<![CDATA[Ben Walker Bass: Transcriptions]]>

<![CDATA[Ben Walker Bass: Transcriptions]]>https://www.benwalkerbass.com/s/transcriptionshttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5EpQ!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbee4237c-a67e-4ed1-b896-fe9cbd25f067_320x320.jpegBen Walker Bass: Transcriptionshttps://www.benwalkerbass.com/s/transcriptionsSubstackThu, 30 Jul 2026 16:57:41 GMT<![CDATA[Get Down On It]]>https://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/get-down-on-ithttps://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/get-down-on-itFri, 24 Jul 2026 17:01:59 GMTArtist - Kool And The Gang

Electric Bass - Robert ‘Kool’ Bell

Difficulty - Beginner

This is a song that sometimes comes up at gigs and the challenge is always not to overplay! Much like Billie Jean, Thriller and Play That Funky Music, the groove is incredibly consistent throughout and players often tamper with that to the detriment of the music (i’m not saying don’t add anything, just be judicious!)

For those of you towards the start of your bass journey and looking to build some repertoire, this tune is a fun one to work in, it’s not difficult technically and once you get the geography of the song worked out, it’s all about consistency of execution!

Yamaha BB was once again on duty for this, P pickup with the tone rolled off and my trusty MXR M80.

Have fun!

You can request a Transcription below. I also offer a bespoke transcription service. I charge £40 for most transcription requests; more complex transcriptions are on a case-by-case basis, and I will provide a specific quote at my own discretion. If you pay for a transcription, you will receive a copy without a watermark.

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The full transcription is free via the link below, paid subscribers can download the transcription without a watermark.

Get Down On It WM

]]><![CDATA[Head Over Heels]]>https://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/head-over-heelshttps://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/head-over-heelsFri, 17 Jul 2026 17:02:47 GMTArtist - Tears For Fears

Electric Bass - Curt Smith

Difficulty - Beginner/Intermediate

Tears For Fears are one of those bands that i’ve heard regularly but have never sat down and seriously examined, until this particular tune came on the radio as I was on my way to a gig, and as I sat there listening in the car quite a few things in the track really struc…

]]><![CDATA[Keep The Fire Burning]]>https://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/keep-the-fire-burninghttps://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/keep-the-fire-burningFri, 10 Jul 2026 17:01:26 GMTArtist - Gwen McCrae

Electric Bass - Nate Watts

Difficulty - Intermediate

If you were to ask a bass player "what is a great Nate Watts bass line?” they might answer with Sir Duke, Master Blaster or maybe Do I Do (all excellent answers btw!). I would however wager that almost none of them would name this particular track, Gwen McCrae’s Keep The Fire Burning.

I was first exposed to Gwen’s music (and lots more besides) via some excellent Jonathan Maron seminars, and have loved her work ever since. This particular track has the same challenge as tunes like Billie Jean; it’s relentless, the groove never stops so there is certainly a degree of stamina required! The grooves themselves in the verse and chorus are fantastic illustrations of how you can write something catchy and propulsive with relatively simple harmony ingredients, in this case F minor pentatonic and chromatic approach notes. This is interspersed with little flashes of Nate’s phenomenal ability to lay down tasty ideas (that little fill in the last chorus before the slap line kicks in is killer). In the slap section, pay close attention to which parts are thumb and those that are popped, its quite surprising how few times Nate uses the pop!

This track suggested flats to me, so I went my my Yamaha BB, recorded through my Cali76 compressor, MXR M80 preamp into my Audient interface.

Enjoy!

You can request a Transcription below. I also offer a bespoke transcription service. I charge £40 for most transcription requests; more complex transcriptions are on a case-by-case basis, and I will provide a specific quote at my own discretion. If you pay for a transcription, you will receive a copy without a watermark.

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The full transcription is free via the link below, paid subscribers can download the transcription without a watermark.

