Question of the Week: What’s the hardest bass line you’ve ever learned?

This one’s all about the bragging rights…

What’s the hardest bass line you’ve ever learned (and pulled off)?

Answer below in the comments, or on our Facebook page.

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  1. Louis

    Probably the Donna Lee head (Pastorius’ speed)

  2. bassalyer

    Darling Dear-Jackson 5 (the master, James Jamerson)

  3. Brian

    YYZ-Rush From the Moving Pictures Album

  4. “Hardest” is relative e.g. in my early learning phase I learned several complete Rush songs “Grand Designs” and “Turn The Page”. These days I’m more interested in musically-interesting bass work, rather than raw difficulty. Which is another way of saying I’m getting old …

  5. Jukka

    Actual Proof was pretty hard or (Used to Be) Cha Cha to play as originals at same tempo and with same energy

  6. Shane

    Probably Fight Fire With Fire or Disposable Heroes (Original Tempo).

    Currently learning Holy Wars (Punishmnet Due)

    And I don’t play with a plectrum, for the record.

  7. Erik

    Well I don’t know about actual difficulty since I play a lot of jazz and blues and therefore improvise 99% of the time. But I have played all of Rush’s 2112 of the ablum 2112 note for note at a gig. Haha 20 minutes of trying to remember what comes next…

  8. Bass Miller

    There’s a Kevin Eubanks tune called “The Sting,” where the bass plays the melody in unison with the guitar. It’s probably the fastest latin tune I’ve ever heard in my life and holding the groove on the tune is ridiculous.

  9. bigmays

    Endangered Species – Wayne Shorter

  10. Mark campagna

    Cult of personality living colour

  11. Coire

    I learned the first minute and a half of “Classical Thump” by Victor Wooten and played it in a cover of “Tommy the Cat” by Primus in place of Les’ solo.

  12. Joaobass

    Hands down, Teen Town. Still working on the Marcus Miller version.

  13. sterling

    The Marcus miller version of teen town

  14. hmmmm…..there are so many and some good tunes already put forth here. i’m gonna go to the waaay back mochine and pick “tarkus’ by ELP. although, gettin’ “got a match” up to speed is my current demon.

    L8r,

    peecnlub,
    k-dub

  15. donna lee or confirmation head, they’re both really hard, jaco speed or slow.

  16. Faissal Itani

    So Far….

    “What’s Going On?” – Marvin Gaye

    James Never plays a a single part the same so it keeps you on your toes :)

  17. Tim

    Tommy The Cat. Took me YEARS.

  18. Rick

    Groovaleagance…..Skeet’s runs don’t sound that complicated, until you try them!

  19. All of them if you want to play them right it’s not about just notes it’s about feel!

  20. James

    The last two I’ve learned I would say, All Choked Up in Grease. It’s deceptively simple. with some wicked fills. The other is Bloodmeat by Protest the Hero, the middle section has two octave arpeggio tapping and it’s killer at the tempo in the tune.

  21. GaryDaBassman

    Avalon by Natalie Cole. Nearly all 1/8 notes played at 240 bps.

  22. Kid Charlemagne – I’ve been playing it for years and still amn’t happy with it!

  23. Dafunky1

    I have 2: “Actual Proof” by the HeadHunters (Paul Jackson) and “Glide” by Pleasure (Nathaniel Phillips).

  24. Jimmy

    Anesthesia pulling teeth and Jerry was a race car driver

  25. OkBoomer

    (Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth.