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Whern Will it all Translate Into Funk?!?

B

beaglegod

Jan 6, 2009
66
1
#1
Over the past 3 months Ive been doing some serious study and practice, Ive been practicing all the modes of the major and melodic minor scale,along with maj and min pentatonic,blues, and some symetrical scales.eleven different 7th chord arppegios and all there inversions, sight reading/rythm studies, as well as some very simple bass line construction using roots fifts and octaves as well as triads. All of this is quite a lot of work for me since none of it comes second nature as of yet and I have to really think my way through things. But at what point does all this work pay off in terms of laying down some funk?

Im trying my best to keep my eye on the prize and draw inspiration from listening to stuff I love and watching videos from guys like Dmarlow and others on youtube.Ive given up other pass times to focus on studying my instrument, I used to be a rabid gamer but now I decide each day what to do with the hour or two I have, play games or practice and although gaming is fun to me it seems like a waste of time in comparison. I just hope that a year or two from now I can look back and say how it was all worth it.
 
#5
You don't talk allot about practicing rhythm.
Click to expand...

Yes in my OP I mentioned rythm studies, I have extensive exercises on rythm which Im gradually working my way through, all of this is of course part of sight reading, in fact its mostly what sight reading seems to be since learning the notes and there values is easy but working out rythms seems to be a lifetimes worth of learning.

By the way much thanks Jake and Alaska, good to read words of encouragement from some who have been there.
 
#7
I found it *very* helpful for beginning students to get with other musicians ASAP - ideally folks who were just a bit better than them. A good portion of the joy of playing is playing with other folks, so if you need motivation, that may well supply it.

Learning modes, etc is great but I might suggest you focus on these things:

A) Technique/Strength/endurance.
B) Covering songs that have strong bass parts (not complex parts, STRONG parts)
C) Practice with a drum-machine/metronome. Some might disagree, but I'm a big believer in this.
D) Reading. Don't ignore reading. It can be boring, but the difference between an out of work bassist and working bassist can be as simple as reading.

That was more or less what I'd push on my students when I taught.
 
#8
beaglegod said:
Over the past 3 months Ive been doing some serious study and practice, Ive been practicing all the modes of the major and melodic minor scale,along with maj and min pentatonic,blues, and some symetrical scales.eleven different 7th chord arppegios and all there inversions...
Click to expand...

You're mostly practicing "notes"...not "2 through 10".
"2 through 10" includes rhythm, articulation, feel, tone, note duration, SPACE, etc.

If I were you, I would think about 1/8th note Funk...and maybe stick to 1-2 bar figures. You can even stick to just your Open E-string for now.
A tune like "Groove Me" by King Floyd has a verse section that would be a nice little intro into R&B/Funk.
 
#9
To learn Funk or anything else, IME, set up a practice schedule that covers what you want to learn. Here's a few links that may help:

~Funk,Groove,R&B
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6527889&postcount=10 Links to over 20 funk,groove and R&B bass players
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=314342 Funk 101
http://www.amazon.com/Funk-Bass-Bui...079351620X/ref=pd_sim_b_5/185-2146101-2319058 "Funk Bass" book/cd by TB member Jonster (John Liebman)
http://www.amazon.com/Funkmasters-Great-James-Rhythm-Sections/dp/1576234436/ref=pd_sim_b_1 R&B/Funk
http://www.amazon.com/Standing-Shad...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231863330&sr=1-1 James Jamerson book/CD

~Online Funk Educators
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=481548 TB member Dmanlamius has free video lessons
http://www.playbassnow.com with MarlowDK including videos
 
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#10
You need to work on rhythm with a drummer, or at least a drum machine, or at very least a metronome. If a metronome, try having the click on different beats, not every quarter note in a bar, but say the 2nd and 4th beats of a 4/4 bar. Or just the 1, or just the 3.
 
#11
Well at least I can see Im on the right track by some of the replys, Ive been working on 1/4, 1/8th, 1/16 note and triplet combinations with all the coresponding rests. The exercises my teacher gave me get progressively more difficult(hes given me dozens of pages to work through). I have been practicing with a metronome from the get go but I just recieved about 200 different drum tracks from my teacher so I will try and incorporate those into my practice. I guess I should have asked my question differently.

How long was it before all your studies started to come together for you and translate into your laying down the kind of grooves you like?
 
#12
I didn't start playing till I was 18, and practiced my ass off ten hours a day, but I think the most important aspect was being in a band from day one, and learning practical skills from other musicians, and always strive to play with better musicians than yourself. that gives you total control if you're the weakest link. give up the gaming=)
 
#13
give up the gaming=)
Click to expand...

Thats what I basically did, in my OP I mentioned since my time is limited I have to choose what to do with my free hour or two, so I practice. Not always easy as some habits are hard to break and sometimes Im mentally and physically tired after working all night and would find it easy to just waste time, but I man up and put in my time.:hyper:
 
#17
All those scales and chords aren't really necessary for Funk (not that they can hurt you of course), in fact I think that's part of the beauty of funk, its most often one chord and your note choices are fairly limited (Root, 5th, Octave used heavily with some other notes used more sparingly for flavor)...For what it lacks in tonal complexity its much more rhythmically complex and full of syncopation which makes it really important to feel the drums.

Fire up Garage Band (or some other software) grab a funky drum track from the list (funky pop drums, live edgy drums w/e) and jam in a simple scale (I like minor pentatonic a lot for funk) soon it will start to flow mindlessly and you will be staring at your own hands in disbelief...Then start trying some other scales and patterns, or just start adding random notes and seeing how they work...Then call up a real drummer and have some fun, its actually easier than playing with the computer IMO.

...Ohh and trust your own judgment and put a little faith in your abilities and hard work, just because you are using 3 notes or because its a pentatonic scale or w/e doesn't make it any less funky.
 
#18
^^

Yes. What dudeist monk said. even better might be loading your favorite funk tracks into garage band and record yourself doubling the bass line (you could do it without garage band, just use a handheld recorder or something). Listen to the recordings carefully and see where your phrasing and pocket different from the original.

Listening to recordings of myself has helped me tremendously.
 

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