Jackson's performance of "Billie Jean" on the TV special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever won acclaim and was nominated for an Emmy Award. It introduced a number of Jackson's signatures, including the moonwalk, black sequined jacket, high-water pants, and was widely imitated. The "Billie Jean" music video, directed by Steve Barron, was the first video by a black artist to be aired in heavy rotation on MTV. Along with the other videos produced for Thriller, it helped establish MTV's cultural importance and make music videos an integral part of popular music marketing. The spare, bass-driven arrangement of "Billie Jean" helped pioneer what one critic called "sleek, post-soul pop music". It also introduced a more paranoid lyrical style for Jackson, a trademark of his later music. "Billie Jean" was awarded honors including two Grammy Awards and an American Music Award. Remember, the best method is the one that works best for you.In a list compiled by Rolling Stone and MTV in 2000, the song was ranked as the sixth greatest pop song since 1963. This is the advice I was given, how I use it and what I pass on when I teach. I've been playing for 35+ years and I had my problems with cramping early on too. Keep your left hand relaxed a bit and caress then neck don't choke it. Many beginners experience hand fatigue and cramping because they're gripping the neck too tightly. The key to this line and other repetitive or walking bass line is to strengthen your pinky and use it instead of the ring finger to reduce hand movement along the neck and to roll your wrist and your thumb position as you cross the fret board to reach higher notes. I found the key to reducing hand or finger fatigue and cramping is to rotate the thumb position slightly from a lower position along the side of the neck to up along the side of the fret board as you stretch to the higher strings rolling your wrist as you play the line. As was suggested you can use the open D string to begin the chorus if you wish and just fret E and F# to give your hand a break. So it's essentially a 3 fret box shaped line where you root using the index and then alternate with the pinky up and back down the line. For the main bass pattern of the song it's index finger on the F#, pinky to the C#, index to E, pinky to high F# and then back down the line again, E = index, C# = pinky, B = index, and C# = pinky and then of course the same line rooting on B when the chord shifts. I haven't done this one in years so I just picked up my bass to watch how I actually play it.Įverybody has there own way but for beginner I would suggest this. Is that correct ? Do I just need to insist and continue practicing the song until I can play it all, in spite of the pain at first ? If I stop playing and let the arm rest a few seconds I can start playing again with no problems, and I can go on playing anything else, which so far has led me to thing it's simply a matter of building strength in a muscle I don't use all that much for other lines. The pain is basically muscle pain, in the forearm, right above the bone (with the arm hanging relaxed it would be on the outside of the forearm, away from the body). I've never been able to play over 3 minutes in total. If it's the first time I play the line I can make it (maybe) to bar 100 or so, around after the second chorus. It's only THIS song that's giving me a headache.well, an ARM ache. I play with friends on weekends, 2 to 5 hours at a time, and I believe I have a good hand position, for even after playing for 2 hours non-stop I never have any pain whatsoever. Reviving a dead thread: I am also a novice player, and although I can easily play this line, my hand hurts SO bad after the first verse already that I think I need advice to correct whatever I'm doing wrong.
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