Keep The Fire Burning WM

]]><![CDATA[Soul Education]]>https://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/soul-educationhttps://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/soul-educationSun, 05 Jul 2026 19:24:36 GMTArtist - Jamiroquai

Electric Bass - Nick Fyffe

Difficulty - Intermediate/Advanced

Hey all,

Slightly later than usual this week but I’d say it’s worth it! For me, Nick Fyffe is the great underrated bass player from the trio that have played with Jamiroquai (the others being Stu Zender and Paul Turner). His work on the Live In Verona record is amazing as is his work on the Synkronized album. This track is, for me, the standout track from that particular record and it’s been both fun and challenging to get it down!

Part of this comes down to how punchy Nick’s sound is and trying my best to replicate that myself, and part of it is the switch between punchy fingerstyle playing and the octave slap groove. Something I took particular note of are the little slides and grace notes that Nick puts into the line!

I’m not 100% sure which bass that Nick used on the record, but for Jamiroquai of all eras, I tend to reach for my Warwick Streamer LX, it just has a particular punch and bite to it that just works with their music!

Have fun with this one!

You can request a Transcription below. I also offer a bespoke transcription service. I charge £40 for most transcription requests; more complex transcriptions are on a case-by-case basis, and I will provide a specific quote at my own discretion. If you pay for a transcription, you will receive a copy without a watermark.

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The full transcription is free via the link below, paid subscribers can download the transcription without a watermark.

Soul Education WM

]]><![CDATA[Think!]]>https://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/thinkhttps://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/thinkFri, 26 Jun 2026 17:01:06 GMTArtist - Aretha Franklin

Electric Bass - Jerry Jemmott

Difficulty - Intermediate

Hey all,

Hope you’re all well (and for all of you in the UK, are keeping cool!). This weeks transcription is one that has been on the periphery of my awareness for some time now and as I’ve not yet done a Jerry Jemmott transcription, I decided it was past time I sat down and worked this tune out properly.

Aretha Franklin obviously needs no introduction from me but for those less steeped in bass history, Jerry Jemmott was one of the generation of players active right before Jaco and Stanley Clarke exploded onto the scene and transformed what was possible on the instrument and Jemmott is one of the players that Jaco repeatedly namechecked as a specific influence, specifically for the 16th note fingerstyle lines that are in evidence in this track.

Something that stuck out to me was Jemmotts use of open strings, something that i’ve also always noticed about James Jamerson. The open A string works very nicely in the section in Bb Major (A being the Major 7th) but he also integrates it in the B major section (which then gives a dominant 7 vibe without actually changing chord). Pay attention to some of the fills in the outtro, not hugely difficult but so tasty!

P with flats was the vibe I was getting from listening to the track repeatedly so I grabbed the Yamaha BB with the neck pickup soloed. I thought about using the P bass but given the temperature/humidity in my home studio right now the neck has a life of its own and it needs a setup….again :P

Enjoy!!

You can request a Transcription below. I also offer a bespoke transcription service. I charge £40 for most transcription requests; more complex transcriptions are on a case-by-case basis, and I will provide a specific quote at my own discretion. If you pay for a transcription, you will receive a copy without a watermark.

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The full transcription is free via the link below, paid subscribers can download the transcription without a watermark.

Think! WM

]]><![CDATA[Express Yourself]]>https://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/express-yourselfhttps://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/express-yourselfFri, 19 Jun 2026 17:01:05 GMTArtist - Charles Wright And The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band

Electric Bass - Melvin Dunlap

Difficulty - Intermediate

Hey all,

Hope this finds you all well! This weeks transcription is a tune I hadn’t heard in a VERY long time until a bass playing friend of mine sent me a playlist he’d put together, and listening to it reminded me just how much I like this particular line!

Express yourself was the signature song for Charles Wright and The Watts, and Melvin Dunlap delivers an absolute masterclass in varying the connective ideas while maintaining the integrity of the overall groove! Keep an eye out for where he startts dropping the first 16th of the bar, and work to nail down the various different connective fills/ideas!

