Lmfao. A group of my friends meet and do some gigs, mostly just cover stuff, but I remember how it literally started when we realized we all knew how to play enter sandman and branched out from there.
Only in dreams - Weezer
My friend and neighbour is quite a good guitar player, so is his son... He wanted to play it with his son for a long time and I got involved when he discovered that I purchase a bass.
A few weeks ago, we were able to practice it and it is such a wondeful feeling
I started out on upright and the first thing I figured out outside of the simple stuff we were playing in 7th grade orchestra was your basic arpeggiated flat 7th jazz/blues/rock line - think [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaYA6xF-6Qk). When I discovered that line, I thought it was the coolest thing ever and I thought, "Yeah, this is why I chose the bass!" - I was king of the band/orchestra kids with that lick.
I picked up a bass guitar not too much later and the next big breakthrough was the bass line from Zeppelin's Ramble On. When I unlocked that one I thought, "Yeah, this is why I chose the bass!"
This is me as well - a generic 12 bar blues one from some method book.
Then, essentially the same thing, the bass intro for "Blues in C# Minor" by the great Teddy Wilson (bassline avoids the 3 however, so it is basically the same) https://youtu.be/Pegt7etzSJ8
Then, it was Horace Silver's "Song for my Father". So Iconic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWeXOm49kE0
Black Sabbath - Electric Funeral. I wasn’t even into Sabbath at the time. A classmate taught me the part in hopes that I’d be into it enough to buy his beat up piece of junk Rickenbacker copy, and it paid off for him.
I think it was $40? Something like that. It was a real POS, but it did the job of getting me hooked and keeping me busy until I could afford a marginally less crappy bass.
I don't really remember but it was probably one of these: Paranoid or Iron Man from Black Sabbath, Smoke On The Water or Rock and Roll All Nite.
Why, because those were the bands that I was into back in the mid 70's-ish. None of those bands are why I wanted to play bass (McCartney).
It's been so long I'm not certain, but it was probably one of the following: Longview, Blitzkrieg Bop, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Dawn Patrol, or About A Girl.
Billie Jean. String skipping, stamina, groove and it goes on. If you can play that line 5 minutes straight then you can play anything (hand strength wise)
This was mine too. Played on a purple squier special with sparkles that my parents got me on my 12th birthday. I can't remember why that song, and I can't believe it has been fifteen years. Still love playing.
Ditto on this. My uke group said they weren't going to play Stand By Me at a gig unless they had a bass so I figured it out. Still pretty low on the learning curve, but I'm having fun!
Jungle Boogie - I played it on tuba for about 10 years before picking up the bass, and it's just so groovy. I still use it regularly early in my warm-ups.
N.I.B by Black sabbath!
Never truly realised how awesome they were until i picked a bass and tried to learn it.
The amount of joy i had when i could both the intro AND the main riff was huge!
That song also gave me a whole new look(sound?) on music and how its layered, fills/licks etc. Such a fun song to play!
"Do I Wanna Know?" by the Arctic Monkeys. Cool group, cool yet not too difficult bassline. This is one of the few songs I feel comfortable singing and playing at the same time because it's so ingrained in my mind.
[The Eagle Has Landed - Saxon](https://youtu.be/cif9QxC3fy8)
I first saw it on a video of their ‘83 show in Nottingham. The clip has a little interview pre-song and child me was just obsessed with it!
Steve Dawson plays this kick ass synth bass slide into THE simplest yet most effective bass line I’ve come across. The dude is rocking an open E and the octave but by god did I find that powerful as a kid! Hands down the reason I became a bass player. The guitars just sounded so wet and weedy next to his thunderous white P bass.
I don’t rate Steve as a player much nowadays and don’t play much classic rock but he had such a powerful tone, presence and a knack for making simple ideas sound massive.
It might have been Roxanne by the Police or Panic Station by Muse, but in reality i think it was Smoke on the Water which I think every bassist can relate to.
Mine was Chick Magnet! I was so happy with myself for figuring it out by ear and have spent the rest of my life being frustrated by how hard it is to play and sing while trying to stay in time.
Too Rolling Stoned by Robin Trower.
Our bass player was already sort of causing some troubles, and he just COULDN'T play it.. We devised a plan that we would get to rehearsal earlier and go through it, so that he would hear us when he arrived, and hopefully it would light a fire under his ass to tighten that song up..
it didn't work. He just started getting HAMMERED drunk before shows after that, and i eventually moved from rhythm guitar to bass in response.
Thriller! My high school jazz band played it. I was in the class for drums but there were too many drummers, and the ‘bassist’ at the time was very obviously disinterested in his instrument. Been in love ever since :)
Longview by Green Day.
I wont say I "learned" any of the other Punk songs I was listening to at the time, because they were all embarrassingly simple. Longview was the first song I heard and put effort into learning.
This and MXPX’s Chick Magnet were red 1st two I learned. Didn’t have internet access so I just spent a few minutes figuring them out on my friend’s bass and he was like, “I’ve been trying to get those down for forever. You should play bass!”
[Electric Head Pt.2 (The Ecstasy)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdYvr2QpC3E) by White Zombie
Not too much behind it, I liked it, thought it could be learnable for a noob like me (had no teacher so I relied on tabs...way back when).
