Bocchi The Rock! has certainly been one of my favourite new series of 2022. It’s not only hilarious, but it was great seeing Bocchi grow over the season. Definitely check out my article where I analyze each episode as a female guitarist in a band.
I recently made a ranking for guitar difficulty, and not long after, someone asked if I could do the same for bass. I’m a late beginner guitarist who has led and played in a band. I’ve only picked up bass a couple times in the past, but guitar and bass have enough similarities that I should be able to gauge it’s difficulty. I have scanned through countless bass tabs to find easy songs for my band to cover, and I also watched lots of Davie504 videos over the pandemic if that counts haha
Like guitar, these songs are definitely NOT beginner level by any means. If you’ve just picked up bass within the last few months and you’re still struggling with simpler or slower songs, you will definitely have a hard time with pretty much every song on this list. You should definitely check out my easy anime songs for bass article in the meantime. Trust me, you’ll have a lot more fun playing these later when you already have a solid foundation.
As of right now, the only Youtube channel that appears to have the bass parts tabbed out for all the songs is Rika [J-pop Channel]. I’ll also still be on the lookout for a Youtuber who covers them all with tabs so you can see how they play it. I’ve also included Songsterr tabs where available so you can look through the tabs in it’s entirety. Do note that there is a possibility of some differences.
As usual, I will also comment on the speed and techniques that will make each songs more or less difficulty. The difficulty rating is more in comparison to other songs on this list.
I decided to just do a 1-5 ranking list instead of 1-10 like I did for guitar as there are less skills required. For guitar, if you can only play a level 2-3 song, you are years away from playing a level 8+ song. Whereas for bass, I feel if you could play a level 2 song on bass, you’re only a few months away from playing the highest level here if you keep practicing and challenging yourself, so I didn’t want to give the wrong impression with a wider range.
I do have other bass articles on my J-music resources page, including easy anime bass songs or funky anime bass songs, so definitely check out those out. I also gotta giving myself a pat on the back for knowing enough Japanese to not have to translate any of the titles 😉 Check out my article on how a little Japanese can help you explore J-music!
And if you’d like to learn more about Japanese music theory so you can understand and create your own Japanese inspired music, check out The Complete Japanese Music Theory Course!
Gambareee!~
General List Of Skills Needed
Like guitar, the bass lines in these songs also have quite a few technical skills that one would need to be familiar or experienced with to be able to take on these songs such as:
-Slides (/ or \)
-Hammer-ons and Pull-offs (H or P)
-Staccato (detached notes. Represented by a dot above the note)
-Occasional Double Stops (2 notes at the same time)
-Comfortable with scales and melodic bass lines
-Able to play different rhythms (Not just solid 8-beat)
-Muting (Fret-hand muting, rests between notes)
-Comfortable playing on all 4 strings
-Will need to travel up to the 16th fret for some songs
Note: I’m aware slapping is a thing for bass, and I do see “X” in some tabs, but since there is no “S” on top of that note (as we see with slides [sl] or hammer-ons [H]), I’m assuming it’s just a muted percussion note. This can be played by gently touching the strings to ensure notes don’t ring out and plucking it normally, as is done on guitar. If you want to style it up with a slap instead, you are free to do so, but I did not consider the difficulty of added slaps when ranking these songs.
If you feel confident in these and can play at the speed of 190 BMP (in 8th notes), then I’m sure the songs below will be a breeze. If not, it may be worth spending time working on exercises so that you can go through the tabs more easily. Definitely check out my Anime Songs with Funky Basslines Article if you’d like other songs to work on these skills with 🙂
Flashbacker
Difficulty: 1/5 | BPM = 77
This is not only the slowest song on the list, but the bass part is pretty simple and repetitive for the most part. At most, you’ll have to work on your muting to be in sync with the rhythm guitar, along with some slides and hammer ons. It does get a little more busy in the latter half, but so does every other song on this list. So if you’re a beginner bassist, this is a great Bocchi The Rock song that I’m sure you can handle, and it will help you practice skills that you will need to play at a faster speed to cover other songs on this list.
Rockn’ Roll, Morning Light Falls On You
Difficulty: 1/5 | BPM = 149 | Songsterr Tabs
It shouldn’t be a surprise that their only cover song is what I would consider their easiest song. The original is by Asian Kung-Fu Generation, which is actually where all the members get their names from. Simpler basslines with 8-beat notes for the majority of the song. There are some hammer-ons and slides, along with more melodic parts, but every song above this will include those traits, so this is the only real chance to get a handle on these techniques at a slower or more comfortable pace
Guitar, Loneliness and Blue Planet
Difficulty: 1.5/5 | BPM = 193 | Songsterr Tabs
Here’s a pretty simple bass song. If you already have your foundation, there’s no complex techniques, nor a bunch of funky beats or various scales or anything like that. When there is a lick, it’s usually quarter notes, and other parts also utilize open strings which gives you some time to move and play even if it’s a little faster.