My Yamaha with flatwounds was once again the bass of choice here, with my MXR M80 and a little compression added.

Have fun with this!

You can request a Transcription below. I also offer a bespoke transcription service. I charge £40 for most transcription requests; more complex transcriptions are on a case-by-case basis, and I will provide a specific quote at my own discretion. If you pay for a transcription, you will receive a copy without a watermark.

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The full transcription is free via the link below, paid subscribers can download the transcription without a watermark.

Express Yourself WM

]]><![CDATA[Spirits In The Material World]]>https://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/spirits-in-the-material-worldhttps://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/spirits-in-the-material-worldFri, 12 Jun 2026 17:02:06 GMTArtist - The Police

Electric Bass - Sting

Difficulty - Beginner/Intermediate

This weeks transcription was one of the first Police tunes (along with Walking On The Moon and Message In A Bottle) that Iearned and while it’s not that difficult technically, getting ones head around the groove placement certainly can be…it took me a long time before I started to feel where the groove is placed naturally!

Sting needs no introduction but this line has all his hallmarks as a bass writer; interesting rhythmic placement, superb control of note lengths and a wonderful sound. I reached for my P bass for this playthrough and it’s funny…you don’t play an instrument/piece of gear for a while and then you pick it up again and remember why you thought it was so great…nothing sounds quite like a good P bass :)

Also in the signal chain was my Boss CEB-3 chorus pedal with the depth set slightly lower than I usually go for.

I always enjoy playing Sting’s lines, hopefully you all enjoy this one as much as I do!

You can request a Transcription below. I also offer a bespoke transcription service. I charge £40 for most transcription requests; more complex transcriptions are on a case-by-case basis, and I will provide a specific quote at my own discretion. If you pay for a transcription, you will receive a copy without a watermark.

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The full transcription is free via the link below, paid subscribers can download the transcription without a watermark.

Spirits In The Material World WM

]]><![CDATA[I'm The Slime]]>https://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/im-the-slimehttps://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/im-the-slimeFri, 05 Jun 2026 18:01:10 GMTArtist - Frank Zappa And The Mothers Of Invention

Electric Bass - Tom Fowler

Difficulty - Intermediate

Hey everyone,

This week’s transcription comes from the extremely extensive discography of Frank Zappa, and while it might not be the most well known or the most difficult Zappa track, it’s one of my personal favourites!

Zappa needs little introduction from me, his work really speaks for itself and a number of significant musicians went on from his band to form their own groups (Steve Vai immediately comes to mind).

The key part of I’m the slime is the unison groove right up top and towards the end, which bookends the two verses. I’ve looked at playing this a couple of different ways but ultimately went with open strings.

As i’m often doing these days, I reached for the Yamaha BB, coupled with the MXR M80 preamp!

Have fun!

You can request a Transcription below. I also offer a bespoke transcription service. I charge £40 for most transcription requests; more complex transcriptions are on a case-by-case basis, and I will provide a specific quote at my own discretion. If you pay for a transcription, you will receive a copy without a watermark.

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The full transcription is free via the link below, paid subscribers can download the transcription without a watermark.

I'm The Slime WM

]]><![CDATA[Planeta Eskoria]]>https://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/planeta-eskoriahttps://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/planeta-eskoriaFri, 29 May 2026 17:00:34 GMTArtist - Ska-P

Electric Bass - Julio Ćesar Sanchez

Difficulty - Intermediate

Hey everyone,

This weeks transcription might be coming out of left field for the vast majority of you but stay with me, it’s a fun one! I was introduced to Ska-P by a friend at university and this particular track has stuck with me ever since! As you might have guessed they’re a Spanish Ska band, complete with a full horn section.

Planeta Eskoria is the title track of their album of the same name but this version comes from the Incontrolable live record and the whole band absolutely kills it throughout. The bass line particular has lots of fun moments throughout (if you have an envelope filter, you’ll be wanting to plug it in!) and there are various little things i hadn’t noticed before I sat down to transcribe it properly.