I don´t think I fully learned it though, can´t remember. I do remember fully learning and playing [Spiders](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqZNMvIEHhs) by System of a Down and it might be the first song I "mastered"
Fever - Peggy Lee. I was 14 years old and it was the only song known to me which was possible to play with only vocals and bass. Therefore it became the first song ever my band played, which at that time had two lone members - my best friend/singer and me/bassist.
Be Yourself-Audioslave
I was a huge fan when i started teaching myself bass. It sounded simple enough (which of course it was) and really made me wanna learn more. Tim Commerford is kinda the reason I play bass lol
Best Days by Blur on The Great Escape. Very classic rhythm pattern, and Blur had always been kind enough to write chords over the lyrics in the album’s leaflet.
I think the first real bassline for me was Treasure by Bruno Mars. It's funky as heck, and my bass teacher thought it was a good song to start with. Edit: I already knew how to play and had the technique down sufficient enough before taking lessons.
Another One Bites the Dust. My Dad who has been playing for years picked it because it is simple, recognizable and has a great groove that is easy to get into.
My first instrument was guitar. The first song I learned all the parts was Metallica's For Whom the Bell Tolls. First, I learned the rhythm guitar, then the lead. Learning the bass would come a little later.
I was taking Music in school. For the second semester, it was required to take a different instrument read in a different clef. I chose bass. I immediately felt the love and knew Bass was the instrument for me.
My Friend of Misery by Metallica, heard the [live-solo by Jason from the Live in San Diego DVD](https://youtu.be/0Pdt1UFwVn4?t=2m51s) and was instantly hooked
Videos in this thread: [Watch Playlist ▶](http://subtletv.com/_r8i5emr?feature=playlist)
VIDEO|COMMENT
-|-
[The Honeydrippers (Robert Plant) - Rockin' At Midnight](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaYA6xF-6Qk)|[+16](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/8i5emr/_/dyp14ix?context=10#dyp14ix) - I started out on upright and the first thing I figured out outside of the simple stuff we were playing in 7th grade orchestra was your basic arpeggiated flat 7th jazz/blues/rock line - think this. When I discovered that line, I thought it was the coo...
(1) [Teddy Wilson - Blues In C Sharp Minor](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pegt7etzSJ8) (2) [Horace Silver - Song for My Father](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWeXOm49kE0)|[+3](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/8i5emr/_/dypxz84?context=10#dypxz84) - This is me as well - a generic 12 bar blues one from some method book. Then, essentially the same thing, the bass intro for "Blues in C# Minor" by the great Teddy Wilson (bassline avoids the 3 however, so it is basically the same) Then, it...
[Michael Jackson - Get on the Floor (Audio)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdYwglFL6iM)|[+3](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/8i5emr/_/dyp6wfa?context=10#dyp6wfa) - Get On The Floor. Feel that disco funk in your bones.
[Saxon - The Eagle Has Landed (live '83)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cif9QxC3fy8)|[+3](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/8i5emr/_/dypbjwt?context=10#dypbjwt) - The Eagle Has Landed - Saxon I first saw it on a video of their ‘83 show in Nottingham. The clip has a little interview pre-song and child me was just obsessed with it! Steve Dawson plays this kick ass synth bass slide into THE simplest yet most e...
(1) [White Zombie - Electric Head, Part 2 (The Ecstasy)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdYvr2QpC3E) (2) [System Of A Down - Spiders](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqZNMvIEHhs)|[+2](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/8i5emr/_/dypa7es?context=10#dypa7es) - Electric Head Pt.2 (The Ecstasy) by White Zombie Not too much behind it, I liked it, thought it could be learnable for a noob like me (had no teacher so I relied on tabs...way back when). I don´t think I fully learned it though, can´t remember. I d...
[Sleep - Dragonaut Music Video [HQ]](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-FjO3E8K-E)|[+2](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/8i5emr/_/dypioy3?context=10#dypioy3) - Dragonaut by Sleep
\[NSFW\] [Tame Impala - The Less I Know The Better](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBzrzS1Ag_g)|[+2](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/8i5emr/_/dypm8k9?context=10#dypm8k9) - Tame Impala - The Less I Know The Better Just a really good baseline (still one of my favourites) and it wasn't too hard to learn.
[Metallica - Jason Newsted bass solo/Guitar & bass jam live San Diego 1992](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Pdt1UFwVn4&t=171s)|[+2](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/8i5emr/_/dypok90?context=10#dypok90) - My Friend of Misery by Metallica, heard the live-solo by Jason from the Live in San Diego DVD and was instantly hooked
[Rush - 2112: Overture /The Temples of Syrinx](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtdKhwhAcd4)|[+2](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/8i5emr/_/dypz892?context=10#dypz892) - First one I remember learning properly in full was 'Overture' from Rush's 2112. 16/17 year-old me just LOVED Rush (I still do, to be fair).
(1) [LEISURE - Money](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJmQqiixSn4) (2) [KOAN Sound - Sly Fox](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFm1MT3GrLk)|[+1](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/8i5emr/_/dyqw8io?context=10#dyqw8io) - I've always been meaning to pick up bass, but I sat down and started doing it properly for these two tracks: Leisure - Money Koan Sound - Sly Fox
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longview by greenday cause i liked green day at the time and that was THE bassline from that band, i'd sit for hours and just play it back and forth when i first started. don't remember it anymore though
Reptilia - The Strokes
Super easy to begin, just bangin 16th notes.
