Learning to Groove
Practice with a drummer, backing track, or metronome. While a bass guitar does provide a melody line, it considered as part of the rhythm section. It holds the beat down, and it cannot waver. If you want to slap a funky bass, you must have perfect, dependable rhythm for your band, with no exceptions. Always practice with a steady beat to play with. 99% of all funk is in 4/4 time, meaning you count out "1,2,3,4," then repeat the bass line for the next set of four. Set your metronome or practice partner to a comfortable speed on a 4/4 beat and get grooving. Most modern music is in 4/4 -- it should be the most comfortable rhythm for you. Funk is not about playing the most notes or the flashiest lines -- it is about building a danceable, hypnotic groove. Precise timing is more important than wild, ever-changing melodies.
Make sure that you always hit a big note on the one. The first beat is the most important in funk. You need to hit it perfectly, right on time, every time. If your timing is perfectly on the one, hitting that note with a satisfying, killer "pop," you'll find the beat starts to really move. Look no further than recent funk single "Back to the Future (Part 1)" by D'Angelo and the Vanguard. The bassline is almost only one note, played on every single beat. But, ever so subtly, he plays the first note twice in a row, giving it a subtle but powerful emphasis. The rest of the band is grounded on the one, as is the listener.
Hit the one and the three in each bar to build a basic groove. Funk is built out of 4/4 time, and the first and third notes are the most important. To put a funky spin on any bassline, strip it down to these two notes. Focus on hitting them right on the beat, and don't play any other notes around it. The more precise you are, falling right in line with the drummer, the more funky the groove gets. To start, just find the one or two notes that you need here. Remember -- funk melodies aren't supposed to be so complex you can't dance to them. Find the key of the song by finding the note that works perfectly on the one, and just stick to that for now. If you know several scales uses those to pick notes for the three beat. Check out Parliament Funkadelics' "One Nation Under a Groove." Note how the bassline almost stops after the three -- letting the four go unsaid. This makes the one pop even more when it comes back, breaking the silence. All the rest of the notes are just filler to make the one and three really stand out. Play with how long you let the notes ring out. Try sharp, short notes that "pop" right on the one, then hold the three a little longer. Reverse it. Once you start learning to build a groove with just these two simple notes, you'll be leagues ahead of most beginner bassists.
Fill in the gaps between the one and three to build out your lick. The one and the three form the funky spine, and should always be emphasized over the rest. But the fun comes from the in between. Start improvising a few notes on the two and the four, always coming sharply back to your backbone to keep the groove going. You can fill it out with a scale, you can walk up the fretboard towards the three, or you can play with silences and longer-held notes. Just keep the one and three solid and the rest will fall into place. Listen to Sly and the Family Stones long, incredible instrumental break in "Sex Machine" for a master course from bassist Larry Graham. The one and the three are sharp notes, and he leaves space around them. They hold the groove down. But the two and four are filled with quicker, quieter notes that propel the song forward.
Improving your Licks
Get physical with your strings. The big bad strings of a bass can take a lot of abuse, and you should feel free to really play with them. Strum softly with your thumb, then pluck hard on a lower strings to get the crisp, satisfying pop. Slap the string with your palm to get it ringing. Play muted notes, where you aren't pressing fully on the fret, to get a percussive "note" instead of a melody. Varying these "textures" is a great way to build an essential sense of rhythm into your bass lines.
Let repetition become your friend, to a point. Funk gains power through repetition. You are the one keeping the band and melody on track, providing a sturdy base to dance on. You don't want to be switching up your licks or grooves every 2-3 bars, you want to be reliable. However, the occasional deviation is exciting, fresh, and funky. Every 4 bars or so, mix it up -- hitting a higher version of your root note, sliding out of the lick, etc. By restraining yourself, you make your subtle deviations even more exciting. Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" has a kicking, relatively regular bassline. But, when Stevie's' voice kicks it up an octave, he switches up the final two beats with a nasty little slide that signals the shift in and out of the chord change.
Don't be afraid of spaces and silences. The notes you play are just as important as the ones you don't. Syncopation, which is when you leave pauses and spaces where listeners expect a note, is crucial to good funk. In general, spaces are used to make the note immediately before or after feel more important, meaning the two and four beats are great places to put a little silence. Rhythmic variety is created by having spaces. And variety, especially when synced up with your drummer, is where the funk starts to shine. Check out Kendrick Lamar's "King Kunta", paying attention to the just barely syncopated pause after the three beat. You expect the note to hold, like it does after the one, but the unexpected syncopation gives it a fresh, immediately danceable feel.
Learn funky bass lines that you love to expand your vocabulary. Once you have the rhythm down, getting the groove with a few simple notes, you can expand your funky chops but copying the masters. Look up the tabs to every song that catches your ear. Focus on getting them perfect, note for note. How do other masters fill in the gaps? How do they emphasize the one and three? How do they use silence to their advantage? While you should listen to anything you love, some classic bassists to start with include: Larry Graham (with Sly and the Family Stone, Graham Central Station) Bootsy Collins (with Parliament-Funkadelic, James Brown, his own band) James Jamerson (with the James Brown Band) Victor Wooten (solo, with SMV)
Using Funky Scales
Learn the minor pentatonic scale. This scale is a great way to throw some melodic variation into your lines, and fits neatly over funk, blues, rock, and pop chord progressions. It has a slightly moody, bluesy feel. As always, find the one and three and make them shine, often using the root note. The following is the A-minor pentatonic scale. The note in parenthesis is a grace note, used for a bluesy feel, that can be left out if you want:G|----------5-7-(8)-|D|-----------5---7-|A|-----5-(6)-7-------|E|-5-8-------------|
Learn the major pentatonic scale for a more upbeat feel. The major pentatonic offers the variation loved in pentatonic, but it has a happier feel. It's not quite as bright as the major scale, but it's still a good mood kind of scale and is used accordingly. The following is for the A-major pentatonic scale:G|-----------4---6-|D|-----------4---7-|A|-----4---7-|E|-5-7-------------|
Play a major scale for warm, happy tones. Start the scale on the root note and play from there, using the scale to help your find notes for your licks. The following scale is for A Major, since it starts on the fifth fret (an A):G|-----------------|D|-----------4-6-7-|A|-----4-5-7-------|E|-5-7-------------|
Play the minor scale for a darker, sadder tone. Not used a tone in funk, but still easily modified for funk, this note will give you a bit of a darker, more intense feel for songs that call for it. When played straight, it may sound a little too sad, but that focus on rhythm will give it the pulsing feel that makes it funk. This is for A minor:G|-----------------|D|-------------5-7-|A|-------5-7-----|E|-5-7-8-----------|
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