Probably the Best Slap Bass Riff EVER! "HAIR" by Larry Graham /// Scott's Bass Lessons

► Download the FREE workbook with TAB/Notation here: learn.scottsba...
In this lesson I'm going to teach you one of the best slap riffs of all time!
I show you the riff, break it down slowly, and then explain why and how the actual riff works from a harmony perspective so you can take this information and use it in your own slap riffs.
I expect, you're wondering what the riff is, right?
It was written by the godfather of slap, Mr Larry Graham, and performed with his band 'Grand Central Station"...
The name of the song... "Hair"... and yep, and I've not got much of that! ;)
Oh, and just a word of warning... it's so funky it'll even get your mother dancing! ;)
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[@mrnelsonius5631]

Picked up bass at age 13 listening to Primus. My HS band teacher was a black gospel bassist and when he heard me listening to Primus said “he’s just playing recycled Larry Graham riffs!!” He gave me the Graham Central Station record with “Hair” and I was blown away. Single most important moment in my bass journey. Jaco came next and made me consider quitting 😂

[@jamessantiago2907]

It always dope hearing that initial path through the bass stars and where you finally landed!!!! Good stuff!!!

[@La_sagne]

your teacher seems to be a pretty negative person

[@Nortonius_]

Awesome story, always great to have a mentor figure like that to send you on the path

[@element-dh9dx]

Hhaha awesome

[@element-dh9dx]

If you quit then you will never become a bass legend by yourself, a legend that is never told.

[@saedt]

As a guitarist, I enjoy your vids quite a bit, thank you very much. A youtuber once said that the reason he got better at the guitar was that he learned bass. I think it's very important to know your pockets no matter what you play. Thank you for your work dude.

[@nigelstansfield1644]

This tune is from Graham Central Station's first album.Larry had just left Sly and the Family Stone ,apparently with some accrimony.Around 73.Release Yourself is probably their best album.Line-ups changed.Eventually Larry went solo and had a couple of ballad hits(80s?)Then nowt for decades.I think he became a lay preacher.Then about 10 years ago he picked up his bass and came to UK.I wish more people knew about how wicked a player he really is.

[@jimibeamon7316]

Definitely my favorite bass line period

[@nigelstansfield1644]

This is an English guy with a feel for funk.Respect.

[@Breadgoods]

Funk doesn't discriminate.

[@user-oy7gz5bf2h]

Man! For some reason, this riff is super hard to get my head around. Feels like some math-core riff to me! The tempo and technique are no problem. Just the way it dances around the down beat.

[@randombrowser6692]

Yo i believe in you man! Keep at it and I'm sure you'll be able to plauly it!

[@element-dh9dx]

It's so simple though, I mean look at the pattern, so easy right ? Hahaha : ).

[@flowerlandofjohn]

Just had to put some alternative “fusion-drums” on this classic: enjoy! ✌🏻🤩 kzbin.infoU0xLcfQpDek?feature=share

[@soullessSiIence]

Extremely good teaching. Even without any tabs for reference anyone could learn it.

[@dnukenote1190]

Esteban Aguayo

[@backgroundbreakwater5726]

Ah yes “anyone”

[@gregurbanek186]

I always been a fan of Sly, Scott. Unfortunately, when I was young there was no internet. Other basses guarded their "trade secrets" when they learned a hot riff. You're a great teacher and a blessing to basses everywhere. Thanks for the incredible lesson!

[@mcjacques11]

I’m glad you said “I’m not even making sense today.” I was totally lost after that breakdown of the sections

[@MrToomuchfunk]

This is the very reason I'm getting into bass guitar!

[@depecher6s311]

It’s been 2 years bro how’s the journey been?

[@piyushsharma3991]

Yea give us updates man

[@dob0]

I really can't get my head around the rhythm of this riff! I just keep playing on the wrong beat :O

[@briancherry8088]

yeah. its a tough one. I started playing along with the track, and only playing the few notes I could get right... but made sure I got them right, and in the right time, and then added more notes and more until I am... nearly... playing all of the notes. 2 weeks later and I only just figured out the timing on that glis, slide, slide part he does.

