Learning to play a song - Black Sunshine - White Zombie

So this is going to be a little series I guess I'm doing, where I'm going to talk about my experiences whilst trying to learn a new song or write riffs or something. So since I've started this now, I'm going to talk about my experiences with learning Black Sunshine by White Zombie.

Black Sunshine is extremely complex, I mean simple. It's just a couple of riffs played over and over again. This seems incredibly monotonous and boring but it actually isn't. This one can be played with either a pick or with the fingers. I prefer playing with the fingers, just sounds better to my ears. Anyway, the first main riff is literally only 4 notes, all played on the E string. It's all quavers played in a 6/4 time signature at 168 tempo. The riff goes as so, if you were looking at a tab,: 
E-0-3-5-0-3-5-0-3-5-0-6-5.
As I said, played as quavers in a 6/4 time signature means that this track is pretty fast.

Now that riff plays for quite some time, until the new riff comes in. Obviously. However this riff isn't just the same but played on a different string. It's still played as quavers etc etc. But, this riff has 3 more notes that the last one. A whole 3 more notes. This riff goes as such, again as if your were looking at a tab:
D--------------------------5---
A-0-3-5-0-5-6-0-5-6-7---6-
E-------------------------------

Yeah, pretty simple but still enjoyable to play.

There is one more main riff to this track, it is again very simple but very enjoyable to play. This however doesn't come in until much later in the track, and it only comes in for this section. It goes as so:

A------5-----7-----5------7------
E-0-0---0-0---0-0---0-0---6-7-

This is basically all the entire song is, it is simple yet enjoyable. Although it is unrelenting and is a real test of stamina if you are playing with your fingers.

Now, I shall definatley be doing more of these as I progress with either learning songs, or writing riffs etc. But, for now, I think that this will do. Also, all music will be shown through tab format as it is very difficult to post music on blogger.

Thanks for reading.
- The Mad Bassist


                                      All music and tab transcription belongs to White Zombie and their affiliates.

Bass. A bit boring? Not really.

The idea of a bassist in a band, that being metal in my experience, is to help keep the rhythm and pace of the song. It's very rare to see a bassist, in modern music, stray away from playing all the root notes and actually play something interesting. I think that a bassist should have as much freedom as a lead guitarist does when it comes to fills and playing something that is not only a bit more technical than playing root notes, but is also very enjoyable to play.

Seriously, a bassist should enjoy playing bass and shouldn't be pigeonholed into just keeping rhythm, just look a Black Sabbath. N.I.B. has one of the most awesome bass intros that I have ever heard. Also, look at the remake of Testament's Souls of Black, some serious skill is required to play that and enjoy it. Just watch this clip of how you should be enjoying playing a bass.

I mean come on guys! Alan Partridge is showing you how you should be when playing bass, not one of those boring bassists who sticks to playing root notes and stands on the spot not moving like a wally.

A bassist is still an integral part of a band, even if your band mates don't make you feel like this is right. No matter your genre and no matter your play style, you should just have fun and start slappin da bass like a boss.

Goodnight bassists of the world.

    - The Mad Bassist

                                                                     This video is copyright of BBC England