Bass Lessons HQ

This is a fairly basic, repetitive Funk riff in D, with a flat 7. Notice that I play the riff four times, and on the fourth time I do a variation that loops back around to the main riff. This is how you help others know where they are in the song, or how many times you’ve played a riff. Using the concept of a “turn around” helps keep your band tight.

In the video, I show you the notes, one at a time, followed by demos at several speeds, starting with the slowest tempo and returning to normal speed. At the end, I play the riff again, and add a second variation on the turn around. This turns a 4 measure line into an 8 measure line. See if you can figure out this minor change.

Watch on You Tube

I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: As you’re practicing this riff, keep in mind that many funk lines are very repetitive, which is what makes people want to dance. You need to be able to play a line literally a hundred times or more with conviction. So instead of playing it ten times in a row perfectly, try playing it forty times in a row, then fifty… up to a hundred times perfectly.

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Have fun, and…

Aim High – Play Low

Lane

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