Bass Grade 2

Performance pieces, technical exercises and in-depth guidance

for Rockschool examinations

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by

any means without the prior written permission of the Publisher.

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 Acknowledgements

Published by Rockschool Ltd. © 2012 & 2018

Catalogue Number: RSK200053

CONTACTING ROCKSCHOOL
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Telephone: +44 (0)345 460 4747
Email: [email protected]

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Bass Grade 2

2
Table of Contents

Introductions & Information

1 Title Page
2 Acknowledgements
3 Table of Contents
4 Welcome to Rockschool Bass Grade 2

Hit Tunes

5 Roy Ayers. ...... ...... ..... ...... ...... ..... ...... ...... ..... ...... ... .. .. .. . .. ... . .. .. .. .. . .. ‘Running Away’
9 Disclosure (feat. Sam Smith). ..... ...... ..... ... .. .. .. . .. ... . .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. . . ‘Latch’
13 Kings of Leon. .... ...... ..... ...... ...... ..... ...... ...... .. ..... .. .. .. .. . ... . .. .. ‘Molly’s Chambers’
17 U2.. . .. . .. . .. ...... ...... ..... ...... ...... ..... ...... ...... ..... ...... ...... ... .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. ‘Vertigo’
21 Barry White..... ..... ...... ...... ..... ...... ...... ‘Never Never Gonna Give You Up’
25 Beyoncé.. ....... ...... ..... ...... ...... ..... ...... ...... ..... ...... ...... . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. . ‘If I Were A Boy’

Rockschool Originals

29 ‘Dr Cocoa’
33 ‘Crawler’
37 ‘Midnight Mist’
41 ‘Don’t Believe Me’
45 ‘Bonecrusher’
49 ‘Danzon’

Technical Exercises

53 Scales, Arpeggios & Riff

Supporting Tests

56 Sight Reading
57 Improvisation & Interpretation
58 Ear Tests
59 General Musicianship Questions

Additional Information

60 Entering Rockschool Exams

61 Marking Schemes
62 Bass Guitar Notation Explained
63 Mechanical Copyright Information
64 Rockschool Popular Music Theory
Bass Grade 2

3
 Welcome to Rockschool Bass Grade 2

Welcome to Bass Grade 2

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 for 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 2 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 two 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 2 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: F34LDWYL2K

Syllabus Guide
All candidates should read the accompanying syllabus guide when using this grade book. This can be downloaded from the
Bass Grade 2

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
 Roy Ayers

SONG TITLE: RUNNING AWAY

ALBUM: LIFELINE
LABEL: POLYDOR
GENRE: SOUL/POP/NEO-SOUL
c 116 Funk
A m9

? # 44 w œ œ ‰
A E m9
WRITTEN BY: ROY AYERS AND EDWIN
BIRDSONG
PRODUCED BY: ROY AYERS, EDWIN
BIRDSONG, WILLIAM ALLEN

T 2 0
A 0
UK CHART PEAK: NOT CHARTED
B

‰ œj œ
m9 B m9

?# œ œ œ œ Œ
9 from The Crusaders, with flautistA

œ œ
BACKGROUND INFO Wayne EmHenderson

œ
Herbie Mann and The Jack Wilson Quartet. He has
Roy Ayres’ prolific career spans nearly 60 years. also collaborated with House pioneers Masters At
He has recorded 81 records, an amazing number by Work and Kerri Chandler. Much of his work has been
any standard. His work as a composer and producer sampled by artists in the EDM and hip-hop scenes.
is fundamental in the development of jazz funk and
has been highly influential in the development of He co-wrote and co-produced much of his work
neo-soul, hip-hop and acid jazz. Roy Ayers is an 0
with Edwin Birdsong and William Allen,0the latter
T 4
2 (now classic) 2 2
exceptional vibraphone player, a gifted singer and A playing the bass riff on ‘Running 2Away’. 0
a consummate live performer. His band Ubiquity B The song was released in 1977 as part of the album
defined much of the left-field sound of the 1970s funk Lifeline, and the 12” long version became a club
[5]
and R&B scenes. His most famous song is ‘Everybody classic. ‘Running Away’ has been sampled by A Tribe
Loves the Sunshine’ and its lyrics encapsulate much of Called Quest, Nag Champa, Armand Van Helden, and
what Roy Ayers’ music is about – having a good time. The Nightgroovers. ‘Running Away’s’ famous bass riff
is a classic of the genre.
Roy Ayers went to the same school as saxophonist
Dexter Gordon. He started working as a sideman for Roy Ayres continues to perform live and the
many artists and eventually landed a gig with flautist influence of his music remains undiminished and is
A m9

?# œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ
Herbie Mann, with whom he recorded and toured Bconstantly 9
E mreaching new audiences.

œ
during the mid to late 1960s. In the early 1970s he
formed Roy Ayres Ubiquity. In 1973 he wrote the
highly acclaimed soundtrack for the Blaxploitation
film Coffy, starring Pam Grier.

Amongst the many who credit his influence is

Pharrell Williams. Roy Ayres recorded with Erykah 0 0
Badu and Whitney Houston, for whom he recorded T 2 4 2 0
2
Bass Grade 2

A
a solo. Ayers made records in collaboration with B
Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, with trombonist
[9]

9
 Running Away
Roy Ayers
Words & Music by Edwin Birdsong
& Roy Ayers
c 116 Funk

? # 44 w j j
E m9 A m9 B m9 E m9 A m9 B m9

˙.
A

œ œ ‰ œ ˙ œ œ œ ‰ œ ˙

T 2 2
A 0 0 2 0 0 2
B 3

?# œ œ œ œ Œ ‰ œj œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ ‰ œj œ œ œ œ
E m9 A m9 B m9 E m9 A m9 B m9

œ œ œ J
T 0 0
A 2 4 2 0 0 2 0 2 4 2 2 0 0 2 0
B 2 0 2 2 0 2

[5]

?# œ œ œ œ Œ ‰ œj œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ
B E m9 A m9 B m9 E m9

œ œ œ J
T 0 0
A 2 4 2 0 0 2 0 2 4 2 2 0
B 2 0 2 2

[9]

?# ‰ œj œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ ‰ œj œ œ œ œ
A m9 B m9 E m9 A m9 B m9

œ œ œ œ

T 0
A 0 2 0 2 4 2 0 0 2 0
B 0 2 2 0 2

[12]

?# œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ ‰ œj œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ
E m9 A m9 B m9 E m9

œ œ œ
J
Bass Grade 2

T 0 0
A 2 4 2 2 0 0 0 2 4 2 0
B 2 0 2 2 2

[15]
6 © Copyright 1977 Roy Ayers Ubiquity Incorporation
BMG Rights Management (US) LLC/Edwin Birdsong Music Publishing.
All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured.
?# ‰ œj œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ ‰ œj œ œ œ œ
A m9 B m9 E m9 A m9 B m9

œ J œ

T 0
A 0 2 0 2 4 2 2 0 0 2 0
B 0 2 2 0 2

[18]

?# w j
E m9 A m9 B m9 E m9 A m9 B m9

˙.
C

œ œ ‰ œ œ. œ
J œ œ œ œ œ ˙

T 2 0 2
A 0 0 2 0 0 0 2
B 3
[21]

?# ˙ j œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œj œ .
E m9 A m9 B m9 E m9 A m9 B m9

œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ
œ. J J J
T 2 2 2 0 2 2 0 2 2 0 0
A 0 2 2 0 0 2
B
[25]

?# œ œ œ œ Œ ‰ œj œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ ‰ œj œ œ œ œ
D E m9 A m9 B m9 E m9 A m9 B m9

œ œ œ J
T 0 0
A 2 4 2 0 0 2 0 2 4 2 2 0 0 2 0
B 2 0 2 2 0 2

[29]

?# œ œ œ œ Œ ‰ œj œ œ œ œ
E m9 A m9 B m9 E m9

œ œ w
œ
Bass Grade 2

T 0
A 2 4 2 0 0 2 0 2
B 2 0 2

[33]
7
 Walkthrough

A Section (Bars 1–8) C Section (Bars 21–28)

The chordal harmony of the piece is established with some The same chords are used here but the longer note lengths
longer notes supported in the bass. in the bass help to suggest a change of feel to a breakdown or
lighter groove.
Bar 1 | Whole notes
The opening bar features a whole note played on an E on Bars 21–22 | Note value combinations
the second fret of the D string. Try not to cut the note value The first bar is played as a whole note on an E, followed by
short when moving to the next bar some varied eighth note phrasing in bar 22. Using the same
counting method as described in the Walkthrough for bar
Bar 2 | Eighth and half notes 2 will help to really place the eighth notes here. Try to give
There are two eighth notes on beat 1 of this bar which notes and rests their full value by applying enough string
are played on the open A string. Use the fretting hand to pressure or releasing string pressure as required.
dampen the string so the eighth-note rest is given value. Use
the ‘1 & 2 &’ counting method to lock the following eighth Bars 23–24 | Repeated harmony
note in place. The chords remain the same once again, this time supported
by a dotted half note to a quarter note in bar 23 and four
Bar 3 | Dotted half notes and quarter notes eighth notes tied to a half note in bar 24.
Keep some pressure on the D string to ensure the dotted half
note is played for the right length with the G played on beat Bars 25–28 | Rhythm variations
1 of the bar. There are some variations in rhythm throughout these bars
which help build the track back towards the main groove.
Bar 4 | Repeated phrases It’s important to play the root notes confidently at chord
Bar 2 is repeated exactly here. changes to help define the harmony, especially on beat 1 of
the bar.
Bar 5 | Eighth notes and quarter-note rests
The bar starts with four eighth notes that help to outline
the Em9 chord. Try not to let the open G ring when playing D Section (Bars 29–35)
the following F# on the D string. The quarter-note rest is The main groove is re-established once again for this final
followed by two eighth notes that create movement to the section, with repeats of previous phrases.
Am9 chord.
Bars 29–32 | Repeated phrases
Bar 6 | Quarter and eighth notes The groove in these bars is played exactly the same as in
The quarter note is immediately followed by an eighth-note bars 9–12.
rest so use the fretting hand to dampen the open A string
here. There is a tie between the next two eighth notes with Bars 33–35 | Repeated phrases
the final three eighths creating a ‘pull’ from the Bm 9 chord The pattern in bars 29–30 is once again played in bars 33–34
back to the Em9 in bar 7. with a whole note finishing the piece in bar 35.

Bars 7–8 | Repeated phrases

These two bars are played almost identical to bars 5 and 6
but an extra eighth note is added on the ‘&’ of beat 3 in bar
7. Use the same counting method to help this phrasing.

B Section (Bars 9–20)

The main groove is established throughout this section with
a repeat of some previous phrases.

Bars 9–20 | Repeated phrases

The first four bars are repeated twice more to give 12 bars
in total for this section, with bars 5–9 taken for these bars.
Bass Grade 2

Although the same bars are repeated it’s important to aim for
consistency throughout when playing this style.

8
 Disclosure (feat. Sam Smith)

SONG TITLE: LATCH

ALBUM: SETTLE
LABEL: PMR CHERRY TREE / c 122 Synth Pop/Garage

. œ. œ.
INTERSCOPE

œ
A m7

? # 44
GENRE: DISCO / DEEP GARAGE / A
ELECTRO-POP

WRITTEN BY: GUY LAWRENCE, HOWARD

LAWRENCE, JAMES NAPIER,
2 2
SAM SMITH 2
T
PRODUCED BY: DISCLOSURE A
B

UK CHART PEAK: 11

œ. n œ.
#
? # œ. œ. œ.
G 13/F
D add 2/F

BACKGROUND INFO 3 million copies in the US alone and 1.8 in Denmark,

which statistically suggests that nearly half of all
‘Latch’ was released as a single in October 2012. It Danes have a physical or digital copy.
reached number 11 in the UK charts and eventually 3
made it to number 7 in the US charts in 2014. T Sam Smith 4 of the song as
4 acoustic version
released an
4
4
A part of his 2014 album release In The Lonely Hour. He is
B
The song is now regarded as a crossover classic and a very successful solo artist on both sides of the Atlantic.
features the distinctive vocals of Sam Smith. Before [3]
meeting him, Disclosure’s members Howard and Guy Disclosure received a Grammy Award nomination

#
Lawrence thought he was a woman given the high for Best Dance Album for Settle in 2014 and are
pitch of his voice. The combination proved explosive regulars on the festival and touring scene.
D add 2/F

?#
and the rest, as they say, its history. 11
E m7add
Disclosure borrows from a vast array of electronic
musical influences and blends them with traditional
œ. œ. œ. œ. œ.
elements of songwriting. ‘Latch’ represents these
tendencies well as it includes a strong and varied
melody and unusual harmonies for a pop song. These
features are combined into a conventional yet quirky T
song format. The production values are distinctive A
0 0 2
and well realized – this is a trait of Disclosure’s sound. B 0 0
The song is funky and poignant at the same time.
[6]
The lyrical content is about the thrill of latching
onto someone else, figuratively and literally. Much
of this reflects Sam Smith’s outspoken and eloquent E m7add
11

?#
B A m7
portrayal of his emotions and sexuality. The video for
Bass Grade 2

w w
the song was released on YouTube and has racked up
over 243 million views to date. ‘Latch’ has sold over

9
T
A 0
B 0
 Latch
Disclosure (feat. Sam Smith)
Words & Music by Samuel Smith, James Napier,
c 122 Synth Pop/Garage
Guy Lawrence & Howard Lawrence

. œ. œ. œ.
? # 44 œ
A m7 E m7add11

œ. œ. œ. œ.
A

T 2 2 2 2
A 2 2 2 2
B

D add 2/F #
? # œ. œ. œ. œ. n œ. œ. œ. œ.
G 13/F A m7

œ. œ. œ. œ.