[@dialect64]

Love this riff, and hearing various players' takes on it... but keep coming back to listen to yours! The subtle bits of how you hang on parts or emphasize parts... would never show up in transcription, yet just makes your playing of it nail it how I feel the riff

[@tulsatombob2769]

Hi Scott! I've been a touring bass player and did a lot studio session recordings over the last 35 years. You have a ton of great advice even for us old school guys and worn out road dogs. I used to play at a very popular rock club in Dallas, Texas called Gerties. I got to see Larry Graham play at Gerties around 1975 or 76. You can only imagine how much Larry Graham affected my future as a professional bass player. At that time, it was like having an orgasmic bass experience after watching Mr. Graham play live. I even saw John Bonham, Jeff Beck, and Freddie King show up and jam with whoever was playing that night. Those really were the Good Old Days! Keep the great videos coming. Cheers from Buenos Aires, Argentina!!!

[@cambridgebasslessons]

Excellent lesson Scott!!

[@bj70torinogt]

Cambridge Bass Lessons

[@innerwinnerproductions834]

Larry Graham is the Father of Funk Slap Bass. I've always loved this song!! The fabulous shizness.

[@flash001USA]

Your remark about the slower slap bass tempo is spot on. It just sounds more musical and less technical or mechanical. No doubt Larry Graham plays with a very musical and soulful groove.

[@edfarmer2613]

You (and Larry) are the MAN!!!

[@devinebass]

🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@jhorgeriguera2085]

I can sit to you all day with your tutorial because of your sense of humor +.. Hahaha

[@tobennaokoli4743]

That's the great Larry Graham. No one on the planet has such slap bass composition. Thanks Scott for explaining it.

[@ivancheneau]

Great video Scott !! It's really the best bassline ever made using slap !!! Most of the people don't hear or play that A (ghost note) or even just don't notice it.The other thing is most miss the major third and pllay an A instead .Scott is the best teacher and nailed that !!.It's hard to believe but Larry slides and bends the G string at the octave (0:12) instead of sliding it back and forth like James Jamerson or Verdine White would do. ... I

[@georgewilliams7227]

Scott!!!!! You are the man!!!!! Your sound is flat out disrespectful!!!!! I heard your sound and just packed my bass up and put it away!! 😱😱😱OMG!!!! Your sound is incredible bro. For real!!! I LOVE IT!!

[@laurobass]

When you played this riff on the last live video, I imagined the lesson was in its way! thanks from Brazil, Scott!

[@slimyelow]

It is the grid displacement of the melodic figures or 'fingur shlappped roodiments' that make this groove pop. Well explained Shcoott.

[@flanneljoe7473]

Been to busy to enjoy life for the last few years. CRAZY. You've got my bass out of the corner for me. Thanks. Sincerely

[@00Kie00]

Came here to hear the best bass slap bass riff ever. Got the best slap bass riff ever.

[@Silrian777]

Pluckin the E, pullin off to the D, slapping the B, pluckin the D and then hammering on the E. Gotcha. This party's gonna be amazing.

[@georgiosvamvatsicos1004]

....And probably the best teacher and bass player around! Really appreciate how you break down quite complicated pieces and making them understandable. Myself, long time bass-player, but a total failure when it comes to slapping. This gives me hope! Keep up the good work Scott!

[@OohWeeShaShaCooCoo]

Scott, every time I have a hard time learning something new you always have a tutorial for it and I FINALLY learn it! You’re a great teaching thank you so much for all the years of content.

[@marksadventures3889]

Larry was one funky Mother! Great to be back seeing your channel after a while - don't ask. Good to see you're still killing it fella

[@e_wiggin]

This riff seriously gave me chills. Damn. Taking this to the woodshed.

[@anthonymoore6492]

This dude is awesome.

[@jamesnelson1169]

Larry Graham is awesome!

[@drkevinoleary480]

nice to see Larry have not seen him in years used to go to his house in Oakland he moved out of us. back in the days when we were young

[@kelsofire7366]

brother Scotty i`v been following you for a while now and i must say that i have learnt so much from your lessons and iv seen the improvements in my playing because of you and i must THANK YOU BIG TIME for making me a much better Bass player .... LOVE YOUR WORK MATE AND GOD BLESS

[@neuk01642]

That's just filthy! I mean, just covered in filth! I LOVE IT!!!!

[@bassmanjtfunk]

bro i have been teaching for longer then i care to say. my son and i both think your great!! keep it coming .

[@gearandoutdoorger.3935]

Dude. I started Bass playing about 3 month ago. The first part is playable for me, the following ones just killed me 😂

[@KlasseKolja]

Larry is a legend! Like God of slap bass!! THX for your lessons, man! Klas Kallhag, Sweden

[@flyniggasean7199]

Sir you're one of the coolest bass players that ever walked the earth😁

[@craigdamage]

The greatest SLAP bassline I have ever heard is on a song called "Regiment" from the David Byrne/Brian Eno album My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts. It is very simple but so totally funky.

[@aintnohalfsteppin88]

The bassline on Regiment released in 1981 by David Byrne/Brian Eno is indeed an amazing bassline but its essentially my dad's 2nd cousin Louis Johnson's bassline on Herb Alpert's 1979 Rise.

[@craigdamage]

@@aintnohalfsteppin88 Sounds spot on to me except the song "Rise" has more changes. I think "Regiment" drones along with no chord changes.

[@aintnohalfsteppin88]

@@craigdamage it could have been a sample as well as the entire album by Byrne/Eno contained multiple samples & was wayyyy ahead of its time. Regardless its an amazing piece of work

[@theindoctrinated6936]

Thanks a lot for this! The intro is perfect if you just need a visual reference of where the lick is on the fretboard

[@skrankle66]

I call this concept a 2 ,4 swing cuz it swings on 2 and 4 like a lot of the best grooves nice job Scott love your stuff

[@rickkillian2378]

As I was listening to you play and talk I just had to comment about the tempo / GROOVE. That's what R&B is all about

[@jazznw]

what i dig is that YOU dug that intro part. it is one of the baddest....

[@phatbassanchor]

This is true FUNK slap bass! Much of what I hear now that attempts to pass for funk slap is all about the speed and completely looses all that FUNK! Funk is not fast. It's usually slow to medium pace and it's ALL about that funk groove not at all about speed. Unlike many of your more advanced lessons, Scott, this one is nothing new to me. It is a song I hadn't heard previously but even so that groove is text book Larry Graham, 100% pure FUNK! Thanks for showcasing one of my favorite bassists.

[@richardgray7310]

Scott, love you man. Been a subscriber for about 2 years. Playing bass for 30 years but you helped me clean up a few things. Thanks again man.

[@masterlockandkey]

Scott gets funky. Wonderful work brother!

[@spacedaddy5517]

Can see Scott really practiced this sounds great man

[@JohnAldenDavis]

After reading the e-mail and seeing the title for this video, I commend you on your cleverness!

[@lonnygondatube]

Just found this today and love it. Scott love your lessons and how much you enjoy playing. Your into every not of very riff. And you teach pocket and groove. And you read and transcribe without forgetting the groove rules. If you haven't done so already. How about some Fred Hammond and gospel bass riffs and tools.

[@BeansMaskSheen]

you dont need a compressor, you need a high end cabinet and a high end bass head. For instance, Ampeg SVT series, Sunn 2000s, Dave Eden World Traveler series, Trace Elliot(pre-Peavey only), Gallien Kruger..etc. Fender Pre/Jazz type basses are pretty much essential also.

[@fatarry]

It's Graham Central Station not Grand Central Station

[@LandenBMS]

Big difference in bass playing!

[@nathanfiori2931]

who else just listened to the intro on repeat

[@filippocorvalan6326]

Nobody

[@ahyo6947]

The real question is: Who didn' t do that?

