How to Play Funk Bass
Practice with a drummer, backing track, or metronome., Make sure that you always hit a big note on the one., Hit the one and the three in each bar to build a basic groove., Fill in the gaps between the one and three to build out your lick.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Practice with a drummer
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. -
Step 2: backing track
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. , 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. , 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. -
Step 3: or metronome.
-
Step 4: Make sure that you always hit a big note on the one.
-
Step 5: Hit the one and the three in each bar to build a basic groove.
-
Step 6: Fill in the gaps between the one and three to build out your lick.
Detailed Guide
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.
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. , 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. , 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.
About the Author
George Jones
Experienced content creator specializing in creative arts guides and tutorials.
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