The Funk

[quote name='hopkinsgm' post='453330' date='Apr 3 2009, 01:20 PM']I guess what I'm wondering is whether having the 5th string is likely to confuse me?[/quote] If you're coming back to bass you might not be that used to 4 strings anyway, so why not just go straight into 5? If you don't play a lot of 4 and 5, it can be confusing when you switch from one to the other.

I've only ever had one audition. I was 2 hours late and by the time I got there the two band members were already very stoned. After jamming with the drummer for a bit I asked if I had the job. He said yes. The singer mumbled something about having auditioned lots of people and letting me know at which point the drummer started laughing uncontrollably. I bet yours is nothing like that so turn up on time, be polite and try to be fun as well.

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='453277' date='Apr 3 2009, 12:43 PM']The car should be worth way more. [...] Any one else feel the same way?[/quote] Yes! Rule of thumb for me: bass should cost no more than 1/10 of the cost of car; car should cost no more than 1/10 of the cost of the house.

[quote name='lozbass' post='452788' date='Apr 2 2009, 09:56 PM']Another interesting line in the thread is a strong call for the marriage of a 680 with the power section of the 750. That would be worth serious exploration[/quote] That sure would be worth getting hold of! Even the 659 preamp section with the power amp from the 750 would be great. Can't beat the 680 IMO though.

[quote name='GStar' post='452723' date='Apr 2 2009, 08:33 PM']I'll get into town and have a search for Levine's book; would you recommend simply following him page by page and then focusing on the a particular style i.e Jazz/Funk/Rock/Pop/Blues or am i looking at it the wrong way?[/quote] Fantastic book. Go through it page by page - it's set out in the perfect order. While you're going through the book you should also already be playing at blues jams (they're easy and fun) and in some kind of rock band. If you have time to get playing with some beginner jazzers as well, then you're laughing. Get backing a female vocal diva and then you've got most things covered. When you'd have time to eat, sleep, practice and work, I don't know. Just re-read your post and you say you've been playing a fairly long time so none of the above is meant to sound patronising.

There's a band that was described by an indie club (The Water Rats) and a wet jazz club (Jazz After Dark) as London's finest funk quintet. I don't know if that's true (sounds like BS to me) but it's sure fun to play in! I'd recommend our very own RayFW's band and a band called The Jezebel Sextet for some old school late '60s style funky soul-jazz. Very cool and very cheap to go and see around London and the South East. In fact, there are a fair few Basschatters playing in funky bands.

Cool! Should be there!

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='451791' date='Apr 1 2009, 05:54 PM']Am I correct in believing he's polish? Anyways, insulting people spoils it for those who have a genuine and serious interest in understanding what these people have to say, regardless of whether they agree with it or not. That doesn't impose a requirement on everyone to suck up but chips-on-shoulders won't be welcome either.[/quote] I think he's Czech but British as well. I might have my wires crossed. I think there's a way to disagree with someone - even on a profound level - without being insulting. It's sometimes difficult not to cross that line or be misinterpreted as crossing that line. [quote name='BigBeefChief' post='451792' date='Apr 1 2009, 05:56 PM']Wasn't he going on about how much he hated writing about music, whilst writing on a bass forum, whilst writing articles for BGM? The trouble with these "stars" is that they're a bit highly strung.[/quote] Yeah, he could have handled it a bit better although so could everyone else on the forums. I don't have any problem with him getting called on a few things but I think the way it happened just got totally out of hand.

Something happened with Steve Lawson? I remember him posting for a while at one point. I remember the Janek Gwizdala incident. That was a real shame. You might not like him as a composer or even as a person but he's a good bass player and one of the few Brits making a name for himself in the jazz session scene in America. He could have been a great resource.

This thread should have had one reply right at the beginning. I don't know what I was thinking. "Ain't nothin' but a thang"

Mike Clark is one of the best drummers ever. He was never rated as highly as some of the others of the fusion era - maybe he was too funky and not w*nky enough for then? As for the personality thing, that's what music is all about. That's why I'm not so sure about steering people clear of things that might seem advanced or dangerous. Put it where it feels good - that's my motto.

