Bass Transcription: Scotty Edwards’s Bass Line on Hall & Oates’s “Rich Girl”

Hall and Oates Rich Girl Bass Transcription

Often as bassists, we become so concerned with notes, rhythm, and locking in with our drummer that we forget the other important aspects of groove that can impact the listener equally as much. Articulation contributes greatly to groove and expression and can be employed to create contrast, add texture, and propel a song forward. I chose the example of Scotty Edwards’s bass line to “Rich Girl” by Hall & Oates, where articulation and note length play an important role in shaping the groove of the song.

Edwards enters on two strong staccato accents on beat 4 of bar 9 before dropping down into the florid verse section after the soft opening. Accents are often used to bring attention to important notes within a phrase, but in this case, he uses staccato accents to achieve a more “punchy” effect to grab the listener by the throat before taking them on a beastly groove voyage.

The verse section is mostly arpeggio based with some decorative passing tones for forward motion, at the end of which we get three more staccato accents followed by an eighth rest to give the listener a quick “gasp” of air before going turning around back to the Bb chord.

The tenuto, long notes in bar 17 are particularly effective because up until this point, the bass line has been fairly tight and arpeggiated. The tenuto marking in this bar contrasts the previous 7 bars of the verse and gives the impression the song is widening or culminating into the chorus. It’s good songwriting practice to attempt to create a feeling of anticipation for the chorus of a song, and the long notes Edwards employs here achieve that effect nicely, making the arrival of the chorus much more impactful. Little details like this might often go unnoticed, but if you were to play those quarter notes staccato, for example, you would be undermining the impact of the biggest selling point of the song.

In the chorus, Edwards’s “dut daa” short-long articulations of the eighth notes on the 1st and 3rd beats puts a slight accent on the upbeats, which gives this bass line its signature “bounce.” This simple articulation contrast contributes greatly to the catchiness of the chorus and makes the bass line that much more memorable. If you don’t believe it, try playing both eighth notes, tenuto, staccato, or tenuto/staccato, and you’ll find that the groove just does not have the same upbeat “toe-tapping” effect as the original.

As bassists, we have to consider what we must do to enhance the sound of the full band at all times. A mastery of articulation will go a long way in making us stand out not only as bassists but as musicians as well. Despite that, most people will never notice exactly what you are doing but your bandmates will appreciate the extra level of detail you are bringing to the overall sound. Try to experiment with articulation in your own practice and pay attention to how even slight changes of attack and note length can enhance or alter the groove.

Follow along with the video and the transcription file.

Brian Wroten is an acoustic bass guitar specialist and composer. Brian operates a transcription based website and Youtube channel where you can view his transcriptions and original music.

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  1. David Desmond

    Hall and Oates have written and performed some great music for decades and it is great to see Rich Girl performed and an introduction of the feel of how the bass is played to it.

  2. Tom Armbruster

    It’s the “Bass by Lee Sklar (Probably)” that makes it art.

  3. Dan Claro

    Bigger than Both of Us doesn’t have track by track listings, but I’ve always thought Leland Sklar played bass on “Rich Girl.”

    • Yeah, that’s definitely what Brian was thinking at first, but we researched it to be sure. Multiple sources credit Edwards on that track.

      • Dan

        Ok, cool – thanks for clarifying! It’s a great bass line for sure.

  4. ronniebassplayr

    Great stuff! I’d love to see more from Brian!