Covers you can use the trem.

A good chance that no one here has heard of the band "The Call" and the song they did called
"The River" but my band is playing it and it has some real great tremelo use.

Anyone got some songs they can list that aren't totally obscure and the trem can be applied?
List 'em please. Hell. I'll go to YouTube and learn them if they groove. Thanks in advance.

Man....that's a toughy, since there aren't too many examples of bass trem usage in songs. Again, another reason for my board here, because I want that to change!

One small example that comes to mind would be the ending of Motley Crue's version of the old Brownsville Station tune Smokin' In The Boys Room. At the very end of the song, you hear Nikki Sixx do this little bass line that ends with him holding a chord, and giving his trem a little drop, then back up.

Another tune, albeit a bit obscure, would be Heartbreak Boulevard by the 80's metal band Shotgun Messiah. Just before the guitar solo, the bass and drums do this little groove, and it sounds to me like the bass player is using a trem to drop his low string in alternating moves. But he isn't. He just played a downward progression that sounded like it. So back when I was in a hair metal cover band that did this tune, I used to drop the note with my trem.

Usually when I apply trem usage to a song, it's a matter of throwing a quick little left turn out there in the middle of everything. And when my guitarist Andy does a solo, I will sometimes follow him on tremolo drops just to break it up a little more. And so, I end up re-interpreting the vast majority of cover tunes I play in order to put my personal signature on them. The funny thing is, I usually find tons of places to place trem usgae in cover tunes, but I think this has to do with my approach to bass in general. I'm always trying to think outside the lines, while still holding the groove.

Cobrari, do you have a copy of the Call tune? I'd really like to hear it sometime.

Rouch Cutt--Black Widow. You could do a dive at the end of the bass solo in the Who's Success Story, where John just does a slide down the neck. I think there's a little vibrato (on a short scale Alembic) used in 905 as well. That's all I can think of. Black Widow's the only song that comes to mind where a Kahler is used as part of the melody. Oh! Maybe some Primus tunes?

That song by "The Call" is "In the River" from the LP "Into the Woods".

But here is what I need to do...
I am going to finally figure out how to post more than just text... you know, pics, cut and paste, links,
YouTube videos, get an Avatar etc.
I haven't ever done any of that so I can see it is time I learned.
I would like to post me playing the HipShot tremelo but I am going to have to get help from my wife 'cause she knows how. I am old school. I think the latest modern electronic device I have is the cell phone. Haha!

You'll need to show us some time. I've never heard of the band or the song before!

Chowderboots wrote:

Rouch Cutt--Black Widow.

Still love that song...

Yeah! Me, too!

Heh, the bass tone alone is epic.

Agreed. I've seen live footage of him using an L2000 or a similar bass with dual EMG Ps and a Kahler. Wicked heavy.

Sounds like I'd dig it!

I would think any New Order song it could used on since the bass is basically playing the melody and the bass part is held down by the keyboards.