare time. “Deja Vu” is probably the easiest of these, but it’s still a pretty active, jazzy part. If I was sitting with someone who already knew the chords to the song, I could probably work out most of it in an hour or so. That’s not true of either of the other parts you linked to. But, it’s a pretty advanced bass part. So, those are all pretty hard bass parts. If you’re just starting out and haven’t taken any lessons, I wouldn’t beat yourself up for not being able to play them yet. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-damn-bass-thing/780636/3 "2017-02-24T19:04:52Z")
“Ain’t no bass tournament… It’s a bass tournament!!” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/7y4g7W6zKos/hqdefault.jpg "Bass Tournament") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y4g7W6zKos) ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-damn-bass-thing/780636/4 "2017-02-24T19:27:56Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Nitpick: That’s fIREHOSE, Firehouse is a different band entirely. 🙂 :smack::smack::smack: Bad slip considering I’ve seen them. > [@scabpicker](#): > > …“Chemical Wire”, I’d just tremble. Plus, it’s a friggin’ fretless. How can you tell it’s fretless? A slight “warble” to each note? > [@scabpicker](#): > > So, those are all pretty hard bass parts. If you’re just starting out and haven’t taken any lessons, I wouldn’t beat yourself up for not being able to play them yet. The more I listen to them the more it looks like I’m probably biting off more than I can chew. Hopefully the “Under Pressure” bassline might be a bit simpler. Or ha! “Another One Bites the Dust”. Set a nice, low bar.🙂 I know already “I Wanna Be Your Dog” would be a cinch. (3 notes total?) (well I guess a couple extra during the “come owwwn!” bit.) No “Fight of the Bumble Bee” yet. > [@Common\_Tater](#): > > “Ain’t no bass tournament… It’s a bass tournament!!” That was special. Thank-you. “Hey mack you’re in my water - I’m ready to fish!” “How about a little Steve Earle?” Casting with his bass - nice move. Woulda looked pretty cool if he caught something. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-damn-bass-thing/780636/5 "2017-02-24T19:36:01Z")
Apparently, according to Watt, that’s [not a fretless on the recording](https://www.talkbass.com/threads/random-thoughts-and-questions.31446/). > [@](#): > > Q: […] Anyway, on to the bass question - on Ragin’ Full On, it almost sounds as if you are playing fretless. Do you play fretless on that album (one of my favorites, by the way - Chemical Wire changed the way that I thought about the bass)? It sure does sound like it on some sections. […] > > A: [T]he only time I’ve ever recorded w/a fretless was w/the guild ashbory. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-damn-bass-thing/780636/6 "2017-02-24T19:44:26Z")
ETA: I’m not familiar with fIREHOSE beyond having heard of them, and I admit the sound sample did sound a bit like a fretless bass to me, but it was nagging at me that the glides between notes didn’t _quite_ sound fretless to me, so I looked it up. ETA2: Although, now that I re-read it, he’s not saying he didn’t record fretless, just that when he did record with a fretless, it was with that particular bass. Hmmm…maybe it is fretless after all? ETA3: Oh, nevermind. I should include the rest of the quote. It’s not a fretless on that album: > [@](#): > > the only time I’ve ever recorded w/a fretless was w/the guild ashbory > for elliot sharp’s _bootstrappers_ improv project (along w/george hurley on drums) in the late 80s. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-damn-bass-thing/780636/7 "2017-02-24T21:24:46Z")
> [@Eddie The Horrible](#): > > How can you tell it’s fretless? A slight “warble” to each note? Turns out, it aint: > [@pulykamell](#): > > Apparently, according to Watt, that’s [not a fretless on the recording](https://www.talkbass.com/threads/random-thoughts-and-questions.31446/). Yeah, I was thinking it was because of the tone, but you can actually hear the frets on the long slides. Watt addresses that song directly in [this thread](https://www.talkbass.com/threads/question-for-watt.31707/). Apparently it’s his fretted tele bass. At least I’m not alone in making the mistake. And **ETH** , you’ll get to where they’re do-able if you keep with it. “Another one Bites the Dust”, or “Under Pressure” seem like they’d be a lot more relaxing to play while watching TV, though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-damn-bass-thing/780636/8 "2017-02-24T22:29:04Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Turns out, it aint: > > Yeah, I was thinking it was because of the tone, but you can actually hear the frets on the long slides. Watt addresses that song directly in [this thread](https://www.talkbass.com/threads/question-for-watt.31707/). Apparently it’s his fretted tele bass. At least I’m not alone in making the mistake. > > And **ETH** , you’ll get to where they’re do-able if you keep with it. “Another one Bites the Dust”, or “Under Pressure” seem like they’d be a lot more relaxing to play while watching TV, though. 🙂 I wonder if it’s being plugged in directly to the board that kind of gives it that rubber-bandy (for lack of a better word) fretless sound. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-damn-bass-thing/780636/9 "2017-02-24T22:51:50Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I wonder if it’s being plugged in directly to the board that kind of gives it that rubber-bandy (for lack of a better word) fretless sound. Hmm, I dunno, I always assumed the rubber-bandy kind of sound from a fretless was from the strings rubbing on the fretboard. Direct into the board often sounds really sterile due to the lack of an amp. But, that bass had active pickups, so he could do a lot to the sound with the preamp before it ever reached the board. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-damn-bass-thing/780636/10 "2017-02-24T23:07:05Z")
Hmm, I can actually speak to this. Not a bassist but play with my fingers. The rubber-bandy tone that Watt gets is because he is using his pick-hand _really hard_. I want to avoid the word “pluck” because he doesn’t sound like he’s lifting up, in a pop slap funk bass sort of way. But when you are playing fingerstyle on guitar, you can definitely over-pop the strings. When you do, they can drift a bit sharp - try using a clip on tuner, get the string tuned with simple pick strokes, and then drive the string harder with an aggressive attack. That’s what he’s doing. And when you do it with your fingers instead of a pick, it has a rounder tone with no initial pick hit, so it can sound more like a fretless. OP, a bassist needs to do his/her job. Hold down the bottom. Make sure you can play the haiku groove Tina plays on Take Me to the River, then branch out from there. That’s the real shit right there. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2017, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-damn-bass-thing/780636/11 "2017-02-25T00:06:25Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Make sure you can play the haiku groove Tina plays on Take Me to the River, then branch out from there. A good starting point, along with the aforementioned Queen numbers, and I was also thinking maybe “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”, “God Save the Queen” (S.P. in case there was even a smidgeon of a doubt) and I’m confident that the Pretenders’ “My City Was Gone” wouldn’t be overwhelmingly difficult - sure, a little up and down the fretboard, I’ll bet, but played at a slow enough pace that I’d imagine wouldn’t be the most daunting number to learn. And dang catchy and groovy! ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2017, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-damn-bass-thing/780636/12 "2017-02-25T02:43:13Z")
Dude. Don’t fuck with the bass. “Damn catchy and groovy”?! That’s not bass talk. Fucking hold it down. Learn the groove and own it. That’s not catchy. That’s your job. ETA: not trying to be a dick. Trying to make your mindset clear. The bass is fucking essential. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2017, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-damn-bass-thing/780636/13 "2017-02-25T03:03:47Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Dude. Don’t fuck with the bass. > > “Damn catchy and groovy”?! That’s not bass talk. Fucking hold it down. Learn the groove and own it. That’s not catchy. That’s your job. > > ETA: not trying to be a dick. Trying to make your mindset clear. The bass is fucking essential. My catchy and groovy exhortations notwithstanding, would you concur that the Queen, Creedence, and Pistols numbers are realistic for a beginner-level bassist to tackle? I’m well aware that a rock-solid, no-frills, time-keeping foundation is imperative prior to my trip down Barney Miller Road. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2017, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-damn-bass-thing/780636/14 "2017-02-25T03:20:31Z")
As an avid listener of music and someone who loves bass lines, I would go back to some Motown records and learn along with them. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2017, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-damn-bass-thing/780636/15 "2017-02-25T03:34:57Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > As an avid listener of music and someone who loves bass lines, I would go back to some Motown records and learn along with them. I always assumed bass would be tricky, here, accompanying the drums which are on the downbeat - shows what I know.:o :smack:In my previous post I used the totally wrong word. Not “exhortations” - I meant “rejoicings”. Any easy James Jamerson numbers? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2017, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-damn-bass-thing/780636/16 "2017-02-25T04:20:29Z")
> [@Eddie The Horrible](#): > > I always assumed bass would be tricky, here, accompanying the drums which are on the downbeat - shows what I know.:o > > :smack:In my previous post I used the totally wrong word. Not “exhortations” - I meant “rejoicings”. > > Any easy James Jamerson numbers? I"m not a bassist, but maybe something like “My Girl”? “Dancing in the Street”? For something with a little more movement, “It’s the Same Old Song”? Bassists, any ideas? “Dancing in the Street” is especially straightforward in terms of fretting, but it would seem to me to be a good song to get the feel of rhythm and groove down. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2017, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-damn-bass-thing/780636/17 "2017-02-25T04:29:21Z")
Do you play a stringed instrument already? Wouldn’t you be more satisfied if you got some LPs and played along? Chuck Berry, Motown, whatever. What you love. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2017, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-damn-bass-thing/780636/18 "2017-02-25T05:04:15Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Do you play a stringed instrument already? Wouldn’t you be more satisfied if you got some LPs and played along? Chuck Berry, Motown, whatever. What you love. My assumption was he was going to play along to records. If not, definitely do this. I play various other instruments (although I have dicked around with bass way back when and I’d like to get one eventually, since I love bass), and this is a good way to really learn how to listen to the band and play along with it and get the feel of the song. I do think it’s also useful to separately listen and pick apart the notes carefully, so you don’t just end up slopping or faking your way through the song, too, though and end up just playing what you’re comfortable with instead of learning something new. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2017, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-damn-bass-thing/780636/19 "2017-02-25T05:54:57Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Do you play a stringed instrument already? Wouldn’t you be more satisfied if you got some LPs and played along? Chuck Berry, Motown, whatever. What you love. > [@pulykamell](#): > > My assumption was he was going to play along to records. If not, definitely do this. Currently I don’t own any stringed instrument but if I can find some half-decent second hand Ibanez or Fender that’s miraculously under say, $400, then yeah I hope to eventually play some CDs on this old goofy cd deck that looks like an ET alien and try something like “Heard It Through the Grapevine” or “Devil With a Blue Dress On”. Really - would “Whole Lotta Love” be all that seriously difficult for a beginner? ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2017, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-damn-bass-thing/780636/20 "2017-02-25T06:37:39Z")
OK so you’re starting out. I was trying to say its good to have 30-60 min of music or more to play and not just a few songs. You’re going to get bored of those. And you want to get a flow. Also if you’re just starting it might be good to go with Chuck Berry Golden decade, or early stones, etc. I played along (rthm guitar) with these for a whole summer once when I started. Reason is the shapes of songs will become apparent with this. You can get a better sense of how they’re blocked out. It’s a way to get fundamental before you work up to freer patterns. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-damn-bass-thing/780636.md?page=2)