Good Instrumental Bass Tunes?

[ssimontis]

I have had this idea about doing some solo bass gigs. I figured that it would let me get my name out, and maybe earn me a few bucks if I have the skills to pull it off. I was thinking of doing mostly improv, but I would like to try and get a few good instrumental bass songs as well. They do have to be instrumental, as I can't sing to save my life, although I suppose if a song has a very melodical bass line that would do too. Does anyone have any ideas on songs that I could get down within two weeks to a month? The only one I have so far is "Something" by The Beatles.

[Low Tone]

You might try some of Adam's Zen Beer. ;)
http://www.myspace.com/zenbeerbass

[Grant Sharkey]

Check out Steve Lawson and Michael Manring for great solo bass inspiration. I think it's one of the hardest things to go out there and do because you're playing an instrument that joe public are unaware of to a certain extent - and the people that will love it are mainly bass players. There's a few solo guys here i think - Thrash Jazz for sure.

After saying that, pick up some jazz standards and arrange them for bass.

:D

[SpaceGhost]

"Roman" by Jonas Hellborg. Extremely beatiful piece he did with no overdubs or any of that crap. Just a man and his acoustic bass guitar.

[ssimontis]

I realized that I would have so many more songs if I could get a singer to perform with me. But that raises the question of a PA system. I own a mixer and could borrow a speaker and power amp from my drummer, but it seems like overkill to have a 15" speaker and a 1000W power amp just for vocals. If only there was some easy solution here.

I'm way too tired to look at any of the stuff right now, tomorrow I will check out some of the songs and artists named.

[sunburstbasser]

If it was just bass/vocals, you could pick up one of those Kustom mixer packages. That should be enough for smaller gigs, I'd think.

I still rate Jaco's "Portrait of Tracy" as a classic bass solo piece. Not TOO hard, though you'll need extremely clean technique to get some of those harmonics out. And its a good piece!

Wooten's arrangement of "Amazing Grace" can be toned down a lot as well and thats a piece that everyone knows anyway, making it doubly good. Same goes for his arrangement of "Norwegian Wood;" tone it down to where you can play it comfortably and people will like it because they recognize it.

You might also consider using a looper or similar to put entire songs together.

If you really need some help I can send you some clips of little dittys I've got lying around and you can use them to compose your own pieces.

[Inazone]

Wooten's arrangement of "Amazing Grace" can be toned down a lot as well and thats a piece that everyone knows anyway, making it doubly good. Same goes for his arrangement of "Norwegian Wood;" tone it down to where you can play it comfortably and people will like it because they recognize it.



You might also consider using a looper or similar to put entire songs together.



Thanks to you, I have been working on those two myself.;)

I agree about the looper, you could lay down a groove and then go to town.

[ssimontis]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I will look into some of these pieces and artists today, and I might write some of my own stuff as well. First I have to get summer reading out of the way.

[Jefkay]

I've been thinking on doing an all Dire Straits album with only bass. Maybe some overdubs with keys to lay the carpet for chords...
Brothers in arms on a fretless came to mind, and some more.
Please don't steal my idea...:(

[basshunter]

I've been thinking on doing an all Dire Straits album with only bass. Maybe some overdubs with keys to lay the carpet for chords...
Brothers in arms on a fretless came to mind, and some more.







Oh crap, I just read Jefkay's post!!!!! :mad:

*runs off to recording studio*


















:P Sorry Jef, couldn't resist :D
________
RC111 (http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Honda_RC111)

[Grant Sharkey]

I've been thinking on doing an all Dire Straits album with only bass. Maybe some overdubs with keys to lay the carpet for chords...
Brothers in arms on a fretless came to mind, and some more.
Please don't steal my idea...:(

That is the best idea ever - i won't steal it, because i really couldn't be arsed to work all that out - but it's a fabulously great idea and i want a copy when you're done. :thumbsup:

[El Duderino]

I've been thinking on doing an all Dire Straits album with only bass. Maybe some overdubs with keys to lay the carpet for chords...
Brothers in arms on a fretless came to mind, and some more.
Please don't steal my idea...:(
I've actually thought about doing something similar, but not with Dire Straits tunes.

I'll bet nobody can guess what I was actually thinking of doing. ;)

[Inazone]

I've actually thought about doing something similar, but not with Dire Straits tunes.

I'll bet nobody can guess what I was actually thinking of doing. ;)

thats cos we are tlking about good music in this thread.
:P :D

[El Duderino]

thats cos we are tlking about good music in this thread.
:P :D
I was too. :)

[Inazone]

I was too. :)

I didnt know you liked music other than Bob Dylen. :crazy:

[El Duderino]

I didnt know you liked music other than Bob Dylen. :crazy:
You would probably be surprised at some of the stuff I like.

