Fontella Bass – ‘Rescue Me’

This song was the biggest hit for Fontella Bass, an American soul singer and songwriter who was active during the sixties and seventies. ‘Rescue Me’ topped the U.S. R&B charts for four weeks and was also a hit in the UK. The song is known for its distinctive bass part, which was performed by session […]

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Slap Bass Study #7

This piece was originally written to represent virtuoso bassist Stuart Hamm. It focuses specifically on the instrumental music that he recorded during the late eighties and early nineties. The line features many common elements of his playing style, such as complex slap grooves, triplet popping lines, note bending, the use of open strings, and the […]

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Level 42 – ‘To Be With You Again’

This song is from Running in the Family, Level 42’s best-selling album from 1987. It was one of five singles released from the album and reached #10 in the UK charts in April 1987. It remains a regular fixture in the band’s setlist to this day. features a slapped line, the verse and chorus sections […]

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Red Hot Chili Peppers – ‘Subway to Venus’

This song is from Mother’s Milk, the fourth album from Red Hot Chili Peppers. This album features some of Flea’s funkiest bass work, and this song is a great example. It’s a track that has not been heard live since the early nineties, and one that is really only to hardcore fans of the band. […]

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Slap Bass Study #5

This piece was originally written to represent Mark King’s bass work with Level 42 in the Giants of Bass book and video series. It was written with a focus on the instrumental jazz-funk that Mark played with Level 42 in the early eighties. As a result, the bass part features many common elements of his […]

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Slap Bass Study #6

This piece was originally written to represent Marcus Miller in the Giants of Bass book and video series. As a result, it features some advanced applications of the slap bass technique. This piece has a moderately slow tempo and is representative of the music that Marcus recorded on albums such as Silver Rain, Renaissance and […]

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Red Hot Chili Peppers – ‘Mellowship Slinky’

This song is from Blood Sugar Sex Magik, the fifth album from Red Hot Chili Peppers. Flea opted for a more laid-back approach to his bass parts on this album, favouring fingerstyle funk grooves over the aggressive slap lines that he had previously been known for. This song is an excellent example of that approach. […]

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Talking Heads – ‘Psycho Killer’

This great song is from Talking Heads: 77, the band’s debut album. This was third single released by the group and has gone on to become one of their best-known tracks. The bass part on this song was performed by Tina Weymouth, a founding member of the group. It’s a relatively simple line, one that […]

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Vulfpeck – ‘Dean Town’

This piece – one of Vulfpeck’s best-known tracks – is from their second full-length album, The Beautiful Game. Upon its release in October 2017, the song captured the attention of bass players everywhere thanks to Joe Dart’s incredible bass work. It quickly became a key part of the band’s set, with the audience often singing […]

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Chic – ‘Good Times’

‘Good Times’ is perhaps the best known of Chic’s hit singles and was recorded for their third album, Risqué. With its infectious groove, the track was an instant hit in the clubs and remained at #1 on the U.S. R&B Chart for six weeks. It is ranked #224 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the […]

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