How To Learn Songs On Bass: The Easiest, Fastest SYSTEM I Use To Memorize Songs With Minimal Effort
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ก.ค. 2024
- ►► FREE: Master the number system and learn songs faster than you ever thought possible. Download my Ultimate Guide To The Modes For Bass here → becomeabassist.com/the-ultima...
On one hand, learning songs on bass can be really hard if you don’t know how to approach it. You just end up trying to remember seemingly random sequences of notes. If you have to learn more than one song at a time, you might find yourself mixing them up with each other or playing part of one song in another. If you ever need to play a song in a different key, you’d need to relearn the whole song from scratch...
Total nightmare.
On the other hand, if you have a system for learning and remembering songs, life is easy. Instead of trying to remember hundreds of different sequences of notes, you only need to remember key song ‘formulas’. Need to change the key? It’s not a problem for you since you learned the underlying structure of the song, not the individual notes.
This also means that you can learn songs rapidly - and sometimes without even having your bass in your hands.
This might sound like a pipe dream, but I promise you, it’s not. Using the methods I talk about in this lesson, you should be able to cut down your time learning new songs by 50% - and that’s being conservative. I know because I’ve done it.
I remember the first time I had to learn a whole gig worth of songs in a few days. It took me almost every waking moment to learn all the songs - and even then I struggled on the gig.
If I did the same thing now though, it would only take me a fraction of the time. Maybe a lazy couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon. That’s the power of having a system for learning songs.
Using this system also means that you can learn a song in one key and then play it in whatever key you want. If you’ve ever worked with singers, you’ll know how fond they can be of changing the key.
If you know the hidden structure of the song though, you don’t have to relearn anything - you simply plug the numbers into the new key and away you go.
You’ll notice that when I went through and learned a song from scratch, I didn’t even play a note until I had figured out the underlying structure of the song. This is deliberate! You always want to think in terms of the bigger picture rather than the individual notes.
This can be tricky if you don’t understand how keys and the number system work though. If that sounds like you, then I’d recommend checking out my Ultimate Guide To The Modes For Bass. The number system and the mode system go basically hand-in-hand.
Each of the 7 notes of the major scale are associated with 7 chords and 7 scales or ‘modes’. When you see past all the jargon, it’s actually quite simple - and that’s what I show you in the Ultimate Guide To The Modes.
It’s 100% free, and to get it, just go here:
becomeabassist.com/the-ultima...
Fill out the form on that page and I’ll send it straight to your email address. You can get started with it right away.
If you have any questions about anything in the lesson, just drop it in the comments. I’d be happy to help out however I can.
Good luck with the lesson and happy playing!
Cheers,
Luke
P.S. There was a bit of a syncing issue with the audio for the track I was learning, so it's consistently a bit late, but the concept was just too good to not share with you.
P.P.S. Here’s that link for the Ultimate Guide so you can master that number system and learn songs twice as fast:
becomeabassist.com/the-ultima... - เพลง
![Duff McKagan: Decoded [Punk-King Of The Bass Melody]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/SrEcFNtPmCA/mqdefault.jpg)
omg i am overwhelmed
Persevere with it. Seeing songs as I-IV-V etc makes things a lot easier.
When I started playing years ago, I used to write the (root notes) chord symbols on a piece of paper as I was figuring the song out.
Then one day, a friend of mine with some musical theory/education to his credit, told me about the number system, and it made a world of difference.
Now I could play songs I had learned previously in numerous keys.
I could pick up a gig with a band performing 50's music for instance, and they'd call out Teenager in Love in B.
And since I knew it was a
I VI IV V, I knew how to play it in B, even though I learned it in C because of the number system.
I think this video will be very helpful for all those young players currently learning how to quickly learn songs.
And the beauty is that it works on all types of music. You will get some chords borrowed from other keys, but you'll cross that bridge when you come to it.
From the perspective of a guy learning bass in my basement, our vocalist sometimes wants to sing in other keys, this is extremely helpful. Very helpful overall
Since I play by ear here's how I learn songs. I listen to the song 2 or 3 times and then play along. Very easy. Playing by ear also makes playing in different keys very easy. That said it took me years to develop that skill.
