This course continues our deep dive into the blues scale. If you’ve completed the first course, you will be familiar with playing the scale all over the fingerboard in the key of A. You’re hopefully also familiar with the sound of the scale. The exercises in this course have been written in a range of […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

‘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 […]

This song is from Level 42’s 1983 album Standing in the Light. Driven along by a sixteenth note-based slap groove, it is also notable for Mark King’s use of harmonic chords and neck bending. Although a fan favourite since its release, the song was only performed live for the first time in 2008. The bassline […]

This piece was originally written to represent Duck Dunn in Giants of Bass, a book which celebrated the contributions of 26 of the world’s most influential bass players. As a result, it features a number of elements that are common to Duck’s playing, such as a strong use of chord tones, the inclusion of additional […]

It’s not uncommon for multiple techniques to be used within a bass part. With that in mind, this piece provides an opportunity to switch between fingerstyle and slap bass grooves. This piece was originally inspired by Parliament and Funkadelic, and as a result, many of the fingerstyle sections are performed with an envelope filter pedal. […]

This study piece has a disco feel and as a result, the bass part is heavily based around root-octave figures. Early albums by Jamiroquai were a significant influence in the composition of the piece, and so there are many ideas here that are often found in Stuart Zender’s playing. These include sliding octave figures, and […]

This piece is a fingerstyle funk workout that is suitable for players who are comfortable with the basic mechanics of the technique. This study was written in the style of legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius and was inspired by a piece called ‘The Chicken’. Although originally written by Pee Wee Ellis, this track became one of […]