Playing the bass in a punk rock band isn't necessarily about flowing scales and immaculate technique but rather about pounding down a hard driving rhythm that anchors and rallies the rest of the band and the audience around the band.
Punk is a highly energetic genre with a lot to say – and for that reason it is important to practice speed, rhythm, and timing before setting out to be a proficient punk bassist. Following are a few choice selections that should be easy to practice, with fairly easy to hear basslines being present in the recording as well as accurate and easy tablature.
Punk Rock Riot, Old School Flair With a New School Edge
A discussion of punk can't really be had without mentioning some of the artists from the genres formative years in popular music – one of the most prominent bands being The Clash. One of their most recognizable tunes, “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?”, has not only been feature in recent music rhythm games such as the Rock Band and Guitar Hero series – having enthralled legions of fans in decades previous with a simple message of rebellion and standing tall against the status quo.
“Should I Stay Or Should I Go” is a fairly easy song to learn on the bass guitar, with very little variation
One of their biggest hits and earliest pieces, “Blitzkrieg Bop”, is both amazingly fun to play but is also very approachable for bassists learning the strings.
One of the standout bands in recent years with regard to the punk genre is The Offspring, having hit it big with the album Smash in 1994 and having been very commercially successful afterwards. While many fans of the band, and the punk genre as a whole, feel that The Offspring recorded their best material up until Ixnay on the Hombre – their influence continues to be known in an increasingly commercialized genre.
One of the best songs by The Offspring is also the easiest to play - “Gotta Get Away” is a gem from the Smash album that is relatively easy to play and sounds fantastic.
In True Punk Fashion
Punk is a genre that is currently struggling with it's image – a great deal of the cultural rebellion espoused by punk rockers up into the 1990's has shifted towards a harsher, more brutal sound found in forms of extreme metal and hardcore.
This is not to say that the punk movement is dead; thousands of indie bands exist across the globe that are pumping out amazing punk anthems that capture the spirit of counterculture and resistance in the same fashion as those artists who came before.
By learning a few classic punk songs, and perhaps becoming a bassist in a punk band yourself, you will be contributing to a larger narrative and a subculture steeped in youthful energy and rejection of the ordinary.
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