This course will show you how to add ghost notes ¬– sometimes known as 'dead notes' – into slap bass grooves. Ghost notes are common to many techniques but work particularly well with slap bass. This is because they add an additional percussive element, which fits perfectly with the rhythmic nature of the technique.
If you require additional help with any of the techniques used here, 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 worksheet and audio files for this piece (available to subscribers only). The worksheet is available with TAB and without, for those who wish to give their reading skills a workout.
This course is 20 MINUTES long and contains the following videos, each of which can be selected from the video player above:
This video will explain how to play ghost notes. As you’ll discover from the example, ghost notes can add an additional percussive quality to slapped lines.
Ghost notes are an excellent way of making a line more rhythmically exciting. In this exercise, a ghost note rhythm has been added to the second beat of each bar.
In this exercise each note is followed by two sixteenth note ghost notes. This creates a ‘chugging’ rhythm which really drives the line along.
This exercise introduces popped ghost notes. Be careful here: it can be difficult to alternate between popping pitched notes and popping ghost notes.
Slapped ghost notes also work well in between popped notes. In this exercise the thumb ‘bounces’ between the pops, creating a sixteenth note feel.
In this exercise, two ghost notes are played before the E-string hammer-on in each bar. More ghost notes are added in the final bar, generating further rhythmic excitement.
This busy exercise features ghost notes in between hammer-ons in the first and third bars. These ghost notes enable the thumb to bounce nicely onto the next note.