最新2018版英皇BASS 5级

Bass Grade 5
Performance pieces, technical exercises and in-depth guidance

for Rockschool examinations
RSL-837327027982 / 1 / rock bird / rockbird.vip@qq.com
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Acknowledgements
Published by Rockschool Ltd. © 2012 & 2018

Catalogue Number: RSK200056
CONTACTING ROCKSCHOOL
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Syllabus Designer Recording & Audio Engineering (Hit Tunes 2018 Repertoire)
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Proof reading Fact Files written by Joe Bennett, Charlie Griffiths, Stephen Lawson,
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Bass Grade 5
2
Table of Contents
Introductions & Information
1 Title Page
2 Acknowledgements
3 Table of Contents
4 Welcome to Rockschool Bass Grade 5
Hit Tunes
5 Mark Ronson Feat. Bruno Mars. .... ...... .. .. .. .. .. . ... . .. .. ‘Uptown Funk!’
9 Daft Punk.. ...... ...... ..... ...... ...... ..... ...... ...... ..... .. ..... .. .. .. .. . ... .. . .. .. .. .. .. . . ‘Get Lucky’
13 Gil Scott-Heron. . ... ...... ...... ..... ...... ...... ..... ...... ... .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. . ‘The Bottle’
17 Earth, Wind and Fire. ... ..... ...... ...... ..... ..... ..... .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. ‘September’
23 The Killers. .... ...... ...... ..... ...... ...... ..... ...... ...... ..... ... .. .. .. . .. ... . .. .. . ‘Mr. Brightside’
29 The Allman Brothers Band....... ..... ...... ...... . .. .. . ‘The Whipping Post’
Rockschool Originals
35 ‘Geek’
41 ‘Rollin’’
45 ‘Do Balanço’
51 ‘Tiberius’
55 ‘Smack Talk’
59 ‘Slam Dunk Funk’

Technical Exercises
63 Scales, Arpeggios & Riff
Supporting Tests
66 Sight Reading
67 Improvisation & Interpretation
68 Ear Tests
69 General Musicianship Questions
Additional Information
70 Entering Rockschool Exams

71 Marking Schemes
72 Bass Guitar Notation Explained
73 Mechanical Copyright Information
74 Rockschool Popular Music Theory
76 Rockschool Digital Downloads
Bass Grade 5
3
Welcome to Rockschool Bass Grade 5
Welcome to Bass Grade 5

Welcome to the Rockschool 2018 Bass syllabus. This book and the accompanying downloadable audio contain everything
you need to play bass at this grade. In the book you will find the exam scores in both standard bass notation and TAB,
as well as Fact Files and Walkthroughs for each song.
The downloadable audio includes:
■■full stereo mixes of 6 Rockschool compositions and 6 arrangements of classic and contemporary hits
■■backing tracks (minus the assessed bass part)
■■all necessary audio for the complete range of supporting tests
Bass Exams
For each grade you have the option of taking one of two different types of examination:
■■Grade Exam: a Grade Exam is a mixture of music performances, technical work and tests. You prepare three pieces
(two of which may be Free Choice Pieces) and the contents of the Technical Exercise section. This accounts of 75% of
the exam marks. The other 25% consists of: either a Sight Reading or an Improvisation & Interpretation test (10%), a
pair of instrument specific Ear Tests (10%), and finally you will be asked five General Musicianship Questions (5%).
The pass mark is 60%.
■■Performance Certificate: in a Performance Certificate you play five pieces. Up to three of these can be Free Choice
Pieces. Each song is marked out of 20 and the pass mark is 60%.
Book Contents
The book is divided into a number of sections:
■■Exam Pieces: in this book you will find six specially commissioned pieces of Grade 5 standard. Each of these is
preceded by a Fact File, and each single Fact File contains a summary of the song, its style, tempo, key and technical
features, along with a list of the musicians who played on it. The song itself is printed on up to four pages and
immediately after each song is a Walkthrough. This covers the whole song from a performance perspective, focusing on

the technical issues you will encounter along the way. Each song comes with a full mix version and a backing track. Both
versions have spoken count-ins at the beginning. Please note that any solos played on the full mix versions are indicative only.
■■Technical Exercises: you should prepare the exercises set in this grade as indicated. There is also a Riff test that should
be practised and played to the backing track.
■■Supporting Tests and General Musicianship Questions: in Bass Grade 5 there are three supporting tests. You can
choose either a Sight Reading test or an Improvisation & Interpretation test (please choose only one of those), which is
then followed by the two mandatory Ear Tests and a set of General Musicianship Questions (GMQs). Examples of the
types of tests likely to appear in the exam are printed in this book, while additional examples of both types of tests and
the GMQs can be found in the Rockschool Bass Companion Guide.
■■Additional Information: finally, you will find information on exam procedures, marking schemes, and the full
notation and backing track of a piece from the next grade as a taster.
Audio
Audio is provided in the form of backing tracks (minus bass) and examples (including bass) for the pieces and the
supporting tests where applicable. Audio files are supplied in MP3 format to enable playback on a wide range of compatible
devices. Digital versions of the book include audio files in the download. Download audio for hardcopy books from RSL
directly at www.rslawards.com/downloads — you will need to input this code when prompted: CZQ3P4SR7A
Syllabus Guide
All candidates should read the accompanying syllabus guide when using this grade book. This can be downloaded from the
Bass Grade 5
RSL website: www.rslawards.com
Errata
Updates and changes to Rockschool books are documented online. Candidates should check for errata periodically while
4 studying for any examination. Further details can be found on the RSL website: www.rslawards.com/errata
Mark Ronson Feat. Bruno Mars
SONG TITLE: UPTOWN FUNK

ALBUM: UPTOWN SPECIAL
LABEL: RCA
GENRE: DISCO/FUNK/POP c 116 Funk/Dance
? 44 .. Œ Ó
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WRITTEN BY: JEFF BHASKER, PHILIP
LAWRENCE, PETER
HERNANDEZ, MARK RONSON,
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NICHOLAS WILLIAMS, DEVON
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GALLASPY, LONNIE SIMMONS, D T
RONNIE WILSON, ROBERT A A
WILSON, RUDOLPH TAYLOR.
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PRODUCED BY: MARK RONSON, BRUNO MARS
AND JEFF BHASKER.
UK CHART PEAK: 1
BACKGROUND INFO
?
links to past stylistic tendencies and ‘Uptown Funk’
is no exception. Ronson produced highly successful
‘Uptown Funk’ is a collaboration between singer records by Amy Winehouse, Adele, Duran Duran and
and songwriter Bruno Mars and producer Mark Kaiser Chiefs. Ronson is one of the most successful

Ronson. It was featured on Ronson’s fourth album producers in the music business today. He has won
Uptown Special, released in 2015. five Grammy awards out of nine nominations.
The song was a major hit worldwide. It spent

T Bruno Mars is a highly successful singer,
14 consecutive weeks on the number 1 spot of the
Asongwriter and multi-instrumentalist born on the
Billboard Hot 100 in the US and 7 consecutive weeks
Bisland of Hawaii. He has sold over 130 million records
on the number 1 spot of the UK Singles Chart. The worldwide making him one the best-selling artists
[5]
song won two Grammy Awards including Record Of of all time, and since launching his career in 2010 he
The Year. The video has accumulated over 3 billion has won 11 Grammy Awards. Mars has a three octave
views on YouTube and the song reputedly earns close vocal range and his stage presence is often compared
to $100,000 for the record company from playlists on with that of James Brown and Michael Jackson.
a weekly basis. Before his phenomenal solo career Mars wrote songs
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for artists including Adam Levine from Maroon 5,
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‘Uptown Funk’ borrows elements from the Alexandra Burke, Sugababes and Flo Rida amongst
œ Funk’s’ remarkable success is ongoingœ and

Minneapolis sound of Prince, Morris Day and The many others.
Time, and more generally from early 80s Funk. It is
driven by a prominent bass line and its horn lines ‘Uptown
are reminiscent of the work of The Gap Band. This it is already placed amongst the most commercially
close similarity led to four members of The Gap Band successful songs of all time.
and their manager being included in the songwriting
credits. After raising objections they settled the T
matter privately with Ronson and Mars. The song is A 3 1
3
the product of a number of previous variations that B 3
Bass Grade 5
3
led to its definitive version. Ronson is known for
[9]
his ability to produce innovative work with strong
5
2
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Uptown Funk!
Mark Ronson Feat. Bruno Mars
Words & Music by Rudy Taylor, Robert Wilson, Lonnie Simmons, Ronnie Wilson,
Mark Ronson, Philip Lawrence, Jeffrey Bhasker, Peter Hernandez,
Charles Wilson, Nicholaus Williams & Devon Gallaspy
c 116 Funk/Dance
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6 © Copyright 2014 Mars Force Music/Way Above Music/Sony/ATV Songs LLC/W B Music Corp/Thou Art The Hunger/Songs MP/Sony/
ATV Ballad/Songs Of Zelig/ZZR Music LLC/Tig7 Publishing LLC/Trinlanta Publishing/BMG Onyx/Concord Sounds.
Sony/ATV Music Publishing/Universal/MCA Music Limited/Warner/Chappell North America Limited /New Songs Administration Limited/
BMG Rights Management (UK) Limited, a BMG Company/Kobalt Music Publishing Limited/Concord Music Publishing LLC.
All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured.
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Walkthrough
Bars 1–8 | Space Bars 25–32 | Dynamics and slap bass fill
The song starts off by boldly stating the downbeat on the This section switches gears dynamically using the two-
first beat of bar 1. This is followed by playing out while the bar ostinato groove from bars 9 to 16 but with a lot more
drums establish the groove. This creates space within the intensity. In bar 28 the bass plays the same rhythmic
bass part – a highly musical approach which can often be figure as the horns, which is comprised of two 16th notes
overlooked. Remember, the word silent is an anagram for followed by four 16th notes on the ‘and’ of beat 3 and beat
the word listen! Creating ‘space’ allows you to listen more 4 respectively. The first 3-notes of the fill in bar 31 (G, G#
and make the connection between the groove and the music and A) are articulated by striking down on the G with the
with more clarity. thumb and then hammering the next two notes in quick
succession. The next three notes (C, followed by two muted
Bars 9–16 | Ostinato groove pitches) start with the C being pulled with either the index
This is the main verse section of the song, which is or middle finger, followed by the muted pitches being
supported with a strong ostinato bass groove. An ostinato articulated with the thumb. The next two notes (C and D)
line is created by repetition, in this context a two bar bass are articulated by using the thumb followed by a hammer-
groove over a Dm7 to G7 chord progression. The ostinato on. For phrasing purposes, this eight-note fill can be
bass line adds some 16th notes creating a more syncopated thought of as a 3+3+2 grouping.
dance feel against the 8th notes of the drum part. This sort
of groove is reminiscent of 70s bands such as the Ohio Bars 33–36 | Unison stabs
Players and Maze. In bars 33 to 35 the bass part doubles the horns and snare
drum. Starting on the ‘&’ of beat 3, this six-note 16th pattern
Bars 17–24 | Syncopation and chromatic scale is played with a strong dynamic in order to complement the
In this section the downbeat is stated by playing the low ensemble. In bar 36 the bass part uses a big slide, from the
D on the 3rd fret of the B string – articulated with a slide low D on the 3rd fret to the 15th fret of the B-string, leading
down as a nuanced effect. This is followed by three bars of back to a strong downbeat at the top of the form.
rest, again creating an interesting result by using space. An
illusion of crescendo is created leading into bars 21 to 24
where the bass plays a chromatic line on all the upbeats of
the bar. Think of this as ‘1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &’, while only playing

the ‘ands’ of each beat. Pay close attention to the fingerings
as the most economical way to play this chromatic line is by
staying in position where possible.
Bass Grade 5
8
Daft Punk
SONG TITLE: GET LUCKY
c 116 Funk/Pop
ALBUM: RANDOM ACCESS MEMORIES
LABEL: DAFT LIFE / COLUMBIA
GENRE: CONTEMPORARY DISCO-FUNK Intro
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WRITTEN BY: THOMAS BANGALTER,
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GUY-MANUEL DE
HOMEN-CHRISTO, NILE
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RODGERS AND PHARRELL
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PRODUCED BY: DAFT PUNK A 2 2 2 5
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Bangalter
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. Williams
performed the vocoder and synthesizer parts.
‘Get Lucky’ was released as a single in April 2013

. by Madonna and made himself available

and has sold over 9 million copies to date. It was party given
featured on the album Random Access Memories by for the collaboration. Eventually, Daft Punk and
French duo Daft Punk. The album was a worldwide Pharrell met in Paris and cut the track. According
success and reached number one in many countries to Williams the duo had a perfectionist approach to
including the UK. T the recording and asked him to do several takes of 5 5
A 2 2 5
particular2phrases.2The lyrics were spontaneously
B
The song is a collaboration between Daft Punk, created and Williams later explained that they refer
Nile Rodgers (founder of Chic), and Pharrell Williams [5] to the good fortune of meeting someone with whom
– all very successful artists in their own right. Daft there is an immediate connection.
Punk met Rodgers in 1997 at a listening party for
their debut album, Homework, in New York City and Daft Punk also released a remix of ‘Get Lucky’,
they remained friends since. nearly 10 minutes long, honouring 70s and 80s
œ
extended mixes.
‘Get Lucky’ began life as a demo by Daft Punk Verse
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to which Rodgers added his signature guitar part. ‘Get Lucky’ was D
B B m7 awarded Record Of The Year, Best
The demo featured session legend and old time Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best International
.
Roger’s collaborator Omar Hakim on drums. Song at the 2014 Grammys. The song’s live
Rodgers built his part playing to Hakim’s drums performance at the awards featured Stevie Wonder
alone and the bass part was subsequently added and all the session luminaries that graced the record
by Nathan East, another session legend. Rodgers’ with their playing.
.
part was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New
7
.
York, where Chic recorded their original material. 4
Additional guitars were later recorded by Paul T
Bass Grade 5
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Jackson Jr., adding another session legend to the A 2 2 2
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roster. Daft Punk, otherwise known as Thomas
[9]
9
Get Lucky
Daft Punk
Words & Music by Thomas Bangalter, Pharrell Williams,
c 116 Funk/Pop Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo & Nile Rodgers
Intro
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[17]
10 © Copyright 2013 EMI April Music Incorporated/More Water From Nazareth Publishing Incorporated/XLC Music/Concord Copyrights.
Sony/ATV Music Publishing/EMI Music Publishing Limited /Concord Music Publishing LLC.
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Bass Grade 5
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11
Walkthrough
A Section (Bars 1–8) D Section (Bars 29–37)

The four bar chord sequence is established and remains in There are four full bars of rest for the bass before joining in
place throughout the piece. The bass pattern varies with again at the final line.
some passing note phrases.
Bars 29–32 | Whole rests
Bars 1–8 | 16th note phrasing and passing notes Make sure to keep the count through these bars as the bass
The opening line secures the chord sequence that will appear requires a strong entry into bar 33.
through the track with the bass line giving stability in the
quarter notes. The 16th note figures feature passing note Bars 33–37 | Octaves and syncopation
phrases between some of the chords which helps movement Octaves appear more frequently in this final line so the hand
in the piece. The hand positions will need to adjust with position will need to change more often. The syncopated
some regularity, particularly when executing octave phrases. patterns continue and passing notes still imply changes in
chord types. The four bars are repeated exactly with the final
bar played as a whole note on a B.
B Section (Bars 9–16)
The verse follows the same chord sequence but with constant
changes in rhythm.
Bars 9–16 | Rhythmic syncopation

The rhythm through this eight-bar pattern changes regularly
with some quite tricky 16th note figures. The major
pentatonic scale is often used for fills at the E chord and
giving rests their full value will add punch to the played
notes. The section is repeated giving 16 bars in total.
C Section (Bars 17–24)

The chorus section sees the same chord sequence, again with

more rhythmic variations in the bass line. Using the ‘1 e & a’
counting method at a slower tempo will help when learning
these 16th note phrases. The D.C. al Coda marking takes us
back to the start of the piece with the sections repeated again
including all repeats.
Coda Section (Bars 25–28)

We arrive at the Coda after repeating all the previous ections
for a second time. Watch out for the tricky phrasing in bar
28 before the breakdown section.
Bass Grade 5
12
Gil Scott-Heron
SONG TITLE: THE BOTTLE

