10 Songs that Taught Me Bass (Easy to Effin’ Hard)

👉It's that time again! Here's the 10 songs that taught me SLAP: clip-share.net/video/aS0zIvpD88Q/video.html

The first song on bass I learned at age 64 was the Beatles “Love Me Do”. I’ve now learned about 64 Beatles songs since. Your videos teach me a lot of basics. I practice to several of your videos regularly. Many thanks from Toronto.

My very first song was "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac. I've only been playing for four months but the hardest song I can play (at least partially, I'm still practicing) is "War Pigs" by Black Sabbath. The solo is really fun haha

5:59 George Harrison actually has lead vocals on this song. He even wrote it. That being said it is Frank Sinatra’s favorite “Lennon/McCartney” song

My dad had always owned a bass, but it wasn't until this year that I felt motivated to learn so I could play at my school's chapel. I already practiced "Hit the Road, Jack" and "I want to be sedated." I want to practice each song every day until I get to the last one! Wish me luck ^_^
Edit: ok, I can now play “You Shook Me All Night Long.” I was struggling a bit but I'm a bit more flexible with my small hands now! XD

"Something" is my favorite bass line ever. That fill after "don't want to leave her now" is so gorgeous.

As a guitarist, the toughest part about bass for me is remembering the notes to songs. On guitar there are chord structures that are easy to remember - same with keyboards - but bass involves notes all over the fret board that fall in what almost feels like random patterns. This from a beginner. I assume it will come together for me in time. Thanks for all your help!

Ive been playing bass for nearly 1 month and your shapes videos made it so much easier, people are impressed by how fast Im learning but the shapes are all I know lol :D

My first bass song, which wasn't too long ago, was "Bewitched" by Candlemass. Playing a Doom Metal song in half-step down tuning gave me the much needed motivation to learn the bas(s)ic skills, while playing at a slower tempo.

First song was Feel Good Inc. Hardest song currently is Tommy the Cat ( still can’t play it 100% yet but one day )

My first song was feel good inc, by Gorillaz. But then I felt I needed a challenge. Second "song" was the main riff to hysteria, by Muse. I worked on it for months straight.
But for sure, my biggest accomplishment was ain't no mountain high enough. Needed 2 months just for the first chorus. After about 5, I could play the whole song. Recently I'm working on dean town, almost got it.
Playing bass over the last 2 years was a great experience, and I really wish more people got to experience the low end instead of getting bored of guitars and dropping out of music

I played bass during for a Nirvana tribute show and the bassline for "Lounge Act" seriously made me better at the instrument! Playing the riff isnt hard but playing it RIGHT was definitely a challenge

My first song was Anesthecia (pulling teeth). It was hard for sure, but i wanted to learn it because it is a bass solo, so it is easy to hear, and i knew the solo by ear because i listened to it so many times. So i got the bass tab and just went for it

My first song was "Boulevard of broken dreams" and I'm currently working on "Won't get fooled again" (john entwistle is awesome) and "Hysteria".

First song was Tom Sawyer. Next song was Knights of Cydonia. Next was Erotomania by Dream Theater. Next was Natural Science by Rush. After that I just learned every thing I could from those compilation books you can get at any music store because bass is apparently an easy instrument to learn.

My first song was "Another One Bites the Dust", I was bored and had an old acoustic guitar lying around, so I tuned it and learned to play it, then I was like, "Hey, this is actually kinda fun!" and I saved up for my bass and started learning off of these videos lol (I ended up switching from French Horn to Bass lmao)

Im a electric Guitarist not a Bassist but my first song was in bloom and my hardest is either think about you by guns and roses or angel of death by slayer, I’m learning through the fire and flame but I haven’t finished it yet

Paul McCartney is an amazing bass player so I'm glad you gave him a minute! I play guitar and my brother plays bass. I only picked it up once and have a huge respect for bass players after that! My first and only attempt at playing the bass was Bark at the Moon. A very cool tune on the bass! Thanks for the very cool videos! I really enjoyed the video about Steve Harris! He is truly a bass God!

