crazy mad skills of funky/rnb/soulful bassists...

[raul]

i'm super crazy about the way a lot of those bass players play and what they play and where they play the notes they choose...to me, it's like the the 60's/70's bass players had something in them that was really amazing...not to say bass players don't' today, they sure do...but wow, what a time for bass players it sent everything over the top! it paved the way for all the great stuff to follow from the 80's on up to now!

so...my questions...do you think a lot of these legendary bassists had super sight reading skills and theory knowledge? seems like a lot of the 60s/70s funky bass players had that touch and feel of note knowledge that comes from some serious study...am i right? or is that just feel? like, do you think the great James Brown bassists knew theory or how to read music, knew theory...etc? and all the rest of the funky 70's bassists from Earth Wind Fire, Commodores, Parliament, Chic etc...think they knew music that way? i know Jamerson knew jazz...i wonder how schooled or studied many of the others were/are?

i'm really trying to get more of that feel and knowledge...it's my fave style of bass playing...i want more of that funky kinda touch...i know just listening and play rewind repeat can do it, but i wonder how many of these people know what they are doing in a more musical on paper, reading or theory kinda sense? or maybe it's just tons and tons and tons of playing and listening...?

[ffutterman]

I wonder what's missing with all those ellipses.

[mixalot]

I'm curious as well.

[JHL]

Originally Posted by raul

i'm super crazy about the way a lot of those bass players play and what they play and where they play the notes they choose...to me, it's like the the 60's/70's bass players had something in them that was really amazing...not to say bass players don't' today, they sure do...but wow, what a time for bass players it sent everything over the top! it paved the way for all the great stuff to follow from the 80's on up to now!

so...my questions...do you think a lot of these legendary bassists had super sight reading skills and theory knowledge? seems like a lot of the 60s/70s funky bass players had that touch and feel of note knowledge that comes from some serious study...am i right? or is that just feel? like, do you think the great James Brown bassists knew theory or how to read music, knew theory...etc? and all the rest of the funky 70's bassists from Earth Wind Fire, Commodores, Parliament, Chic etc...think they knew music that way? i know Jamerson knew jazz...i wonder how schooled or studied many of the others were/are?

i'm really trying to get more of that feel and knowledge...it's my fave style of bass playing...i want more of that funky kinda touch...i know just listening and play rewind repeat can do it, but i wonder how many of these people know what they are doing in a more musical on paper, reading or theory kinda sense? or maybe it's just tons and tons and tons of playing and listening...?

If you want to be as good as you can be, in regards to any style of music, you should study music theory as much as possible. It's pretty obvious isn't it? Theory is simply the collected knowledge of previous generations. By skipping it one is basically trying to reinvent the wheel.

So learn theory and play as much as you can. There are no shortcuts.