ALBUM: WINTER IN AMERICA
c 113 Soul/Funk
LABEL: STRATA EAST
GENRE: SOUL JAZZ FUNK
Intro
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WRITTEN BY: GIL SCOTT-HERON A
PRODUCED BY: GIL SCOTT-HERON
AND BRIAN JACKSON œ. œ.
UK CHART PEAK: 1
. ¿
.
T 7
A 7 5
B 5
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A 11
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BACKGROUND INFO Jackson’s flute solo are outstanding examples of a
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subtle yet driving musical style all of their own. 7
T 7 7
‘The Bottle’ was the only single cut from the album A 5
7
Winter In America, a collaboration between Gil Scott- B Gil Scott-Heron released Pieces of a Man in 1971.5

5
Heron and Brian Jackson. The record is regarded as The album includes tracks such as ‘The Revolution
a seminal work and acknowledged as a significant [3] Will Not Be Televised’, one of the sharpest social
reference in the development of neo soul and hip-hop. commentaries ever recorded and credited by many as
the Ve rse rap, and ‘Home is Where The Hatred Is’,
‘original’
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Winter In America is a conceptual album and its a song about heroin addiction that is a precursor to
A 11
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B
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lyrics are a commentary on the state of race relations ‘The Bottle’ in its theme and musical style.
œ.
in the US, and a portrait of life in the inner city. Gil
Scott-Heron was a sharp and highly eloquent social Gil Scott-Heron met Brian Jackson whilst studying
commentator with a great talent for rhyme, rhythm for an undergraduate degree in Literature at Lincoln
. ¿
and poetic metaphor. The record is an atmospheric University in Pennsylvania. He never completed
piece, with sparse instrumentation underpinning the degree but was later admitted to John Hopkins
.
Scott-Heron’s deep and soulful baritone voice. T University where he completed a Master’s Degree 7 in 7
A Creative Writing. He 7taught as a full-time lecturer 5
‘The Bottle’ talks about alcohol abuse. Scott-Heron
B at Federal 5 City College in Washington D.C. whilst
wrote the tune after seeing people line up, every day, [5] being a working musician. His first book collection of
œ œ
in front of a liqueur store called the Log Cabin and poetry, The Vulture, was published in 1970 and was
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bringing their empty bottles to get a discount on their A 11 well received. He wrote a total of six other
critically
œ
next purchase. He got to know some of the characters books.
œ.
and found that many were people with seemingly
normal lives that had undergone a sudden and Scott-Heron was posthumously honoured by the
traumatic experience. National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
and was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Award.
¿
Although the song was a minor commercial success
Bass Grade 5
T 7 7
it became a cult underground hit. The bass groove A 5
7
(deftly delivered by bassist Danny Bowens) and Brian B 5
5
[7]
13
œ œ œ œ œ œ. b
Chorus
œ œ œ .
G m7
? œ.
7
C Am
The Bottle
Gil Scott-Heron
Words & Music by Gil Scott Heron
c 113 Soul/Funk
Intro
¿ œ ¿ œ œ
œ œ œ œ ¿ œ #œ œ
A 11 D m7
? 44 .. œ j
A
œ. œ. œ.
. ¿ ¿ ¿
.
T 7 5
A 7 7 5 5 6 7
B 7 7 7 5
5 5
œ œ œ ¿ œ
? œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ
A 11 D m7
œ. ¿ œ œ œ. ..
¿ .
¿ .
T 7 7 5
A 7 7 5 6 7 7
B 7 5 7 7 5
5 5
[3]
Verse
¿ œ ¿ œ œ
? .. j œ œ œ œ ¿ œ #œ œ
A 11 D m7
œ
B
œ. œ. œ.
. ¿ ¿ ¿
.
T 7 5
A 7 7 5 5 6 7
B 7 7 7 5
5 5
[5]
œ œ œ ¿ œ
œ œ œ œ #œ œ
? œ œ
A 11 D m7
¿ œ œ. ..
Play 4 times
œ. œ

¿ .
¿ .
T 7 7 5
A 7 7 5 6 7 7
B 7 5 7 7 5
5 5
[7]
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ. bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
Chorus
œ . œ. œ œ œ
A m7 G m7 F maj 7
? œ œ œ
C
T 9 9 12 9 7 7 10 7 10 10
A 7 10 10 7 8 8 10 7
B 10 8 8 8 8 8
10
[9]
œ. ¿ œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ
? œ œ œ #œ œ ¿ œ #œ œ
œ œ ‰ Jœ œ.
E m7 D m7 A m7 D m7
T
A 5 6 7 ¿ 7 7
7 7 5
5 ¿ 5 6 7
B 7 7 5 7 7 7 5
5
[12]
¿ œ œ œ ¿ œ
? j œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ
A 11 D m7
œ. œ œ.
œ.
Bass Grade 5
T ¿ 7 7
7 7 ¿ 5
5 6 7 7
A 7 7 7 5
B 5 5
[15]
14 © Copyright 1974 Cayman Music Limited.
Peermusic (UK) Limited.
Verse
¿ œ ¿ œ œ
œ œ œ œ ¿ œ #œ œ
A 11 D m7
? .. œ j
D
œ. œ. œ.
. ¿ ¿ ¿
.
T 7 5
A 7 7 5 5 6 7
B 7 7 7 5
5 5
[17]
œ œ œ œ œ ¿ œ #œ œ œ
? œ
A 11 D m7
¿ œ œ œ œ. ..
Play 4 times
œ. œ
¿ .
¿ .
T 7 7 5
A 7 7 5 6 7 7
B 7 5 7 7 5
5 5
[19]
œ œ
Chorus
¿ œ œ
¿ œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ
A m7 G m7 F maj 7
? j œ ¿ œ ¿ œ
E
œ. œ œ ‰ bœ œ bœ œ ¿ œ.
T
A ¿ 7
¿ 5
10 10
¿ 10 7
¿ ¿
B 7 7 5 5 8 8 7 8 8 8
5 5 5 4 3 6 6
[21]
œ. ¿ œ nœ œ œ. œ œ œ
? œ. œ #œ. œ ¿ œ #œ œ
E m7 D m7 A 11 D m7
œ bœ œ œ ‰ Jœ œ.
¿ 7 7 5
¿

T 5 6 7 7 7 5 5 6 7
A 7 7 6 5 7 7 7 5
B 5
[24]
¿ œ œ œ ¿ œ
? j œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ
A 11 D m7
œ. œ œ.
œ.
T ¿ 7 7 ¿ 5
A 7 7 5 6 7 7
B 7 7 7 5
5 5
[27]
Verse
¿ œ ¿ œ œ
? .. j œ œ œ œ ¿ œ #œ œ
A 11 D m7
œ
F
œ. œ. œ.
. ¿ ¿ ¿
.
T 7 5
A 7 7 5 5 6 7
B 7 7 7 5
5 5
[29]
œ œ œ œ ¿ œ œ #œ œ œ .
? j j
A 11 D m7 11
œ. ¿ œ œ œ œ œ œ.
Play 3 times A
. œ. œ œ œ.
Bass Grade 5
¿ .
¿ . 5
T 7 7 5
A 7 7 5 6 7 7
B 7 5 7 7 5
5 5 5 5
[31]
15
Walkthrough
A Section (Bars 1–4) E Section (Bars 21–28)

The intro sets up the main groove that runs through the The chords change once again moving into bar 21 and
verse sections of the piece. Movement is between two establish the second chorus.
chords, an A11 and a Dm7, which last for one bar each.
Bars 21–24 | Repeated harmony
Bars 1–4 | 16th-note phrasing The chords of the chorus are repeated from the C section
The first bar features some 16th-note phrasing that can be with some broad use of the range between the Gm7 and
tricky to place at first. Practice the line slowly using the ‘1 e Fmaj 7 chords. The hand position will need to change so
& a’ counting method to help. The mutes are an integral part the octave interval is achieved in bar 23. Bar 24 sees some
of this style and a light touch in both hands will help smooth chromatic movement from the Em7 to Dm7 chords and
movement through the patterns. The four bars are repeated again at beat 4.
again here.
Bars 25–28 | Repeated harmony
The groove returns to the main theme again with some
B Section (Bars 5–8) slight variations of bars 13–16. Keeping a light touch will
The verse sees some repeated phrases so the focus should be aid efficiency and movement when playing these 16th note
on consistency and balanced volume. figures at speed.
Bars 5–8 | Repeated phrases

The intro is repeated exactly in these four bars with the F Section (Bars 29–33)
whole line played four times through, giving 16 bars in total. The form returns to the verse in bar 29 and the four bars are
directly lifted from bars 17–20. This section is played three
times, resulting in a total of twelve bars before moving to the
C Section (Bars 9–16) final bar. The rhythmic pattern in bar 33 is mirrored by the
The chords change moving into bar 9 and help define the other instruments to give a solid, unified ending.
chorus section.
Bars 9–12 | Higher range patterns

Bars 9–11 feature some work in the higher range of the neck
with the chord tones highlighted in the patterns. There is a
slight shift in key centre moving to the Gm7 in bar 10 but
the Fmaj 7 resets the key of the piece.
Bars 13–16 | Repeated phrases

The main groove from the intro is re-established in
these bars.
D Section (Bars 17–20)

This verse section is played exactly the same as the verse in
section B with a total of 16 bars here. Although the same
phrases appear a lot through a piece the aim is to stay solid
and consistent while providing the foundation for the other
instruments.
Bass Grade 5
16
Earth, Wind and Fire
SONG TITLE: SEPTEMBER

ALBUM: I AM
LABEL: COLUMBIA c 125 Disco/Funk
GENRE: R&B/DISCO/FUNK/SOUL
? # ## 44
A Intro
WRITTEN BY: MAURICE WHITE, AL MCKAY
AND ALLEE WILLIS
PRODUCED BY: MAURICE WHITE
[Keys & Guitar]
UK CHART PEAK: 3 T
A
B
BACKGROUND INFO Earth, Wind and Fire had many members over the
years. Founder Maurice White started as a drummer
‘September’ was released as a single in 1978 and and was a member of pianist Ramsey Lewis’ trio.
œ nœ
reached the number 1 spot in the US R&B Charts, White’s brother Verdine joined the band in 1970.

nœ
number 8 in the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and number Verdine started on upright bass but also took electric
3 in the UK Singles Chart. The song is included bass lessons with Louis Satterfield who later became a
? # ##
on the album I Am and has become one of many member of A 11
the band’s famous horn section. Verdine’s
œ œ œ œ
classics by Earth, Wind and Fire. The band has a very style is immediately recognizable – tight, measured,
distinctive sound well represented by ‘September’. funky and always complimentary to the song. Other
than his work with Earth, Wind and Fire Verdine
The blend of Maurice White’s baritone with has recorded with the Ramsey Lewis Trio, Gene
Philip Bailey’s falsetto create a unique vocal palette Harris, The Emotions and Jennifer Lopez. He has also
underpinned by a neatly weaved groove, great produced records by Level 42, Urban Knights and Flo 1
harmonies and elaborate horn arrangements. Earth, Rida. He remains the only founding 12 member14 in the
T 0
Wind and Fire are exceptional musicians but are A current line-up. 0 0
0
songwriters first and foremost and, as such, they B
have been acknowledged by being inducted into the In 1984 vocalist Philip Bailey released a solo album
[7]
Songwriters Hall of Fame. They have also received called Chinese Wall which contained the song ‘Easy
a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Lover’, a duet with Phil Collins and a huge worldwide
Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. In hit. Another Earth, Wind and Fire member of note is
addition to ‘September’ other band classics include saxophonist and flautist Ronnie Laws whose ‘Always
‘Boogie Wonderland’, ‘After the Love has Gone’, There’ is a Jazz-R&B classic. The list is ongoing and
‘Fantasy’ and ‘Shining Star’. Earth, Wind and Fire were illustrates the prominence of the individual band
the first African-American band to sell out Madison members on various other projects in addition to
Square Gardens. They have sold over 90 million their immensely popular and prolific band activity.
records worldwide.
Bass Grade 5
nœ œ
? # ## œ œ
17
œ œ
September
Earth, Wind and Fire
Words & Music by Al McKay,
Maurice White & Allee Willis
c 125 Disco/Funk
? # # # 44
A Intro
[Keys & Guitar]
T
A
B
nœ œ nœ œ nœ œ nœ œ
? ###
A 11
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
T 12 14 12 14 12 14 12 14
A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B
[7]

nœ œ nœ œ nœ œ
? ### Œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
T 12 14 12 14 12 14
A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B
[9]
Verse
C # m7 C # m7 F # m7 C # m7
? # # # .. œ œ ‰ œj ‰ œj ‰ œj œ j
œ œ ‰ œ ‰ œj ‰ œj
B D maj 7 B m7 D maj 7 B m7
œ œ œ ¿ œ
Bass Grade 5
.
. ¿
T
A 5 5 4 2 2 4 5 5 4 2 2
B 4 0 2 5
[11]
18 © Copyright XXXX
All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured.a © Copyright 1978 EMI Blackwood Music Incorporated/Irving Music Incorporated/EMI April Music Incorporated/Steel-Chest Music.
Rondor International Incorporated/EMI Music Publishing Limited.
b
C # m7 F # m7 D maj 7 C # m7 B m7 C # m7 C#7 9 F # m7
? ### œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œj ‰ œj œ œ n œ #œ
T 2 3 4
A 4 4 5 5 5 4 2 2 4 4 2
B 4 0 2 5
[14]
1. 2.
? ###
A 11
Œ .. œ œ bœ
.
.
T 12 14 12 14 12 14 12 14
A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
B
[17]

Chorus
C # m7 F # m7
? ### n œ œ œ Œ œ œ Œ
C B m7 E9 B m7 E9
œ nœ #œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ nœ
œ
T 4 2 4 2
A 2 2 3 4 0 2 2 3
B 4 0 2 4
[20]
C # m7 F # m7 C # m7 F # m7
? ### # œ
B m9 E9
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œj œ n œ #œ œ
œ œ œ œ
Bass Grade 5
T 4 2
A 4 2 2 0 2 3 4
B 4 0 2 4 4 0 2 4 2
[23]
19
nœ œ. nœ œ. C # m7
? ### œ œ ‰ œj ‰ œj ‰ œj
A 11 D maj 7 B m7
T 12 14 12 14
A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 4 2 2
B
[26]
C # m7 F # m7 C # m7 C # m7 F # m7
? ### œ j
œ œ ‰ œ ‰ œj ‰ œj œ
D maj 7 B m7
T
A 4 5 5 4 2 2 4
B 4 0 2 4 4 0 2 4
[29]
C # m7 C # m7 F # m7
? ### œ j j j nœ #œ œ
D maj 7 B m7
œ ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ œ ‰ J œ œ

T 2 3 4 4
A 5 5 4 2 2 4 4 2
B
[32]
nœ œ nœ œ nœ œ
? ###
A 11
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ
T 12 14 12 14 12 14
A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B
[34]
Verse
C # m7 C # m7 F # m7 C # m7
? # # # .. œ œ ‰ œj ‰ œj ‰ œj œ œ œ ‰ œj ‰ œj ‰ œj
D D maj 7 B m7 D maj 7 B m7
œ œ œ œ œ œ
Bass Grade 5
.
.
T
A 5 5 4 2 2 4 2 4 5 5 4 2 2
B 4 0 2 4
[36]
20
C # m7 F # m7 C # m7 C # m7 F # m7
? ### œ œ œ ‰ œj ‰ œj ‰ œj œ œ n œ #œ
D maj 7 B m7
œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ
T 2 3 4
A 4 2 4 5 5 4 2 2 4 4 2
B 4 0 2 4
[39]
1. 2.
? ###
A 11
Œ .. bœ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
.
.
T 12 14 12 14 12 14 12 14
A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
B
[42]
Chorus
C # m7 F # m7
? # # # .. n œ œ œ ‰ j nœ œ œ ‰ j
E B m7 E9 B m7 E9
œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ
œ
.
.

T 4 2 4 2
A 2 0 2 3 4 2 0 2 3
B 4 0 2 4
[45]
C # m7 F # m7 C # m7 F # m7
? ### # œ
œ œ œ œ ‰ œj œ n œ # œ œ n œ # œ ‰ Jœ œ œ
B m7 E9
œ œ œ œ œ œ
T 4 2 2 3 4 4
A 4 0 4 2 2 0 2 3 4 4 2
B 4 0 2 4
[48]
1. 2.
? ###
A 11
bœ .. œ œ
Bass Grade 5
.
.
T 12 14 12 14 12 14 12 14
A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
B
[51]
21
Walkthrough
A Section (Bars 1–10) Bars 28–35 | Repeated chord patterns

The intro section features a keyboard and guitar riff to set There is a return to the intro feel again with movement
the theme with six bars of rest for the bass. back to the Dmaj7 chord at the start of bar 28. The off-beat
eighth-notes are felt again here with the two-octave riff
Bars 1–6 | Whole-note rests setting up the next verse. Watch out for the quarter-note rest
The opening six bars feature the keyboards and guitar on beat 4 of bar 35!
setting up the groove.
Bars 7–10 | Two-octave pattern D Section (Bars 36–44)

The bass enters at bar 7 with a solid eighth note pattern. The verse chord sequence appears again with some slight
The first two eighth-notes are played on the open A string variations to the first time in section B. Aim for consistency
followed by a G natural and A played two octaves higher on in volume and tone here.
the 12th and 14th frets of the G string. The G natural is used
to compliment the A11 chord. E Section (Bars 45–53)
The piece moves back to another chorus and begins again
B Section (Bars 11–19) on the Bm7 chord to define this change in section. Some
The verse features some fairly swift movement between the passing notes appear which help suggest movement to the
chords. There is a two-bar chord pattern which is repeated following chord and the two-octave riff is in place again. Try
through the verse section with some subtle changes in to mute the open A string before playing the high G and A
the bass line. on the G string. The section is played twice through with a
unison ending in bar 53.
Bars 11–12 | Eighth-note phrasing
Use the ‘1 & 2 &’ counting method to help place the chords
on the eighth note off beats in this first bar. Starting with the
fourth finger in the fretting hand will help to move smoothly
through the rest of the phrase.

Bars 13–16 | Phrasing variations
The chord pattern remains the same although there are
some slight changes to the bass line here. There is an F
natural in bar 16 which, if thought of enharmonically
(as E#), is the third degree of the C#7 9 chord on beat 2.
b
Bars 17–19 | Two-octave pattern

The two-octave pattern over the A11 chord appears again in
these two bars. The verse section is repeated giving 16 bars
in total here.

The new chord sequence defines the chorus section.
Changes in hand position here should be minimal as much
of the work is around open strings and the 2nd & 4th frets.
Bars 20–27 | Chordal changes

The harmony of the piece changes slightly with the chorus
section beginning on the Bm7 chord. The bass line weaves
around four chords until bar 26 when the two-octave
technique appears again.
Bass Grade 5
22
The Killers
SONG TITLE: MR. BRIGHTSIDE

ALBUM: HOT FUSS
c 148 Indie/Pop
LABEL: ISLAND / LIZARD KING
GENRE: ALT. ROCK / POST PUNK-
? # # 44
NEW WAVE REVIVAL Intro
WRITTEN BY: DAVE KEUNING AND

BRANDON FLOWERS
PRODUCED BY: THE KILLERS
T
UK CHART PEAK: 10 A
B
BACKGROUND INFO experienced by singer Brandon Flowers. He caught his

girlfriend cheating on him and whilst those wounds
‘Mr. Brightside’ was the first single released by were still fresh he wrote the lyrics.
The Killers, later included on the band’s debut album

F # m/C #
Hot Fuss. Guitarist Dave Keuning had written the TheVe rsehas been covered by various artists, most
song
w w
verse and singer Brandon Flowers added the chorus notably by Paul Anka who released a swing-jazz
D
? # The
and lyrics upon hearing it. The song was originally A version in 2007, and by McFly who released it as a
# song received a Grammy Award nomination

released in September 2003 after the band signed to B-side in 2005.
UK label Lizard King Records. It achieved only minor
success and it was after being re-released in 2004 that
P2006.
‘Mr. Brightside’ started climbing the charts in the US for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with
and UK. After entering the US charts at number 40 Vocal in
in February 2005 it reached number 11 in June of the 6
same year. It eventually made it to number 1 in the The Killers
7 continue to enjoy much success and
T
UK Indie Charts and by 2009 it had reached sales of A have released six albums to date.
two million in the US alone. The band are a popular B
live act in the UK and the song is very popular on
streaming services. Its anthemic quality makes it [5]
a staple of live shows and parties. ‘Mr. Brightside’
has been featured in the films The Holiday and
About Time, and it has been adopted by Michigan
Wolverines football fans as a crowd anthem.
The recorded version of the song is the original

demo, a simple eight track mix with no automation
and basic effects. Having tried other versions the band
decided to use the original demo, copies of which
Bass Grade 5
were distributed for free at their early shows. ‘Mr.
œ
Brightside’s lyrics are the product of real-life situation
D
? ## w
23
Mr Brightside
The Killers
Words & Music by Brandon Flowers, Dave Keuning,
Mark Stoermer & Ronnie Vannucci
c 148 Indie/Pop
? # # 44
Intro
T
A
B
Verse
F # m/C #
w w
D G
? ## w
A
P
T 7 6
A 5
B
[5]

F # m/C #
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
D
? ## w
T 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
A 5
B
[8]
? ## œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
G D
Bass Grade 5
F
T 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
A 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
B
[11]
24 © Copyright 2003 Universal Music Publishing Limited.
F # m/C #
? ## œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
G
T
A 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
B 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
[14]
Pre Chorus
? # # .. œ. œ œ
B Bm D/A
œ œ œ œ J œ œ œ œ œ
.
.
T 4 2 0
A 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
B
[17]
1.
? ## œ . œ œ œ œ. œ œ
G
J œ œ œ œ œ
J

T 4 2 0 2 0
A 4
B 3 3 3 3
[20]
2.
? ## j ..
œ
G
œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
.
.
T 0
A 2 4
B 3 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
[23]
? ## œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
Bass Grade 5
T 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
A
B 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 2 3 3 3
[26]
25
Chorus
? # # .. œ œ œ œ œ
C D G Bm
f
.
. 5
T 5 5 5 5
A 5 5 5 5 2 2 2 2
B
[29]
? ## .. œ œ œ œ œ
A D G
.
.
T
A 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 5 5 5
B 3 3 3 3 3
[32]
? ## œ œ œ œ œ
Bm A D

T
A 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 5 5
B
[35]
? ## œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
G Bm A
T 4 4 4 4 2 2 2 2 2
A 5 5 5 5 5
B
[38]
? # # .. œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ ..
D G Bm A
Bass Grade 5
. .
. .
T 5 5 5 5
A 5 5 5 5 5 2 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
B
[41]
26
Breakdown
w w ww ww
D G Bm A
? # # .. w w ..
D
P
. 110 .
. .
T 7 6
A 12 9 7
B 10
[45]
Chorus
? # # .. œ œ œ œ œ
E D G Bm
f
.
.5
T 5 5 5 5
A 5 5 5 5 2 2 2 2
B
[49]
? ## .. œ œ œ œ œ
A D G
.
.

T
A 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 5 5 5
B 3 3 3 3 3
[52]
Bm A D
? ## œ œ. œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ J
T
A 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 5 5 5
B
[55]
œ. œ œ œ œ U
? ## œ . œ œ œ
G Bm A
J J œ
˙
Bass Grade 5
T 4 4 4 2
A 5 5 5 2
B 0
[58]
27
Walkthrough
A Section (Bars 1–16) C Section (Bars 29–44)

The first four bars feature a solo guitar riff with the bass The chorus section is mostly quarter notes on each beat of
joining in at bar 5. the bar with some added eighth notes in bars 29 & 32.
Bars 1–4 | Whole-note rests Bars 29–32 | Strong quarter notes

The opening four bars are whole rests for the bass but The ‘1, 4, 6, 5’ chord movement is relatively common in
the high tempo means the first bass note in bar 5 will pop and rock for the chorus section. Play the notes
soon arrive! confidently and with conviction to keep the high
energy level of the track.
Bars 5–8 | Whole notes
The verse begins with whole notes in the higher octave Bars 33–44 | Repeated rhythm
which will help give some impact when moving to the These bars feature the same chord sequence and energy as
lower octave in bar 13. Be careful not to cut the note bars 29–32 with some slight changes to the octave choice
values short here. and rhythm.
Bars 9–16 | Solid eighth notes

Bars 9–16 feature solid eighth notes throughout. Alternating D Section (Bars 45–48)
the first and second fingers in the picking hand will help to This breakdown section features some chordal work and
maintain consistency in this section. long notes in each bar.
Bars 45–48 | Double stops

B Section (Bars 17–28) Double stops are two notes played at the same time. The first
The track moves to a pre-chorus section with a release from bar is played as a tenth interval which is the root note with
the eighth notes to quarter notes. the third played an octave above. Bar 46 is played as a power
chord interval of root and fifth, with bars 47–48 played in
Bars 17–18 | Quarter notes and ties thirds relative to the B minor and A chords. Use the tab in
The quarter notes should be played confidently and solidly particular for reference of note placement. This section is
here. Watch out for the dotted quarter note and the tie in bar played twice giving eight bars in total.

18, with the E falling on the ‘&’ of beat 2.
Bars 19–20 | Repeated rhythm E Section (Bars 49–60)

The rhythm of the previous two bars is repeated but the A return to the chorus here and the same rhythm used as
f
quarter notes move to an open A in bar 19, whilst the the previous chorus section. The dynamic marking in this
pattern in bar 20 copies bar 18. section is (forte, or loud) so needs to be played confidently
and securely.
Bars 21–24 | Repeated rhythm
The same rhythm is applied once again in these four bars but Bars 49–52 | Repeated phrases
with some changes in note choice to support the G chord. These four bars are repeated from section C and played
twice through.
Bars 25–28 | Eighth notes
The four bars leading up to the chorus has a return to the Bars 53–56 | Repeated phrases
solid eighth notes as seen in the verse section. There are The chorus feel continues with some slight changes to the
three identical bars here with the fourth played an octave choice.
octave higher.
Bars 57–60 | Dotted quarter notes and ties
The rhythm changes slightly in the final line although the
chord sequence remains the same. The final bar finishes
with an octave, fifth, root movement on the A chord.
Bass Grade 5
28
The Allman Brothers Band
SONG TITLE: THE WHIPPING POST
d65 Classic Rock

ALBUM: THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
LABEL: CAPRICORN RECORDS
GENRE: SOUTHERN ROCK Intro
? 68 ..
A
WRITTEN BY: GREGG ALLMAN

PRODUCED BY: ADRIAN BARBER
UK CHART PEAK: NOT CHARTED

.
.
T
A 5
B 5 3 5 3 5
5
? 68 œ œ
BACKGROUND INFO
œ œ œ œ œ
for the live jams of studio recordings. The Allman
œ
Brothers were always vocal about their preference for
‘The Whipping Post’ was written by Gregg Allman live rather than studio performance. The effect of ‘The
at the time of joining his brother Duane’s new band Whipping Post’s’ live version was such that audiences

in 1969. Gregg had tried his luck in Los Angeles began to request it at other artists’ shows. Jackson
but upon failing to make a name for himself he Browne noticed this and Frank Zappa decided to
contemplated quitting music altogether. A timely call include it on his set after experiencing such a request
from Duane, who was looking for a vocalist for his T at a show in Helsinki. Despite changes in tendencies
new musical venture, led to being commissioned with A within the music industry the song remained a classic 5 3
B 5 3 5 3 5
writing new songs to fit the band’s desired sound. He and musicians5 continued to study it. Hal Leonard
set out to write several songs in the days following [3]published a transcription of The Allman Brothers’
and ‘The Whipping Post’ was included in that batch of work in 1995 that included 42 pages of guitar solos
new compositions. from ‘The Whipping Post’s’ live version alone.
‘The Whipping Post’s’ lyrics are about the The Allman Brothers paved the way for an
existential sorrow and the hardship of trying to experimental rock sound built on their phenomenal
establish oneself in the music business. There is a Verse
live performances and are credited as a fundamental
œ œ
great deal of metaphor and a blues-esque lament runs influence by bands such as Lynyrd Skynyrd,BmThe
7/A Am
? 68 ..
Marshall TuckerABand, ZZ Top and Kings Of Leon.
B
œ œ œ
through the lyrics and delivery style. The ternary feel
œ œ œ œ
of the groove gives the song a driving urgency and the
famous intro is essential for rock bass players.
The track featured on The Allman Brothers Band
.
album, released in 1969. The record sold poorly but
.
a 22 minute live version of ‘The Whipping Post’ was
7
included on the 1971 live album At Fillmore East, fast T 7
becoming a cult classic and receiving considerable A
Bass Grade 5
B 5 5 5 5 5
airplay, particularly on progressive rock radio shows, 5 5
despite its length. The live version became a blueprint [5]
29
B m7/A A
The Whipping Post
The Allman Brothers Band
Words & Music by Gregg Allman
d65 Classic Rock
Intro
? 68 .. 85 œ 68
A
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ
.
.
T
A 5 3
B 5 5 3 5 3 5 5 3 5 3 5 5 3 5 3
? 6
85 œ .. 68
Play 3 times
8 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ
.
.
T
A 5 3
B 5 5 3 5 3 5 5 3 5 3 5 5 3 5 3
[3]
Verse
? 68 .. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
B m7/A B m7/A B m7/A
œ œ œ
B A Am A

.
.
T 7 7 7 7 7 5 7
A 7 5
B 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 8 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
[5]
? œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
B m7/A B m7/A B m7/A
œ œ œ œ œ œ
Am A Am
œ œ œ œ œ œ
T 7 7 7 7 5 7 7 7 7 7 7 5
A 7 5 7 5
B 8 5 5 5 5 5 5 8
[8]
1. 2.
? œ œ œ œ œ œ œ .. œ œ œ œ
B m7/A B m7/A A7
œ œ œ
A Am Am
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ
Bass Grade 5
.
.
T 7 7 7 7 7 7 5 7 7 7 7
A 7 5 3 4
B 5 5 5 5 5 5 8 5
[11]
30 © Copyright 1969 Elijah Blue Music/Unichappell Music Incorporated.
IQ Music Limited/Warner/Chappell North America Limited.
Pre Chorus
D7 E7
? œ. j ⇥ ¿ œ bœ nœ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ
C
œ œ œ.
nœ
T
A
B 5 5 5 ¿ 5 6 7 7
4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6
5 0
[14]
Chorus
? œ
A7
œ œ #œ œ
D7
nœ #œ
A7
œ œ nœ #œ œ
œ
D
œ œ. œ
T 5 6 5 6
A 7 7 7 5 6 7 7 7
B 5 7
5 5
[18]
? œ.
D7
nœ #œ œ
A7
œ nœ #œ œ
D7
œœ ..
œ œ.
œ

T 5 6
A 5 6 7 7 7 7
B 5 7 5 5
5
[21]
? n œœ Œ. ˙˙ . ˙˙ .
C7
‰ ∑ . .
T 5
A 3 7
B 5
[24]
Intro Riff
A B m7/A Am B m7/A
? ..
85 œ
68
E
œ œ
Bass Grade 5
.
.
T
A 5 3
B 5 5 3 5 3 5 5 3 5 3 5 5 3 5 3
[28]
31
A B m7/A Am B m7/A
? 6 5 œ œ .. 68
8 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 8 œ œ œ œ œ
.
.
T
A 5 3
B 5 5 3 5 3 5 5 3 5 3 5 5 3 5 3
[30]
Guitar Solo
A B m7/A Am B m7/A
? 6 .. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
F
8 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
.
.
T 7 7 7 7 7 5
A 7 5
B 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 8
[32]
A B m7/A Am B m7/A
? œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ..
.
.

