I’m Diggin’ You (Like An Old Soul Record)

Me’Shell NdegéOcello remains one of my favourite bass players, and her first two albums – Plantation Lullabies and Peace Beyond Passion – are two of the most influential albums in my collection; almost every track is a goldmine of practically perfect bass grooves.

Taken from Me’shell’s 1993 debut, “I’m Diggin’ You (Like An Old Soul Record)” features so many great bass moments that it’s hard for me to pick my favourite:

Me'Shell NdegéOcello – I'm Diggin' You (Like An Old Soul Record)

The fourth bar of the chart contains a low D note that’s out of the range of a standard-tuned, 4-string electric bass. If you don’t own a 5-string (or, as is often the case, you own one but don’t like playing it), then just transpose the note up an octave, as detuning the low E string ruins the fingerings for almost everything else on the chart.

The recording also features some additional, overdubbed bass parts – listen out for the additional slap bass part during the second verse/guitar solo and the high-register fills during the outro chorus. I’ve done my best to merge everything into one playable part in the transcription: