Mark king - lessons in love

Thurisarz · #1 06-11-2005, 08:08 AM

Trying to learn this old gem, but i wonder, when i he slaps on the D and G strings, should i use my thumb or what shall i do?

20db pad · #2 06-11-2005, 08:32 AM

On the legit and not-so-legit live videos I've seen, Mark thumbs the D and G strings during "Lessons" as if he was doing the same on the bigger E and A strings. It's straight old school thumb style - as MK plays it, there's no double thumbing.

It requires a little practice and a modified touch to get the notes to sound this way, but it can be done. For as much of a Level fan as I was at one time, I never found out if Mark wore a plastic sort of sleeve on his thumb, or if it was just tape or something. If it was a material harder than flesh, that would help in bringing out thumbed notes on the D and G strings.

I'd buy into this method having a weaker sound on the D and G strings, otherwise. On the last few Level 42 records, there was almost always a synth bass backing up the bass guitar, so the studio tracks aren't entirely electric bass. "Lessons" was no exception, of course.

**Marcus Willett** · #3 06-11-2005, 09:33 AM

AFAIK, Mark usually uses a plastic thumb-wrap type thing to get more smack out of the strings. If you ever check out the platinum remix edition of Lessons in Love, you get to hear the intro to that tune with the bass isolated for the first 4 bars.

endorka · #4 06-14-2005, 05:45 PM

I had always assumed he stuck to the E, A, and D strings for this song to get an even tone, it can be played this way although there is a lot of shifting about.

to the synth bass doubling thing - I tried for ages to get a slap tone that good, and then I found out about the synth bass...

Jennifer