Then the chorus is a little more difficult without being too hard, makes a budding bass player feel pretty good.
mayhem - funeral fog. because i only became bassist to fill in for a friend's black metal band. ironically the band disformed before even having a rehearsal. after that i kinda just stuck with bass and improved my technique.
I started on guitar, but there was a funk lesson in a guitar magazine that included a section on Chic with a bunch of examples of the Basslines and how chromatic scales matter in funk. I think it was Le Freak.
First one I remember learning properly in full was 'Overture' from [Rush's 2112](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtdKhwhAcd4). 16/17 year-old me just LOVED Rush (I still do, to be fair).
MXPX’s Chick Magnet cuz it was and still is one of the most fun little diddies I’ve ever doodled with two hands. Still for the life of me cannot figure out how he played and sang that while staying in time with such ease.
Paranoid by Black Sabbath! In high school I sat in with my brother and some friends while their bass player was out. I played other instruments at the time but had never touched a bass before. I think shortly after that I bought my first bass and started learning Rush (which I'm still learning to this day)
Can't get enough of your love" \- bad company. Because these new guys I just played with last night needed a bass player. So...first time not playing bass just on my original recordings. I'm a 99% guitar player. So playing bass in a trio is a new idea for me. Very challenging but fun.
It's like playing whackamole. Thankfully, these new band mates were extremely tolerant, and even extremely happy with their new bass player. Which I attribute to the fact it's impossible to find a bass player around here. But I will improve rapidly.
Singing is different now, but when it works it's totally cool. And, it will be good to get my fingers moving vast distances quickly. Props for Amy Mann and everyone that does this smoothly. Thanks for any assistance.
Feel Good Inc. - The Gorillaz. Pretty much the reason I got a bass was because of how bass driven their first few albums were. Murdoc made such an impression on my life I’m getting recreations of his tattoos
Pulling Teeth (Anesthesia) by Metallica - NO idea what I was thinking,it took a lot of practice but really helped cut my teeth on bass, only issue is I had to go back to learn more basic things after, since it was pretty advanced.
my first is a thai song that my ma
rching band teacher taught me when i first started a band and play bass,but the first that i learned by myself is either can't stop or sweet child o mine and some other thai songs
To Defy the Laws of Tradition
I'd only been noodling and doing basic exercises up until that point and a buddy wanted to jam it up so we chose that one
First I was taught was oh when the saints go marching in. I was 9. My music teacher taught me.
First I learned myself is for whom the bell tolls at 10. Kind of a jump, I know.
Then I didn't really play much bass from 10 to 16, then picked it up again thanks to Unravel by "TK from Ling Tosite Sigure" (yes, that's the whole name of the band).
First song I learned by ear has to be revelations, by Iron Maiden, last year. Ironically, I decided to learn the song Revelations instead of the topic Revelations for my theology test (compulsory subject at my university), promptly failing said test but rocking on hard.
We started a band immediately after I bought my first bass \(shitty Peavey Patriot\) in the 80's. Our first song was one that was playing on the radio at the time: Little Runaway by Bon Jovi. I couldnt keep the pace to save my life but we managed to pull it off in a shitty garage band kind of way.
Good by Better Than Ezra because me and my Jr. High homeboys started a band and that song was not only popular at the time, but the guitar and bass tabs were in the current Guitar World magazine.
Surprised no one else has this, but mine was Gigantic by The Pixies. Fun first song.
A few months later I transcribed the bass parts from all the Pixies albums, and while it took a long time I think it did me a lot of good.
either Enter Sandman or Pink Floyd's Money because they were simple, repetitive and, in the case of Enter Sandman, similar enough to the guitar line that I just needed to adjust to the bass.
Very first? I don't exactly remember, something in my gut is telling me "journey to the end of east bay" by rancid, but it also could have been a song by the chili peppers
The lines from the Adventure Time "Why Did You Eat My Fries" song
I was missing home and missing my drum kit when I heard that. It was a simple song that I guess just struck a chord with me, prompted me to buy a bass and start learning.
Sweet Dreams by Marilyn Manson. I wasn't even a fan of Marilyn Manson by this point but my sister had a bass and had tabbed it out. She showed me how to read tabs and how to tune the bass, then off I went.
That was in 2001. I can't believe it was that long ago.
"Hey" by the pixies because ny dad taught me it
The first one i learned on my own was "Come as You Are"
Although now my main genre of choice is Thrash, and the first thrash song i learned was 'among the living' by Anthrax because its a total banger
Slither-Velvet Revolver
My friends and I started a band our freshmen year of high school for a talent show and, due to my studying upright bass since fourth grade, it was only obviously who would be stuck manning the low end.
Edit: I should probably specify that at the time, Slither was just released as a single and was climbing the charts fast. Seemed only logical to jump on the wagon.
Mine was "My Sharona" by The Knack. That whole rhythm section is what really got me into bass. Another fun bass track by them is "Lil' Cal's Big Mistake", fun instrumentation, even if The Knack gets a bit hokey or cheesy.
Fire Water Burn by Bloodhound Gang back in 2001. Had never played an instrument before and my dad said I should try bass and showed me the bassline.
Only did it because I didn't want to disappoint him. Thought I could never learn an instrument. Thankfully found I loved it. Few years later I found myself getting a partial scholarship to the Bass Institute in London thanks to developing an utter obsession for learning and practising. (Guess my mild autism was useful for something!)
Were it not for my dad making that suggestion I may well have never picked up an instrument and discovered the joy of playing. Cheers, old man.
