Giants of Bass – Pino Palladino

‘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 to double the line in the lower register.

Although this video tutorial was filmed using a fretted bass, it was written to be played on a fretless (the original audio was recorded with a fretless). This is a very lyrical, melodic line that provides a lot of opportunity for individual expression. Many instances of vibrato are notated in the transcription, and if you’re playing a fretless bass with the recommended effects pedals, you’ll probably find that these decorations come naturally. You should also feel free to add your own decorations and put your own stamp on the line.

Don’t forget to hit the Download Resources button above in order to download the PDF transcription and audio files for this piece (available to subscribers only). The transcription is available with TAB and without, for those who wish to work on their reading skills.