How to Play Bass For Beginners - 5 Great Aston Family Man Barrett Bass Lines You Should Learn

How to Play Bass For Beginners - 5 Great Aston Family Man Barrett Bass Lines You Should Learn

If you are a bass guitar beginner learning how to play bass, once you've started to get your left and right hand technique co-ordination together you should graduate immediately to songs. Bob Marley tunes are great ones for bass beginners - they combine simple, melodic bass lines with an interesting rhythmic sensibility.

The bass player for Bob Marley was a guy called Aston Barrett, often known by his nickname of 'Family Man.'
Here are 5 great Bob Marley tunes you should learn to play that will help develop your song vocabulary, and are a heap of fun to play too.

1. Stir It Up

This is a really simple bass line. But playing through the song will teach you a great lesson for bass guitarists - which is to learn the parts of a song and then deliver them time after time with verve and feeling. Sometimes as bass guitarists we are called upon to play simple and repetitive lines. It's a good habit to get into to start learning to do that now and make those lines groove like crazy.

2. Jamming

Jamming is a shuffle or 12:8 feel bass line. Again it's not particularly complex, but is great fun to play. I've gigged this both in the original Bob Marley style, and also in a 'smooth jazz' style similar to saxophonist Grover Washington's great version of the tune.

3. Get Up Stand Up

Great song. Great bass line. Again this is not too complex, but mastering the rhythm will help develop your rhythmic sensibility. And the line in the verse is oh so simple, but so melodic. This is one of those tunes that just flat out feels good to play.

4. I Shot The Sheriff

This isn't one of my favourite Marley tunes. But I decided to include it because it can be played in several different ways so you should learn it. I've gigged it as a reggae tune, faithful to the Bob Marley version, as a rock tune - like Eric Clapton's version) and as a reggae flavoured smooth jazz tune where the format of the song lends itself to alternating melodies with solos, all punctuated by the G Minor Pentatonic Riff that closes each cycle out.

5. Is This Love

This IS one of my favourite Marley tunes. Again it has a loping, shuffle feel. Learning this one will teach you some interesting rhythms (swing 8th notes, quarter note triplets) and help develop your melodic sensibility. This is another great fun tune to play.

Summary

Family Man's bass lines are great for beginners to learn. As well as these tunes you'll find another 14 great Aston Barrett bass lines in the book Bob Marley Bass Collection. For more on the history of reggae bass lines you should check Ed Friedland's book Reggae Bass.