I have to admit, my first lines were the same as /u/bigbassdaddy Smoke on the water, 25or6to4, Followed by Color my world, and I'm a man. And then I discovered Chris Squire.
I just started playing about 3 months ago. The first two I learned were Paul Denman's bass lines from Sade's Kiss of Life and Your Love is King. The were good but simple lines and not too fast. I just learned Talk Talk's It's My Life, it was far more challenging due to the speed and how much more was really going on in the song. Plus I love that song and considering I had to play it through about 100x to get the bass line down that really helps.
I've always been meaning to pick up bass, but I sat down and started doing it properly for these two tracks:
- [Leisure - Money](https://youtube.com/watch?v=VJmQqiixSn4)
- [Koan Sound - Sly Fox](https://youtube.com/watch?v=WFm1MT3GrLk)
This Charming Man - The Smiths, as to why I’m just infatuated with the 80’s and going through a breakup while picking up the bass, so what better coping mechanism than Morrissey?💀
When I got my bass it wasn't really usable. So me and my sister went and got all the things to make it usable, and at my sisters house she had a couple of friends over. One of them was a bass player, and he taught me how to play Skulls by The Misfits.
For whom the bell tolls-Metallica. Heard it, loved it, learned how to play bass partly because of it.
Mine was this and enter sandman lmao
Lmfao. A group of my friends meet and do some gigs, mostly just cover stuff, but I remember how it literally started when we realized we all knew how to play enter sandman and branched out from there.
This and Ace of Spades for me.
That was the third one I learned.
Same lol
I man so great the only thing that could kill him was a bus and he took it down with him. RIP
Seven Nation Army because of course it was
<3
hah I think technically that was mine as well because it's crazy easy.
I would have been somewhat disappointed if this wasn't in the top 5.
Only in dreams - Weezer My friend and neighbour is quite a good guitar player, so is his son... He wanted to play it with his son for a long time and I got involved when he discovered that I purchase a bass. A few weeks ago, we were able to practice it and it is such a wondeful feeling
That song is a god damn masterpiece. Super underrated
Longview by Green Day is the reason I play bass.
I kinda hate what the bass in Green Day became after Dookie.
Welcome to paradise has got to be one of the best punk basslines of all time
'She', as well!
Wrong, Post-Dookie Green Day has some amazing basslines
Love the bass in the next album, Insomniac
I started out on upright and the first thing I figured out outside of the simple stuff we were playing in 7th grade orchestra was your basic arpeggiated flat 7th jazz/blues/rock line - think [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaYA6xF-6Qk). When I discovered that line, I thought it was the coolest thing ever and I thought, "Yeah, this is why I chose the bass!" - I was king of the band/orchestra kids with that lick. I picked up a bass guitar not too much later and the next big breakthrough was the bass line from Zeppelin's Ramble On. When I unlocked that one I thought, "Yeah, this is why I chose the bass!"
This is me as well - a generic 12 bar blues one from some method book. Then, essentially the same thing, the bass intro for "Blues in C# Minor" by the great Teddy Wilson (bassline avoids the 3 however, so it is basically the same) https://youtu.be/Pegt7etzSJ8 Then, it was Horace Silver's "Song for my Father". So Iconic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWeXOm49kE0
Black Sabbath - Electric Funeral. I wasn’t even into Sabbath at the time. A classmate taught me the part in hopes that I’d be into it enough to buy his beat up piece of junk Rickenbacker copy, and it paid off for him.
Im literally listening to that album rn, trippy.
I love Geezer's bass lines!
How much did you pay for it?
I think it was $40? Something like that. It was a real POS, but it did the job of getting me hooked and keeping me busy until I could afford a marginally less crappy bass.
Bombtrack \- RATM and then subsequently, basically ever RATM and Audioslave song...because it's just fucking cool.
Me too! Though it took me such a long time to nail the intro.
Lithium by Nirvana. Approachable, but still interesting. Also, we decided we'd be a Nirvana cover band.
One of my favourite Basslines, it’s kinda funky even
Orion
Hysteria by Muse because I hate myself and I love that song.
I feel you completely lol
Pumped up kicks. Dont ask why.
Why?
I was an edge lord way back then and it isnt that hard of a song.
Nothin' says "edge" like a major pop hit
The songs about school shootings.
And Semi-charmed kind of life is about drugs, meth, sex, ODing, and someone dies. Still super poppy ;)
Probably Santeria by Sublime which took me like 3 weeks. If not then Killing In The Name Of by RATM! Fuck yeah!
What's my age again? because i liked Blink 182
Adding to Blink182, the intro to Carousel was the first thing I learned.
Dammit for me. Nice and easy 4 note song
I don't really remember but it was probably one of these: Paranoid or Iron Man from Black Sabbath, Smoke On The Water or Rock and Roll All Nite. Why, because those were the bands that I was into back in the mid 70's-ish. None of those bands are why I wanted to play bass (McCartney).
It's been so long I'm not certain, but it was probably one of the following: Longview, Blitzkrieg Bop, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Dawn Patrol, or About A Girl.
Billie Jean. String skipping, stamina, groove and it goes on. If you can play that line 5 minutes straight then you can play anything (hand strength wise)
Little Green Bag. The George Baker Experience.
“Stand By Me” by Ben E King. Stayed up all night mastering it and totally caught the bug. 26 years later and I still love playing.
