This course will get you acquainted with the open string hammer-on technique. This versatile technique has been popularised by bassists such as Marcus Miller and Stuart Hamm. Its most notable user however is Victor Wooten, who used it on tracks such as ‘The Sinister Minister’ (Béla Fleck and the Flecktones), and ‘A Show of Hands’ […]

The double thumbing technique is a relatively recent addition to the slap bassist’s arsenal. Although several bassists such as French Canadian virtuoso Alain Caron were using it in the mid-eighties, it really grabbed the attention of bassists everywhere in the nineties, largely thanks to Victor Wooten. Through his work with Béla Fleck & The Flecktones, […]

Now that the basics of double thumbing have been covered, it’s time to start adding some other parts of the slap technique into the mix. This course will cover the addition of popped notes into the double thumbing technique. You’ll find that the combination of down and up thumbstrokes combined with popped notes makes for […]

This third and final double thumbing course adds another new ingredient into the mix: double popping. This will enable four notes per string to be played in quick succession using a downstroke, an upstroke and two pops. As you will discover, the combination of these elements will allow you to play almost anything with the […]

If you’ve worked successfully through all of the other courses in the advanced slap bass section, you will now have at your disposal a very versatile collection of slap bass techniques. But of course, there are always further ways to enhance the technique, and doing so is the focus of this course. As you’ll discover, […]

This is the final video course in the advanced slap bass series. In the exercises that follow, everything that has been covered throughout these courses will be put to the test. These exercises utilise advanced techniques such as double thumbing and double popping, as well as open string hammer-ons. There are also lines that combine […]

This video course will show you how to play Mark King’s bass solo from live versions of the classic Level 42 track ‘The Chinese Way’. When the band were playing this track in the late eighties/early nineties, the tempo was significantly higher than on the original recording, and the arrangement was altered to include solo […]

‘Sandstorm’ is the opening track on the first album that Level 42 recorded – The Early Tapes. This is one of the band’s best-known instrumental pieces and was a key part of their live set during their formative years. Written by Mark King and Wally Badarou, the track features some classic Mark King grooves, which […]

This course will show you how the fretting hand can be used to perform ghost note slaps. Doing so adds an important rhythmic device to the slap bass toolkit, and allows for more complex, syncopated linear slap grooves. Don’t forget to hit the Download Resources button above in order to download the PDF worksheet and […]

Tenths are a very popular musical device for bass players to use as they help to clearly define harmony. Tenths are by no means limited to slap bass, and you’ll find a use for them in all areas of your playing. When playing slap bass grooves, tenths are often used in place of octaves. This […]