[quote name='lowdown' post='451692' date='Apr 1 2009, 04:46 PM']Might be worth AM checking out the great Paul Jackson as well...good finger style.[/quote] I'd almost go as far as to say the very best. One of my three biggest influences.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='451685' date='Apr 1 2009, 04:41 PM']Too smooth! Also if you're coming to funk from rock there is a wealth of fantasic late '60s/early '70s rock that straddles the funk/rock gap. Some deeply funk laden moments in Led Zeppelin and this particular favourite of mine from Black Sabbath - so dirty, so greasy and so dark: The shift from this to The Meters is not as far as you'd think - both the drummers and bass players have remarkably similar feels. And in more recent times RATM and even Korn have funked out, though from more of a hip hop perspective.[/quote] Couldn't agree more about War Pigs! Also, if you want a funky punk bassist, apart from the obvious choice of Flea, check out some of Duff McKagan's lines a bit more closely. "It's So Easy" is seriously groovy.

If you like Tom Browne, you should check out his contemporaries/collaborators Don Blackman and Bernard Wright. I always thought Jamaica Funk was about the Island but it's a neighbourhood in Queens, New York.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='451670' date='Apr 1 2009, 04:28 PM']I'm so stupid [/quote] I'm actually sniggering at my desk now. Not at you - just the way they went completely over the top. "'Sensual'". That's the bit that really got me!

Now that IS funny!

[quote name='Buzz' post='451613' date='Apr 1 2009, 03:44 PM']Novel concept, but not one that should have seen reality imo.[/quote] I'm sure I saw a Takamine acoustic bass guitar with a valve preamp built-in a couple of years ago.

[quote name='The Funk' post='451656' date='Apr 1 2009, 04:14 PM']I'd love to get my hands on a pair.[/quote] Walked into that one!

[quote name='crez5150' post='451642' date='Apr 1 2009, 04:07 PM']REally..... you should try the DT 150's they are a world apart.....[/quote] That's what I've heard. I'd love to get my hands on a pair.

OMG! F*ck that one - they have a Bernard Purdie one!!! My favourite drummer of all time.

I quite like my Beyer DT100s. I got them at a reasonable price. I rarely have to mix on headphones but they're perfectly fine for tracking stuff.

[quote name='AM1' post='451631' date='Apr 1 2009, 03:58 PM']I've got a funky drummer, he's on my PC. [/quote] You've got Clyde Stubblefield on your PC? (Seriously though, I think he does CDs just of drum tracks. If you can get hold of it, then you WILL have the original Funky Drummer on your PC).

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='451535' date='Apr 1 2009, 02:28 PM']Remember to take spare leads[/quote] Would it be rude to start referring to obbm as The Cable Guy?

There's so much great funk music out there. I kind of agree with Alex about steering clear of trying to cop Rocco or the Jamaica, Queens, NY '80s funk or the N'awlins Meters funk until you get your head around the funk in general (really, it should have a 'the' before it) but then I think if you're going to develop your own funk style you should try to blend all the stuff YOU'RE into. So, as we've all said, listen to as much of it as possible. Don't overplay. Don't think of funk as something you need to learn from a book or a video, although any tips you can pick up from anyone might be useful. I've heard the playing of a lot of the guys who've posted in this thread and I've discussed the funk with many of the other guys - you're in the company of some serious funkateers. Everyone will have their own angle. Listen to the things you like and develop your own approach to funk the same way they have. One reason I mentioned [i]Papa Was A Rollin' Stone[/i] was because there are hardly any notes in that groove. There's a full bar of rests between the first half and second half of the riff. I mentioned [i]If You Want Me To Stay[/i] because the only difference between that bassline and a pumping 1/8th notes punk rock bassline is the accents that Garry mentioned earlier. If you're not playing with a funky drummer yet, it's going to delay your development. Given your thread about drummer/timing problems, you might have to get looking. EDIT: I hear a lot of people saying you have to lock in with the drummer, and while that's true you also sometimes have to boss the drummer with your playing to keep them from speeding up or dragging. It's a tough skill but I think quite useful to develop. I don't think I have it yet.

[quote name='AM1' post='451433' date='Apr 1 2009, 01:07 PM']The thing I find most difficult on the right hand is playing with my thumb on the pickup and crossing strings without other strings ringing and also knowing which fingers to use on which strings. The floating thumb type technique is almost instinctive but I could probably get more speed eventually if I anchored my thumb.[/quote] I'm a bit confused about your right hand technique. You should alternate your index and middle finger for each note. If you're playing with traditional floating thumb, then it shouldn't be resting on the pick-up. Can you describe it a bit more?