Chords for The Greatest Synth-Pop Bass Line EVER

_ _ [A] _ _ [D] _ _ [G] _ _
_ Give me one word that just [N] screams the 1980s.
How about tubular?
_ Gnarly!
That's a good one.
I've got one.
_ Kajagoogoo.
Originally known as Art Nouveau, the band Kajagoogoo took the world by storm in 1983
with a catchy, bass-driven hit song called Too Shy.
[Eb] _ _
[Ab] _ _ _ _ _ _ [N] And I'm here to tell you that this bass line right here is one of the most unique
and creative lines you'll ever hear on a pop record.
Let's take the intro.
He's using left-hand hammer-ons and pull-offs to create those [F] 16th notes with the open string.
[A] _ _
[Em] _ _ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [Ab] And to my ears, it sounds like he's playing fingerstyle on the intro.
[A] _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [A] _ _ _ We're in the key of [N] A here, but like many of your favorite hit songs, it's been sped
up just a little bit so it almost sounds like it's in the [Bb] key of B flat.
_ _ _ _ _ [A] _
_ _ _ _ _ [Em] And all of this is happening over two chords.
An E minor 7 [Gbm] and a very cool F sharp minor 11.
Now that C natural that he's going up to grab up high doesn't [Em] really fit this tonality.
_ _ _ [N] But for some reason, it works.
It gives us a bluesy, funky sound.
Now when the verse starts, he kicks into thumbstyle.
And the genius is how he blurs the line between when the bass is doubling the synth bass and
when it's filling.
Listen hard.
[Em] _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ [A] _
_ _ _ [C] _ _ _ [D] _ _
[F] _ _ [B] _ _ [E] _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ _ [A] _ _ _ [C] _ _
[D] _ _ [B] _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ And [G] that chorus, man, that is all bass. _ _ _ _
_ [C] _ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _
[G] _ _ [C] _ _ [D] _ _ [G] _ _
_ [Bb] _ _ [Am] _ _ _ [G] _ _
[F] _ _ _ _ _ The dude was 21 years old.
[D] _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ [F] _ _ [Bb] _ _ _
_ _ [N] The line goes all over the instrument at this point.
Slapping, _ sliding, open hammer plucking.
And his note choice is blues [D] sound all the way.
_ [G] _ _ _ [Bb] _ _
_ _ _ [G] _ _ _ [Bb] _ _
[Db] _ _ [F] _ _ [G] _ _ [Bb] _ _
_ _ [F] _ Even the interlude is focused on the bass line.
[A] _ _ _ _ [E] _
_ _ _ [A] _ _ _ [G] _ _
[E] _ _ [N] This song is clearly built around the nuances that are happening in the bass.
And of course, La Mon.
[B] _ The bass is right up front in the mix.
[C] It's present and it's played with a very [Eb] high level of musicianship.
And the musician that played it and co-wrote it is the one and only Nick Beggs.
And he recorded it on a Wahl Pro II bass guitar, like you see in the video.
The British born Beggs was the heart and soul of Kaja Gugu.
And his very strong musical presence can be felt all over the three albums that they did
in the 80s.
And he was barely in his 20s.
One of my favorite Nick Beggs lines is from the 1984 follow up album Islands on a tune
called The [A] Lion's Mouth.
_ [B] _ _
_ [Eb] _ _ _ When Kaja Gugu broke up, his career was only beginning.
He went on to play with Steve Hackett and Howard Jones and the Mute Gods and Stephen
Wilson, just to name a few.
I've always admired his musicianship, which you can clearly hear in [D] his playing.
But he is a living example of someone that has used [Ebm] their exceptional talent to evolve
and grow in the music [E] business.
40 years [Dm] later, and he's still playing [Bm] and writing and performing on some of the [D] biggest
stages with [Am] a host of artists, [Bb] which sometimes includes Kaja Gugu.
[Bm] Adapt.
Grow.
[D] _
Make your musical [G] footprint bigger [C] and see how [C] many more [Cm] musicians you can bring into your [C] circle.
He's made a ton of music [Dm] since this [E] iconic bass line.
So [Bb] go and [Dm] check him out.
[E] Thank you Nick [Bb] Beggs, and I'm going [Dm] to practice.
_ [Gm] _ _ [Bb] _ _ [Am] _ _ [Dm] _ _ _
[Gm] _ _ [Bb] _ _ _ [N] _ _ _