T 7 7 7 7 7 5
A 7 5
B 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 8
[34]
Verse
A B m7/A Am B m7/A
? œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
G
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
T 7 7 7 7 7 5
A 7 5
B 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 8
[36]
A B m7/A Am B m7/A
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
Bass Grade 5
T 7 7 7 7 7 5
A 7 5
B 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 8
[38]
32
B m7/A B m7/A
œ
A Am
T 7 7 7 7 7 7 5
A 7 5
B 5 5 5 5 5 5 8
[40]
? œ œ œ œ œ œ
A B m7/A Am B m7/A
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ
T 7 7 7 7 7 7
A 3 4
B 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
[42]
Pre Chorus
D7 E7
? œ. j ⇥ ¿ œ bœ nœ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ
H
œ œ œ.
nœ
T
A
B 5 5
5
5 ¿ 5 6 7
0
7
4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6
[44]
Chorus

œ #œ nœ #œ
? œ œ œ œ nœ #œ œ œ œ
I A7 D7 A7
œ œ. œ
T 5 6 5 6
A 7 7 7 5 6 7 7 7
B 5 7
5 5
[48]
œ nœ #œ œ œ nœ #œ œ œœ ..
? œ. œ. n œœ Œ.
D7 A7 D7 C7
œ ‰
T 5 6
A 5 6 7 7 7 7 5
B 5 7 5 5 3
5
[51]
? œ œ
A7
∑ ˙˙ . œœ . œ
. . ˙.
Bass Grade 5
T 5 7
A 7 7
B 5 5
[55]
33
Walkthrough
A Section (Bars 1–4) Bars 18–21 | Octaves and minor thirds

The opening line features some time signature changes early The pattern begins with some octave movement starting
on, with the pattern moving between 6/8 and 5/8. with the high A and moving down to the lower octave A.
The minor third-major third movement is seen on beats
Bars 1–4 | 6/8 and 5/8 time signatures 4 to 6 of the bar. Bars 20–21 are played exactly the same as
At first glance the opening line appears quite daunting but bars 18–19.
actually isn’t so difficult to play. The bass begins the piece
with other instruments joining on the repeats. Using the Bars 22–27 | Repeated phrases and double stops
triplet counting method ‘1 2 & 3 &’ should help to place the Bar 22 will see a familiar phrase with some double stops
eighth and 16th notes. The notes move between an A and appearing in bars 23–24. These double stops are played as
G so using the first and third fingers in the fretting hand power chords and add some weight to the sound. Make sure
should make for a smooth line here. Practice this line at to count the rests before playing the power chord in bar 26.
slower tempos first and gradually build the tempo until it
falls comfortably under the fingers.
E Section (Bars 28–31)
The intro pattern returns with bars 1–4 repeated exactly and
B Section (Bars 5–13) played twice through giving eight bars in total.
The rhythm changes at the verse with a combination of
eighth and 16th notes that should sit comfortably after some
practice. F Section (Bars 32–35)
The pattern from the verse is repeated for the guitar solo
Bars 5–8 | Eighth and 16th notes section here. Aim for consistency and solid support for the
This rhythmic pattern features an eighth note, two 16th soloist throughout this section.
notes and one more eighth note in the phrase. There is
an octave interval in the first phrase and some minor
pentatonic work in the second bar. Bars 7–8 are an exact G Section (Bars 36–43)
repeat of bars 5–6. Bars 5–13 (with the second time bar) are repeated for this
second verse, so this section should seem familiar already.

Bars 9–13 | Eighth and 16th note variations
The rhythmic pattern changes a little here but with similar
note choice to the previous bars. Some more octave patterns H Section (Bars 44–47)
appear so starting bar 9 with the first finger would work Another repeated section from earlier in the piece. Bars
well. The pattern breaks slightly at bar 13 to initiate a more 14–17 are taken for this pre-chorus.
standard 6/8 feel for the pre-chorus.
I Section (Bars 48–58)

C Section (Bars 14–17) This section sees a return to the chorus with the octave
The chord pattern begins on a D7 which is the fourth degree patterns and minor-major third movement appearing again.
of the scale and chromatic ‘climbing’ effect is used over the This outro chorus section should be played with confidence
E7 chord in bars 16–17. This creates a pull to the A7 chord at and conviction with bars 18–27 repeated here. The closing
the chorus. bar signifies the ending to the piece.

The chorus takes on a bluesy feel with some octave use at the
A7 chords. Movement from the minor third to major third is
a popular device for bass players, particularly in blues.
Bass Grade 5
34
Geek
SONG TITLE: GEEK

GENRE: PUNK ROCK
j
q
3
=q
q = 137 Punk Rock q q
TEMPO: 137 BPM
KEY: E MINOR
? # 44 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
A B5
TECH FEATURES: TIMING
p
MELODIC LINES
DYNAMICS
COMPOSER: JAMES UINGS T

A 7
B 7 7 7 7 7 7
7
PERSONNEL: STUART RYAN (GTR)
DAVE MARKS (BASS)
NOAM LEDERMAN (DRUMS)
OVERVIEW and New York Dolls, but it became a phenomenon in

Britain, where the ethos behind the music developed
‘Geek’ is a punk rock track in the style of bands into a cultural movement.
like Rancid, Green Day and The Offspring. The

B
bassline created here contains a lot of root-based lines Early punk bands included The Sex Pistols,
.. œ. ‰
that follow the chord progression and melodic parts The Clash and The Damned. Each of these groups E5
?# œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
that add interest during sections where the guitars followed the3 same basic instrumentation
3 3
of guitars,
. . . J
are playing simple chords. This line can be played bass, drums and vocals. Songs were frenetic and short.
with either the fingers or a pick, although a pick is The lyrical content was often antagonistic and focused
Punk has no shortage of bass heroes:fold-school

recommended to get a true punk rock tone. on social and political issues.
.
.
STYLE FOCUS players such as Dee Dee Ramone (Ramones), Bruce
T Foxton (The Jam), Paul Simonon (The Clash) and
7
Punk rock is an aggressive musical style that A Jean-Jacques Burnel (The Stranglers) continue to
7
7 contemporary 7 7
commonly features fast tempos and relatively simple B influence
7 young 7
7 players, 7 more
7 while
chord progressions. Punk basslines vary from being [4] punk rock bassists including Mike Dirnt (Green Day),
predominantly root note-based, such as those found Mark Hoppus (Blink -182) and Matt Freeman (Power
on tracks by The Sex Pistols, to more adventurous, Of Five) are the punk bass heroes of this generation.
melodic lines as heard in songs by The Jam, through
to modern punk bands including Less Than Jake.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING
THE BIGGER PICTURE Memorable punk tracks include ‘God Save The
Queen’ and ‘Anarchy In The UK’ by The Sex Pistols,
Punk rock began in the 1970s as a hard-edged, and ‘Judy Is A Punk’, ‘Sheena Is A Punk Rocker’ and
stripped-back alternative to what were seen as the ‘I Wanna Be Sedated’ by the Ramones. More recent
Bass Grade 5
musical excesses of prog rock and disco. Its roots were punk classics have included ‘Longview’ and ‘Basket 1.
in America and the music of The Stooges, Ramones Case’ by Green Day and ‘Maxwell Murder’ by Rancid.
G5
j ‰ j ‰
C5
j ‰
E5
? # œ. ‰ œ œ. œ 35
œ.
J
Geek
James Uings
3
j
q = 137 Punk Rock q q = q q
?#4
A
B5 3 3 3 3
4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ
p
T
A
B 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
?# œ œ œ œ œ œ œ .. œ. ‰ œ j j j j
E5 C5 G5 A5
œ. ‰ œ ‰ œ. ‰ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ
3 3 3
. œ. œ. J
f
.
.
T
A 7 7 3 3
B 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 3 3 5 0 5 0
[4]

1. 2.
j j œ œ
E5 C5 G5 B5 G5 A5
? # œ. ‰ œ j ‰ j ‰ œ œ œ œ # œ .. œ œ
œ. ‰ œ ‰
3 3
3
J œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
.
. 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 5 7 7
T
A 7 7 3 3 5 6
B 3 3 7 7 7
[7]
œ œ œ. œ. œ. œ œ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ
B5
œ
N.C.
?# œ œ œ
3
œ ‰ œ J ‰ J ‰ J J
3
J
Bass Grade 5
T 9 9 9 9 9 9 7 7
A 7 7 10 10 10 9 10 9
B 7 7 7
36
[10]
© Copyright 2012 Rock School Ltd. This music is copyright. Photocopying is illegal.
? # œ ‰ œ œ œJ ‰ Jœ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
J ‰ J ‰ œ ‰ œ J ‰ J ‰
J 3
J
T 7 9
A 9 7 7 9 9 9 9
B 7 7 10 10 7 7 10 10
[13]
? # œJ ‰ Jœ ‰ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ ‰ œ. ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
J
T 7 7 7 9 7
A 10 9 10 7 7 9 7 9 10 10 9
B 10
[16]
G5 D5 A5 E5 B5 G5 G/F #
? # .. œ œ ‰ ‰ œ œ œ œ j j
œ œ ‰ œJ ‰ œ œ ‰ œ œ ‰
D
Œ
3
œ œ œ œ
.
.

T 5 4 5 4 5
A 5 5 7 5
B 3 5 5 7 7 3 2 2
[19]
1. 2.
?# œ ˙ .. œ
B5
‰
Em
œ J œ œ œ ˙
œ
.
.
T 2 [2]
A 2 2 2 2 2 2
B 0
[22]
j j j
E5 C5 G5 A5 E5 C5
? # .. j ‰ œ j j œ. ‰ œ
E
œ. ‰ œ œ œ. ‰ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ. ‰ œ ‰
Vary on repeat
œ. J
Bass Grade 5
.
. 0
T
A 7 3 3 2 7 7 3 3
B 3 3 5 0 5 0
[24]
37
1. 2.
œ œ œ 3œ œ œ œ œ
G5 B5 G5 A5 B5
? # j ‰ j ‰ œ œ œ œ # œ .. œ œ
3 3 3
œ œ œ
3
œ œ œ
3
œ. œ œ œ œ
.
. 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 5 7 7
T 9 9 9 9 9 9
A 5 6
B 3 3 7 7 7 7 7 7
[27]
Drum Solo (8 bars)
? # .. œ œ œ œ
F E5 C5 G5
‰ Ó œ œ Œ Ó Œ Ó
3
J œ œ
.
.
T
A 7 7 7 7 3 3
B 3 3
[30]
1. 2.
?# .. œ
A5 B5
‰ Ó
3
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
.
.

T
A
B 5 0 5 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
[33]
Guitar Solo (12 bars)
? # .. ’ ..
G
E5 B5 A5 G5 E5 B5 C5 D5
’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’
. .
. .
T
A
B
[35]
œ œ œ œ #œ œ
E5 B5 A5 G5 E5 B5 C5 D5
œ
?# œ œ œ
3
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
Bass Grade 5
T 5
A 7 5 5
B 2 2 2 2 7 5 2 2 2 2 3 5 5 6 6
0 0 0 3 5 5 3 3 0 0 0 5
[39]
38
Bass Solo (8 bars)
? # .. ’ ..
H
Em C D Em C D Am
’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’
. .
. .
T
A
B
[43]
E5 G5 A5 N.C. E5 G5
?#
3
œ œ ¿ ¿ ¿ œ œ œ œ œ œ
I
3 3 3 3 3 3
œ œ ¿ ¿ ¿ œ œ ¿ ¿ ¿ œ œ ¿ ¿ ¿ œ œ ¿ ¿ ¿
¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿
T 2 0
A 0 0 2 2 0
B 0 0 3 3 3 0 0 3 3
[47]
A5 B5 C5 G5 E5 G5 A5
?#
N.C.
œ œ
3 3 3 3 3
œ > > œ œ œ ¿ ¿ ¿ œ œ ¿ ¿ ¿ œ œ ¿ ¿ ¿ œ œ œ œ œ œ
> >

¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿
T
A 0 2 3
B 3 0 0 3 3 5 5 3 0 0 3 0 0
[50]
E5 G5 A5 E5
?#
N.C.
œ œ œ
3 3 3 3
œ œ ¿ ¿ ¿ œ œ ¿ ¿ ¿ œ œ ¿ ¿ ¿ œ œ ¿ ¿ ¿ œ
>
¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿
T
A
B 0 0 3 3 5 5 5 5 7 8 10 0
[53]
?# œ >œ >œ >œ œ œ >œ

3 E5
œ œ œ œ œ œ
N.C. N.C.
œ œ œ Œ
œ
>œ
Bass Grade 5
3 3
T
A 9 9 9 9 10 7
B 12 0 12 12 10 12 12 12 7 8 10 0
[56]
39
Walkthrough
A Section (Bars 1–4) G Section (Bars 35–42)

The opening section establishes the swung eighth note/ This section is the guitar solo and you have the opportunity
triplet feel that is used throughout ‘Geek’. to create your own bassline to support the guitarist.
p
Bars 1–4 | Dynamics Bars 35–38 | Creating a bassline
The first bar is marked and indicates that you should play The bassline you play during this section should be in
f
softly. There is a crescendo throughout the intro and your keeping with the rest of the song. Your line can be melodic,
playing volume should therefore increase, reaching (loud) but remember that your job is to support the guitar solo.
by the time you play the quarter note triplet.
H Section (Bars 43–46)

B Section (Bars 5–10) This section features a bass solo and is another opportunity
The B section is a high paced riff that shifts position. for you to create your own part.
Bars 5–6 | Staccato notes Bars 43–46 | Bass solo

The first note of each chord change is marked staccato When creating a bass solo here, the E natural minor scale is
and should therefore be played short. Each staccato note is a great place to start. You should also aim to use some of the
followed by another note, not marked staccato. Although chord tones from the underlying chords. Above all, your line
most of these second notes are also eighth notes, you should should be melodic and memorable.
make sure that there is an obvious difference between those
marked staccato and those which are not (Fig. 1).
I Section (Bars 47–58)
The final section of the song features a triplet ghost note
C Section (Bars 11–18) rhythm and some exciting fills.
This section features a melodic line from the bass that
perfectly underpins what would work well as a verse section. Bar 47 | Ghost note triplets
When playing the ghost note figures in these bars, ensure
Bars 11–18 | Fingerings that you are adequately muting the strings with your left

The recommended fingering for this line is to start with the hand. Ghost notes should be pitchless notes (Fig. 2).
first finger of your fretting hand on the E at the 7th fret of the
A string. This will then enable you to play the entire section
? # œ. ‰ œ œj ‰ œj ‰ j ‰ j ‰
with the one-finger-per-fret technique. E5 C5 G5 A5
J . œ. œ œ œ œ œ
This part of the song features some tricky rhythmic figures
for you to get to grips with. T
A 7 7 3 3
B 3 3 5 0 5 0
Bar 19 | Triplet figure

The triplet figure in this bar is challenging because it starts Fig. 1: Staccato notes
on the second note of the triplet on beat 3. Take care to play
the first two notes after the downbeat of beat 3, not on it.
The second F # should land directly on beat 4.
E5 G5
E & F Sections (Bars 24–34) ?# 3 3
œ œ ¿ ¿ ¿ œ œ ¿ ¿ ¿
The E section reuses the line that was introduced back in the
B section, and the F section is a drum solo that requires root
notes at the beginning of each bar to support the soloist.
¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿
T
A
Bars 30–34 | Playing tightly
Bass Grade 5
B 0 0 3 3
Do not be deceived by the apparent ease of this section. You
will need to make sure that you play the part accurately and Fig. 2: Ghost note triplets
with excellent timing.
40
Rollin’
SONG TITLE: ROLLIN’

GENRE: BLUES ROCK
TEMPO: 107 BPM
q =107 Blues Rock
j .
KEY: B MINOR D A
4
? ## 4 œ œ œ . œ ‰ œ œ
A Bm
œ œ œ œ.
TECH FEATURES: SYNCOPATED PHRASES
F
SOLOING
TIGHT UNISON PHRASES
COMPOSER: STUART RYAN T

A 2 2 5 5
B 0 5 5
HENRY THOMAS (BASS)
# œ œ. ‰
E
¿ œ
A
œ œ
ROSS STANLEY (KEYS) D
? ## œ œ œ . œ œ œ œ .
Bm
œ
© PHOTOGRAPHER | ARCHIVE
OVERVIEW Breakers, Cream and Fleetwood Mac turned up the
¿ 02 122
distortion on their guitars and performed extended
‘ Rollin’ ’ is a blues rock track akin to the style improvisations. The genre remained popular through
of contemporary blues guitarist John Mayer. The the 1970s and 1980s thanks to figures such as SRV