You’ll be hitting regular 8-beat notes most of the time. There are some slides but not many, and the opening riff repeats, so the only hard part would be playing at the speed required as this song has one of the highest BPMs on their discography.
Never Forget
Difficulty: 2/5 | BPM = 184 | Songsterr Tabs
This song has a lot less variation and tricks than other songs, but it’s definitely not the easiest as it does have some melody in it’s riffs which require some staccato, hammer-ons, double stops, but otherwise, it is definitely a stepping stone when compared to songs lower on this list. I think the weirdest part for some would be the travelling required as you’ll be moving up to the 11th fret.
Watashi Dake Yuurei (Sick Hack)
Difficulty: 2/5 | BPM: 177 | Songsterr Tabs
You’ll notice that when Kikuri plays, she has basslines that never seem to stay in the same place. She really loves adding some melody and groove. However, what makes this song a little easier than other songs is that it is very repetitive. There are no slides, hammer-ons, or slides, so I do feel a beginner with fast enough fingers can learn this short piece in no time.
Distortion!! (Ending 1)
Difficulty: 2.5/5 | BPM = 176 | Songsterr Tabs
This song is pretty easy going until the solo/bridge section in which is gets more funky. Like the one abov, it has quite a few easy parts, but there are slides, rests, and hammer-ons. The staccatos followed by the long slides in the post-chorus can be a bit trippy to a newbie. While it is at a more comfortable BPM, you will be going up and down the strings quite a bit, even utilizing the high G string which is quite rare for guitar tabs.
Outdoor Jam
Difficulty: 3/5 | BPM = 186
This song is very scale heavy, and it utilizes some slides and hammer-ons, and goes quite high on the fretboard, but otherwise, it’s not too complex nor too long, giving it a spot in the middle of this list. You’ll definitely need to be comfortable with riffs and licks like this one at a similar speed if you want to be able to tackle the songs lower on this list.
What Is Wrong With (Ending 3)
Difficulty: 3/5 | BPM: 122 | Songsterr Tabs
While this song is on the slower side, it definitely has a lot more variation, scales, and melodic techniques which will require more mental power to remember everything. You’ll be moving all over the fretboard constantly with not much of a break to just chill on a single note. The rhythm as well isn’t just straight 8-beats, so you’ll need to be mindful of your timing as you work on this song. There are some staccato parts in the 2nd verse, so you’ll need to make sure your muting techniques are solid.
Seishun Complex (Opening)
Difficulty: 4/5 | BPM = 190 | Songsterr Tabs
So now we enter into the harder tracks in Kessoku’s discography. This one starts off really easy because you’re not even playing for the first few bars 😛 But then we jump right into really funky licks with odd timing and breaks between notes. If you’ve worked on the songs higher on this list, you should be pretty comfortable with the scales, slides, and hammer-ons in this song, but you’ll have to do quite a bit of travelling and utilize clean riffs all at one of the faster speeds.
Ano Bando
Difficulty: 4/10 | BPM = 190 | Songsterr Tabs
This song has many melodic parts and techniques embedded throughout, so I can imagine you feeling like a lead guitar player with this song. It has a pretty even 8-beat rhythm throughout with lots of repetitive riffs. It does change up at other parts, and it even goes up to the 16th fret, but it doesn’t get as crazy or unpredictable as other songs. All in all, if you’ve at least played some Japanese/anime songs in the past, this wouldn’t be too out of the ordinary to take on, but it’s still not beginner level by any means.
If I Could Be A Constellation
Difficulty: 4.5/5 | BPM = 123 | Songsterr Tabs
This is one of the hardest songs for bass players as it requires a real funk feel with the timing, rests, and techniques. It could be a lot of fun if you’re tired of just basic 8-beat note playing, but it can be really hard if you’re not used to playing alternate rhythms with lots of muting and staccato. You will need to utilize really fast hammer-ons and slides as well. While this is on the harder side, the other songs still have more variation or techniques in comparison.
Karakara (Ending 2)
Difficult: 5/5 | BPM = 190 | Songsterr Tabs
Just from the first couple bars, I’m sure you could see just what you’re in for. If you’ve never played math rock before, this song has many traits which include odd time signatures and rhythm, such as 2/4, 5/4, 6/4 time and triplets, which you will need to get a good feel for. This song will require a lot of your attention due to the variety of melodic lines and unusual rhythms utilized.
This song does have quite a few melodic lines and odd scales, hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, staccato, muting, wide travelling, all at a fast BPM. You’ll also get to attempt harmonics! While it may not be the hardest to play if you’re just looking at the notes, I can definitely see the timing of the song being very unusual or trippy for the average bassist who has only played in 4/4 time. Everything you worked on above will be pulled out here, so your foundation must be solid.