Good Bass Songs to Learn for Beginners

Embarking on the journey of learning the bass guitar opens the door to a world of musical expression and collaboration. As a beginner, selecting the right songs to learn is crucial for building a solid foundation and staying motivated. This article presents a curated list of bass songs that are both accessible to beginners and enjoyable to play, drawing upon insights from experienced bassists and educational resources.

Introduction

Learning bass guitar can be incredibly rewarding. To help you on your journey, we've compiled a list of songs perfect for beginners. These songs will help you grasp the fundamentals of bass playing while keeping you engaged and excited about your progress.

Foundational Bass Lines

1. "She Loves You" by The Beatles

What better way to start your bass guitar journey than with some classic Paul McCartney? Written in C Major, "She Loves You" features a driving beat with minimal repetition, making it ideal for developing stamina and precision. This song employs a dotted half note, quarter note rhythm. Looks are deceiving, "She Loves You" has a fast and driving beat so you need to keep pushing your beginner bass guitar skills and build stamina. You can also play it McCartney-style using a pick, and if you’re so inclined, left-handed.

2. "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes

This next song is a winner and it’s from a band that didn’t have a bass player! Yes, the White Stripes were a duo and notorious for their lack of a bassist in live performances. Written in G Major, the bass line stands out. You have to count! This is a leap into a long, repetitive, yet simple bass guitar part that keeps you on your toes. You learn how to deal with triplets, eight notes, and rhythm variations.

3. "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream

Few songs with bass are as recognizable as Jack Bruce’s iconic track on “Sunshine of Your Love.” It’s the beating engine of the song, sticks in your head, and is just darn fun to play. It’s a strong bass line. A new key and techniques. Explore new rhythms. The part requires stamina and precision. Beginner bass guitar players will find it’s not hard to play but it is hard to play it right and keep it going for 110+ measures.

4. "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple

Rock music is interesting because it embraces characteristics from all different genres. “Smoke on the Water” is actually a four-note blues scale, and it introduces our first key with flats - G Minor. Repetitive eighth notes. The blues scale brings a different sound. Octaves galore. “Smoke on the Water” contains over 1,200 notes!

5. "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen

Here’s another classic that will be hard to get out of your head, and the best part is that the song was written by Queen’s bassist, John Deacon, making it a prime example of a hit song with good bass. The song uses a pentatonic scale. Introducing a minor key. A clean but sophisticated rhythm. “Another One Bites the Dust” introduces new challenges for the beginner bass guitar player including an alternate tuning for the bass, the E Minor key, and advanced rhythms yet it remains approachable.

Exploring Repetitive Bass Lines

6. "Message in a Bottle" by The Police

It’s time to experience the monotony of being a bassist. Message in a Bottle is a great driving rock song written by a bassist, Sting, with a repetitive bass line that has two sections with four notes each. The song uses a true bass line. It’s time to turn on the speed. Watch the guy who wrote it, play it! For this song to work, it has to have a driving beat. If you slow it down or fall out of sync with the drummer, the song breaks quickly.

7. "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd

When it comes to rock ballads, Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” is right at the top of the list, and the best part is that the simplistic bass line is prominent throughout. The song has a solid rhythm. Practice those dotted eight sixteenth pairings. A dotted eight note paired with a sixteenth note is ubiquitous in bass notation. Build those fingers with slides! The key of C Major (2 sharps) and a tempo of 64 beats per minute don’t pose any particular problem for the aspiring bassist. The challenge comes from the over 6-minute song duration-that’s a long haul for untrained fingers on both hands.

Introducing Rests and Alternate Tunings

8. "Baba O'Riley" by The Who

Every bassist needs a Who song in their repertoire, and this one is a good starter. Learn to deal with extended rests. Bass players have to learn to count rests and “Baba O’Riley” starts with 60 measures worth. There are rests, rhythms, whole notes, and more. Simplicity helps you focus.

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9. "When I Come Around" by Green Day

One quality that defines an experienced rock bassist is the ability to play recognizable riffs, and the repeating two-bar bass riff in “When I Come Around” is as recognizable as it gets. It’s Green Day after all. Just 2 bars to drill into your head. Experience alternate tunings. You don’t often have to tune your bass differently but it does come up from time to time. Once you learn the riff, you still have to deal with the fast tempo and the alternate tuning.

