I read an online article this week posted by Ultimate Guitar online entitled “Best Songs for Beginner Bass Players” (https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/lessons/best_songs_for_beginner_bass_players.html). The article listed a dozen or so rock songs that had bass lines that were familiar to most listeners. The problem that I had with the article was that only a handful of the songs listed could qualify for practical to learn for beginning bass players.
I have been playing bass guitar for over 40 years, and have taught bass playing for probably a total of 10 years. I will be the first to admit that I am no Jaco Pastorius, but I can definitely hold my own in almost any situation, save jazz or classical. As I looked down the list provided in the article, I found myself shaking my head, concluding that the person who wrote the article, david89zenum, had no real clue on what is important to a beginner as well as the right material with which to start off.
The first song listed was “La Grange” by ZZ Top. As I started reading the article, I pretty much agreed with that selection, as it is a pretty basic blues-rock groove, with the bass following a simple I-minor III-IV note progression. After that listing, it became confusing at best. There were a few bands/songs with which I was not familiar, and there were a few choices that I would agree with:
“Blitzkreig Bop” – The Ramones
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” – Nirvana
“Bad Moon Rising” – Creedence Clearwater Revival
After that, I would have to disagree with a lot of the choices. Now, there were some artists listed that seem to be here to try and be politically correct, such as Taylor Swift and Salt-N-Pepa. I am not even familiar with the songs from those artists, so I could not tell you what the bass lines entail. However, if they have any similarities to the songs I will discuss in the following paragraphs, this article is way off the mark.
“Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson – The bass line on this hit is fantastic to say the least, but it is also very complex for a beginner. It requires a lot of movement of the fretting fingers, even though the hand stays relatively in the same area of the neck. Give it a few months.
“Phone Booth” by Robert Cray – Cray is a great blues guitarist that likes to push the boundaries of the classic blues progression. Even the article author admits that this song is not your typical I-IV-V blues progression. So why teach it instead of having the student perfect the standard progression first? Note that there was no standard blues song listed in the article.
“Under Pressure” by Queen – Like “Billie Jean,” it is another song with a bass riff that needs some time and strength in both hands to perfect.
“Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes – Same thing. A great bass line (although this was actually recorded with a guitar and an octave divider pedal), but it has some quirky movement to it. This means that the “beginner” bass player needs to work hard on timing as much as getting the right notes.
“I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown – This is one of those classic R&B songs that had a fantastic bass groove. The thing is, the player never played the exact line twice. There were very slight changes with each passing of the bass lines in each verse. Definitely not a beginner song.
“Sunshine of Your Love” by Cream – Jack Bruce laid down some fantastic bass lines in Cream, as it was almost required when the band is really only a trio. The bass line on this song is immediately recognizable, but like many others already listed, it requires a lot of fretting hand/finger movement.
I was surprised that the article listed no songs by classic rock bands such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, or The Animals, all who have songs with memorable bass lines. Heck, Chas Chandler of The Animals laid down some amazing bass work on classic rock songs such as “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” It’s My Life,” and “Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.” However, I would never recommend any of those songs to a beginner. Moreover, if the author is going to list James Brown, then why not list something from Motown? James Jamerson was THEEE bass player, and while most of his work is pretty busy on the fretboard (and remember, all of that speed plucking on the strings was done with only one finger), he did lay down some easy lines from which to learn.
Here is my list of a few songs for an actual beginner bass player to work on in order to learn the basics as well as being an integral part of a band. The thing is that the bass player should not only learn the notes, but also timing, working with the drummer, and know what fits well in the song (NOTE: Some of the early songs were recorded with a standup bass, so the recordings do not have great bass response):
“Maybellene” – Chuck Berry
“Ain’t That a Shame” – Fats Domino
“Get Rhythm” – Johnny Cash
“My Girl” – The Temptations (James Jamerson)
“Can’t Buy Me Love” – The Beatles
“Not Fade Away” – The Rolling Stones
“You Really Got Me” – The Kinks
“Can’t Explain” – The Who
“Rock and Roll” – Led Zeppelin
ANYTHING from the Rockpile album Seconds of Pleasure (Nick Lowe on bass)
With anything from Paul McCartney (The Beatles), Bill Wyman (The Rolling Stones), and John Entwistle (The Who), you can hear how their bass playing improved from the early band recordings through the 1960s.
Chew on it and comment.
Luegra 