I wanted something quite articulate for this playthrough so I chose my Fodera, both pickups on in dual coil mode! I also added in my MXR M80 with the overdrive switched on though with less saturation than I usually blend in.

Hope you all have fun with this one!

You can request a Transcription below. I also offer a bespoke transcription service. I charge £40 for most transcription requests; more complex transcriptions are on a case-by-case basis, and I will provide a specific quote at my own discretion. If you pay for a transcription, you will receive a copy without a watermark.

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The full transcription is free via the link below, paid subscribers can download the transcription without a watermark.

Planeta Eskoria WM

]]><![CDATA[Funky Sensation]]>https://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/funky-sensationhttps://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/funky-sensationFri, 22 May 2026 17:02:10 GMTArtist - Gwen McCrae

Electric Bass - Fred Brown

Difficulty - Beginner/Intermediate

Hey all,

This weeks transcription features an artist I was first introduced to by the great Jonathan Maron. Gwen McCrae isn’t perhaps as well known as some of the other great American singers but she certainly deserves to be and for us bass players, her music is a real pleasure to both transcribe and play!

Funky Sensation isn’t the trickiest of her tunes to play but the groove itself is a real gem! It’s one of those songs where at first glance it’s very repetitive, but when you dig into it and pay attention (particularly towards the end) there are lots of little variations in there!

The original sounds like it was recorded on a P bass with flats so I chose my Yamaha BB (especially as the TI flats have now settled really nicely!).

Hopefully you enjoy digging into this as much as I did!

You can request a Transcription below. I also offer a bespoke transcription service. I charge £40 for most transcription requests; more complex transcriptions are on a case-by-case basis, and I will provide a specific quote at my own discretion. If you pay for a transcription, you will receive a copy without a watermark.

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The full transcription is free via the link below, paid subscribers can download the transcription without a watermark.

Funky Sensation WM

]]><![CDATA[Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick]]>https://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/hit-me-with-your-rhythm-stickhttps://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/hit-me-with-your-rhythm-stickFri, 15 May 2026 16:02:59 GMTArtist - Ian And The Blockheads

Electric Bass - Norman Watt-Roy

Difficulty - Advanced

Hey everyone,

This weeks transcription is one i’ve been planning for a little while now, an absolute classic within the bass repertoire and a tricky line to nail down. Norman Watt-Roy’s line on Rhythm Stick is one of those seminal tunes that you get a real sense of satisfaction from working through so have some fun digging into this!

As with tunes like Hysteria, a lot of this is about getting the plucking and fretting fingers organised, especially with the little shifts around the fingerboard between the verses and the choruses. The TAB is my own suggestion for this but other solutions are possible!

The tighter spacing on my Yamaha BB5000 definitely helped with this tune, and the only other thing in the chain was my MXR M80.

Enjoy!!

You can request a Transcription below. I also offer a bespoke transcription service. I charge £40 for most transcription requests; more complex transcriptions are on a case-by-case basis, and I will provide a specific quote at my own discretion. If you pay for a transcription, you will receive a copy without a watermark.

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The full transcription is free via the link below, paid subscribers can download the transcription without a watermark.

Rhythm Stick WM

]]><![CDATA[Heart Of Glass]]>https://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/heart-of-glasshttps://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/heart-of-glassFri, 08 May 2026 17:01:23 GMTArtist - Blondie

Electric Bass - Nigel Harrison

Difficulty - Beginner

Hey everyone,

This weeks transcription features another band I was introduced to by my parents (my mum rather than my dad this time!), Blondie and this track is from their classic album Parallel Lines. Nigel Harrison laid down several notable lines on this record but Heart Of Glass has always been the one that stood out for me.

Part of the reason is the disco-esque octaves you hear in the choruses, another would be the shifts to 7/4 (prog nut here!) as well as the overall feel of the line! Lots of fun to be had digging into this song!

Signal chain was P bass - Cali76 compressor - interface, nothing fancy!

