Free Bass TranscriptionsShe’s A Super Lady
Most readers will already be familiar with Luther Vandross and Marcus Miller’s most famous collaboration, “Never Too Much”, which was anchored by Marcus’ signature slap bass lines, but their relationship was much more than a hit single; Marcus Miller was Luther’s songwriting partner and co-producer from 1983 to the early 2000s. As well as co-writing material for Vandross’ albums, the duo penned hits for other artists, including Aretha Franklin’s chart-topping “Jump To It”.
“She’s a Super Lady”, taken from Luther’s debut solo record (also titled Never Too Much) is another Marcus Miller slap showcase, opening with drums and bass trading phrases before the main instrumental hook kicks in.
She’s a Super Lady – Bass Performance Notes
The song’s main groove is underpinned by a slap bass part that requires a fair amount of thumb dexterity; although Marcus Miller is best known for his double thumb technique – which allows you to get the ‘thumping’ sound with both downstrokes and upstrokes – I’ve never got on with double thumbing, so I always played “She’s a Super Lady” with traditional slap technique and it still sounds fine.
The key to the main groove is staying relaxed, and focusing on keeping the sound of the thumb as consistent as possible in terms of volume and time.