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Level 42 – ‘A Physical Presence’

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This great song is from Level 42’s 1985 album World Machine. This album was a huge success for the band, mainly thanks to the song ‘Something About You’, which was a top 10 hit in many countries including the U.S. ‘A Physical Presence’ is the second song on the album and features a slow-tempo fingerstyle groove from bassist/lead vocalist Mark King. There are also some slapped lines, unison fills and bent harmonics, meaning that there’s plenty here to get your teeth into.

A transcription (with TAB and without) is available for this course. To download it, please visit the Free Stuff page.

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

1. ‘A Physical Presence’ Play-Through

In this video I’ll be playing through the song using a JayDee Supernatural Series III bass.

2. Course Overview

In this video I’ll be giving an overview of the song and the challenges it presents, as well as offering some advice on choosing the right instrument and tone for a piece like this.

3. Intro Section

In this video I’ll be demonstrating the bass groove that is established during the song’s intro. This line is used at many points throughout the track, so it’s an important part to get down.

4. Verse Sections

In this video I’ll be working through the song’s first verse in detail. As the subsequent verse sections are very similar, I’ll also be demonstrating some of the simple fills that are used later in the song.

5. Chorus Sections

In this video I’ll be demonstrating the bassline from the song’s chorus sections.

6. Breakdown Section

This lesson covers the breakdown section, which features some slapped fills and bent harmonics.

7. Instrumental Section

In this lesson we’ll be working through the instrumental section towards the end of the song. This part is based on the fingerstyle groove from the intro, but with some interesting fills to add in.

8. Outro Section

In this final video I’ll be showing you how to play the slapped groove that is heard during the outro. This is a simple line (by Mark King’s standards) but is more difficult to play than it might seem because of the song’s relatively slow tempo.