This is a lot to comprehend for a beginner but it makes sense for learning the bass line after one has a better grasp of scales and what number each note is at in that scale. Great video.
you also have to have a great ear..
Incredibly helpful! I came across a bass at a thrift store and am "self teaching" with your videos. Thank you!
It's been two years. How did the learning go? I hope you're out there gigging and having a blast!
@@thumplife7924 yrs now and still nothing…i think we can safely assume our friend here switched to guitar :(
I really enjoyed getting to watch you work through a song. That was cool. I agree with some of the others, though, that it’s a bit overwhelming for beginners. I don’t know how long it was before I learned this, but once I did it definitely made a huge difference.
Thinking in numbers is the best system. Gives oneself much more confidence. Makes everything more practical and simple! Great John Meyer tune by the way, as a song and as an example.
Really well presented. Clear, well organized, and helpful. Looking forward to looking at some of your others. Also, gotta love a Spector. :-)
This video was so helpful. You do such a great job at breaking down each song and making it fun to learn bass. I really loved your 5 Beginner Bass Line series. Keep up the great work!
So glad it was helpful @Gower Brown and thanks for checking out some of the others too!
Thank you for an interesting introduction to help in playing by ear. I got burnt out on tabs and have been playing by ear or watching other local & studio bands and picked up some really bad habits and hopefully your guide will help me get through this ! Love your Bass !
Awesome explaination of the Nash Numb Sys, I really appreciated the reinforcement of learned experience. So much easier when you develop your natural ear. I have been playing for 40+ years, so the information was redundant, but great explanation anyways! Terrific job, keep thumping..
Thanks Luke. Totally agree. I've akways learnt songs for bass this way over the last 12 years. I don't have the ability to pick the notes by ear but you can get a leg up on Songsterr and tab sources then express it as 1 b3 4 b6 foe example then practice it.
EXCELLENT tutorial and system of learning. EXCELLENT. Thank you
Thanks for new material for me.Hope to improve my performance with this Nasville number system. Good luck to you.
I use the same kind of technique on my mandolin when I'm blazing some bluegrass!!!
Good stuff here!
The 3 minor and 6 minor chords are relative minors of the 5 major and 1 major. The overall pattern hasn't changed, just the relative minors are substituted in the same order. Beautiful!
Thank you for a very practical tutorial with a great demonstration!!!
Hi I've been playing keys for years.Melody and rhythm come fast but harmony is slow so I've got into paying bass on keys.Your lessons are excellent,especially this one, I don't actually think in terms of numerals but I can sure feel the notes.I sing and play harmonicas,this will be my new left hand approach. As this is the root of any chords Im already feeling them in the right hand too. The last 2 days have been transformational.Many thanks,and all best wishes.
I love that you did this.cheers
Subtitles: "Hey I'm Luke from Become A Bassist (...) We're going to listen first (...)"
Subtitles after a while: [Learns song]
Thank you luke for this amazing bass lesson. You're video has given me direction for learning bass.
18:04
Well done! I like this kind of instruction that takes the fairy dust out of things and boils them down to, well, craftsmanship :-).
Haha! Glad you like it Lap Joint. Thanks for checking it out.
Lap Joint Well said sir. My thoughts exactly. 'Fairy dust', lol, nice!
thanks, usefull video bro!
as a Chinese bass beginner, I really found it pracmatic, Thank u Luke!!!
Great stuff Luke.. this of course leads to the Roman Numerals method (IV or iv) that indicates a major or minor chord.. Also good to see you're using 'Transcribe' software.. the best investment any interrogating musician could wish for - highly recommended and cheap! I couldn't do without it.
I really like the idea of moving songs based on numbers since the shapes are the same everywhere. That seems efficient and helpful.
I have two questions for you, Luke. 1) Is there a good method for getting started with picking notes out? I have a hard time figuring out what note I'm hearing, exactly.
2) Can you do a video for something in the progressive rock genre, like Porcupine Tree, Haken, Opeth, or Iron Maiden?
Thanks. I love your videos and guide to the modes. You've helped invigorate my practice.
