This exercise will give you some practice playing along with a music legenfd. “Settin’ The Woods On Fire” by Hank Williams features a basic bass part, built on roots and fifths, within the AABA song form. The AABA structure dominated American popular music for the first half of the 20th century. The first A section consists of the first eight bars after the intro. The A section repeats right away. Next comes a contrasting eight bar B section, often referred to by songwriters as the “middle eight.” Another repeat of the A section follows to complete the AABA pattern. The overall AABA pattern gets played three times, followed by a brief ending.
Play yout cello along with Hank. The bass line below works with the recording. Try it pizzicato and arco, too. All the notes after the pickup measure are roots and fifths. Practice matching your articulations, dynamics, and timing to the bass player. Play through several times and, as you get more familiar with it, try to match the groove of the band’s performance.