'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 additional assistance with some of the techniques required, the following courses (all included in the monthly subscription cost) should prove useful:
Don’t forget to hit the Download Resources button above to get the PDF transcription and the audio files for this piece (available to subscribers only).
This course is XX MINUTES long and contains the following videos, each of which can be selected from the video player above:
This video is a full demonstration of ‘Back to School’, performed on a GB Guitars Rumour bass strung with stainless steel Rotosound strings.
This video gives a brief overview of this advanced level study piece and the various technical challenges that it presents.
The intro section of this piece is built around a strummed power chord riff. This lesson covers bars 1-3 in the accompanying transcription.
This section introduces the main slap bass groove which features some popped double stop figures. This lesson covers bars 4-9 in the transcription.
The bass plays a melodic line based on open string and fretted tenths in this section. This lesson covers bars 10-13 in the accompanying transcription.
This section repeats the line from the B section but ends with a blistering fingerstyle lick that serves as a link to the bass solo. This lesson covers bars 14-19.
This lesson covers the first eight bars of the bass solo. As with all good solos, this one starts simple and builds in intensity. This lesson covers bars 20-27.
This lesson demonstrates the second half of the bass solo which features some intense fingerstyle licks. This lesson covers bars 28-35.