I'm late to this party. But, There are two key points to learning like this. 1. ear training. You have to be able to recognize the key signature of the song. 2. You have to look at the numbers as intervals also. ie.. the 4 is the 4th note in the major scale. But it's also the 4th to the root note of the song. When you train your ear, you'll start to hear the the intervals. You'll know what a 4th, 5th or an octave sounds like. In the song he's learning, he heard the C note and recognized the the other numbers or intervals due to his ear training as he said.. Awesome video.
Hello, well explained, great job, Thank you. 🎼🎶🎹🎵🎸.
Wow! I want to do that! But I'm still learning how to hear the notes using the advice you had about learning by ear! But eventually, I'd like to know the scale degrees like this! Awesome. I'll see what happens in year. ...of course, I am trying to learn metal songs, which are more intricate. We'll see. Lol
I've been playing bass for several years and I actually learned the number system first because I play by ear. If a fellow musicians start calling out C over F to the A minor and back to the B flat...blah blah blah, I will look at him with utter confusion because my mind just doesn't work like that. I guess pointing out every single letter on the fretboard in .5 second is a weakness that I'm continuously having to work on. But for now, the number system will do.
this video made me subscribe to your channel..thanks man
So helpful!
Excellent video. Plain and simple. On to analyzing the next John Mayer song !
Let's get to it!
You are a master Luke.
Very simple for beginners 👋
I love this channel!!!
Thanks so much @Ryan Dirkse. Glad you're into it!
This is great for generalized stuff but if you're looking to get in a tribute band, you need to get it perfect. Right down to tone and articulation. Since they're so big right now I thought I would mention it. Here in the states they are huge. I play in one.
Great video!
Cheers friend!
At 4:40 the A flat sounded way cooler...yes this is a great approach that I guess a lot of people don't think about. I've thought of it this way most my life because the notes are troublesome to work with, plus the numbers are the best way to break down or build chords or scales. Awesome lesson.
Thanks so much for checking out the lesson Doug - and you're totally right about numbers as they relate to chords and scales. It's an incredibly useful tool.
Luke, this is a great video. I've been using the Nashville System for a few years and it revolutionized my playing. What you say about patterns is spot-on, too! Have you thought about encouraging people to do ear training? Thanks, buddy!
Thanks friend! I encourage all my students to improve their ear. It's one of the 3 biggest wins for any musician for sure. I've got a few videos in the pipeline that deal with ear training more directly coming out soon.
@@BecomeABassist got a rough estimate as to when?
Luke, I wholeheartedly agree with this approach. It is the difference between learning the notes of a song and learning the music. Can you recommend an approach to efficiently capturing this in useable charts? I use Guitar Pro for complete note by note transcription but this takes time.
While I generally agree the Nashville Number System is great, I think you glossed over a few points. 1. Your ear has to be solid enough to figure out the key. 2. You need to be comfortable with intervals and those patterns on the bass so as to transpose to other keys. 3. You didn’t discuss how you would chart that song to take into account the subtle variance. 4. No discussion of how to handle riffs, etc. Don't get me wrong I loved the material, i just think there's lots more to consider before you can make statements about how much time can be saved.
I never had much trouble learning songs by almost exact notes off my albums 35yrs ago.This system seems to take just about as long.I am quite familiar with the number system and it is good to know though.
not simple at all
Agreed
Before I clicked I knew it was too good to be true
You just made my practising so much easyer. Thank you for making this Video.
we’re trying to learn still into you in my class band but it was super last minute and the drummer asked me if i could learn by ear and the shame i felt saying i couldn’t o+< i just started playing a few months ago and i like to think i’m learning pretty fast but i fr was so humbled.
Interesting system Luke & thanks for posting this. I'm trying to learn the bass parts to Al Di Meola's "Race with the Devil on a Spanish Highway" & it's doin my head in lol. I've got most of it but it's the initial quick riffs that are quite a challenge. Not sure if this number system will help. Check it out if you can spare some time, it's an incredible piece of music & worth breaking down. Thanks again 🎸👍🎵
Good video. Tx. What about key changes?
Happy New Year Luke!
