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as well as solos in standard notation and bass tabs.
I never paid much attention, nor was I a big fan of "Lovely Rita". So for that reason I never really noticed the bass line before.
Until recently, when hearing the isolated bass track on YouTube.
Its bouncy feel, melodic lines made me take notice. So I thought, OK let's transcribe this bass line.
Right from the start, as the chorus begins, there you have it! The bass is the sub-hook.
Then listen how Sir Paul switches between legato and staccato lines in the verses and
throughout the whole song. Also notice his use of slides, in and out of notes and melodic walking lines.
Lovely Rita's bass line is a lesson in melodic bass playing in itself.
If and when you learn this song, don't just play the notes, try to match Sir Paul's bouncy feel.
So enjoy the transcription and happy shedding!
The Beatles - Lovely Rita (Paul McCartney - Isolated Bass)
The Beatles - Lovely Rita - Bass Transcription / Tab
Looking for more McCartney/Beatles transcriptions? Look no further: PAUL MCCARTNEY: PLAYING THE GREAT BEATLES BASSLINES
Paul McCartney is one of the best pop bass players in the world, and
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most revered bass parts. Written in standard notation and TAB. 160
pages. Click on the link or the image for more details about PLAYING THE GREAT BEATLES BASSLINES
Led Zeppelin's The Ocean is a John Paul Jones bass line that I got several requests for. I transcribed that song many years ago for a music-minus-one sound-alike company I was working for at the time. I have revisited the transcription, made a few corrections and found a few interesting points such as:
1. During the main riff, which alternates between 4/4 and 7/8 time signature. On the second bar, on every second beat, where Jimmy Page plays the notes D, E & A, JP Jones plays E, F#, A. Jones plays that motif every single time during the song, against Page's riff. A little dissonance occurs, but it goes by fast and we've been used to hearing it that way for the past 40 years. You might want to play the same riff as the guitar in a live situation, but ultimately the choice is yours.
2. For the Outro of the song, starting at bar 33, notice the change from a straight feel to a swing feel. I could have written it in 12/8, but I wrote it in 4/4 for ease of reading.
3. The triplet at bar 61 really starts on a natural B even though it is played over a D major chord.
4. Before the music starts, on the intro the voice you hear is drummer John Bonham. He says, "We've done four already but now we're steady, and then they went 1, 2, 3, 4!" he is referring to the takes they had done thus far. (source: Wikipedia)
Below you can hear the sound-alike recording I talked about at the beginning of this post. I recorded it with a Fender Precison 1964 borrowed from a friend. I also sing some of the backups during the song Outro. It was a fun session. I hope you enjoy & Good shedding!
Led Zeppelin - The Ocean (Sound-alike)
Led Zeppelin - The Ocean - (John Paul Jones bass)
For more Zeppelin/John Paul Jones transcriptions ULTIMATE BASS PLAY-ALONG: LED ZEPPELIN VOL. 2 contains eight classic Led Zeppelin songs with full bass TAB. The audio CDs contain a complete version and a play-along version (without bass) of each song. Embedded software allows you to slow down, loop, and even transpose keys on your computer. Written in Standard notation and TAB. 54 pages. Includes 2 audio CDs. Click on the link or the image for more details about ULTIMATE BASS PLAY-ALONG: LED ZEPPELIN VOL.2
I've received a few requests for a transcription of Ray Brown's classic bass line and solo on "Night Train" from
the Oscar Peterson Trio album of the same name. Although I have not transcribed this song myself, I have found this very detailed transcription courtesy of Robert Sabin, a New York City jazz bassist.
Along with his meticuloustranscription. Robert offers an in-depth, 73 page analysis of Ray's bass line and solo titled From "The Bottom Up: Night Train". You will find his analysis below the transcription.
Enjoy this fine bass transcription of a timeless jazz Classic, courtesy of Robert Sabin.
Ray Brown - Night Train - Bass and Solo Transcription
If you want to learn more about the legendary jazz bassist Ray Brown, check out RAY BROWN'S BASS METHODwhere he reveals his lessons and teaching philosophy in this in-depth book. It Includes: solo exercises, arpeggios, rhythm patterns with 'drops' and much more.
