Bassists of Singletrackworld....

Next post; what reasonably priced chorus pedal?

Do you already have other pedals?

I haven't yet (other than a peterson tuner) and I keep thinking about where I will start, and I am leaning towards a multi effects pedal as probably the better long term value rather than starting a collection of individual pedals, bigger initial outlay rather than longer drawn out rapes of my wallet., I am probably not ready for pedals yet, but I have the itch already.

Electro Harmonix Stereo Clone Theory. If you find an offer... let us know here, I'm after one at the right price.

and to make a second attempt to give an answer to a question you didn't ask.

or a rather expensive alternative, a mate has a sabbadius tiny vibe 68 (copy of a pedal hendrix was using in 68), which is a guitar pedal, but also adds a glorious rich texture to bass. its not a chorus but I think a vibe is kind of in the same ball park, and they may not be around for long because there is problems with components supply. I really fancy getting one while I can but by god they are expensive.

Posted by: MonkeySpacePilot

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I am leaning towards a multi effects pedal as probably the better long term value rather than starting a collection of individual pedals, bigger initial outlay rather than longer drawn out rapes of my wallet., I am probably not ready for pedals yet, but I have the itch already.

Its deffo the right way to go. As a 6 string guitarist i had an armoury of pedals all of which is now replaced by a much simpler single multi effects stomp box. A Line 6 M5 which cost less than most of my individual pedals. 

For what little it's worth - I tried the multi-effects thing (Zoom B3 and B3n) but, although they're fine for playing about with at home I never got on with them for stage use - they just seemed like too much faffing. I much prefer physical pedals, as do.an awful lot of bass players. Of the two, I prefer the B3, as it has an XLR out, which, for some weird reason, was omitted from the B3n....both for sale, if anybody wants one.

All I'm using now, in the latest shuffling around of pedals is, in this order - Boss OC-2, TC Electronic Corona Chorus and Vortex Flanger and then lastly EBS Compressor. 

I could probably do without the compressor if I'm going through my bass heads, because the RH series have excellent onboard compressors (and Tubetone too). An odd time I might be using someone else's rig though.

I'd actually agree with that. My mothballing of the individual pedals coincided with the winding up of my band during covid. But for home based messing about the M5 is all i need and is a lot less faff to hoover around.

Pedals are really fun (see my pedalboard pic earlier!) but they do suck up time in quite a distracting way, so there's pros and cons. Obviously if you want a certain effected sound then you'll need that effect so then there's an artistic requirement to use a pedal. I much prefer separate stompboxes (mostly for how you use them - each knob doing what you expect, no menus, etc) but that's a far more expensive route than many multi-FX and digital multi-FX have got a lot better in recent years.

On another note, I just saw a bit of a Janek Gwizdala / John Patitucci video talking about action on their main basses - 4.5mm and 3.5mm at the 12th fret respectively. They're both serious jazz / fusion players, so certainly getting around the whole neck at speed!

I started my pedal journey with a Line 6 Bass Express Bass multi fx. It was a fairly simple thing with limited adjustability, but was very simple to use and also worked as a digital interface for the computer.Apart from compressors, there was only one of each type of effect to choose from but gave a good idea of what each effect does. I love chorus and moved to a separate more adjustable chorus pedal (MXR bass chorus deluxe) which I still have. Didn’t like the octave on the line 6 and bought a POG. Last year I bought a HX Stomp in a sale and am still just scratching the surface of it. Lots of options but takes time to set anything up and can understand why it’s not necessarily the easiest to use in a gig situation, although I only play at home. 

Keep an eye on eBay, pedals often sell for half rrp and hold their second hand value well. 

This was my first foray into effects, in 1997:

It wasn’t very good at all but I had fun with it! Can’t remember if I ever gigged it - I’m sure it was quite tone sucking even when it wasn’t doing anything.

I then got one of these thrown in when buying a bass secondhand and apart from being a bit noisy it was great - absolutely mad chorus/flange/delay and a gnarly distortion with clean blend.

I had a 105Q bass wah, the white one that’s still popular, maybe before that Boss multi-FX. And a Trace Elliot Dual Compressor pedal, maybe that was the second pedal I got after the Zoom 506?

After that came the Fulltone Bassdrive I still use and my first Big Muff which I still have but was replaced on my board by our own Barefaced Machinist, a third of which is a hot-rodded Big Muff.