I guess I have always done this because about the first tune I learned was in Cmaj and started with a Dm7, then a G7, and then a Cmaj7 so the guitarist buddy I was being mentored by said this was a 2-5-1 chord progression in Cmaj. And I have used it ever since.. That was in about 1980. I believe the tune was from Steely Dan and it was not complex, which I would find out later made that like, the ONLY easy Steely Dan tune ever.. might have been Do It Again.. 🤷♂️
This is nice for the chordal structure of the song, but as a bass player, the rythym is paramount. What are your recommendations for learning rythym in songs?
Good question Bruce! There are lots of different ways to approach it. Bass lines can fairly predictable in their rhythm, and if they're just following the kick drum pattern, that's a good place to start. In the song I learned in the video, I was kind of following a half note, 2 8th notes, and then anticipating on to the next chord type of pattern.
Some bass lines are just one rhythm the whole way through - think nearly any AC/DC bass line or a 'four on the floor' kind of line. There are also lots of rhythmic figures that come up a lot in bass lines. I'll be putting out a lesson about those in the new year sometime. It can also work to double another line in the song, although you have to be careful with this. Not every cool lick is going to work and sound good when it's transferred to the bass.
Dude this is freakin' game changing for me thanks
Transcribe is the app
Tabs for me, it seems that is the only way i can learn a song.
Thank you so much am trying to watch you on my phone and its hard to see where you are putting your fingers when you do the one two three can you please show your fingers more and say this is one like for instance 1st string 2nd fret like that
Great info. Really easy to understand. Have a question. What program is that your using to play the song?
It's a program called Transcribe. You can check it out for free here: bit.ly/2GQb8dT
I'm pretty good with getting the notes by ear but I don't know cords or notes. What is the right way to learning those 2 things?
I'm thinking you said the key of C, but I could have missed it, but Thanks so much.
Like I said in my other comment reply, I do say the key of the song @Agogo57 - at the 6:49 mark. Perhaps you missed it the first time around
What are you...Rain Man? Sorry, my brain doesn’t work that way. Good video though.
de quien es esa cancion?? como se llama ese estilo? me gusta.
What kind of software do you use to fast forward and rewind the tunes?
Progression for that song.
No difference between NNS and roman numeral system. With RN you have upper/lower case for major/minor.
What music software is that? I need one where I can slow down a song
I'm assuming the website is down? I can't get through. I would like to learn this way.
Luke, What is the computer app that you use in your videos to listen to and dissect songs?
It’s a program called Transcribe, made by a company called Seventh String. It’s a great program - I use it all the time and recommend it highly.
I looked at your pdf file "The Ultimate Guide to the Modes for Bass" and now I'm more confused than before.
Did you have questions Brian? If so, just email me and we can sort them out together
what software is that looks useful to learn songs?
Such a cool system, Luke! How would you write down these songs? Just note the original key and then write down the numbers in the verse, chorus etc?
Exactly @Benjamin Pedersen - Some people just write out regular numbers, while others prefer Roman numerals.
Luke from Become A Bassist Cool! Thank you! 👍🏻
My problem is, despite being able to whistle and sing pretty well, I have absolutely no ability to play by ear. When you start calling out the keys and key changes around the 8 minute mark I got completely lost.
You can try memorizing the notes on the e string. Then you'll know how far to move over the whole key structure that Luke elaborates upon in this video.
You can learn that, it just takes some practice. And there are some tricks. A LOT of the time...not always of course but a lot of the time...a chord progression will move up by a 4th. In the I-IV-ii-V progression, there are a total of 4 chord changes, including the turnaround from V to I, going back to the beginning of the progression:
I - IV
IV - ii
ii - V
V - I
3 of these 4 changes are moving by going up a 4th: I - IV (in the key of A that is A to D), ii - V (Bm to E), and V - I (E to A).
(Note that using roman numerals like that is also helpful because if they are upper case, it signifies a major chord, and if lower case, a minor chord. So again using the key of A, chord ii tells you two things...it's the second note of the scale (B) and it's lower case, so minor = B minor. If you're in the key of C major, chord ii is D minor.)
This is why the bass guitar strings are tuned in 4ths - E, A, D, G. Those are all 4ths. So a lot of the time, all you need to do is move up a string on the same fret. B to E is 2nd fret of the A string to 2nd fret of the D string, etc. And note also that going up a 4th is the same as going down a 5th. i.e. Going up a 4th from A lands you on D: A-B-C-D. Going down a 5th from A also lands you on a D: A-G-F-E-D.
