How To Learn Songs On Bass: The Easiest, Fastest SYSTEM I Use To Memorize Songs With Minimal Effort

On one hand, learning songs on bass can be really hard if you don’t know how to approach it. You just end up trying to remember seemingly random sequences of notes. If you have to learn more than one song at a time, you might find yourself mixing them up with each other or playing part of one song in another. If you ever need to play a song in a different key, you’d need to relearn the whole song from scratch...

Total nightmare.

On the other hand, if you have a system for learning and remembering songs, life is easy. Instead of trying to remember hundreds of different sequences of notes, you only need to remember key song ‘formulas’. Need to change the key? It’s not a problem for you since you learned the underlying structure of the song, not the individual notes.

This also means that you can learn songs rapidly - and sometimes without even having your bass in your hands.

This might sound like a pipe dream, but I promise you, it’s not. Using the methods I talk about in this lesson, you should be able to cut down your time learning new songs by 50% - and that’s being conservative. I know because I’ve done it.

I remember the first time I had to learn a whole gig worth of songs in a few days. It took me almost every waking moment to learn all the songs - and even then I struggled on the gig.

If I did the same thing now though, it would only take me a fraction of the time. Maybe a lazy couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon. That’s the power of having a system for learning songs.

Using this system also means that you can learn a song in one key and then play it in whatever key you want. If you’ve ever worked with singers, you’ll know how fond they can be of changing the key.

If you know the hidden structure of the song though, you don’t have to relearn anything - you simply plug the numbers into the new key and away you go.

You’ll notice that when I went through and learned a song from scratch, I didn’t even play a note until I had figured out the underlying structure of the song. This is deliberate! You always want to think in terms of the bigger picture rather than the individual notes.

This can be tricky if you don’t understand how keys and the number system work though. If that sounds like you, then I’d recommend checking out my Ultimate Guide To The Modes For Bass. The number system and the mode system go basically hand-in-hand.

Each of the 7 notes of the major scale are associated with 7 chords and 7 scales or ‘modes’. When you see past all the jargon, it’s actually quite simple - and that’s what I show you in the Ultimate Guide To The Modes.

It’s 100% free, and to get it, just go here:

Fill out the form on that page and I’ll send it straight to your email address. You can get started with it right away.

If you have any questions about anything in the lesson, just drop it in the comments. I’d be happy to help out however I can.

Good luck with the lesson and happy playing!

Cheers,

Luke

P.S. There was a bit of a syncing issue with the audio for the track I was learning, so it's consistently a bit late, but the concept was just too good to not share with you.

P.P.S. Here’s that link for the Ultimate Guide so you can master that number system and learn songs twice as fast:

[treylem]

From the perspective of a guy learning bass in my basement, our vocalist sometimes wants to sing in other keys, this is extremely helpful. Very helpful overall

[donreinholz]

This is a lot to comprehend for a beginner but it makes sense for learning the bass line after one has a better grasp of scales and what number each note is at in that scale. Great video.

[johnkimble]

Incredibly helpful! I came across a bass at a thrift store and am "self teaching" with your videos. Thank you!

[mtp]

When I started playing years ago, I used to write the (root notes) chord symbols on a piece of paper as I was figuring the song out.

Then one day, a friend of mine with some musical theory/education to his credit, told me about the number system, and it made a world of difference.

Now I could play songs I had learned previously in numerous keys.

I could pick up a gig with a band performing 50's music for instance, and they'd call out Teenager in Love in B.

And since I knew it was a
I VI IV V, I knew how to play it in B, even though I learned it in C because of the number system.

I think this video will be very helpful for all those young players currently learning how to quickly learn songs.

And the beauty is that it works on all types of music. You will get some chords borrowed from other keys, but you'll cross that bridge when you come to it.

[erstwhilerambler]

I really enjoyed getting to watch you work through a song. That was cool. I agree with some of the others, though, that it’s a bit overwhelming for beginners. I don’t know how long it was before I learned this, but once I did it definitely made a huge difference.

[gonzachambi]

Thinking in numbers is the best system. Gives oneself much more confidence. Makes everything more practical and simple! Great John Meyer tune by the way, as a song and as an example.

[phoarey]

Thanks Luke. Totally agree. I've akways learnt songs for bass this way over the last 12 years. I don't have the ability to pick the notes by ear but you can get a leg up on Songsterr and tab sources then express it as 1 b3 4 b6 foe example then practice it.

[nyobunknown]

Since I play by ear here's how I learn songs. I listen to the song 2 or 3 times and then play along. Very easy. Playing by ear also makes playing in different keys very easy. That said it took me years to develop that skill.

[SentimentalApe]

I really like the idea of moving songs based on numbers since the shapes are the same everywhere. That seems efficient and helpful.
I have two questions for you, Luke. 1) Is there a good method for getting started with picking notes out? I have a hard time figuring out what note I'm hearing, exactly.
2) Can you do a video for something in the progressive rock genre, like Porcupine Tree, Haken, Opeth, or Iron Maiden?
Thanks. I love your videos and guide to the modes. You've helped invigorate my practice.

[MikeKobb]

Really well presented. Clear, well organized, and helpful. Looking forward to looking at some of your others. Also, gotta love a Spector. :-)

[rickhenry]

Thank you for an interesting introduction to help in playing by ear. I got burnt out on tabs and have been playing by ear or watching other local & studio bands and picked up some really bad habits and hopefully your guide will help me get through this ! Love your Bass !

[anthonyfeltner]

Awesome explaination of the Nash Numb Sys, I really appreciated the reinforcement of learned experience. So much easier when you develop your natural ear. I have been playing for 40+ years, so the information was redundant, but great explanation anyways! Terrific job, keep thumping..

[iknowyouarebutwhatami]

I use the same kind of technique on my mandolin when I'm blazing some bluegrass!!!
Good stuff here!

[schm]

Well done! I like this kind of instruction that takes the fairy dust out of things and boils them down to, well, craftsmanship :-).

[gowerdbrown]

This video was so helpful. You do such a great job at breaking down each song and making it fun to learn bass. I really loved your 5 Beginner Bass Line series. Keep up the great work!

[OffTheDomeMediaGroup]

I'm late to this party. But, There are two key points to learning like this. 1. ear training. You have to be able to recognize the key signature of the song. 2. You have to look at the numbers as intervals also. ie.. the 4 is the 4th note in the major scale. But it's also the 4th to the root note of the song. When you train your ear, you'll start to hear the the intervals. You'll know what a 4th, 5th or an octave sounds like. In the song he's learning, he heard the C note and recognized the the other numbers or intervals due to his ear training as he said.. Awesome video.

[chrislee]

Hi I've been playing keys for years.Melody and rhythm come fast but harmony is slow so I've got into paying bass on keys.Your lessons are excellent, especially this one, I don't actually think in terms of numerals but I can sure feel the notes.I sing and play harmonicas, this will be my new left hand approach. As this is the root of any chords Im already feeling them in the right hand too. The last 2 days have been transformational.Many thanks, and all best wishes.

[obcmissions]

The 3 minor and 6 minor chords are relative minors of the 5 major and 1 major. The overall pattern hasn't changed, just the relative minors are substituted in the same order. Beautiful!

[geofharris]

Great stuff Luke.. this of course leads to the Roman Numerals method (IV or iv) that indicates a major or minor chord.. Also good to see you're using 'Transcribe' software.. the best investment any interrogating musician could wish for - highly recommended and cheap! I couldn't do without it.

[Bassic]

Thank you for a very practical tutorial with a great demonstration!!!