Playing in the 'Pocket'

[bassjamm]

Hi Janek,

Just wondered what your thoughts were on this subject?

I mostly play Acid Jazz, funk and groove based stuff, swaying more towards R'n'B influenced stuff at the moment, and a lot of jazz stuff. So stuff that predominantly relies on a solid groove from the bass, in my opinion...maybe not everyone elses.

Anyway, i've been listening to tonnes of different tunes recently, mainly old school funk, and D'angelo's Voodoo album, as well as Eryka Badu's - Baduism...and something that's come to my mind is that the newer, R'n'B stuff is very solid, very much a deep line, with the occassional flurry, which still grooves....and the older stuff is a more bouncy, 16th funk line. But the guys that play on all of these records groove like mothers...i mean one of the Tower of Power tracks i heard today was a solid 16th not groove at a fair tempo, and it was banging!!!

Just wondered what you would suggest to help me improve my groove playing, and ways to play in and around the 'pocket'...perhaps your views on the modern R'n'B bass vibe and then old school funk thing too?

I guess a lot of it is to do with working out these lines, playing them with other guys, jammin' with them and having fun, then using the ideas to create fresh grooves etc?

Anyway, thanks as always.

Jamie

[adri24an]

Originally Posted by bassjamm

i mean one of the Tower of Power tracks i heard today was a solid 16th not groove at a fair tempo, and it was banging!!!

right! i transcribed and recorded "believe it" some days ago, and it was quite challenging...

[janekbass]

As always it boils down to transcription.

taking these phrases and bass lines and playing them over material that's relevant to what you're working in your own music. It's also important to be aware of where to, and where not to play some of that stuff. 16th note lines are not always applicable to alll music, although they might be fun to play.

working with a good drummer will help you figure out what feels good and what suits you too.

The old schook funk thing is a huge spectrum of sounds and ideas. So many different approaches and players in the genre, it's hard to put a single defining aspect to the whole style of playing. And then the modern day R&B style of playing has been greatly influenced by technology. You'll find that a lot of recorded material uses synth bass more than the real thing, and is quite often programmed and not even played.

Just find what it is about these styles of playing that you like, and take what you can from it to enhance your own music.

easy,

Janek

[bassjamm]

Thanks Janek