Bass Gym – 101 Essential Slap Bass Grooves

Bass Gym by Marek Bero…

Bass Gym is the eighth in a series written by UK bassist Marek Bero. In this book, you’ll find 101 grooves written to illustrate the five essential elements of slap bass: thumb, pluck/pop, ghost notes, hammer-ons, and pull-offs. The aim of this book is to guide you through the practical and professional applications of these techniques through the 101 exercises..

All of the exercises in this book include tablature and recommended fingerings. MP3 files and practice drum tracks are available to download from the Free Stuff page on this website.

Marek shares…

“You’ll learn how to apply five essential slap techniques – thumb, pluck/pop, percussive tones, hammer-ons and pull-offs using the left-hand fingers. In order for all five of these elements to be of proper quality, it is also necessary to make extensive use of the inner surface of the fingers and palms for immaculate muting technique. The aim of the book is to guide you through the practical and professional music application of the following 101 exercises.

However, in the book you’ll not find any virtuoso techniques such as double-thumb, double-pluck, strumming, double-stops, tapping, etc. Our goal is to lay down a solid foundation of slap technique, without the above-mentioned “icing on the cake”, so popular in the virtual world of viral. Coming from the background of professional touring and gigging musicians, I believe that slap technique needs a more down-to-earth approach which is more suitable for practical music applications in the songs of different genres. Slap makes you stand out in the band mix, so you want to make sure that it is catchy, groovy and melodic in the same manner as your other bass lines playing with fingers or pick.

Emphasis is placed on understanding the principles of slap as a technique that can enrich your means of expression and be a valid musical element for practical use in compositions of various musical styles. A tasteful slap bass line can elevate an ordinary sequence of chords to a potential hit, as well as ruin a solidly written song or the patience of your bandmates if used inappropriately.

The choice is always up to you, the future slap bass masters.”

Number of Pages: 82

Available online at basslinepublishing.com