The Big Muff is probably my favourite pedal ever, I just love fuzz bass, it’s like a whole different instrument!

Had an interesting setup issue yesterday which I hadn't really noticed before. On my Fender Jazz I was asked to play a slow piece in Eb, so I dropped the E to D with the Hipshot, but playing the Eb at fret 1 D string the intonation was out, with the note being a smidge sharp (confirmed with the tuner, so it wasn't just my ears) .   I then tried the same note an octave lower on the bottom  E (now a D) string. If I fretted hard near the fret it went sharp too. If I fretted gently away from the fret it could play in tune.  My conclusion of course is that the nut needs lowering, so I've ordered a set of files to sort it. 

I've owned that bass for a couple of years now, and with my normal uptempo stuff I've not noticed the intonation issues, but that slow piece has exposed an issue I hadn't realised I had. 

As for pedals.... well, I like to play a bit of Muse and various other raucous stuff, so I've got quite a collection of Ocatavers, Bass Drivers,  Muffs,  Mammoths, a Synth pedal, all played via an Aguilar ToneHammer preamp into the return side of my Orange Crush 100  or DI into the mixer. At home for fun I tend to run a second dry signal into my Ashdown 180 combo. 

The Big Muff is probably my favourite pedal ever, I just love fuzz bass, it’s like a whole different instrument!

I hear other bassists using fuzz, but every time I try using it myself it sounds awful! 
I tried 2nd hand  Darkglass DFZ but had to turn everything right down to get a usable sound. I think I’m just not at that stage of my journey yet. As usual, trying to run before I can walk. It’s all a learning experience though. It’s as useful to know what you don’t like as to know what you do. 

I do like layering it with an octave for a synth feel but that’s mainly just for playing riffs or fannying about with. 

I did buy some of the Ian Martin Allison HX presets which, one of which contains a nice lo gain fuzz, but haven’t had a musical reason to really use it yet. His Montana patch is amazing though. Been using it for some slow blues and it’s perfect for that. 

Posted by: Scapegoat

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Had an interesting setup issue yesterday which I hadn't really noticed before. On my Fender Jazz I was asked to play a slow piece in Eb, so I dropped the E to D with the Hipshot, but playing the Eb at fret 1 D string the intonation was out, with the note being a smidge sharp (confirmed with the tuner, so it wasn't just my ears) .   I then tried the same note an octave lower on the bottom  E (now a D) string. If I fretted hard near the fret it went sharp too. If I fretted gently away from the fret it could play in tune.  

When you drop the E string down to D, you release a little bit of neck tension, which causes a reduction in neck relief which in turn increases the tension on the other strings.

You'd have to be really fussy to notice this in the real world though. To get round the Hipshot issue set it up so that the open D is slightly flat but the D# is to pitch. They're a bit finicky at the best of times. If you tune the open E to pitch is the F sharp? If so, that probably is made worse by a too high nut.

Posted by: chiefgrooveguru

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On another note, I just saw a bit of a Janek Gwizdala / John Patitucci video talking about action on their main basses - 4.5mm and 3.5mm at the 12th fret respectively. They're both serious jazz / fusion players, so certainly getting around the whole neck at speed!

I'm assuming that height is for the B on a five string? If not, I'm surprised that they'd run that high. The lowest action that I've ever seen anyone use was at a Jeff Berlin workshop when he was using his Palaedium - that seemed insanely low at the time (early '90s) but then I think most people have the same opinion of the way I have mine set up now.

As Sly Stone would say " Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks" ....("Everyday People", in case you were wondering).

The sharp Eb is most noticeable on the actual D string. I’ll double check the intonation with the Hipshot dropped and undropped. The files are here and I’ll do a complete setup this morning. 
I’m blessed/cursed with perfect/relative pitch so little intonation issues really make my teeth itch. It’s not too bad in fast stuff, but the bass was playing semibreves against a fingerpicked acoustic and was really exposed. 

looks like my first foray into playing with a mate next weekend.   firstly my bassist mate who says come round and have a jam, he'll play normal guitar.  then next night a different guitar playing mate says come round and have a play.

not sure what to expect really, ive only got blitzkreig bop in my locker, and a slow one at that 😀  also trying to learn the billy ocean red light spells danger that was linked a few pages back.  and just starting out with shes lost control by joy division.

so my question is...... how do we make the best of it?  do you think itll just be noodling around aimlessly, them showing me chord patterns that i dont understand yet?  or the odd youtube video to play along with?  or is there a way of just getting the drums and vocals to songs and we add the bass/guitar?

just trying to visualise how itll pan out when he says do you know any oasis songs, er no, i say do you know blitzkreig bop, he says no, er..... shall we just put the guitars down then and have a drink 😀

If I'm remembering correctly, as a beginner bassist I did a lot of playing the root notes the guitarist told me to play under the chords/riffs. There's a lot of rock music that that works for, even though it might not always be what was on the original.

