I just got a bass guitar

[BrendonsHomeMovies]

from a friend. so he tells me to learn some songs. I need helpz with easy goodstuffs.

Heres what I think I should learn:

Red Hot Chili Peppers
Black Sabbath
Weezer

Is there anything else or specific songs for techniques? Also where can I find some sites about bass technique cause I know that a lot of the tone comes from the right hand.

Warning: I do not have an amp. Sokay tho.

[irishslappop]

learn the freaky outie technique :p


there's about four basic techniques:
Finger style
Pick playing
Slap/pop
Tapping

it all really depends on your personal preference which you decide to work on first, but generally, most start on finger style or pick style playing before moving on to more diffcult techniques.

[thelowsoundofbass]

Dan speaks the truth. Peppers will be a little too hard for a beginner.

lowsound

[Sammy_L_D]

Start with some Steve Bailey, and move on to some Mingus and Patitucci from there.

[Sablate McNuff]

TS, you'll also need to learn that "Sammy L D" and "Sarcasm" are synonymous.

[Naminator]

Man, I loved starting out playing bass...


You will have loads of fun when you get some bass lines from the peppers..

Can't stop, californifucation, aeroplane e.t.c.

[EADGC]

most RHCP stuff is WAY too hard for a beginner.


you can't go wrong with straight up rock n roll. Think AC/DC.

[rh15951]

Also pop-punk straight 8th notes will help you get timing and speed.

[tomtom]

and you can do heaps with jazz too, that'll get your walking/improvisation up to speed, working from a chord chart and nothing else helps a lot if you know your scales/arpeggios

[oak tree]

I collected a smallish list from a 'songs every bassist should know' thread on talkbass a while back. Its mostly classic rock and a lot will be too hard, but it might help you out a bit.

Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison)
Time Is Tight (Booker T and The MGs)
Tom Sawyer (Rush)
How Many More Times (Led Zeppelin)
Dragon Attack (Queen)
Orion (Metallica)
The Trooper (Iron Maiden)
Cut The Cake (Average White Band)
Back in Black (AC/DC)
The Seeker (The Who)
Sympathy for the Devil (The Rolling Stones)
What's Going On (Marvin Gaye)
Something (Beatles)
What Is Hip? (Tower of Power)

Rage Against The Machine are also a good band to start with, they're fun to play and a beginner can play most of Commerfords lines with a little perseverance. Annoying having to tune down to drop D for most things though.

Oh yes also, 'Hush' by tool has some pretty cool slap and fingerstyle riffs that a beginner should be able to get their head around with a bit of work (although admittedly slap is very hard at first).

And finally: http://www.metronomeonline.com/
Practice with this site (or any other metronome) and watch yourself become a better player.

[muthafunkabass]

Oak tree, I remember the thread. You forgot the best song to come out of that thread!

TS, learn Mustang Sally!

[BenJammin]

Or better yet, give up on bass and learn something else now, while you still have time.

[BrendonsHomeMovies]

thanks everyone. Ive played guitar for a while, i suck but i was getting bored with it and needed seomthign new.

[Jordan_Frerichs]

i got nirvana, ramones, and greenday down easy when i was starting, and had no prior experience. if you want to try slap, that the verse part of "Can't stop" is easy enough to follow once you know the basic teqnique. type "slap lesson" on a youtube search