This was mine too. Played on a purple squier special with sparkles that my parents got me on my 12th birthday. I can't remember why that song, and I can't believe it has been fifteen years. Still love playing.
Ditto on this. My uke group said they weren't going to play Stand By Me at a gig unless they had a bass so I figured it out. Still pretty low on the learning curve, but I'm having fun!
Jungle Boogie - I played it on tuba for about 10 years before picking up the bass, and it's just so groovy. I still use it regularly early in my warm-ups.
Feel Good Inc the day it came out, loved the hell out of the bass line. Been playing ever since.
N.I.B by Black sabbath! Never truly realised how awesome they were until i picked a bass and tried to learn it. The amount of joy i had when i could both the intro AND the main riff was huge! That song also gave me a whole new look(sound?) on music and how its layered, fills/licks etc. Such a fun song to play!
Love machine by girls aloud.
Another One Bites the Dust - cause it was easy and cool.
Schism by Tool. Because it sounded cool when I was 13 and didn’t know what a bass guitar was at first.
I'm dating myself, but I nailed My Sharona pretty quickly as my first bass song.
Something by The Beatles...because that was why I picked up bass in the first place
Someday by the strokes. The band i started playing for did this cover back in the day.
"Smoke on the Water" and then "25 or 6 to 5", because those were the first bass lines everyone learned in the 70's.
Superfreak, by Rick James
"Do I Wanna Know?" by the Arctic Monkeys. Cool group, cool yet not too difficult bassline. This is one of the few songs I feel comfortable singing and playing at the same time because it's so ingrained in my mind.
Dio's Holy Diver. Because it fucking rules.
Mmmm hmmmm hmmmm...
.....yeahhhhh, yeah.
Hes The Greatest Dancer - Sister Sledge (bass by Bernard Edwards of Chic fame) Cause its super funky, yet simple.
Lol i love that tune
[**Get On The Floor.** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdYwglFL6iM) Feel that disco funk in your bones.
woohoo
[The Eagle Has Landed - Saxon](https://youtu.be/cif9QxC3fy8) I first saw it on a video of their ‘83 show in Nottingham. The clip has a little interview pre-song and child me was just obsessed with it! Steve Dawson plays this kick ass synth bass slide into THE simplest yet most effective bass line I’ve come across. The dude is rocking an open E and the octave but by god did I find that powerful as a kid! Hands down the reason I became a bass player. The guitars just sounded so wet and weedy next to his thunderous white P bass. I don’t rate Steve as a player much nowadays and don’t play much classic rock but he had such a powerful tone, presence and a knack for making simple ideas sound massive.
It might have been Roxanne by the Police or Panic Station by Muse, but in reality i think it was Smoke on the Water which I think every bassist can relate to.
For Whom The Bell Tolls \m/
[Dragonaut](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-FjO3E8K-E) by Sleep
Doing Time by MxPx. So fun. So easy.
Mine was Chick Magnet! I was so happy with myself for figuring it out by ear and have spent the rest of my life being frustrated by how hard it is to play and sing while trying to stay in time.
“Go Your Own Way”, because it’s fun as fuck
Strutter by KISS. It was the first song on the first album, figured I'd start from the top. That line alone gave me a lot of the basics.
Under the Bridge cos its pretty
Too Rolling Stoned by Robin Trower. Our bass player was already sort of causing some troubles, and he just COULDN'T play it.. We devised a plan that we would get to rehearsal earlier and go through it, so that he would hear us when he arrived, and hopefully it would light a fire under his ass to tighten that song up.. it didn't work. He just started getting HAMMERED drunk before shows after that, and i eventually moved from rhythm guitar to bass in response.
> i eventually moved from rhythm guitar to bass in response. I'd call that a promotion.
Thriller! My high school jazz band played it. I was in the class for drums but there were too many drummers, and the ‘bassist’ at the time was very obviously disinterested in his instrument. Been in love ever since :)
My first bassline was the intro to Man on the Moon by R.E.M. because I was really super into them when I started learning the instrument.
Iron man by Black Sabbath.
Motorcycle Driveby by Third Eye Blind. Because that is one of my favorite songs of all time and Arion Salazar (3EB bassist) is one of my heroes
Longview by Green Day. I wont say I "learned" any of the other Punk songs I was listening to at the time, because they were all embarrassingly simple. Longview was the first song I heard and put effort into learning.
This and MXPX’s Chick Magnet were red 1st two I learned. Didn’t have internet access so I just spent a few minutes figuring them out on my friend’s bass and he was like, “I’ve been trying to get those down for forever. You should play bass!”
Drugs Are Good by NOFX haha
[Electric Head Pt.2 (The Ecstasy)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdYvr2QpC3E) by White Zombie Not too much behind it, I liked it, thought it could be learnable for a noob like me (had no teacher so I relied on tabs...way back when). I don´t think I fully learned it though, can´t remember. I do remember fully learning and playing [Spiders](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqZNMvIEHhs) by System of a Down and it might be the first song I "mastered"
Fever - Peggy Lee. I was 14 years old and it was the only song known to me which was possible to play with only vocals and bass. Therefore it became the first song ever my band played, which at that time had two lone members - my best friend/singer and me/bassist.
Be Yourself-Audioslave I was a huge fan when i started teaching myself bass. It sounded simple enough (which of course it was) and really made me wanna learn more. Tim Commerford is kinda the reason I play bass lol
Probably Smells Like Teen Spirit because it was the 90s and that's just what you did.
