The Funk

The funk is in the fingers, the gut and the hat.

That looks like a lot of fun!

[quote name='Hit&Run' post='72508' date='Oct 10 2007, 11:44 PM']I don't see any real limits myself, other than the fact I'm really lazy.[/quote] The roles of virtuoso, songwriter and bandmember aren't that easy to reconcile because of the fact above - there just isn't time to do everything to your maximum potential.

Before watching the clip I was going to say something stupid like "stop getting worked up about stupid youtube videos" - but that clip really is stupid. I can't identify what the guy is pretending to teach us about hip hop bass playing.

Innervisions is better than Songs In The Key Of Life though. Although that's like saying caviar's better than champagne.

Big Nate is a monster player. If you can't play I Wish that fast, just play it right at 70% speed - then keep upping the tempo on your metronome until you get it up to speed.

[url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/lookaroundyou/2000/200026.shtml"]Click Here[/url]

I have the Drawmer. I'm new to compressors so I can't really provide a decent review.

Well played. What a f*cking weirdo to write an email to a covers band to complain.

I was going to say "stay away from New Orleans funk". It is a whole different thing that requires a completely different approach - I haven't heard anyone who wasn't from New Orleans play it well or even ok. If you're going to do it, you'll have to appreciate that it's not something you can just dabble in. You'd have to completely immerse yourself in it.

You're married to a drummer? Do you guys sit around jamming? That's so cool.

Superb! Love it.

Funk is all about grooves and accents. As the others have said above, you and the drummer must be totally locked in with each other. And, again, as the others said above, the 1 is a very important accent in funk. I'd explain it like this: a big accent on the 1 and a slightly smaller accent on the 2 and 4. Most of the time people will expect to hear your drummer playing a big kick drum on the 1 and a snappy snare drum on the 2 and 4. The fun thing about funk is that you, as a bass player, can throw in accents in places other than the 1, 2 and 4 to add some spice to the basic groove. This is why players like Bernard Edwards used a lot of 8th note syncopation (ie. playing the off-beats in 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and) and players like Louis Johnson used a lot of 16th note syncopation (ie. playing the off-beats in 1 a and a 2 a and a 3 a and a 4 a and a). Don't worry about that for now. To start off with, play the root note on the 1 and then pick your spot somewhere else for a few other notes. But as everyone has said, keep it simple. If it's cluttered, it won't groove. As for who to listen to, there are basically two schools of funk: James Brown's school (which was in your face and all about the 1) and Sly Stone's school (which was more laid-back, making you clap on 2 and 4). As well as those two, listen to Parliament-Funkadelic, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder and Headhunters for a solid introduction to funk. You should check out 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th generation funk after you've checked out these guys.

Didn't make it down in the end. Let me know about the next one.

[quote name='steve' post='69960' date='Oct 5 2007, 12:41 PM']but if you look at the guy's belly, I'm sure chris will be able to outrun him if it turns ugly[/quote] Phhfftt... Call that a belly? I honestly think you should wear a wire or go in with a hidden camera. It could make for priceless viewing. You should end the whole conversation with something like: "I have just one more question: do you actually know anything at all?"

When? Where? How much?