Time to get slapping! Here’s video 2 of my original video tutorials.
I’m a huge fan of Marcus Miller, and in this video I’ll show you a couple of tricks to help you get his trademark sound. The riff I’ve written is inspired by two tunes in particular – ‘Run For Cover’ (a David Sanborn tune composed by Miller) and ‘Detroit’.
The main riff is all about varying accents and ghost notes. I’ve tried to make this as clear as possible in the transcription, but make sure to watch the video carefully and go through it slowly to get it right.
Fill 1 contains a quick double-pop-thumb measure that is tricky to co-ordinate at first, but once you get the hang of it you’ll be throwing it in everywhere. Or maybe that’s just me! The key to nailing it is to use your index and middle fingers for each of the pops, keeping your right hand close to the strings until it’s time to use the thumb.
Fill 2 employs a trick that Miller uses all the time. Start by popping the first note, sliding to the next one, then hitting the string with the thumb to repeat that note. Repeat the last two steps (slide – thumb – slide – thumb etc) and you’ve got a classic Marcus Miller style lick.
Have fun, and don’t forget to download the transcription and backing track!