I started out playing Police songs -- easy to do yet demonstrating interesting syncopation and counteroint. Then the Beatles -- not too difficult but masterful in the sense of melodicism and composition. That provided a great framework.

When I got my first bass at 15 I immediately went home and learned Stand By Me by ear because I didn't know to search for tabs or music yet, less than a month later I was trying to learn Tommy the Cat by Primus, I was NOT ready for it or good at it by any means but I'll never forget how I proud I felt when it sounded good, not accurate by any means but good

First song I ever learned on bass was Sliver by Nirvana, back when I was 15. When I picked up the bass again almost 4 years ago, the first song I played after my long absence was Learn to Fly by the Foo Fighters. Now I'm learning the Lemon Song by Zeppelin (it's effin' hard to me!).

I remember not even being able to read tabs yet, but being 100% obsessed with learning how to play Schism. Yes...a dumb song to learn for a first time player. But after like a week of learning, it finally came to me. Then everything else just came way easier after that. Good times.

"the less i know the better" by Tame Impala has a great bassline, probably my favourite right now, next to Take Five

First song I learned was Pyscho Killer by Talking Heads, courtesy of your beginner bass line video, and the first full song I learned was Seven Nation Army by The White Strips. After that I challenged myself with Stand by me and now it’s my favorite song to play

Having recently completed and really enjoyed the Bass Buzz Beginner to Badass course, I can't endorse it enough. I went from never having picked up a bass to being able to effortlessly play Song 1 on this list. The internet is full of choices, I'm really glad I chose the B2B course. Thanks Josh.

My first song was Orion by Metallica. Probably should have used a different song, but it helped me advance further faster. I didn't play the solo however, I played the harmony.

just bought my first bass because guitar got boring and my first bassline was "is this it?" by the strokes. i just love the way it sounds.

My first song was Tool’s Lateralus. Not especially hard because I already had a decent sense of timing and rhythm from playing clarinet, but it was a good start for learning how to fret the instrument because it’s mostly 1-min3-4 progressions, maybe with a min7 somewhere in there. Not that hard to learn on, but still a very interesting and compelling song structure. Also forces you to learn dynamics.

I screwed up when i started bass The first song I learned was Israels Son by Silverchair. The second was Anesthesia by Cliff Burton. The first song took a few days learning and it felt good. The second song took weeks and i thought that the first one was easy by beginners luck. I worked on tabs and listened to Anesthesia for what seemed like forever before I got through the whole song. I remember thinking, "Man, bass playing is really hard."

The first song I partially learned was taught to me by my friend who is a guitarist was 'In Bloom' by Nirvana and the first full song I taught myself was 'Learn to fly' by the Foo Fighters. The first ultra-difficult challenge I had with bass was learning 'Psycho' by MUSE, took me about 2 weeks to learn, easy to play now but as a beginner, it was very difficult but I persisted and learnt it, so any new bass players who are struggling, there's the most important tip of all Never Give Up! If a daft oaf like me can do it anyone can. After 6 months I got really into Audioslave and learned the majority of their songs and that improved my technique immeasurably then at about 1 year of playing I discovered TOOL and that's when I have really taught myself to understand more complex rhythms and learn difficult stuff more quickly. Funnily enough, Stockholm Syndrome was also the song I learnt to teach myself 16ths and it was very tough given I'd only been playing for about 4 months. Thanks for the video again Josh and hope all is good with you and all who have watched or read this comment.

My first song was "Meu Erro", by Paralamas do Sucesso. Great bass line

You are very fortunate to grow up in a musical family.

The first song I learnt was Hysteria and I'm still learning it years later honestly. I got the riffs down but the endurance - it's the chorus that kills me. It's also the first song I learnt on drums, it's just... A perfect song. I still don't know the lyrics and I just have listened to it over 100 times now lmfao. I had already been playing guitar for a little while before I picked up bass but it was Hysteria that made me go "oh, bass is... Killer"

Funny thing about Something is that there was major push-pull between Paul & George over the bass line, where George is complaining that Paul is playing all over his song, and Paul is saying "George, you don't have a song if I don't fill it out." They met somewhere in the middle I suppose.
[edit: that's definitely George. Yeah, I used to confuse his voice with John's too.]

