Bass Lessons - Funkn Blues

File info:

Funk'n Blues: Improvising with blues and funk modes.


This tab will give an overview of the blues scale, show how to 
turn blues into funk and will give some of my own improve with 
funk and 
blues as an example.

Here's also a little guide:

|-------------------------|
|                         |
|  x= dead note           |
|  ?= unonymous note      |
|/ \= slide (up or down)  |
|                         |
|-------------------------|


The Blues Scale on the A sring:

Anything above the 12th fret I'm just using for you to get
the feel of the scale and is not necesarily necesary.

G|------------------------------------------------------|
D|------------------------------------------------------|
A|--0--3--5--7--10--12--15--17--15--12--10--7--5--3--0--|
E|------------------------------------------------------|

You can play that on any string or anywhere possibele on the bass
just so long as it sounds bluesy and the pattern is similar.

Moveable blues pattern:

This is the same as the first one it can just be moved were you like
more easily.

G|--------------------5--7--5--------------------|
D|--------------5--7-----------7--5--------------|
A|--------5--7-----------------------7--5--------|
E|--5--8-----------------------------------8--5--|

say that you wanted to move the pattern a little higher (or lower)
simply move it all up a fret (or down a fret).

G|--------------------6--8--6--------------------|
D|--------------6--8-----------8--6--------------|
A|--------6--8-----------------------8--6--------|
E|--6--9-----------------------------------9--6--|

once your used to these patterns feel free to fool around and 
make your own stuff, even throw in some sharp notes to jazz it up:

Simple walking Blues bass piece:

play slowly and layed back:

G|------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|--x--0--3--5--7-10--12--10--7-6-5--x--0--3--5--7-10--12-12-10-12--|
E|------------------------------------------------------------------|

 |----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 |----------------------------------------------------------------------|
 |--15--12--10-12--10-12-\-?--x--0--3--5-5--6-6-6-5-5-5--3--0-0---0---0-|
 |--------------------------------------------------------------3---3---|

Funk:

Funk is one of my favorite styles of music it's based on the blues
scale as many things are. The way you improvise funk from a blues 
scale 
has a lot to do with the name, make the blues scale funky add off 
notes
were they don't belong and slide a lot while still making it seem 
natural
and cool:

This was a populare Funk riff that I'll use as an example:

 It sounds better if you pop the notes instead of what you usually 
do. 

G|-----------2--5-----------7--10-----------2--5------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------|
A|--0--3-4-5-------5--7-8-9--------9-7-8--5-------5--7-8-9--|
E|----------------------------------------------------------|
                ^It goes on like that.^

Here's another example:

It is two parts from a song called "Cucumber Slumber" by a
band called weather report.

   Part one--->                 Ending A--->   Ending B--->
G|---------------------------------|-------------|--18-/-19-\-18--|
D|---------------------------------|-------------|--17-/-18-\-17--|
A|--0--12-10--0--7-6-5--3--0-0---0-|-x--------0--|----------------|
E|-----------------------------3---|----0--3-----|----------------|

 |-----------------------18--19----| <---Play repeatedly. If you don't know
 |-------------19-18-----17--18----| what to do about the unknown note, just 
 |------?-/-19-------19------------| slide from 13 to 19, it sounds good.
 |--12-----------------------------|

Those are just little examples of Bleus and Funk, but with that 
knowledge 
you can start to make your own music. If you want more complicated
funk just go to the weather report tabs section under "W".  

                       Hope it was usefull.