The “Billie Jean” bassline. Just the name sends shivers down the spine of many beginner bass players. I’d heard whispers of this legendary lesson, a trial by fire in the online bass course I was taking at payoffsong.com. Naturally, a wave of nervousness washed over me as I approached it. Looking at the sheet music, a deceptive thought crept in: “Eight notes? Seriously? How hard can this ‘Billie Jean Song’ be?” Oh, how wrong I was.
Clicking play on the video where Josh, the instructor, breaks it down, reality hit hard. His pace, even at the supposed “slow” setting, felt like warp speed. I was instantly lost, fingers stumbling, brain struggling to keep up. Pause, rewind, repeat – this became my mantra. Explanations that seemed crystal clear in theory dissolved into a confusing mess when I tried to translate them to my bass. Honestly, I felt like I was drowning in a sea of eighth notes. By the end of that first video session, a wave of discouragement washed over me. For the first time in the entire course, the thought flickered: “Maybe this ‘billie jean song’ lesson is just too much. Should I just skip it and pretend it never happened?”
Thankfully, before giving in to despair, I did what any modern learner does – I turned to the internet. Searching for “billie jean song bass lesson beginner help,” I stumbled upon forum threads filled with similar tales of woe and eventual triumph. Reading about other beginners facing the same struggle with this iconic bassline was strangely comforting and motivating. Inspired by their perseverance, I decided to give “billie jean song” another shot.
The next morning, armed with newfound determination (and a cup of strong coffee), I picked up my bass. The key, I realized, was SLOW. Excruciatingly slow. I focused solely on the first eight notes of the “billie jean song” bassline, practicing at a snail’s pace. To my utter surprise, muscle memory started to kick in. My left hand, which had felt completely foreign the day before, began to remember the pattern. Mistakes were still plentiful, but by drastically reducing the tempo, I could actually identify and correct them. I drilled the first four notes repeatedly, then the second four, each time painstakingly slow. Finally, I attempted to string them together.
And it worked! This morning, I managed to play the first eight notes of the “billie jean song” bassline. It was painfully slow, around 30 bpm, but it was clean, and it was progress. Victory! Deciding to capitalize on this small win, I stopped there. I wanted to end on a positive note, avoiding the frustration that had threatened to derail me completely. This evening, I plan to revisit the “billie jean song” lesson, picking up where I left off. My immediate goal isn’t to play along with Josh’s slow workout video – not yet. First, I need to memorize the part where the bassline shifts to the G-string. If I can conquer those next sections at my super-slow pace tonight, it will be another significant step forward in my “billie jean song” journey. Fingers crossed for tonight’s practice session!