My first song was Hendrix's "Hey Joe". I don't know if I learned the actual bass line, but the line my instructor gave me was cool. Now that I'm getting back into it, I think I'll find the actual line to learn.

My first song was Come As You Are, I've only been playing for about a little over a month, but my hardest song is Paranoid by Black Sabbath

I first started learning bass with Rammstein songs that have simple but very apparent basslines. The first three that I could play consistently were Du Hast, Links 2 3 4, and Rosenrot. Now I'm working my way through Black Sabbath's discography and I still can't manage to play that solo from the start of NIB.

The first one I learned was Come Together
The first one that I learned alone was Killing in The Name
My first real challenge was Tommy The Cat (also my first song with slap in it! Took me some good 2 months to get up to speed)
And my two biggest challenges, which I still haven't overcome well enough, are Orion (getting up to speed cleanly in the solo is pretty hard) and Anesthesia (when the drums come in, shit goes tits up).
Anyway, here's basically my 1 year and 10 months of playing summarized in a comment.

I bought a learn bass book when I first started. There was a song that was more or less a rip off of smells like teen spirit do i ditched the book and learned to read tabs. Now after 12years of playing I’m now going back to learn music theory (guitar and bass). You’re always spot on for us not so mature players, keep up the great videos

Almost 2 weeks into learning bass switching from guitar (why fret so big?) and I've been trying to learn this charming man by the smiths and Mr krinkle by Primus, I'm trying to build my plucking and finger techniques by just diving into songs I love enough to hear sections of 8 bazillion times

Steve Harris inspired me to play bass so I went right from wobbly bass to The Trooper.
I wouldn't recommend it -- even now I have to kick myself and say "slide, damn you" or "there are other options besides following the melody and root fourth fifth minor seventh octave."
Your classes are helping me unlearn what I naively chiseled into my brain, thinking, "surely my musical taste at the age of 12 is pretty much set."

My first song, which was current at the time, was Pete Townshend's "Keep On Working"
clip-share.net/video/Kv-IxzPT50Y/video.html
I learned a lot of The Police songs right after. This was before CDs, so learning a song meant picking up the record needle, moving it back a few mm, and trying again. The nice thing about the Police was most songs have one or two killer licks and he plays them over and over, so you don't need to pick up the needle that often. You get 10 shots at each lick in one play-through.
The simplest cool song I can think of for bass? Green Onions. It is just the cliched 1-4-1-5-4-1 (repeat) pattern, and on each chord the same four quarter note pattern is played.
clip-share.net/video/_bpS-cOBK6Q/video.html

Good thing I started with classical guitar, so quick 16th notes were not really a problem for me even as a beginner. Instead of just doing index-middle, I approach it using three fingers and doing an index-middle-ring-middle pattern. More economical and energy saving. I have realized later that Billy Sheehan is doing that as well.

I had just gotten into Jaco when I started playing, so I can honestly say that Portrait of Tracy was the first song I learned from front to back on bass. Took me like 3 years to do. Besides that, I never really played whole songs, just lots of licks.

First song i actually fully learned and played was Schism by Tool. As a guitarist, the only thing I really required was hand and finger strength to pull it off

Not the first song ever but, the first hard song I could play proficiently, was Wrathchild by Iron Maiden. It gave me the confidence to try harder material.

This is really insightful. I've only played bass for about a year and a half, and I would consider myself an intermediate bassist, but looking at how the individual issues we had differ is rather interesting. I think part of it is that I was already a skilled singer when I got into bass, so I understood things like breathing and musicality, I also pushed myself early with bass, Megolovania being the second or third song I learned on the instrument. It's in many ways comforting to see how my progression compares to yours.

the first song all the way through was Darlin by The Beach Boys. i learned it maybe the first few days of having my bass and it was nice because i had never played before. it was super easy, but i didn’t really “finish” learning it until maybe a week or two ago when i finally found the right pick thickness to play it like Carol Kaye and Brian did. it’s nice because it’s this thick rubbery vintage tone and i love the sound of it

Nirvana “Come As You Are” and then Deathcab for Cutie’s “I Will Possess Your Heart” are what I first learned. Learned both in 3 days. Wanted to do New Order than realized Peter Hook is incredibly melodic…so I will have to build some skills up before doing those basslines.
Now I’m trying to hit some more along the way. Been playing for about a week and a half now. Currently working on Mac Demarco songs like “Chamber of Reflection” and “My Kind of Woman”.