T
bassline heard on this piece is a funk-influenced, A and Gary Moore. 5 5
2 2 0
syncopated line that provides the perfect foundation B
for the guitar driven elements. There is the John Mayer, Derek Trucks and Joe Bonamassa (and
[5]
opportunity to solo over the chord changes and some their respective groups) keep blues rock alive today.
unison riffs to play with the guitar, both of which are
common elements in modern blues rock. Many bass players have produced inspirational
œ
? ## œ œ œ . œ œ œ
A add 9
œ œ. œ œ
performances in this genre,
D ma j7
including Jack Bruce G
B (Cream),Bm
Tommy Shannon (SRV) and, more recently,
œ
STYLE FOCUS Pino Palladino who regularly performs with the
John Mayer Trio. Palladino, a top session player from
Contemporary blues rock builds on the Britain, has enjoyed a varied career over the last 30
foundations of the genre laid over the last 30 years years from synth-like fretless grooves with 1980s
by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, Stevie chart-toppers including Paul Young to smooth hip
Ray Vaughan (SRV) and others. The guitar-led style hop grooves with D’Angelo, stadium rock with The
typically features a power trio line-up of guitar, bass T Who and now 4 7 Mayer.
funk-tinged blues rock with 0
A 5 5
and drums, occasionally augmented by a Hammond 2 3
organ or keys player. The power trio format is
B
favoured by Mayer, an excellent songwriter as well as [9] RECOMMENDED LISTENING
a guitarist, who has achieved success in this genre.
While there is a wealth of blues rock from the
œ œ
20th century, exploring contemporary blues rock is A add 9
. œ œ. œ œ
j7 G
œ œ
B mstarting withD maMayer’s
#
THE BIGGER PICTURE
? # œ
Continuum
œ œ
worthwhile, John
œ
(2006), Battle Studies (2009) and the live John Mayer
Bass Grade 5
The blues rock genre emerged in Britain in Trio album Try! (2005), particularly the tracks ‘Who
the 1960s when groups like John Mayall’s Blues Did You Think I Was?’ and ‘Wait Until Tomorrow’.
41
T 4 7 0
A 5 5
2 3
B
[13]
Rollin’
Stuart Ryan, Henry Thomas & Noam Lederman
q =107 Blues Rock
? # # 4 œ œ œ . œ ‰ œj œ . j
A Bm D A E Bm D A E
4 œ œ œ . œ ‰ œ œ
œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ
F
T
A 2 2 5 5 0 2 0 2 5 5
B 0 5 5 0 0 5 5 0 0
fi To Coda
¿ œ œ#œ œ œ . r
Bm D N.C. A E Bm D
? ##
œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ. ‰ j
œ œ œ. œ œ œ
œ. œ œ œ œ ‰. œ œ. œ œ œ œ
>
T
¿ 0 1 2
A 2 2
B 2 2 5 5 0 2 2 5 4 5 5 4 4 2 0
0 0 2
[5]
? ## œ œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ
Bm D maj 7 G A add 9 Bm D maj 7 G A add 9
œ œ. œ œ œ œ
B
œ œ œ œœ
T 4 7 2 2 0 4 7 2
A 2 5 5 0 2 5 5 0
B 3 3 0 2

[9]
? ## œ œ œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ
Bm D maj 7 G A add 9 Bm D maj 7 G A add 9
œ œ. œ œ œ. œ œ
œ œ
T 4 7 2 0 4 7
A 2 5 5 0 2 0 2 5 5 7 5
B 3 3 5
[13]
? ## œ œ . œ œ. œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ #œ œ œ
C
œ
G D A
œ œ
T 5 5 5 7 7 7 7
A 5 7 5 5 5 7 7 9 9 7 4 5 6 7 0
B 5 5 7 5
[17]
? ## œ œ. œ œ œ œ j j œ œ œ œ œ . œ. œ œ
G D A
œ œ. œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ ‰
œ œ œ œ
>
Bass Grade 5
T 5 5 5 7 7 4 4
A 5 7 5 5 4 2 4 7 4 7
B 5 4 5 5 5 5
[21]
42
Bass Solo (8 bars)
? # # .. ’ ..
D
D sus 2 G/B A D add 9 D sus 2 G/B A D add 9
’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’
. .
. .
T
A
B
[25]
Drums Solo (8 bars)
j ‰ œj Œ
N.C. G A N.C. G A
? ## œ j‰ jŒ
E
‰ œ ‰ ‰ ‰ œ œ œ. œ. œ . œ ‰ œ
‰
œ œ œ. œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ
œ .
T 0 5
A 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0
B 2 2 3 3 3 3 2 3 3 3
[29]
œ
? ## ‰ J ‰ œj Œ ‰ ‰ ‰ j‰ œ Œ ‰
N.C. G A N.C. G A
œ
œœ . œ. œ. œ . œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ J œ œ œ œœ œœœœœ
T 4
A 0
B 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 2 3 3 3 2 2 3 3 3
[33]
fi

Develop
? # # .. ’
D.C. al Coda
..
F
G D A
’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’
. .
. .
T
A
B
[37]
fi Coda
#
? ## j
G A G D/F G A Bm
.. œ j œ
œ œ œœœœ œ œ ‰ ..
Play 3 times
‰ ‰
œ. œ. œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœœ œ
. .
. .
T
A 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 7
B 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 3 5 5 5 5 7 7
[41]
D/F #
? ## j œ
G A Bm
œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ w
œ œ œ œ œ œ
Bass Grade 5
T
A 5 5
B 2 2 2 2 3 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 7
[44]
43
Walkthrough
A Section (Bars 1–8) offbeat rhythm on beats 2 and 3 is reused several times in
This section features a root-based line containing several this section.
syncopated figures as well as melodic ideas.
Bar 6 | Bass fill F Section (Bars 37–40)

When playing the bass fill in this bar of ‘Rollin’’ it may help This is another guitar solo and another opportunity for
to think of it as an ascending eighth-note line running from you to improvise your own part – this time a suitable
G to G # to A (Fig. 1). The G and G # are each followed by an accompaniment part.
E at the 2nd fret of the D string, where you will be essentially
‘filling in the gaps’. Bars 37–40 | Improvising an accompaniment
You should create your own part here. You are free to
play as you wish but remember to create a part that is in
B Section (Bars 9–16) keeping with the piece. This section features the same
This particular section is based around a root-fifth bassline chord progression as Section C. You should find that the
that is syncopated. corresponding major pentatonic scale for each chord will
provide appropriate sounding source material.
Bars 9–16 | Root-fifth bassline
This bassline follows the same rhythmic pattern as the
previous section, but uses the root and fifth of each chord G Section (Bars 42–46)
instead. The end of each two-bar phrase features two 16th This final section of the song is based around another
notes that ease the transition to the next chord. unison riff that is played with the guitar.
Bar 42 | Riff
C Section (Bars 17–24) When playing the group of 16th notes on beat 2, be aware
This section features a guitar solo, supported by a more that the last note moves up from an F # to a G. This
active bassline. anticipates the next chord and pushes the line along.
Bars 19–20 | Fingering

These two bars can be played far more simply through the
? ## œ œ # œ œ œ .
use of some careful finger choices (Fig. 2). A E
‰ j œ
D Section (Bars 25–28) œ œ œ.
The D section is the bass solo and your opportunity to
0 1 2
improvise a solo line over the chord changes. T
A 2 2
B 0
0 0
Bars 25–28 | Improvising a solo Notes: G G# A

(E) (E)
When working on solo ideas for this part, you should find
that the D major scale and D major pentatonic scale work
Fig. 1: Bass fill
well. You may also like to make a note of the chord tones for
each chord and aim to focus your ideas around those where
possible. Remember to start with simple, melodic ideas and
build from there.
? ## œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ
œ ‰œ
A
E Section (Bars 29–36) œ. œ

This part of the song contains some syncopated accents
played with the guitar. Rhythmic accuracy is especially
important in this section. T 7 7 7 7
A 7 9 9 7 4 5 6 7 0
B 5
Bar 29 | Rhythms
Bass Grade 5
Fingers: 1 1 4 1 4 1 1 1 2 3 4
The rhythm on beat 1 of this bar is played as two 16th notes
followed by an eighth note. The two notes that follow this Fig. 2: Fingering
rhythm are played on the upbeats of beats 2 and 3. This
44
Do Balanço
SONG TITLE: DO BALANÇO

GENRE: SAMBA ROCK
Samba Rock
# #
C#7 9
q =160
7# 9
œP
TEMPO: 160 BPM D7 9
œP œP # œP
D
‰ J
KEY: BB MAJOR T
? bb 44 œ
T
œ
T
œ
A
TECH FEATURES: SOLOING
F T
SLAP AND POP
QUARTER-NOTE TRIPLETS
T P T P P
P
7 6 7
7
COMPOSER: NOAM LEDERMAN T
A 5 5 5
B
HENRY THOMAS (BASS)
KISHON KHAN (KEYS)
FERGUS GERRAND (PERC) © PHOTOGRAPHER | ARCHIVE
œ #œ œ.
G m7
j œ nœ
C7
? bb
7
OVERVIEW G
Inm
the late 1960s, Ben Jor was backed by the band
œ. œ
Trio Mocotó. They later went on to record their own
‘Do Balanço’ is a fast paced samba rock tune self-titled album in 1973, and the band continue to
written in the style of the genre’s creator Jorge Ben Jor, release records in the samba rock style.

and the groups Trio Mocotó and Clube Do Balanço.
The song features slapping and popping, quarter-note Another noteworthy act were Banda Black Rio,
rhythms, and soloing among its techniques. who formed in 1976. On their 1977 debut album,
2 funk3
Maria Fumaça, they mixed samba with jazz 4 5
T
A 1 And 3
and soul, inspired by Kool The Gang and many
STYLE FOCUS B 3 They have since worked with a variety of
others.
[4] singers including Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil.
Samba rock is a demanding yet enjoyable style of
music to play. You will find that many of the basslines Today samba rock is still a flourishing form of
are based on chord tones and chromatic passing notes music. Its greatest exponents are the São Paulo
are used to link different chords. group Clube Do Balanço, who added a new angle by
including dancers, singers, DJs and producers.
j œjÁfricaœBrasil j
THE BIGGER PICTURE
C7 G m7
œ
7
? bbBen Jor’s albums are a must-listen:

Gm
. Alô, Como Vai?œ(1980) and A Tábua De œ

As the genre title suggests, this form of music is
(1976),œAlô
a fusion of samba, rock, soul and jazz, created in
Brazil in the 1960s. Ben Jor pioneered many of these
stylistic mixtures in his early albums and is therefore Esmeralda (1974). Bebeto’s album Bebeto (2005)
regarded as the father of samba rock and one of the shows the influence of Ben Jor as Bebeto continued to
most important figures in the history of Brazilian develop samba rock. Mocotó’s Trio Mocotó (1973) and
music. His composition ‘Mas Que Nada’ became an T Banda Black Rio’s Maria Fumaça (1977) are examples
international hit for Sérgio Mendes and the Black A 3
of samba rock in the 1970s,1 while Clube Do 3Balanço’s 5
Bass Grade 5
3
Eyed Peas, and was used as the anthem of the 2006 B Swing &3 Samba-Rock (2001) illustrates how the genre
FIFA World Cup. [7]
has evolved even further.
45
7 B b m7
Do Balanço
Noam Lederman
q =160 Samba Rock
# # #
C#7 9
œ œ œ
D7 9 D7 9 G m7 C7
#œ j j
? b b 44 œ J
A T P T P T P P
œ œ ‰ œ œ. œ
œ.
F T P T P T P P
T 7 7 6 7
A 5 5 5 1 3 1
B 3
? b j œ #œ œ. j j
G m7 C7 G m7 C7 G m7 C7
b œ. œ œ nœ œ
J
œ. œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ
T 2 3 4 5
A 1 3 5 3 1 1 3 1
B 3 3 3 1
[4]
? b
G m7
j j
C7
j G m7
œ
C7
j
G m7
j
C7
b œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ j œ. œ œ #œ œ
nœ œ

T 5
A 1 3 3 5 5 3 1 3 4 5
B 3 3 0 1 3
[7]
B b m7 Eb7 B b m7 b9
? bb
G m7
j
C7
œ œ œ œ n œ bEœ
œ nœ œ œ. J œ œ œ bœ œ
œ. œ œ J J
T 3
A 3 1 1 3 3 2 1 1
B 1 3 1 1 1 4
3 3 1
[10]
B b m7 b9 B b m7 Eb9
œ .
œ
E D m7 G7
? bb ‰ œJ œ b œ œ œ Œ bœ
3
œ œ 3
œ œ nœ ‰ œj œj ‰ n œ b œ
Bass Grade 5
T 3 3
A 3 1 1 1 3 1 3 2 1
B 4 1 4 5 0
3
[13]
46
? b b œ œ. ‰ j j œ œ œ ‰ n œj
D m7 G7 D m7 G7 D m7 G7
œ œ œ œ #œ œ. œ. # œ œ œ
T
œ œ J J
T
T 3 5
A 5 5 0 1 3 4 5 0 3 4 5 5 5 2
B 3 3
[16]
œP œP
C m7 F7 D m7
œP œP
T P
? bb œ œ œ j
P
œ œ ‰ œj œj
B T T T
œ œ ‰ œj œ œ ‰ ¿ œ œ
T T
œ
T T T T T T
j
œ œ œ
¿
T P T P T T T P T P T T P T P T T T
T 5 5 7 7
A 3 3
B 3 3 0 0 0 3 5 5 0
3 1 1 1 1 3
[19]
œ œ
G7 T P C m7 F7
œ œ ¿ ¿ œ œ œ ‰ j
P P
? bb œ œ j T
T P T P
T T T P T P
œ œ j
T
œ
T T
œ œ
T
œ œ œ n¿ œ œ œ
j
¿ ¿
P T P T T T T P T P T P T P T P T T T
¿
T 5 5
A 5 5 5 3 3
B 3 5 3 3 0 0 0 1
3 3 1 1
[22]
#
B b maj 7 G7 5 D m7 D b m7 C m7

? bb œ œP œP œ >T >T j œP œP j T
T T P T
œ ‰ bœ ‰ j
T T
œ œ œ
T
œ
T
œ œ œ œ. J J > œ œ œ
P T P T T P T T T T P T P T T
T 3 3 5 5
A 3
B 1 5 4 3 3 0
1 1 1 3 3 1
[25]
B b m7 Eb9
œP œP
F7 Am
œ œ j j
P
? bb œ œ j
P T
œ œ ‰ œ œT œT
T
œ œ
P T P T T T
œ œ œ œ œ œ
T T T T
œ œ
P T P T T T T P T P T T T T P T P T
T 3 3 8 8
A 3 3
B 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 6 6 3 1 0
1
[28]
# #
C#7 9
œP œP œP
A m7 D7 9
# œP
? bb j j J
T T T
œ. œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ ‰
> > > > >
Bass Grade 5
T P T P T P P
T 7 7 6 7
A 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 5
B
[31]
47
Bass Solo (16 bars)
? b b .. ’
C
G m7 C7 G m7 C7 G m7 C7 G m7 C7
’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’
.
.
T
A
B
[35]
B b m7 Eb7 B b m7 Eb7 B b m7 Eb7 B b m7 Eb7

? bb ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ..
.
.
T
A
B
[39]
Drum Solo (8 bars)

# # # #
C#7 9 Eb7 9
œ œ œ
D7 9 D7 9
# œP >
? b b œT ‰ J ‰ œ.
D P P P
œ œ Ó
T T
T P T P T P P
T 7 7 6 7
A 5 5 5 6
B
[43]
# # #
C#7 9
œP œP œP
D7 9 D7 9

? bb œ # œP
œ œ ‰ J
T T T
T P T P T P P
T 7 7 6 7
A 5 5 5
B
[47]

G m7 C7 G m7 C7 G m7 C7 G m7 C7
? b b .. ’
E
’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’
Develop bars 3–14
.
.
T
A
B
[51]
B b m7 Eb7 B b m7 Eb7 B b m7 Eb7 B b m7 Eb7

? bb ’ ..
’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’
Bass Grade 5
.
.
T
A
B
[55]
48
œP œP
C m7 F7 D m7
œP œP
T P
? bb œ œ œ j
P
j
F T T T T T
œ œ ‰ œj œ œ ‰ ¿ œ œ œ œ ‰ œj œ
T T
œ
T T T T T T
j
œ œ
œ
¿
T P T P T T T P T P T T T T P T P T T T
T 5 5 7 7
A 3 3
B 3 3 0 0 0 3 5 5 0
3 1 1 1 1 3
[59]
G7 C m7 F7
œ œ
T P
œ œ ¿ ¿ œ œ œ ‰ j
P P
? bb œ œ j T
T P T P
T T T P T P
œ œ j
T
œ
T T
œ œ
T
œ œ œ nœ œ œ
¿ ¿
P T P T T T T P T P T P T P T P T T T
T 5 5
A 5 5 5 3 3
B 3 5 3 3 0 0 1
3 3 0 1 1
[62]
#
B b maj 7 G7 5 D m7 D b m7 C m7
? b b œ œ œT œ œ > > j
T T P T
œ ‰ bœ ‰
T T T
œ
P P
’ ’ ’ ’
T Develop
œ œ œ œ. J J >
P T P T T P T T T T T