Also, simple 12 bar blues, that keeps you busy for hours!

Also, simple 12 bar blues, that keeps you busy for hours!

That’s what I’d do. Learn the 12 bar chord progression and what a turn around is. It’s only 3 different chords and you can easily get to grips with that over a weekend. You can have fun together playing simple root notes or if you have time to learn the arpeggio pattern then great. Once you know the chord arpeggio pattern you can mix it up playing the notes in different orders. The pattern is the same for every note, so if you start on the root note then you always know where the other notes that work together are. 

It sounds complicated but it really isn’t once you look at it. Blues is also a great subject to dive into as it had such an influence to lots of different genres. 

thanks guys.  currently watching 2 x bassbuzz videos on 12 bar blues and patterns etc 🙂

Posted by: Scapegoat

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I’m blessed/cursed with perfect/relative pitch so little intonation issues really make my teeth itch. It’s not too bad in fast stuff, but the bass was playing semibreves against a fingerpicked acoustic and was really exposed. 

In that case, my worst nightmare would be to have you in the audience if I had a fretless gig.

I don't think that my intonation is that bad -  nobody's ever said as much over the last fifty years, anyway - but nobody, nobody, is ever perfect on a fretless instrument. Even Pino Palladino recounted a time when he'd just recorded a bass track and then the producer went through it (with a tuner) pointing out that he was so many percent sharp or flat on any given note......

Pretty unbelievable but it's true - anyway, vibrato is your friend here.

Do you play fretless, btw? If not, maybe you should. With such good inate pitch it would be ideal for you. I'm being serious, not facetious. 

Posted by: clubby

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Also, simple 12 bar blues, that keeps you busy for hours!

That’s what I’d do. Learn the 12 bar chord progression and what a turn around is. Once you know the chord arpeggio pattern you can mix it up playing the notes in different orders. The pattern is the same for every note, so if you start on the root note then you always know where the other notes that work together are. 

Yes - learn the pattern for both Major and Minor chords and then play about with them to your heart's content. There are different sequences you can use for the I,IV,V chords too. Then, come up with bass patterns not starting on the root note. It's endless....

fascinating stuff, and i do actually understand the videos, thats what ill get onto next when i get chance.  these are the 2 videos ive been watching that explain it all in simple terms (for my future reference, you guys know it all already 🙂 )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBUyusoZ1kk

now to keep practising those shapes so they become second nature hopefully.

thanks.

In that case, my worst nightmare would be to have you in the audience if I had a fretless gig.

It's not too bad in a mix, so no worries there, but for example I can't listen to amateur brass bands, 'cos my ears will nearly always pick out something like a euphonium that's not in tune with the rest and it grates. 

Do you play fretless, btw? If not, maybe you should. With such good inate pitch it would be ideal for you. I'm being serious, not facetious. 

Genuinely considering it. My relative pitch was first noticed by a violin teacher when I was 7 and I was always able to play perfectly in tune. I cannot stand hearing kids play strings unless they can do the same. Listening to kids scratching out even simple tunes on a violin is torture. 

The good news this morning is that I've been through a complete setup. Neck relief and action height were bang on, but the D string was a pain to intonate. I realised after a lot of buggering about that I'd put on new strings a week or two ago and I'd managed to put the D string on the wrong part of the saddle, so it was angled from the bridge to the saddle, and not parallel to the other strings.  The nut height was absolutely spot on at 22 thou on all four strings, so no nuts were filed! That Eb is near enough not to worry about now. 

my heads hurting.  can you help me get it around blues shapes please?  i understand the I, IV,V pattern, both low and high.

i also assume that this 'blues box pattern' is well known to everyone?

so, using the 12 bar blues pattern i can either hit all root notes of I, IV, V as a beginner, so for one example....