OMG... Hit the road Jack was my very first song on the bass too!! In school we had a "band project" and even though I was the drummer I couldn't let my hands of the bass and that bass line... Actually one of the reasons I started playing bass!
Oh and because I'm reading it in the older comments, the hardest song I taught myself so far (all self thought, never had even one lesson) is Anesthesia from Metallica. Especially the second part where Cliff loses it...

Seven Nation Army was my first song, then I shifted more towards Punk and still play it as my main genre, the second song I learned was Responsibility by MxPx, and then Chick Magnet by MxPx, then some Alt rock and 80's music

The first Song i learned on Bass was Sugar by SOAD. I didnt know anything about Rock Music, i was in Dancehall and HipHop, but i tried Bass a bit in church and my classmates (straight metalheads) took in me in the band and introduced me to a New world

Your videos are so well done and informative. Finally a bass tutorial where you actually hear the bass. Thank you so much.

I go to a high school in Norway with a focus on music (that’s how the school system works in Norway when it comes to high school education), and I get song lessons through the school because song is my instrument of choice. I recently got help from a friend of mine who is a bassist to set up the bass that is free to use at our school, and I’ve been practicing a couple of hours a day. I want to learn the bass because I want to have more musical skill sets, and I also want to be able to play in a band setting without being as replaceable as I currently am as a singer. Its been a very fast learning curve and I’m going to start taking lessons in a couple of months. This channel has helped me a lot!

I believe the first songs I learned were
1) Dreams - Fleetwood Mac (I believe it might have been a simplified version but I’m not sure)
2) Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz
3) Na Na Na - My Chemical Romance

yyz is the hardest song ive taught myself to play. once u finally nail the main riff, u will not stop attempting to do it again until u literally cant anymore because ur arms get so stiff and ur fingers get shredded up

First song I learnt was Flight of Icarus , then Running Free. My practice session (after school) was eventually the entire Live After Death album. I would plug my bass into my sisters stereo using the vinyls as backing before she come home from work. I didn't play the songs 100% correctly, I used the videos as source to learn a fair few of the songs and adlib the rest. But it is what taught me how to play. This was back in 87-88.

Been playing bass for a little under three years now without any formal lessons and I’m pretty proud of how far I’ve come. The hardest song that I can play all the way through would probably be Vicarious by TOOL (although I still butcher those insanely fast hammer-ons at the end most of the times). Currently working on Deliverance by Opeth, but those triplets (?) during the outro are a bitch to play finger style, especially when the first 9 minutes of the song have already been a real endurance test.

Just wanna add to the "ouch" meter,
Iron maiden- dreams of mirror
Iron maiden- Blood brothers
Muse- Hysteria
Currently practicing these 3 songs got iron maiden songs down to 87% probably but dang theyre hard! Hysteria is easier but the problem here is endurance, its constant and very fast!

After finishing your B2B, I've noticed that what keeps me from playing whole songs is... having to actually memorize them. It's even harder when Geddy Lee decides to make 39 variations of the same riff in the same song. What would you suggest me to do? BTW my first song was Sir Duke. My teacher was insane

I had the privilege of seeing Herbie Hancock and all the musicians on the album perform Head Hunters in 1998 in Chicago. //It was so long ago I don’t remember the first I learned to play. In general, the first songs I learned were probably mostly Joy Division songs before I eventually moved on to some Led Zeppelin songs, Jimi Hendrix Experience, and Band of Gypsies.

“Lovesong” from The Cure was the first song that started me in bass since I was a guitar player earlier but fell in love with bass since
Another song I would say to be in “easy-intermediate” is “Papa was a rolling stone” from Temptations.
Cheers

Just picked up bass last July and I started with Pixies songs which are relatively easy for me (I play piano so I already have background in music). Then went to some grouplove and arctic monkeys. Will continue to watch your videos, they're a great help!