T 3 3
A 3
B 1 5 4 3
1 1 1 3
[65]
b
B b m7 Eb9
j
F7 A m7 5
? bb ’ œ œ j
T T T
’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ œ
T T T
T
A 3 1 0
B
[68]
# # #
C#7 9
œP œP œP
A m7 D7 9 D7 9
# œP
? bb j j T ‰ J
T T T
œ œ œ
T
œ. œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ
T T T
> > > > >

Bass Grade 5
T T T T T T P T P T P P
T 7 7 6 7
A 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 5
B
[71]
49
Walkthrough
A Section (Bars 1–18) C Section (Bars 35–42)

This 16-bar section is based on eight bars of a repeating The bass solo takes over the chord changes from the A
G m7– C 7 progression, followed by eight bars of a repeating section, enabling you to improvise over the format.
B b m 7– E b 7/ E b 9 progression.
Bars 35–42 | Soloing
Bar 1 | Intro figure The G minor pentatonic and G blues scales are good
The track opens with a one-bar slap figure (Fig. 1). This uses choices for the first four bars. The B b minor pentatonic and
basic slap and pop technique, but because the tempo is quite blues scales will work for the second four. Another, more
fast it goes by quickly. The last note of the bar is played on advanced, choice is to use the G and B b dorian modes.
the offbeat and at this tempo it will sound just before the
downbeat in the next bar.
D & E Sections (Bars 43–58)
Bar 3 | Main groove The D section is predominantly a drum solo. The E section
Here you will discover that the main bass groove of the song is the guitar solo and a fingerstyle bass groove is required.
is a simple line based on the dotted quarter note and eighth- The chord changes are once again the same as the A section.
note feel. Note how the bass supports the chord progression
by using chord tones: the G and B b are the root and 3rd of Bars 51–58 | Fingerstyle groove
G minor 7, while the C and B b are the root and 7th of C 7. In this section, a fingerstyle groove is required. A good
approach would be to start with the basic line from the A
Bar 4 | Connecting lines section and add your own spin. You can afford to be a little
A classic chromatic figure is used to link the C 7 chord back busier here than with the A section, but take care not to
to G minor 7 in this particular bar. After you play the root overplay because your job is to support the featured soloist.
note (C), the line moves up to the major third (E) then walks
up chromatically to arrive at the G at the beginning of the
following bar. F Section (Bars 59–73)
This final section is a recap of the B section and features a
Bar 14 | Quarter-note triplets reprise of the original slap groove.
At this tempo, quarter-note triplets can be tricky to count

(Fig. 2). The added difficulty here is that the initial note
# # #
C#7 9
of the first triplet is not played. Try playing quarter-note
œ œ œP
D7 9 D7 9
#œ
triplets at a slower tempo to begin with. Once you begin to
? bb œ J
T P T P T P
œ œ ‰
feel comfortable playing these as whole quarter-note triplets,
simply discard the first note of the first triplet.
T P T P T P P
B Section (Bars 19–34) T
A
7 7 6 7
This section has a slower chord movement and is slapped B 5 5 5
throughout. Be mindful of the syncopated parts that may Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & (4) &
prove tricky at this fast tempo.
Fig. 1: Intro figure
Bars 19–34 | Slap lines
Basic slap technique is used in this section, meaning that
the part should be played entirely with slaps and pops.
You should take care to play all of the notes marked with
crossheads as pitchless ghost notes. Ghost notes are used B b m7 Eb9
for rhythmic effect and are an essential feature of slap bass
technique. Make sure you can perform them well. ? bb Œ bœ
3
œ œ œ
3
œ
Bars 30–32 | Syncopation
The syncopations on the open A string in these bars can be T 1 3 1 3
A
difficult to count. It will help if you remember the notes that 4
Bass Grade 5
B
fall on beats and those that fall on the offbeats. All of the
notes should be accented, so be sure to listen closely to the Fig. 2: Crotchet triplets
track for guidance.
50
Tiberius
SONG TITLE: TIBERIUS

GENRE: METAL
œ œ œ
q = 90 Metal
œ
TEMPO: 90 BPM
œ œ œ œ
D sus 4
œ œ
KEY: E MINOR Em
? # 44
A
œ
TECH FEATURES: UNISON RIFFS
MELODIC LINES
INTEGRATION WITH
THE DRUMMER
P Let ring
7 9 7 11 7
9 9
T 9 9 9
COMPOSERS: CHARLIE GRIFFITHS
A
& JASON BOWLD B 0
œ œ œ œ œ
PERSONNEL: CHARLIE GRIFFITHS (GTR)
D sus 4 C5
DAVE MARKS (BASS) Em
?#
JASON BOWLD (DRUMS) © PHOTOGRAPHER | ARCHIVE
OVERVIEW
œ
Anthrax and Slayer (although other lesser known
bands such as Kreator, Exodus and Annihilator
‘Tiberius’ is a metal song written in the style have each contributed important albums that have
of bands like Metallica, Trivium, Machine Head furthered and added individual dynamics to thrash

Let ring 7
and Bullet For My Valentine (BFMV), all bands metal). Almost every metal sub 9
9 7 genre,
9 including
7 11 7
9
with elements of thrash metal to their sounds. The T death metal,9metalcore,9power metal, mathcore9 and
bassline features classic contemporary metal elements A progressive metal, owes its existence to the original
including syncopated, root-based grooves, powerful B thrash0style. The genre lives on today with newer
unison riffs and melodic lines. ‘Tiberius’ can be [5] bands like Trivium and Avenged Sevenfold harking
played fingerstyle or with a pick. back to the classic Metallica style while still managing
to sound fresh and relevant.
?# j ‰ ‰ j‰ j‰ j‰ ‰ j
STYLE FOCUS B N.C .
œ
Between the mid 1980s and early œ

œ œ œ œ œ
Modern heavy metal is a challenging style to play
and requires the bassist to cover a variety of areas. 1990s, Metallica
F (1986) was the first sign of the group’s

Many songs are written in low tunings that require released a trio of classic thrash albums. Master
the use of a five-string bass. As such, tight, syncopated of Puppets
grooves are used regularly. Many modern metal maturing, a process that helped thrash to develop
tracks have much slower tempos and are more about T into a genre that could encompass a broad sweep
the groove. Modern metal bassists often have the A of emotions and musical motifs. …And Justice For 0
0 0 0
opportunity to play complex unison riffs and lines B All (1988)0 offered more of0 the same, 0while their
that serve as countermelodies. [9] eponymous 1991 LP unleased thrash into more
mainstream territory. Slayer’s Reign In Blood (1986),
Exodus’ Bonded By Blood (1985) and Megadeth’s
THE BIGGER PICTURE Rust In Peace (1990) are all great examples from the
? # 44 j ‰ ‰ j ‰ j ‰ j‰ ‰
N.C
same period. . currently, Avenged Sevenfold’s
More
Bass Grade 5
Thrash was created and popularised in America Nightmare (2010) has some classic Metallica-esque
œ œ œ œœ œ
in the 1980s by The Big Four: Metallica, Megadeth, moments, as does Trivium’s 2011 In Waves.
51
T
A 0
B 0 0 0 0
0
Tiberius
Charlie Griffiths & Jason Bowld
q = 90 Metal
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
Em D sus C 4 5 Em G Am
?#4 j
A
4 œ. œ œ œ
œ œ
P
Let ring
T 9 7 9 7 11 7 9 7 9 7 9 7
A 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
B 10 9
0 0 3 5 [5]
Bb
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Cœ œ œ
D sus 4
Em 5 Em A m7
?# œ œ j
œ œ bœ. œ œ œ
Let ring
T 9 7 9 7 11 7 9 7 9 7 9 7
A 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
B 10 9
0 0 6 5 3
[5]
?# j ‰ ‰ j‰ j‰ 42 œ œ œ 44
B N.C. D
j‰ ‰ j‰ j‰ j‰ ‰ j‰ j‰
œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œœ
F
T
A

B 5
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2
[9]
? # 44 j ‰ ‰ j ‰ j ‰
N.C. D C
j‰ ‰ j‰ j‰ j‰ ‰ j‰ j‰ œ œ
œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ
T
A 5 3
B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 2 0
[13]
1. 2.
B b dim7
Bass Solo (8 bars)
? # .. ’ ’ ’ ’
’ ’ ’ ’ .. Û .
C
Û Û Û
Em D sus 4 C5 Em G A m add 9 A m7 G
’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’
J
. .
. .
T
A
B
[17]
?# j ‰ ‰ j‰ j‰ 2 œ 44
D N.C. D
j‰ ‰ j‰ j‰ j‰ ‰ j‰ j‰
œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œœ 4 œ œ
Bass Grade 5
T
A 5
B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2
52
[22]
? # 44 œœ œœ œœ
N.C. 1/4 C D
œœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœ
1/4 1/4
œœœ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œœ
T 1/4 1/4 1/4
A 5 7 5 7 5 7
B 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
[26]
E5 Bb5 A5 E5 Bb5 A5 E5
? # .. œ œ œ œ œ œ ..
E
bœ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
f
. .
. 5 7 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 7 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 6 5 0 0 6 5 0 .
T
A
B
[30]
Bb B b5 A 5 E 5
.. # # #
E5 E5 A5 G5 E5
? # .. œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
. .
. .
T
A 5 7 7 5 7 7
B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 5 0 0 5 3 0
[32]
F#5
? ### œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ

T
A 5 4 3 2 0
B 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
[34]
N.C.
? ### n n # 42 œ œ œ œ œ œ 44
3
j ‰ Œ
3
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœœœœœœœ
>
T
A 5 3 2 0
B 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 3 2
[36]
? # 44 ..
F E5 C E5
œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
.
.
T
A
B 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 0
[39]
B b dim Bb5
1. 2.
E5 D5 E5 A5 E5 G5 E5 A5
?#
42 œ œ œ .. 44
œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ b >œ œ œ >œ œ œ >œ œ œ >œ
Bass Grade 5
.
.
T
A 5
B 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 6 0 0 5 0 0 3 0 0 5
[41]
53
Walkthrough
A Section (Bars 1–8) Bars 30–38 | Playing evenly

This section features a melodic part for the bass guitar with a Aim to lock your part in tightly with the drums and be
simple eighth-note melody. careful not to speed up or slow down. This is important
because these faster grooves only sound effective if they
Bars 1–3 | Let ring are played tightly. Since the kick and snare patterns are
When playing this part, allow all notes to ring into one syncopated in places, listen carefully to the hi-hat pattern
another. This includes the low E string, which acts as a and lock in with that.
foundation for the upper part of the line. Allowing the notes
to ring will enhance the chordal nature of the part. Bar 38 | Eighth-note triplets
When playing this bar, remember that the tempo is still 90
Bars 1–3 | Fingering bpm; the previous section has been played with a double
This particular phrase demonstrates the need for careful time feel, which gives the illusion of a much faster tempo.
selection of fingerings in order to aid smooth playing when When playing these triplets you can ensure that they are
stretching between notes that are beyond the usual one- correctly spaced by saying the word ‘ev-en-ly’ as you play
finger-per-fret position (Fig. 1). them, with one syllable per note.
B Section (Bars 9–16) F Section (Bars 39–43)

Here is a simple yet effective root-based line that should lock This final section of the song features a completely different
in tightly with the drums and support the guitar line. and much slower riff that provides a stark contrast to the fast
thrash part preceding it.
Bar 12 | 2/4 bar
Despite a change in time signature in this bar, you should Bars 39–43 | Unison riff
remember that a bar of 2/4 is simply half a bar of 4/4 – there When playing the phrases on the first beat of each of these
is no change to the pulse of the song. Count through this bar bars, remember that the third note is played just before
carefully, making sure you restart the count at ‘one’ after just beat 2. Beat 2 has a different fretted note in each bar, with a
two beats. slide away from it.

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
4 5
This section features a bass solo, allowing you the Em D sus C
opportunity to improvise a solo line. ?#

Bars 17–21 | Bass solo œ
You will find that the E natural minor scale will make an Let ring
excellent starting point for your bass solo. It may also help T 9
9
9
7 9 7
9
11 7
9
9 7
9
A
to write out the chord tones for each of the chords indicated B 0
10 9
and use those notes as a basis for creating melody lines. Fingers: 1 3 4 3 1 3 1 3 4 1 3 4 1 3 4 3
Fig. 1: Fingering
This section is the guitar solo, and features a new groove for
the bass guitar.
Bars 26–28 | Quarter tone bends

?# œ
N.C.
œ
1/4
Notes marked with an upward pointing arrow and ¼ symbol
are to be bent upwards a quarter of a tone (Fig. 2). This is
a very small bend indeed (less than a semitone in pitch) so
only bend the note slightly.
T 1/4
A 5 7
B
Bass Grade 5
0 3 0 0 0 0 0
This is played with a double time feel and contains some Fig. 2: Quarter tone bends
challenging bass grooves that are based on 16th notes.
54
Smack Talk
SONG TITLE: SMACK TALK

GENRE: BLUES j
q
3
=q
Blues q q
Bb
q =115
Bb
TEMPO: 115 BPM
N.C . C
.
KEY: G MINOR C
œ œ. Ó
N.C .
4
? bb 4 œ œ Ó
A
œ œ. œ.
TECH FEATURES: BLUES SCALE LICKS
WALKING BASSLINES
IMPROVISATION
F
COMPOSER: SIMON TROUP T 5 5 5
5
A
B 3 3
3
HENRY THOMAS (BASS)
? bb nœ œ
NOAM LEDERMAN (DRUMS)B
’ ’
cont. sim.
œ ’
Gm
œ
ROSS STANLEY (KEYS)
œ © PHOTOGRAPHER | ARCHIVE
OVERVIEW Master Volume of their guitar amps and performed

T extended blues improvisations. During
3 the51960s and
‘Smack Talk’ is a piece written in the style of heavier
A 1970s, Peter Green, Jeff Beck
3 and Gary Moore made
blues based rock popularised by guitarists such as B their3name in the
6 genre, as did several bass players

Gary Moore, Robben Ford, Kenny Wayne Shepherd including Jack Bruce (Cream), Andy Fraser (Free)
bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
[5]
and Joe Bonamassa. The bassline for this minor key and John McVie (Fleetwood Mac). Today blues rock
blues has the following key elements of the genre: remains popular thanks to talented players like John
? bb There
C 9and Joe Bonamassa.
œ are many excellent bassists working within

walking basslines, root-based grooves, bluesy fills Mayer
and unison runs. You also have an opportunity to
improvise a solo over the chord changes.
the genre today, too: the most notable being Roscoe
Beck (best known 3 for his work with Robben Ford),
STYLE FOCUS Tommy Shannon (Double Trouble, formerly the
backing band for 5 Ray5Vaughan) and Pino
6 Stevie 5 5 8 [8
T 8 8 5
Modern blues rock draws on many elements A Palladino (John Mayer). 8 8
3
from older blues, including chord progressions, B
instrumentation and associated playing styles.
However, it is not limited to these and it is common [9] RECOMMENDED LISTENING
for contemporary blues rock to use more complex b C
? bb œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ n œ œ. œ œ. œ œ.
B 3 rock
chord progressions and styles from other types of If you wish to begin with some classic blues
.
music. The bass player’s role within the genre is music, the songs ‘Walking By Myself ’, ‘Still Got The
. .
therefore a wide-ranging one and often includes Blues’ and ‘Stormy Monday’ by Gary Moore contain
walking lines, funk grooves and opportunities to solo. some great bass playing, as do ‘Born Under A Bad
Sign’ and ‘Crossroads’ by Cream. Popular Robben
Ford hits ‘Talk to Your Daughter’ and ‘Revelation’
THE BIGGER PICTURE from his album Talk to Your Daughter (1998) are
T inspirational to bass players, as well as the more 3 3 3 3
Bass Grade 5
A 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3
Blues rock was created, arguably, in England in the B 1 1Joe Bonamassa
adventurous tracks ‘Stop!’ and ‘Feelin’
1960s when Eric Clapton and others turned up the Good’ from The Ballad Of John Henry (2009).
[13]
3
œ
? bb œ œ
C 55
œ
Gm
œ œ œ nœ œ
Smack Talk
Simon Troup
3
j
q =115 Blues q q = q q
Bb Bb Bb
œ œ. Ó œ œ. Ó
N.C. C N.C. C N.C. C N.C.
? b b 44 œ œ. Ó
A 3
bœ œ œ œ œ œ
3 3 3
œ œ. œ. œ œ œ œ nœ œ #œ
F
T 5 5 5 5 5 5
A 4 3 1 3 1 1
B 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 0 1 2
? b nœ œ
B
œ
Gm
b œ œ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’
cont. sim.
T 3 5
A 3
B 3 6
[5]
bœ œ œ œ œ
? bb œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
C9 Gm
Œ œ œ ’ ’ ’ ’
cont. sim.
3
œ
T 6 5 5
A 8 8 5 5 5 8 [ 8] 3 5
B 3 8 8 3
3 6
[9]
#
Bb C5 Bb5
j
D7 9 D5
? bb œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ n œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ # œ œ
C 3
œ. œ œ. œ. œ Œ œ
3
œ œ œ
3
. . . . . . .

