What songs in the course baffled or surprised you?

[bassischill]

Good morning folks,

It's interesting to me as I go through the course to see how some songs in the earlier lessons are giving me more difficulty than later ones and I wondered if anyone has experienced that as well.

For example, I am coming along very nicely on The One Spot. I can play it slow with the band now and it's such an incredible rush! I went so far as to try out Funky in the Phone Poles and am able to get through that slowly but it's definitely very recognizable.

On the other hand, I am still unable to play Don't Be Bop on slow with the band and what has me most perplexed is that I cannot play the first part of Midneck blues without looking at the music. That is the only song that my brain won't lock in on.

I'm closing in on In the Mood. There is a section in the middle that I need to master but otherwise, that is coming along nicely.

Does anyone know if the issue of Bass magazine that has the TMBG recommendation has hit the stands yet? I am hoping for an influx of new players when that happens. It's so great to have a community to keep up with while you're learning something new all at the same time.

[Elmeaux]

Gettin' On The Good Foot was a bit difficult for me. Tapping my foot while remembering the notes was nasty on this old brain.

[Nicki]

I'm only on Lesson 3, but Improv has kicked my butt. I can play it slow, but haven't yet progressed to playing it faster.

The issue of Bass Magazine that is on stands now (the Van Halen kid - Wolfgang?? - is on the cover). I had never read the magazine before and picked up a copy last night. Was very pleasantly surprised to see TMBG written up in it!

[Patrick]

Gettin' On The Good Foot was a bit difficult for me. Tapping my foot while remembering the notes was nasty on this old brain.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who's having difficulties with that song.
At the moment I'm doing it @ 60BPM but I feel the volume of the recording is a bit too low (compared to the 40 BPM version), I tried the "slow" version with the band a few weeks ago, but I just cannot keep up with it's speed.

[Bassix]

The biggest surprise to me was how long it takes to build clean speed.

Even when you've memorized every note in the song/lesson and understand the concept(s) presented by Roy, if you are a beginner-ish bassist (say, about a year or less playing bass/guitar when starting TMBG), it will likely take you several weeks to conquer each intermediate song/lesson at fast speed. Funky In the Phonepoles was a bear for me in that regard despite daily, focused practice.

The slap/pop lessons were also eye-openers for me. I'd never s/p'd before starting the lessons and my initial attempts were, to be generous, just plain bad. As a drummer I'm used having the arms and legs move independently of each other and in time, but learning this thumb/index finger business was a whole 'nother thing!

Can't rush speed, I guess.

[DaveB]

Mid Neck Blues and Don't Be Bop have given me the most problems. I found the walking bass line in Mid Neck Blues to be very difficult to memorize. I think that it is due to the variations to the notes that are played through each chord. It's always different but just similar enough that I get confused and lose my place, especially since it kind of goes around in circles in one section of the neck. I've gone back to it several times and am getting better but I can only get through clean about two times out of five. Also, the riff section is the most technically challenging pattern (R R 3 5 b7 5 6 5) of any of the songs up to that point in the course, but the work that I've done on outside songs has really helped with that.

I had similar problems with the walking bass line in Don't Be Bop, but I picked it up a little faster because it seems more linear(?) to me. It sort of goes across the neck, then down the neck, then across the neck and back with very little going around in circles like in Mid Neck Blues. I also found the melody/head to be technically challenging.

After reading what I just wrote, it has become apparent to me that walking bass lines are a weakness for me. They just don't resonate with me like riffs do. Could it be because I never really listened to jazz much?

[Nicki]

The biggest surprise to me was how long it takes to build clean speed.

Can't rush speed, I guess.

This has been my biggest issue. I'm a perfectionist, so noisy playing annoys me to no end. But, it slows me down significantly in learning the songs. I feel like I can't move on until it's perfect. :/

[ontarionorth]

mid neck blues i must say was the tuffest so far for me and don't be bop was a challenge but did pick it up quicker the mid neck blues

[aebell]

Hmmm, this is a very interesting thread. Mid-Neck Blues is giving me fits as well. I can get through it.....barely, so I went on yesterday I played "getting on the good foot" it was not too hard for me, I can play it fast with the band, no real problem....ok, I make a mistake every now and then, but I am still working on it. The toe tap thing is kicking my but though..... Trying to remember the tap and play the notes at the same time seem beyond my ability...at least for now. All this being said, I will go back to mid neck blues, until I get it down.

AB