T 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3
A 0 0 0 0
B
[3]

D add 2/F #
?#
E m7add11 G 7sus 4/F

œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. n œ. œ. œ. œ.
T
A
B 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1
[6]

#
?#
B
A m7 E m7add11 C 6/9 11

w
Dm

w w
w
T 0
A 0 3
B 0
[9]

A m7 E m7add11

?# j
C

œ Œ Œ j Œ Œ
3 3 3 3 3 3

œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ
T
A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
[13]

D add 9 G 7sus 4/B A m7

? # œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ Œ Œ j
œ œ œ œ Œ œ b œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œj Œ Œ
3 3 3 3
3 3

J œ.
Bass Grade 2

3 3 3

T 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B 3 3 3 3 3
[15]
10 © Copyright 2012 Stellar Songs Limited/Naughty Words Limited/Salli Isaak Songs Limited.
Universal Music Publishing Limited/Sony/ATV Music Publishing/EMI Music Publishing Limited.
All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured.
 E m7 D add 9 G 7sus 4/B

?# jŒ Œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ Œ Œ jŒ
3

œ bœ œ
3 3 3 3 3

œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ J œ. œ œ œ œ
3 3 3

T 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A 2 1 0
B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 3 3 3
[18]

A m7 E m7 D add 9

?# j
œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ Œ Œ jŒ Œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ Œ Œ
3 3 3 3 3 3

œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ J
3 3 3

T 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
[21]

G 7sus 4/B A m7 E m7

?# j j
œ œ œ œ Œ œ b œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ Œ Œ jŒ Œ
3 3 3 3 3 3 3
3 3

œ. œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ
T
A 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
B 3 3 3 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
[24]

D add 9 G 7sus 4/B A m7 E m9

? # œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ Œ Œ j
œ œ. œ œ œ œ Œ Œ
3 3 3 3

J œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
3 3 3

T 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A 2 0 0 0 0 0
B 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 0
[27]

#
?#
D
A m7 E m7add11 C 6/9 11

w
Dm

w w
w
T 0
A 0 3
B 0
[30]

#
?#
A m7 E m7add11 C 6/9 11

˙ Ó
Dm

w w
w
Bass Grade 2

T 0
A 0 3
B 0
[34]
11
 Walkthrough

Section A (Bars 1–8) As in the previous section you might want to experiment
Bars 1–8 | Staccato quarter-notes fretting all A and D notes in order to see if this has an effect
This eight bar section will require you to play all quarter- on your delivery.
notes evenly and clearly. The staccato dot indicates that the
value of the note should be shortened slightly. This gives the
line a sharper and more electronic driving feel. In this genre Section D (Bars 30–37)
the bass is typically generated by software and synths. Full length semibreves
As in section B this section provides a harmonic cushion to
This section will make you travel from the high end to the piano feature, this time for twice the length. Be mindful
the low end of the instrument. This requires an even and to execute these whole-notes softly without overpowering
measured touch on the plucking hand. Be aware of the use the piano. As before counting will make your delivery more
of non-diatonic notes in this section, such as the F in bars accurate and relaxed.
4 and 8, these add a flavoursome element of tension and
interest to the line.
Practice overview
Make sure that all transitions between sections are
Section B (Bars 9–12) smooth. Plan ahead for your plucking hand position
Bars 9–12 | Full length semibreves changes. Staccato dots will require you to adjust the values
These four bars will require you to play full length notes consistently and make sure all triplets are even in time
and provide harmonic backing to the piano feature. Whilst and tone.
it is important to play with authority, it is also important
to play these notes softly to provide warmth and avoid
overpowering the piano. You might want to experiment
playing the A and D open and fretted to see which option
gives you a better feel. You might also want to try using your
thumb on the plucking hand for this section.

You can mute the strings by gently resting your hand on

them. This will work if you are using your thumb or a
plectrum and will give a slight sub quality to the sound, a
welcome feature in dance tracks. Make sure you count the
length of each note accurately to help place them precisely at
the beginning of the bar.

Section C (Bars 13–29)

Bars 13–29 | Groove and triplet subdivision
This section provides a real forward lift to the track. The
bass will be in the driving seat together with the drums so
it is important to keep your ears open and listen to the kit
intently. Every bar features triplets – these will require you
to fit three eighth-notes in the space of two. This might need
some separate practice to a click or metronome to adjust
the values until the groove feels right. In addition, there is
a strategically placed staccato dot in all bars. This gives the
line another significant electronica slant. If you divide the
section in subsections of four bars you’ll see that the first
three bars contain the staccato dot on the second eighth-
note of every first triplet and on the first quarter-note of
every fourth bar. The fourth and last group only has staccato
dots on the first three bars (25–27). Another significant
Bass Grade 2

feature are the chromatic runs on the fourth beat of bars 16,
20 and 24, make sure these are delivered clearly.

12
 Kings of Leon

SONG TITLE: MOLLY’S CHAMBERS

ALBUM: YOUTH AND YOUNG MANHOOD
LABEL: RCA/HANDMEDOWN c 136 Indie/Rock
GENRE: GARAGE-INDIE, Intro

? # ## # 44
SOUTHERN ROCK A N.C .

WRITTEN BY: CALEB FOLLOWILL,

NATHAN FOLLOWILL
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
Riff w/Guitar
AND ANGELO PETRAGLIA
PRODUCED BY: ETHAN JOHNS T
A 2
B 2 2 0 2 0 2 0
UK CHART PEAK: 2

BACKGROUND INFO Their sound has expanded into a variety of rock

genres including anthemic arena rock tunes. They
‘Molly’s Chambers’ is the second single release have sold over 20 million records to date.
from Kings of Leon’s debut album Youth and Young
Manhood. The title is allegedly taken from Thin The band’s early releases have been acknowledged
Versedue to their unusual blend of
#
Lizzy’s ‘Whiskey In The Jar’ which contains a as standout records

# ## #of Leon
? Kings .. is made up of three siblings and one œ œ œ
reference to Molly’s Chambers. F 5 and direct production values.
B strong songwriting

Kings of Leon’s early releases presented a direct,

rootsy and nimble blend of garage and Southern rock œ theœsameœfamilyœ name,
cousin, all bearing œ œ œ
œ Followill. œ
that caught the public’s attention, worldwide and fast. They grew up driving round the Southern United

.
The band’s ‘live’ feel set them aside from many bands States following their father Ivan, a preacher in the
of the period, who were typically concentrating on United Pentecostal Church. The band is named after

.
highly produced and synthetic sounds. The band’s T their grandfather Leon and formed when Jared and
early songs are typically short and crispy, packing A cousin Matthew moved to Nashville, Tennessee. 2 2 0
2
a great deal in a short length. Their initial critical B 2 2 2 0 2 0 2 0
success and recognition was later followed by massive [5] Kings of Leon’s 7th studio album, Wall, went
worldwide sales. straight to number 1 on the US Billboard 200 album
chart. The band are still touring and recording.
‘Molly’s Chambers’ was used as an audio track in a
Volkswagen Jetta advert. The song is also featured in
the Rock Band video game series.

Kings of Leon are by now one of the world’s biggest

rock bands, after relentless touring and releasing 7
studio albums. The band has received many awards,
amongst them 4 Grammy Awards.
Bass Grade 2

Chorus

? # ## # œ
A
C B

œ œ œ œ œ
13
 Molly’s Chambers
Kings of Leon
Words & Music by Caleb Followill,
c 136 Indie/Rock Nathan Followill & Angelo Petraglia
Intro

? # # # # 44
A
N.C.

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
Riff w/Guitar

T
A
B 2 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 2 0 2 0 2 0

Verse
F#5
? # # # # .. ..
B

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 œ œ œ œ
. .
. .
T
A
B 2 2 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 2 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 2 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 2 2 0 2 0 2 0
[5]

Chorus
F#5
? #### œ
C B A

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
T
A 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
B 2 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 2 0 2 0 2 0
[9]

F#5
? #### œ
B D

œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
Bass Grade 2

T 0 0 0 0
A 2 2 2 2
B 2 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 2 0 2 0 2 0
[13]
14 © Copyright 2003 Music Of Windswept/Green Wagon Music/Universal Polygram International/Southside Independent Music Publishing.
BMG Rights Management (US) LLC/Universal Music Publishing Limited/Warner/Chappell North America Limited.
All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured.
 Verse
F#5
? # # # # .. .
D

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 œ œ œ œ .
. .
. .
T
A
B 2 2 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 2 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 2 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 2 2 0 2 0 2 0
[17]

Chorus
F#5
? ####
E B A

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
T
A 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
B 2 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 2 0 2 0 2 0
[21]

F#5
? #### œ
B D

œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
T 0 0 0 0
A 2 2 2 2
B 2 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 2 0 2 0 2 0
[25]

F#5
? #### œ
B A

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
T
A 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
B 2 2 0 2 0 2 0
[29]

? ####
B

nœ œ œ œ œ Œ
D

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
Bass Grade 2

T 0 0 0 0 0
A 2 2 2 2
B 2 2 0 2 0 2 0
[32]
15
 Walkthrough

A Section (Bars 1–4) Bars 15–16 | Repeated phrases

The intro section features a unison riff with the guitar and Another repeat of the first two bars in the piece again here,
defines the main theme of the piece. try to keep the consistency when moving between different
note values.
Bars 1–4 | Quarter and eighth notes
Although the key of the piece is E major the tonal centre and
feel of this first section is F# minor. Bar 1 has a quarter note D Section (Bars 17–20)
followed by six eighth notes that fill the remainder of the The whole of section B is repeated here, providing another
bar. Due to the higher tempo of the piece a relaxed approach verse to the piece. Keep the first and second picking fingers
with alternating first and second fingers of the picking hand alternating when playing these eighth notes! The section is
will help keep the line consistent. The notes move between repeated just as the B section is.
and F# and open E string and use of the ‘1 & 2 &’ counting
method will help to lock with the unison guitar.
E Section (Bars 21–34)
The chorus is established once more in this section and
B Section (Bars 5–8) features some repeated phrasing from earlier on in the piece
The verse section of the piece moves to consistent eighth
notes, still moving between the F# and open E string. Bars Bars 21–28 | Repeated phrases
5–8 are repeated once more to give eight bars in total. This chorus features an exact repeat of the first chorus in
bars 9–16. Watch the tempo doesn’t increase/decrease when
Bar 5 | Consistent eighth notes moving between the quarter and eighth notes here.
The first bar of this section features solid eighth notes and
is repeated exactly in the following three bars. Watch for Bars 29–32 | More repeated phrases
movement to the open E on the ‘&’ of beat 2 in this first half These four bars are repeated once more and taken from
of the bar. bars 21–24.

Bars 6–8 | Repeated phrases Bars 33–34 | Quarter and eighth notes
These bars are a direct repeat of bar 5 with the repeat The piece finishes with four quarter notes in bar 33 just as
marking giving eight bars in total here. Aim for consistency in bar 29, moving into four eighth notes & one quarter note
by making use of the alternating finger technique. in bar 34. All the notes of the final bar are played on the
open D string so make sure to dampen the string before the
quarter-note rest on beat 4 of the bar.
C Section (Bars 9–16)
This section moves to the chorus of the piece and begins
with solid quarter notes in the first two bars, moving to
repeated phrases of the intro section in the following
two bars.

Bars 9–10 | Quarter notes

Bar 9 begins with quarter notes played on a B on the second
fret of the A string, followed by four more quarter notes
played on the open A. There’s often a temptation to speed
up when moving from eighth to quarter notes so try keeping
the above counting method and really lock in with the
backing track.

Bars 11–12 | Repeated phrases

These two bars will seem familiar as they are repeats of the
first two bars of the intro.

Bars 13–14 | Repeated rhythm

Bass Grade 2

These two bars are almost identical to bars 9–10 although

the second bar moves to the open D string instead of the
open A string.