T
A 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 3
B 6
[13]
œ. œ œ œ
Guitar Solo (8 bars) 3 3
? bb œ #œ œ
C
Gm
œ œ œ nœ œ
œ œ #œ œ œ œ
3
T 3 3
A 3 4 3 5 3
B 3 5 0 3 5 0 5 5
3 6 3 0 1 0 2 0 3 6 3
[17]
? bb œ œ. œ #œ
C9
nœ
Gm
. œ bœ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ
nœ œ #œ œ œ
T 2 5 3 4
A 3 0 1 3 3 3 5 0
B 0 1 2 3 6 3 6 3
[21]
#
Bb C5 Bb5
j
D7 9 D5
? bb œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ n œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ # œ œ
C 3
œ. œ œ. œ. œ Œ œ
3
œ œ œ
3
. . . . . . .
Bass Grade 5
T
A 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 3
B 6
[25]
56
Bass Solo (12 bars)
? bb ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’
D
Gm C9
T
A
B
[29]
#
Bb Bb5
? bb ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’
Gm C D7 9 D5 C5
T
A
B
[35]
œ œ œ #œ œ œ
Gm G m(maj 7) G m7 C Cm D 7sus 4 D
? bb œ #œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ nœ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ #œ œ
E
œ œ œ œ œ
3
T 5 7 11 11 11
A 0 5 4 0 4 3 0 3 2 2 1 1 5
B 3 5 5 9 9
3
œ œ
[41]
? b œ #œ nœ œ œ œ nœ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œj œ œ œ
3
b #œ œ œ nœ œ ¿ œ
¿
T 12
12 4 3 3 2 2 1 1

A 10 3 2 1 3 3 5 0 5 3 5
B 2 2 6 6
[45]
D/F # B b/F
Drum Solo (10 bars) 1.
Gm C/E
? b b .. œ Œ #œ Œ œ Œ nœ Œ ..
F
Ó Ó Ó Ó
œ #œ nœ nœ
. .
. .
T 5 4 3 2
A
B 3 2 1 0
[49]
#
2.
C/E D7 9
? b
b n œ n œ. Œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
T P 3 3
œ
3 3 3 3 3 3 3
3
T P
T 5 5 7 7 7 5 5 5
A 2 5 7 7 7 7 7 5 5 5
B 8 8 8 5 5 5 3 3 3 3 5
0 6
C Bb C Bb C Bb
[53]
œ œ. Ó œ œ. Ó
N.C. N.C. N.C. N.C.
? b œ œ. Ó
G 3
bœ œ œ œ œ œ Œ Ó
3 3
b œ
3
œ. œ. œ œ œ œ n œ œ # œ œ œ.
Bass Grade 5
T 5 5 5 5 5 5
A 4 3 1 3 1 1
B 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 0 1 2 3 3
57
[56]
Walkthrough
A Section (Bars 1–4) E Section (Bars 41–48)

The intro section to this piece establishes the swung eighth- This section features an active groove that makes extensive
note feel and ends with a unison triplet line leading neatly use of chord tones.
into the next section.
Bars 41–48 | Groove
Bar 4 | Blues scale This groove utilises many of the chord tones from the chord
The descending triplet fill in the fourth bar uses the G blues progression. For example, as the chord changes to Gmaj 7
scale for the first three beats. The phrase starts on D b (the the bass moves to F #, the major 7th of G maj 7. As the chord
blue note) then descends in groups of three with each group changes to Gm7 the bass plays the 7th of this chord (F ).
starting on the next note in the scale moving downwards. Hopefully you can now see that the chord progression allows
On the final beat a chromatic triplet from E is played, so that for a descending phrase in the bass, which hits G, F #, F, E, E b
the line arrives on the G for the downbeat of bar 5. and finishes on D (Fig. 2).
B Section (Bars 5–16) F Section (Bars 49–55)

This section establishes the structure of the song. While the The first part of this section is taken up by a drum solo. The
song follows a 12-bar format common to blues music, the bass signals the beginning of each bar here with a simple
chord progression is less conventional. octave figure.
Bars 5–8 | Walking bassline Bars 49–52 | Inversions

Here the bass plays a walking line. The first bar is written for At the beginning of each of these bars, the bass plays a
you but the next three are to be improvised in a similar style. simple root-octave figure which descends by a semitone
When playing a walking bassline, it is important for you to in each bar. These notes belong to the chord, but they are
play tightly with the drums. In this style your line will sound not root notes. F # is the major 3rd of the D chord, F is the
better if you stick to chord tones where possible. 5th of the B b chord, and E is the 3rd of the C chord. Using
inversions in this way allows for a descending bassline.
Bars 9–10 | Melodic line
After playing the C on beat 1, you may find the remainder

of this fill easier if you start with the second finger of your
fretting hand on the D b on the G string. This will allow all of
bœ œ œ œ œ
? bb œ œ œ
C9
the remaining notes to fall under your fingers using the one-
finger-per-fret system (Fig. 1).
3
6 5 5
C Section (Bars 17–28) T
A 3
8 8 5
8
B
This guitar solo section features another walking bassline
containing several ghost notes. Fingers: 1 2 1 4 1 4 1 4
Fig. 1: Melodic line

Bars 17–24 | Walking bassline
Another walking bassline is played here, consisting
predominantly of chord tones and chromatic lines to
connect the chords.
Gm G m(maj 7) G m7 C Cm
? bb œ œ #œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ bœ
This is your chance to play a solo over the 12-bar format.
œ
Bars 29–40 | Bass solo
As the key signature states, the piece is in the key of G minor T 0 5 4 0 4 3 0 3 2 2 1
A
so the G minor pentatonic or blues scales are a great place to B 3
3
start when developing solo ideas. You could also experiment F# Eb

Bass Grade 5
Notes: G F E
with using the harmonic minor over the C 9 chords. As with
many successful solos, remember to start with simple ideas Fig. 2: Groove
then let them develop.
58
Slam Dunk Funk
SONG TITLE: SLAM DUNK FUNK

GENRE: FUNK
TEMPO: 88 BPM q = 88 Funk
#
? # 44 œj ‰ ‰ œj ‰ . œr œ # œ
KEY: E MINOR
B 13 9
œ.
A
TECH FEATURES: COMPLEX SYNCOPATION
F
GROOVE PLAYING
HAMMER-ONS

COMPOSER: KIT MORGAN T
A 0 5 6
7 7
B 7
PERSONNEL: KIT MORGAN (GTR)
HENRY THOMAS (BASS)
NOAM LEDERMAN (DRUMS) B
? # œ bœ œ œ nœ Œ j ‰
Em
œ
© PHOTOGRAPHER | ARCHIVE
OVERVIEW > œ the>dancefloor

combined
œ fl of funk
œ > rhythms
œ > friendly
with the distorted guitar of rock. At the same time,
‘Slam Dunk Funk’ is a funk rock track in the Jimi Hendrix was a rock guitar hero incorporating
style of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Extreme and Living elements of soul and R&B into his music.

T
Colour. This song has a complex bassline with manyA
7 0
contrasting sections. Many of the parts are heavily B However
7 0 inventive
6 0 5 0 6 0 Hendrix
and influential and
syncopated – a motif that runs throughout funk – but Stone were, the funk rock sound was truly defined
[4]
the most important thing here is that the line grooves. by George Clinton, who began his recording career
as the frontman of a doo-wop vocal group called The
>œ
Parliaments. In the late 1960s, Clinton discovered
STYLE FOCUS the music of Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. He changed A
?# j ‰ ¿ œ œ j ‰ ‰
Em
œ.
course musically and renamed his newly guitar heavy
œ ¿ ¿
Funk is a great style for bassists. It offers slapped group Funkadelic. In the 1980s, Clinton produced the
œ
grooves, syncopated fingerstyle lines, chordal parts RHCP album Freakey Styley (1985) and helped steer
and the use of effects such as envelope filters and the band towards their own unique funk rock sound.
fuzz pedals. Funk songs often use just one chord for
sections, and improvisation is a big part of the style. There are many bassists who have made their name
¿ ¿ ¿
The focal point of a lot of funk music is the bass playing funk, including Bootsy Collins, Flea (Red Hot
7
guitar, with the guitar working primarily as a rhythm T Chili Peppers), Larry Graham (Sly And The Family
instrument providing chords and single-note lines. A 5 7 Doug Wimbish
Stone, Graham Central Station), 5
B 0 0
(Living Colour) and George Porter Jr (The Meters).
[7]
THE BIGGER PICTURE
If James Brown invented funk with his single A G Em
?#
‘Cold Sweat’ in 1967, Sly Stone is arguably the Classic funk albums with great bass playing include
œ œ œ.
inventor of funk rock. Stone was leader of the group BloodSugarSexMagik (1991) by the Red Hot Chili
œ. ¿
Bass Grade 5
œ. ¿ œ
Sly & The Family Stone who broke down musical Peppers, Mothership Connection (1975) by Parliament,
barriers with their 1969 album Stand!, which and Stand! (1969) by Sly And The Family Stone.
59
T
A
B ¿ 0 5 5 3 0 ¿
0
[10]
Slam Dunk Funk
Kit Morgan
q = 88 Funk
# # #
? # 4 œj ‰ ‰ œj ‰ . r œ # œ j j r
A B 13 9 C 13 9 B 13 9
4 œ. ‰. r œ œ. œ ‰ ‰ œ ‰. œ œ #œ
œ œ œ. . ¿ >
F
¿
T
A 0 5 6 0 5 6
B 7 7 7 0 7 7 8 7 7
?# Œ j ‰ ‰ j j ‰ œœ j ‰ j
Em A G
œ bœ œ nœ
> œ > œ >œ œ > œ fl œ œ. œ ¿ œ. œ œ. œ œ .
¿
T
A 5 7
B 7 0 6 0 5 0 6 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 3
[4]
>œ >
?# j ‰ j
Em A G Em
œ œ œ ‰ j ‰ j ‰ œ œ
œ ¿ œ œj ‰ ¿ ¿ ‰ œ. ‰ œ
œ. œ.
‰ œ
J œ œ
T
A
B
¿ 5 7
¿ ¿
7
5 7 5 7
0 0 5 5 3 3 0 0

[7]
>œ
A G Em A G
?# œœ j ‰ ‰ œj œ ‰
œ. ¿ œ œ œ œ. œ. ¿ ¿ œ ¿ ¿ ¿ #œ œ.
j
n œ
. œ >
¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿
T 7 5
A 5 7
B 0 0 5 5 3 0 0 4 5 5 3 3
[10]
1.
? # .. n œ . œ ‰ j nœ . nœ. œ ‰
C G m7 D7
nœ œ œ ¿ ¿ n œ œ. œ ¿œ œ œœ œ j
nœ œ œ ¿ œ œ
f
. 3 5
T
A
B . ¿ ¿ ¿ 3 5 3 5
3
5
3 5
¿ 0 0
1 3 1 3 1 3
[13]
#
Eb9
2.
b >œ . > .. n œ . œ ‰ b œj œ œ ¿ # œj œ . >œ Œ œ œ œ >œ Œ

D7 D9 G m7 G 13 9
? # œ #œ œ ‰ œ nœ
J J .
Bass Grade 5
.
T
A
B 3 4 5 6 5 . 3 5
1 3 ¿ 4 5
3 5 5 5 5
13
[16]
60
Bass Solo (8 bars)
? # .. ’
D
E m7 B m7 E m7
’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’
.
.
T
A
B
[19]
E 2° Drum Solo (8 bars)
>. n œ.
1. 2.
?# ’ .. œ œ œ œ̆ Œ .. œ.
B m7 G7
œ. .
N.C.
’ ’ ’ . J œ. œ
f
. .
. . 3
T 3 2
A 5 7 3 0
B 5 7
[22]
? # bœ nœ œ. j œ. n œ. œ. . œ b œ n œ b œ n œ œ. œ n œ œ Œ
Play 3 times
..
. œ œ nœ #œ . œ.
> . >
.
.
T 0 3 4 3 4
A 2 3 0 0 2 3
B 1 2 3
0 1 2 3
[25]
#

C7 G7 9 C7
? # .. œ . œ ‰ b œj œ. . œ nœ #œ œ. . œ n œ. œ œ œ. œ. j
b œ . .. œ. œ b œ. œ œ. œ b œ. œ
F Develop on repeat Play 3 times
. . >
. .
. . 3 3 1 1 0 0 4 4
T 0 3 4 5 5 3 3 3
A 3 3 1 3 5 5 1
B
[28]
G
#
?# Œ j ‰ ‰ j j ‰ ‰ œœ j ‰ j
G7 9 Em A G
œ. œ nœ #œ œ œ œ. œ œ. œ œ. œ œ .
fl F
T
A 5 7
B 3 3 1 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 3
[31]
>œ
#
?# j ‰ œ j œ ‰ >
œ œ b œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ Jœ œJ ‰
Em A G B7 E7 9
œ ¿ œ œj ‰ ¿ ¿ ‰ œ. ‰ œ œ
. œ œ > > > >
>
Bass Grade 5
T
A
B
¿ 5 7
¿ ¿
7 5
7 [ 7]
0 0 5 5 3 3 3 7 0 6 0 5 0 3 0
[34]
61
Walkthrough
A Section (Bars 1–4) Bar 24 | Staccato line

The intro section is a sparse funk groove based around B Essentially, this bar consists of quarter notes that are played
that ends with a busy fill that riffs off the open E string. short. A 16th note open A string is played at the end of the
bar, leading into the next.
Bar 2 | Syncopation
On beat 4 of this bar, the C is played on the second 16th Bar 27 | Fill
note of the beat. Be sure to tap your foot to the beat as you This fill alternates between the minor and major thirds of
play through the bar – the C should be played just after the the G 7 chord, B b and B (Fig. 2). The minor third is often
downbeat of beat 4 and not on it. used over dominant chords in blues and funk. These four
notes are encompassed by a slur, so be sure to play them as
Bar 4 | 16th-note riff one stroke. In practice, this means you should play the string
It is best to think of this fill as an eighth-note line that moves once then use hammer-ons and pull-offs to play the other
from B to B b, to A and back to B via the B b. These are the notes of the phrase.
accented notes in the phrase. In between each of these, an
open E string is played.
F & G Sections (Bars 28–36)
This section of the song is the guitar solo which gives you
B Section (Bars 5–12) an opportunity to develop a part underneath it. Resist any
This is the main groove of the piece and would serve as a temptation to overplay so that the guitar stands out.
good verse section. The bass plays another funk groove, this
time based around E minor. Bars 28–29 | Developing a part
In these bars you should develop the part played in bars
Bars 8–9 | Pushed chord 28–29. Common ways to develop a part are to vary the
At the end of bar 8 there is a pushed rhythm that occurs on rhythm, note choices or articulations. Make sure it is in
the ‘&’ of beat 4. The D is tied into the next bar and the note keeping with the style of the piece.
that follows it (E) should be played on the ‘&’ of beat 1. Be
sure to accent the D as notated.

