@Mr6292 After having seen him on stage in 1984 (I was 17) I wanted to burn my bass in my parents' chimney, but then I thought: "Mark King wasn't born with a bass in his hands, and if he learned to slap so well I can learn it too!" Thank god I kept my instrument in one piece, because two years later I was called "Höxter's (the city I was born) answer to Mark King", and now I earn my money playing bass ... :-)

I've only just discovered this. I've been a huge fMark King fan for over 20 years. Thanks to whomever posted this video. Mark can transform a four-stringed instrument into a mult-percussive band with his genius mind and fingers. He is so technically proficient, it's ridiculous!

Mark is a master of what he does. He really plays and thinks outside of the box. His passion for his music shows in everything he does... There never was another band that sounded like Level 42!

He makes it look so easy. And he actually explains the techniques quite well. Thanx for for the vid

I just discovered Level 42 on Thursday. (Late, I know.) Always knew about the two really big hits, but didn't know anything else about them, except for the Douglas Adams connection. Thanks to KZfaq and you, I now know about Mark King. I always thought he had a beautiful singing voice, but now I'm truly impressed by his musicianship. Thanks!

THE BEST ~how to~ VIDEO IVE SEEN RELATING TO THE SLAP STYLE FROM ITS BEST EXPONANT MR MARK KING !!!! it really is all here MANY THANKS minx3a KINGbassplayer

This is the man who took slap to a whole new Level! Respect d..b ~

British humour AND outstanding technique - got to love him! Thanks for posting these gems, keep it up! :)

This is great! Most famous artists that are on top like mark King won't break down their signatures techniques this simply were you can see it being achieveable except for Wooten.

This is a great clip - very good posting! Top man!

I just picked up level 42's latest cd-retroglide from 2006----unbelievable-you HAVE to check it out....music is the soundtrack to the diary of our lives....in 20 years from now when Im still digging on it...I'll be remeniscing on 2009!!

Makes me want to get an Alembic. What a sound! And King is great at that technique-- very underrated.

thankyou for posting this!!! he really is an amazing bassist and it's great to see him explain his style of playing :)

For sure, mastering that percussive element in the basic triplet pattern is the key!

easily the most under rated bassist in music

the amazing thing is: he plays in a percussive way making notes and melodies and at the same time he sings....like the greatest of all time....

Absolutely loved that, cheers!

He tells you how to do it, but I still couldn't. I greatly admire Mark King, I am in awe.

makes perfect sense when you hear and see him demo his drumming ideas transposed to the bass...until you try and do it! brilliant musician.

Thats facinating clip on how he does his magic, basically he plays the bass using a drummer mentality.

Pure TALENT! I would so love to have his gift.

Mark King = The King !!!!

this man is amazing...please some one out there who is a fan sample his dna because we need more bass players like this! the funny thing for me as a bass player is im not as fast as he is but i play differntly..for example he wears that tape on his thumb..ill play for hours and my thumb is fine, but its my pointer and miuddle finger that gets the brunt of it...i also got tendonitis in my pip joint from playing so much..find i must be very warmed up to even get near that..bass playing i love.

Very interesting stuff. Thanks!

Thanks so much for uploading this vid :) what a legend, not you... him ;) thanks again

he is amazing.... fantastic

he is one of the best!

AMEN...He's the man!!!

2:23 "my right hand isn't going particularly fast" then proceeds to shred with the fastest bass I've seen in a while.

I was geeking out on this stuff 30 years ago and still am. But its not just about speed and how fast you play, its about feel and the melodic songs. Feel for me is not someone who's techincially fast (and there many out there), but when they play it makes the hairs on your neck tingle ! which more often and not isnt fast playing, ie The Johnson Brothers etc. Bass lines that Hurt !

Yeah i fully understand, i don't think about my right hand when i slap or thump, just the playing notes with the left and his ability to left hand slap i think is really coool =)

stunning

need more... must have more mark king instructional...

@StrawberryJungle excellent !!.

Mark King Rocks and alwaya will!!!!!

I feel the Force Thank you Yoda!

