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Thread: What Songs Are You Working On?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Shirley, MA
    Posts
    439

    Default What Songs Are You Working On?

    Thought it might be fun to start a thread where we can talk about songs that we're working on playing. It'll give some of us beginners ideas of good songs to get our feet wet with.

    Right now, I'm working on:

    - 32 Flavors by Ani Difranco: Not only am I learning to play bass on this song, but I'm learning to sign it while I play. Sounds easy, right? Yep...not so much. Hubby's thought is that if I learn to sing early on while I'm playing it'll make it that much easier for me down the road. I can play this fine; it's remembering the lyrics that I have issues with.

    - Landlocked Blues by Bright Eyes: LONG song, but very fun to play.

    -Story of My Life by Social Distortion: This is a GREAT beginner song! Leaving out all of the fancy improvisation stuff, it's GCD...the good 'ol 1-3-5 "L".

    - London Calling by The Clash: My first time playing this was a disaster...all that moving around the neck and slides. Once I got the hang of it, though...how FUN! Working on getting nice clean slide sounds.

    - White Man in Hammersmith Palais by The Clash: Just starting working on this song on Friday.

    So, what are you working on?

  2. #2

    Default

    Ringo Starr - Beaucoups Of Blues
    Shivaree - Goodnight Moon
    Chuck Berry - You Never Can Tell
    Helen Reddy - Angie Baby


    Next!!


    - low life -

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Anchorage, AK
    Posts
    190

    Default

    Im with you On the social d songs! Been playing a few of theirs and some cure songs as well. Also been trying some silversun pickups lines.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Elk Grove California
    Posts
    727

    Default

    I read that you were trying to play and "SIGN" at the same time. I have a friend who is a SIGN Language interpreter and I was thinking...WOW that would be awesome? not sure how you could SIGN it though.

    THen after reading the rest of the post figured out you are SINGING it.... Gave me a good laught at myself

    I am working on Find another fool by quarterflash

    and Lets Go by the Cars

    And Heartbreaker By Pat Benetar

    Just to name a few...
    Nothing like a Great Bottom end!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Charlottesville, VA.
    Posts
    219

    Default

    Bass Karaoke!! This is the main reason I am learning to play bass, that is, to play along with some of my favorite songs. I don't really aspire to play with a band at this point. But, you never know what the future will hold. I really enjoy playing with the TMBG band and the TMBG course material has given me the knowledge to understand what I am doing when I learn outside songs rather than just learning them by rote. This has really come in handy on the latest song that I'm working on (Red House - Jimi Hendrix). Several months ago I picked up a book of Hendrix tunes so that I could learn this and some other tunes. The first thing I noticed when I opened the book to "Red House" was that I was supposed to tune the bass down a half-step (Eb-Ab-Db-Gb). This was a bit of a show stopper for me. Having only one bass, I didn't really want to be re-tuning every time I wanted to play this song. So, I set it aside for a while. I was listening to the tune recently and, having completed Lesson 6 of TMBG, it dawned on me that the tune was a variation of the 12 bar blues (I-IV-I-I-IV-IV-I-I-V-IV-I-I). So I went back to the book to see what chords were being used. In the book, the chords, the standard notation and the bass tab all ignore the the fact that the instrument is de-tuned. The chords given are B7, E7 and F#7. When I accounted for the de-tuning, that made the actual chords Bb7, Eb7 and F7. That put me right at position 5 on the neck. Let's see, 12 bar blues in Bb, where have I seen that before? Why, it's our old friend "Mid Neck Blues" from Lesson 4. I think that I'm picking up this song a lot faster than any of the others that I play simply because of my understanding of how the song is structured thanks to TMBG.

    My current play along list is:
    Hey Joe - Jimi Hendrix
    Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - The Beatles*
    Girl - The Beatles*
    Come Together - The Beatles*
    Eight Days a Week - The Beatles*
    A Hard Days Night - The Beatles*
    Money for Nothing - Dire Straits
    Feeling Good - Muse
    Red House - Jimi Hendrix

    Working on:
    Money - Pink Floyd
    Some Kind of Wonderful - Grand Funk Railroad
    Time Machine - Grand Funk Railroad

    * I think that I might have mentioned that I like The Beatles in my introductory TR post.

  6. Default

    I am still in learning mode so I haven't strayed from the lessons songs yet. As far as that goes, I am still working on playing the fast part of midneck blues consistently; still trying (almost there!) to get the long stretch ACEG in California Pop. I am close with Shuffling along.

    My dream song list that I would like to learn to play at some point in order of joy:

    In the Mood - Glenn Miller
    Darling Dear - Jackson Five (James Jamerson on bass)
    Inner City Blues - Marvin Gaye
    Ain't Nothin' Like the Real Thing - Marvin (Jamerson)
    What's Goin' On - Marvin (Jamerson)

  7. #7

    Default

    strange brew-cream
    xanadu-rush

  8. #8

    Default

    Hi Nicki,

    I've pretty much been sticking with the course tunes. I've played with a few bands throughout my life and I'm now trying to focus on the theory behind the music for now.

    On the side, I see that you are from Shirley, MA. My family and I grew up in MA and used to live in Phillipston. I don't know if you know him, but I played with Dean Adrien many years ago, who is also from Shirley, MA. Do you know him?

    Anyway, it is good to see the different songs people are working on. Photodude, I used to play Rush songs back in the late 70's. Good song, good band. The other songs I'll have to check out as most of them I am not familiar with.

    Keep playin' the low end!

    Jim

  9. Default

    as i'm new to this site and may be a tad late with joining this thread but figured i'd add to it other then whats on the course i'm alos working on alice in chains dam that river nutshell i stay away,swing on this,velvet revolvers slither,led zepplins house of the holy and the beatles lady madona..............cheers

  10. #10

    Default

    Hi ontarionorth,

    It's never too late. Welcome to the Row! Some good choices (at least of the ones I recognize).

    Jim

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