Ian Dury & The Blockheads – ‘Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick’

'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 semiquaver-based fingerstyle groove. The inspiration for this line came from the band witnessing Weather Report live at the Hammersmith Odeon, with Jaco Pastorius on bass. Blown away by Jaco's incredible playing, Norman later wrote the complex line that forms the backbone of this song. For subscribers to our video courses, a full transcription of the track (with and without TAB) can be downloaded from the link above. Please note that these videos were originally used as part of a Facebook campaign. As a result, there are some references to liking and commenting and ways to access the next video - these can be ignored here.