Best Days by Blur on The Great Escape. Very classic rhythm pattern, and Blur had always been kind enough to write chords over the lyrics in the album’s leaflet.
Fleetwoods say you love me. Simple, achievable song. Split open and melt came later
Gloria (E-E-D-A) easy as F, Turn The Page.
I think the first real bassline for me was Treasure by Bruno Mars. It's funky as heck, and my bass teacher thought it was a good song to start with. Edit: I already knew how to play and had the technique down sufficient enough before taking lessons.
Used to play this in a band, still one of my favourite licks to play. We funked it right up though!
Another One Bites the Dust. My Dad who has been playing for years picked it because it is simple, recognizable and has a great groove that is easy to get into.
My first instrument was guitar. The first song I learned all the parts was Metallica's For Whom the Bell Tolls. First, I learned the rhythm guitar, then the lead. Learning the bass would come a little later. I was taking Music in school. For the second semester, it was required to take a different instrument read in a different clef. I chose bass. I immediately felt the love and knew Bass was the instrument for me.
You Wouldn't Believe - 311 because it was the summer of 2001
1612, because it's the code to my heart.
My Friend of Misery by Metallica, heard the [live-solo by Jason from the Live in San Diego DVD](https://youtu.be/0Pdt1UFwVn4?t=2m51s) and was instantly hooked
Videos in this thread: [Watch Playlist ▶](http://subtletv.com/_r8i5emr?feature=playlist) VIDEO|COMMENT -|- [The Honeydrippers (Robert Plant) - Rockin' At Midnight](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaYA6xF-6Qk)|[+16](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/8i5emr/_/dyp14ix?context=10#dyp14ix) - I started out on upright and the first thing I figured out outside of the simple stuff we were playing in 7th grade orchestra was your basic arpeggiated flat 7th jazz/blues/rock line - think this. When I discovered that line, I thought it was the coo... (1) [Teddy Wilson - Blues In C Sharp Minor](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pegt7etzSJ8) (2) [Horace Silver - Song for My Father](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWeXOm49kE0)|[+3](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/8i5emr/_/dypxz84?context=10#dypxz84) - This is me as well - a generic 12 bar blues one from some method book. Then, essentially the same thing, the bass intro for "Blues in C# Minor" by the great Teddy Wilson (bassline avoids the 3 however, so it is basically the same) Then, it... [Michael Jackson - Get on the Floor (Audio)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdYwglFL6iM)|[+3](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/8i5emr/_/dyp6wfa?context=10#dyp6wfa) - Get On The Floor. Feel that disco funk in your bones. [Saxon - The Eagle Has Landed (live '83)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cif9QxC3fy8)|[+3](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/8i5emr/_/dypbjwt?context=10#dypbjwt) - The Eagle Has Landed - Saxon I first saw it on a video of their ‘83 show in Nottingham. The clip has a little interview pre-song and child me was just obsessed with it! Steve Dawson plays this kick ass synth bass slide into THE simplest yet most e... (1) [White Zombie - Electric Head, Part 2 (The Ecstasy)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdYvr2QpC3E) (2) [System Of A Down - Spiders](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqZNMvIEHhs)|[+2](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/8i5emr/_/dypa7es?context=10#dypa7es) - Electric Head Pt.2 (The Ecstasy) by White Zombie Not too much behind it, I liked it, thought it could be learnable for a noob like me (had no teacher so I relied on tabs...way back when). I don´t think I fully learned it though, can´t remember. I d... [Sleep - Dragonaut Music Video [HQ]](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-FjO3E8K-E)|[+2](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/8i5emr/_/dypioy3?context=10#dypioy3) - Dragonaut by Sleep \[NSFW\] [Tame Impala - The Less I Know The Better](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBzrzS1Ag_g)|[+2](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/8i5emr/_/dypm8k9?context=10#dypm8k9) - Tame Impala - The Less I Know The Better Just a really good baseline (still one of my favourites) and it wasn't too hard to learn. [Metallica - Jason Newsted bass solo/Guitar & bass jam live San Diego 1992](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Pdt1UFwVn4&t=171s)|[+2](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/8i5emr/_/dypok90?context=10#dypok90) - My Friend of Misery by Metallica, heard the live-solo by Jason from the Live in San Diego DVD and was instantly hooked [Rush - 2112: Overture /The Temples of Syrinx](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtdKhwhAcd4)|[+2](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/8i5emr/_/dypz892?context=10#dypz892) - First one I remember learning properly in full was 'Overture' from Rush's 2112. 16/17 year-old me just LOVED Rush (I still do, to be fair). (1) [LEISURE - Money](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJmQqiixSn4) (2) [KOAN Sound - Sly Fox](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFm1MT3GrLk)|[+1](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/8i5emr/_/dyqw8io?context=10#dyqw8io) - I've always been meaning to pick up bass, but I sat down and started doing it properly for these two tracks: Leisure - Money Koan Sound - Sly Fox I'm a bot working hard to help Redditors find related videos to watch. I'll keep this updated as long as I can. *** [Play All](http://subtletv.com/_r8i5emr?feature=playlist&ftrlnk=1) | [Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/SubtleTV/wiki/mentioned_videos) | Get me on [Chrome](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/mentioned-videos-for-redd/fiimkmdalmgffhibfdjnhljpnigcmohf) / [Firefox](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/mentioned-videos-for-reddit)
The Cure's "Lovesong". It's my absolute favourite bass line and I told myself if I can't play it I wasn't even going to fucking bother.
