Funk

“Red Hot,” with its deliciously funky bass line will introduce you to some key concepts, rhythms, and techniques to help expand your musical vocabulary. This is a riff-based tune with a mostly static chord sequence built on two dominant seventh chords (A7 and C7). There are countless songs in the world of funk and funk-rock that have similar, static chord progressions, so the knowledge you gain from learning this piece will translate to many musical situations. Scott also teaches you: Slide articulations, Counting and playing 16th-note rhythms, A really awesome chord lick, up high on the neck, Bass line construction, And more!

This is a super funky tune that draws inspiration from artists such as Pete Ray Biggin and his band, the PB Underground. There’s a fair amount of variety in this bass line, seeing us playing sparse, syncopated lines one moment, pounding out steady eighth notes in the next, and hopping on a few stabs along the way too! Additionally, our line will require us to move around the fingerboard at various points too. This tune has so much to sink your teeth into, so learning it will definitely up your funk game!

The song “Philly” is a super-tight and funky, medium tempo tune in the style of the amazing Rocco Prestia (from Tower of Power) and Jaco Pastorius. We as bass players need funk in our lives and this one delivers for sure, with punchy 16th-note lines that will test your chops and rhythmic groove. We should probably also mention that this track has an absolute KILLING band with a full horn section to play with! While jamming to this piece, you’ll learn all kinds of important things along the way to help make you a better bass player, like... Plucking hand articulation to get that Jaco feel, More advanced 16th-note rhythms, A really great diad trick you can use for any dominant 7th chord, Tips on dialing in the perfect tone, Advice on how to practice, And much more!

The song “Struttin” is a really grooving, jazzy funk tune that’s super fun to play. Stylistically, this one has a loose, New Orleans funk kind of feel in the vein of the Meters, mixed with maybe a bit of James Brown and Medeski, Martin, and Wood (if you haven’t heard of these guys, definitely check them all out). It's gonna challenge you with time keeping, playing in the pocket, improvising bass lines, and loads of other essential skills. While jamming to this track, other things you’ll learn along the way are: Killer bass lines for dominant 7th chords, How to groove in this New Orleans funk style, Tips on tone, A syncopated, rhythmic “stab” section with the band, Improvising a bass line, And more...