Trouble in Mind

This lesson is part of the course Bass with Zoe Guigueno.

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Learn to play upright bass from scratch with advice on right- and left-hand technique and in-depth lessons on playing bass patterns, scales, and melodies in most common keys. With bass lines from great roots music songs so you can play along.

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Getting Started with the Bass, Part 3: Pulling the String

Learn how to get a sound from the bass, by “pulling” the string with the side of your index finger, from the tip to the second knuckle. Zoe gives you advice on where to place your thumb against the side of the fingerboard, how to pull through the string and rest on the adjacent string, and getting different sounds out of the bass, depending on where you place your finger. She also shows you how to use your middle finger, both on its own and alternating with your index finger.

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The Bass Subscription Includes:

A step-by-step approach to learning upright bass from scratch
33 extensive video lessons
Essential right- and left-hand technique lessons
23 complete songs and tunes in a variety of keys
Chord-and-lyric sheets to all songs
High-quality video with multiple camera angles so you can see closeups of both hands in action
Play-Along Tracks so you can practice what you’ve learned

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TROUBLE IN MIND

Trouble in Mind

“Trouble in Mind” Play-Along Track

Trouble in Mind

The eight-bar blues “Trouble in Mind” is popular with blues, jazz, and folk musicians, and there are many recorded versions of the song. The bass line you’ll learn here is based on the feel from Nina Simone’s recording of the song at the 1969 Newport Jazz Festival: a slow, bluesy 12/8 shuffle groove. Before she shows you the bass line, Zoe explains the 12/8 feel, which is really 4/4 with all the quarter notes divided into triplets. Then she shows you how to articulate the basic line she uses on all the chords (A, D, and E, the I, IV, V chords in A). Zoe also shows you a few variations on the basic pattern, and how to vary them as you play through the song.

"Trouble in Mind" Bass Line (Available to subscribers)

Trouble in Mind" Lyrics (Available to subscribers)

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