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Bassline #2: 12 Bar Blues Funk
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This is another variation of a funk groove, now with a more eighth note oriented feel which makes it a little lighter. However, the bass and drums still stick together to create a tight sound.
Make sure to listen to the drum part careful when you practice this groove and be aware of how you sound with the track; in other words, always be listening!
Bassline #3: 12 Bar Blues Shuffle
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This shuffle has a great, straight forward groove somewhere between a walking bass and a funk feel. It’s written in straight eighth notes, but played with a triplet feel.
This kind of groove works great over the blues, allowing you to go through the changes in a relatively simple but solid way—we don’t add fills; just driving the band with a nice, firm, confident groove.
Bassline #10: Walking Bass
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This is another version of a walking bass line over the same changes, in which we have some eighth notes in play as well as the other elements from the previous demonstration. Make sure to play the notes fully without trying to skip or rush to the next note. Practice in slower tempos as well.
Bassline #11: Bossa Nova
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Bossa nova is a great Brazilian rhythm and is very valuable to the working bassist. A lot of the harmonic approaches we’ve learned so far apply here as well.
Rhythmically, the pattern is very clear and your job is to support the band with a steady, solid pattern moving across the changes. Once you feel comfortable with this groove, pick up the tempo on your metronome a bit and see how that feels.
Bassline #14: Jazz Half Time
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Let’s apply the half time feel we learned on the A section to the bridge; this is the same concept with different chords.
Bassline #17: Slap Funk
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Here we’ll use the same idea over the bridge. Once you feel you’ve got it, try to connect the A section and the bridge together to get a full picture of how the tune sounds in this style.
Bassline #19: Teen Town Funk
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This is a very solid basic R&B groove, moving between the four chords. We’ll use a little slide down element here to make the groove feel fatter.
Bassline #21: Teen Town R&B
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This is another version of an R&B groove where we’ll practice the thumb mute technique. Place the side of your right hand palm on the bridge of your bass where it meets the strings, curving your hand towards the neck and playing with your thumb to achieve a muted tone. You may want to turn up the bass on your EQ a little to give your sound an extra boost.
Bassline #22: Teen Town Rock & Roll
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This is a cool slap funk groove moving between the four chords of “Teen Town.” Each chord starts with a slap thumb and octave pop with the index finger. It’s very important to practice slowly before practicing with the track!
Bassline #23: Teen Town R&B Thumb Mute
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This is another version of an R&B groove where we’ll practice the thumb mute technique. Place the side of your right hand palm on the bridge of your bass where it meets the strings, curving your hand towards the neck and playing with your thumb to achieve a muted tone. You may want to turn up the bass on your EQ a little to give your sound an extra boost.
All of the lines are tabbed and notated for your practice, reference and study purposes. Plus, Teymur generously includes all of the rhythm tracks for you to work with on your own. Want even more groove? Head online to check out the full course where you’ll cover: Funk, Shuffle, Reggae, Jazz Half Time, Walking Bass, Bossa Nova, Salsa, Samba, Slap Funk, 16th Funk, R&B, Rock & Roll, R&B Thumb Mute, Mambo, Cha Cha, Bomba, Songo and Slap Salsa.