Ok guys, I can slap decently, I can slap and pop nites fine, I can play some slap songs like a couple of Primus and Chillies, unfortunatly when it come to just improv slapping I can't make it sound groovy or funky. Like I hear my teacher playing these great little peices of funk and when I try and play it it sounds like any other riff, from any other genre exept that its slapped!

Help me! :bawl:

Ok guys, I can slap decently, I can slap and pop nites fine, I can play some slap songs like a couple of Primus and Chillies, unfortunatly when it come to just improv slapping I can't make it sound groovy or funky. Like I hear my teacher playing these great little peices of funk and when I try and play it it sounds like any other riff, from any other genre exept that its slapped!

Help me! :bawl:


it's a shame but...

+1 =(

To groove with a technique, it has to be completely second nature. Once slapping and thumping becomes more ingrained to your playing, the thought becomes less and less and the groove comes in more and more. It helps to listen to and really absorb old school funk -- Larry Graham (Graham Central Station,) old Motown (albeit not slapped, Jamerson was unquestionably the funkiest man in modern music history,) Sly and the Family Stone, Family Man Barret, etc.

Also good to check out to absorb funky rhythms and booty-swinging, heartstopping grooves would be guys like Remy Shand and D'Angelo. Remy Shand is a wonderful multi-instrumentalist (The Way I Feel was played almost entirely by him) and one hell of a grooving bassist. D'Angelo is a bit more strictly R&B, and has some FANTASTIC bass work by some of the grooviest people around -- Raphael Saaddiq and Pino Palladino. Also, "The Roots" is a GREAT place to look for funky (and often slapped) bass parts from Hub Hubbard. Good hip hop, great basslines.

EDIT:

Thought of a few more! The two groups "Groove Collective" and "Incognito" are both really great, highly grooving groups with fantastic bassists. Also, you might want to check into some world music. While a little more drum-oriented and a little less bass, this stuff is great to jam along to. Check out Babatunde Lea for some neat stuff here.

Choice cuts of the groups I've mentioned:

(old Motown) Marvin Gaye - What's Goin' On
Remy Shand - Liberate
D'Angelo - Untitled (How Does It Feel?) and Spanish Joint
The Roots (ft. Les Nubians) - Sweetest Taboo
Groove Collective - Lift Off, Acid Jazz, and She's So Heavy
Incognito - Jacob's Ladder (really cool bass intro too, I love playing it)

What he said!

What I would add, though, is practice away from the bass. Sing lines. Thump them on your knees. Dance while you're doing it. (Careful!) Concentrate on phrasing and placing accents which you can't fully do when you're worried about notes and technique. Then try to sing and thump as you play (like, in your mind, y'know?). Phrase on the bass how you would sing the line.

knowing the notes and the basic rhythm isn't gonna give you funk, by themselves.

For funk, of course you need very tight rhythm and good notes, but those are just the beginning. Practice FEEL.

Sing or hum the lines you want to play. Do this incessantly when you don't have your bass in your hands, with or without the stuff playing along on the radio. Do it until you can do it convincingly any time distracted or not. If you can't sing it, you can't play it.

Practice playing the stuff (slowed down if the tempo is too fast), without the radio going, so you can really hear the details of what you are playing. Focus in on the minute details of your tone and feel, paying especially close attention to the dynamics (which notes get more accent, and which are softer). Your teacher should help you with this - do it in front of him and have him comment.

Remember, it takes time to get good at this. Bass is all about feel, and you will never be finished working on it. Years from now, after you have practiced this stuff for countless hours, months, etc., you will still be trying to get better at it.

Also, remember, part of learning to get that feel, is learning to develop your ears to hear that level of detail in your and other people's playing.

Most importantly, this process is fun. The more you practice it, the more you'll internalize it.

thanks guys, im beginning to get the hang of the singing stuff i havent touched the bass in two days (partially due to sore hands) and Im listening to all kinds of funk from my dads collection. Cheers

You can't give somebody funk, they have it or they don't.

You can't give somebody funk, they have it or they don't.


I don't buy it. I've never known a person that the first time they picked up an instrument (any instrument, you choose), that just had that funk thing. Everyone learns it. You get the funk by immersing yourself in the style and really listening to and absorbing what other people do - just like any other style.

You can't give somebody funk, they have it or they don't.