CCCC CCCC CCCC CCCC

FFFF FFFF CCCC CCCC

GGGG FFFF CCCC CCCC

yes?  but if i now want to jazz it up a bit using that box pattern above, id play each of those notes instead of just roots yep?

so....A string, high pattern.....

C G A# C    C G A# C   C G A# C   C G A# C

F C oh..... i dont have another string across.....

which implies i can only do that pattern if i start on outside strings yes?

or am i answering my own question here as i type by seeing that id have to use the low pattern on the middle strings?

so 2nd line of bars would start.....

F C D# F etc etc so i can fit that shape in......

in fact is there only the E string that i could utilise for that 'high' pattern as it would need to cover all 4 strings?  every other string would need to be low pattern?

hope i havent done your head in with that, its doing mine in trying to get it straight in my head 😀

You can move that pattern up five frets rather than up a string, or you can move it down a string and two frets.

So that F root note at 3rd fret D-string is also at 8th fret A-string and (an octave lower) at 1st fret E-string.

But would also ruin the pattern that I'd need in my head? 😁

Room in there for two patterns? 
In your example, start on F on the D string then go up the D for the next note. This will put you in area of fret board to play the rest of the notes on the D and G, before heading back down the fret board to start again. 

Remember you can also make simple lines more interesting using different rhythms. Instead of all quarter notes, you can play eighths or a mix of both. Shuffle 8th feel great to play. 

Find a blues tab and look at how they use the notes, then play the same notes just in a different order. A fun an recognisable one is Green Onions, by Booker T and the MGs. It’s repeating pattern, just in different area of the fretboard. Take it slowly and memorise the movement and it’ll be easy to play. 

Room in there for two patterns?

not much room in my head at all let alone extra patterns 😀

no i think id better get these dialled before starting to deviate.  so i guess im right then in thinking that 'blues box' can only ever be played if root is on E or A string.  and if its on E then it has to be 'high shape' (as IV and V need to be higher).  and if on A then it has to be 'low shape' (as IV and V need to be lower).  

have i got that right to get me started?  its a right mind-bender isnt it 😀 

thanks

That’s right, if you want to play your 578 pattern as shown in your pic. Keep it simple for the time being and concentrate on keeping in time. No shame in just playing roots and simple walkups, after all Dusty Hill made a huge career out of it! What he did best was absolutely nail the rhythm every time. 

No shame in just playing roots and simple walkups,

well i know what you mean by the roots, CCCC FFFF etc, and ive been practising the 'blues box' pattern on I, IV and V too, but what are walk ups with regards to 12 bar blues?

You can have fun together playing simple root notes or if you have time to learn the arpeggio pattern then great. Once you know the chord arpeggio pattern you can mix it up playing the notes in different orders.

by arpeggio do you mean that 'blues box' pattern?

Yes - learn the pattern for both Major and Minor chords and then play about with them to your heart's content. There are different sequences you can use for the I,IV,V chords too.

i dont know my chord notes yet, only the 'major' pattern.  so do you mean that by learning the minor chord then thats a different pattern which would give a different I, IV, V pattern?  or have i got that round my neck?  think i need to walk before i can run and not get too far ahead of myself 😀

my mates told me he can play guitar on blitzkreig bop, teenage kicks, pretty vacant, bad moon rising, stuck in the middle with you and a few others, so they can be my practice songs to keep me going (oh and billy ocean of course for my wife 😀 ).  just songsterr and ultimate guitar to choose from for tabs am i right?

and for those of you that can do teenage kicks, songsterr uses E10, UG uses A5.  whats your preference?  keep it tidy with less hand movement, or 'more punk' sliding up and down the string? 😀 

"and for those of you that can do teenage kicks, songsterr uses E10, UG uses A5.  whats your preference?  keep it tidy with less hand movement, or 'more punk' sliding up and down the string?"

For practice purposes, both. My favourite warmup tune is Gigantic by The Pixies, but varying where on the fretboard I play it. Helps me learn the fretboard, practice sliding, if thats what I want, jumping strings and muting too, if thats my aim.
But aye, theres a definite punk vibe with keeping everything on E. 

Edit: HTF does the block quote work? Its probably simple.

