If you’re a fan of the playing of James Jamerson, it’s quite likely you have the James Jamerson ‘Standing in the Shadows of Motown’ book with many transcriptions in it. One is the Junior Walker version of ‘How Sweet It Is’ in Db. The Marvin Gaye version is very similar but in the key of C and slightly easier to play due to the easier use of open strings. I decided to write this one out. There were a few triplets that were not easy to pick out on the recording. The more you transcribe the easier it is supposed to become. They seemed correct playing with the original recording and hearing nothing standing out or clashing.
I recorded the bass line which you can see in the video below. I am reading it. I try not to include my face as it’s not pretty, but to make the video a little more interesting, I included another angle. I’ve used a standard 62 re-issue precision which has a high density foam under the bridge cover. This is similar to the original bass foam rather than a sponge like so many do. Does it make much difference compared to a sponge. Probably not. Maybe something for another video perhaps.
Anyway, I hope you get some use from this transcription as well.
You can find the transcription here:-
Click this text for Transcription