Only one thing missing...flames from your fingers when you played Muse. Great video!

I can only play with a pick. My fingers are damaged lol. But the first song I learned is communication breakdown by zeppelin and I'm still working on playing it all the way thru without missing a beat 😂

First two songs I learned were Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime and Bryan Adams - Everything I Do (I Do it For You). The songs that taught me the most, and really challenged me, were Extreme - Cupids Dead and David Lee Roth - Just A Gigolo.

My first song was "Come as you are" by Nirvana! Then my older brother (a die hard Black Sabbath fan!) introduced me to Geezer Butler. The fun thing was that even if I didn't play as fast as him I felt extremely happy, kind of a "Wow, I'm learning some master bass parts... Deal, someday I'm gonna join a creepy metal band! 🤘

Thank you so much for including MUSE/Chris Wolstenholme!! I spent a long time in England so I'm always pleasantly surprised to find that they/he had some influence back here in the states!

My first complete song on bass was Trust by Megadeth. But I came over from guitar (I still actively play both, although I have taken over bass duties for a cover band I just started with some friends), so it wasn't as hard as it may be for a complete beginner. I'm working on Peace Sells right now so we can add that to the set as well.

Dude, this is just crazy. I've been lost into your channel for the last 2 days and it's just lit! I was studying guitar for almost 2 years, super focused, but then I thought I could improve some rythm and other skills by going back to the bass (I had a couple douring my teenage but I never had the chance to really study and get better on it). And, know, here I am... And your channel is better than any other guitar channel around. Thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge.

hell yes Big Orra! the song where I discovered what the bass guitar was. I was just a kid Powerslave had me enthralled but Big Orra stood out and made that impression on me way back in 84

My first songs were "house of the rising sun", "skinny man", "fortunate son" and "for whom the bell tolls"

Can we talk about how the bassist in Haim is low-key brilliant?

My first song was Creep. Was super slow but had a nice climb that was hard for a beginner

First song I learned was Rio by Duran Duran. Took a while...and then took about a 10 year break due to life. and now I'm relearning thanks to Bass buzz! My hands feel like they have no idea what they're doing and I'm buzzing like crazy trying to get my finger strength up, but the lessons themselves are top notch. Way better than the teacher I had back in high school

The Meters song " Cissy Strut " has always been a song that I spread out over long periods before listening to again & then I OD on it as its not just the bass guitar that's making this song groove along nicely but also the drums & if your going to try & be good in any band you start with a great drummer to build your foundations on...
As then the combo of drums & bass will keep your group ticking along nicely in whatever genre & tempo you want & for me " Cissy Strut " is one of those tunes that doesn't bog itself down & has a killer drum & bass arrangement that's so hard to not listen to & everything being played serves this tune without playing too much & hence why it's such a classic that I'd agree that any aspiring/intermediate to advanced bass player should learn as it just keeps you wanting to play it & is perfect for beginners & intermediates as it'll help build up the strength in your fingers & making you finger tips nice & firm so they can play without causing any pain...
Merry Christmas & hopefully you are not put into restrictions & every New Year's Eve & Day has been cancelled & effectively put into somethings that's 90% akin to Full Lockdown...
Wishing You All , All Over The World , A Happy New Year for 2022
Here's hoping it's better than 2020 & 2021
Slainte
.....

First song i learned was Twenty Four Hours by Joy Division. When I learned that you can play that sickass riff with bass, I just fell in love with bass. Peter Hook is some badass idol for me!

Man, I just want to say I love these videos and always learn something new, whether that be the Simandl method, the value of muting with both hands, or (in this video) practicing breathing during endurance sections. I came to bass from guitar and initially approached it like guitar, and it was years before I decided to relearn how to play the instrument properly; your videos have gone a long way to helping me do so!

I’d love to see a video on different effects on the bass (like chorus and fuzz specifically) and how best to shape the tone on for the bass.
Also, new at the bass and I am pouring through all the beginner stuff.