16
 U2

SONG TITLE: VERTIGO

ALBUM: HOW TO DISMANTLE
AN ATOMIC BOMB

c 140 Rock
LABEL: ISLAND

? 44
GENRE: ALTERNATIVE ROCK

WRITTEN BY: U2
PRODUCED BY: STEVE LILLYWHITE

UK CHART PEAK: 1 T
A
B

A5
E5

œ œ
? œU2’sœsoundœhas œalwaysœretained
BACKGROUND INFO A The song was utilised in an advert campaign for

œ œ œ œb
Apple’s iPod, giving it significant worldwide exposure.

an element of œ
œ
‘Vertigo’ is the opening track of U2’s 2004 release
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. It sees the band
returning to the sound of their earlier records, also simplicity anchored on a number of crucial factors.
produced by Steve Lillywhite. One is The Edge’s guitar sound, he is a master of
understatement, another are Bono’s larger than
By the time U2 released ‘Vertigo’ they had been life vocals, he delivers his lyrics with a strong and
T
on the road and in the public eye for the best part A anthemic quality all5 of his
7 own.7 Larry5 Muller Jr.
5 7 7 5 5 5 5
of 24 years. The song went straight to number 1 B provides a distinctive drumming style based 0 on
in the UK charts and reached number 1 in the US marching beats and percussive elements using toms
Alternative Billboard chart. This added to the band’s [5] and Adam Clayton delivers a warm and punchy bass
already colossal success, which in the mid 80s saw sound with his subtle and supportive lines.
them graduate from arena to stadium tours. With
the break-up of The Police in 1984 the road was clear The simplicity of their individual sounds make for
for U2 to claim the mantle of ‘World’s biggest band’. a large collective sound and identity.
They took over, starting with the massive album
5 A5
The Joshua Tree in 1987, which achieved worldwide EThe band has amassed 22 Grammy Awards out

? œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
success. U2 have toured all over the planet and have of 47 nominations – more than any other group.

œ
œ nœ œ œ
sold an approximate 175 million records to date. ‘Vertigo’ was awarded a Grammy for Best Rock

œ
Performance by a Duo or group in 2005.
‘Vertigo’ is a guitar driven rock anthem, featuring
a strong bass riff and anthemic vocals intermingling
some Spanish lyrics. According to Bono, U2’s lead
singer, the lyrics are about the feeling produced by
being in a nightclub and realising one is living a
superfluous existence. A girl in the club is wearing a T
Bass Grade 2

A 5 7 7 5 7 7 5 5 5
crucifix and that sight gives the character in the lyrics B 0 5 5
something to hang onto and steady himself.
[9]

17

A5
E5
 Vertigo
U2
Words & Music by U2

c 140 Rock
? 44

T
A
B

E5 A5 G5 E5 A5 G5

? œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ bœ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
A

œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ
T 7 7 7 7 6 5
A 5 7 7 5 7 7 5 5 7 7 5 7 7 5
B 0 5 5 5 5 4 3 0
[5]

E5 A5 G5 E5 A5 G5

? œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ bœ œ
œ œ nœ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ
T 7 7 7 7 6 5
A 5 7 7 5 7 7 5 5 7 7 5 7 7 5
B 0 5 5 5 5 4 3 0
[9]

E5 A5 G5 E5 A5 G5

? œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ bœ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
B

œ œ nœ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ
T 7 7 7 7 6 5
A 5 7 7 5 7 7 5 5 7 7 5 7 7 5
B 0 5 5 5 5 4 3 0
[13]

? œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ b œ Gœ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
E5 A5 G5 E5 A5 5

œ œ nœ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ nœ œ œ
Bass Grade 2

T 7 6 5
A 5 7 7 5 7 7 5 5 7 7 5 7 7 5 0 0 0 7
B 0 5 5 5 5 4 3 0
[17]
18 © Copyright 2004 Blue Mountain Music Limited (for the UK & Northern Ireland) Universal International Music Publishing B.V. (for the rest of the world)
All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured.
? œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ
C
G5 A5

#œ
E D

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
T
A 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 5 5 5 5 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6
B 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
[21]

? œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ
E D G5 A

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
T
A 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 5 5 5 5 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0
B 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
[25]

? œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
D
E5 A5 G5 E5

œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ
T
A 5 7 7 5 7 7 5 5 7 7 5 7 7 5
B 0 5 5 5 5 4 3 0
[29]

A5 G5 E5 A5 G5

? nœ œ œ œ bœ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ bœ œ
T 7 7 7 7 6 5
A 5 7 7 5 7 7 5
B 0 5 5 5 5 4 3
[32]

? œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
E5 A5 G5 E

œ œ nœ œ œ œ bœ œ ˙. œ
Bass Grade 2

T
A 5 7 7 5 7 7 5
B 0 5 5 5 5 4 3 0 0
[35]
19
 Walkthrough

Section A (Bars 5–12) Section C (Bars 21–28)

Bars 5–12 | Main riff, legato and ties Bars 21–28 | Straight eighths
This section introduces the main riff that drives the tune. This section will require you to provide a solid straight
Make sure you follow the drums closely in the four bars eighth-note line – a classic rock device. The bassline follows
prior, this will make your entry into the song accurate. the guitar harmony closely and has ties from the last eight-
The riff is a two bar figure, played four times. The figure in note to the first note of the next bar in bars 21, 23, 25 and
bar 6 is played an octave higher in bars 8 and 12. 27. Make sure the last quarter-note in bar 28 is well timed
and distinctive. If you are playing with a plectrum it is worth
Be aware of the legato between the first and second notes of experimenting with up and down strokes and down
the riff. This means you’ll only pluck the first note D with strokes only in order to see which gives you more control
your plucking hand, your fretting hand only will play the and precision.
E. This creates a smooth sound and establishes a difference
with the rest of the figure.
Section D (Bars 29–37)
The last note of every first bar of the riff is tied to the Bars 29–37 | Main riff again and counting
first note of every second bar. Make sure you subdivide This is known territory by now. The riff pattern plays four
accurately to keep a steady and timely delivery. The riff is times. This time it only plays the second bar of the figure an
designed to provide a solid and throbbing backbone to octave up in bar 32, the rest are all on the low end.
the tune.
Bar 37
Make sure you count the dotted half-note by subdividing in
Section B (Bars 13–20) your head to make the ending accurate and punchy.
Bars 13–20 | Stamina and repetition
By now you would have settled on the riff. Concentrate on a
smooth, even and timely delivery. It is worth experimenting
playing with fingers and plectrum to see which technique is
more comfortable and preferable in terms of sound.

Bar 20 | Slight change

The second half of this bar has a descending run and
anticipates the E of the next bar by playing it on the last
eighth-note.
Bass Grade 2

20
 Barry White

SONG TITLE: NEVER NEVER GONNA

GIVE YOU UP
ALBUM: STONE GON’ c 84 Soul
LABEL: 20TH CENTURY Intro

? bb 44 œ
G m9
œ œ Ó
GENRE: SOUTHERN ROCK A

WRITTEN BY: BARRY WHITE

PRODUCED BY: BARRY WHITE

UK CHART PEAK: 25 T 5
5
A 5
B

BACKGROUND INFO Orchestra – that was created specifically to back Love

Unlimited and play White’s arrangements.
‘Never Never Gonna Give You Up’ was written, B
produced and recorded by Barry White for his second In 1973, wanting to work with a male singer,
album Stone Gon’ in 1973. It was an immediate White sang on the demos for his compositions and Verse

œ
success, reaching the number 2 spot on the Hot R&B was persuaded to release them under his name.

œ œ
G m9

? bb œ œ
G m6was a

Œ
Charts and the number 7 spot on the Billboard Hot After much discussion he did and the release
G m9
100. The song is one amongst many of Barry White’s resounding success. It included the single ‘I’m Gonna
well-known classics. His distinctive bass-baritone Love You Just a Little More Baby’, the song made the
range makes his music immediately recognizable. number 1 spot on the Billboard R&B Charts and the
number 3 spot on the Billboard Pop Charts. This was
Barry White was a consummate music producer. the springboard for a continuously successful and
His unique brand of romantic ballad embraced and critically acclaimed career which continued through
helped define much of the soul, funk and disco eras. the 1980s. The 1990s saw a nostalgia revival that 5
T 5 5 5
He sold over 100 million records worldwide. Aproduced a renewed success and interest in his work. 5
B
White was jailed aged 16 for stealing $30,000 worth Barry White had one of the most distinctive voices
of Cadillac tires. Whilst in jail he heard Elvis Presley’s [4]
of his generation. He was also a gifted drummer. His
‘It’s Now or Never’ and that had a life changing effect production and arranging styles are immediately
on him. recognisable and his silky and romantic songs
appeal to many generations. His participation in
Upon regaining freedom he started singing in Quincy Jones’ 1989 ‘The Secret Garden’ was critically
groups in Los Angeles, he also started working as an acclaimed and produced a renewed wave of interest in
A&R man for Del-Fi Records. his work that lasted until his death, aged 58, in 2003.

In 1972 he had a significant break upon discovering

a girl group called Love Unlimited which he
Bass Grade 2

subsequently produced. The production included the

creation of a 40 piece orchestra – The Love Unlimited

œ œ
? bb œ
G m6 Gm

œ Ó
G m9 21
 Never Never Gonna Give You Up
Barry White
Words & Music by Barry White
c 84 Soul
Intro

? b b 44 œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ
A
G m9 G m6 G m9 G m6

œ Ó œ œ Ó

T 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
A 5 5 5
B

Verse

? b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
G m9 G m6 G m9 G m6

b Œ œ œ Ó Œ œ

T 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
A 5 5 5
B
[4]

? bb œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
G m9 G m6 G m9 G m6 G m9

œ Ó Œ œ œ œ Ó

T 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
A 5 5 5 5
B
[7]

? bb œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
G m6 G m9 G m6 G m9 G m6

Œ œ œ Ó Œ œ œ
Bass Grade 2

T 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
A 5 5 5 5
B
[10]
22 © Copyright 1982 Sa-Vette Music Company/Unichappell Music Incorporated.
Warner/Chappell Music North America Limited.
All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured.
 Pre Chorus

? b j Œ j Œ
C
G m9 D m7 G m9

b œ ‰ œ œ œ ‰ œ Œ œ œ ‰ œ
œ J œ œ œ
T
A 3 5 5 3 5 0
B 3 3 6 3 3 3
[13]

Chorus
b
B b m6 A m7 D7 9

? b j
C

b ˙ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ Œ œ œ œ ‰ œ Œ œ œ
J
T
A 1 3 3 3 3 5 5 3 5
B 5 5 5
[16]

B b m6
j
G m9 A m7

? bb j
C

‰ j
œ Œ œ œ ‰ œ Œ œ œ œ ‰ œ Œ œ œ
œ œ
T
A 0 1 3 3 1 3
B 3 3 3 5 5 5
[19]

b
B b m6
j
D7 9 G m9

? bb œ
C

‰ œ Œ ‰ j
J œ bœ œ œ Œ œ nœ œ. œ ˙

T
A 5 5 0 1 3
B 5 4 3 3 3
[22]

? bb œ œ œ œ œ
G m9 G m6 G m9

œ Ó Œ œ
w
Bass Grade 2

T 5 5 5 5 5
A 5 5
B 3
[25]
23
 Walkthrough

A Section (Bars 1–4) Bars 15–16 | Repeated phrases and added half notes
The first four bars define the main theme of the piece with Bar 15 is played exactly as in bar 13, moving to a half note
combinations of quarter and eighth note phrases. The rests played on a Bb at the start of bar 16. The hand position will
are important as they give a sense of space in this style. need to adjust slightly here with the open A string in bar 15
providing some time to make the adjustment.
Bar 1 | Quarter notes, eighth notes and half-note rests
The first bar begins with a quarter note followed by two
eighth notes and a half-note rest which completes the bar. D Section (Bars 17–27)
The G and D notes are fretted on the A and D strings, and The chorus is the final section of the piece and features
although these notes could be played on open strings there movement between five different chord types around some
is often more control in note length when fretting the notes previously seen rhythm.
instead. The notes move between the root and fifth notes of
the scale, which is a common musical device for bass players Bars 17–20 | Passing notes
used under many types of chord, in this case a G minor feel. The final two eighth notes in each bar provide some ‘passing’
movement to the next chord. Starting bar 17 with the third
Bars 2–4 | Quarter notes, eighth notes and rests finger on the A will help set up the remaining phrases of
Some slight variations in rhythm of the already established this line.
note choice in the first bar. Use the ‘1 & 2 &’ counting
method to really place where the notes land in these bars. Bars 21–23 | Repeated rhythms
The rhythm of the previous bars are repeated with some
subtle variations to the note choice in the bass line. The
B Section (Bars 5–12) final eighth note in bar 22 features an Ab which implies
The piece moves into the verse here with some repeated movement to the Gm9 chord in bar 23.
phrases from the opening section.
Bar 24 | Changes in rhythm
Bars 5–8 | Repeated phrases The rhythm of the pattern changes slightly in this bar.
The first four bars of this section are almost identical to Beat one is played as a dotted quarter note moving into an
bars 1–4, although an extra eighth note is added at the eighth note and finally tied to a half note. Use the ‘1 & 2 &’
end of bar 8. Try to lift the fretting hand away from the counting method to place the C on the ‘&’ of beat 2.
fingerboard when rests are in place.
Bars 25–27 | Repeated phrases
Bars 9–12 | Repeated phrases The final bars will be familiar as the first two bars are taken
Bars 5–8 are repeated exactly here, giving a total of eight from the start of the piece. Make sure to give the rests their
bars for the verse section. full value again here. The closing bar is played as a whole
note on the tonic chord of G minor.