[@dialect64]

Scott's version is my favorite of anyone I have heard. hangs on all the right notes

[@buguybuguy]

Like 200 to times. And im about to do 300 more haha

[@donnyjohnson3766]

Nathan Fiori all of us!!!! 😂😂😂😂

[@gregdangreaux4641]

Huge thanks for your work and sharing with us, simple humans .

[@alwynvenne5813]

When my students ask me about slap bass I always tell them to start with Larry.

[@TheYjmfan]

Love Larry Graham king thumb!

[@michaelmccullough3661]

Larry Graham is the "father" of "slap"....he deserves SO much more recognition

[@babayaga1767]

who doesn't give him recognition?

[@Greyareas27]

general mayhem A lot of people (who aren't fans of funk) don't know about him. And they can"t recognize him if they've never heard of him.

[@l-doggwilly6246]

Truer words were never spoken. Being "thee" inventor of this playing technique that moves people like it does?... In my opinion put's it on par with the world's greatest inventions.

[@sweetfoampunishment3286]

i like the heavy players like Larry or Flea. They rrrreally slap the heck out of their basses and that's what makes the wood vibrate and brings that bony tone that I like so much. The downside of this technique is that it produces less deep frequencies like when you were hitting softer...but who cares? That's why we call it SLAP BASS!!!

[@SpencerEdgards]

Hey Scott! Man, you have got some admirable didactic qualities there! There's a lot of tutorials on here for this song, but they all go slow and break it down n - o - t - e - b - y - n - o - t - e ......("Zzzzz ~ whoops how long was I out for?! :o"). I totally appreciate your breakdown of this bass line. So yeah, thanks a bunch man! :)

[@larsa89]

I thought "Hair" as the song in the musical, but this is near equal awesome!

[@primosolo7559]

people there isn't really a technique for slap bass, it's all in how you play it and your confort into it. you can have the best slap techniques but still sound bad when you play it... well that's because you have to practice slap bass alot to get the hang and the confort of it. vidoes like this are ideas of how cool you can actually sound when you know how to properly play slap bass. just keep practicing, you'll get it down one day. remember nothing's impossible😊😊

[@andrew_owens7680]

I'm not a musician, but in my opinion, if you don't know Larry Graham, you simply don't know bass. And I'd add Ralph Armstrong as a close second. These people are DEEP.

[@Sbato]

best bass riff ever, imho. Pure groove.

[@cgptony11]

Incredibly Funky I love it I have a question tho On the original track what instrument in the left channel is it another bass It's funky as hell too You sound great!!!

[@emmywillow6599]

it’s a guitar i believe

[@SeymourKilmore]

I liked this video just for the faces you made while playing, you are clearly passionate

[@oxpow68]

Nunca había comentado hasta ahora, eres un fenómento tío!!!

[@toollio]

Hey Scott.. I prefer your execution! Larry is Larry, buy.. hey!!!! ...this is really cool!

[@devinebass]

🧡🧡🧡

[@mcriquet]

Come on Scott. Tippin my age but then, so are you…it’s GRAHAM Central Station. A play on words

[@v33punk]

Yeah man... That IS a badass bass riff yo!

[@niklofr]

I need a second life for being 20% as good as this. Awesome.

[@Kret4en]

That is not true, slap bass is not as hard as it seems, just keep on going. It took me a year to play Miller's Run for Cover however it is possible

[@Panufo]

I've been meaning to send my daughter Michelle (languishing in Argentina) a nice slap lesson, but I can't get my FaceTime cam to cooperate with iMovie. But she's deep into your lessons, so the ball's in your court. Cheers, mate.

[@MrJonasWar]

I never played the bass.... Imma getting one now! Thumps up, funky bass is the shit!

[@norrinRadd026]

I agree with your assessment of Hair but I would be very interested to know what you think of Earthquake also by Graham Central Station.

[@xMadmax5x]

Great Scott, what a great job!!! Cheers my bass slappin friend!

[@basspowerof6]

That is a great groove man. So many spend so much time doing the fast slap but not a nice slow groove like this. Awesome man thanks!