Posted by: sadexpunk

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No 

Yes - learn the pattern for both Major and Minor chords and then play about with them to your heart's content. There are different sequences you can use for the I,IV,V chords too.

i dont know my chord notes yet, only the 'major' pattern.  so do you mean that by learning the minor chord then thats a different pattern which would give a different I, IV, V pattern?  or have i got that round my neck?  think i need to walk before i can run and not get too far ahead of myself 😀

Posted by: sadexpunk

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No shame in just playing roots and simple walkups,

well i know what you mean by the roots, CCCC FFFF etc, and ive been practising the 'blues box' pattern on I, IV and V too, but what are walk ups with regards to 12 bar blues?

You can have fun together playing simple root notes or if you have time to learn the arpeggio pattern then great. Once you know the chord arpeggio pattern you can mix it up playing the notes in different orders.

by arpeggio do you mean that 'blues box' pattern?

Yes - learn the pattern for both Major and Minor chords and then play about with them to your heart's content. There are different sequences you can use for the I,IV,V chords too.

i dont know my chord notes yet, only the 'major' pattern.  so do you mean that by learning the minor chord then thats a different pattern which would give a different I, IV, V pattern?  or have i got that round my neck?  think i need to walk before i can run and not get too far ahead of myself 😀

If you were playing against C Major, for example, then root, 3,5, would be C,E,G.

But for C minor, it would be C, Eb,G. - that E doesn't have a place..... So, once you work out a pattern for that you can transpose it to any key as long as you're not using open strings.

That's all I meant, I probably wasn't very clear though.

well i know what you mean by the roots, CCCC FFFF etc, and ive been practising the 'blues box' pattern on I, IV and V too, but what are walk ups with regards to 12 bar blues?

Use the bar before any chord change to play the four notes below the next chord, to land on the new chord on the first beat of the bar. If we play a G blues for example we'd play three bars G, then in the 4th bar play G, A (open A), A# (fret 1 A string) B (fret 2 A string) then land on the C at fret 3 for the first beat of the next bar. It's a way of making it more interesting. As a newcomer give it a go on the bars when you have plenty of time to think, so just the change from I to IV, then as your confidence grows try it from I to IV or break up the monotony of the first four bars by walking up from underneath on the second bar, open E string, F,F# so 3-0-1-2-

and for those of you that can do teenage kicks, songsterr uses E10, UG uses A5.  whats your preference?  keep it tidy with less hand movement, or 'more punk' sliding up and down the string?

The original video shows Mickey Bradley playing a Rickenbacker with a pick, playing the D on the A string.  The rhythm  guitarist plays all bar chords with the root on the E string, which is how I learnt it, but as franciscobegbie says, try both. 

I hate playing with a pick as I have paraesthesia so tend to drop them

i dont know my chord notes yet, only the 'major' pattern.  so do you mean that by learning the minor chord then thats a different pattern which would give a different I, IV, V pattern? 

By happy coincidence a minor blues pattern is identical to a Major one. Am for example is Am, Dm, Em. The shape is the same, but the roman numerals are different- vi-ii-iii as they are the sixth, second and third triads in the key of C major, and lower case because they are all minor chords

By happy coincidence a minor blues pattern is identical to a Major one. Am for example is Am, Dm, Em. The shape is the same, but the roman numerals are different- vi-ii-iii as they are the sixth, second and third triads in the key of C major, and lower case because they are all minor chords

nope, totally over my head, just not that advanced to know enough theory yet.

without wishing to turn this into a tutorial (ive got bassbuzz for that), i just tried working something out and its obviously wrong 😀

ive just got teenage kicks sussed now, so will keep practising to improve my rhythm, stick to the beat.  however, i thought ok, i know the notes, let me see if i can work out if the root note (starting note) is the 'key'.  10th fret on E is a D, so is it in the key of D?  right, lets see, what notes am i playing... looks like D C# B A G G#.  ok, so are they the notes in a D scale?

turns out theyre not, looking at the scale pattern for D ive got D E F# G A B C# D

so, my working outs wrong 😀  like i said, not wishing to derail this thread with a load of boring theory posts which i can get eventually from my course, but thought id just ask what the flaw was in my thinking.

@sadexpunk

Ive watched lots of bass buzz vids but that 2nd blues video is exceptional!

I owe you a pint mate! cheers 🍻 

nope, totally over my head, just not that advanced to know enough theory yet.