If you get stuck on which chord to play next in a progression, try going up a 4th (or down a 5th).
One ear-training trick you might try is to find melodies that you know very well which contain various intervals, and remember those associations. For example, the first two notes of the Star Wars main theme is up a 5th. If you hear two notes played that sound like the first two notes of Star Wars, you know it's a 5th. Up a major 6th is the first two notes of My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean. Up a 4th is Here Comes the Bride. Up a minor 3rd is O Canada (I'm Canadian so yeah...). Down a minor third is like the school-yard teasing nyah-nyah if you know what I mean. And so on. Those are what I use, but there are lots of examples. Eg. if you don't like Here Comes the Bride for a 4th, try O Christmas tree.
Anyway, hope that helps a bit and good luck!
You just need to take it slower or move to much simpler songs. i usually start my student on a few nursery rhymes (i know it sound a little ridiculous but most are really simple), and then move on to songs they will like to play. Start simple and listen to lost of songs!!!
It works for learning simple songs, try this method with something like dream theaterr, it wont work with memorizing 70 chord progressions for one song...
It still works, it's just not easy because they do so much in almost every song.
The whole process is fine, but given a song, how do you know what scale to use? You could have C maj, as D dorian, E phrygian, etc... How do you perfectly know the key?
I fear this process works for very very simple songs... But I am not sating it isn't useful!
This is a pretty advanced way of learning songs LOL. I'd rather memorize from sheet music or tabs.
That's fair. What do you do if you can't find tabs or sheet music though?
@@BecomeABassist Hopefully find covers on TH-cam. Songsterr has 99% of what we play. Understand, I'm not discharging your method but for me to sit at the computer and say "That's a 'C' and then he goes to a 5' is just not happening.
That's interesting @Longsnapper 53 and I totally understand. It's probably a lot easier and convenient for you to use tabs/covers/Songsterr - no question about it.
I'm curious though - had you ever tried to figure something out by ear? And if so, how did it go? And if not, would you ever give it a try?
@@BecomeABassist I wish I could, Luke. I'm 60 years old and have been playing for 3 years.My band plays strictly covers and we have not run into a situation where we can't find enough info to play a song.The internet is a wonderful resource for musicians.
Longsnapper 53, It all depends on what you want to do with your instrument and how far you want to take your musicianship. If all you want to do is to play other people's songs and solos, then you memorize tabs and learn other people's songs from youtube. If you, however, want to write your own music, improvise, or communicate with other musicians during a performance, you need to develop your ear. And there is no better way to start than figuring out songs and solos by ear. Tabs, youtube tutorials, etc. are nothing more than crutches. The earlier you chuck them, the better, cheers
So, once you learn sight singing intervals its the easiest fastest system. I also wonder about minor keys.
I see in the comments, to most players this is totally confusing playing like this, because musicians have learnt to think in terms of chords and not scale degrees.
But once you figure this out and practice playing all your songs in this way then everything becomes a breeze. I've been able to teach myself to play with the chord degrees (number system) with piano and guitar. Even my tabs for songs only have numbers on top of them instead of chords. I also only think in terms of scale degrees while playing a song. And on guitar this makes playing any song stupidly simple if you use a capo and you translate your chords to numbers. Because your chord sequence stays the same irrespective what key you are in.
Well, this is a good idea, but I'd still be fishing for the notes. 1, 4,2,5 means nothing if I don't know what the notes are when I hear them. To listen to a song just go, that's a 4, that's a 6, that's a 3....I can't do that. I can find the roots and start fishing around the scale and then number it, but that's not what you're teaching here, so it's me just fishing for the notes as usual. Maybe one day I'll get it but...
How did you know which number to play
yeh that's what i wanna know
Just put the numbers to the chords you have as he explained. Then when you know the key or the root of the song, then you apply the same numbers to the new key. It is a bit advanced, but it does work.