Enjoy!

You can request a Transcription below. I also offer a bespoke transcription service. I charge £40 for most transcription requests; more complex transcriptions are on a case-by-case basis, and I will provide a specific quote at my own discretion. If you pay for a transcription, you will receive a copy without a watermark.

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The full transcription is free via the link below, paid subscribers can download the transcription without a watermark.

Heart Of Glass WM

]]><![CDATA[Cake By The Ocean]]>https://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/cake-by-the-oceanhttps://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/cake-by-the-oceanFri, 01 May 2026 08:01:39 GMTArtist - DNCE

Electric Bass - Mattias Larsson

Difficulty - Beginner

This weeks transcription is a tune i’ve not looked at in a minute but it randomly came over the radio while I was driving to a gig recently and that reminded me how much fun this line is to play!

At face value, it’s basically the same groove idea in two different octaves! The challenge is nailing down the line and executing it over and over again without making mistakes ;) We used to play an extended version of this with solos and we had plenty of room to stretch out but the basic studio version is a great example of being able to execute an anchoring idea over and over again with consistency.

I’ve been really enjoying using my Yamaha to record recently and I grabbed it for the lovely, wide low end its giving me now that i’ve got a set of TI flatwounds on it! Full signal chain was Yamaha - Cali76 compressor - MXR M80 - Interface.

Have fun!

You can request a Transcription below. I also offer a bespoke transcription service. I charge £40 for most transcription requests; more complex transcriptions are on a case-by-case basis, and I will provide a specific quote at my own discretion. If you pay for a transcription, you will receive a copy without a watermark.

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The full transcription is free via the link below, paid subscribers can download the transcription without a watermark.

Cake By The Ocean WM

]]><![CDATA[Fire]]>https://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/firehttps://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/fireFri, 24 Apr 2026 08:02:10 GMTArtist - Jimi Hendrix

Electric Bass - Noel Redding

Difficulty - Beginner/Intermediate

Hey everyone,

This week’s transcription goes back to one of the first cover band’s I ever played in, as well as a movie introduced to me by my dad (Wayne’s World 1 for those of you with longer memories!), Jimi Hendrix’s Fire.

Hendrix obviously needs no introduction but it was only much later when I was digging into Hendrix’ background for a university assignment that I learned that the other members of The Jimi Hendrix Experience were British rather than American, including his bass player Noel Redding!

A lot of the bass lines for Hendrix’ work are firmly in the supportive role (to let Hendrix be…well…Hendrix!), but there are some little details here and there that change…sometimes there is a slide, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes the idea is a quarter note, others it’s a set of 8ths! The basic ideas and form aren’t too hard to get down and for those more advanced, you can aim to nail down the entire tune.

I had to go with the P bass for this track, and the only other thing in the chain before the interface was my Cali76 compressor!

Enjoy!

You can request a Transcription below. I also offer a bespoke transcription service. I charge £40 for most transcription requests; more complex transcriptions are on a case-by-case basis, and I will provide a specific quote at my own discretion. If you pay for a transcription, you will receive a copy without a watermark.

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The full transcription is free via the link below, paid subscribers can download the transcription without a watermark.

Fire WM

]]><![CDATA[Faith]]>https://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/faithhttps://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/faithFri, 17 Apr 2026 17:01:17 GMTArtist - George Michael

Electric Bass - Deon Estus

Difficulty - Beginner/Intermediate

NOTE: To play along with the record and not have your tuning jar your ears, set your tuner to 445hz!

Hey all,

This one falls under the heading of ‘learned but never learned properly’. I was watching a video about the late great Deon Estus (who not only played on this record but also played many of Wham!’s great bass lines) and decided to go and do a proper transcription!

I’m quite glad I did because (as with a lot of the music I transcribe here) there are lots of fun little details in there to chew over! The little scale runs Deon puts in in the pre-choruses, the slides and subtle bends and the supreme control of note length! In fact, i’d say that getting the note lengths right is somewhat key to nailing the overall tune, more so that the individual pieces of vocab!