C Section (Bars 13–16)

The pre-chorus sets up the following chorus and provides
some release of tension by some changes in chords.

Bars 13–14 | Eighth notes and rests

The bar starts with a quarter note on beat 1 to define the
start of the section, followed by an eighth-note rest on
beat 2. Using the same counting method will help to lock
in the eighth note on the ‘&’ of beat 2. The final two eighth
notes of the bar help to provide some movement to the
Dm7 chord. Beginning this bar with the first finger will help
smooth transition to bar 14.
Bass Grade 2

24
 Beyoncé

SONG TITLE: IF I WERE A BOY

ALBUM: I AM...SASHA FIERCE
LABEL: COLUMBIA
c 90 RnB
GENRE: POP

? # 44 Ó
A Verse
WRITTEN BY: BC JEAN AND TOBY GAD
PRODUCER: BEYONCÉ AND TOBY GAD

[Guitar]
UK CHART PEAK: 1

T
A
B

BACKGROUND INFO
Beyoncé is one of the best-selling artists of all time
‘If I Were A Boy’ was written by BC Jean and Toby and is the most nominated woman in the Grammy
Gad. The lyrics were written by BC Jean and are Awards history. She has won 20 Grammys.
based on the break-up of a romantic relationship.

j œ œ
The idea behind the title is to try and see things Her lyrics are mainly related to themes of love, G
E m7 and female empowerment.C add 9 She is

?# œ ‰ œ
from the perspective of the male in the relationship relationships

Œ œ
whilst pondering what would be different if he had a regarded as a modern day feminist icon. Her shows
woman’s sense of empathy. are highly choreographed and draw massive audiences
worldwide. She is also an actress, with credits
‘If I Were A Boy’ is the only song on the album including The Pink Panther and Dreamgirls. Beyoncé
I Am... Sasha Fierce that Beyoncé did not co-write. is married to rap superstar Jay Z.
The song was also recorded in Spanish and released as 0 0
a single in Mexico and Spain.
T 2 3
A 3
Beyoncé Knowles was born in Houston, Texas, in B
1981. She performed and sang from a young age and
in the late 1990s rose to fame as the lead singer of [5]
R&B girl group Destiny’s Child with whom she sold
60 million records. Beyoncé has a four octave vocal
range and her voice and singing style are distinctive
and powerful.

During a break with the band in 2003 she

released Dangerously in Love. The record was
an immediate success, selling 12 million copies
and earning five Grammy Awards. Her solo
Bass Grade 2

career continued to grow and she has now sold

approximately 120 million records.
E m7

?# œ œ. œ œ
D

‰ œ
G
25

J J
 If I Were A Boy
Beyoncé
Words & Music by Toby Gad
& Brittany Carlson
c 90 RnB

œ
E m7 C add 9

? # 44
Verse G D

œ
A

Ó Œ ‰ œ Œ œ Œ ‰ œ œ. œ
J J J
[Guitar]

T 0
A 0 2 0 0
B 3

D/F #
j œ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ j
E m7 C add 9 E m7 C add 9

?# œ
G

Œ œ ‰ œ œ Œ œ ‰ œ
J J J
T 0 0
A 2 4 4 0 2
B 3 3 3 3

[5]

?# œ j j œ œ
E m7 C add 9 G D

œ. œ
G D

‰ œ œ ‰ œ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ œ Œ
J J J
T 0 0 0
A 0 0 2 0
B 2 3 3

[8]

Chorus

j j
E m7 C add 9 E m7 C add 9

?# œ
G D

j œ
B

‰ œ œ Œ œ
‰
œ œ
‰ œ ‰ œ œ Œ
J
Bass Grade 2

T 2 0 0 2
A 2 3 2 3
B 3 3
[11]
26 © Copyright 2008 BMG Ruby Songs/Liedela Music/Gad Songs LLC/Songs Of Universal, Incorporated/BC Jean Publishing.
Universal/MCA Music Limited/BMG Rights Management (US) LLC.
All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured.
?# œ j
G D E m7 C add 9 G D

Œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ Œ ‰ j œ ‰ œ
œ œ J
T 0
A 0 0 0 0 2 0 0
B 2 3
3 3
[14]

j œ j
E m7 C add 9 E m7 C add 9

?# œ
G D

‰ œ œ Œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ Œ

T 0
A 2 0 0 0 0 2
B 2 3 2 3

[17]

?# j œ
G D E m7 C add 9 G D

‰ j œ
œ œ
‰ œ ‰ œ œ Œ Œ œ œ œ œ
œ J
T 0
A 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
B 2 3
3 3
[20]

j ‰ œj œ œ j
E m7 C add 9 C add 9

?# œ
G D

‰ œ œ ‰ J œ ‰ œ œ. œ ˙
J
T 0 0
A 2 0 0
B 2 3 3 3 3 3

[23]

j
E m7 C add 9

?# ˙
G D

Ó œ ‰ œ œ Œ ‰ œ ˙
œ J
Bass Grade 2

T 2 0
A 3 3
B 3
[26]
27
 Walkthrough

A Section (Bars 1–10) Bars 15–22 | Repeated phrases

The verse section is established after a brief guitar intro in Bars 11–14 are repeated twice more, giving a total of eight
the first two bars. bars here. Aim to keep the phrases consistent throughout
this section.
Bars 1–2 | Rests
The first bar features a whole rest while the guitar plays the Bars 23–24
intro chords. Bar 2 features a half-note rest, a quarter-note These two bars will seem familiar as they are exact repeats
rest, and an eighth-note rest, then an eighth note played on of bars 11–12.
the open D string. Use the ‘1 & 2 &’ counting method to lock
in the final eighth note of the bar. Bars 25–26 | Dotted quarter notes and half notes
Bar 25 begins with a dotted quarter note followed by an
Bars 3–4 | Quarter and eighth notes eighth note and a half note. All these notes are played on a
Bar 3 features a quarter note followed by a quarter-note C on the third fret of the A string. Bar 26 features a half note
rest. The same rhythm is applied on beats 3 and 4, with and half-note rest. Try to release the half note before beat 3
an E played on fret two of the D string and a C played to give the half-note rest full value.
on the third fret of the A string. The following bar has a
quarter note on an open G with a tied eighth note on the Bars 27–28 | Repeated phrases
‘&’ of beat 2 on the open D string. The E minor feel is The final two bars of the piece follow the same chord
established strongly with the first chord of the phrasing sequence as the chorus section, although the rhythm
being the E minor. changes slightly. There is a quarter note on beat 1 of the bar,
followed by an eighth-note rest and an eighth note on the ‘&’
Bars 5–6 | Quarter and eighth note variations of beat 2. This note is tied to beat 3 and a quarter-note rest
Bars 5 & 6 feature more combinations of quarter and eighth completes the bar. Bar 28 features the same rhythm as bar
note patterns. Using the ‘1 & 2 &’ counting method will 27. Using the fretting hand to dampen strings will help give
help to place the eighth note phrasing and use of the fretting value to the written rests.
hand to dampen the strings when moving to rests will
ensure full value is given.

Bars 7–10 | Quarter and eighth note variations

Bars 7–10 follow the same chord sequence as bars 3–6 with
slight variations in the eighth note rhythm. Using the first
finger on the E in bar 3 will help set up the fingering for the
following phrases.

B Section (Bars 11–28)

Bar 11 moves into the chorus section of the piece and
follows the same chord sequence as the verse.

Bars 11–12 | Quarter and eighth notes

The bar begins with a quarter note on an E followed by an
eighth-note rest. The eighth note on the ‘&’ of beat 2 is a
‘passing note’ moving into the C chord. This technique is
often used to create more movement later on in a piece. Bar
12 features a combination of quarter and eighth notes with
the eighth notes played on the ‘&’ of beats 2 and 4.

Bars 13–14 | Phrasing variations

These two bars feature phrasing variations of bars 11–12.
Try not to let the open strings ring through written rests by
using the fretting hand to dampen the strings.
Bass Grade 2

28
 Dr Cocoa

SONG TITLE: DR COCOA

GENRE: BLUES j
q
3

=q
TEMPO: 126 BPM q q
KEY: G MAJOR q =126 Blues

? # 44 ∑
A G

œ œ œ œ
TECH FEATURES: SHUFFLE FEEL
UNISON RIFFS
ACCIDENTALS
Drum cue:

COMPOSER: JOE BENNETT T

A 3 3
B 3 3
PERSONNEL: STUART RYAN (GTR)
HENRY THOMAS (BASS)
NOAM LEDERMAN (DRUMS)

nœ œ
C

?# œ œ
© PHOTOGRAPHER | ARCHIVE
œ
OVERVIEW groove, which combines the shuffle feel with a
repeating melodic pattern. In the early days of boogie
‘Dr Cocoa’ is written in the style of well-known music this pattern was played on the piano. However,
blues boogie artists Dr. Feelgood, Canned Heat, it was soon adapted for the guitar and formed the
Status Quo and ZZ Top. The bass guitar mostly plays T 3
basis of rock ’n’ roll. Blues boogie combines boogie5 3
a supportive role in this piece, laying down a line that A
B
5
3 with the blues song format, dusted with a
rhythms
enforces the boogie shuffle feel that is so important to rock edge. The result is a style that was popular in the
the style. There are also some unison lines played with[5] 1970s on both sides of the Atlantic. In America, bands
the guitar for you to explore. such as Bachman Turner Overdrive and Canned Heat
were notable for their up-tempo boogie hits, while
in Britain Dr. Feelgood, Status Quo and Humble Pie

?# œ
STYLE FOCUS were the top blues boogie acts. Bass players worth
G

œ œ œ œ
listening to in this genre include Alan Lancaster

œ œ
The most characteristic element of blues boogie is (Status Quo), Dusty Hill (ZZ Top) and John B Sparks
its use of the boogie rhythm, which is a swung eighth (Dr. Feelgood).
note feel that drives the music forward. Because
blues boogie derives from the blues, it is common for
songs to follow the 12-bar blues format. Blues boogie RECOMMENDED LISTENING
bassists usually either play root-based lines or more T
active walking basslines. The bass sometimes doubles A Classic blues boogie songs include ‘Milk And 3
riffs with the guitar, particularly those that occur at B Alcohol’ 3 , both3 by Dr. 3 3
3 and ‘Back In
3 The Night’
the end of the 12-bar format. Feelgood, along with ‘Natural Born Boogie’ by
[8]
Humble Pie and ‘On The Road Again’ by Canned
Heat. While neither song uses the boogie shuffle
THE BIGGER PICTURE rhythm, Bachman Turner-Overdrive’s ‘You Ain’t Seen

nœ œ
Nothing Yet’ and ‘Takin’ Care Of Business’ are both

?# œ œ
N.C .

œ
The infectious style of blues boogie evolved after great tracks that make use of the melodic boogie
Bass Grade 2

the initial marriage of blues and rock in the 1960s. guitar pattern mentioned above.
As mentioned previously, the key style is the boogie

29
3 5
T
A 5 5
3
B
 Dr Cocoa
Joe Bennett
j 3

q q =q q
q =126 Blues

? # 44 nœ
A

∑ œ œ œ
G

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
Drum cue:

T 3
A 3 5 5
B 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

?# œ nœ œ
C
nœ œ bœ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

T 3
A 3 5 3 5 5
B 3 5 3 3 3 3 3 3

[5]

?# œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ
G D

œ œ œ œ œ œ
T 3 5
A 3 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
B 3 3 3 3 3 3
[8]

œ bœ œ œ œ
?# œ œ nœ œ nœ œ œ
N.C.

bœ

T 3 5 3
A 3 5 5 3
B 3 5 5 5 3
6
[11]

?#
B

œ œ œ œ œ
G

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ
T
A 3 5 3 3 5
B 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 6 3 3 3 3
[14]

?# nœ œ
C

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ bœ œ
Bass Grade 2

T 3 5
A 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 5
B 3 3 3 6 3

30
[17]

© Copyright 2012 Rock School Ltd. This music is copyright. Photocopying is illegal.
 ?# œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
G D

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
T 5 7
A 3 5 3 5 5 5 5 5 5
B 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
[20]

?# œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ nœ œ œ
N.C.

bœ

T 3 5 3
A 5 5 3
B 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 3
6
[23]

?# nœ
C

Œ Ó œ œ œ Œ Ó
G

œ œ
T 3
A 3 5 5
B 3 3
[26]

?# œ nœ œ
C
nœ œ bœ œ
œ œ Œ Ó

T 3
A 3 5 3 5 5
B 3 5 3

[29]

?# Œ Ó œ nœ œ œ Œ Ó
œ
G D

œ
T 3 5
A 3 5 5
B 3
[32]

œ bœ œ œ œ U
G

?# œ nœ nœ
N.C.

œ œ œ œ bœ w
Bass Grade 2

T 3 5 3
A 3 5 5 3
B 3 5 5 5 3
6 3

31
[35]

© Copyright 2012 Rock School Ltd. This music is copyright. Photocopying is illegal.
 Walkthrough

A Section (Bars 1–13) Bars 22–23 | Eighth notes

This initial piece opens with a one bar drum fill, followed These two bars feature a continuous eighth note bassline
by the main groove/melody section that follows the 12-bar played almost entirely on the D at the fifth fret of the A
blues format. string. Two additional notes, a G and an A on the D string,
are played at the end of bar 22. Despite the fact that you
Bar 1 | Swing feel need to cross strings to play these, the whole two bar section
Written above the first bar of the piece is the tempo, must be played with a consistent volume and attack. Be sure
style and an indication that the piece is to be played with that you can play these bars accurately before moving on.
the swing/shuffle feel (Fig. 1). This is a commonly used Whether you are using a pick or your fingers, you can work
indication for the shuffle feel and simply means that, rather on accuracy and consistency by playing eighth notes with a
than being equal, the eighth notes are played as long-short. metronome and focusing on attack and volume.

Bars 2–3 | Main bass groove

The main bass groove is a simple root note-based line that C Section (Bars 26–38)
alternates between a quarter note/eighth-note rhythm in This part of the song is a breakdown section. It contains a
the first bar and a unison riff played with the guitar in classic call and response idea. Like the previous sections, it
the second. The switch from one to the other needs to be follows the 12-bar blues sequence.
smooth, so you should practise this slowly and carefully at
first. Focus on attack, volume and playing the quarter notes Bars 26–34 | Call and response
in bar 3 consistently. In this first bar of the breakdown section the bass plays a
single quarter note G at the beginning of the bar. Be sure to
Bar 3 | Accidentals cut this note off so it does not ring any longer than it should.
Despite this song being in the key of G major (indicated by After the bass and guitar play this note, the drums play a
the key signature at the beginning of each line), F naturals fill then the bass and guitar play a unison line. This call and
are used throughout. This is common in many styles of response idea is heard frequently in blues music.
music and serves to add tension to the lines.
Bar 38 | Fermata
Bars 12–13 | Unison riff At first glance it looks as if the note in the final bar should
The 12-bar sequence ends with a two bar unison riff that is last for four beats. However, it is marked with a ‘fermata’
played with the guitar. Lines such as these are common in which means you should hold the note for longer than the
blues and rock. Although this line is predominantly played specified duration. As the fermata is above the final chord of
as quarter notes, you should watch out for the eighth notes the song, this means you can silence the chord when you feel
in bar 12 and be sure to play them as swung eighths. the time is right.

B Section (Bars 14–25)

This section of the song features a guitar solo. It is another
12-bar blues sequence, but with a slightly different bassline.

Bars 14–15 | Variations Fig. 1: Swing feel

At the end of bar 14 there are two eighth notes (a C and
a D), both of which are played on the A string. These can
be played with the first and third fingers of your fretting
hand, with the first finger also playing the G on the E string
earlier in the bar. Bar 15 ends with a slightly different phrase,
?# œ
comprising of two quarter notes, B b and C. The B b can be
œ œ œ bœ
played with your fourth finger.

Bar 15 | Minor third T

A
Despite the presence of a G major chord (which contains the B 3 3 3 6
3

notes G, B and D), the bassline in this section uses minor Bb

Bass Grade 2

thirds prominently. In this instance, the minor third is a B b

Notes: G G G C

(Fig. 2). The use of a minor third on a major chord sounds Fig. 2: Minor third
great in rock and blues music.

32
 Crawler

SONG TITLE: CRAWLER

GENRE: INDIE ROCK
TEMPO: 104 BPM
q =104 Indie Rock
F# m
KEY: F# MINOR

? # ## 44 ‰ j œ œ ‰ œj
A

œ œ œ
TECH FEATURES: EIGHTH-NOTE GROOVES
RESTS
OPEN STRINGS

COMPOSER: DEIRDRE CARTWRIGHT T

A 0
B 2 2 0 2 2
PERSONNEL: STUART RYAN (GTR)
HENRY THOMAS (BASS)
NOAM LEDERMAN (DRUMS)

? # ## ‰ j œ œ Œ
© PHOTOGRAPHER | ARCHIVE
œ œ
OVERVIEW
œ œ labels. Avoiding the
recordsœindependently on small
major labels meant that indie groups were able to
‘Crawler’ is an indie rock track with undertones of explore musical and lyrical ideas with more freedom,
Razorlight, The Strokes and The Coral. The bassline and without the need to focus on creating hit singles.
T 0
is busy in places and while it follows and supports A
2
the guitar chords as required, it also has melodic B 2 indie4genre,
Indie2rock is2an offshoot of 0the larger
parts and eighth-note lines that are integral to the and a label used to describe rock groups who have
song. Indie sounds great when played with a pick, but[4] been active since the 1990s and who retained an indie
whether you use a pick or your fingers, remember to attitude towards commercial success and mainstream
aim for a consistent tone throughout. popularity. Ironically, many indie rock bands

# indie rock is a guitarj based genre, there œj

D

œ œ
have become incredibly successful, soAthe original

? # #Although
B intentions of the genre have become muddled.

œ œ.
STYLE FOCUS

Although the focal point of indie rock is its jangly are someœgreat
. bass players working in the style. Carl
guitar rhythms and the vocals, the bass guitar is not Dalemo (Razorlight), Simon Rix (Kaiser Chiefs) and
overlooked. Indie rock is not riff based like most Nikolai Fraiture (The Strokes) all spring to mind.
other sub genres of rock, so the bass is free to move
0 0
independently of the guitar. Scores of indie rock songsT
0 0
feature melodic basslines that are interesting to play A RECOMMENDED LISTENING
and, in some cases, serve almost as counter melodies B 2 2
within the song. [7] Some of the best indie rock in recent years has been
recorded by The Strokes and Razorlight. The Strokes’

F# m
album Is This It (2001) contains the iconic indie

j
THE BIGGER PICTURE

j
songs ‘Last Nite’ and ‘Someday’, while the band’s 2011

#
Bm

? ## œ œ ‰ œ œ .
album Angles
D features ‘Under Cover of Darkness’ .

œ œ.
The term ‘indie’ is derived from the word Classic Razorlight tracks include ‘Golden Touch’ from
Bass Grade 2

independent, which refers to the early days of the their debut Up All Night (2005) and ‘America’, which
genre when indie groups recorded and released featured on their self-titled album of 2006.

33
T 0 0 0
A 2 2
2
B
]
 Crawler
Deirdre Cartwright

q =104 Indie Rock

F#m
? ### 4 j
A

4 œ œ ‰ j œ œ ‰ j œ œ ‰ j œ œ ‰ œ œ œ ‰ j œ œ ‰ j
œ œ œ œ œ
T
A 0 0
B 2 2 0 2 2 0 2 2 0 2 4 2 0 2 2 0

? ### ‰ Œ
œ œ j
œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œj œ œ ‰ œj œ œ ‰ œj œ œ ‰ œj

T
A 0
B 2 2 0 2 4 2 0 2 2 0 2 2 0 2 2 0
[4]

F#m

? ### j j j
j œ œ ‰ œj
B A D Bm A

j œ œ ‰ œ œ. œ
œ. œ œ. œ œ. œ
T 0 0 0
A 0 0 2 2 0 0 0
B 2 2 2 0
[7]

F#m

? # # # œ œ ‰ œj œ . j
j œ œ ‰ œj
D Bm A D Bm

œ œ œ ˙
œ. œ
T 0 0 0 0
A 2 2 0 0 0 4 2
B 2 0
[10]

C#m F#m

? ### œ
D Bm A

œ œ œ ‰ j Œ
œ œ œ œ
> > >
T 0
A 4 2 0
B 2 2 2
[13]

? ###
C A B D

œ œ Œ œ œ Œ œ œ Œ œ œ Œ œ œ Œ œ œ Œ
Bass Grade 2

T 0 0 0 0
A 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2
B

34
[15]

© Copyright 2012 Rock School Ltd. This music is copyright. Photocopying is illegal.
 ? ### œ
A

œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ
œ œ
T
A 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 4
B 0 2
[18]

? ###
B D

œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

T 0 0 0 0
A 2 2 2 2 0 4
B
[20]

C#m
? ### œ œ œ œ
D E D Bm

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

T 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
A 4 4 4 4 2 2 2 2
B
[22]

C#m
? ### œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
E D Bm

T 6 6 6 6 4 4 4 4 2 2 2 2 0 0 0 0
A
B
[24]

F#m F#m

? ### j
j œ œ ‰ œj œ j œ œ ‰ œj
E A D Bm A

‰ œ ‰ œ ˙
œ œ œ œ. œ
T 0 0
A 0 0 0 5 2 0 0 0
B 2 2 2 2 0
[26]

F#m C#m

? ### œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
D Bm E D D Bm

œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ ˙

T 0 0 0 4 4 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
A 2 4 4 2
B
[29]

C#m F#m

? ### œ
D Bm A

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ Ó
œ œ
Bass Grade 2

T 0 0
A 4 4 2 2 0 0
B 2 2

35
[32]

© Copyright 2012 Rock School Ltd. This music is copyright. Photocopying is illegal.
 Walkthrough

A Section (Bars 1–6) D Section (Bars 22–25)

The intro to this song features an interesting eighth-note This four bar section features a continuous eighth-note line
based groove for the bass. While the basic part remains that features lots of fretboard movement which will require
the same throughout the section, there are several subtle some quick position shifts.
variations to watch out for.
Bars 22–25 | Continuous eighth-note bassline
Bars 1–2 | Main bass groove There is a continuous eighth-note line in this section. In bar
The main bassline that is established in these bars is an 22, the recommended fingering would be: first finger on the
eighth-note line with rests on the beginning of the second E note. The D note is played as an open string and then the
and fourth beats (Fig. 1). This means that two eighth notes first and third fingers play the C # and B notes in the next bar.
are played on the first beat, followed by a rest on beat 2 with In bar 24, slide up to the G # note on the D string with your
the third note played on the ‘&’ of beat 2. This rhythm is fourth finger. This is followed by an immediate shift of your
repeated on beats 3 and 4. Count this slowly to begin with. hand position to play the F # with the same finger. This will
enable you to play the E with your second finger. Again, the
D note is played as an open string.
B Section (Bars 7–14)
The bass follows the chord progression closely here.
However, as a result of the chords flowing quickly there is E Section (Bars 26–33)
a lot of movement. This final section of the song is similar to the earlier verse
section but with more movement in the bassline. It features
Bars 7–9 | Dotted quarter-note rhythms syncopation, melodic fills and rests.
An important part of the bassline in the verse section is its
dotted quarter-note rhythms. A dotted quarter note lasts for Bars 30–32 | Descending line
a beat and a half, so be mindful of how the first note in bar 7 ‘Crawler’ ends with another batch of descending walking
lasts for all of the first beat and then for half of the second bass figures played as eighth notes. These should present
beat. Therefore, the second note in the bar is played on the you with no problems at this stage of the song but, as usual,
‘&’ of beat 2. remember to play all of the notes evenly whether you are
using a pick or fingers.
Bars 9–10 | Open strings
Three open strings are played one after another in these two
bars: the E, followed by the A, then the D. Open strings must
F#m
? # # # 44
be controlled, otherwise they will ring while other notes are
‰ j ‰ j
œ œ œ œ œ œ
being played. Be sure to mute these with your fretting hand
as you move from one to another.

Bar 13 | Walking basslines T

A
The bass plays a descending line here that follows the chord B 2 2 0 2 2 0
progression. Walking basslines were originally born from Count: 1 & (2) & 3 & (4) &
jazz music and have proved to be an excellent melodic
device for creating movement in a song. For this walking Fig. 1: Main bass groove
bassline, be sure to play each of the notes evenly (Fig. 2).