Click on the link or the image for more details about RAY BROWN'S BASS METHOD
Stevie Wonder's Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day is one of James Jamerson essential Motown bass track that every bass player should listen to. At least to get a sens of the mastery and control that Jamerson had of the bass guitar. On this song you can get a sens of James improvisational skills and unshakable sens of Groove and time. You can hear Jamerson's ample use of percolating sixteenth note patterns, open strings and chromaticism on this song, and at 106 beat per minutes, it is quite a knuckle buster.
There seem to be a controversy on the internet regarding the song, as to, if the bass was played on
upright or electric. I do not have a definite answer on this, however after listening and spending time transcribing the
song for many hours, I would be inclined to say that it was played on
electric bass. I agree that the bass has a darker tone quality, and is somewhat more buried in the mix than what we are accustomed to on other Motown tracks. But, if
you listen closely to the remastered version from any recent Stevie
Wonder greatest Hits CD, I think you will hear for yourself.
Excluding the intro, no two bars are alike. It is a constant flow of improvisation, especially during the verses. His choice of notes and rhythms, varies throughout the song from verse to verse. During the choruses a repetitive pattern using syncopation and chromaticism, was favored. Although the lines are similar during the choruses, no two bars are identical.
One last thing worth noting is, how busy the kick drum is on the track. It was hard at times to determine if James was playing a ghost note, the open G string, or if the drummer was playing a syncopated pattern. Again due mostly to the bass being darker and lower in the mix.
James Jamerson plays with authority on this song, and he is very solid and funky. In one word it is an "Impressive" performance to say the least. If you want to tackle this song, play every note and every nuances like the record, you might have to spend some time in the woodshed. Have fun!
Below you will find a one page sample of the transcription.
The Complete 6 page transcription is available on the store page
Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day - James Jamerson - Bass Transcription
If you are looking for more James Jamerson transcriptions, the best book on the topic is STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN. It has 49 transcribed musical scores, two hours of recorded all-star performances, and more than 50 rarely seen photos in this stellar tribute to behind-the-scenes Motown. Written in standard notation (no TAB). Includes 2 audio CD's. Click Here For More Details About
STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN!
I've always like Paul McCartney's performance on George Harrison's song "Something" from the 1969 Abbey Road album. It is probably one of Sir Paul most intricate and melodic performance during his tenure with the Beatles. I have been playing this song for a long time, but was not expecting to hear so many details that are now revealed thanks to this isolated track.
I found this isolated bass track on YouTube. I compared it with the original track, and it is pretty safe to say that this is in fact Paul McCartney's original bass line. I am guessing someone probably grabbed it off of Beatles Rock band.
According to session records Paul played his 1964 Hofner 500/1 bass on this recording. You can hear that he is using a pick during his performance.
I had a blast transcribing this classic McCartney bass line, which is certainly one of his finest moments. You can hear every single nuances & inflection in Paul's playing on this isolated bass track.
I tried to notate and represent as close as possible what is being played on the track. I think was able to come up with a pretty accurate bass transcription/tab of Paul's performance. Check out the bass transcription (standard notaton & tab) below as you play along with Sir Paul. Happy Shedding!
The Beatles - Something (Paul McCartney - Bass)
Looking for more McCartney/Beatles transcriptions? Look no further.
THE BEATLES/1967-1970 has Note-for-note bass transcriptions (with tab) for 28 later-day Beatles favorites. Click Here For More Details about THE BEATLES/1967-1970!
Here are two 8 bar choruses for Foghat's bass line for their cover of the blues standard "It Hurts Me Too". I have only transcribed the bass line for the guitar solo section as the whole song is pretty much based on the same patterns. The added bonus is that, the bass for that section is busier than during the rest of the song. There are more runs, and fills. So in the end you will get more mileage out of this transcription. You'll also notice that there are slight variations between what is played during the first & second chorus. Have fun practicing & happy shedding.
Here is a request I recently received. Although I haven't transcribed it myself, I am well aware of the high quality work that Stuart Clayton puts out. So, here is a link to Stuart's excellent transcription of Jeff Berlin's Joe Frazier from the Bill Bruford album "Gradually Going Tornado".