Cliff opened my eyes...to using the bass in subtle ways. As a beginner...I was always trying to show off on certain songs, but I was overdoing it big time..when I went back and listened to a recording of some songs. It was cringe worthy..the way I was overpowering everyone else. I went back to the basics..and started studying how Cliff plays on each AC/DC record...and he does it right! He provides the layer...which allowed Malcolm and Angus to shine even more! It changed how played!

The funk jam was my dad's bass warmup song when I was little T-T
He passed away after having refused to teach me bass so now I got to watch your videos to teach myself. Old mans, yall. Gotta hate to love them 😂😂

Was gonna get myself a bass guitar so i can play aint no mountain high enough.. But thanks to your video i think now im more excited to learn my all time favourite beatles song! 😂

My first song was The Chain by Fleetwood Mac
My hardest at the moment is probably either No One Knows by QOTSA or The Real Me by The Who

New Born by Muse is still one that gets my right forearm burning with all those octaves, but it's good to keep a contrast of play very simply then groove out even if it's the simple parts that are hardest to play

Argh! Just bought a bass again (short-scale sterling) after a 12 year break from like, 3 months of lessons I took back in 2009! I need to get my fundamentals of fingering and dexterity back! Thanks for these videos! You're great! And I love your Andy Warhol/Velvet Underground banana tattoo!

I bought a Bass for „For whom the bell tolls“
The first song i learned was a easy version of Summer of 69 following by boulevard of broken dreams.
I was playing bass for a half year and got invited to a band. I went there and they asked me to play around the world from RHCP, so I sat down and practiced for weeks. Then I’ve found my own special way that sounds good and a felt like a king. That was a great exp and brought me to a new level.
Finally I’m good enuff to play the song I bought it for.

Song 5 is definately harder for me than the beetles song after but I have trouble with fast transitions

First songs i learned on bass were the bassline to "monkey gone to heaven" by pixies and the start of the "psycho killer" by talking heads

My first song that i learned and played with my current "band" was Hey by Pixies. For me, the best bass heavy/dipendent song ever! That bass line is simple and so faaaaaaaat! The first note played on a good speaker belongs to the bass heavens. Highly recommend it, really fun to play with a band too!

The first song I ever learned was Hey Joe by Jimi Hendrix, about 15 years ago. Learning that introduced me to his music, which I appreciate a lot to this day.

I only found out the Chameleon "bass line" was played on a keyboard about a couple of years ago. Been listening to the album for at least some good 24 years or so, did not notice. Learned the line on guitar, been playing it on bass for years... so it was Herbie on the keys.

My first was Have You Ever Seen the Rain by CCR and I play it everyday. Great warm-up song.

My first song was "Californication" completely. IT ROCKS!!!🎸🎸

My first bass riff I learned was “the hand that feeds” by nine inch nails.
It’s so fun.

When I picked up a bass first time and was able to play that riff from "I don't believe in love" by Queensyche, I felt like a god of thunder. The power behind those strings, I felt every vibration and it was great. I knew the song already because I played it on guitar (yes, bass tacks too, they're fckn awesome).

The songs for me (only 5) are first psycho killer by taking heads, the first song I ever learned! It thought me to use my pinky which I struggled with a lot! 2 spread your love by BRMC taught me different rhythms. 3 blitzcrieg bop by the ramones (I probably didn’t spell that right) taught me to alternate my pointer and middle plucking fingers lol. 4 figure it out by blu detiger, she’s the person that inspired me to play bass lol it’s rlly groovy and helped me to alternate strings, 5 a song I’m still working on that I do not recommend for beginners, Politicians in my Eyes by death. If you know that song is very difficult and it has helped a lot with speed and like everything lolz I love that song and I am going to get to play it live soon ye

Mine were:
1. Breezeblocks
2. Take me to church
3. I hate everything about you
The thing is, they’re the only three I know, because my fingers can’t coordinate with every other song I try

The first song I learned on bass was "Reptilia" by the Strokes

My first song was Descending Angel by Misfits. My hardest was probably Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden. Currently learning Ohms by Deftones.

I just discovered your Clip-Share Channel and the way you convey your thoughts, it’s so enthralling.
Congrats, you´ve got a new subscriber!