Giants of Bass – Flea

'Flea Bites' was written to demonstrate the aggressive but funky style of bass playing that Flea has become renowned for through his work with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. As you’ll no doubt be able to hear, this track was heavily inspired by Flea’s playing during the band’s early to mid-nineties period, when Flea had begun to favour laid-back fingerstyle grooves in place of aggressive, up-tempo slap lines. In keeping with Flea’s style of playing during this era, this line is heavy on chord tones, and features several melodic ideas that are often found in funk grooves. It’s also played aggressively and makes use of some effects pedals.

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