I’ve been really enjoying the way my Yamaha records with the new TI flatwounds so I grabbed that for this recording too! Also in the chain was my Cali76 compressor and the MXR M80, straight into the interface/garageband where I added a little reverb!

It’s a fun and accessible tune to play, I hope you enjoy digging into it!

You can request a Transcription below. I also offer a bespoke transcription service. I charge £40 for most transcription requests; more complex transcriptions are on a case-by-case basis, and I will provide a specific quote at my own discretion. If you pay for a transcription, you will receive a copy without a watermark.

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The full transcription is free via the link below, paid subscribers can download the transcription without a watermark.

]]><![CDATA[Lonely Street]]>https://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/lonely-streethttps://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/lonely-streetFri, 10 Apr 2026 08:01:49 GMTArtist - Kansas

Electric Bass - Dave Hope

Difficulty - Intermediate/Advanced

Hey everyone,

This transcription comes after something of a recent prog rock deep dive I took and one of the bands I went back to (alongside Genesis and King Crimson) was Kansas. I feel they sometimes get a little overlooked in the Prog discussion but the Song For America record is (to me) full on progressive music! I wanted to transcribe something for you all that WASNT Carry On Wayward Son, and I settled on Lonely Street.

This track serves as a great introduction to progressive music, featuring a time signature of 11/8 and some little fiddly lines in the choruses (though nothing too outrageous). If you’ve never played prog rock before, this would be an excellent starting point!

I’m no great pick player (though I’m sure Dave Hope is using a pick on the record) so i’m using fingers but something to really pay attention to is the switch between a palm muted sound and an open sound.

Chose the P bass for this going through my MXR M80, drive engaged to add a little grit to the sound!

Have fun!

You can request a Transcription below. I also offer a bespoke transcription service. I charge £40 for most transcription requests; more complex transcriptions are on a case-by-case basis, and I will provide a specific quote at my own discretion. If you pay for a transcription, you will receive a copy without a watermark.

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The full transcription is free via the link below, paid subscribers can download the transcription without a watermark.

Lonely Street WM

]]><![CDATA[Lovely Day]]>https://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/lovely-dayhttps://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/lovely-dayFri, 03 Apr 2026 11:02:41 GMTArtist - Bill Withers

Electric Bass - Jerry Knight

Difficulty - Intermediate

Hey everyone,

Hope you’re all well! This week’s transcription is one i’ve enjoyed playing in various bands for some time but have never sat down to properly transcribe in full. Bill Withers’ music is full of great bass lines but if we’re talking essential bass repertoire, this tune is it.

As with a lot of his tunes, the devil is in the detail. Jerry Knight is on sparkling form on this recording and things like note lengths, note placement, the variations between the bridges…lot’s of little things to look out for but ones that really make the line!

Having just gotten my Yamaha fitted with flatwounds (and back from having a new volume pot fitted), I decided to put it straight to work! The only other thing in the signal chain was my MXR M80 to add a little low end to the sound, then straight into the interface.

Enjoy!

You can request a Transcription below. I also offer a bespoke transcription service. I charge £40 for most transcription requests; more complex transcriptions are on a case-by-case basis, and I will provide a specific quote at my own discretion. If you pay for a transcription, you will receive a copy without a watermark.

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The full transcription is free via the link below, paid subscribers can download the transcription without a watermark.

Lovely Day - WM

]]><![CDATA[Funky Crime]]>https://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/funky-crimehttps://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/funky-crimeFri, 27 Mar 2026 18:01:59 GMTArtist - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Electric Bass - Flea

Difficulty - Intermediate

Hey all!

This week’s transcription goes right back to when I first started playing bass in 2004! A lot of players of my generation were introduced to the Chilis via Californication or By The Way, my own introduction to them (and to Flea) was through Mothers Milk and The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, which leads me to this tune - Funky Crime!