I've read somewhere that he's now using status strings. I used to play with Rotosound before (I think that brand replaces Superwound that Mark uses in the 80's but the brand doesn't exist anymore. I've tried D'Orazio superlight gauge (30-85) : Great for fast playing but the E and A strings sound is toooooo light. I put GHS Boomer 40-95 now and I think it's a good choice for seed-sound. Fred

13 people dont like this ?? They certainly are not bass players :-)

He keeps amazing me...even though i've seen his "tricks" for 25 years now. i still adore his sound and techniques...and he is a great guy. first time i noticed that he isnt using rotosound strings btw...anyone knows what strings he uses here?

What amazes me about Mark King and Les Claypool is their economy of motion.

Very true... But the things he is explaining in this vid are just the basics of slap-bass... Greeeeeez

i ve seen this vid before on another youtube ...love the insight he gives into his technique .. i can do anything with this hand ... hahahhaa!!!

@SuperJLogan And to add to this: he still holds the floor in almost everything he plays, even while soloing; at the end of the day, he's still playing bass, that's not easy

LED's (light emiting diodes) built into the neck of the guitar, MK can turn these off or on by a switch to the rear of the main body, we all say they look "tarty", but Mark assures us they are to help him see the fret spacing in the dark !!, as if !!.

pure class ;-)

Nice on the Alembic, but I have to admit, I do like his sound on the Status better. Good switch.

Base legend. And modest enough to say - "Look guys, it's no mystery - I just do this..." Er... Yeah, all right Mark, I'll keep practicing!

From the "Pier Interview" entitled "King of the Isle.

@marmorvegen3 Very welcome !.

Not quite, Mark used Series II Alembic basses. The Mark King model came along much later.

@divast2008: I agree 100 % !!.

The Pier Interview named "King of the Isle". Hope this helps !!.

so what do you do if you are cursed with small hands? i know his bass has SUPER lite touch. which helps, but what do you do with the reach. mark king is fantastic

@drewzzr1 excellent !!..........

He is a god !!!! To think he plays them rhythms , while playing a tune , while singing a completely different rhythm and tune at the same time ...He also manages to chew gum during all of this !!! No wonder he does,nt know his left hand from his right... no room left inside his brain for immaterial matters !!!

this guy its I M P R E S I V E

How on earth can you dislike this?????

his expression at 2:59, " Well, piece 'a cake"

@paddy689909; Wow, steady on Paddy !.

hes MAD dude MAD

Wow

Oh my god !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@the12345joker "may the force be with you !"

He is a genius

he pratices the double thumb ? Pratique-t-il le pouce aller retour ?

Holy shit!

@Mr6292 I think plenty of people will just get discouraged! But practice makes anything possible. Granted some people will always be better. That's just genetics.

effortless!!!

wow

From memory, I think they were always superwound strings but don't quote me.

Yeah sorry its a typo :)

Correct

@a1974h: Yehh right !.

SIMPLES!

F'in rockass!!! :D

I've put up a "How to play slap bass" tutorial. Check it out

I know, its a typo :)

@minx3a !!

@a1974h post a video of you playing like Mark King and we can have a discussion. Until then.....

@jsilence418 ??.

bravo e simpatico el "fio"

Sweet. Now I'm 110% sure I'll never be that good at slap bass. Lol

I guess I better get back in that woodshed....

Thumbs up for Mark King picking his nose!

i believe so, yes but in this video he use an alembic, u can tell from its head

haha, yeah you're right, darn it :)

i thought i was weird when i slap because my arm proper comes away from the bass then back down when a lot of people are just moving the wrist but mark does as well :) (not so much in this video)

"Slapping is the ketchup of Bass playing"" Anthony Jackson

@licobass100 ??

in this vid its a alembic ,mark king model

ALEMBIC!!

THIS DUDE IS BAAAAAAAAD! he got larry graham beat i think!

@bofursgun Madam, please !!.

Mark is phenominal. Too bad a majority of bassist nowdays seems to be missing this interesting element in playing most musical venues. Alembic series basses are the best, there really should be more bassist out there playing them. You simply can't beat that sound/response/tone.

not only a genius ,, hes funny to.. 1:03...

Guitarist !.

dommage que la qualité laisse a desirer sinon très intéressant

@enterBJ40: Yahhh, don't think so !!.

Thin strings, a good amplifier/preamp and his fingers make this sound... it doesn't really mather if the bass is Alembic, Musicman or whatever... PS: Active > Passive for slappin'

man, that guy is fast...