C Section (Bars 15–21)

C#m
In this particular part of ‘Crawler’, the bass plays eighth-
? ### œ
D Bm A

œ
note figures combined with some quarter-note rests for the
majority of this section. œ œ
Bars 15–18 | Eighth-note rhythms
The first three bars of the chorus feature two eighth notes on T 0
A
beats 1 and 3, and quarter-note rests on beats 2 and 4. You 4 2 0
Bass Grade 2

B
should find this quite easy to count, but be sure to cut the
notes off cleanly so that the rests are heard as rests. Fig. 2: Walking bassline

36
 Midnight Mist

SONG TITLE: MIDNIGHT MIST

GENRE: HIP HOP
TEMPO: 100 BPM
q =100 Hip Hop

w
KEY: B MINOR

? # # 44 ˙ ˙
A A Bm
G
TECH FEATURES: LONG NOTES
CONSISTENCY
OPEN STRINGS

0 4
COMPOSER: NEEL DHORAJIWALA T 2
A
B
PERSONNEL: HENRY THOMAS (BASS)
NEEL DHORAJIWALA (PROD)

© PHOTOGRAPHER | ARCHIVE

OVERVIEW THE BIGGER PICTURE

‘Midnight Mist’ is a hip hop piece that recalls Hip hop began in New York in the 1970s as a
the work of contemporary, multimillion selling hip cultural movement that encompassed music, dance
hop and rap artists including Kanye West, Jay Z and and street art. The first hip hop track is generally
Dr. Dre. As with the majority of hip hop tracks, the considered to be ‘Rappers Delight’ by the Sugarhill

? ## œ . œ œ œ œ.
Bm

œ
bassline featured is simple but it is one of the most B Gang (1979), which reused the groove A from Chic’s
G

J
crucial elements of the song. This bassline features disco hit ‘Good Times’ but with rapped vocals.
a lot of repetition, but also many subtle fills that add Hip hop has evolved continuously since then by
variety to the repeated chord progression. Being able embracing new technologies. Drum machines and
to play long, consistent notes with a great feel is much samplers have been key to the genre since the mid
harder than it seems, but this is the secret to playing 1980s. Hip hop artists Kanye West and Jay Z have
this line perfectly. become renowned not only for their ability to write
0 0
T hits, but for their production2 skills too.
4
4 2
A
STYLE FOCUS B
[5] RECOMMENDED LISTENING
Hip hop music is, and always has been,
predominantly about the groove within the song. Modern hip hop albums worthy of investigation
With that in mind, it is crucial that your bass part include The College Dropout (2004) by Kanye West,
locks in tightly with the rhythm track of ‘Midnight The Blueprint (2001) by Jay Z, and Watch The Throne
Mist’. Most hip hop tracks are built on one, two or (2011), a collaboration album between West and
four bar loops, and while the bassline is not repeated Jay Z. Other notable modern hip hop artists include
during the song, the chordal foundation is a looped Gnarls Barkley and The Roots. Gnarls Barkley is
two bar progression. The bass part here is all played in a collaboration between singer Cee Lo Green and
the lower register, so you will need to aim for a bass- producer Danger Mouse that yielded the 2006 hit
heavy tone in order to mimic the well-rounded bass album St. Elsewhere. The Roots are a live band who
Bass Grade 2

sound that can be heard on some of the mainstream combine hip hop, jazz and neo soul. Their album
modern hip hop songs. Phrenology of 2002 is one of their finest.

Œ œ
? ## ˙.
G
Bm
37
 Midnight Mist
Neel Dhorajiwala

q =100 Hip Hop

? ## 4 ˙ ˙ w
A

Œ
G A Bm G A Bm

4 ˙ ˙ ˙.

T 0
A 2 4
B 0 2
3

? ## œ . œ œ j j j ‰
B

œ œ œ. œ œ. j œ ‰ œ œ œ
G A Bm G A

J œ œ œ

T 0
A 2 4 0
B 4 2 0 2 0 0
2 3 3 2 3
[5]

? ## ˙ . Œ œ Œ œ Œ j œ
œ.
Bm G A Bm

œ œ

T 0
A 2 0
B 2 2 0 2

[8]

? ## j ‰ œ œ
G A Bm

˙ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ
Bass Grade 2

T 2 0
A 0 0 2 0
B 3 3

38
[11]

© Copyright 2012 Rock School Ltd. This music is copyright. Photocopying is illegal.
 ? ## j œ j
C

‰ œ œ œ ‰
G A Bm G A

œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ

T 2 0 0
A 0 0 2 4 0 0
B 3 3 3 3 3 3
[13]

? ## ˙ . œ Œ œ œ œ œ
Bm G A Bm

œ œ œ œ œ ˙

T 0 2 0 0
A 2 2 0 0 2 4
B 3 3
[16]

? ## ‰ j œ. j œ œ
G A Bm

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

T 0 2
A 0 0 2 0 2
B 3 3 3 2
[19]

? ## œ . œ ˙ j j j ‰
D

œ. œ ‰ œ œ œ
G A Bm G A

J œ ˙ œ œ

T 0
A 2 4
B 2 0 2 0 0
3 3 2 3
[21]

? ## ˙ . Œ œ. œ ˙ j œ
Bm G A Bm

J œ. œ œ

T 0
A 4 2 0
B 2 2 0 2

[24]

? ## œ œ
G A Bm

˙ ˙ ˙ œ œ
Bass Grade 2

T 2 0
A 0 2 0
B 3
[27]
39
© Copyright 2012 Rock School Ltd. This music is copyright. Photocopying is illegal.
 Walkthrough

A Section (Bars 1–4) Bar 14 | Open strings

The first section of this song sets the mood and establishes A phrase consisting of four eighth notes is used in the
the repeating two-bar chord progression. The bass plays a second half of this bar. Open strings need to be muted
simple part here. correctly for this line to sound as it should. After playing
the first two notes of the phrase (the second is an open D
Bars 1–2 | Approaches to the chord progression string), your fretting hand should rest against the D string
The first four bars demonstrate two ways to approach the to stop it ringing. The C # on the A string is then played,
same chord progression in a simple way. In the first bar, half followed by the open D string again. The last thing you want
notes are played under the G and A chords; you will notice here is the open D to ring while you are playing the C #.
that an E is played beneath the A (Fig. 1). This note is the
fifth of the chord, not the root, and sounds highly effective
in this instance. In the second bar, an F # is played under the D Section (Bars 21–28)
Bm chord. This note is also the fifth of the chord. In bars 3 The bass moves back to simpler rhythms. There are more
and 4 simple root notes are used instead. inversions, too, where non-root notes are played by the bass.

Bar 1 | Half notes Bar 24 | Dotted half note

In the first bar, two half notes are played. You should allow This bar features just one note (B) played as a dotted half
these to ring for their full duration: that is, two beats each. note. A half note lasts for half a bar, or two beats, and adding
Try to let these flow smoothly into each other with no gaps the dot means that it will last for 50 per cent. of its value
between them. again, making a total of three beats. Ensure that this note
lasts for the full three beats with a rest on the fourth beat.

B Section (Bars 5–12) Bar 28 | Ending

In this part of the song, the bassline becomes more active The song ends on a sequence of three eighth notes beginning
and demonstrates more varied ways to play in a supportive on the upbeat of beat 3. This phrase has been used several
manner around the chord progression. times in the song and has always led back to a G chord in
the next bar. This does not happen here, however, giving the
Bar 5 | Dotted quarter note rhythms ending of the song an unresolved sound.
The first note of bar 5 is a dotted quarter note. Dots added
after a note add 50 per cent. of their value again so this note
should last for a beat and a half. The second note of the
? # # 44 ˙ ˙ w
G A Bm
bar, E, should therefore be played on the ‘&’ of beat 2. This
rhythm is common in all styles of music.

Bar 9 | Rests
0
In this bar, a simple quarter note rhythm is played with notes T
A 2 4
on beats 1 and 3, and rests on beats 2 and 4. Listen closely to B

the drum part here and ensure that both of your notes stop Notes: G E F#

cleanly at the end of their respective beats. You should then

be able to hear the snare hitting in the gaps. Fig. 1: Approaches to the chord progression

Bar 12 | Ties and eighth notes

In this bar, a tie is used to allow the first note to last for
two full beats and half of beat 3 (Fig. 2). The second note,
an open A, is then played on the upbeat of beat 3, followed
? ## ˙ œ œ
Bm

by two further eighth notes. You should play the first note, œ œ
counting the beats as you go, then play three even eighth
notes starting on the ‘&’ of beat 3.
T 2 0
A 2 0
B
C Section (Bars 13–20)
Bass Grade 2

Count: 1 (&) (2) (&) (3) & 4 &

The C section features a more active bassline that uses
melodic hooks and lots of string crossing. Timing and Fig. 2: Ties and eighth notes
accuracy are an important part of this section.

40
 Don’t Believe Me

SONG TITLE: DON’T BELIEVE ME

j
q
3

=q
GENRE: CLASSIC ROCK q q
TEMPO: 130 BPM q =130 Classic Rock
KEY: E MINOR

? # 44 œ
Em

œ
A

œ œ œ œ
œ
TECH FEATURES: SWUNG EIGHTH NOTES

>
STRING CROSSING
OPEN STRINGS

COMPOSER: ALISON RAYNER T 2 0

A 2
B 0 3
0
PERSONNEL: STUART RYAN (GTR)
STUART CLAYTON (BASS)
NOAM LEDERMAN (DRUMS)

© PHOTOGRAPHER | ARCHIVE

OVERVIEW THE BIGGER PICTURE

The track ‘Don’t Believe Me’ is written in the style Hard rock first emerged in the 1970s.
of the classic rock acts Thin Lizzy and Deep Purple Instrumentally, it has a strong focus on distorted
and boasts an energy that is reminiscent of both. It guitars that play repeated unison riffs usually based
features string crossing and uses open strings. The on the minor pentatonic and blues scales. The genre’s

?# œ œ œ œ œ
rootsEgo
m back to the late 1960s, when talented groups

œ
feel used on this song is the rock shuffle, in which
eighth notes have a swing feel as opposed to a straight like Cream and Led Zeppelin turned up the volume.

œ œ œ
feel. This is often easier to hear than it is to describe. In the 1970s hard rock reached its zenith as Led

>
Essentially, it means that instead of there being two Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Thin Lizzy developed
eighth notes of identical length, the first note is global followings. Groups like AC/DC, Van Halen and
slightly longer than the second, thereby giving it a Guns N’ Roses ensured that its legacy lived on into the
lilting or swung feel. The rock shuffle feel has been 1980s. Hard rock is home to bass luminaries including
used by dozens of hard rock acts. It was especially John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) and John 0
T 2 0 2 Entwistle 2 2
popular during the 1970s. KISS employed it on the A (The Who), and several bassists who also handled
title track of their sixth studio album, Love Gun B vocals 0 0 Jack
in their bands: Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy),
(1977), while ‘Don’t Believe A Word’ by Thin Lizzy Bruce (Cream) and Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple).
[5]
and ‘Can The Can’ by Suzi Quatro also employed the
rock shuffle feel.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING

STYLE FOCUS Must-hear hard rock albums from a bass player’s

point of view include the groundbreaking Led
Hard rock offers many opportunities for the bass Zeppelin and Led Zeppelin II (both released in 1969),
player to move beyond basic eighth-note lines. In featuring the prodigious John Paul Jones on bass; The
some hard rock songs you will hear how the bass Who’s live album Live At Leeds (1970), showcasing
often doubles the guitar riffs to add more weight, John Entwistle’s legendary bass chops; the Rolling
Bass Grade 2

and how melodic lines that weave through the chord Stones’ Exile On Main Street (1972) and Thin Lizzy’s
progressions are also common. Jailbreak (1976).

j j . j
œ œ œ
D

? # œ.
B C

œ œ.
41
 Don’t Believe Me
Alison Rayner
j 3

q q =q q
q =130 Classic Rock

?#4
Em C D

œ
A

4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ > œ >
>
T 2 0
A 2 0 2 3 2 0 5 2 0 2
B 0 0 3 3

?#
Em C D

œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ
œ œ
>
œ œ œ œ >œ œ œ œ œ œ
>
T 2 0 2 2 2 0
A 2 3 2 0 5 2 0 2 2
B 0 0 3
[5]

? # œ. j j j œ
B

œ œ.
C D Em

œ œ. œ ˙ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ
T 2 0
A 3 3 3 5 5 5 2 0 2
B 0 0 3 3
[9]

? # œ. j j j
C D Em

œ œ. œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ
Bass Grade 2

T 0
A 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 0 2 2
B 0 3 0 3

42
[13]

© Copyright 2012 Rock School Ltd. This music is copyright. Photocopying is illegal.
 ?# ˙ œ. j
C G D Em C

œ ˙ ˙ œ ˙ œ œ
J ˙ œ.
T 0 0
A 0 0
B 3 3 2
0 3
[17]

?# j
Am D Em

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ. œ œ œ
T 0 0 2 0 2 0 2
A 0 0 0 2 0 2
B 0 0
[21]

?# œ >œ œ œ œ
Em C D

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ >
>
T 4 2
A 2 0 0 2 4 0 4
B 2 0 2 3
0 0 3
[25]

?# > œ œ
Em C D

œ œ œ œ œ
œ
œ œ
>
œ œ œ œ >œ œ
œ œ œ

T 2 0 2 4 5
A 2 2 3 2 0 5 0 2
B 0 3 2
[29]

.
?# œ œ œ œ.
‰ Jœ Jœ ‰ œ œ œ
D C Am C Em

‰ J J ‰
œ w
Bass Grade 2

T 5 4 2 0
A 2 0
B 2
0

43
[33]

© Copyright 2012 Rock School Ltd. This music is copyright. Photocopying is illegal.
 Walkthrough

A Section (Bars 1–8) Bars 17–18 | Open strings

The first section of this song establishes the shuffle groove. Open strings are used in these two bars. You should take
The bassline introduced here is important to the piece and is care to mute the first string before playing the second.
reintroduced in later sections. This can be done with your fretting hand. It is especially
important because the bassline descends from one string
Bars 1–8 | Swing feel to the next.
The shuffle (or swing) feel used for ‘Don’t Believe Me’ is
established in the very first bar. Quarter notes will be played Bars 23–24 | Quarter notes
as normal, but the shuffle will be evident in the eighth-note In the final bars of this section, the main idea of the bassline
parts. On the fourth beat, the first eighth note should be is reintroduced. This time, however, there are no pushed
slightly longer than the second. notes. Instead, the line is played as even quarter notes. Be
sure to play these evenly and at a consistent volume.
Bar 1 | Main bass groove
The main idea behind the bassline is played in the first bar
(Fig. 1). This line is built predominantly of notes from the E D Section (Bars 33–35)
minor chord: a root note E, the octave E played at the 2nd fret The final section of ‘Don’t Believe Me’ is a challenging
of the D string, an open D, and the fifth, B, which is found at syncopated two-bar phrase played predominantly on the G
the 2nd fret of the A string. string that brings the song to a close.

