• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Help with funk the dumb stuff please

M

morf

Inactive
Feb 17, 2006
10,374
11
#1
I'm trying to figure out exactly what Rocco is playing, and I'm not very sure... All the tabs I find show he plays this:

G------5---------|---5-------------------------------
D---33--6-65-3--|-33--6-65-35-33-------------------
A----------------|----------------------------------
E----------------|----------------------------------

But I'm definitely hearing this:

G------5---5------|----5---5----------------------------
D---33--6---6-53--|-33--6---6-5-35-33-------------------
A------------------|----------------------------------
E------------------|----------------------------------

Which is correct? How do you play it?
 
#5
Thanks, but it seems funk the dumb stuff is one of the few not available unfortunately.

Anyway to have someone who knows the song pick up their bass quickly and tell me how far I am from what hes playing?
 
#9
This is how I play it. I play it slightly differently with my left hand than how my bass teacher said Rocco played it (he has met him personally and seen him playing this from a distance of one meter, he said...). The positions should be correct anyhow, it's just a question of which fingers you use.


--------------------------------------
-----10------13-----------------------
-8-8---10-11----10---8---------------
--------------------------------------
.1..1..3..1..2...3...1.....1 <-- left hand finger


--------------------------------------
-----10------13-------10-------------
-8-8---10-11----10-------X-8---------
---------------------------------1----
.1..1..3..1..2..3....1......1..(1).1....1
 
#11
Main Riff
Code: 
G|------5---7-8-0-----------|------5---7-8-5-5-7-0---------|
D|--3-3---6--------3--------|--3-3---6-------------3-------|
A|--------------------------|------------------------------|
E|--------------------------|-------------------------1----|

Bridge
Code: 
G|------5-----0---------14----|------5-----0-----0-----------|
D|--3-3-----0-----------13----|--3-3--------------------3----|
A|--------3-----3-------------|--------3-2---3-3---3---------|
E|-----------------1----------|----------------------1-------|
                                                         
 |--0-0-7-----2-------------|--0-0-7-----2-----2-----------|
 |--------0-2---0-----------|--------0-2---0-0---0---------|
 |--------------------------|------------------------------|
 |-----------------3--------|----------------------3--2----|
                                                                  
 |------5-----0--------------|
 |--3-3-----0----------------|
 |--------3-----3------------|
 |-----------------1----1----|

Break
Code: 
G|-------------------------|------5-----0-------------| 3x
D|-------------------------|--3-3-----0---------------|
A|--3--2--1----0-----------|--------3-----3-----------|
E|----------------4--3-2---|-----------------1--------|
                                                          
 |------------------------|------5---7-8-5-5-7-0---------|
 |------------------------|--3-3---6-------------3-------|
 |--3----2----1--0--------|------------------------------|
 |------------------4-3---|-------------------------1----|

Amirite?
 
#15
Winterpegbass's and mine sound about right to me, but it's easier to play his, so I'll try that for now. Good thread. :)

-EDIT: Here's Winterpegbass's one, Invalid Link Removed
Heck lot easier than mine, just need to work on the 2nd part a bit, to get the timing right. :)

-EDIT#2: Invalid Link Removed -- I'm getting there. :D
 
#17
Looks like I got a note wrong in the end of the line I presented... there should be an Eb instead of a C on the D-string (i.e. fret 11 instead of fret 8).

The thing with Rocco is that he hardly uses any other fingers on his left hand than the index and middle one (or was it the index and ring fingers?) and mutes the notes a bit with the other fingers to make it sound staccato. That is kinda his "trademark technique". (I think however that you need to play the highest note with the ring or pinky anyway). He slides just up and down on the neck in a quite smooth motion when playing this riff... And it works. Also for me, but I prefer my own fingering pattern.


I have some minor problems playing this tightly too - I get all the "main notes" on the right places, but I always rake from the D-string to the A-string and the latter note is hard to get tight by raking, if you're not focused enough ( i hit it easily too early). I have tried to learn strictly alternating fingering style but I just can't get that to work.... If I succeeded on that, that would probably solve this timing issue. Anyway, I have no problem keeping up with Rocco when playing this riff over the record.

I tried also Winterpegbass' version, and it's quite easy to play too. But when playing on the thicker strings you get a thumpier sound with more bass, which I prefer.
 
#18
Yep, agreed about the thicker sound, I like that too.

I use my own fingering pattern but I can't get that trademark "muting" sound like he does yet. I need to concentrate ALOT to play it perfectly in time and as fast too. But its great, this is gonna help me develop my playing, as the version I had guessed was becoming really easy to play compared to this :)
 
#19
The technique he's using is agreed quite strange for most of us. This is speculations to some extent, but I think he doesn't stretch the fingers on the left hand at all, or very little. Instead he keeps the fingers in a natural position close to each other and play _most_ notes with just the index finger, and move the hand horizontally a lot on the fretboard. With the fingers like that, the muting comes quite naturally. But I don't know how you could use any other fingers than the index and the pinky when playing that way... Haven't figured that out yet... think I will go to youtube now and check out some instruction videos on his technique...
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back