Show off songs

[penguinskater77]

I was just curious to know what song you play to impress non-musical people. when my friends ask me to play a well known song and i play the bass part for it, they ussually respond with something like "what?!..thats not the song":angry: . So i was looking for recomendations on some very melodic or just "show off" songs that you play on your bass. Normally i wouldnt care if people thought i was good but it would be nice to play something that is guaranteed to make people think "Wow hes good" . Ive been playing bass for a year and a half now so im pretty sure i can handle the songs you recommend as long as it is not something like Classical Thump and such. Thanks in advance:thumb:

[thelowsoundofbass]

who cares, i don't like showing off. leave that for egotistical guitarists

lowsound

[BenJammin]

Melodic, eh? Well, I'll hit up the obvious ones before people beat me to it.

Portrait of Tracy - Jaco
Love Thang - Stu Hamm
Moonlight Sonata - Stu Hamm

If nothing else, just muck around with techniques, and make it sound good. A lot of people who don't play instruments don't want to hear senseless wanking, or crazy-fast stuff. They prefer something nice and pleasant, that evokes emotion.

[Ting]

lol, teen town or donna lee maybe?

[Radiobass81]

There is no greater pleasure than this:

"What song is that?"
"I wrote it."
"Wow, nice!"

[thelowsoundofbass]

There is no greater pleasure than this:

"What song is that?"
"I wrote it."
"Wow, nice!"

true, i got that last night when i was doing this tapping thing

lowsound

[penguinskater77]

thanks, ill try the suggestions. Yeah i normally wouldnt care so much about showing off except that when my relatives come over, my mom keeps telling everyone how i play guitar(despite me telling her i play bass). She then insist on me playing something for them. At which point i go blank on what to play for them, since they dont exactly listen the same type of music as i do. Oh well, hopefully these songs will do the trick.

[campkillthemachine]

There is no greater pleasure than this:

"What song is that?"
"I wrote it."
"Wow, nice!"

yeah that is awesome to have happen

try some bass solos....
Anaesthesia (Pulling Teeth) - metallica is a pretty good one i just learned...

or just make stuff up....tapping and stuff makes for good 'show-off-y' stuff becaus it just plain looks cool when ur doin it....

-sean

[bottlerocket]

who cares, i don't like showing off. leave that for egotistical guitarists

lowsound

That's not what he's asking. He's asking for songs people will recognize by the bassline or be impressed with...he's not necessarily showing off to be egotistical.

Longview by Green Day, Carousel by Blink 182, Hysteria and The Groove by Muse, etc.

For more technical stuff, look into stuff by Charles Mingus, Weather Report (Jaco), etc.

-Gav

[blackflagfiend]

maxwell murder by rancid is a great show off song

[Wintermute]

There is no greater pleasure than this:

"What song is that?"
"I wrote it."
"Wow, nice!"

There is.


"What song is that?"
"Huh? Oh... I was just making it up as I went along."
"Wow, nice!"

[Mailman]

true, i got that last night when i was doing this tapping thing

lowsound
Got recordings?

I didn't think you could tap :-/

[bottlerocket]

There is.


"What song is that?"
"Huh? Oh... I was just making it up as I went along."
"Wow, nice!"

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v369/I0Play0Bass/ownedbaby.jpg

-Gav

[thelowsoundofbass]

Got recordings?

I didn't think you could tap :-/

i don't have recordings yet, i can tap just not all that well.

lowsound

[mookie91]

Try some of The Police songs everyone knows Message in a Bottle and Roxanne. ;)

[Chris K]

Right now, I've been playing a lot of Stanley Clarke, so probably some of my stuff that was inspired by him.

[Az_Holl]

Country Music usually gets people going or Miserlou off Pulp Fiction

[Chris K]

Now, doesn't this look like an awesome jam....

http://www.stanleyclarke.com/scrapbook/photogal/graham_clarke2.jpg

[MuRd0K]

Jerry was a racecar driver by Primus!

A lot of people always say "I have heard that, but I didn't knew it was the bass!". It's an amazing song to show-off.

People aren't very impressed by fingerstyle, they are more impressed with slap or tap.

[Alma]

Now, doesn't this look like an awesome jam....

http://www.stanleyclarke.com/scrapbook/photogal/graham_clarke2.jpg

That'd be effin rad.

[BassPlayingPineapple]

Is that Larry Graham and ?

[BassVirtuoso]

Larry Graham and Blacks Blackerson

[Polyamarous]

Beer - Reel Big Fish

[BassPlayingPineapple]

Larry Graham and Blacks Blackerson

James Jamerson?

[Teh Glees0rz]

That's not what he's asking. He's asking for songs people will recognize by the bassline or be impressed with...he's not necessarily showing off to be egotistical.

Longview by Green Day, Carousel by Blink 182, Hysteria and The Groove by Muse, etc.

For more technical stuff, look into stuff by Charles Mingus, Weather Report (Jaco), etc.

-Gav

I love playing that song. It so groovy :p

[basgitarist]

you should sing and play something at the same time. I was very impressed when I swa larry graham sing and play everyday people in this clip. Though the part he plays isn't very difficult. It's just that he has so much groove. That guy just IS funky.

[basgitarist]

btw isn't that stanley clarke?

[SixnStones]

i thought that was larry graham??

[katana_manatee]

I think it is Stanley Clarke and Larry Graham.

[basgitarist]

i thought that was larry graham??I mean the other one of course :thumb:

[katana_manatee]

Defo Clarke and Graham. Just look at the Alembic for a start.

[Chameleon]

Yeah, us Scots know our black, famous bassists.

I mean really..."james jamerson"? NOOOOOOOB.

[the_uber_penguin]

Try some Iron Maiden: Wrathchild or Infinite Dreams or something like that.

[BassPlayingPineapple]

Defo Clarke and Graham. Just look at the Alembic for a start.

Oh yeah, course. Sorry it's 'cos Bass Virtusuo said it was "Black Blackerson" so i thought he meant James Jamerson.

[Chameleon]

^ or not.

Let's just come out and say what people really find impressive: slap and tap. If you're like Sade, you'll milk that for all it's worth and do them at the same time...if you're much more lazy, you'll do one or the other. And difficult Primus, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten, Level 42 will drop a jaw or two if that's what you really want to do.

[Radiobass81]

There is.


"What song is that?"
"Huh? Oh... I was just making it up as I went along."
"Wow, nice!"
Yeah, but you forget those [songs] :upset:.

[Frankw]

Try Level 42 - Dune tune

:)

[Clunge]

Futurism by Muse and Maybe I'm A Leo by Deep Purple.

:cool:

[burntgorilla]

Futurism by Muse and Maybe I'm A Leo by Deep Purple.

:cool:

Where do you get Futurism? I remember downloading it ages ago, but now I've gone all honest and buy albums, which means I can't find this song. Is it a B side off some obscure single?

[Sade]

If you people were actually serious about impressing people you wouldn't have to play other people's songs to do it.

I mean, is it that hard to play a fast, chromatic run down the neck? If you can play somebody elses fast, chromatic run down the neck, you can play your own.

Get some imagination people, just play your own crap.