‘Boogie Oogie Oogie’ was released in June 1978 and was the debut single for A Taste of Honey. It was a huge hit, reaching the top of several charts in the U.S., and performing well around the world. Propelled by bassist Janice-Marie Johnson’s infectious groove, the song has since become a disco classic, making it […]

‘Pinball Wizard’ was originally released on the Who’s 1969 album Tommy, a rock opera that tells the story of a deaf, dumb, and blind boy. The song was a big hit for the band, and it continues to be played live to this day. By the standards of Who bassist John Entwistle, this song has […]

‘And The Beat Goes On’ was one of the biggest hits for The Whispers, thanks in no small part to Leon F Sylvers’ memorable bass part. Leon, a talented multi-instrumentalist who also co-wrote the song, had previously been successful with his own group The Sylvers. He later went on to enjoy a successful career as […]

‘I Want You Back’ was the first single to be released by The Jackson 5. It features a young Michael Jackson on lead vocals and was a number 1 hit for the band. Although often credited to Motown legend James Jamerson, the bassline on this track was actually performed by Wilton Felder, who played saxophone […]

‘Wake Me Up Before You Go Go’ was a huge hit for UK pop band Wham! when it was released in May 1984. Like many eighties pop songs, it has a great bassline, in this case supplied by Detroit-born low-ender Deon Estus. Featuring up-tempo Motown grooves, slapped fills and slippery, legato bass runs, there’s a […]

‘I Heard It Through the Grapevine’ was written by songwriters Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1966. It was recorded by several artists, all of whom were signed to Berry Gordy’s Motown label. The first version of the song was recorded by The Miracles. Gordy initially rejected it for release, but in 1968 it was […]

This little-known song was recorded during sessions for the band’s 1995 album One Hot Minute. It appeared as a b-side on the ‘My Friends’ single. It’s one of Flea’s finest recorded lines from this period in the band’s history and is great fun to play. Flea plays a fingerstyle funk groove throughout this track, a […]

This video course will cover the fundamental rhythmic independence techniques required for ‘contrapuntal’ playing. Playing contrapuntally means to play rhythmically independent lines with each hand. For example, your fretting hand might play a bassline, whilst your picking hand plays a melody, or some chords. This is a skill that pianists develop through the natural course […]

If you have worked through the Beginner Tapping course, you will have learnt how to use the two-handed tapping technique to play a variety of different lines. These include outlining chord progressions using voice leading and providing accompaniment parts using chords and arpeggiated figures. Consequently, you should by now be quite comfortable with the basic […]

This video course is the first of three that will examine the linear tapping technique. Linear tapping is the style of tapping that was utilised by guitarists such as Steve Hackett and Ace Frehley in the early seventies and was later more widely popularised by Eddie Van Halen. It differs from the two-handed tapping techniques […]