While not as frenetic as songs like Get Up And Jump or Skinny Sweaty Man, Funky Crime has all the hallmarks of Flea’s earlier work with the Chili’s, moving between 16th fingerstyle lines and a section of percussive slap.

I’m not sure whether Flea was using his Stingray or his Spector NS-2J for this cut, but for my own playthrough I selected my Fodera Monarch, pickups in dual coil setting, tone control wide open and treble boosted, going through my Cali76 compressor into my interface!

Have fun!

You can request a Transcription below. I also offer a bespoke transcription service. I charge £40 for most transcription requests; more complex transcriptions are on a case-by-case basis, and I will provide a specific quote at my own discretion. If you pay for a transcription, you will receive a copy without a watermark.

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The full transcription is free via the link below, paid subscribers can download the transcription without a watermark.

]]><![CDATA[Murder On The Dancefloor]]>https://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/murder-on-the-dancefloorhttps://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/murder-on-the-dancefloorFri, 20 Mar 2026 11:03:13 GMTArtist - Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Electric Bass - Guy Pratt

Difficulty - Intermediate

Hey everyone,

This week’s transcription is a tune that has seen something of a renaissance in the last couple of years (both on radio and on the function/corporate scene) and one i’ve been called on to play multiple times, Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Murder On The Dancefloor featuring Guy Pratt (of Pink Floyd/Madonna/Tom Jones fame) on bass.

The song itself is relatively straight ahead pop but the bass line really shines, something that quite surprised me when I first played it! There are lots of little nuggets in there, little slides up to notes, ghost notes, switching between short (staccato) and long (legato) articulation…the devil is most definitely in the details here! Guy also adds subtle variation to the line here and there, double plucks on certain octaves for example!

I chose my Fodera for the playthrough mainly because I was hearing something bright and punchy (possibly a J bass) on the record, so it’s set in single coil mode, a little bass boost and the tone control 50% open. The only other thing in the signal chain was my Cali76 compressor, after which it went through the interface into the computer.

Enjoy!

You can request a Transcription below. I also offer a bespoke transcription service. I charge £40 for most transcription requests; more complex transcriptions are on a case-by-case basis, and I will provide a specific quote at my own discretion. If you pay for a transcription, you will receive a copy without a watermark.

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The full transcription is free via the link below, paid subscribers can download the transcription without a watermark.

Murder On The Dancefloor WM

]]><![CDATA[Fences]]>https://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/fenceshttps://www.benwalkerbass.com/p/fencesFri, 13 Mar 2026 18:31:08 GMTArtist - Paramore

Electric Bass - Brian Weaver

Difficulty - Intermediate

Hey everyone,

Hope this finds you all well. For this weeks transcription i’ve revisited a band (and an album!) that were a real staple of my late teenage years. Paramore. I’ve not been as into some of their more recent music but Riot! is an album that has stayed with me down the years, both for the attitude and songwriting and (more recently) some of the bass work!

While Jeremy Davis was Paramore’s bass player in the early 2000s through to 2015, I’ve read (on pretty good authority) that it was in fact session player Brian Weaver that played bass on the record, and there is some excellent bass work, from That’s What You Get to the classic Misery Business…the whole record has excellent rock bass playing on it. Which brings me to this tune. Fences.

While it isn’t my favourite track on the record (that goes to That’s What You Get, which I might also transcribe at a later date), Fences definitely has the most ‘forward’ bass line. It’s mostly a rapid quarter/eighth note walking line but keep an eye out for some of the triplet figures. I’ve transcribed this for 5 string but it’s possible it was recorded on a 4 in drop D…I’m not sure, some of the figures are a little tricky to fret in standard tuning but they would shift two frets up in drop D…answers on a postcard! It’s also RAPID at 200bpm, so take your time with it.

Signal chain for this was my Yamaha BB5000 (front pickup, treble rolled on) into my Cali76 compressor and then the MXR M80 to add a little grit.

Enjoy!

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Fences Full Transcription WM

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