:rolleyes: Truly a wonderful contribution to the thread. I'm with thewanderer on this one.

:) You want to sound funky? Use the most widely ignored ingredient in bass playing. Space. You'll be amazed at the results.

:) You want to sound funky? Use the most widely ignored ingredient in bass playing. Space. You'll be amazed at the results.

+1

It'll be so much funkier that way.

I don't buy it. I've never known a person that the first time they picked up an instrument (any instrument, you choose), that just had that funk thing. Everyone learns it. You get the funk by immersing yourself in the style and really listening to and absorbing what other people do - just like any other style.

Totally agree..

You want to sound funky? Use the most widely ignored ingredient in bass playing. Space. You'll be amazed at the results.

What do you mean by 'Space' ?

Totally agree..



What do you mean by 'Space' ?
i think he means silence, somtimes the lack of sound can be just as impressive if it is used correctly

Oh i think i know what you/he means.. like the rests in the middle of grooves?.. like.. erm

G|----------------------------
D|----------------------------
A|--7x----------------------7--
E|----------0505---7-8-------

something like that?

instead of notes all over the place without rests?

You want to sound funky? Use the most widely ignored ingredient in bass playing. Space. You'll be amazed at the results.Where can you buy this "space" thing? Is there a good source of Boutique Space on the internet? I'm always looking for an edge.

Randy

Don't get hung up on slapping for it to be funky. I actually favor fingerstyle for funk, take a look at some jaco or paul jackson. With paul jackson, check out any herbie hancock cd with him on it.

G]--7--------------------7--------------------------
D]---------------3--------------------------------------
A]5----2--3--5--------5----2--3-x-----------------------
E]----------------------------------7\--------------------


Just kinda off handed it......first time actually trying to tab out something....play around with it, throw in some slides and some stops, also some double pops on the g 7 and don't forget to be silent every once in a while! Just have fun and experiment!


Oog

I don't buy it. I've never known a person that the first time they picked up an instrument (any instrument, you choose), that just had that funk thing. Everyone learns it. You get the funk by immersing yourself in the style and really listening to and absorbing what other people do - just like any other style.

Yeah, but some people just can't play funk, some can. YOu have to practice, but if he can't do it,he just might not be able. I have a friend who can play all the Chili songs in the world but can't groove at all.

My addition:
FOr maximum funkiness don't only do slap, because I think fingerstyle best defines the genre. Check out Chic, Lakeside, Ohio Players, and numerous other bands.

Yeah, but some people just can't play funk, some can. YOu have to practice, but if he can't do it,he just might not be able. I have a friend who can play all the Chili songs in the world but can't groove at all.

Ray Brown said something along the lines of "It's only difficult because you haven't practiced it enough yet."

If your friend could play the songs he could make them groove. I say he can't play em. Playing the notes in time is NOT by itself playing the songs. Learning to really groove takes years, and it's a skill that you will never fully develop. It's a lifelong process.

And definitely, Slap is not at all a requirement for funk.

listen and try to perfect covers from cream, the who ( the real me), black sabbath ( Fairies wear boots), just fairly groovy stuff, Ive found that by learning proper groove as best as you can first, does help you to evolve your funky skills, dunno why but it worked with me, the rest is up to you, practice and improvise on some covers.

Playing with a funk minded drummer is a fantastic way to learn to groove. My drummer and I will often spontaneously play a round of 'How far to the back of the beat can we play?'. Always fun for all.
Except for the guitarists. ;)

Using "Space" ie: not playing, as mentioned before, is a very effective groove tool. In my experience people that have to play all the time usually don't have good internal time.

And remember, slap is a technique, funk is a style. If you slap and pop your way through Bach's "Cello Prelude in G" and stick to the score, it'll still be a Classical piece.

I don't care what anybody says, anybody can learn to groove. Some people will have the natural ability, and others will have to work extra hard, but anybody can become a groove monster.

I used to get VERY frustrated with my ability, and through I would never "get it." This was up until very recently. Sure, I could groove a simple 8th note rhythm, but when it came to subdividing into 16ths and playing funk, I was/am horrible.