Using the scale. Listening for how many scale degrees it changed.. do, re, mi fa so la to do... From do to fa, for example. See?- he numbered the scale degrees: do is 1, re is 2, and so on. Practice your scale! 🤘
I found your video helpful but a bass does not have a b flat minor chord it's just a b flat the minors are for guitars although, if your using scales then that's where you could go into a b flat minor
I'm not sure what you mean by the phrase "a bass does not have a b flat minor chord" @earldean2799. If you play a Bb, Db and an F on your bass, then you've played a Bb minor chord.
How do you that this is a 5 or 2 or 1 when the song is playing
Experience
Training
Any tips on doing this in a LIVE setting?
Doing it live is definitely trickier @MattTheLizard, but still possible. Longer term, getting better and better at the process in this video will make it a lot quicker naturally, but a shorter-term workaround would be trying to look at either the guitarist's chord shapes or the keys players' left hand. Depending on the style of music, both of these things may be more useful ('cowboy' chord shapes in country music) or less useful ('shell' voicings in jazz where neither instrument will play the root). In case you need it, I have a video on the most common 'cowboy' guitar chords in this lesson: th-cam.com/video/w246hgEf8F4/w-d-xo.html
Something _else_ that can be really helpful with internalizing how each of the different chords in a key 'feels' is to learn to sing the notes of all the chords within a key. For example, if you were to sing even the most basic version of the exercise in this video: th-cam.com/video/-P--lY3xwtU/w-d-xo.html it would likely help a ton.
@BecomeABassist Wow, thank you for your time on this in depth answer.
No entendi como hacerlo por que lo explica muy rapido
The number system you are teaching is great but without knowing what key the songs are in I can't use the numbers.
I have a few lessons on how to do find the key of a song @Agogo57. I'd recommend starting with this one: th-cam.com/video/ht22eIjyEbc/w-d-xo.html
What kind of bass is that? looks cool
It could be a Warwick. That would be my guess
Can you do this with an iron maiden song. Because that song is weak
Absolutely - you can do it with any song. The point isn't the song you use, but the process.
IMPORTANT NOTE: this method ONLY works for songs where the bass just have to play (yawn) root notes. If there is a specific bassline that needs to be played this won't work.
Thanks for the comment friend, but you can still use the number system for learning specific bass lines. You’d just have to convert the notes of the line into numbers. Once you get the hang of it, it’s super simple.
P.S. What’s wrong with root notes? Lol
@@BecomeABassist haha there is nothing wrong with root notes - for some songs for others it's doesn't really add anything to the song. And i meant that if you are a beginner i wouldn't advise using this method when trying to learn basslines or riffs for that matter and i feel that this video is mostly aimed at beginners who haven't had a ton of experience in playing gigs and such. Btw a little fun note in the 2nd verse when it went to 3-6 before the chorus i called that before it happend lol
@@Generalbas1972 but knowing that each number has a tendency towards a certain chord type depending on the key/mode, 'just' knowing the root notes actually lets you understand the harmonic structure and figure out the rest of the notes. For example, if you're in C and someone calls a 5, you can probably bet there's a B and a D in that chord, and maybe even an F. It's not just which note the root note is.
@@user-hy4cn2rs9u to be honest it's been 5 months since i watched this video and i don't remember anything about what the "system" is, so as much as i would love to understand your comment and debate with you about it. I can't cause i have no clue what your comment is about (or mine for that matter). But i'll just say you're right :)
Read that the first thing to learn any song it's to discover the root/base notes on bass, as you said, then how the song is constructed, but the worst part, for me at least, it's to discover the fills and memorize the whole thing. Memory isn't the same after a while 😂😡. Besides, many players doesn't follow "theory" on their playing, to exemplified, you can come up with some from AC/DC, but things like Yes are a pita 😱
Hey Oskar - if memorizing the exact bass line note for note is giving you troubles, try just learning the big picture stuff. When I was learning the song in the video, I wasn't paying attention to the tiniest details, like the fills and everything like that. I was just trying to play the line in a very functional way. Very few people are going to notice if the bass line isn't 100% like the original recording, unless of course, you're doing a tribute (where that's kind of the point) or there's a bass fill that's crucial to the song, but those are very rare.