Bar 2 | Walking figure Bars 33–34 | Syncopation

In the second bar, the E note from the previous bar is still In these two bars of the outro, a syncopated rhythmic figure
held for the first beat before the G and A quarter notes is played as follows: the C is played on beat 1, the B on the
are played on the second and third beats. These are then swung offbeat of beat 2, and the A on beat 4. In the following
followed by an eighth note B on the fourth beat and an bar the G is played on the swung offbeat of beat 1, and the
eighth note C tied into the next bar (Fig. 2). This ascending final descending phrase begins on beat 3. Count this section
figure is known as a walking bassline, and is a great way to carefully and keep in mind that the eighth notes are swung.
connect two chords.

Bars 1–8 | Anticipated notes

Throughout this section, the last note of most of the bars

? # 44 œ
anticipates the note at the beginning of the next. This is
œ
Em

œ
œ œ
also known as a push and is a common rhythmic device,

>
particularly in music that is swung. Be sure to play the
pushed note just before the first beat of the next bar. Listen
to how the band performs this on the recording. T
A 2 0
B 2
0 0
Notes: E E D B E
B Section (Bars 9–16)
A different rhythmic pattern is introduced in this section to Fig. 1: Main bass groove
affect a change in mood. Locking in with the band is a key
part of the performance of this section.

Bars 9–10 | Dotted quarter-note rhythms

The verse bassline features a dotted quarter-note rhythm C
followed by an eighth note. Remember that, because the
œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ >
song has a shuffle feel, the second eighth note of the beat is
played quickly. This means that after playing the C on beat 1,
the next C is played just before beat 3 rather than exactly on >
the upbeat of the second beat.
2 0 2 3
0 3
Bass Grade 2

Notes: G A B C
C Section (Bars 17–32)
This section uses different rhythms and open strings. Think Fig. 2: Walking figure
of it as a supportive line that underpins the guitar solo.

44
 Bonecrusher

SONG TITLE: BONECRUSHER

GENRE: METAL
TEMPO: 122 BPM
KEY: E MINOR
q =122 Metal

? # 44 ‰
A
F5
TECH FEATURES: OFFBEAT RHYTHMS
UNISON RIFFS nœ œ. ‰ œ œ.
EIGHTH-NOTE BASSLINES

COMPOSER: JAMES UINGS T

A
B 1 1 1
1
PERSONNEL: CHARLIE GRIFFITHS (GTR)
HENRY THOMAS (BASS)
NOAM LEDERMAN (DRUMS)

?# ‰
F5

‰ œ œ. œ
© PHOTOGRAPHER | ARCHIVE

OVERVIEW into na œ
œ. Black Sabbath are considered
heavier sound.
the inventors of the style, which is evident on their
If you want a track that encompasses various eponymous debut of 1970. The tritone interval is
elements of metal, ‘Bonecrusher’ will serve you well used to great dramatic effect on the title track and has
T
with its nod to old and new alike. The bassline on A become a staple of metal riffs since.
1 1 1
this song is reminiscent of Metallica, Bullet For My B 1 1
Valentine and Trivium, and features classic metal Literally dozens of sub genres of metal have been
[3]
motifs: powerful unison riffs played with the guitar, identified, from Norwegian black metal to Australian
syncopated rhythms and eighth note-based grooves. war metal. The most significant of these, however,
Metal can be played with the fingers or a pick, but a is thrash. Thrash is a faster, heavier style of the
powerful, bass-heavy tone is needed either way. 1980s, dominated by the Big Four: Metallica, Slayer,

? #Metal.. has produced a number of legendary bass b œ .

B Megadeth and Anthrax.
N.C .

STYLE FOCUS
œ
players: the œ Cliff Burton,
original Metallica bassist œ
Metal is a powerful and aggressive style of music Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath and Steve Harris of

.
that came into being from a mix of blues and rock in Iron Maiden among them.

. 0 LISTENING 3
the late 1960s. Metal tracks typically showcase heavily
distorted guitars, unison riffs and guitar solos, and are T
often played at fast tempos. While the focus is often A RECOMMENDED 6
B 0
the guitar, the bass plays a varied role too. Unison riffs
and fast ‘chugging’ rhythms are common, but there is [5] Classic metal albums include Paranoid (1970) by
scope for more intricate melodic lines. Black Sabbath, featuring the title track as well as ‘Iron
Man’ and ‘War Pigs’, and Master of Puppets (1986) by
Metallica with Cliff Burton’s masterpiece ‘Orion’. More

?#
THE BIGGER PICTURE recent metal bands include Trivium, whose fourth

bœ.
album Shogun (2008) is a highlight of their career,

œ
Bass Grade 2

œ œ
Metal developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s and Bullet For My Valentine whose third album Fever
as the combination of rock and blues morphed (2010) confirmed their metal credentials.

45
T
A
B 3 0 6
0
[7]
 Bonecrusher
James Uings

q =122 Metal

?#4
A

‰ ‰ ‰
F5 E5

4 nœ ‰ ‰ j j ‰
œ. œ œ. œ œ. œ œ. œ. œ.
T
A
B 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0

?# ‰ ‰
F5 E5 G5

nœ œ. ‰ ‰ j j œ œ œ œ
œ œ. œ œ. œ œ.
T
A
B 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 3 3 3 3
[3]

? # .. j j j
B

bœ. ‰ ‰ œ
N.C.

œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ nœ

.
.
T
A 5
B 0 3 0 6 5 5 5 6 7
[5]

?# bœ.
j ‰ j ‰ j œ œ ..
œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ nœ

.
.
T
A 5 7
B 0 3 0 6 5 5 5 6 7
[7]

?#
C E5 F5

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ
T
A
B 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1
[9]

E5 D5 A5 Bb5 B5

?# œ œ œ bœ nœ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
Bass Grade 2

T
A 7 5
B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 6 7
[11]
46
© Copyright 2012 Rock School Ltd. This music is copyright. Photocopying is illegal.
 ?#
E5 F5

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ
T
A
B 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1
[13]

E5

?#
N.C.

œ œ bœ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
T
A 7 5
B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 5 3
[15]

?# bœ. j ‰ j ‰ j
bœ nœ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ

T
A 5
B 0 3 0 6 5 5 5 6 7
[17]

Bb5
?# j j j j
œ œ. ‰ b œ œ. ‰ œ œ. ‰ œ œ. ‰ Ó
A5 A 5 G5

œ b˙
œ œ
T
A
B 0 3 0 6 5 5 6 6 5 5 3 3
[19]

E5 G5 D5 A5

? # ..
D

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
.
.
T
A 5 5 5 3 0 0 0
B 0 0 0 2 3 3 3 3 3
[22]

1. 2.
E5 G5 D5 A5 D5 E5

?# œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ .. œ œ œ œ j ‰ j ‰
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
Bass Grade 2

.
.
T
A 5 5 5 3 0 0 0 5 5 5 5
B 0 0 0 2 3 3 3 3 3 0 0
[24]
47
© Copyright 2012 Rock School Ltd. This music is copyright. Photocopying is illegal.
 Walkthrough

A Section (Bars 1–4) Bar 9 | Eighth-note groove

This initial section is played in unison with the rhythm In this bar, an eighth-note-based groove begins. This is
guitar and features some staccato offbeat rhythms. played on the open E string with a G played on the upbeat of
beat 2. Use a consistent attack to ensure even playing.
Bars 1–4 | Staccato notes
The opening section is based on an eighth-note rhythm. Bar 12 | Chromatic notes
The second note of each pair of notes is played staccato (as This bar consists of quarter notes played in unison with
indicated by the dots under the note heads in the notation) the guitar. The last three notes of the bar are chromatic
so keep each note tight. Listen closely to the guitar here and and move consecutively from fret to fret without any gaps.
try to match your notes exactly. Chromatic riffs add momentary dissonance in metal songs.

Bars 1–2 | Syncopation Bar 16 | Tritone

There are several syncopated notes in the first two bars, Chromatic chords are used here again. The second note is
so ensure they are played on the offbeats rather than on a B b, which in relation to the root note of E (the key) is a
the beat. The third note of bar 1 and the first note of bar flattened fifth, also known as a tritone. Tritones are used to
2 are syncopated because they are played on the offbeat. add a ‘demonic’ quality to metal riffs, and you can find the
Remember to divide each beat in two in order to hear the tritone of any note by counting up one string and one fret.
eighth-note rhythm.

Bars 1–4 | Playing evenly D Section (Bars 22–29)

When playing loud parts such as this one, it is important Here is another eighth-note bassline, this time featuring
to play evenly. Be sure to use the same level of attack for passing notes to smooth the transition between the chords.
each note whether you play with your fingers or with a pick.
When playing with your fingers, use the same part of your Bars 22–23 | Passing notes
fingertip (the soft pad) for each note. In this eighth-note line, passing notes are used again to
create a smooth movement between the chords. As these
passing notes belong to the key, F # is used to move from the
B Section (Bars 5–8) E to the G. This is the most logical choice because it is the
This part of ‘Bonecrusher’ features a unison riff with several only note between the two chords that belongs to the key.
syncopated rhythms.

Bar 5 | Unison riff

? # .. j
bœ .
N.C.

œ
The riff for this section is played in unison with the guitar.
When playing this part you will need to watch out for
œ œ œ
syncopated notes, slides and accidentals when reading the
notation (Fig. 1). .
.
T
A
B
Bar 5 | Slides 0 3 0 6 5

In bar 5 there is a slide into the B b on beat 3. One fingering Count: 1 2 & 3 (4) &

option is to play the string and slide up quickly to the note

Fig. 1: Unison riff
with the second finger of your fretting hand. Using your
second finger means that your first finger will be able to play
the A that follows.

?# ‰ j ‰ j œ
Bar 6 | Syncopation
At the beginning of this bar there are two syncopated notes
that both fall on the offbeats of beats 1 and 2 (Fig. 2). To
œ œ bœ nœ
hear how these sound, count “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &” throughout
the bar and just play on the ‘&’ rather than on the beat. T
A 5
B 5 5 6 7
C Section (Bars 9–21)
Bass Grade 2

Count: (1) & (2) & 3 & 4

Here you will notice how the section features a much
simpler, eighth-note bassline that is combined with bars of Fig. 2: Syncopation
chromatic quarter notes played in unison with the guitar.