Delving into Funk and Blues

10. "James Brown" by James Brown

Let’s end our top 10 with James Brown’s biggest hit, often cited as one of the bess bass songs for getting into funk. This classic 12-bar blues riff drifts over into Brown's famous funk, honoring the contributions of influential Black musicians. You can play it comfortably at Brown’s original 144 BPM or test your metal at his more raucous recording speed of 195. The blues is where it’s at. Learning to play the blues is one of the most important skills for a bassist. Let’s move further up the fingerboard. Simple but challenging. You may feel intimidated whenever you break away from standard rock chord structures, but in this song, you can work on the blues and infuse some funk.

Additional Beginner-Friendly Songs

1. "Come As You Are" by Nirvana

The second single from the influential album, Nevermind, "Come As You Are" was a huge success for Nirvana. Recorded in only a few takes, the guitar and bass riff is instantly recognizable.

2. "I Love Music" by The O'Jays

R&B vocal group the O’Jays have been active since 1958 and are known for their soulful harmonies. In the ‘70s they had many hit singles including “Love Train,” “Back Stabbers,” and “Now That We Found Love.”

3. "She Talks to Angels" by The Black Crowes

1990's Shake Your Money Maker brought Southern rock back into the forefront, as The Black Crowes rattled off hit after hit, including the soaring "She Talks to Angels." The bluesy ballad rose to No. 1 on the US Album Rock Tracks chart and No. 30 on the Hot 100. Songwriters Chris and Rich Robinson tugged on the heartstrings with their emotional lyrics recounting people they knew from the Atlanta rock club scene. Try your hand at this tune in this lesson, where you'll work on finger placement and alternate plucking.

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4. "Boom Boom" by John Lee Hooker

You've probably heard some iteration of John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom," as the 1962 track was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of "The Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll," and it was also inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame. The Detroit artist created a signature boogie rhythm style that still resonates today.

5. "Longview" by Green Day

"Longview" is the main single from Green Day's third album Dookie. The song was their first single to hit the top of the Modern Rock chart in the US and was their entrance into mainstream popularity.

6. "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" by Meghan Trainor

Meghan Trainor's R&B-infused pop tunes proved irresistible to audiences, giving her a number one album, Title, in 2015, which produced the hits "All About that Bass," "Lips Are Movin," and "Like I'm Gonna Lose You," a duet with John Legend.

7. "La Grange" by ZZ Top

Blues-rock trio ZZ Top introduced Texas boogie to the public with a series of hits in the '70s and '80s. The biggest of which might just be "La Grange," which appeared on the 1973 album Tres Hombres. It actually calls back to Hooker's "Boom Boom" in the line "a-how-how-how-how," and the traditional rhythm has been heard in a few blues songs that preceded it. "La Grange" has three distinct bass lines that feature various rhythms and range from playing the open string to the 7th fret.

8. "Phone Booth" by Robert Cray

Fender Play instructor Pete Griffin runs you through bass techniques like string muting, eighth not rhythms and the notorious thumb slap in this lesson for Robert Cray's "Phone Booth." The song put the Stratocaster slinger on the map with contemporary blues fans with his soulful vocals and melding of blues, soul, gospel and jazz.

9. "Push It" by Salt-N-Pepa

If you're in the mood for some classic hip-hop, look no further than Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It," which pushed the all-female group to massive commercial success in the early and mid 1990's. If you're not up to speed on string muting, alternate plucking and raking on your bass, this lesson is where it's at.

10. "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" by The Ramones

Punk pioneers the Ramones influenced legions of musicians by stripping rock music down to its core and playing at speedy tempos with contagious ferocity. But to play the bassline from "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker," along with all other Ramones tracks, you'll need a pick and the ability to downstroke with reckless abandon.

Tips for Learning Bass

Start with the basics: Master fundamental techniques like finger placement, plucking, and basic rhythms before tackling complex songs.
Use online resources: Fender Play and other online platforms offer lessons and tabs that can help you learn songs quickly and accurately.
Practice regularly: Consistent practice, even for short periods, is more effective than sporadic long sessions.
Play with others: Jamming with other musicians is a great way to improve your timing and develop your musical ear.
Listen actively: Pay attention to the bass lines in your favorite songs and try to identify the notes and rhythms being played.
Be patient: Learning bass takes time and effort. Don't get discouraged if you don't see results immediately.

The Importance of a Good Bassist

The role of the bassist is often understated, but a skilled bassist is essential to the sound and feel of a band. As Paul McCartney and John Deacon prove, bassists can be musical heroes. Basslines can be the engine of a song.

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