This groove easily makes it into my top 10 bass lines of all time. If you’re a bassist who wants to groove and you haven’t checked out Me’shell’s records then you’re missing out.
In fact, stop reading this right now and treat yourself to Plantation Lullabies and Peace Beyond Passion. You can thank me later.
Here’s how it looks written out:
I’ve spent a lot of time transcribing Me’shell’s lines – almost every song from her first 2 albums has at least one groove that I just had to learn. ‘The Way’ is a good introduction to Me’shell’s playing, featuring sixteenth note syncopation and a range of articulations – many of her lines are all about the feel, and luckily this one sits right on the beat (skip ahead to GOTW 50 if you want to attempt a Me’shell line with a more challenging time feel…).
On your transcription of Me’Shell’s “The Way,” toward the end you go from F to E#. I don’t understand this … wouldn’t they be the same note?
Thank you, btw, you have given me so many hours of difficult and rewarding practice!
Christoper, thanks for your comment and I’m glad to hear that you’ve been enjoying the challenge! As ‘The Way’ is in the key of C#m those Fs in the last measure are F#s – I could have written the E#s as F naturals, which might have made everything easier to read…