‘Cream of the Crop’ was written to reflect Jack Bruce’s compositions and pioneering bass work with legendary rock trio Cream. It contains many stylistic elements that were common to his playing, such as pentatonic and blues scale-based riffs and fills, the use of ‘contrary motion’ and chord inversions to create more interesting lines, the use […]

‘Back to School’ was written to reflect the contributions that Stanley Clarke has made to the development of the bass guitar as a solo instrument. It features strummed power chords, slap and pop grooves, chordal fingerstyle passages, manipulated harmonics, and an aggressively played bass solo. For bassists who wish to learn the piece but require […]

‘Funkzilla’ was written in the style of the classic funk that Bootsy played with George Clinton’s Parliament/Funkadelic collective, as well as with his own group, The Rubber Band. The track features a funk swing feel, syncopated funk grooves that are peppered with ghost notes and shakes, and of course, the use of an envelope filter […]

‘Outrage’ was written to reflect Tim Commerford’s ground-breaking work with Rage Against the Machine back in the early nineties. The bassline for this track is an aggressive, riff-based line that requires both slap and fingerstyle techniques, and in keeping with Tim’s basslines with both Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, it’s heavily based around the […]

‘Who Dunnit’ was written to represent Duck Dunn’s simple but effective work at the Stax record label during the sixties and seventies, as well as his work with the Blues Brothers. The track features many stylistic elements that were common to Duck’s basslines, such as a heavy use of chord tones, the use of additional […]

‘Chic Unique’ was written to represent Bernard Edwards’ bass work with Chic and Sister Sledge during the seventies and eighties. The line features many common elements of his playing style, including a heavy use of chord tones, the use of ghost notes, the use of open string jumps, and the use of ascending and descending […]

‘An Ox’s Tale’ was written to demonstrate the extravagant and improvisational style of bass playing that John Entwistle became renowned for through his work with The Who. As you’ll hear, the track was heavily inspired by classic Entwistle basslines such as ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ and ‘The Real Me’. In keeping with John’s ‘lead bass’ […]

‘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 […]

‘Graham Crackers’ was written to represent Larry Graham’s pioneering bass techniques and reflects the work that he recorded with his own group, Graham Central Station. The piece features an aggressively performed bass part which features a powerful slap groove and many of Larry’s preferred phrasing techniques such as vibrato, trills, and shakes. His use of […]

‘Slap and Tickle’ was written to represent the instrumental music recorded by virtuoso bassist Stuart Hamm during the late eighties and early nineties. The line features many common elements of his playing style, such as complex slap grooves, triplet popping lines, note bending, the use of open strings, and the use of the two handed […]