Funk Bass Method
The funk bass has one of the most exciting sounds in all of bass playing, and the most important bassists know it.
That's why everyone who has ever trained on the electric bass turns to funk bass to learn its secrets and its technique.
This time around, we want to share one of the most useful methods so you can learn to play funk bass.
Stick with us so you don't miss anything we have in store for you.
What Is Funk?
It's a musical genre that was born in the 1960s thanks to artists like the giant James Brown and the iconic all-time great band Earth, Wind & Fire.
More recently, we get to enjoy funk bass thanks to the compositions of artists such as Jamiroquai and Joss Stone, among others.
That said, the single most important figure in the development of funk is James Brown, and we owe him everything, or at least a huge part of what we have today.
Funk Bassists
So you have something to listen to and can get familiar with the sound of funk bass, here are the names that matter most in the genre:
- Marcus Miller.
- Victor Wooten.
- Stanley Clarke.
- Bernard Edwards.
- Stuart Zender.
- Verdine White.
- Bootsy Collins.
There are still plenty of other important names in the genre, but these will get you started so you can figure out which of their sounds suits you best.
Why the Bass Matters in Funk
The funk bass plays a vital role in the genre because it brings the following ingredients to the table:
- Body: because of the depth of the sound, the songs take on body, they're more solid and make more sense. In other words, when you hear funk bass you can picture the song.
- Movement: this is motion, and motion is vital within a song. Even though the drums and the piano contribute a lot of this, songs in the genre would lack movement without funk bass.
- Ornamentation: one of the hallmarks of funk is its flamboyance. Funk is eye-catching and visual, and it draws you in through both sight and sound. That's why funk bass features a wide range of techniques that embellish the compositions.
We're not exaggerating when we say that if you want to be a great funk bassist, then you should aim to be flashy, eye-catching and highly expressive.
Funk Bass Method
Hal Leonard has the best method out there to help you build a solid foundation and develop serious funk bass skills.
This guide was written by Chris Kringel and contains a series of really interesting, useful lessons to help you take your first steps in funk bass.
What will you find in the method? We'll tell you.
- Thumb Slap
- Finger Pop
- Slap and Pop
- Techniques
- Grooving
On top of all that, there are also plenty of other techniques and short excerpts from some of the most important funk bass compositions.
So remember to download the method as a PDF and start studying this great instrument and musical genre.