48
 Danzon

SONG TITLE: DANZON

GENRE: LATIN ROCK
TEMPO: 130 BPM q =130 Latin Rock
KEY: A MINOR #

? 44 œ œ œ œ œ
E7 9

œ
A

TECH FEATURES: DOTTED RHYTHMS

LATIN GROOVES

COMPOSER: KITA STEUER

T 7
A 7 7 7 7
PERSONNEL: STUART RYAN (GTR) 7
B
HENRY THOMAS (BASS)
NOAM LEDERMAN (DRUMS)
RICHARD PARDY (SAX)
KISHON KHAN (KEYS)
STEVE WALKER (TRUMPET) © PHOTOGRAPHER | ARCHIVE
ANDY CROMPTON (TROMBONE)

j œ œ. œ œ
E7

?
B F7

œ œ J
Am

œ.
OVERVIEW percussion ideas and Spanish lyrics into their music.
In 1958, Richie Valens had a hit with his take on the
‘Danzon’ is a Latin rock track in the style of Carlos Mexican song ‘La Bamba’, while Daniel Flores enjoyed
Santana, War and El Chicano. The bass plays a vital success with ‘Tequila’.
role in Latin rock, holding down arpeggio-based lines
that often cross beats and make use of syncopated Carlos Santana is a Latin star who has regularly
rhythms. Interaction with the rhythm section, which T crossed over to guest on albums and tracks for blues
A and rock artists. Santana assembled his 7 first band in8 7
may include percussionists, is crucial.
B the51960s, performing 8 songs that mixed Latin with
[3] rock, jazz and blues. A set at the Woodstock festival
STYLE FOCUS brought the group to international attention, after
which Santana went on to have hits with ‘Evil Ways’,
The feel of many Latin rock tracks is likely to be ‘She’s Not There’, ‘Oye Como Va’ and ‘Smooth’ from
quite different to what you have heard on other songs. his international hit album of 1999, Supernatural.
Although basslines of this genre vary it is common
for dotted rhythms, ties and syncopations to be used. Latin rock has been home to many talented bass

œ œ.
This means that, in addition to learning a completely players ranging from Doug Rauch and Lincoln

œ œ
E7

? œ œ
new feel, a Latin rock bassist must also be adept at Goines,7 to Andy Gonzalez and Israel ‘Cachao’ López. F7

J
Am

œ. J
counting syncopated rhythms. Many basslines in
the style are harmonically simple and often based
on basic arpeggios. In this style, however, timing is RECOMMENDED LISTENING
everything.
Santana’s debut, Santana (1969), followed by
Caravanserai (1972) and Supernatural (1999) will
THE BIGGER PICTURE T provide an insight to Latin rock, with tracks
7 like
A ‘She’s Not There’, ‘Smooth’ and ‘Black Magic Woman’ .8 7
Bass Grade 2

7
Latin rock emerged in the 1960s when Californian B ‘Low 5Rider’, ‘Spill The Wine’ and ‘The Cisco Kid’ by
groups began incorporating Latin American War are also great choices and can be found on the
[7]
compilation album The Very Best of War (2003).

49

7 b5 7b9
 Danzon
Kita Steuer

q =130 Latin Rock

#

? 44 œ >œ >œ
E7 9

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
A

J ‰ ‰
J
T
A 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
B

b b
? j œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ
B

œ.
F7 E7 D m7 B m7 5 E7 9

œ œ œ œ œ.
Am

œ. J J J œ
T
A 7 8 7 5 8 7
B 5 8 8 8 7 0
[3]

b b
?
A m7
œ œ œ œ.
F7 E7
œ œ œ.
D m7
œ œ
B m7 5
œ œ
E7 9

œ. J J œ #œ J nœ œ. J œ #œ
T 7
A 7 8 7 3 4 5 8 7
B 5 8 7 0 4
[7]

b b b b
? j œ œ œ œ j œ j
C

J ‰ œ ‰ œ
A m7 B m7 5 E7 9 A m7 B m7 5 E7 9

œ. œ œ œ. J œ. œ œ
œ œ #œ
T
A 7 7 7 7
B 5 8 7 5 8 7 7 0 4
[11]

b b b b
?
A m7
j œ
B m7 5 E7 9
œ œ
A m7
j œ
B m7 5
œ œ œ œ
E7 9

œ. œ œ œ. J œ œ. œ œ œ
œ
Bass Grade 2

T
A 7 7 7 5 7 7
B 5 8 7 7 5 8 7 0
[15]
50
© Copyright 2012 Rock School Ltd. This music is copyright. Photocopying is illegal.
 œ.
b b b b
? j œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
D
A m7 B m7 5 E7 9 A m7 B m7 5 E7 9

œ. œ œ œ. J J œ œ. j #œ œ
œ œ
T 7
A 7 7 7 7 5 0
B 5 8 7 7 0 4 4
[19]

b b b b
œ.
A m7 B m7 5 E7 9 A m7 B m7 5 E7 9

? j œ œ œ #œ nœ œ œ
œ. œ œ œ. J J œ œ œ œ œ
œ
T 6 7 5
A 7 7 7 5 7
B 5 5 7 7 8 0
[23]

b b
? œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ
E

œ.
A m7 F7 E7 D m7 B m7 5 E7 9

œ. J œ œ. j J œ œ œ
œ œ œ
T 2
A 0 3 7 6 5 8 5 7
B 1 0 8 7 7 0
[27]

b b
? œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ
A m7 F7 E7 D m7 B m7 5 E7 9

œ. J J J œ œ

T 7
A 7 8 7 7 0 5 8 5 7 5 6
B 5 8 7
[31]

œ œ œ œ >œ ‰ >œ ‰
#
?œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
F

Œ Ó
E7 9 A m7

J J œ
Bass Grade 2

T
A 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
B 5
[35]
51
© Copyright 2012 Rock School Ltd. This music is copyright. Photocopying is illegal.
 Walkthrough

A Section (Bars 1–2) Bar 26 | More ties

The two-bar intro to this song is a staple of Latin music, so In this bar you should play the first four eighth notes and
take your time to learn it thoroughly. Also, be sure to pay hold the last of these until the end of the third beat. The final
close attention to the accents in this section. quarter note is played as normal on the fourth beat.

Bars 1–2 | Accents

This first section consists of an eighth-note line on the bass, E Section (Bars 27–34)
finishing with two eighth notes on the third and fourth beats Here the bassline continues in the same vein. However, some
of the second bar. These final two notes are marked with bars contain passing notes that are used to move smoothly
accents. They don’t need to be played significantly louder, from one chord to the next.
just accented and played short and crisp.
Bar 28 | Passing notes
An E b is used here as a passing note between the E root note
B Section (Bars 3–10) and the D root note in the next bar. The E b is the only note
Here the main bass groove is established. While this is between these two roots, meaning it can be used as a passing
simple harmonically, the rhythms are challenging. note. As you will hear, this adds movement and harmonic
interest to the bassline.
Bars 3–6 | Main bass groove
Each bar of this section has the same rhythmic pattern: a
dotted quarter note followed by an eighth note tied to a F Section (Bars 35–37)
quarter note, followed by another quarter note (Fig. 1). The This section of the song is identical to the intro, but with a
first note is played on beat 1, the second on the ‘&’ of beat 2, final bar added which brings the song to its conclusion.
and the third on beat 4. To begin, work on counting through
the bar and playing the same note with this rhythm before Bar 37 | Syncopation
adding the notes from the line. The final bar of this piece has a rest on beat 1, followed by
the final note on beat 2. This may seem unusual, but it is a
common rhythmic idea in Latin rock music. When playing,
Bar 10 | Accidentals take care not to play the final note on beat 1.
Despite being in the key of A minor, there are many E major
chords used in this piece containing a G #. This is because

? œ. œ œ
the piece is actually based on the A harmonic minor scale D m7
(a common scale in Latin and classical music) featuring a
G #. This note may sound unusual initially, but after playing J œ
the line a few times it should begin to sound more natural.
T
A 5 8
B
C Section (Bars 11–18) Count: 1 (2) & (3)
8
4
In this section the chord progression remains the same, but
some new rhythmic ideas are introduced in the bassline. Fig. 1: Main bass groove

Bar 18 | Tied notes

This bar contains an unusual combination of quarter notes
and eighth notes. After the first quarter note B, play the
D on beat 2, and the E on the ‘&’ of beat 2. Because this
F7 E7 D m7

j œ bœ œ.
note is tied you should then hold it until the next E, played
œ. œ œ
on the ‘&’ of beat 3. The final note is played on beat 4. To
familiarise yourself quickly with this rhythm, play the phrase
in isolation to begin with.

7 6 5
1 0
D Section (Bars 19–26) Eb
Bass Grade 2

Notes: E D
The Latin rhythm established in the B section continues
in the D section. However, here it has a few additional Fig. 2: Passing notes
rhythmic ideas and notes.

52
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 of A, G and C. 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
1. Major scale (C major scale shown)
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
?œ 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

2. Natural minor scale (A natural minor scale shown)

? œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ

T 5 7 5
A 5 7 8 8 7 5
B 5 7 8 8 7 5

3. Minor pentatonic scale (C minor pentatonic scale shown)

œ œ œ œ œ
? b œ œ œ œ œ œ
bb

T 3 5 3
A 3 5 5 3
B 3 6 6 3

4. Major pentatonic scale (G major pentatonic scale shown)

?# œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ
T 0
A 0 2 2 0
B 0 2 2 0
3 3
Bass Grade 2

53
 Technical Exercises

Group B: Arpeggios
One octave and should be played both ascending and descending

1. Major arpeggio (A major arpeggio shown)

? ### œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ

T 7
A 4 7 7 4
B 5 5

2. Minor arpeggio (C minor arpeggio shown)

œ œ œ
? bb œ œ œ œ
b

T 5
A 5 5
B 3 6 6 3
Bass Grade 2

54
 Technical Exercises

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 shape in bars 3–8. The root note of the pattern to be played is shown in the music in bars 3, 5 and 7. The tempo is
q = 80.

q = 80 Rock

? 44 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
E G

œ œ œ
T 2 2 2 2 2
A 2 2 2 2
B 0 0 3

?
E A

œ œ

T
A 0
B 0
[5]

Bass Grade 2

55
 Sight Reading

In this section you have a choice between either a Sight Reading test or an Improvisation & Interpretation test (see facing
page). You will be asked to prepare a Sight Reading test which will be given to you by the examiner. The test is a four bar
melody in the key of C major or G major. The examiner will allow you 90 seconds to prepare it and will set the tempo for you.
The tempo is q = 70.

q = 70

? 44 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ
œ œ

T 0 0
A 2 3 2
B 3 3 3 2 3 2 3 3 0 2 3
3
Bass Grade 2

56
Improvisation & Interpretation

You will be asked to play an improvised bassline to a backing track of four bars in the keys of either G major or E 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 = 80–90.

Rock

? # 4 .. ¿
q = 85

¿ ¿ ¿
’ ’ ’ ’ ..
Em Am Bm C

4 ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’

Bass Grade 2

57
 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 the A minor pentatonic scale. The first note of the
melody will be the root note and the first interval will be ascending. You will play the melody back on your instrument. You
will hear the test twice.

Each time the test is played it is preceded by a one bar count-in. There will be a short gap for you to practise. Next you will
hear a vocal count-in and you will then play the melody to the drum backing. The tempo is q = 85.
q = 85

? 4 .. œ œ œ œ ˙ ..
4 ˙

. .
. .
T 0 2 0
A 0 3 3
B

Test 2: Rhythmic Recall

The examiner will play you a two bar rhythm played to a drum backing on the E string. You will hear the test twice. You will
be asked to play the rhythm back. You will then be asked to identify the rhythm from two printed examples shown to you.

Each time the test is played it is preceded by a one bar count-in. There will be a short gap for you to practise. Next you will
hear a vocal count-in and you will then play the rhythm to the drum backing. The tempo is q = 90.
q = 90

? 44 .. ΠΠ..
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
. .
. .
T
A
B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

q = 90

? 44 .. ..
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
. .
. .
T
A
B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Bass Grade 2

58
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.

In Grade 2, you will be asked:

■■The pitch names of notes

■■The meaning of the time signature marking

■■Whole, half, quarter, eighth note and 16th note values

■■Rest values

■■Construction of a major or minor chord

Instrument Knowledge
The examiner will also ask you one question regarding your instrument.

In Grade 2 you will be asked to identify:

■■The following parts of your bass – neck, fretboard, body, tuning-pegs, nut, pick-ups, scratch plate, jack socket and bridge

■■The location of the volume and tone controls on your bass

■■Names of all open strings

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 2

59
 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 2

60
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

Performance Piece 2 12–14 out of 20 15–17 out of 20 18+ out of 20

Performance Piece 3 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

ELEMENT PASS MERIT DISTINCTION

Performance Piece 1 12–14 out of 20 15–17 out of 20 18+ out of 20

Performance Piece 2 12–14 out of 20 15–17 out of 20 18+ out of 20

Performance Piece 3 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

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 *

ELEMENT PASS MERIT DISTINCTION

Performance Piece 1 12–14 out of 20 15–17 out of 20 18+ out of 20

Performance Piece 2 12–14 out of 20 15–17 out of 20 18+ out of 20

Performance Piece 3 12–14 out of 20 15–17 out of 20 18+ out of 20

Bass Grade 2

Performance Piece 4 12–14 out of 20 15–17 out of 20 18+ out of 20

Performance Piece 5 12–14 out of 20 15–17 out of 20 18+ out of 20

TOTAL MARKS 60%+ 75%+ 90%+

61
* 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 2

.. ..
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.

62
Mechanical Copyright Information

Running Away
(Birdsong/Ayers)
Chrysalis-Music-Limited/Edwin Birdsong Music Publishing

Latch
(Smith/Napier/Lawrence/Lawrence
Universal Music Publishing Limited/Sony/ATV Music Publishing (UK) Limited/EMI Music Publishing Limited

Molly’s Chambers
(Followill/Followill/Petraglia)
BMG Rights Management (UK) Limited/Universal Music Publishing Limited/Warner/Chappell North America Limited

Vertigo
(Clayton/Hewson/Evans/Mullen)
Blue Mountain Music Limited

Never Never Gonna Give You Up

(White)
Warner/Chappell Music North America Limited

If I Were A Boy
(Gad/Carlson)
Universal/MCA Music Limited/BMG Rights Management (UK) Limited

Bass Grade 2

63
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