œ.
D7
?# œ ≈¿ œ œ œ œ nœ
n œ œ.
This contrasts with the previous section and features a great
deal of syncopation as well as some ghost note figures.
Bar 14 | Syncopation
T
A
B 3 ¿ 5 3 5
3
5
1 3
The rhythm in this bar can be difficult to read. Playing and
counting aloud using the “1 e & a 2 e & a” counting style will
help you to understand the rhythm (Fig. 1). Count: 1 e (&) a (2) e & (a) (3) (e) & a 4 (e) & (a)
Fig. 1: Syncopation
This section is left free for a bass solo. Remember that solos
should be improvised – avoid copying the solo on the recording.
? # b œ n œ b œ n œ œ. œ n œ œ
Bars 19–23 | Bass solo
Given the E minor key signature, the E minor pentatonic Œ
scale will be a good place to start with your solo. Try to
begin with simple ideas and allow yourself time to develop
them. Remember to consider the groove. When you solo you T 3 4 3 4
0 2 3
should still play with feel. A
B
Bb Bn Bb Bn Fn
b3 b3
Notes: D E
Bass Grade 5
Function: 3 3 5 6 7
This part is a staccato unison line based around a G 7 chord. Fig. 2: Fill
Articulations and syncopation are put to good use here.
62
Technical Exercises
In this section the examiner will ask you to play a selection of exercises drawn from each of the three groups shown below.
Groups A and B contain examples of the scales and arpeggios you can use when playing the pieces. In Group C you will be
asked to prepare the bassline riff exercise and play it to the backing track in the exam. You do not need to memorise the
exercises (and can use the book in the exam) but the examiner will be looking for the speed of your response. The examiner
will also give credit for the level of your musicality.
Groups A and B should be prepared on the starting notes indicated. Before you start the section you will be asked whether
you would like to play the exercises along with the click or hear a single bar of click before you commence the test. The
tempo is q = 80.
Group A: Scales
One octave prepared on the starting notes G, B b, C and D in the two specified fingerings.
1. Major scale (G major scale shown)
?# œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
T 2 4 5 4 2
A 2 3 5 5 3 2
B 3 5 5 3
?# œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
T 4 5 4
A 3 5 7 7 5 3
B 3 5 7 7 5 3

2. Major pentatonic scale (B b major pentatonic scale shown)
? bb œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ
T 5 8 5
A 5 8 8 5
B 6 8 8 6
œ œ œ œ œ
T 8
A 8 10 10 8
B 6 8 10 10 8 6
3. Natural minor scale (C natural minor scale shown)

? bb œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
b
T 8 10 8
A 8 10 11 11 10 8
B 8 10 11 11 10 8
? bb œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
b
Bass Grade 5
T 5
A 5 6 8 8 6 5
B 5 6 8 8 6 5
8 8
63
Technical Exercises
4. Minor pentatonic scale (D minor pentatonic scale shown)

œ œ œ œ œ
?b œ œ œ œ œ œ
T 10 12 10
A 10 12 12 10
B 10 13 13 10
œ œ œ œ œ
?b œ œ œ œ œ œ
T 10 12 10
A 8 10 12 12 10 8
B 10 10
5. Blues scale (C blues scale shown)

bœ nœ œ œ œ œ bœ
? b œ œ œ œ œ œ
bb
T 8 10 8
A 8 9 10 10 9 8
B 8 11 11 8
bœ nœ œ œ œ œ bœ
b
T 8 10 8
A 6 8 9 10 10 9 8 6
B 8 8

6. Harmonic minor scale (B b harmonic minor scale shown)
? bb b œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ
bb
T 7 8 7
A 6 8 9 9 8 6
B 6 8 9 9 8 6
? bb b œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ
bb
T 2 3 2
A 3 4 4 3
B 3 4 6 6 4 3
6 6
Group B: Arpeggios
One octave prepared on the starting notes G, B b, C and D
1. Major arpeggio (G major arpeggio shown)
?# œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ
Bass Grade 5
T 5
A 2 5 5 2
B 3 3
64
Technical Exercises
2. Minor arpeggio (B b minor arpeggio shown)
? bb b œ œ œ œ
bb œ œ œ
T 8
A 8 8
B 6 9 9 6
3. Dominant 7 arpeggio (C dominant 7 arpeggio shown)

œ bœ œ œ œ
?œ œ œ œ
T 8 10 8
A 7 10 10 7
B 8 8
4. Major 7 arpeggio (D major 7 arpeggio shown)

œ œ œ œ œ
? ## œ œ œ œ
T 11 12 11
A 9 12 12 9
B 10 10
5. Minor 7 arpeggio (G minor 7 arpeggio shown)
? bb œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ

T 3 5 3
A 5 5
B 3 6 6 3
Group C: Riff
In the exam you will be asked to play the following riff to a backing track. The riff shown in bars 1 and 2 should be played in
the same rhythmic and melodic shape in bars 3–8, maintaining the same melodic sequence. All notes played must be diatonic
to the key signature. The root note of the pattern to be played is shown in the music in bars 3, 5 and 7. The tempo is q = 100.
q = 100 Funk
œ œ œ œ
G m7 C m7
? b4 œ œ œ œ œ œ
b 4 œ . ‰ J ‰ Jœ œ
T 3 3
A 5 3 3 5 5 5 3
B 5 3
3
E b maj 7
? bb œ œ
D m7
T
Bass Grade 5
A 6 5
B
[5]
65
Sight Reading
In this section you have a choice between either a Sight Reading test or an Improvisation & Interpretation test (see facing
page). At this level there is an element of improvisation. This is in the form of a two bar development of the bassline. The
piece will be composed in the style of rock, funk or blues and will have chord symbols throughout. The test is eight bars long
and is in one of the following keys: F major or G major, or E minor or G minor. The examiner will allow you 90 seconds to
prepare it and will set the tempo for you. The tempo is q = 85–95.
q = 90 Funk
? b b 44 œ œ ‰ œj œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œJ ˙ œ œ ‰ j œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ Œ
G m7
T 3 3 0 0
A 5 3 0 0 5 5 5 3 0 3 3 3
B 1 3 1 3
B b dim7
? bb ’
C m7 A m7
œ œ ‰ j œ œ
G m7
œ œ ‰ œ ˙
’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ œ œ J
Develop bassline
T 5 3 0 0 0 5
A 1 3 1 3
B
[5]

Bass Grade 5
66
Improvisation & Interpretation
In Grade 5, the Improvisation & Interpretation tests contain a small amount of sight reading. This consists of a two bar
section of notation at the beginning of each test. You will be asked to play the notated bassline and complete the test using
an improvised line as indicated. This is played to a backing track of no more than eight bars. The test will be given in one
of the following four keys: A major or G major, or E minor or G minor. You have 30 seconds to prepare then you will be
allowed to practise during the first playing of the backing track before playing it to the examiner on the second playing of
the backing track. This test is continuous with a one bar count-in at the beginning and after the practice session. The tempo
is q = 90–100.
œ œ nœ
q = 95 Blues
¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ
? # # # 44 ..
A D A
œ œ œ œ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’
.
Develop bassline
.
T 7 7 5
A 7 7 5 5 7
B 7 7 5 5
5 5
F # m7
? ### ’ ..
E7 D A B m7 E7
’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’
.
.
T
A
B
[6]

Bass Grade 5
67
Ear Tests
There are two Ear Tests in this grade. The examiner will play each test to you twice. You will find one example of each type
of test printed below.
Test 1: Melodic Recall

The examiner will play you a two bar melody with a drum backing using either the F major pentatonic or D minor
pentatonic scales. The first note of the melody will be the root note and the first interval will be descending. You will play
the melody back on your instrument. You will hear the test twice.
Each time the test is played the sequence is: count-in, root note, count-in, melody. There will be a short gap for you to
practise after you have heard the test for the second time. You will hear the count-in and root note for the third time
followed by a vocal count-in and you will then play the melody to the drum backing. The tempo is q = 90.
¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ œ œ œ œ
œ œ
q = 90
? 4 .. w œ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ ..
b4 J
. .
. .
T 0 7 5 5 5 7
A 5 5 8 5 8 8 8
B 8
Test 2: Harmonic Recall

The examiner will play you a tonic chord followed by a two bar chord sequence in the key of G major played to a guitar and
drum backing. The sequence will be drawn from the I, IV, V and vi chords and may occur in any combination. You will be
asked to play the root notes of the chord sequence to the drum backing in the rhythm shown in the example below. You will
then be asked to identify the chords. This rhythm will be used in all examples of this test given in the exam. You will hear the
test twice.

Each time the test is played the sequence is: count-in, tonic, count-in, chords. There will be a short gap for you to practise
after you have heard the test for the second time. You will hear the count-in and tonic for the third time followed by a vocal
count-in and you will then play the root notes of the chords to the drum backing. You should then identify the chords
including the chord type (major or minor). The tempo is q = 80.
¿ ¿ ¿ ¿
q = 80
? # 44 .. | Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û ..
G G Em C G
Bass Grade 5
68
General Musicianship Questions
In this part of the exam you will be asked five questions. Four of these questions will be about general music knowledge and
the fifth question asked will be about your instrument.
Music Knowledge
The examiner will ask you four music knowledge questions based on a piece of music that you have played in the exam. You
will nominate the piece of music about which the questions will be asked. The scale question at the end of the list of subjects
is mandatory.
In Grade 5 you will be asked to identify/explain:
■■The names of pitches
■■The meaning of accidentals: # (sharp) , b (flat) and n (natural) signs
■■The meaning of the time signature, key signature and swing time markings
■■Repeat marks, first and second time bars, D.C., D.S., al Coda and al Fine markings
■■Hammer-ons, pull-offs, accents and vibrato markings
■■The construction of minor 7, major 7 or dominant 7 chords
■■One type of scale that can be used appropriately in the solo section of the piece you have played
Instrument Knowledge
The examiner will also ask you one question regarding your instrument.

In Grade 5 you will be asked to identify/explain:
■■Any part or control on your bass
■■The function of the volume and tone controls on your bass
■■The tone settings for the piece you have played on the amp and why you have chosen these settings
Further Information
Tips on how to approach this part of this exam can be found in the Syllabus Guide for bass, the Rockschool Bass Companion
Guide and on the Rockschool website: www.rslawards.com Bass Grade 5
69
Entering Rockschool Exams
Entering a Rockschool exam is easy, just go online and follow our simple six step process. All details for entering online,
dates, fees, regulations and Free Choice pieces can be found at www.rslawards.com
■■All candidates should ensure they bring their own Grade syllabus book to the exam or have proof of digital purchase
ready to show the examiner.
■■All Grade 6–8 candidates must ensure that they bring valid photo ID to their exam.

Bass Grade 5
70
Marking Schemes
Grade Exams | Debut to Grade 5 *
ELEMENT PASS MERIT DISTINCTION
Performance Piece 1 12–14 out of 20 15–17 out of 20 18+ out of 20
Technical Exercises 9–10 out of 15 11–12 out of 15 13 + out of 15
Sight Reading
or 6 out of 10 7–8 out of 10 9 + out of 10
Improvisation & Interpretation
Ear Tests 6 out of 10 7–8 out of 10 9 + out of 10
General Musicianship Questions 3 out of 5 4 out of 5 5 out of 5
TOTAL MARKS 60%+ 74%+ 90%+
Grade Exams | Grades 6–8

Technical Exercises 9–10 out of 15 11–12 out of 15 13 + out of 15
Quick Study Piece 6 out of 10 7–8 out of 10 9 + out of 10
Ear Tests 6 out of 10 7–8 out of 10 9 + out of 10
General Musicianship Questions 3 out of 5 4 out of 5 5 out of 5
TOTAL MARKS 60%+ 74%+ 90%+
Performance Certificates | Debut to Grade 8 *

Bass Grade 5
TOTAL MARKS 60%+ 75%+ 90%+

71
* Note that there are no Debut Vocal exams.
Bass Guitar Notation Explained
Fmaj 7
w G9
?4 ww
4 ˙ Ó
Notes:
’ ’ ’ ’
THE MUSICAL STAVE
shows pitches and rhythms GA
and is divided by lines into E F
CDB
bars. Pitches are named after AG
the first seven letters of the
alphabet. Strings:
G
T 9
TABLATURE graphically D
A 7
represents the bass guitar
A
B 8
E 3
fingerboard. Each horizontal
line represents a string and Fourth string, 3rd fret Fmaj 7 chord in the 7 th position Solos and Cont. sim. sections
each number represents a fret. are shown in slash notation
Definitions For Special Bass Guitar Notation
HAMMER-ON: Pick the lower note PULL-OFF: Pick the higher note then SLIDE: Pick the first note and slide GLISSANDO: Slide off of a note at the
then sound the higher note by sound the lower note by lifting your to the next. If the line connects (as end of its rhythmic value. The note
fretting it without picking. finger without picking. below) the second note is not repicked. that follows is repicked.
? ? œ œ ? ? œ
œ œ œ œ
T T 3 2 T T
A 0 2 A A A 5
B B B 5 3 B

SLAP STYLE: Slap bass technique is TAPPING: Sound note by tapping the DEAD (GHOST) NOTES: Pick the NATURAL HARMONICS: Lightly touch
indicated through the letters T (thumb) string – circles denote a picking hand string while the note is muted by the string above the indicated fret then
and P (pull). tap, squares a fretting hand tap. your fretting hand. pick to sound a harmonic.
? œ ¿ ¿ œ ‚
P
? #œ ? bœ œ œ ?
T P T
œ œ ‚
œ #œ
NH
¿ ¿
T P T P
T T T 5 T 12
A 2 4 A A A 12
B B 6 3 5 B 3 B
0 2 4
>œ ■ Go back to the sign (%), then play until

D.%. al Coda the bar marked To Coda fi then skip to
the section marked fi Coda.
(accent) ■ Accentuate note (play it louder).
œ.
■ Go back to the beginning of the song and
(staccato) ■ Shorten time value of note. D.C. al Fine play until the bar marked Fine (end).
U ■ Fermata (Pause) .. .. ■ Repeat the bars between the repeat signs.

Bass Grade 5
.. ..
1. 2. ■ When a repeated section has different
endings, play the first ending only the first
time and the second ending only the
second time.
72
Mechanical Copyright Information
Uptown Funk!
(Taylor/Wilson/Simmons/Wilson/Ronson/Lawrence/Bhasker/Hernandez/Wilson/Williams/Gallaspy)
Sony/ATV Music Publishing (UK) Limited/Universal/MCA Music Limited/Warner/Chappell North America Limited/New
Songs Administration Limited/BMG Rights Management (UK) Limited/Kobalt Music Publishing Limited/Concord Music
Publishing LLC
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(Bangalter/Williams/de Homem-Christo/Rodgers)
Sony/ATV Music Publishing (UK) Limited/EMI Music Publishing Limited /Concord Music Publishing LLC
The Bottle
(Heron)
Peermusic (UK) Limited
September
(McKay/White/Willis)
Rondor International Incorporated/EMI Music Publishing Limited
Mr. Brightside
(Flowers/Keuning/Stoermer/Vannucci)
Universal Music Publishing Limited
Whipping Post
(Allman)
IQ Music Limited/Warner/Chappell North America Limited

Bass Grade 5
73
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Bass Grade 5

Performance pieces, technical exercises and in-depth guidance

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Introductions & Information

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63 Scales, Arpeggios & Riff

70 Entering Rockschool Exams

Welcome to Bass Grade 5

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œ Funk’s’ remarkable success is ongoingœ and

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>œ >œ >œ >œ >œ >œ >œ >œ

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SONG TITLE: GET LUCKY

? #It#is saidœ that Pharell

‘Get Lucky’ was released as a single in April 2013

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RSL-837327027982 / 1 / rock bird / rockbird.vip@qq.com

RSL-837327027982 / 1 / rock bird / rockbird.vip@qq.com

A Section (Bars 1–8) D Section (Bars 29–37)

Bars 9–16 | Rhythmic syncopation

C Section (Bars 17–24)

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Coda Section (Bars 25–28)

SONG TITLE: THE BOTTLE

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A Section (Bars 1–4) E Section (Bars 21–28)

Bars 5–8 | Repeated phrases

Bars 9–12 | Higher range patterns

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Bars 13–16 | Repeated phrases

D Section (Bars 17–20)

SONG TITLE: SEPTEMBER

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[Keys & Guitar]

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RSL-837327027982 / 1 / rock bird / rockbird.vip@qq.com

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RSL-837327027982 / 1 / rock bird / rockbird.vip@qq.com

A Section (Bars 1–10) Bars 28–35 | Repeated chord patterns

Bars 7–10 | Two-octave pattern D Section (Bars 36–44)

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Bars 17–19 | Two-octave pattern

C Section (Bars 20–35)

Bars 20–27 | Chordal changes

SONG TITLE: MR. BRIGHTSIDE

WRITTEN BY: DAVE KEUNING AND

BACKGROUND INFO experienced by singer Brandon Flowers. He caught his

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# song received a Grammy Award nomination

The recorded version of the song is the original