And just because you don't happen to like Dylan doesn't make it bad music. There is plenty of good music that I just don't like.

[Inazone]

You would probably be surprised at some of the stuff I like.

And just because you don't happen to like Dylan doesn't make it bad music. There is plenty of good music that I just don't like.

:pointedstick: :D

[sunburstbasser]

Loop Jaco's bassline to "The Chicken" and learn the head and you could have a very fun groove. Same goes for Hancock's "Chameleon."

[basshunter]

I'll bet nobody can guess what I was actually thinking of doing. ;)

We all know it's the Partridge Family, just admit it.





















*wonders if el dude even knows who the hell the partridge family is* :P

[El Duderino]

We all know it's the Partridge Family, just admit it.





















*wonders if el dude even knows who the hell the partridge family is* :P
I think I love you, so what am I so afraid of? :confused:

Of course I know who the Partridge Family is. When I was leetle, I would stay at my grandmother's house and watch them on Nick at Nite. :D

[Vanlatte]

I've actually thought about doing something similar, but not with Dire Straits tunes.

I'll bet nobody can guess what I was actually thinking of doing. ;)


I hope its not ABBA because that is what I am toying with...:mad: :D

[El Duderino]

Damnit. :mad: :angry:




:D

[ssimontis]

Well, I got bored and decided to adapt "Green Onions' by Booker T. and the MG's for bass. I replaced the solo sections with my own, except I need to redo the second section where the guitar should be, it just doesn't sound that great and I couldn't really think of anything to put there. This was also my first experience actually writing something with PowerTab, which I thought was very easy to use. Here's the file if anyone wants to offer some feedback.

[Jefkay]

That is the best idea ever - i won't steal it, because i really couldn't be arsed to work all that out - but it's a fabulously great idea and i want a copy when you're done. :thumbsup:

I dunno if I could pull it off, and I reckon it's gonna take me a lot of time.
But if I have something, I will send you a copy!

[The Ox]

Jethro Tull - Bouree

[thrash_jazz]

You can count me among the solo bassists who are too lazy to learn and arrange covers and just do original stuff instead ;)

Bach is a common choice if you can read (which is a good skill to have anyway) and are willing to put in the shedding time. Another idea I had had was to do TV show themes, or video game music (although I later found that Jean Baudin beat me to that one).

You should check out Michael Dimin and Garry Goodman - both solo bassists who do some pretty cool arrangements of standards. I also saw a vid on Youtube not too long ago where one of Goodman's students did a KILLER tapped version of the Maple Leaf Rag.

Do you use a looper? You're pretty limited without one unless your tapping skills are high on the radar. Improv'ing the whole gig only works if you're there as background music - non-musician audiences generally get bored with improv.

[basshunter]

Of course I know who the Partridge Family is. When I was leetle, I would stay at my grandmother's house and watch them on Nick at Nite. :D


When I was leetle there was no such thing as cable TV, never mind Nick At Night, and the Partridge family was on one of the three channels we got.:D

[ssimontis]

Can anyone recommend a cheap looper then? I haven't really been able to find anything, but maybe I just don't know where to look.

[thrash_jazz]

Can anyone recommend a cheap looper then? I haven't really been able to find anything, but maybe I just don't know where to look.

I think the cheapest one around is the Akai Headrush (if they still make it). I've never tried one but others here have, so they might be able to comment on its abilities.

You can get various delay pedals that have sampling abilities, but they aren't designed to be pure samplers and thus you don't have nearly as much control or sound quality.

The old Boss RC-20's are going for pretty cheap now. (Not the RC-20XL, that's a newer model). You should probably be able to get one used for about $150-ish.

Check out this site: www.loopers-delight.com, under "Tools of the Trade".

[El Duderino]

When I was leetle there was no such thing as cable TV, never mind Nick At Night, and the Partridge family was on one of the three channels we got.:D
Yeah, well here at home, all we still get is three channels, and we have t ohaul whatever water we use during the summer because our spring doesn't produce enough in the dry weather, and I have to walk 8 miles uphill both ways in the winter barefooted just to get a gallon of milk. :rolleyes:



:D

[mrcrow]

I have had this idea about doing some solo bass gigs. I figured that it would let me get my name out, and maybe earn me a few bucks if I have the skills to pull it off. I was thinking of doing mostly improv, but I would like to try and get a few good instrumental bass songs as well. They do have to be instrumental, as I can't sing to save my life, although I suppose if a song has a very melodical bass line that would do too. Does anyone have any ideas on songs that I could get down within two weeks to a month? The only one I have so far is "Something" by The Beatles.

the only one i learned was summertime by gershwin..and do a lot of octaving and improvising on it with rythmical variations...could go on all night...:2c:

try slow songs to start with and hype them with a middle 16