The pattern is the same, as you play Am Dm and Em in the same way you'd play A D and E major in the same order, and the way you'd play Blitzkrieg Bop on two strings.  Your newly learnt Blues box pattern (root, 5, 7, octave8) will also work in A minor blues. 

ive just got teenage kicks sussed now, so will keep practising to improve my rhythm, stick to the beat.  however, i thought ok, i know the notes, let me see if i can work out if the root note (starting note) is the 'key'.  10th fret on E is a D, so is it in the key of D?  right, lets see, what notes am i playing... looks like D C# B A G G#.  ok, so are they the notes in a D scale?

turns out theyre not, looking at the scale pattern for D ive got D E F# G A B C# D

You've tripped yourself up. The notes are D, C#, B, then G, G# A. Don't worry about the G#, it's just a passing note and doesn't belong in D Major as you rightly point out.  (It is however the "blue" note in a D minor blues scale which is why it "fits" but that's for another time. )

SO you're right in your D major scale identification but for a slight slip-up. 

If you've got it sussed on one string, now play it on two. (Leave the punk stuff to the guitar)  'cos you'll also recognise the ending of the song where he plays DD, GG, AA, D as a I, IV, V, I ........ 😀  

One thing I will say about theory, is that I can still remember how totally confusing it was when I started playing bass around age 18 and found myself at uni with a load of schooled musicians whilst I had essentially no formal training. Don't think too much about it, just get on with playing.

The nice thing about bass guitars is that the fretted patterns work all over the neck, so once you're tuned into things like going up 12 frets being an octave (same note but twice as high), as is going up 1 string and 7 frets, as is going up 2 strings and 2 frets, then you can use that over and over again. And similar for the fifth, and then you can add the other intervals as you get your head around them.

My final thoughts about theory - it's there to explain harmony but it's very very complex and nuanced. It's not a static thing, it's constantly moving. I write a lot of music and I'm always "breaking" the simplistic rules of harmony in terms of which notes are "allowed" but if you dig a bit deeper you can find the theory that explains why the "wrong" notes actually do work.

Once blues caused jazz and rock and roll then dissonance became a big part of the music that surrounds us.

"Where there is harmony, may we bring dischord"

SO you're right in your D major scale identification but for a slight slip-up. 

thats promising then 🙂 still dont understand triads tho (stacking thirds??  my brain hurts).  watched a talkingbass video on them, major triads, minor, augmented etc.... just dont understand the point.  by the time you consider every triad, they probably cover every note anyway so just play what you like and itll be a triad of some sort.  of course, im being naive just cos i dont understand them, but hopefully joss/bassbuzz will explain them in laymens terms at some point 🙂

Ive watched lots of bass buzz vids but that 2nd blues video is exceptional!

yes he explains things really well, and the diagram on the screen of the fretboard really helps too.

Don't think too much about it, just get on with playing.

thats where im at right now yes, trying to learn songs and just doing the odd course lesson.  im happy enough with teenage kicks now (both ways but prefer one string).  tried joy division isolation but couldnt work out whether to go up or down each time 😀  its difficult with no way of slowing down the moving tabs.  songsterr seems more user friendly but you can only slow it down by paying, and youtube slows down, but doesnt have tabs 🙂

i dont mind paying for something if i think ill get value from it, but just not sure i would from the 'tab sites' (songsterr, UG)

currently practising pretty vacant.  the tabs on songsterr dont make sense to me tho so im trying to work it out myself.  watching the youtube vid, sids hand doesnt move much does it 😀 

If you've got it sussed on one string, now play it on two. (Leave the punk stuff to the guitar)  'cos you'll also recognise the ending of the song where he plays DD, GG, AA, D as a I, IV, V, I ........ 

currently practising pretty vacant.  the tabs on songsterr dont make sense to me tho so im trying to work it out myself.  watching the youtube vid, sids hand doesnt move much does it 😀 

to be fair, you’re already a better bassist than he was….. 😆 

currently practising pretty vacant.  the tabs on songsterr dont make sense to me tho so im trying to work it out myself. 

The tabs on Songsterr are pretty accurate. Different covers give a lightly different version, some play open A, others use the A on the E string. A lot of others play the E chord on Fret 7 A string, where others (and simpler) play an open E.  I prefer the A fret 5 E string, because, once again, the whole thing can be played in a box pattern

Watch this guy, his version is by far the simplest to play along to, although he doesn't show any tabs he talks you through the sequence and you can watch his fretting hand. 

This isn't that simple a song for a novice though.....

ah nice one, thanks for that.  