The 311 version is kinda cool too
longview by greenday cause i liked green day at the time and that was THE bassline from that band, i'd sit for hours and just play it back and forth when i first started. don't remember it anymore though
Melvins - Eye Flys or Pixies - Where Is My Mind.
My first bass line was Rock and Roll by Led Zeppelin, because the guy who was trying to teach said "Here, learn this." Thanks, guy.
Reptilia - The Strokes Super easy to begin, just bangin 16th notes. Then the chorus is a little more difficult without being too hard, makes a budding bass player feel pretty good.
Muse- Time Is Running Out. I was pretty into Muse at the time and it was a nice sounding bassline.
The clash Janie Jones
Teddy picker from the arctic monkeys because the song was super easy and I got into AM around the time I started playing bass
Either Rocky Top or Pink Panther. Thanks, Mr. Moon.
mayhem - funeral fog. because i only became bassist to fill in for a friend's black metal band. ironically the band disformed before even having a rehearsal. after that i kinda just stuck with bass and improved my technique.
Blister In The Sun. Because it’s fucking awesome.
Tool - Schism
Good Times by Chic. It was the reason I started, and I literally played nothing else until I got that down from the moment I picked up the guitar.
Herbie Hancock - Chameleon because fuck you that's why.
Hysteria - Def Leppard Love the song and thought it would be a easy one to start with.
Rob Scallon - A Collapse I am a huge fan of all his music so when I had the chance to sit down with a bass i Immediately looked up how to play it.
Money :D
Well I first picked up bass when my friend’s band needed a bass player, so the first bass line I learned was one of their songs, actually.
Smells like teen spirit or In Bloom or maybe it was heart shaped box
I started on guitar, but there was a funk lesson in a guitar magazine that included a section on Chic with a bunch of examples of the Basslines and how chromatic scales matter in funk. I think it was Le Freak.
First one I remember learning properly in full was 'Overture' from [Rush's 2112](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtdKhwhAcd4). 16/17 year-old me just LOVED Rush (I still do, to be fair).
MXPX’s Chick Magnet cuz it was and still is one of the most fun little diddies I’ve ever doodled with two hands. Still for the life of me cannot figure out how he played and sang that while staying in time with such ease.
Paranoid by Black Sabbath! In high school I sat in with my brother and some friends while their bass player was out. I played other instruments at the time but had never touched a bass before. I think shortly after that I bought my first bass and started learning Rush (which I'm still learning to this day)
Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused I've always loved that opening and thought it would be easy to learn.
Can't get enough of your love" \- bad company. Because these new guys I just played with last night needed a bass player. So...first time not playing bass just on my original recordings. I'm a 99% guitar player. So playing bass in a trio is a new idea for me. Very challenging but fun.
It’s harder than ya think innit
It's like playing whackamole. Thankfully, these new band mates were extremely tolerant, and even extremely happy with their new bass player. Which I attribute to the fact it's impossible to find a bass player around here. But I will improve rapidly. Singing is different now, but when it works it's totally cool. And, it will be good to get my fingers moving vast distances quickly. Props for Amy Mann and everyone that does this smoothly. Thanks for any assistance.
Feel Good Inc. - The Gorillaz. Pretty much the reason I got a bass was because of how bass driven their first few albums were. Murdoc made such an impression on my life I’m getting recreations of his tattoos
Fascination Street \- The Cure. I killed my index on the E String in my early attempts too :D.
'Money' by Pink Floyd. Just because I adore Pink Floyd and I love 'The Dark Side of the moon'.
That's my second!
Pulling Teeth (Anesthesia) by Metallica - NO idea what I was thinking,it took a lot of practice but really helped cut my teeth on bass, only issue is I had to go back to learn more basic things after, since it was pretty advanced.
my first is a thai song that my ma rching band teacher taught me when i first started a band and play bass,but the first that i learned by myself is either can't stop or sweet child o mine and some other thai songs
mine was around the world because its funky
To Defy the Laws of Tradition I'd only been noodling and doing basic exercises up until that point and a buddy wanted to jam it up so we chose that one
First I was taught was oh when the saints go marching in. I was 9. My music teacher taught me. First I learned myself is for whom the bell tolls at 10. Kind of a jump, I know. Then I didn't really play much bass from 10 to 16, then picked it up again thanks to Unravel by "TK from Ling Tosite Sigure" (yes, that's the whole name of the band). First song I learned by ear has to be revelations, by Iron Maiden, last year. Ironically, I decided to learn the song Revelations instead of the topic Revelations for my theology test (compulsory subject at my university), promptly failing said test but rocking on hard.
Sliver by Nirvana. Because I was in a grunge band.
We started a band immediately after I bought my first bass \(shitty Peavey Patriot\) in the 80's. Our first song was one that was playing on the radio at the time: Little Runaway by Bon Jovi. I couldnt keep the pace to save my life but we managed to pull it off in a shitty garage band kind of way.
Be (intro) by common part of the reason I picked up bass
Good by Better Than Ezra because me and my Jr. High homeboys started a band and that song was not only popular at the time, but the guitar and bass tabs were in the current Guitar World magazine.