Over the last several weeks I have really been focusing. I've been picking a tune, learning it on my CD-BT1 slowed down. The key then is to turn off the playback, and play with a metronome alone! Listen very carefully to yourself and the click. Make sure the placement of the notes and the space feels right. It' s not about what IS right, it's about what FEELS right to you. If it makes you want to move, shake, tap, bob, etc, then you know you are grooving. For extra credit, record yourself with the click, and give it a listen. Recording don't lie :)

Do this for awhile, and your rhythm and groove skills will improve! Mine are! Sure, I have a long way to go, but I already feel more comfortable.

Also, a plug for a great book. Check out Ed Friedland's Bass Grooves. It is really helping me with internalizing rhythm.

As in blues, its all about playing with heart... NO brain! just don't think at beeing groovy, just BE groovy... Jump into that music, let it flow from your hands... Btw.> try to listen to as many recordings as you can, its VERY useful for learning how to play....

Not to sound like a wet blanket but this whole "You must feel it, don't think!" idea is BS. DO more than feel, go out and learn. Feeling it is something you can do much more effectively after you understand. Your brain has to learn what the groove is, and to me grooves stand out especially because of a specific things. Then and only then can you start to let go of the thinking aspect of the music and begin to do it second nature, or "feel" as some call it.

- Articulation: accents, legato vs. Staccato, muting ability, phrasing. Listen to how the great funk bassists specify note values, accent certain notes to add to the feel of the music. A simple exercise to do is one I picked up from a bassplayer magazine- play a group of 16th notes at a slow tempo, and every grouping gets one different note accented. First grouping 1, second 2, etc.

-Tone: fairly obvious but find a tone that you like first off, that sits in a mix and allows for definition, there's no point in cutting a note off and practicing your articulation if your big fat tubby bass tone ends up making you sound like you're chugging out 8ths with a pick.

This is by no means a be all end all post, Im just trying to give you a little help beyond "learn to feel it." Listening is a good strategy, but listen all the time, and sing parts with accents and all. When you hear a line you like, get it in your head completely and do your best to replicate the feel (read: accents, note value, rest value, timing) to the best of your ability.

This is by no means a be all end all post, Im just trying to give you a little help beyond "learn to feel it." Listening is a good strategy, but listen all the time, and sing parts with accents and all. When you hear a line you like, get it in your head completely and do your best to replicate the feel (read: accents, note value, rest value, timing) to the best of your ability.

To me, feel means that you can reproduce the proper rhythm and accents (you have a good point there). Feel doesn't mean just making junk up, it means learning what makes a groove groove. For me, that usually means note placement and leaving room for the drums. Feel doesn't mean turn off your brain, but it does mean listen and make sure what you are playing fits.

:) You want to sound funky? Use the most widely ignored ingredient in bass playing. Space. You'll be amazed at the results.
This is the most important thing. Funk is something that's implicated more than articulated. That goes for both finger and slap techniques.

You can't give somebody funk, they have it or they don't.

There is some truth to this. I believe it's a function of what you are accustomed to listening to from birth on up to and beyond the point that you begin playing. Doesn't mean you can't immerse yourself TOTALLY in the genre and become a funky mofo but it does mean that those players that grow up on a steady diet of funk and relate to it i.e. by listening, feeling and dancing to it will have more of a funky sensibility than someone that hasn't.

Why do you think a cat like Bootsy Collins is funky? Answer: It's the medium in which he was raised and he also gigged with James Brown.

Yup, by space I mean't not only silence (playing less notes and treating silence as a note in itself) but also the length of the note. Like if you play a quarter note on the one holding it right up until the snare comes in on two so the snare is by itself. Drummers love when guys do this. :p

I would strongly recommend opening up your musical tastes to different genres. Learning the funk can only be acheived by listening to the funk, and I'm not talking bout RHCP here (even Flea would agree to that).

On the 4th of July I went to my college friend's house, where he had a BBQ/jam session. One of his co-workers plays guitar but apparently the only style of music he knows is classic rock. Bummer. I was jamming on this improvised funk tune witht he drummer and all this guy could do was pound our power chords in the same key as my bassline. I was trying to tell him to play higher up on the fretboard but I guess that doesn't make sense to him.
Luckily, there was another guitar player in the house that knew all soers of music, and it was more fun playing with him, but damn, I just can't stand it when you have people with very limited musical tastes and skills.

It's one thing to be a newbie, sure...everyone was a newbie at one point. I'm sure though that this guy has been playing for more than 5 yrs.