[@toddtucker323]

going to to get a bass and try and learn and I know I will probably never be able to do this, but oh man, I want to!!

[@MrHumanityFailed]

I think the youtube community wants a picture of you before you started losing the locks.

[@markedwardspezenosky5814]

Lol

[@grayman735]

Yes LMAO 😃

[@CyberHottie1995]

I just don't believe it's fair... To judge a man by the length of his hair.

[@jcmcclain57]

Hey Scott, you ought to invite Larry to do something at/on SBL... Cheers!

[@matthewdevlin6798]

Always wondered what you think of Mark king and his basses? The status gear? Interested to know and I think a few more people would want to know :) cheers

[@marcelokornfeld8325]

Thanks You Scott!! Muchas Gracias

[@musikmaan]

Scott, if you've never heard the Bad Brains version of this song I highly recommend a listen. Darryl Jenifer absolutely slays this song. I've been trying to figure out how to play his version for as long as I can remember... still can't figure it out.

[@JonnyProsser]

Darryl isn’t playing too much different than the riff Scott shows here. He’s playing it a bit faster and with a super bright/poppy tone though, and with some extra embellishments. If you get Larry's original version down you'll not be far off the Bad Brains version tbh. 😎

[@musikmaan]

@@JonnyProsser I have the original down pat… still can’t play Darryl’s version 😆

[@JonnyProsser]

@@musikmaan BB version is just faster and really tight. For the main groove I just play the Larry version but at a faster tempo, with a bright & scooped modern slap tone. I think playing the BB version gives an indication of just how tightly you have the original groove down, as it really is just speeding it up. Good luck bro!

[@musikmaan]

@@JonnyProsser 👊🏻

[@Bring_MeSunshine]

Inspirational. I'll take it on

[@brucewayne2371]

Ill slapped the Likebutton to Death,for this great Lesson. Thanks Scott.

[@user-vf2if9sy5h]

Scott , you are the best teacher! thank you for this lesson

[@Mrpsblobsoflowendmung]

Yeah the best Slap bass riff EVER Larry Wins

[@nicolasurteagabriceno3388]

Really good lesson. Thank you a lot.

[@partyofdevils]

This guy does great, well-produced tutorials. I like how he gives alternative right hand moves. "I use the index for extra pop; Larry uses the thumb." Helps you find what works best for you.

[@laserlithuanian]

great lesson scott

[@lastmountpit]

man you own this riff

[@mossovichwintovsky]

this is Soo badass!! gimme a couple days and I'll have this bad boy down pat!! All thanks to u Scott

[@terrimac7993]

Nice lesson Scott! Can I use what you are teaching here to figure out how to play "The Jam"? There are NO good tutorials on KZbin for "The Jam".

[@qfella]

Larry Graham is definitely the one to learn from. Awesome video scott. Thank you. *-----Q-----*

[@rmcfee]

KILLER funk bass! Awesome Scott!

[@jakebloor]

Hey Scott, thanks for the video once again. On a completely unrelated topic than slap bass, I think it would be amazing if you could do a lesson on the bass line from Solage's new tune Cranes in the Sky. It's an awesome bass line with some killer techniques (some of which I am struggling with) that will really help intermediate players understand groove better. Thanks for all of the Groovology that you bring to KZbin, I really appreciate it!

[@gregpruitt1647]

Very nice Larry Graham riff. Victor Wooton also talks about this song.

[@Frogstomp27]

You are really feeling the groove.

[@craigo1981]

Awesome bass line. I'll be trying this one! Need to work on my slap bass and this one seems like a nice slower one to practise with while also sounding badass. As you say, the tempo makes it.

[@element-dh9dx]

Nice cover Scott, that reminds me of Larry right there.

[@devinebass]

🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@element-dh9dx]

@@devinebass Dude !. Good lesson again.

[@highlandhousestudio6638]

Super dooper sick riff buddy!! I'm bald too so maybe that's why I prefer it also!!

[@ChazJazzNY]

Best Education on this bass line I have seen.