Trippin’

I’ve been a huge fan of Raphael Saadiq’s playing since I heard this Lucy Pearl track around 2006/7. It’s the bass line that just keeps going! I’ve always fancied learning it properly so thought I’d do a transcription/video while I was doing it.

First up, 4 string players, tune your E string down to D. 5 stringers, you’re all good to go. The whole song is based around a 2 octave D minor pentatonic bass lick. Start in 5th position, assuming you’re using the 1,2,4 fingering method, with your 4th finger on the D on the 7th fret of the G string. If you play both the Ab and G with your 4th finger you end up in 3rd position. Shift to 2nd postion to get the F and E on the lowest (D) string. 5 String players, you’re working with a basic minor pentatonic shape rooted on the D (3rd fret) of your B string.

While the bassline itself isn’t technically difficult, copping Raphael’s feel can be a challenge. He’s playing around with the time, sometimes ahead of the beat and sometimes right behind. Listen to the phrasing in the first bar of the lick, the 2nd semiquaver is ahead of the beat then the whole thing settles to slightly behind in the second bar. The whole thing’s played fairly staccato which requires good right hand muting and relaxed but precise plucking. Try some foam under your bridge to dampen the strings slightly. The general vibe is chilled out intensity. Keep those semiquavers consistent but behind the beat! I still have some work to do to really nail the groove on this one. Keep practising.

This was recorded on my 2000 American Std Jazz Bass into a sansamp BDDI (with plenty of drive) into Logic Pro X via my mbox 2. I added a little compression and bumped the EQ at around 200hz and 2khz.

I hope you enjoy playing through this tune.

Click here to download PDF transcription