This course will show you how to add ghost notes ¬– sometimes known as ‘dead notes’ – into slap bass grooves. Ghost notes are common to many techniques but work particularly well with slap bass. This is because they add an additional percussive element, which fits perfectly with the rhythmic nature of the technique. Don’t […]

With the fundamentals of the slap and pop technique now in place, this course will begin adding in phrasing techniques such as hammer-ons, pull-offs and trills. Each of these elements will add extra flavour to your slapped basslines. Don’t forget to hit the Download Resources button above in order to download the PDF worksheet and […]

This final section of the beginner slap bass course contains exercises that combine everything that was covered in the previous courses. This includes basic slapping and popping, fretting hand muting techniques, ghost notes, hammer-ons, pull-offs and trills. Don’t forget to hit the Download Resources button above in order to download the PDF worksheet and audio […]

‘Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick’ was a number one hit for Ian Dury & The Blockheads back in 1978. This piece is well-known amongst bass players thanks to Norman Watt-Roy’s fantastic sixteenth note-based fingerstyle groove. The inspiration for this line came from the band witnessing Weather Report live at the Hammersmith Odeon, with Jaco […]

‘Hump de Bump’ is from the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 2005 album Stadium Arcadium and features a fantastic bassline from Flea. The line is based around an aggressively performed double stop riff, with a wicked fingerstyle groove for the chorus sections. To download the transcription (with TAB and without), please visit the Free Stuff page.

This simple track was written to represent Sting, one of the UK’s best-known bassists, and an artist who has experienced incredible success both with a band, and as a solo artist. This track has been written in the style of Sting’s work with his band The Police and features a relatively simple bass part which […]

This track was written to represent virtuoso bassist Michael Manring, an artist who has always been very successful in combining multiple techniques into one seamless performance. This is one of the main challenges with this piece. Although Michael’s extensive use of multiple tunings is not reflected here (something that would be very difficult to achieve […]

‘Don’t Fret’ is an eighties pop track that was written to represent Pino Palladino’s fretless and effects work with artists such as Paul Young and Gary Numan. Like many of Pino’s lines from the era, much of this part is played in the middle, or upper registers of the instrument, with an octave pedal used […]

‘Cream of the Crop’ was written to reflect Jack Bruce’s compositions and pioneering bass work with legendary rock trio Cream. It contains many stylistic elements that were common to his playing, such as pentatonic and blues scale-based riffs and fills, the use of ‘contrary motion’ and chord inversions to create more interesting lines, the use […]

‘Back to School’ was written to reflect the contributions that Stanley Clarke has made to the development of the bass guitar as a solo instrument. It features strummed power chords, slap and pop grooves, chordal fingerstyle passages, manipulated harmonics, and an aggressively played bass solo. Don’t forget to hit the Download Resources button above in […]