@@BecomeABassist Hey man, yeah, you are right, but sometimes i tend to be very "compulsive" about the melodies behind the main lines 😁. And about the memory issue is, that when i was younger, i learned by hearing whole songs, but now at 45, it's a little bit hard, don't know why 🤔. But, as you said, we didn't had the resourses like you chanel, back in the day, which is awesome. Thank you for that 👍
so if internet was out when you were 16 what are you like 5 now?😁... at least you found your passion early in life ole whipper snapper
First in order to use the number system you should have to us what key the song was in first.
I do say the key of the song @Agogo57 - at the 6:49 mark. Perhaps you missed it the first time around.
Very useful formula, indeed. But a very, very boring formula as well, hehe. Unfortunately ubiquitous today. Ohh the boring masses and their boring formula. 🤣
Regardless, thanks so much for demonstrating this!!
🤙🔥👹
Using this to learn echoes by pink Floyd
Does this only work for major keys?
No - you can absolutely convert the system to work for minor keys as well. Some people prefer to think of the minor as the '1-chord', but a lot of people still kind of convert everything to a major key in their minds. Whatever works for you is good!
I am shy about singing sober even karaoke
c
Then a song that changes key several times appears. 😲
You can use the exact same system to learn songs with multiple key changes - like jazz standards or anything more harmonically complicated like that. You just have to add in an additional step of noting one of 2 things.
#1 - The relationship between the keys you're going from and to. For example 'I'm going up a minor 3rd from the key of D to the key of F'.
Or #2 - The relationship between the last chord of the 'current' key and the first chord in the new key. For example, 'I'm going from an A chord down a major 3rd to an F chord'
Both of these are describing the same thing, and in fact the same song (Bryan Adams' Summer of '69). If there is more than one key change in a song, it's just a matter of remembering where they all go in relationship to each other. It's an extra step, which makes it slightly more complicated, but it's not like you just throw everything that you already know out the window.
This would be helpful if I knew the note names and not just the string and frets
Hey friend - if you need help with all that stuff, I have some videos that I think will be helpful.
becomeabassist.com/learn-your-bass-fretboard-the-musical-matrix/
becomeabassist.com/learn-your-bass-fretboard-all-of-your-notes/
becomeabassist.com/4-ways-to-learn-your-bass-fretboard-faster/
They're all about learning the fretboard as well as the logic and structure behind music as a whole. If you have any questions about them, just let me know. I'd be happy to help.
This IS playing music
This is the best way to learn an easy progression. Works great, until you’re trying to duplicate John Paul Jones lines 😬
I think the thrust of his point was to learn 65 songs in five days and improvise lines and so on but of course if your trying to nail the exact moves of what your covering it would require a lot of intense study. (and in that case a lot of times tabs are inaccurate to what the artist is really doing. Tabs are often an approximation and I found it frustrating over the years trying to learn my favorite songs and artists approach with them.)
Doug Arnold I totally agree with everything you’re saying. I have found that Songsterr is pretty accurate if you can handle the electronica if it all
@Frost River - you can convert individual notes into numbers as well. It doesn't just have to be chords. For example, the main riff in Dazed And Confused could be converted into:
1 - flat 3(up the octave) - 2 - b2 - High 1 - Low 1 - 7 - natural 6 - flat 6 - 5.
Luke from Become A Bassist absolutely, and I’ve been known to use a capo on my 5 string to move keys before. I play in a cover band that tries to play as per studio, or some designated live recording. It’s more the classic fills that are hard to “find”. For audience appreciation some lines need duplication rather that interpretation, like The Song Remains the Same, and The Ocean. And, yes, even with a half step down, numbers work if retuning isn’t an option. It’s all positional. So once the starting point is established, the progressions or lines are relative to that. Thanks for your reply and your well communicated lessons!
Chromatic approach to chord tones
Finding notes by ear?
I have a lesson on that exact thing right here Marlon: th-cam.com/video/K2zDO2ITmvs/w-d-xo.html
Does this guide only talk about modes?
Does it not teach anything more about theory other than just modes?
I want to come up with my own music so I need to know theory, but people will need to know more than just modes.
Modes are the fastest way of making bass lined. I find them more useful than chord tones.
Rockman. You don't need to know theory to compose your own music. Make up tunes and then make up stuff that sounds good with them. Theory just helps you understand what you/others did a bit better.