The tabs on Songsterr are pretty accurate. Different covers give a lightly different version, some play open A, others use the A on the E string. A lot of others play the E chord on Fret 7 A string, where others (and simpler) play an open E. 

yep, ive been doing open A but ill practice both, see which i prefer.  and by the 'E chord on fret 7 A string' do you mean the notes on 'i dont decide'?  as per below (bars 69-76) ?  id been playing that but sometimes it feels like its obviously an open E as per your video.

and the songsterr tabs for the outro..... nothing like the simpler video version.  i couldnt hear any of those 'fret 5 D string' notes at all in either the song itself or the video.  or that little flourish at the end.

thanks for that mate, ill get practising as per the video, see how i get on.

currently practising pretty vacant. the tabs on songsterr dont make sense to me tho so im trying to work it out myself. watching the youtube vid, sids hand doesnt move much does it

You need to find one of Glen playing it. Sid did little more than root notes.

AS usual with covers an tabs on YouTube you'll find different interpretations. The Bass Punk video is the simplest version out there, so I chose it as a simpler way for you to get playing along. Remember it's a cover and not a perfectionist's tribute version. 

The more faithful versions have fills, runs, slides, octaves, hammer-ons, and your final outro flourish to add interest. They are more likely to be truer to Matlock's version than Sid's of course, but play the simpler version and try to get up to full speed which will result in a fun and satisfying way to play a song in full. Come back in a few months and work on the fancier versions to see what you're missing! 

This lass plays it pretty well, but again, there are rhythm variations, and she doesn't play those 7ths in the outro. ( And no pick!!) 

Posted by: Scapegoat

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The more faithful versions have fills, runs, slides, octaves, hammer-ons, and your final outro flourish to add interest. 

Whenever I've had to play it (thankfully rarely) I've always thrown in whatever I felt like - it's not as if anyone is going to pay least bit of attention anyway - it's just a "crowd pleaser".

Sid did little more than root notes.

Watch this guy, his version is by far the simplest to play along to, although he doesn't show any tabs he talks you through the sequence and you can watch his fretting hand. 

The more faithful versions have fills, runs, slides, octaves, hammer-ons, and your final outro flourish to add interest. They are more likely to be truer to Matlock's version than Sid's of course, but play the simpler version and try to get up to full speed which will result in a fun and satisfying way to play a song in full. Come back in a few months and work on the fancier versions to see what you're missing! 

I've always thrown in whatever I felt like - it's not as if anyone is going to pay least bit of attention anyway

ok, time to show how my theory's lacking pt2.  again, trying to work this out from my basic knowledge but its wrong somewhere.

 

 

 

but i think im wrong anyway, cos as per my last mistake, if im right that the songs played in A, then the notes for that scale are A B C# D E F# G#

and the notes in the song are A G D A G (then whichever E you choose) and the chorus D C A

 

so my thinkings flawed somewhere. 

  so do you mean sid just played A all the way through it?  i cant really see his hand move anywhere else on the video so its possible, just doesnt make much sense tho.

and diatonic triads! 

😵 🙂 

Yeah, sometimes my English is shit especially in music. Root was the wrong word. Playing bass you often play walking bass lines, patterns around what I wronly called the root. If the chord being played by the guitar is A (root I called it) then on bass you can play an A but also walk around it. Play AAC#EGGAG and repeat and you'll recognise a song. Sid just sits on the note which corresponds to the guitar chords, Glen walked around a bit.

Perhaps someone can tell me what I should be calling what I wrongly call the root.

@Edukator No I think you've said it right, it's my understanding that's lacking.  i was thinking that there could only be 1 root per key/scale, but @scapegoat has kindly contacted me privately to help me out with that 🙂

Sadexpunk - I may be challenged by others on this but... try not to get obsessed with the theory behind music as it can be a real killjoy and put you off playing. I've been playing guitar and bass for 30+ years and in various bands and yet most of the stuff talked about when guitarists and bass players get together sails right over my head. My way of learning (and we are all still learning) is to just think of a song i like and either get a tab off UG or similar and also a cover or tutorial video off youtube and learn it. Don't worry about how it works. Add more and more songs as you go and set up a spotify playlist of them. Then just jam along to the playlist and get them nailed.

But most importantly...

A, E, F, D

^^ The main riff from Love Song by the Damned, the most fun bassline you'll ever play 🙂