Bass Tab :: Rancid - Detroit

This bassline by Matt Freeman of Rancid is actually a lot simpler than it sounds. The hard part is the speed. The intro is fast to begin with, but then the tempo speeds up throughout the song. The trick is to start by practicing it very slowly and then working up to the speed of the record.

The intro figure is based on a mixolydian scale in E, which major scale with a flat 7th. It's not as complicated as it sound, E is the V chord of A, which is the key of the song. If you play an A major starting on the E, you get the mixolodian scale. The best part is the begining of the second measure, where a countapuntal texture is created. The C#s form one melody and the G# to A a second one.

The verse is more of a ska bass riff, and the toughest part is getting the decending figure at the end of the 4 bar figure.

Bass Tab :: The Wallflowers - Bleeders

The Wallflowers' Bringing Down the Horse is one of my favorite records, and a lot of it has to do with the awesome chemistry between bassist Greg Richling and drummer Matt Chamberlain. It's a great album to listen to for locking in with the drummer.

This transcription is one of Greg's more melodic lines on the record, for the track Bleeders. I can't quite hear what is going on in the last two measures... not sure if the A and the B are in correct octaves, but it sounds good either way. This is the intro and the verse:

Bass Tab :: Ella Fitzgerald - What Are You Doing New Year's Eve

I learned this tune several weeks back for a Christmas show. I only transcribed the first verse, the second turnaround, and the bridge section. Not sure who the bass player is. Hopefully by next Christmas I'll get the other verses.

Bass Tab :: Fugazi - Waiting Room

Fugazi was one of the first bands I got into in high school, and Joe Lally definitely got me interested in playing the bass.

My favorite bass line is "Waiting Room," here is the basic riff: