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Level 42 – ‘Running in the Family’

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‘Running in the Family’ was one of Level 42’s biggest hits, reaching #6 in the UK charts in February 1986. The song features a relatively simple slap bass part from Mark King, but it’s a line with several hidden treasures: fretting hand slaps, sixteenth note-based licks and major/minor tenths are all put to use here, resulting in a bass part that’s enormously satisfying to play.

When learning this piece, you might find the following courses (all included in the monthly subscription cost) useful:

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

This course is 38 MINUTES long and contains the following videos, each of which can be selected from the video player above:

1. ‘Running in the Family’

This video is a demonstration of the song performed on a JayDee Supernatural bass strung with light gauge stainless steel Rotosound strings.

2. Course Overview

This video contains 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 and Verse Sections

This video will show you how to play the main bass groove. This is a simple slap bass part by Mark King’s standards and is a great introduction to his playing.

4. Chorus

The bass part for the chorus is predominantly an eighth note-based groove, although major and minor tenths are also used to outline the harmony.

5. Middle 8

This lesson will cover the middle 8. The bassline is quite simple here, with Mark just playing the root notes of each chord and adding occasional popped notes.

6. Re-Intro and Bass Fill

This video covers the re-intro section, which re-introduces the bass groove. The bass fill that closes this section is one of the highlights of the line.

7. Final Chorus Variations

This final video covers some of the small variations you’ll hear during the final chorus sections. Although relatively simple, these variations are certainly worth learning.