New Techniques Needed!

[Tommy Torsion]

Hello fellow bassists!

I've been playing bass for years now (self taught), but played in rock bands, nothing too complex. Moved onto prog style, but I've always struggled with jazz/funk lines. Gimme something fast n heavy, I'm good, throw in some dead notes or complex lines that are slower and I tend to struggle.

I'm always unsure of where my hand should be positioned etc. Is there anything you know/can share to help me. Really want to broaded my horizons with my style.

 

[dreamadream99]

Jazz and Funk are two radically different styles. Jazz relies on chromatics and walking bass lines, sporting long sustained notes; while funk relies on snapping and popping strings in short staccato bursts.

Allow me to get you started though.

Jazz: line up your fingers one per fret in a straight line, with your thumb in the middle of the neck, pointing to the ceiling. This is the hand position for jazz. Walk from root to root with long sustained notes. If you don't know how to walk, do a search here of "walking bass".

Funk: flatten your fingers and point them at your face. This is the hand position for funk. Use non-fretting fingers to mute and shorten notes. Pop: Thump the string quickly and rebound (like popping a towel on your friend's ass). Snap: get your finger under the string, then pull away and release. Then immediately release the fretting finger to make the note as short as possible.

 

[Dbassmon]

I believe music is a language and it require a vocabulary gained through the understanding of any style. The understanding is gained by 1) listening to a genre, a record, a solo, a groove 2) learning note for note that which you are trying to emulate 3) practicing it enough so it becomes part of your DNA....repeat process 1million times.

You need a music playback system, preferably a computer, a recording device... cruel but honest way to judge progress, a metronome....they don't lie. and slow down software is very helpful.'
Finally, a teacher is so helpful, Cuts the learning curve exponentially.

 

[smeet]

Anything goes. There are SO many ways to pluck the strings.

• Play everywhere between the bridge and the 12th fret.
• Play with the tips or pads of your fingers.
• Play with a feather-light touch, smack the strings as hard as you can, and everything in between.
• Use rest stroke (finger comes to rest on the next string) or free stroke (finger glides over the next string).
• Push the string down into the body and let it pop up, or pull it sideways parallel to the top, or pull up and pop it.
• Play with 1, 2, 3, or 4 fingers, add the thumb.
• Tap and hold notes like a hammer-on.
• Tap and bounce like hitting a drum (typewriter technique).
• Flick the finger back and forth hitting the string both ways.
• Pluck while lightly touching the string with the tip of your thumb, to get pinch harmonics.

Combine all those and that's a LOT of variations. That's without even mentioning slapping or using a pick.

I love trying out things like this. Some don't work for me, and others are inspiring. Somewhere along the way, you can find a few things that feel and sound like you.

• The classic Jaco sound is playing hard over the bridge pickup, rest stroke, pulling the string with fingertips and letting it pop up.
• The Geezer Butler sound is playing really hard over or near the end of the fingerboard, letting the strings clank against the frets.
• Steve Harris whacks the strings directly into the frets, making the clank an important part of his sound.
• Stanley Clarke pulls the strings incredibly hard over the neck pickup to get that snapping "bottoming out" sound.
• Jeff Berlin plays lightly near the bridge pickup, very smoothly, getting a liquid horn-like sound.

 

[phangtonpower]

Funk: flatten your fingers and point them at your face. This is the hand position for funk. Use non-fretting fingers to mute and shorten notes. Pop: Thump the string quickly and rebound (like popping a towel on your friend's ass). Snap: get your finger under the string, then pull away and release. Then immediately release the fretting finger to make the note as short as possible.

Not all funk is pop and slap though.

Funk can be played with regular style finger or even with a pick......

 

[Icemanaroonie]

Anything goes. There are SO many ways to pluck the strings.

• Play everywhere between the bridge and the 12th fret.
• Play with the tips or pads of your fingers.
• Play with a feather-light touch, smack the strings as hard as you can, and everything in between.
• Use rest stroke (finger comes to rest on the next string) or free stroke (finger glides over the next string).
• Push the string down into the body and let it pop up, or pull it sideways parallel to the top, or pull up and pop it.
• Play with 1, 2, 3, or 4 fingers, add the thumb.
• Tap and hold notes like a hammer-on.
• Tap and bounce like hitting a drum (typewriter technique).
• Flick the finger back and forth hitting the string both ways.
• Pluck while lightly touching the string with the tip of your thumb, to get pinch harmonics.

Combine all those and that's a LOT of variations. That's without even mentioning slapping or using a pick.

I love trying out things like this. Some don't work for me, and others are inspiring. Somewhere along the way, you can find a few things that feel and sound like you.

• The classic Jaco sound is playing hard over the bridge pickup, rest stroke, pulling the string with fingertips and letting it pop up.
• The Geezer Butler sound is playing really hard over or near the end of the fingerboard, letting the strings clank against the frets.
• Steve Harris whacks the strings directly into the frets, making the clank an important part of his sound.
• Stanley Clarke pulls the strings incredibly hard over the neck pickup to get that snapping "bottoming out" sound.
• Jeff Berlin plays lightly near the bridge pickup, very smoothly, getting a liquid horn-like sound.

These are fantastic suggestions; tone comes from your fingers! The only thing I would add is mess around with percussive muting. Try letting a note ring out, then smack your plucking fingers into the string like your digging in for a thickly accented note, but don't go through the strings, stick them on to it. If it's an open string, you can also smack with your left hand atop at the same time. It's hard to explain without a video, but hopefully that gets you started.
Adding percussive mutes to the end of staccato portions can add a very interesting feeling to lines. I use them at the end of a "lead-bass" line in one of my bands songs, as well as when the guitarist plays fast harmonics as part of a line, since playing bass harmonics with the guitar ones don't sound as good.

 

[enricogaletta]

Try also to develop on your playing an interesting technique, the muting bass. It fits great on both classical jazz style and funk plus, you can use it on all the merged styles that comes from these two genres.
Remember, follow other guideline instructions for the hand positions, to get a general idea but try to feel the most comfortable position for yourself.
If you need any other help just let me know.