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Transcription Archives - Page 6

Bass Transcription: Bob West’s Bass Line on Odetta’s “Hit or Miss”
Transcriptions

Bass Transcription: Bob West’s Bass Line on Odetta’s “Hit or Miss”

Something I notice when listening to inexperienced bassists is that they often tend to line up all of their technical ideas, one after another, when creating a bass line. It’s similar to a chef using all their spices to make just one dish. Most of us will learn with experience that less is not only more but you can reinvent...

Bass Transcription: Gheorghe Postoronca’s “Crazy Train”
Transcriptions

Bass Transcription: Gheorghe Postoronca’s “Crazy Train”

“Crazy Train” by bassist Gheorghe Postoronca was right at the top of my list of pieces to transcribe this month. In fact, regular readers of my column might have noticed an absence of transcriptions recently, and this is purely because this piece took so long to get written down! It’s a solo bass piece that is heavy on technique, but...

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

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

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...

Brian Wroten: David Bowie’s “Lazarus” Bass Play-Along and Transcription
Bass Videos

Brian Wroten: David Bowie’s “Lazarus” Bass Play-Along and Transcription

When I first heard David Bowie’s Blackstar, I ended up repeating the third track (“Lazarus”) more than a couple of times. I was so drawn to Tim Lefebvre’s terrific bass line on the tune. If you agree, then Brian Wroten did us all a favor by transcribing it for us. Follow along with the video below and Brian’s transcription. Brian...

Bass Transcription: Mattia La Maida’s Solo Bass Arrangement of David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust”
Transcriptions

Bass Transcription: Mattia La Maida’s Solo Bass Arrangement of David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust”

When David Bowie passed away, I wanted to pay tribute with a solo bass arrangement of one of his songs. I personally consider Bowie one of the greatest artists in the world. He was in fact a great musician, actor, and painter. Among other things, the eclectic nature of his music was characterized by the creation of several different imaginary...

Erlend Caspersen: Abhorrent’s “A Lightness of Mind” Playthrough
Bass Videos

Erlend Caspersen: Abhorrent’s “A Lightness of Mind” Playthrough

It’s time to get your face melted by Erlend Caspersen again. This time the monster bassist shows you how it’s done on the Abhorrent track “A Lightness of Mind”, which features unrelenting riffs and some satisfyingly dissonant bass chords. For those brave enough to attempt it, Caspersen has supplied the tabs on Dropbox. Fasten your seatbelts.

Bass Transcription: Bobby Vega’s “Gosh”
Transcriptions

Bass Transcription: Bobby Vega’s “Gosh”

This month’s transcription is a piece I’ve been meaning to get to for a long time: Bobby Vega’s “Gosh”. This piece was originally featured on Bass The World’s YouTube channel last year. Grab the transcription, read the notes below and follow along: Although a master of all techniques, Bobby Vega is probably best known for his plectrum work. Combining impeccable...

Bass Transcription: Joe Dart’s Bass Line on Vulfpeck’s “Beastly”
Transcriptions

Bass Transcription: Joe Dart’s Bass Line on Vulfpeck’s “Beastly”

“Beastly” is the opening track from Vulfpeck’s first EP Mit Peck. I’ve loved this piece since I first heard it and it’s been on my “transcribe list” for a while now. Fortunately, the isolated bass track cropped a while back, making the task of transcribing it a little easier.

Bass Transcription: Miki Santamaria’s “Thinking Out Loud” Solo Bass Arrangement
Transcriptions

Bass Transcription: Miki Santamaria’s “Thinking Out Loud” Solo Bass Arrangement

This bass transcription was suggested to me by No Treble founder Corey Brown, serving to remind me of Miki Santamaria’s fantastic solo arrangements of pop songs for bass guitar.

Bass Transcription: L?rincz Viktor’s “Rock and Roll Bass Solo”
Transcriptions

Bass Transcription: L?rincz Viktor’s “Rock and Roll Bass Solo”

There’s been no shortage of great pieces to choose from for my monthly transcription recently: Cody Wright’s groove with drummer Chaisarary Schenk was a serious contender, as was Simon Fitzpatrick’s cracking solo bass rendition of “Rosanna”. I intend to cover both pieces in future transcription columns, but this month I couldn’t resist scoring out L?rincz Viktor’s “Rock and Roll Bass...

Bass Transcription: Federico Malaman’s “Speed Demon”
Transcriptions

Bass Transcription: Federico Malaman’s “Speed Demon”

Like many bassists of my generation, I grew up loving the grooves on Michael Jackson’s records. The track we all wanted to be able to play was “Speed Demon” from “Bad,” a hyperactive little number with a bass part that was just too ridiculous to be real. Federico Malaman – one of the bass world’s most inventive players – is one of the few who cracked it, making it perfect for this month’s transcription.

Bass Transcription: Wojtek Pilichowski’s “Cowboy from Prague”
Transcriptions

Bass Transcription: Wojtek Pilichowski’s “Cowboy from Prague”

This month’s transcription is “Cowboy from Prague,” a short piece by Polish slap bass wizard Wojtek Pilichowski, recorded at the Aguilar Artist Loft earlier in 2014. Wojtek has made a name for himself in recent years with his hard-hitting and energetic slap technique. True to form, he packs a lot of ideas into this short piece. Wojtek takes influences from...