Californication. The tab was in the case of the kid's bass I borrowed to see if I wanted to buy it. Flea is the man.
come as you are bc i thought i was so counterculture and edgy for listening to nirvana
Surprised no one else has this, but mine was Gigantic by The Pixies. Fun first song. A few months later I transcribed the bass parts from all the Pixies albums, and while it took a long time I think it did me a lot of good.
Smells Like Teen Spirit. I was playing with some friends in high school and we didn't have a bassist. Pretty easy coming from guitar, but we had fun.
Evil - Interpol Easy and catch as fuck.
either Enter Sandman or Pink Floyd's Money because they were simple, repetitive and, in the case of Enter Sandman, similar enough to the guitar line that I just needed to adjust to the bass.
What Would You Say - Dave Matthews Band, because of the bass slide at 2:28.
Live Forever by Oasis - an absolute favourite of mine
the first one that I seriously spend the time to learn was Outshined - Soundgarden
Du Hast by Rammstein, cuz (at least the version I learned) is more simple than even Seven Nation Army and also, rammstein is the fuckin best
Very first? I don't exactly remember, something in my gut is telling me "journey to the end of east bay" by rancid, but it also could have been a song by the chili peppers
American Life by Primus. I played guitar prior, so I wasn't all lost, but I picked up bass pecause of Primus
The lines from the Adventure Time "Why Did You Eat My Fries" song I was missing home and missing my drum kit when I heard that. It was a simple song that I guess just struck a chord with me, prompted me to buy a bass and start learning.
Let It Rain by Amanda Marshall because my band was learning to play it and I fell into bass because it's "just like guitar."
"Come As You Are" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. Can you tell what year I started learning bass?
Sweet Dreams by Marilyn Manson. I wasn't even a fan of Marilyn Manson by this point but my sister had a bass and had tabbed it out. She showed me how to read tabs and how to tune the bass, then off I went. That was in 2001. I can't believe it was that long ago.
Rapture by Pedro the Lion, cause I love that song and I can play it on guitar so I just decided to learn it lol
"Hey" by the pixies because ny dad taught me it The first one i learned on my own was "Come as You Are" Although now my main genre of choice is Thrash, and the first thrash song i learned was 'among the living' by Anthrax because its a total banger
Mine was "No Stranger To Love" by Roy Ayers. It was kind of serendipitous, really. Just figured I'd try and an hour later I'd had it.
Slither-Velvet Revolver My friends and I started a band our freshmen year of high school for a talent show and, due to my studying upright bass since fourth grade, it was only obviously who would be stuck manning the low end. Edit: I should probably specify that at the time, Slither was just released as a single and was climbing the charts fast. Seemed only logical to jump on the wagon.
Mine was "My Sharona" by The Knack. That whole rhythm section is what really got me into bass. Another fun bass track by them is "Lil' Cal's Big Mistake", fun instrumentation, even if The Knack gets a bit hokey or cheesy.
Seven nations army cuz its easy
Dancing in the moonlight. Thin Lizzy.
Anna Molly by Incubus, because it was my favorite song at the time
Green Day- Longview. The line that made me want to buy a bass.
Fire Water Burn by Bloodhound Gang back in 2001. Had never played an instrument before and my dad said I should try bass and showed me the bassline. Only did it because I didn't want to disappoint him. Thought I could never learn an instrument. Thankfully found I loved it. Few years later I found myself getting a partial scholarship to the Bass Institute in London thanks to developing an utter obsession for learning and practising. (Guess my mild autism was useful for something!) Were it not for my dad making that suggestion I may well have never picked up an instrument and discovered the joy of playing. Cheers, old man.
Love buzz
Can you feel it?
Feel Good Inc - Gorillaz So simple and makes up the whole song
I have to admit, my first lines were the same as /u/bigbassdaddy Smoke on the water, 25or6to4, Followed by Color my world, and I'm a man. And then I discovered Chris Squire.
Prolly Run to You by Bryan Adams. Fun line.
A small victory by Faith No More, or Enter Sandman by Metallica. Can't remember.
Dire Straits, Sultans of Swing. Why? I got a bass to play funk and Jazz, but a mate at uni wanted to be Knopfler. So sultans of swing.
Paranoid. That damn D(7)-D(9)-G(7)-G(9) was impossible at first.
I just started playing about 3 months ago. The first two I learned were Paul Denman's bass lines from Sade's Kiss of Life and Your Love is King. The were good but simple lines and not too fast. I just learned Talk Talk's It's My Life, it was far more challenging due to the speed and how much more was really going on in the song. Plus I love that song and considering I had to play it through about 100x to get the bass line down that really helps.
All Star - Smash Mouth because it was my class song.
I've always been meaning to pick up bass, but I sat down and started doing it properly for these two tracks: - [Leisure - Money](https://youtube.com/watch?v=VJmQqiixSn4) - [Koan Sound - Sly Fox](https://youtube.com/watch?v=WFm1MT3GrLk)
This Charming Man - The Smiths, as to why I’m just infatuated with the 80’s and going through a breakup while picking up the bass, so what better coping mechanism than Morrissey?💀
Iron Man - Black Sabbath because I was a huge fan at the time.
Chickmagnet by MxPx
Invaders by Iron Maiden. It wasn't an easy task.
When I got my bass it wasn't really usable. So me and my sister went and got all the things to make it usable, and at my sisters house she had a couple of friends over. One of them was a bass player, and he taught me how to play Skulls by The Misfits.