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Extreme – ‘Midnight Express’

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This piece of music was originally written and performed on the acoustic guitar by Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt. I’ve always loved it and have spent many years figuring out the best way to translate it onto the bass. Fortunately, it works well on the instrument, although as you’ll see from the video, it is a very advanced piece to play. Your slap technique, chord strumming, and palm muting skills will also be put to the test here!

Don’t forget to hit the Download Resources button above to get hold of the PDF transcription for this piece (available to subscribers only).

This course contains the following videos, each of which can be selected from the video player above:

1 – ‘MIDNIGHT EXPRESS’

This video is a demonstration of the piece, performed on a Mayones Viking 4-string bass.

2 – INTRODUCTION

In this video I’ll be talking about some things you’ll need to consider before working on this piece: tuning, tempo and the backing track are all covered here.

3 – A SECTION

This video covers the strummed Intro section, broken down into four-bar chunks. This lesson covers bars 5-20.

4 – B SECTION

In this video we’ll be working through the main riff, which is performed with an acoustic guitar technique involving the thumb and fingers of the picking hand. You’ll also be palm muting this riff. This lesson covers bars 21-30.

5 – C SECTION

This lesson covers the second main riff, which is played with the slap technique. As you’ll see from the lesson, open strings are used extensively in this line, making it a little easier to play than it might initially seem. This lesson covers bars 31-40.

6 – D SECTION

In this video we’ll be working through the first part of the chord strummed section in the middle of the piece. This lesson covers bars 41-43.

7 – E SECTION

This lesson covers the second part of the chord strummed section and focuses on bars 45-50.

8 – F SECTION

This section of the piece is very similar to the line established in the D section, but with some additional accented parts. This lesson covers bars 51-58.

9 – G SECTION

This section is based on the earlier E Section, but with some additional parts. This lesson covers bars 59-66.

10 – H SECTION

In this lesson we’ll be working through the H section of the piece which features a new strumming part. This part of the track leads us back into the main riff. This lesson covers bars 67-72.

11 – J SECTION

This part of the song is based on the chord strumming theme from back in the A section. Some variations on the part are included here. This lesson covers bars 81-88.

12 – K SECTION

In this final video we’ll be looking at the K section. The majority of this part of the piece is based on previously used material, so there’s really only the final lick to learn. This lesson covers bars 89-106.